Japan sent the 250 new trees to the United States as the National Park Service rehabs the Tidal Basin. The trees also are arriving in time for the United States’ 250th birthday.
Japan plans to help adorn Washington, D.C., with even more of the capital’s famed cherry blossoms, a gift the Asian nation said will continue to serve as a token of an enduring friendship.
President Joe Biden confirmed news of the 250 new trees on Wednesday after welcoming Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and his wife Yuko Kishida back to the White House.
“Like our friendship … these trees are timeless, inspiring and thriving,” Biden said at the ceremony. The gesture is meant to commemorate the United States’ 250th birthday in July 2026.
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Prime Minister Kishida is in town for a visit and state dinner, and to “celebrate the deep and historic ties” between the two countries.
Here’s what we know.
Bond will continue to grow, just like cherry blossoms
Prime Minister Kishida said he decided to send over the trees as soon as he heard that some of the existing trees at the Tidal Basin would be replaced as a result of a multi-year rehab project by the National Park Service.
The trees also were sent to commemorate the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States, he said.
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“It is said that the cherry trees planted in this area have a lifespan of about 60 years … (yet) the trees have shown their strong vitality, blooming beautifully for more than a 100 years without wane,” Kishida said.
It’s a sentiment he is confident can be applied to the Japan-U.S. alliance, saying that it will continue to “grow and bloom around the world, thriving on friendship, respect and trust of the people of both countries.”
Cherry blossoms connect both countries, first gifted over a century ago
The White House says they welcome the gesture, one that is set to support the rehab project for Tidal Basin and West Potomac Park.
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“It’s spring in Washington. The sun is shining. And every spring, cherry blossoms bloom across this city thanks to a gift from Japan of 3,000 cherry trees from over a century ago,” Biden said. “People travel all over our country and the world to see these magnificent blossoms.”
The cherry trees, Biden says, were first gifted by Japan in 1912, are “an enduring reminder of the close bonds of friendship between Americans and Japanese,” according to The White House. It’s estimated that the trees draw about 1.5 million visitors to the D.C. area every year.
Biden said that he and First Lady Jill Biden and the Kishidas “took a stroll down the driveway, across the lawn here at The White House to visit three cherry blossom trees.
“One that Jill and Mrs. Kishida planted together a year ago and the other two are part of the 250 new trees that Japan is giving to the United States,” he said.
The new trees are set to be planted at the Tidal Basin not far from the Martin Luther King memorial, Biden said.
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“May God bless the Japanese and American people,” he said.
Thompson Restaurants has opened its seventh Wiseguy Pizza. It is located in a residential neighborhood of Dupont Circle in Washington, D.C., according to a press release.
The pizza brand is known for its New York-style pizza. Wiseguy also has a rotating menu of specials which includes vegan and vegetarian offerings.
“We are ecstatic to introduce our award-winning pizza slices and pies to the vibrant Dupont Circle neighborhood,” Alex Berentzen, COO of Thompson Hospitality, said in the release. “We are very much looking forward to the Dupont community experiencing Wiseguy’s renowned New York-style pizza and exceptional quality, a hallmark of our presence across the DMV region.”
The Dupont Circle Wiseguy Pizza features dine-in and carryout services. It has a small dining room and an extensive patio.
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Thompson Restaurants owns and operates15 brands with more than 70 locations.
This week, Jason sits down with Michael Howell, the Executive Director of the Heritage Oversight Project. Launched in January 2022, the Oversight Project is Heritage’s investigative and oversight arm. Jason and Michael discuss their shared work on oversight and reminisce on Jason’s time as Chairman of the House Oversight Committee.
Plus, Jason shares how the summer cicada story could affect millions of people and why President Biden doesn’t care about the border crisis.
Bring On The Stupid: A Drag Queen Story Hour, for children.
As High Plains Honor Flight went wheels up for its 25th expedition back to Washington, D.C., on Sunday morning, plenty of people on board knew exactly what to expect.
Honor Flight President Matt Voris said there are volunteers going on their 15th-plus trip. Voris himself said he has lost track of how many he’s been on.
But for the 120 veterans on board, the next 36 hours will be like almost nothing they’ve ever experienced.
“We find the magic of Honor Flight is when 120 of them are together, they start chatting. They’re in like company with people who have experienced the same kind of things they did,” Voris said. “And by the time we get back here, it’s like the weight of the world is lifted off of them.”
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Voris said many veterans — specifically combat veterans — return home from serving and bury most of what they experienced deep down, not even wanting to talk about it with their closest family. He’s noticed with those who have taken an honor flight, something loosens up inside them.
“We’ve had many, many families tell us after their veteran gets home from a trip, ‘Uncle Jimmy never talked about anything while he was overseas. And now since he took the trip, we can’t get him to shut up.’ ” Voris said. “It’s an awesome thing.”
The veterans started their 36-hour trip Sunday morning with the Escort of Heroes, which took them from the McKee 4-H Building at The Ranch Events Complex to the Northern Colorado Regional Airport. Thirteen veterans who served in Korea, 106 who served in Vietnam and one who served in both flew to Baltimore, where they were scheduled to attend a banquet in their honor. They will wake up Monday morning and head to D.C. to visit the World War II Memorial, Iwo Jima Marine Memorial, Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, Air Force Memorial, Lincoln Memorial, Vietnam War Memorial and Korean War Memorial and fly back. All before bedtime.
Buses carrying veterans to the Northern Colorado Regional Airport drive down Fairgrounds Avenue during High Plains Honor Flight’s Escort of Heroes on Sunday in Loveland. (Chris Bolin – Public safety reporter)
“We keep busy,” Voris said.
This year’s trip — named in honor of the late Col. William R. Suhre, an Army veteran and Greeley resident who was awarded a Purple Heart, Bronze Star and Silver Star for his heroics in Vietnam — will be the first without any World War II veterans.
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Along with the natural fight against time, that is in big part because the group has grown that much closer to fulfilling the original goal of founder Stan Cass.
Cass, a 29-year-old Army veteran, founded the organization in 2008 as Northern Colorado Honor Flight with the goal of giving every Northern Colorado World War II veteran an opportunity to see the then newly established World War II Memorial in Washington, D.C. Voris took over in 2008, reviving the program and renaming it to High Plains Honor Flight.
“There are not very many World War II guys left from this area that have not previously been on one of our flights,” Voris said.
Before the trip officially kicked off, High Plains Honor Flight paid tribute to those who have passed since last year’s flight as well putting on a pair of musical performances at the McKee 4-H Building.
President Matt Voris speaks as veterans — along with their friends and family — crowd the McKee 4-H Building at The Ranch Events Complex on Sunday morning ahead of High Plains Honor Flight’s 25th expedition to Washington, D.C. (Chris Bolin / Greeley Tribune)
Local artist Fleeka performed her song, “Lovin A Hero,” about saying goodbye to a soldier about to deploy; and Richard Kerns, a veteran who went on an honor flight last year, performed his song, “Take to the Sky.”
The lyrics of the chorus — which he wrote on the flight back last year after being inspired by the journey — read:
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“Take to the sky, with honor they fly, serve those who served, take them higher than high.”
Veterans, with honor, took to the sky Sunday morning. And after a busy day-and-a-half, they will take to the sky again Monday evening and return home, hopefully, feeling higher than high.
