Washington, D.C
'Grab him by the ballot': Thousands join Women's March in Washington DC with messages for Trump
Thousands of people have joined the Women’s March in Washington DC as a feminist show of strength and to drive support towards the person vying to be the first woman elected president of the United States.
In their chants and on their signs, those in the crowd on Saturday, local time, found some creative ways to make their feelings known.
It came amid national debates about legal access to abortion and a woman’s right to make choices about her own body ahead of the US presidential campaign.
With the vote just days away, those on the street had several very clear and very clever messages for Republican nominee Donald Trump, including:
“We need a leader not a creepy tweeter.”
“Uncle Sam stay outta my clam.”
“Roe, Roe, Roe your vote.”
“No sex with men until Roe comes back.”
“Grab him by the ballot.”
“Sometimes you gotta flush twice.”
The march was not a campaign event, but the Women’s March organisers billed the event as a “powerful reminder to those in power that we are watching and demanding accountability – and that this November, women will win the White House”.
The event featured speeches from prominent activists emphasising a future free from domination and violence and who rallied the crowd before taking the streets.
The march moved from Freedom Plaza, past the Washington Memorial and up to the White House.
The crowd was overwhelmingly in favour of Democratic candidate Kamala Harris.
Women have been a key voting bloc for Ms Harris, who has been hoping to not just inspire Democrats to get out and vote, but to convince Republicans to switch sides.
She was recently endorsed by high-profile Republican Liz Cheney.
Women marching on Washington became a regular occurrence after Trump’s victory in 2016, and on Saturday the crowd chanted: “We won’t go back.”
They blame Trump for the restriction of their rights after he appointed conservative judges to the United States Supreme Court who then overturned Roe v Wade in 2022.
That decision removed the nationwide right to an abortion and triggered a series of bans and restrictions at the state level.
Currently, abortion is banned in almost all circumstances in 13 states.
‘It’s a matter of life and death’
Among the chanting crowd is grandmother Penny Herlihy, who turned out to march alongside a throng of young faces.
She peeled away to speak to the ABC, handing her hand-painted sign that reads “EVEN WINE CAN’T FIX THIS” to her granddaughter.
“I’m here for my daughter, my daughters-in-law, my five absolutely beautiful granddaughters and for all women everywhere,” she said.
When it comes to the race for the White House, Ms Herlihy said the choice between the two options could not be more stark.
She cast her vote for Ms Harris as soon as she could.
“The opposition is a misogynist. He’s an anarch. He is unfit to be a human being, let alone a president,” Mr Herlihy said.
“She will lead our country forward. Unity!” she said before her grandchildren erupted in applause.
Lori Harris travelled to the nation’s capital from New Jersey to attend the women’s march for her 20th year in a row.
“I have nieces, I have granddaughters and, even though this probably doesn’t affect me, women are already dying and I just think it’s a matter of life and death,” she said.
“Abortions aren’t going to stop. They’re just going to be less safe.
“This is just about controlling women.”
But she is not just here for women’s reproductive rights. Ms Harris came to show her support for a woman of colour being installed in the White House.
“Trump is really dangerous. He’s a dangerous man,” she said.
“I’m a psychotherapist and a grad school student could diagnose him.
“And he’s really degraded — his cognitive decline is really conspicuous.
“This is a really dangerous time. I’m afraid — I really am.”
‘Pussyhats’ return
Eileen Boyle, her twin sister Carole and two friends Mary Cahill and Kim Kroeger travelled from Massachusetts to be in Washington DC for the march.
“We felt like we needed to do one last rallying cry before the election on Tuesday,” Ms Boyle said.
“My mother, at a very young age, she was progressive and she instilled in us women’s rights and human rights, and we’re trying to carry the torch.”
When talking about the younger women in their life, Kim said: “We’re doing this for them.”
The group found their original pink “pussyhats” and took a road trip to the Capitol.
Women’s March began the day after Trump was inaugurated in 2017, and highlighted his rhetoric and policy positions. They have been an annual fixture since.
At the time, some estimates put the size of the demonstration in Washington at almost 500,000 people. Millions participated around the country.
This year’s event saw people travel from as far away as Washington state, signalling a revival of the movement now Trump is potentially just days away from winning another term.
Organisers originally planned the events to send a message to the new president, whose candidacy was punctuated by criticisms about his attitude towards women.
At the forefront of those was the publication of a video from 2005 – known as the Access Hollywood tape – which involved Trump making multiple crude comments about women.
In the recording, Trump could be heard saying “you can do anything” to women if you are “a star” including “grab ’em by the pussy”.
Subsequently, distinctive pink “pussyhats” — which were the result of a countrywide craft campaign and donned by many march attendees — became synonymous with the movement.
The U.S. Department of Defense confirmed Wednesday the National Guard will remain deployed in Washington, D.C., through Inauguration Day 2029.
Mayor Muriel Bowser and other city officials have been against deployment since it began last summer, but pushing back has been an uphill battle.
More than 5,000 National Guard troops are deployed in the city after President Donald Trump signed an executive order declaring a crime emergency, and that number swelled for the Fourth of July.
City leaders made it clear they want the National Guard to leave, but the Defense Department says the troops will stay through the end of the Trump administration.
City leaders argue the National Guard is unnecessary, the soldiers are not trained in law enforcement and it’s bad for business. A lawsuit filed by the D.C. attorney general was overturned on appeal pending further litigation.
“My understanding is that there’s going to be some sort of proceeding in September, and so the city is still litigating that we don’t want these National Guard troops from other states here,” D.C. Council Chairman Phil Mendelson said.
On July 9, the D.C. Council sent letters to Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and U.S. Virgin Islands Gov. Albert Bryan asking them to withdraw their National Guard soldiers that were sent for the Fourth of July celebrations.
“We respectfully ask that you recall all Michigan National Guard personnel as soon as practicable and decline any extension of their current deployment,” Council wrote to Whitmer.
“To have National Guard troops sent here from states across the nation who are armed, who are not trained in our laws, does not help us advance public safety and is not the right path forward,” Councilmember Brooke Pinto said.
The Council did not reach out to any other governors with troops deployed to Washington.
Bowser declined to comment on the extension of the guard’s deployment.
News4 reached out to both governors’ offices for comment but has not heard back.
Washington, D.C
Benjamin Netanyahu to fly to DC for Graham Lindsay’s funeral, meeting with Donald Trump | The Jerusalem Post
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is set to fly to Washington, DC, on Saturday night, Israeli sources told The Jerusalem Post on Wednesday.
Netanyahu’s visit would mark the first official trip to Washington since the war with Iran, with his last visit in February.
During a recent phone call made by Netanyahu to congratulate Trump on the 250th anniversary of US independence, the two leaders agreed to “meet soon.”
Netanyahu’s main commitment during this upcoming trip will be attending Graham’s funeral, who passed away on Sunday after “a brief and sudden illness.”
Netanyahu and his wife, Sara, mourned Graham in a statement on Sunday.
“Lindsey understood that the security of Israel and America are inseparable. He devoted his life to defending America, strengthening our alliance and standing up for the free world,” Netanyahu said in his statement.
“Israel has lost one of its greatest friends. America has lost a great patriot. I have lost a beloved friend.”
“Our hearts are with Lindsey’s family and with the American people at this difficult time. May his values and initiatives continue to guide us toward victory and peace, and may his memory forever be a blessing.”
Miriam Sela-Eitam contributed to this article.
WASHINGTON (7News) — Some D.C. residents told 7News they are fed up with the no-parking signs that have been added in front of their homes.
For the first time in 70 years, the view outside Anita Marsh’s home has changed.
“It’s very emotional,” said Marsh. “To be in a place where there’s no access to my door, no one can legally park for me to enter and exit my home. It’s frustrating, but more importantly, it’s upsetting. It’s very upsetting. I find it heartless.”
ALSO READ | DC considers tighter rat control restrictions after poison, tracking and trash concerns
Video from Marsh showed what she woke up to on Monday morning. She said the District Department of Transportation (DDOT) installed no parking signs in front of her home.
“How do I walk? How do I get into my house? I’m not very ambulatory,” said Marsh. “I have mobility challenges. So what happens?”
Neighbors about a mile away, over on Kimi Gray Court, reached out with the same frustrations. That’s where 7News met Aaron Harris.
“DDOT put these signs up, these signs, and they are ticketing people who are trying to park in front of their home because they have multiple cars,” said Harris.
Both neighborhoods feel that access to their home will now cost them.
“I’m very nervous because also financial impact is on a retiree,” said Marsh.
7News also got a call from businesses on MLK Jr. Avenue in Anacostia who said DDOT hit them with changes, too. 7News met Ronald Moton in front of his Gogo museum.
“They bring a bus lane without talking to us and take away 29 parking spaces,” said Moton.
Moton said business owners and customers have been hit with $200 tickets.
“This is a community trying to build itself up and survive,” said Moton. “You cannot come and dump stuff like this on us without talking to us.”
“We can’t afford to pay $90 a week or $180 or $270 per week because we’re in violation in front of a property that wasn’t zoned this way,” said Harris. “At least we didn’t know it was owned that way until the signs went up and they started getting ticketed.”
“I’m very scared. I’m very scared. And very upset,” said Marsh. “I’m not going to be able to stay in my house. Then I’m going to be forced to go elsewhere. Because I’m not going to be able to enter and exit my house.”
7News reached out to DDOT and Councilman Charles Allen, who chairs D.C.’s Transportation and Environment Committee, and asked about the no-parking signs community members feel came out of nowhere. 7News has not heard back from either yet.
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