Anti-Trump protests draw crowds as military parade is held in DC

President Donald J. Trump's long-sought military parade rolled though the streets of downtown Washington, DC on Saturday, but the celebration of the US Army’s 250" anniversary was marred by a day of violence and discord.

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In the hours before the parade began, hundreds of thousands of Americans marched and rallied in streets in cities from New York to Chicago to Los Angeles (LA), protesting Mr. Trump's actions while in office, in the largest such actions since his return to power in January.

Earlier in the day, a gunman assassinated a Democratic lawmaker and wounded another in Minnesota and remained at large.

Meanwhile, Israel and Iran exchanged further attacks early on Sunday, stoking fears of a mushrooming conflict between the two nations.

All of it followed a week of tension in Los Angeles, where protests over federal immigration raids resulted in Mr. Trump calling in National Guard troops and US Marines to help keep the peace, over the objections of the state’s Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom.

The parade, which fell on Mr. Trump’s 79th birthday, kicked off earlier than expected with thunderstorms forecast in the Washington area.

Tanks, armored personnel carriers and artillery rumbled down the parade route along storied Constitution Avenue, an unusual sight in the US where such displays of military might are rare.

“Every other country celebrates their victories, it’s about time America did too,” Mr. Trump told the crowd following the parade.