Tag: Parade

Last week, Mayor Sylvester Turner said the Martin Luther King Jr. Day parade backed by his administration will unite Houston’s diverse population and properly honor King’s legacy. And the parade organization that is not being backed by the city has chosen Turner’s two mayoral opponents as its co-grand marshals. Though Stamps insisted that he weighed Buzbee and King’s “contributions to humanity” over their political ambitions, he appeared irritated with Turner’s decision to make the Black Heritage Society’s Original MLK, Jr. “And I hope that the people will honor the decision and we will come together ... as a community, as a city of all backgrounds, all faith, all ethnicities, and that we will come and stand as one.” Last July, he said residents have stayed home because they are frustrated by the feud and do not want to choose one parade over the other. Houston firefighters “have always been a staple of our parade productions,” Stamps said when asked about Lancton’s appointment. “We are going to celebrate a parade like we’ve never celebrated before,” Brown said, adding that Turner told him and Duncantell he wanted to make the parade the largest in the nation. Designated an official city event for the first time in its four-decade history, the Original MLK, Jr. Parade has received operational support this year from the city’s special events staff. In 1995, Stamps, who had been a heritage society volunteer, formed a new parade foundation to run a separate Houston MLK event, which went on to garner celebrity and corporate support over the years. For years, each would apply for a permit, and the city would allow only one organizer to launch a parade per day.

MSNBC’s Mike Memoli is in lockstep with Vice President Joe Biden as he marches in a Labor Day parade. » Subscribe to MSNBC: http://on.msnbc.com/SubscribeTomsnbc About: MSNBC is the premier destination for in-depth analysis of daily headlines, insightful political commentary and…

BUENA VISTA — Democratic U.S. Sen. Tim Kaine said the upcoming election comes down to whether the country is “for all” when it comes to jobs, health care and education. And Libertarian Matt Waters said the government is too broke to pay for the services Kaine wants, it’s irresponsible to continue to “kick the can down the road” on entitlements and the federal budget should be cut with all options on the table. The speeches followed a parade and breakfasts, all of which are part of a long tradition that marks the kickoff of election season. “No!” dozens of people seated in front of him shouted. Kaine asked if they were for health care for all, education for all and safety for all, and much of the crowd roared back “Yes!” Kaine hammered Trump and Republicans for having their “priorities wrong” with the tax reform bill because it gives deep tax cuts to corporations and small, temporary ones to individuals while adding to the deficit. Republicans cheered when Stewart asked if they think Trump is doing a great job. “He’s fanning the flames of hatred,” she said, noting Stewart’s association with white nationalists. “It’s scary.” The Kaine campaign, which has been raising and spending more money than Stewart, blanketed the main street of the city with signs. She said her top priorities are affordable health care, housing for homeless veterans and a living wage, but she said she hasn’t settled on who she’ll vote for yet. “I’m not a Democrat or a Republican,” McMahon said.

Written by Elaine Godfrey (@elainejgodfrey) Today in 5 Lines Jurors in Paul Manafort’s fraud trial ended a second day of deliberations without reaching a verdict. The judge said he has received threats and denied media requests to release the names of jurors in fear for their safety. Trump refused to say whether he plans to pardon Manafort if he’s convicted, but said that his former campaign chair is “a very good person” and that the trial is “very sad.” Trump blamed the cancellation of his military parade on Washington D.C. officials, saying they had inflated the cost. More than a dozen former U.S. intelligence officials condemned Trump’s decision to revoke former CIA Director John Brennan’s security clearance in a letter late Thursday. Today on The Atlantic Overruled: Former FBI agent Peter Strzok was set to receive a two-month suspension and a demotion for his alleged misconduct during the 2016 presidential election. Instead, he was fired. (Natasha Bertrand) She ‘Worked for Me’: Trump “employs a particular species of dismissive language when he’s talking about black women,” writes Vann R. Newkirk II—as evidenced by his remarks about the death of singer Aretha Franklin. Two Birds, One Stone: The United States is expected to have a massive physician shortage by the year 2030. (Adam Harris) ‘This Is a Crisis’: A new report shows that one in 10 Airbnb hosts is a teacher. (Katie Rogers, Julie Hirschfeld Davis, and Maggie Haberman, The New York Times) A ‘Political Hack’: Trump’s decision to revoke former CIA Director John Brennan’s security clearance was vindictive, writes Stephen F. Hayes, but Brennan himself has used tactics like that.

(CNN)President Donald Trump sought to cast blame Friday for the cancellation of his planned military parade on Washington city council officials, saying they had inflated the cost. Soon after the President tweeted, Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser claimed she "got thru" to Trump about costs for the parade, which at one point was calculated to run about $12 million but more recent estimates said could run as high as $92 million by the time Trump canceled the event. When asked to give us a price for holding a great celebratory military parade, they wanted a number so ridiculously high that I cancelled it," Trump tweeted Friday morning. The President said he will instead "attend the big parade already scheduled at Andrews Air Force Base on a different date, (and) go to the Paris parade, celebrating the end of the War, on November 11th." Now we can buy some more jet fighters!" A city official added that the Trump administration requested an estimate from the city this week. But the amount allocated this year for such events was far smaller than the additional amount that would be required to cover the parade. Earlier in the day, CNBC and ABC News, citing unnamed officials, reported that the cost estimate of the parade -- which was estimated in July to cost approximately $12 million -- had swelled to $92 million. An administration official told CNN that the $92 million figure was a planning estimate for an event that would meet Trump's intent, and that about half of that amount is for non-military costs like security, some of which would involve the city of Washington. CNN's Ryan Browne, Elizabeth Landers, Barbara Starr and Clare Foran contributed to this report.

WASHINGTON (The Borowitz Report)—Hours after the Pentagon announced that it would postpone a military parade that Donald J. Trump had requested, Vice-President Mike Pence staged a one-man parade in Trump’s honor. Explaining his decision to mount the solitary parade, Pence told reporters, “It is the least I can do to pay tribute to the greatness and majesty of Donald Trump, a true American hero.” Pence acknowledged, however, that marching alone “was a neat way to keep the budget down.” “Obviously, if money were no object, I would have gone for a little more spectacle,” he said. “Maybe a flyover by Space Force.” Marching proudly with his chest thrust forward and breaking out into a near-strut, Pence’s parade route took him down Pennsylvania Avenue, where he waved occasionally to confused-looking passersby. “It was weird seeing him walking all by himself,” Carol Foyler, a tourist who witnessed the Pence parade, said. “I waved back because it was just so sad.” Pence’s one-man march drew high praise from Trump, who took to Twitter to declare it the largest parade in history.

Paul LePage, Sens. The online application for parade entrants already includes the new policy. “The Maine Lobster Festival Parade is a nonpartisan, secular and neutral private event which celebrates our community, our people and our lobsters. Board President Cynthia Powell said in these highly charged political times, there were other entrants to the parade who did not want to be marching alongside and be associated with various political groups. Powell said the policy is fair because it excludes all political groups. I know many of the candidates that have marched in previous parades – Democrats, Republicans, third party and independents, all whom I am happy to call friends and acquaintances.” “I’ll add that the Lobster Festival is not a ‘private event,’ since it is held in a City park and the parade runs down City streets,” Weinand said. A Knox County representative of the Republican Party also questioned the action but said a formal statement should come from Knox County Republican Chairman Blaine Richardson, who did not issue an immediate response. The Yarmouth Clam Festival’s parade application states that “entries that are political, religious or controversial will not be accepted.” The Lobster Festival last year limited political groups to walking the parade and not using vehicles, Powell said. The Maine Lobster Festival is scheduled to be held Aug. 1-5 on the Rockland waterfront. Share

The festival board voted Tuesday, April 24, to exclude all political organizations and candidates from the annual parade held the first Saturday in August. The online application for parade entrants already includes the new policy. "The Maine Lobster Festival Parade is a non-partisan, secular and neutral private event which celebrates our community, our people and our lobsters. Board President Cynthia Powell said in these highly charged political times, there were other entrants to the parade who did not want to be marching alongside and be associated with various political groups. Powell said the policy is fair, because it excludes all political groups. “I am troubled by this decision," said Rockland Democratic Chair Gerald Weinand. "Maine has a long tradition of candidates marching in parades held throughout the state, where they often zig-zag from curb to curb to shake hands and have a brief chat with constituents. A Knox County representative of the Republican party also questioned the action, but said a formal statement should come from Knox County Republican Chair Blaine Richardson. Zachery Annis, chair of the Knox County Democratic Committee, said, "We're disappointed that candidates from across the political spectrum won't be able to march in the lobster parade, because political engagement and representation is so important to a thriving, democratic community. The Lobster Festival last year limited political groups to walking in the parade and not using vehicles, Powell said.

ROCKLAND — Gov, Paul LePage, Sens. The Festival Board voted Tuesday to exclude all political organizations and candidates from the annual parade scheduled for the first Saturday of August. The online application for parade entrants already includes the new policy. “The Maine Lobster Festival Parade is a non-partisan, secular and neutral private event which celebrates our community, our people and our lobsters. Board President Cynthia Powell said in these highly-charged political times, there were other entrants to the parade who did not want to be marching alongside and be associated with various political groups. Powell said the policy is fair because it excludes all political groups. I know many of the candidates that have marched in previous parades; Democrats, Republicans, third party and independents, all whom I am happy to call friends and acquaintances.” “I’ll add that the Lobster Festival is not a ‘private event,’ since it is held in a City park and the parade runs down City streets,” Weinand said. A Knox County representative of the Republican party also questioned the action but said a formal statement should come from Knox County Republican Chair Blaine Richardson. The Yarmouth Clam Festival’s parade application states that “entries that are political, religious or controversial will not be accepted.” The Lobster Festival last year limited political groups to walking the parade and not using vehicles, Powell said. Share

WASHINGTON (The Borowitz Report)—Shortly after he declared that he would have run into a Florida high school unarmed to thwart a mass shooting, Donald J. Trump announced that he was planning a parade in Washington, D.C., to celebrate his hypothetical act of heroism. “Anyone can act with bravery in the moment,” Trump told reporters in the White House. “But it takes a very special kind of hero to tell people about the incredibly brave thing he would have done weeks after the thing happened.” He added that it was one of his greatest regrets that bone spurs prevented him from serving in the Vietnam War, “because the really courageous things I would have done during that war would have been off the charts.” “As soon as the Tet Offensive happened, I would have run unarmed right into that mess,” he said. “We probably would have won the war right after I did that.” Trump said that the parade he was ordering would honor not only him but all of America’s “last responders.” According to a new poll, Trump’s assertion that he would have run into the Florida high school unarmed was believed by his daughter Ivanka.