U.S. President Donald Trump signs order to deploy National Guard to Memphis
U.S. President Donald Trump has signed a presidential memorandum establishing the “Memphis Safe Task Force,” which will deploy National Guard troo...
Donald Trump will attend Sunday's Super Bowl in New Orleans, Louisiana
Donald Trump will make history this weekend by becoming the first sitting president of the United States of America to attend the Super Bowl.
The Kansas City Chiefs take on the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday at the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans.
The city was devastated by a terror attack on New Year's Day when 14 people were killed on Bourbon Street.
Though previous presidents such as Ronald Reagan have performed the pre-match coin toss from the White House, no sitting president has ever attended the event.
"Security measures have been further enhanced this year, given that this will be the first time a sitting president of the United States will attend the event," Secret Service spokesman Anthony Guglielmi said in a statement.
Earlier this week, US Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said the Super Bowl is "the biggest homeland security event that we do every year".
Trump's attendance is likely to be controversial given his comments about the NFL throughout his political career.
Trump, an outspoken critic of NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, has questioned the patriotism of NFL players who kneel during the playing of the US national anthem.
The taking of the knee was a movement designed to draw attention to the issues of racial injustice in the United States.
Sunday's Super Bowl will be the first in four years that will not display an "End Racism" message in the end zone, a "Choose Love" message will be used instead.
Since taking office, Trump has criticised non-discriminatory hiring practices aimed at improving workplace diversity.
The NFL denies the decision to remove the banners calling to end racism is connected to the current political climate.
"The Super Bowl is often a snapshot in time and the NFL is in a unique position to capture and lift the imagination of the country," NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy told AFP.
"Choose love is appropriate to use as our country has endured in recent weeks wildfires in southern California, the terrorist attack here in New Orleans, the plane and helicopter crash near our nation's capital and the plane crash in Philadelphia."
Goodell, meanwhile, says the NFL remains fully committed to promoting diversity through its inclusive hiring practices.
"I think we've proven to ourselves that it does make the NFL better," Goodell said.
"We're not in this because it's a trend to get into it or a trend to get out of it. Our efforts are fundamental in trying to attract the best possible talent into the NFL both on and off the field."
American presidents and the Super Bowl
Since starting in 1967, the Super Bowl has become the biggest event in the American sporting calendar.
Last year's Super Bowl, which saw the Kansas City Chiefs defend their crown, was the biggest US TV broadcast since the moon landing in 1969 with 123.4 million viewers.
Given the influence of the event on American culture, it is no surprise that politicians have become increasingly visible in its staging.
George Bush became the first former president to appear in person for the pre-match coin toss before Super Bowl 51 in Houston in 2017.
In 1985, President Ronald Reagan performed the coin toss via satellite from the White House.
Former President George W Bush started a Super Bowl tradition in 2004 by granting a pre-game interview to the official broadcaster.
Barack Obama continued the tradition but Joe Biden declined to give an interview two years in a row before leaving office in 2025.
AnewZ has learned that India has once again blocked Azerbaijan’s application for full membership in the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, while Pakistan’s recent decision to consider diplomatic relations with Armenia has been coordinated with Baku as part of Azerbaijan’s peace agenda.
A day of mourning has been declared in Portugal to pay respect to victims who lost their lives in the Lisbon Funicular crash which happened on Wednesday evening.
A Polish Air Force pilot was killed on Thursday when an F-16 fighter jet crashed during a training flight ahead of the 2025 Radom International Air Show.
At least eight people have died and more than 90 others were injured following a catastrophic gas tanker explosion on a major highway in Mexico City’s Iztapalapa district on Wednesday, authorities confirmed.
Finland is closely watching Russia’s ongoing Zapad-2025 military exercises in Russia, Belarus, and the Baltic and Barents Seas, Finnish Defence Forces (FDF) commander Janne Jaakkola said on Monday.
European authorities have intercepted more than 2,400 shipping containers at Greece’s port of Piraeus in the EU’s largest-ever container seizure, valued at around €250 million ($294m).
U.S. President Donald Trump said on Monday that Israel will not carry out further strikes in Qatar following last week’s attacks on Doha, which targeted senior Hamas officials.
Leaders from the 57-member Organisation of Islamic Cooperation and 22-member Arab League met in Doha on Monday, concentrating on the impact of recent attacks on Qatar and the wider Middle East, and calling for coordinated measures to preserve stability and support ongoing mediation efforts.
U.S. President Donald Trump has signed a presidential memorandum establishing the “Memphis Safe Task Force,” which will deploy National Guard troops alongside federal agencies to tackle rising crime in Memphis, Tennessee.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment