Authorities are investigating after at least two ballot boxes were set on fire Monday morning in the Portland, Oregon, area.
Police responded to a call about a fire in Portland about 3:30 a.m. Monday, the Portland Police Bureau said in a statement. An “incendiary device” was placed inside the box and security personnel extinguished the fire, officials said.
CNN has reached out to the Multnomah County Elections Division for comment.
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A second ballot box was set on fire early Monday morning at a bus station in nearby Vancouver, Washington, according to the Vancouver Police Department. When officers arrived, they found a “suspicious device” next to the box, which was smoking and on fire, police said.
The Clark County Elections Office said hundreds of ballots were damaged at the box in the C-TRAN Park and Ride at Fisher’s Landing Transit Center,CNN affiliate KPTV reported.
Laura Shepard, a spokeswoman for the city of Vancouver, said elections officials are asking anyone who may have placed a ballot in the box after 11 a.m. on Saturday to contact them to check on the status of their ballot.
The boxes are located about 15 miles apart. The one in Vancouver is in Washington’s 3rd Congressional District, where one of the most competitive races in the country is taking place.
The district is represented by Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, one of five seats held by Democrats in a district former President Donald Trump won in 2020. She is facing a rematch against Republican Joe Kent, a retired Green Beret who had Trump’s endorsement.
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Other fires affecting ballots have been recently reported across the country. Last week, a mailbox outside a Phoenix post office was set on fire, damaging an unknown number of ballots. A 35-year-old man was charged with arson in connection with the incident. The Phoenix Police Department said he told them it was not politically motivated.
WASHINGTON, D.C. — On May 27, I was invited to be on board the 51st Utah Honor Flight to Washington, D.C., in what is often called the “trip of a lifetime” for Utah veterans.
On this mission, there were two Korean War veterans, three Korean/Vietnam War veterans, and 45 Vietnam veterans, all with their own stories.
This article will separate out the places we went and will include interviews and stories with the veterans who felt a special connection to each of those places.
Taking off from Provo Airport at 7 in the morning, in the air, each vet was given a special envelope containing several letters from loved ones, friends, and those wanting to pay tribute.
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I was honored to read a few letters that some of those on the flights shared with me, and many spoke about how inspiring each vet’s dedication to their country was, and how the person writing the letter was touched by that person’s service.
Landing at Washington Dulles International Airport, hundreds greeted them with signs and music.
Quickly, the apprehension of the trip turned to smiles for many of those on the flight as this was just a small preview for what they would be in store for.
National Museum of the United States Army:
Day 1 wrap
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The first stop on the tour was the National Museum of the United States Army, a place dedicated to showcasing the comprehensive history and traditions of the Army through the lens of the American Soldier.
This museum is simply remarkable, going through every era of conflict that the Army has been involved in from the Revolutionary War to today.
As Donald Kocherhans, a U.S. Army veteran, surveyed the displays from the Vietnam Era, he was filled with nostalgia and emotion.
“I see some of this old equipment I used to remember and see the old uniforms I used to wear,” he remarked, eyes bright with recollection.
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Walking through the halls, veterans encountered displays that brought back memories of their own service.
U.S. Air Force Memorial:
Air Force Memorial
Next, the veterans visited the U.S. Air Force Memorial, an architectural marvel that stands in tribute to the men and women who have served in the Air Force.
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Three stainless steel spires reaching toward the sky, modeled after the USAF Thunderbirds and their trails.
The memorial sits just above the Pentagon, overlooking Washington and Arlington National Cemetery.
Geoff Cox, a Vietnam veteran, expressed his admiration for the memorial, saying: “When you look at all the vets out here, it just gives you that inspiration.”
Standing before the wall inscribed with core values such as “Excellence,” “Service,” and “Integrity,” veterans like Alan Smith reflected on what these ideals mean to them.
“I’m proud to be here and be in America,” he said. “Brings tears to my eyes, because I never thought about wanting to be a hero, just do the best I could for my country.”
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U.S. Marine Corps War Memorial:
The next morning, bright and early, the journey continued to the U.S. Marine Corps War Memorial, also known as the Iwo Jima Memorial.
In the pouring rain, the 78-foot-tall bronze depiction of Associated Press combat photographer Joe Rosenthal’s famous picture brought a few vets to tears.
The memorial also has gold lettering around the entire base, listing every conflict or action the United States Marine Corps has been involved in from 1775 to present.
U.S. Navy Memorial:
Navy memorial
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After a short stop for photos at the United States Capitol Building, across from the National Archives is the U.S. Navy Memorial, a celebration of the rich heritage of America’s Navy.
The memorial itself contains what is claimed to be the largest map in the world, known as the “Granite Sea.”
It is home to the “Lone Sailor statue,” as well as masts with signal flags, fountain pools, and 26 bronze sculptures depicting Navy history.
A short walk across the memorial is where the U.S. Navy Museum is with displays looking back on its almost 250-year history.
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Here, Kevin Heath, a Navy veteran, found himself reminiscing about his time aboard the USS Davis.
“It just goes back to my time in Vietnam and on the ship, and to see the different things that that was on my ship and the different experiences,” he said. “I needed [this trip] in order to heal fully.”
Watch the above video to hear his story.
Korean War Veterans Memorial:
Korean War
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Next, the honor flight visited the Korean War Veterans Memorial where a surprise was waiting for several of those on the trip.
This memorial pays homage to the veterans who served in the Korean War and is a testament to the sacrifices made for freedom, emphasized by the words etched on the wall: “Freedom is not Free.”
In a heartfelt moment, Korean War veterans from Utah were surprised with medals from the Korean Embassy.
“It is great honor and pleasure to express the everlasting gratitude of the Republic of Korea and our people we cherish in our hearts the memory of your boundary sacrifices in helping us reestablish our free nation,” said the veteran’s attaché from the South Korean Embassy.
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Richard Colborn, a recipient of the Korean Ambassador for Peace Medal, expressed his deep gratitude, saying: “It is a great honor,” adding that he was “Totally surprised, I had no idea.”
Four others were honored with the Korean Service Defense Medal.
Vietnam Veterans Memorial:
Utah Honor Flight veterans visit Vietnam Veterans Memorial
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The journey continued just across the National Mall at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, perhaps one of the most significant and sobering sites in the nation’s capital, or anywhere in the world.
This wall, adorned with the names of more than 58,000 individuals who lost their lives or are missing from the Vietnam War, held deep meaning for veterans like Martin Skougard.
“I think of all the young people who didn’t have the opportunity to have families in life,” he said.
The stark black granite, a living memorial with names being added every year, symbolizes the ongoing legacy of sacrifice.
Skougard has one of the most heartbreaking and unique stories among the Honor Flight veterans, so watch the above video to see his story.
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Arlington National Cemetery:
Arlington National Cemetery
As a final stop on the journey, we visited one of the most beautiful and somber places on the planet.
Arlington National Cemetery is the largest cemetery in the United States National Cemetery System.
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More than 400,000 people are buried in its 639 acres, including presidents, senators, Supreme Court justices, and countless members of our military who gave their lives protecting our freedoms.
As a part of the Utah Honor Flight, vets were able to watch one of the most incredible ceremonies in the country, the changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.
The tomb itself contains the remains of three U.S. service members, one from each World War I and II as well as the Korean War.
The Tomb is guarded 24/7, 365 days of the year by a soldier from the U.S. Army’s 3rd Infantry Regiment.
The ceremony brought many on the flight, including me, to tears as a showcase of absolute perfection and dedication for the fallen service members of the United States.
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Back Home:
Returning home
After a 4-hour flight back home to Provo, waiting were hundreds of these vets’ friends and family as well as community members to celebrate with them.
Many of them expressed the power of this moment since many did not receive the welcome home they deserved following the Vietnam and Korean conflicts.
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Conclusion:
It is impossible to capture the story of all 50 of the veterans who were honored as a part of this trip, but it was put to me by several people that each of them has their own unwritten book.
A book of memories, a book of pain, a book of triumph, and a book that through this program can be shared and celebrated.
The open arms that were given to every guardian of these veterans, the staff, and I to hear what each and every one went through is extraordinary.
As a journalist, I have always understood that people’s stories are very near and dear to their hearts, and it is always their choice to share them.
This 36-hour window was a privilege to be able to be a part of to hear all of those who shared their stories, and it’s an experience that I will always cherish.
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I went to Washington thinking that the place would be the important part, coming home, I knew that being with those men who served our country in that place was even more important than I could have known.
If you know a veteran who you think would benefit from the Utah Honor Flight program or if you would like to become a guardian or volunteer on a flight, visit utahhonorflight.org/applications
Beijing, China on Monday hit back at the US, accusing it of seriously violating their recent Geneva trade truce by introducing multiple restrictive measures like AI chip export control guidelines, stopping the sale of chip design software to China and revoking visas for Chinese students.
The US has seriously undermined the consensus reached during the China-US economic and trade talks in Geneva by successively introducing multiple discriminatory restrictive measures against China, a spokesperson for the Commerce Ministry said in a statement, refuting President Donald Trump’s allegation that China had “totally violated agreement with us”.
The US measures included issuing guidance on AI chip export controls, halting sales of chip design software to China, and announcing the revocation of visas for Chinese students, the spokesperson said.
It is significant that China has clubbed the student visas with that of trade and tariff-related issues.
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About 2.7 lakh Chinese students, the second largest after India, studying in the US scrambled to work out their plans after US Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced on May 29 that America would begin revoking the visas of some Chinese students, including those studying in “critical fields” and “those with connections to the Chinese Communist Party.”
These actions severely violated the consensus reached during a phone call between the two heads of state on Jan. 17 and gravely harmed China’s legitimate rights and interests, the statement said.
The US has unilaterally and repeatedly provoked new economic and trade frictions, exacerbating uncertainty and instability in bilateral economic and trade relations, the spokesperson said.
Both the US and China agreed to lower tit-for-tat tariffs after talks last month in Geneva. The truce is due to last 90 days to provide time for the top two economies to reach a broader substantive agreement to end their tariff war.
Trump imposed 145 per cent of tariffs against the Chinese exports of about USD 439.9 billion and China retaliated with 125 per cent on American exports of about USD 143 billion.
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China also put restrictions on the exports of rare-earth minerals which are all critical materials for defence, new energy batteries, semiconductors and advanced manufacturing and Beijing has not lifted the curbs.
Under the Geneva agreement, the US lowered tariffs imposed on goods from China from 145 per cent to 30 per cent while China dropped its retaliatory tariffs from 125 per cent to 10 per cent.
The recriminations began after Trump said on Friday that China had “totally violated its agreement with us” but did not give details.
However, US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer later said China had not been removing non-tariff barriers as agreed under the deal, according to reports from Washington.
Trump stirred further controversy Friday, saying he will no longer be nice to China on trade, declaring in a social media post that the country had broken an agreement with the United States.
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Hours later, Trump said in the Oval Office that he would speak with Chinese President Xi Jinping and hopefully “we’ll work that out”, while still insisting China had violated the agreement.
“The bad news is that China, perhaps not surprisingly to some, HAS TOTALLY VIOLATED ITS AGREEMENT WITH US,” Trump posted. “So much for being Mr. NICE GUY!”
Greer later told TV network CNBC that China was yet to properly roll back other trade restrictions it had levied on the US, BBC reported.
Greer said when China responded to the US’s tariffs with its own, they also put in place countermeasures such as putting some US companies on blacklists and restricting exports of rare earth magnets, a critical component in cars, aircraft and semiconductors.
“They removed the tariff like we did but some of the countermeasures they’ve slowed on,” Greer said.
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The strong statements from both sides have raised concerns that trade tensions could again escalate between the world’s two largest economies despite recent negotiations.
The US has unilaterally and repeatedly provoked new economic and trade frictions, exacerbating uncertainty and instability in bilateral economic and trade relations, the spokesperson said.
“Instead of reflecting on its own actions, the US has groundlessly accused China of violating the consensus, a claim that grossly distorts the facts. China firmly rejects these unjustified accusations,” the spokesperson said.
Calling the outcomes of the Geneva talks “hard-won,” the spokesperson said, “China is firm in safeguarding its rights and interests, and sincere in implementing the consensus” and urged the US to immediately correct its wrong practices, jointly uphold the consensus of the talks, and promote the healthy, stable and sustainable development of China-US economic and trade relations.
“If the US side insists on going the wrong way and continues to harm China’s interests, China will resolutely take forceful measures to safeguard its legitimate rights and interests, according to the spokesperson,” the spokesperson added.
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This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.
Shakira canceled a Saturday concert in Washington, D.C. – her sixth cancellation this year.
The popular Colombian singer was scheduled to perform this weekend at Nationals Park, although it seems the cancellation of her Thursday show in Boston at Fenway Park made it impossible for her and her team to make it to the show.
Capital Pride Alliance, the organization that had put together the event, shared in a statement on social media, “Like Shakira’s fans and our friends and family who have traveled from around the world to join us in DC this weekend, we are deeply disappointed that unforeseen circumstances have forced the cancellation of both this week’s concert in Boston and [Saturday]’s concert at Nationals Park.”
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SHAKIRA, JASON ALDEAN CONCERTS ABRUPTLY CANCELED AT BOSTON’S FENWAY PARK OVER STAGE SAFETY CONCERNS
Shakira performs onstage during her “Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran” world tour at Met Life Stadium on May 16, 2025, in East Rutherford, New Jersey.(Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for Live Nation)
The organization also shared another statement that was given to people who had purchased tickets to the event.
“Due to complications with the previous show in Boston, Shakira’s full tour production cannot be transported to Washington, D.C. in time for her scheduled performance at Nationals Park on Saturday, May 31,” that statement read. “As a result, the D.C. show has been canceled. Despite every effort to make it happen, it is not possible to move forward as planned.”
Shakira shared a message of her own to her Instagram followers, writing, “Nothing more painful for an artist than having to cancel two sold-out stadium shows like Boston and DC for reasons beyond one’s control.”
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“Thank you for being there in the good times and the not so good,” she continued. “We’ve cruised together through every bump in the road, and you always take me to the other side. Los quiero con todo.”
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Shakira performs on Feb. 20, 2025, in Barranquilla, Colombia.(Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for Live Nation)
In February, Shakira launched her “Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran” world tour in South America. Shortly after, she canceled a concert in Lima, Peru – her third show of the tour – because she’d been hospitalized with an “abdominal issue.”
A week later, a concert in Colombia was postponed when the roof of the stage “suffered damage that puts at risk the safety of the artist, her staff and, most importantly, that of the audience” while a production team was assembling her show, the promotor explained in a statement translated by Billboard.
Shakira has canceled six concerts this year for her world tour.(David Ramos)
At the beginning of March, she was set to perform two shows in Santiago, Chile, both of which were canceled just hours before the first was slated to begin. In a lengthy statement she shared on social media at the time, translated from Spanish to English by People, she explained in part that there was an issue with the stage assembly, and that it was “not stable enough to guarantee the safety of my band, dancers, fans and me.”
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SHAKIRA QUICKLY EXITS STAGE AFTER FAN SEEMINGLY FILMS UP HER DRESS
“There are two things I would never compromise: the security of my team and that of my fans, and I would never offer a show below the quality standards that you all deserve,” she wrote. “My heart is broken in a thousand pieces to not be able to perform for you due to reasons out of my control.”
Stage safety concerns were once again to blame for the cancellation of her Thursday performance in Boston at Fenway Park. A representative for Live Nation told Fox News Digital, “During a routine pre-show check, structural elements were identified as not being up to standard, so the shows were canceled. All team members are safe.”
Shakira speaks to her fans on stage during the “Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran” album release party at Hard Rock Live at Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Hollywood on March 21, 2024, in Hollywood, Florida.(John Parra/WireImage)
After the cancellation of Saturday’s show in Washington, D.C., social media users began discussing what seems to be a developing trend for the tour.
“This is just disrespectful to her fans… last minute every time,” one person wrote on X, formerly Twitter.
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Another wrote, “I love shakira to death but i can’t accept any excuses. no matter how many technical issues they bring out. this is is just her fault. cancelling your concert on the show day is just unacceptable. idk if you know how this have impacted your image.”
Shakira performs at 2025 Suenos Music Festival on Saturday, May 24, 2025, at Grant Park in Chicago.(Rob Grabowski/Invision/AP)
“I can understand one or two shows, but 6 is ridiculous!” another post read. “Figure it out before or get a regular stage that doesn’t extend on the floor since it seems like that is the issue here.”
Others were upset at the news, including one fan who wrote, “Can’t believe this ! Ughhhh! My entire weekend was planned around this show.”
Another insisted, “All I know is, Shakira will never cancel or reschedule if things are up to her.”
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Emily Trainham is an entertainment editor for Fox News Digital.
