that is what young americans are taught here at west point.y that you carry forward as second lieutenants in the united states army, and you must never forget it. through four long years, you have honed your skills, trained your mind and body, overcome every obstacle, and earned your place of pride in the long gray line. you made it through the rigors of r day and beast and intensity of cldt and weeks of training in the blistering heat. you have pushed yourselves far beyond every limit imaginable. some of you have even pushed the limits a bit too much. so for any cadets who have not finished walking off their hours, as commander in chief, i hereby absolve all cadets on restriction for minor conduct offenses, and that is effective immediately. congratulations. [applause] that's a nice one, isn't it? don't you feel better now? [laughter] surviving the 47-month experience is never easy. but only the class of 2020 can say it survived 48 months. when it comes to bragging rights, no one can boast louder than the class that brought navy's 14-year foo

today marks the culmination of your west point journey.part of something larger than yourself. you encouraged, helped, and loved each other as you became brothers and sisters in arms. as a class, you have completed the world's most challenging and demanding leader development experience and you have done it with honor, distinction, and excellence. fulfilling your oath requires strong character. the cadet prayer challenges us to always choose the harder right over the easier wrong. the phrase is easy to say but often difficult to do. your challenges ahead will require more and physical courage. in our great army, there are soldiers awaiting your arrival right now, wondering if there lieutenant will be worth following. their loved ones wonder if you will care for their soldier. your character and leadership are essential for answering those questions. followingicer worth and take care of your soldiers and their families. emulate those who have come before you, leaders such as award recipients captain lindsay heisler and colonel matthew meyer

at this time, the west point band under the direction of lt. col. will present a musical tribute honoring the history of the united states army. is thet point band army's oldest band and has been inspiring america's leaders for over 200 years. ♪ >> on this historic day, when the birth of our nation, the american soldier has took pride as there is a choice of freedom protecting lives and rights of all people. >> the iconic legacies of west point graduations, of eisenhower and so many others, continue to inspire our force which has welcomed soldiers of all races, genders and creeds who continue to make us the greatest army in the world. >> no matter they struggle our readyities face, we stand to answer the call to service and defend fellow americans in freedom around the world. it is the enduring support of our american people that secures your support and dedication to meeting character and leading by army values. respect, honor, integrity, personal courage. ♪ >> we honor your support by continuing to safeguard the army's most precious resource, its p

that is what young americans are taught here at west point. that is the legacy that you carry forward as second lieutenants in the united states army, and you must never forget it. through four long years, you have honed your skills, trained your mind and body, overcome every obstacle, and earned your place of pride in the long gray line. you made it through the rigors of r day and beast and intensity of cldt and weeks of training in the blistering heat. you have pushed yourselves far beyond every limit imaginable. some of you have even pushed the limits a bit too much. so for any cadets who have not finished walking off their hours, as commander in chief, i hereby absolve all cadets on restriction for minor conduct offenses, and that is effective immediately. congratulations. [applause] that's a nice one, isn't it? don't you feel better now? [laughter] surviving the 47-month experience is never easy. but only the class of 2020 can say it survived 48 months. when it comes to bragging rights, no one can boast louder than the class that brought

former west point superintendent. president of west point superintendent right now is addressing cadets and the president let's listen in, david williams who will introduce the president of the united states. >> mr. president, thank you for being here today. we know you share our pride of these incredible new leaders. the class of 2020 has a special message for you. class of 2020 on your feet. "go army" >> [applause] >> have a seat. today's ceremony is unusual in a number of ways, most notably the physical absence of family and friends to cheer on our graduates; however, there is still a celebration and we're thrilled to share it with friends, family, and the entire nation through a live broadcast made possible through the support and generosity of several of our alumni. to them, i would like to express my deepest appreciation and thanks. i'd also like to thank the members of the class of 1970 , the 50-year affiliate class, for their support and mentor ship to these young men and women over the past four years. you ha

that is what young americans are taught here at west point. that is the legacy that you carry forward as second lieutenants in the united states army. and you must never forget it. through four long years you have honed your skills, trained your mind and body, overcome every obstacle and earned your place of pride in the long gray line. you made it through the rigors of our day and beast and intensity of cldt and weeks of training in the blistering heat. you have pushed yourselves far beyond every limit imaginable. some of you have even pushed the limits a bit too much. so for any cadets who have not finished walking off their hours, as commander in chief, i hereby absolve all cadets on restriction for minor conduct offenses and that is effective immediately. congratulations. that's a nice one, isn't it? don't you feel better now? surviving the 47-month experience is never easy. but only the class of 2020 can say it survived 48 months. when it comes to bragging rights, no one can boast louder than the class that brought navy's 14-year football

if west point can do tit, and i west point insists that it is for the health of our military, why would trump allow civilians, his supporters even, to put themselves at such risk? it also underscores, really, the absolute narcissism of this president, that all he cares about is the optics, the picture. he doesn't care who gets sick, who dies. he doesn't even care if, quote, his voters are the ones most affected. he wants his photo ops at the convention, at these rallies, at west point, and as a result, he puts people in harm. he makes people more likely to become infected and to die. we've never had a president who behaved in such fashion. >> we should note as we did at the top of the hour, we've hid 2 million cases of covid patients in this country, 115,000 deaths and still climbing and the president about to go back on the campaign trail. i believe next week at the earliest. malcolm nance, let me ask you really quickly, the joint chiefs of staff chairman mark milley coming under a lot of scrutiny, a lot of criticism. nbc reporting that at one point he considered resigning. do you thin

>> well, west point spends four years training the graduates, everyone who graduates from west pointhrough a lot of of classes that develops them into leaders of character. to serve the united states. and so i think throughout their training that they've all gone through they're well-prepared for what they will experience. and then when they get to their units they'll receive additional training that helps them get ready for whatever environment they're in. gillian: well, president trump said it beautifully earlier today, he said no matter where you end up, we know that we'll be proud of you and you'll serve the nation to your best capacity. it sounds like they've got great people behind them like you. thanks so much for your service and for everything you do and your time today, colonel. we really appreciate it. >> thank you. gillian: stick with us, we'll be back soon. ow us. yoo-hoo, progressive shoppers. we laughed with you. sprinkles are for winners. we surprised you. on occasion, we've probably even annoyed you. we've done this all with one thing in mind. to help protect the thi

then he made his way up to west point of course. he actually had some fear of failure that he had to overcome. his schooling, students from the west as would've been the case, was adequate, but not terrific. the boy who went from this town, who went and had this appointment before him had failed. there was some pressure there, but he did pass the entrance exams. i think, subsequent historians have tended to exaggerate his struggles there. he was an average student in some things, and quite good in others. fairly good in math and horsemanship. not very good in tactics as he freely admit it. he was at the bottom of his class. he also realized -- he reveals about his west point experience, that he did not find that interesting. he never read a lesson twice over. he spent most of his time reading novels. he said i cannot do sit in my room doing nothing. he tells us in the memoirs, so i read novels, but not those of the trashy sort. >> that is good to hear. not long after he graduates of course, he finds himself in a war in mexico. what w

be a great day. >> reporter: the newest members of the long gray line, courtney kube, nbc news, west point, new york. >>> after yesterday's big selloff, wall street bounced back today, the dow gaining almost 500 points, just short of 2%. still, it was wall street's worst week since march. >>> we'll take a short break in 60 seconds. the standoff in seattle. protesters take over four city blocks what the president is threatening to do to take them back >>> in seattle a group of protesters had taken over four city blocks driving the police out now the president is threatening military action to take the area back. with more here's jo ling kent. >>> reporter: in seattle's hip capitol hill neighborhood the east police precinct has a new name it's a symbol of the dramatic transformation triggered by more than a week of violent clashes, tear gas and flash bangs. between police and protesters, calling for an end to police brutality in the name of george floyd. what do you hope to tell the world out here as you protest? >> i just want justice, and we just want it now. >> reporter: in an unexpected

. >> president trump's battle with the armed forces moves to west point today as he gets ready to address some 1100 graduating cade cadets. but will his plitoliticizing ofe military lose a key segment of his supporters? >>> let's seize the moment and let's redesign the police department. it has been 50 years in coming. >> 19 days after the death of george floyd, much of america is still waiting to see reforms in police departments across the country. we'll talk to experts about what is being proposed right now, what will work long term and what obstacles lie ahead. and by the way, and there is still a pandemic unfolding in the united states. coronavirus cases are on the rise in nearly 20 states. and experts warn many more americans will die in the coming months. >>> i'm growing increasingly concerned that we may be approaching the precipice of a disaster. >> all those stories and a lot more this morning. velshi starts right now. good morning. i'm ali velshi. overnight amid glowirowing outr president rescheduled a campaign rally in tulsa on june 19th, or as it is known, juneteenth. that da

soon to graduate cadets at west point.ught it was a good sort of confluence of events today. >> and what do you see as the role for national guard troops going forward in what seemed to be ongoing protests in this country? >> look, the national guard, they're there to protect. they are guardians of our communities. they are from the community. they are our neighbors, our friends, our family, our coworkers and those men and women who enlist and receive commissions in the national guard, they do it because they want to be in service to the community, to come to relief in the case of a hurricane or a natural disaster or to protect the community against civil disturbance. but when you are asking them to put themselves in front of peaceful protesters exercising their first amendment rights under the constitution, that is demoralizing for the national guard, for the men and women in the guard. and i'll also add that we already have recruiting problems in meeting our recruiting goals both in the national guard and in the active c

the first time a president has spoken at west point since 2014. >> west point is a universal symbol of american gallantry loyalty. devotion, discipline, and great skill. there's no place on earth that i would rather be than right here with all of use. you. great honor. graduatings marched in wearing masks and sat six feet apart in chairs that were socially distant that has never happened before in a west point graduation ceremony. normally the graduateses would have been able to shake the president's hand as they received their diplomas. but this year, again because of covid-19, they gave a smart salute, and president saluted back. the president touched on some of the racial troubles that have been royaling the country in his remarks. >> when times are tush turbulent when the road is rough what matters most is that which is prm nangt timeless, enduring, and eternal. he said that in his view these are graduates who should not be about the business of building other nations. they are here to protect americans he said. and then it was concluded 1100 newly commission second lieutenants joi

and cautiously down a ramp at west point on saturday. and needed two hands to steady a glass of water. remember that? president tweeting the ramp that i descended after my west point commencement speech was very long and steep. no handrail and most importantly was slippery. the last thing i was going today is fall for the fake news to have fun with.

no, i need the clip of the president from west point on saturday.big topic online this weekend. so after his speech, he shakes hands with the lieutenant general, who gives him a wave, and then down he goes. very slowly tippy-tapping down the ramp. tentatively. like he's walking barefoot on sharp rocks. maybe the bone spurs are acting up? everyone was wondering what was going on. we found out, it turns out he still had his clown shoes on. that was weird, right? we can only hope he steps down that gracefully after november. so they post the video and everyone goes nuts and our unstable genius can't take it. instead of just letting it go, ramplestiltskin tweets, "the ramp that i descended after my west point commencement speech was very long and steep, had no handrail and, most importantly, was very slippery. the last thing i was going to do is fall for the fake news to have fun with. final ten feet i ran down to level ground. momentum." final ten feet, he ran down? no, he did not. and the idea that the ramp was slippery seems suspect considering there

west point amid tensions with military leaders of protesters gathered outside of west point on saturdayholding signs like "cadets are props" and "welcome cadet bone spurs."\ others showed support for the black lives matter movement. roger waiting to debts who had been isolated for 14 days in advance of the event marched onto the field in their dress grand white uniforms, as well as face masks. they sat in white folding chairs, space six feet apart, at which point they were allowed to take their masks off. plexiglassayed with shields to protect against the virus. let's go to james in alaska. good morning, james. caller: hello? host: you are on the air. good morning. caller: i would like to recommend you get the joseph goebbels award. i would further like to state that the chairman of the joint chiefs of staff should read a 10-29-2018 from the investors business daily. it is his office military -- obama's military coup purges 107 officers. nothe real military, [inaudible] based on their political views of defending america. he replaced them with people like milley. god bless president tru

but then there is another moment from that same west point speech

with donald trump scheduled to speak at west point on saturday, today a letter to the west point class2020 from several west point alumni who served in ten presidential administrations said sadly the government has threatened to use the army in which you serve as a weapon against fellow americans engaging in these legitimate protests and worse military leaders that took the same oath have taken place in politically charged event. that promotes individual power above country or loyalty to individuals over the constitution. it is a travesty to their oath of office. joining the discussion now anthony brown, vice chair of the house armed services committee and a 30-year army veteran. congressman brown, your reaction to the general's apology? >> lawrence, first of all, thank you for having me on this evening. i thought his apology was sincere. it was begin wigenuine and welld by former and current leaders in the military as well as the men and women that serve in uniform. he is a soldier's soldier, highly respected on capitol hill and by his peers and it was important for him to make that s

for example, there was a guy named bigelow who graduated from west point in 1877. bigelow had his first assignment with this regiment, got all sorts of other excitements, and in 1898 got reassigned to his old regiment, and the old first sergeant was in his company. he was assigned as a first company commander. after 21 years, this does not sound that appealing. 21 years and you are still a captain? 21 years and he had the same first sergeant he had when he got out of west point. not a lot of turnover, especially the older guys. the more senior officers were civil war commanders. the overall commander for the operation is a guy named william shafter. you can see he is brutalizing a horse. he had received a medal of honor in the civil war, and he was not a west point graduate. he was widely regarded as being unprofessional. as far as his conduct. and if you look at the size of him, you can see he is ill-suited for deployment in cuba. he weighs over 300 pounds. in that cuban summer heat, he is just not going to make it. he is not going to get the job done. he is very

well here is a live look at west point, new york.mencement address to the graduates of the u.s. military academy. because of the coronavirus the graduation will look different than years past. jedediah: here to discuss the significance of the president's visit military historian and author of the book , welcome to the show, and it's a very important day. if you can, contextualize this a little bit for us the historical significance of trump's delivery of this commencement address. >> well, it's fairly typical for all u.s. presidents to give the commencement address, at least once during their term in office, and of course to some presidents if they had a two- term, they would give it twice, so ronald regan for example, spoke in 1981 and 1987. president obama more recently in 2009 and 2014, and they use those addresses as an opportunity to really set out the defense and security concerns of the united states, and the sort of issues that those young servicemen, those young men and women might be likely to face in the years to come. it

it's not just west point.he service academies are providing young officer leadership, women and men, that infuse the values into the armed forces. they're looking at this situation and trying to sort out where do we go from here? >> general barry mccaffrey, west point class of '64, thank you very much for joining us tonight. we appreciate it as always. >>> coming up for us, a look at yet another extraordinary week with an activist and comedian who is here to talk us all through it. need better sleep? try nature's bounty sleep3, a unique tri-layer supplement that calms you, helps you fall asleep faster and stay asleep longer great sleep comes naturally with sleep3. only from nature's bounty. >>> your rally in oklahoma is set for june 19th. was that on purpose? >> no, but i know exactly what you're going to say. >> well, i'm just asking. it's on the day of african-american emancipation. >> that's right. the fact that i'm having a rally on that day, you can really think about that very positively as a celebration

it's not just west point. the service academies are providing young officer leadership, women and men, that infuse the values into the armed forces. they're looking at this situation and trying to sort out where do we go from here? >> general barry mccaffrey, west point class of '64, thank you very much for joining us tonight. we appreciate it as always. >>> coming up for us, a look at yet another extraordinary week with an activist and comedian who is here to talk us all through it. these are extraordinary times, and we want to thank the extraordinary people in the healthcare community, working to care for all of us. at novartis, we promise to do our part. as always, we're doing everything we can to help keep cosentyx accessible and affordable. if you have any questions at all, call us, email us, visit us online. we're here to help support you when you need us. take care, and be well. to learn more, call one eight four four cosentyx or visit cosentyx.com >>> your rally in oklahoma is set for june 19th. was th

it's not just west point.er leadership, women and men, that infuse the values into the armed forces. they're looking at this situation and trying to sort out where do we go from here? >> general barry mccaffrey, west point class of '64, thank you very much for joining us tonight. we appreciate it as always. >>> coming up for us, a look at yet another extraordinary week with an activist and comedian who is here to talk us all through it. when the murray's started using gain ultra flings they fell in love with its irresistible scent. looks like their dog michelangelo did too. new gain ultra flings with two times oxi boost and febreze. while also capturing the possibilities. even something like co2. chevron has spent over $1 billion on carbon capture projects. and is investing in start-up companies working to transform carbon into new forms of energy... ...to help address climate change. i'm an associate here at amazon. step onto the blue line, sir. this device is giving us an accurate temperature check. you're g

delivered the commencement address at west point. we know that the president kind of got ahead of west point's announcement that this graduation ceremony was going to be taking place in person when he announced this back in april. west point officials insist it was their decision to have this ceremony in person and certainly we have seen a very different ceremony with a lot of social distancing. the former cadets, now 2nd lieutenants marched with masks on their faces. now as for the president's remarks, what we heard him focus on was really the history of west point. the history of the u.s. army. and he did make some small references to kind of the issues of the moment. we heard him thank the national guard troops for their role in handling the coronavirus pandemic as well as addressing the protests and the unrest that we've seen across the country. we also heard the president make a veiled reference to his view that those bases that are named after confederate commanders should not be renamed. the president talking about protecting

at least 15 of those graduating west point seniors, they've

. >> president trump highlighted diversity emphasizing unity in his commencement address to west point graduating class. the speech comes as americans across the country are protesting police brutality. and the president faces criticism for his response. michael george has more from new york. >> what has historically made america unique is the durability of the institutions against the passions and prejudices of the moment. >> in his speech to more than 1100 west point graduates, president trump did not directly mention the protest that swept the nation. >> when times are turbulent, and the road is rough, what matters most, is that which is permanent. timeless, enduring and eternal. >> the president celebrated the diversity of the class of 2020 at the historic u.s. military academy. 40 miles north of new york city. >> you have come from the farms and the cities. from states big and small. and from every race, religion, color and creed. >> the president thanked the national guard for its work during the protests. earlier this month the commander-in-chief rankled military leaders when he

a lot of the west point graduates, we need to point out, graduating cadets, they slept in barracks named e. lee, for instance and of course, you are a graduate of west point as well. do you agree with the argument that the bases need to be renamed? >> christi, i absolutely agree. ever since when i went to air force school at ft. benning, georgia, i wondered why we have installations named for those who fought against the united states of america. i think it's wrong. they need to be changed and renamed. west point has lee barracks, lee road and lee gate i think. we shouldn't erase or destroy our history, but we shouldn't glorify those who betrayed our count country. >> how much hope do you have about the state of where we are militarily, the opportunities for black service members to move up and in general the fight that we're seeing for those officers and for the black community? >> i think in some ways i'm encouraged because we've heard from the u.s. military leaders from all the services and they are listening. that's always a good start once you're listening. the military has traditio

rare reversal from president trump, now delaying his controversial tulsa rally as he speaks to west point cadets today in person. >>> and there's good news tonight about a young man who went above ask beyond, and the community who met him there. >> announcer: this is "nbc nightly news" ballart. >>> good evening, if america has been a tinderbox these past few weeks there is now another match. there are protests in the streets of atlanta tonight after police there shot and killed a black man outside a fast food drive-through on friday the story is developing rapidly tonight the police chief stepped down, and the mayor wants the officer who killed the man to be fired. and we're learning more about the shooting authorities say the man took an officer's taser, and aimed it at them all this comes as protesters march to demand change, not just in america, but across the world we have coverage of all of this tonight, here and abroad. and we begin with erin mclaughlin. >> reporter: tonight's growing outrage and new questions over the death of rashard brooks. >> i do not believe that this was a jus

there is not one statue or recognition to general lee that exists at west point. now, that was a decision that was made years ago, years ago. and right there where the graduation took place, which is on the plain, is a pleas called trophy point. and the monument on trophy point is to the union dead that were killed in the war of insurrection. they don't talk about the civil war, but the war of insurrection. this was a war that was endeavored to rip apart our constitution, regardless of what the times were like back then. west point recognized that. so i think that discussion took place years ago and could be had today. >> when you mention robert e. lee, it's interesting they don't have the special recognition of him there because encyclopedia of virginia considered robert e. lee the most successful confederate milt leader during the civil wart and they said that made him the most successful defender of the enslavement of african-americans in this country. admiral kirby, let me ask you about what we heard from general millie, the chairman of the joint chiefs of staf

they wrote we a diverse group of west point graduates are concerned. we're concerned graduates serving in public positions remember following to uphold their oath of office and their commitment to duty, honor, country. their actions threaten the credibility of an apolitical military. we ask you to join us to right the wrongs and hold each other accountable to the allies instilled by our alma mater and affirmed by each of us at graduation. general, what do you think the military needs to hear from this president today? >> well, it's interesting, because the west point speech, when given by the president, 45 years ago i heard general ford speak at our graduation. it's always somewhat political. they usually cite some of the program that they are providing to the military or how the nation is well served by the graduates of the class. so hopefully i would hear some of that from president trump as well today. but we're in, as you mentioned earlier, a very divisive time. the military has been questioned over the last couple of weeks. so i would hope he woul

amid racial tensions and coronavirus fears, president trump delivers the commencement address to west point graduates. more than 1,000 now graduates gathered today at the u.s. military college for a ceremony unlike any before due to concerns over the spread of covid-19. each graduate wore a mask and socially distanced. >> i want to take this opportunity to thank all members of america's armed forces in every branch, active duty, national guard and reserve who step forward to help battle the invisible enemy, the new virus that came to our shores from a distant land called china. we will vanquish the virus. we will extinguish this plague. >> the ceremony happening as the president makes an about-face on his upcoming rally in tulsa, oklahoma. he now says he will push back the event by one day. this after criticism the campaign rally was to take place on june 19th or juneteeth. that's the date many african-americans were finally notified the civil war ended and they had been freed from slavery. that rally comes as the president's top health officials warn the coronavirus pandemic is not over wi

regrettably what he's saying in his speech to the west point grads is for an american consumption to an american audience the us president whether it's trauma or biden is presiding over a fully fledged empire with an imperial ruling class a billionaire capitalists who are united on 3 things at least in foreign policy the 1st one is that their manifest destiny of the us is to dominate the world in every respect number 2 is that national sovereignty counts for nothing except as it applies to the us and number 3 that the us as an exceptional and indispensable country and that was the theme of obama's speech when he was president of the west point grads and what exceptionalism and indispensability means in american foreign policy jargon is that the usa is a buyout international law and the rules of international laws don't apply to the us it can do what it wants so since the interests of the us ruling class in compas the entire world and that visibly. it will come into conflict with certain countries who refuse to toe the line indeed that's where that's where the us brings in the nato al

you know, this is one of the quieter west point graduations that i've witnessed. it's in part because there's no family and loved ones here to cheer. the names have been called. more and more cadets and now second attendants are cheering a little bit more but overall it's quieter and moving a lot faster. the part of the ceremony where they call the names tends to really drag out. sometimes for upwards of an hour. well, they're doing two lieutenants at a time right now. they go up and salute and walk away. not walking across the stage. it's just shortening the ceremony. as for the president's speech, though, he was pretty subdued. he spoke about the history of the u.s. army. he mentioned a couple of notable graduates of west point who went on to be generals and even president. general grant, general then president eisenhower and general macarthur all notable famous graduates of this institution and spoke about the legacy that they had and the legacy that this graduating class will have as graduating from west point. but he also spoke, we've heard him many times tal

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and cautiously down a ramp at west point on saturday. and needed two hands to steady a glass of water. remember that? president tweeting the ramp that i descended after my west point commencement speech was very long and steep. no handrail and most importantly was slippery. the last thing i was going today is fall for the fake news to have fun with. well, it certainly wouldn't be a laughing matter if the president ever fell. and he did turn 74, 74 years old. this weekend. americans have every reason to question his health. walking down a ramp, holding a rail, probably no issue. now you know how it feels, don't you? what goes around comes around. got some breaking news on the rayshard brooks shooting. the atlanta police releasing disciplinary records for the two officers involved. we'll have that information and the i'll speak with the attorney representing the brooks family. that's next. in this world where people are staying at home, many of life's moments are being put on hold. at carvana, we understand that for some getting a car just

mitary academy at west point.ause who better to inspire new members of our military than a draft dodger? (as trump) "congratulations, suckers." the graduating cadets were >> president trump wanted to quench his thirst. >> i hereby absolve all cadets on restriction for minor conduct offenses. and that is effective immediately. congratulations. ( applause ) >> stephen: that continues to be weird. i know he famously hasn't ever had a cocktail, but he still clearly has a drinking problem. (as trump) "okay, it's sippy time. here we go. lips are ready. pursed and dry. lips are ready. and not gonna make it. let's bring in some backup. there you go. okay. thanks fellas, great job. i call it 'seal team sip.'" good thing he wasn't wearing a mask. he might have looked weak. after "sip-of-water-gate," trump proved that water isn't his only nemesis. so are words. >> right now, america needs a class of cadets that lives by your motto, "with vision we lead." we need you to carry on the spirit of the great general, ulyssius s. gr

his speech tomorrow at west point.sit out according to new reporting from the "washington post" which adds this concern from an expert about the potential for the occasion to turn disastrous. quote, it is going to be an especially fraught moment. if the president chooses to use the west point commencement as another way to wrap himself in the uniforms of the american military in order to build political support, it will demonstrate that there is no limit to what the president is willing to do. no damage he will avoid doing to the respect the american public has for our military. if you need any further evidence of why the military has hit a crisis point with donald trump's conduct and rhetoric, here he is, describing national guard troops breaking up crowds of protesters in minneapolis. >> in minneapolis, they went through three nights of hell and then i was insistent on having the national guard go in and do their work. it was like a miracle. everything stopped. and i'll never forget the scene. it's not supposed to be

hello and welcome to crossfire where all things are considered i'm peter lavelle speaking to west point graduates trump said we're ending the air of endless wars 40 years ago on the campaign trail he said the same thing why is it so difficult for this president to make good on this promise why make the promise again if it can't be kept. to cross off endless war i'm joined by my guest james to address and watched and he's a retired u.s. diplomat and former foreign policy advisor to the u.s. senate republican leadership and you new york we have lighter he is a professor emeritus of political science at rector's university as well as an adjunct senior research analyst at the institute of war and peace studies at columbia university all right gentlemen in effect i mean you can jump in and you and i also appreciate it ok james let me go to you 1st on this you were on the crosstalk during the campaign especially during the election and after the election and what caught our eye mostly about drums candidacy was his willingness to rethink some of the pillars of american foreign policy and i was

hear from a new west point grad.l be surprised at how easily starting small can lead to something big. start stopping with nicorette. and i recently had a heart attack. it changed my life. but i'm a survivor. after my heart attack, my doctor prescribed brilinta. it's for people who have been hospitalized for a heart attack. brilinta is taken with a low-dose aspirin. no more than 100 milligrams as it affects how well brilinta works. brilinta helps keep platelets from sticking together and forming a clot. in a clinical study, brilinta worked better than plavix. brilinta reduced the chance of having another heart attack... ...or dying from one. don't stop taking brilinta without talking to your doctor, since stopping it too soon increases your risk of clots in your stent, heart attack, stroke, and even death. brilinta may cause bruising or bleeding more easily, or serious, sometimes fatal bleeding. don't take brilinta if you have bleeding, like stomach ulcers, a history of bleeding in the brain, or severe liver problems

military academy at west point, at a socially-distanced ceremony. a group of west point alumni have been speaking out against the president's threats to use the military to crack down on protestors. they did an onlionene essay tha included scathing letters of mike pompeo and mark esper, who both graduated from west point. the alumni group whites in part, this, we are concerned fellow graduates serving in senior-level public positions are failing to uphold their oath of office and their commitment to duty, honor, country. their actions threaten the credibility of an apolitical military. want to talk more about the president and west point with cnn military analyst general mark hurtling. always good to see you, sir. you are a proud west point graduate. your son is, as well, i think. was -- was it necessary to pull those lieutenants back for this gathering, in the middle of a pandemic? as a military man, what was your take on what you saw? >> there were arguments, on both sides of this, michael. and -- and i said, back in april, in a piece for cnn.com,

we grant wanted to go to west point, his father wanted him to go. his father saw west point as a free form of vocational education. . >> how did he do there? >> fairly, well it was lackluster, he was 20 in a class of 30. nine there was considerate attrition before that. he became famous for two things at the academy. he was probably the first, best sportsman in his century. he said the bar more than five feet, he cleared this record at the academy. he was also very good at drawing, it might send cease and in significant. it was important for generals to draw maps during battles. grant was great at drawing. he had a uncanny ability to envision the battlefield, it comes down to this visual sense that was reflected in his capacity to. draw >> after west point he has a number of assignments, and he ends up as a quartermaster in the mexican war, why do his services there and up to be important? >> beating -- being quartermaster in mexico gave him the logistics of the army, grant would be in charge of four and five armies, so grants mastery of logistics a

eastern time the president tweeted, quote, the ramp that i descended after my west point commencement speech was very long and steep, had no handrail and most importantly was very slippery. the last thing i was going to do is fall for the fake news to have fun with. the final 10 feet i ran down to

military academy at west point today. >> west point class of 2020! >> sreenivasan: more than 1,100 cadets assembled at socially- distanced intervals. ♪ god shed his grace on thee! in the commencement address, the president made no specific reinferences to onprotests, or to the coronavirus pandemic. he praised the class of 2020, the army, and the nation. >> what has historically made america unique is the durability of its institutions against the passns nd prejudices of the moment. when times are turbulent, when the road is rough, what matters most is that which is permanent, president trump gave in tornal. pressure and criticism of his decision to ho a campaign rally in tulsa, oklahoma next iday, june 19-- a hoday known as juneteenth, that honors the end of slavery in the united states. ghst before midnight last the president tweeted the rally would be moved to saturday, nyjune 20, writing, "f my african american friends and supporters have reached out to suggest that we consider changing the date out of respect the president is not changing the loc

number of issues and spent close to 10 minutes explaining away his awkward walk down the ramp at west point. he's even blaming the media for that suggesting that he needed to walk gingerly down that ramp because he had saluted the people 600 times. he's been talking about it for almost an hour spending a lot of time attacking vice president biden. he doesn't look like he's wrapping up any time soon, wolf. >> most of the people, you're wearing a facemask, which is totally the right thing to do. most of the people, i take it, are not wearing facemasks even though they were distributed when they came into the arena. >> reporter: yeah, that's right, wolf. the campaign talked about this, about the safety precautions. they offered every single person a facemask. there were temperature checks. hand sanitizer offered but none of it was mandatory aside from the temperature check. there are very few people that are rally goers wearing masks. the president behind me, he's not wearing a mask, neither did the vice president when he spoke earlier. there's also a pretty significant congressional delegatio

president trump certainly highlighting the efforts of so many of the west point graduating class. certainly pointed to the history of the military academy as a point of american pride, when it comes to their loyalty and their service. >> some day generations of future west point cadets will study your legacy. they will know your deeds. they will celebrate your triumphs. and they will proudly follow your example. to the 1107 cadets who today become the newest officers in the most exceptional army ever to take the field of battle. >> reporter: the president had a chance to praise the service members that are helping the country through the coronavirus pandemic as well as the national guard, they've been helping in so many american cities during these turbulent times. because of the coronavirus family and friends were not able to be there along with the cay deaths to watch the ceremony but the president made it clear he knows that those people are proud of them. take a listen. >> even though you could not be here today, we know this day could never have happened without you. your lov