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Veterans Protest Iran War: Disabled Heroes Arrested at DC

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On Monday, a dedicated group of former service members gathered at the Capitol to voice their opposition to the Iran war, and the footage of their subsequent arrests is now spreading rapidly across social media.

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Leigh Vogel / Getty Images for About Face: Veterans Against The War

As the conflict stretches into its seventh week, the war with Iran has already cost the United States a staggering $11.3 billion within the first seven days, with expenses mounting at an estimated $1 billion for every additional day. The human toll is even more devastating, claiming the lives of 13 U.S. service members and over 3,000 Iranians.

According to reports from The Hill, this anti-war protest was coordinated by a coalition of advocacy groups, including About Face: Veterans Against The War, the Center on Conscience and War (CCW), Veterans For Peace, Common Defense, the Fayetteville Resistance Coalition, Military Families Speak Out, and 50501 Veterans.

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Leigh Vogel / Getty Images for About Face: Veterans Against The War

In a powerful video captured by the Associated Press, the demonstrators declared, “We are veterans and military families demanding an end to the war on Iran!” as they formed a line inside the Cannon House Office Building.

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StringersHub via AP

“We demand that Congress refuse to authorize a single cent more for this conflict! We demand that Donald Trump withdraw all U.S. military personnel and cease these illegal and immoral attacks on the Iranian people!” they proclaimed before standing at attention in a display of silent defiance.

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StringersHub via AP

The Hill reported that the group’s objective was to present a ceremonial folded flag to House Speaker Mike Johnson, requesting a formal pledge that he would stop funding the ongoing military actions.

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Leigh Vogel / Getty Images for About Face: Veterans Against The War

The participating veterans also carried red tulips. They explained that the flower serves as a “symbol of sacrifice and martyrdom in Iranian culture,” intended to honor the thousands of Iranians who have lost their lives since the start of the Iran war.

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Leigh Vogel / Getty Images for About Face: Veterans Against The War

Shortly after their arrival, Capitol Police began making arrests, as demonstrations inside the building are prohibited by law. Those taken into custody included disabled veterans who rely on mobility aids such as canes to move.

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Leigh Vogel / Getty Images for About Face: Veterans Against The War

The arrests also extended to veterans using wheelchairs, creating a scene that has sparked intense debate online.

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StringersHub via AP

In the aftermath of the clearing, many of the red tulips were left behind, scattered across the stone floor of the Capitol.

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Leigh Vogel / Getty Images for About Face: Veterans Against The War

Over on X (formerly Twitter), a video capturing the veteran arrests went viral. “‘Veterans Against Fascism,’ including disabled heroes, were detained inside the Capitol building today as they staged a peaceful protest against Trump’s war in Iran. This is the current state of America,” remarked political commentator Ed Krassenstein.

@EdKrassen / Via x.com

The public reaction was swift and fierce, with many users expressing outrage over the treatment of disabled former soldiers, with one individual labeling the scene “cruel.”

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x / Via x.com

Another commenter described the decision to arrest the peaceful protesters as “Reprehensible.”

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Several observers highlighted what they viewed as hypocrisy, comparing the arrests of these veterans to the Trump administration’s decision to pardon those involved in the January 6th Capitol riots.

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x / Via x.com

“If they had smashed their way in through the windows, I’m sure they’d be welcomed with open arms,” one user noted sarcastically.

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x / Via x.com

Another person characterized the police intervention as “Appalling.”

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x / Via x.com

“This makes me sick,” wrote another user, echoing the sentiments of many who watched the footage.

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x / Via x.com

One supporter took a moment to call the protesting veterans “brave” for their actions.

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x / Via x.com

Another post simply labeled the group “Absolute heroes” for risking their freedom to speak out against the conflict.

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x / Via x.com

And finally, this individual seemed to sum up the collective frustration surrounding the event (though, realistically, these tensions are far from a new phenomenon).

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x / Via x.com

What is your take on these events? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below.

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Why Trump Stayed Onstage Longer Than JD Vance After Shooting

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President Donald Trump suggested he may have intentionally slowed down U.S. Secret Service agents, causing Vice President JD Vance to be evacuated from the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner noticeably faster than the commander-in-chief following a nearby shooting.

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Nathan Howard / Getty Images

“I wanted to see what was happening,” Trump explained during a high-profile interview with 60 Minutes on Sunday. “And I wasn’t making it that easy for them. I wanted to see what was going on. And by that time, we started to realize maybe it was a bad problem,” he noted regarding the security breach.

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CBS / Via x.com

Trump commented on the frantic ballroom scene shortly after CBS anchor Norah O’Donnell pointed out that it took security details roughly 20 seconds longer to usher him offstage compared to his VP. “What was happening?” O’Donnell questioned. “Well, what happened is it was a little bit me,” Trump admitted.

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CBS / Via x.com

Footage from the event depicts the audible sounds of gunfire echoing from outside the main ballroom while the president and first lady Melania Trump, alongside others at the head table, observed a performance by mentalist Oz Pearlman. Moments later, several agents emerged from the wings before accelerating their pace to surround the Trumps.

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KCRA3 / Via youtube.com

Security personnel then assisted Trump from his chair before escorting him offstage behind a protective curtain. Vance had been rushed out about 20 seconds prior after agents grabbed him by his suit jacket while he was still seated and hurried him away from the dais. Trump told O’Donnell he felt “surrounded by great people” but claimed he forced the agents to “act a little bit more slowly.”

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Andrew Harnik / Getty Images

“I said, ‘Wait a minute. Wait a minute. Let me see. Wait a minute,’” Trump recalled. The president further noted that as they exited, agents instructed him to “please go down on the floor.” He and the first lady took cover on the ground, he said, before rising shortly after to be led by the protective detail to a secure holding room.

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As the current administration faces intense scrutiny regarding the reported lower level of security at the dinner compared to other presidential appearances, White House officials are scheduled to review security protocols this week for upcoming major events involving the president.

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Mandel Ngan / Getty Images

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Karoline Leavitt Hitler Comment Sparks Brutal Online Rebuttal

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White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt on Monday tried to blame what she called a “left-wing cult of hatred” against President Donald Trump for political violence in the nation, including the shooting at Saturday’s White House Correspondents’ Association dinner.

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Andrew Harnik / Getty Images

But one of her complaints caught the eyes and ears of critics. “Those who constantly falsely label and slander the president as a fascist, as a threat to democracy, and compare him to Hitler to score political points are fueling this kind of violence,” she declared.

Anna Moneymaker / Getty Images

As many were quick to point out, one of the most prominent examples of someone comparing Trump to Hitler is already in the White House: Vice President JD Vance. In 2016, when Trump was running for president for the first time, Vance told a friend via private message that he wasn’t sure if Trump was “a cynical asshole like Nixon” or if he could be “America’s Hitler.”

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Brendan Smialowski / Getty Images

Vance has since said he was wrong about Trump. But many are reminding Leavitt of what he said in the past:

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Is Taylor Swift Calling Out Fans for Lyrical Paternity Tests?

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Taylor Swift has officially earned her spot on the New York Times list of the 30 Greatest Living American Songwriters, joining the ranks of icons like Mariah Carey, Nile Rodgers, and Jay-Z.

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Monica Schipper / Getty Images

As Taylor’s massive discography has expanded, her dedicated fanbase has made it their mission to analyze every single lyric, hunting for secret clues about the singer’s private life.

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Christopher Polk / Getty Images

Take her iconic hit “All Too Well,” for instance. The lyrics, “I left my scarf there at your sister’s house, and you’ve still got it in your drawer even now,” sparked a viral investigation. Fans quickly deduced the scarf was left at Maggie Gyllenhaal’s house during Taylor’s relationship with Jake Gyllenhaal. The internet then collectively demanded the actor return the infamous accessory.

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Jamie Mccarthy / Getty Images

The scarf saga became so legendary that music royalty Dionne Warwick even weighed in on Twitter with a hilarious offer to help:

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Mark Sagliocco / Getty Images

“If that young man has Taylor’s scarf he should return it.”

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@dionnewarwick / Via x.com

“It does not belong to you. Box it up and I will pay the cost of postage, Jake.”

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In a recent interview with the New York Times, Taylor finally addressed the constant decoding of her work, confessing that the obsession with her personal life “can be a little bit weird.”

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Aeon / Getty Images

“There’s corners of my fanbase who are gonna take things to a really extreme place,” Swift admitted. “There’s nothing I can do about that. There’s people who are gonna try to, like, do detective work, figure out the details — who is that about? What is this?”

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Kevin Mazur / Getty Images

“When it gets a little bit weird for me is when people act like it’s a paternity test,” she added. “Like, ‘This song’s about that person.’ Because I’m like, ‘That dude didn’t write the song, I did.’ But that’s part of it.”

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Robert Gauthier / Getty Images

Fans are currently split on Taylor’s take regarding these lyrical Easter egg hunts. For the most part, many listeners are backing her up:

“i think it’s very stupid when people waste their time trying to find out who a particular song is about.. like just enjoy the song”

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@vesperamyst / Via x.com

“maylors, joewives, and travwives all are gonna hate reading this”

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“Thank you for calling us out”

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“Like how she owns it, the end of the day, she wrote the song, not the guesses.”

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“Those people are the Swifties. And I am guilty I am one of that people”

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“People focus on the muse but ignore the creator… she clocked that”

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“She’s so right. People get so caught up in the ‘who’ that they forget to appreciate the ‘how.’ The songwriting stands on its own regardless of whose name is in the headlines.”

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@Me_dot_c0m02 / Via x.com

“Taylor writes from her own heart and experiences yet fans turn every line into a guessing game. Let her keep the magic instead of treating songs like detective puzzles. Shes right.”

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@PrasVector / Via x.com

“Taylor Swift really said it perfectly People love playing detective , but turning songs into a ‘paternity test’ is kinda missing the point At the end of the day, the story, the emotions, the art — it all comes from her Let the music be felt, not dissected”

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@HypeTime01 / Via x.com

“Taylor calling it a paternity test is the most accurate description of Twitter/X whenever she drops an album. People are out here with whiteboards and red string trying to prove a song is about a guy she dated for three weeks in 2014.”

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@Reika675 / Via x.com

“Not Taylor calling us detectives with fake badges We out here with red string and conspiracy boards like All Too Well 10 Min Version was about my situationship too. But she’s righ the pen belongs to her”

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“I know some people in this fandom will be so mad…,lmao”

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However, a different segment of the internet argues that Taylor herself encouraged this sleuthing behavior for years:

“I find this a little odd of her to say… she’s the one who taught us to do that. She capitalized letters in her lyric books in the cds for us to decode… now she doesn’t want us dissecting things?”

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@JenelleLubig / Via x.com

“Taylor Swift needs to take her ego down a notch. Maybe her fanatic ‘swifties’ are all up in her business but the general public doesn’t care. Plus, songs and poems have always held a mysterious origin curiosity. Some are easy to figure out or the author says it. Others are secretive leaving the public to wonder. That’s the beauty of songs and poems.”

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@moraltreason / Via x.com

“She literally leaves easter eggs everywhere and than says this girl, you trained them that way!”

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@Claire8502 / Via x.com

“She trained detectives for years and now wants peace. Fair enough”

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Throughout her storied career, Taylor’s high-profile romances have been under a microscope. She has previously been linked to stars like Harry Styles, Joe Jonas, Matty Healy, and Joe Alwyn. During those eras, fans meticulously dissected her lyrics like a team of forensic experts to find any scrap of romantic tea.

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David Krieger / Getty Images

She is now happily engaged to NFL champion Travis Kelce and is in the midst of wedding planning. With fans affectionately calling them the “English teacher” and the “gym teacher,” it’s certain that their upcoming nuptials will be the most analyzed event in pop culture history.

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What do you think about Taylor’s thoughts on fans hunting for relationship clues in her music? Share your opinion in the comments below!

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