London Stages Massive Protests as Trump Visits United Kingdom

“I think they like me a lot in the UK.”

Matt Dunham/AP

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Tens of thousands of people marched across the streets of London Friday to protest President Donald Trump’s first official visit to the United Kingdom, with many demonstrators carrying signs condemning Trump’s policies both at home and abroad. Others mocked the president’s intelligence.

The massive display came as Trump worked to clean up an explosive interview with a British tabloid this week during which he criticized British Prime Minister Theresa May’s approach to leaving the European Union. The interview was published Thursday, just hours after May had hosted a black-tie dinner in honor of Trump’ highly contentious visit.

Earlier in the week, Trump repeatedly threw the NATO summit in Brussels into chaos with divisive remarks toward European allies and demands that they increase their defense spending to the alliance. As the summit concluded and Trump prepared to make his way to the United Kingdom, the president dismissed the upcoming protests planned for London. “I think they really like me in the UK,” he told reporters.

The scene on Friday, of course, did not affirm Trump’s thinking:

 

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WHO DOESN’T LOVE A POSITIVE STORY—OR TWO?

“Great journalism really does make a difference in this world: it can even save kids.”

That’s what a civil rights lawyer wrote to Julia Lurie, the day after her major investigation into a psychiatric hospital chain that uses foster children as “cash cows” published, letting her know he was using her findings that same day in a hearing to keep a child out of one of the facilities we investigated.

That’s awesome. As is the fact that Julia, who spent a full year reporting this challenging story, promptly heard from a Senate committee that will use her work in their own investigation of Universal Health Services. There’s no doubt her revelations will continue to have a big impact in the months and years to come.

Like another story about Mother Jones’ real-world impact.

This one, a multiyear investigation, published in 2021, exposed conditions in sugar work camps in the Dominican Republic owned by Central Romana—the conglomerate behind brands like C&H and Domino, whose product ends up in our Hershey bars and other sweets. A year ago, the Biden administration banned sugar imports from Central Romana. And just recently, we learned of a previously undisclosed investigation from the Department of Homeland Security, looking into working conditions at Central Romana. How big of a deal is this?

“This could be the first time a corporation would be held criminally liable for forced labor in their own supply chains,” according to a retired special agent we talked to.

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And it is only because Mother Jones is funded primarily by donations from readers that we can mount ambitious, yearlong—or more—investigations like these two stories that are making waves.

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