President Donald Trump kicked off the Great American State Fair Wednesday evening by touting America’s success under his leadership and likening his political movement to the American Revolution during remarks on the National Mall.

«Just like those patriots of 1776, over the past 17 months, we have taken power back from the far off political class,» Trump told a crowd gathered in the nation’s capital for the opening ceremony. «They’re trying to gain it back, but it’s not going to happen. We have reclaimed our sovereignty, regained our liberty, restored our prosperity, and we have saved our country in all things. We are once again putting a thing called America first.»

Trump walked out to Lee Greenwood performing «God Bless the U.S.A.» as part of the opening ceremony for celebrations surrounding the nation’s 250th anniversary. The president’s remarks were preceded by military flyovers, including B-2 bombers and F-35 stealth fighter jets, as well as comments from Trump Cabinet members and music from the U.S. Marine Band.

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«America is back,» Trump declared to a roaring crowd. «We’re the hottest country anywhere in the world. We’re respected by everybody. Nobody’s laughing at us anymore.»

Trump used his remarks to tout improvements to the nation’s capital, saying homeless encampments and graffiti had been removed, more than 50 monuments and memorials had been repaired and beautified, and dozens of statues had been cleaned since he returned to office. Trump also pointed to repairs at Union Station, Meridian Hill Park, Lafayette Square and the Reflecting Pool, which he said had been «gruesomely vandalized by thugs.»

«The vandals got to it,» Trump said of the Reflecting Pool. «They’ve largely been caught and are being prosecuted. We can’t let that happen to our country.»

Trump previewed several anniversary-related projects as well, including what he described as a new White House ballroom, a «triumphal arc» near Arlington Cemetery, the National Garden of American Heroes in West Potomac Park and a «Spirit of ’76» exhibition at Freedom Plaza honoring figures from the American Revolution.

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Trump framed the nation’s 250th birthday as both a celebration of America’s founding and a launchpad for what he called a new «golden age of America.»

Preparation work for the Freedom 250 Great American State Fair continues on the National Mall on June 22, 2026 in Washington, DC. The fair will fill the mall with 150 exhibits from all 56 states and territories from June 25 to July 10. ((Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images))

«This anniversary is a time to be proud of our past,» Trump said. «But it is also a time to lift our sights, expand our ambitions, and raise our expectations of what America can be.»

«With all of that being said, the best is yet to come,» he added.

The president was joined at the event by House Speaker Mike Johnson, several Cabinet officials and administration figures, and what Trump described as «countless» members of Congress. Trump called the opening ceremony «a very special night.»

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«It’s my honor to officially kick off the celebration with the Great American State Fair,» Trump said. «It’s going to be great. It’s going to be unbelievable.»

Trump said the fair, which runs from Wednesday through July 10, will showcase all 50 states and six U.S. territories and include military flyovers, patriotic music, high-tech demonstrations, exhibitions, a FIFA fan zone and an «old fashioned rodeo.»

An arch across the street from a 110-foot «Freedom 250» Ferris wheel during final preparations for the Great American State Fair on the National Mal on Monday, June 22, 2026 in Washington, DC. (Al Drago for The Washington Post via Getty Images)

«You get just a little, little tiny glimpse of it tonight,» Trump said after the flyovers. «How good is our Air Force?»

Trump also previewed what he said would be a massive Fourth of July celebration on the National Mall, telling supporters he would return to speak as the country rings in its 250th year with «the largest fireworks display in world history.» He also pointed to additional anniversary events, including the Patriot Games, a competition featuring top high school athletes, and a Freedom 250 Grand Prix race around the Capitol and down Pennsylvania Avenue.

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Trump closed by casting the anniversary as a celebration of the generations of Americans who built and defended the country, invoking the Founding Fathers, Patrick Henry, the Revolutionary War, the settling of the West, the building of railroads and skyscrapers, two world wars and the space race.

«This is our heritage. This is our history, and this is the destiny of America to be the greatest, most incredible country ever to grace the earth,» Trump said. «We are one people, one nation, marching into one magnificent future under our great American flag.»

«Happy birthday, America,» he added.

La República Dominicana fue reconocida por la organización internacional International Budget Partnership (IBP) tras obtener 82 puntos sobre 100 en transparencia presupuestaria en la Encuesta de Presupuesto Abierto 2025, según informó la Dirección General de Presupuesto (DIGEPRES).

El país se ubicó en el segundo lugar a nivel global, solo por detrás de Brasil, y encabezó el ranking de Hispanoamérica, Centroamérica y el Caribe, de acuerdo con el informe presentado este martes en Santo Domingo.

El director ejecutivo de la Fundación Solidaridad, Juan Castillo, entregó formalmente los resultados nacionales de la encuesta al director general de Presupuesto, José Rijo Presbot, en un acto realizado en el Ministerio de la Vivienda, Hábitat y Edificaciones.

En la ceremonia participaron el ministro Administrativo de la Presidencia, Andrés Bautista García, representantes del Congreso Nacional, órganos de control, organismos internacionales, organizaciones de la sociedad civil y equipos técnicos vinculados al sistema presupuestario nacional.

La Encuesta de Presupuesto Abierto (OBS) es el único estudio internacional independiente que evalúa el acceso público a información presupuestaria del Gobierno central, las oportunidades para la participación ciudadana y la supervisión del Congreso Nacional y la Cámara de Cuentas. Su décima edición consideró documentos, procesos y evidencias disponibles hasta el 31 de diciembre de 2024 y abarcó 82 países.

Según datos del reporte global de International Budget Partnership, República Dominicana fue identificada como el caso más claro de progreso sostenido en transparencia presupuestaria a nivel mundial. Entre 2008 y 2025, el país elevó su puntuación de aproximadamente 12 a 82 puntos, con un incremento acumulado de 70 puntos, el mayor avance registrado entre los países evaluados en ese periodo.

El director general de Presupuesto, José Rijo Presbot, declaró que “estos resultados representan un reconocimiento al trabajo realizado por el país, pero también una responsabilidad”, y subrayó que la transparencia no solo implica la publicación de información, sino también su utilidad para la ciudadanía y el fortalecimiento de la confianza pública. Rijo precisó que este logro responde a la visión del gobierno del presidente Luis Abinader sobre fortalecer la transparencia, ampliar la participación ciudadana y asegurar que el gasto público genere valor para la sociedad.

Durante la presentación, Juan Castillo remarcó que, según IBP, la República Dominicana es el ejemplo más claro de progreso sostenido en transparencia presupuestaria a escala global. En la misma línea, el director de Estudios Económicos, Rafael Jovine, resaltó iniciativas como el Presupuesto Ciudadano, Presupuesto en las Aulas, los Encuentros Ciudadanos y las plataformas digitales, que buscan ampliar el acceso a la información y la supervisión de los fondos públicos.

Entre los asistentes al acto estuvieron Iván Ramírez, subdirector de Presupuesto; Odilys Hidalgo, directora de Servicios Presupuestarios; Paola Chaljub, encargada de Comunicaciones, y equipos técnicos de DIGEPRES. El evento congregó a representantes de instituciones públicas, órganos de control, el Congreso Nacional, organismos internacionales y la sociedad civil.

La DIGEPRES destacó que la publicación constante de los ocho documentos presupuestarios fundamentales, el fortalecimiento de capacidades técnicas y la institucionalización de mecanismos de participación han sido factores determinantes para el avance registrado en la transparencia presupuestaria nacional.

An illegal immigrant who allegedly exposed himself to one woman before trying to drag another woman into the woods at a Virginia park was arrested last year on felony drug trafficking charges but was released after sanctuary jurisdiction officials refused to cooperate with federal immigration officials, according to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).

Moises Domingo Rico Rosales, a Nicaraguan national who DHS says illegally entered the U.S. in Arizona in 2022 before being released under the Biden administration, was arrested Tuesday after Fairfax County police said he was linked to two separate incidents at Wakefield Park in Annandale, Virginia. He is now charged with abduction of a person with intent to defile and indecent exposure, and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has lodged a detainer asking Fairfax County officials not to release him, DHS said.

DHS said Rico Rosales had previously been arrested in Fairfax County in 2024 on felony drug trafficking charges, but was later released after local officials refused to honor an ICE detainer. According to local reporting, court records show the 2024 drug charges were dropped by the office of George Soros-backed Fairfax County Commonwealth’s Attorney Steve Descano, paving the way for his release from criminal custody.

«This criminal illegal alien exposed himself to one woman in a park and then attempted to abduct another woman the same day,» said Acting Assistant Secretary of DHS Lauren Bis. «He was previously arrested for drug trafficking in 2024, but Fairfax County sanctuary politicians refused to cooperate with ICE law enforcement and released him from jail.»

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«This predator was RELEASED by the Biden Administration into our country in 2022. DHS is calling on Governor Abigail Spanberger and her fellow sanctuary politicians to commit to not releasing this criminal and instead turn him over to ICE custody. Open border and sanctuary policies have real consequences, and they are the creation of more innocent victims.»

The case is drawing renewed scrutiny to Northern Virginia’s fight over ICE detainers and sanctuary-style policies, coming months after Abdul Jalloh, an illegal immigrant from Sierra Leone with more than 30 prior arrests, was charged with second-degree murder in the fatal stabbing of 41-year-old Stephanie Minter at a Virginia bus stop. 

That case helped fuel a recent House Judiciary subcommittee hearing on Fairfax County’s sanctuary policies, where Descano and Fairfax County Sheriff Stacey Kincaid faced questions from congressional Republicans over their handling of criminal illegal immigrants and ICE detainers.

Fairfax officials have previously defended their policy by saying they do not hold inmates on ICE detainers alone without a judicial warrant. ICE detainers ask local jails to notify federal immigration authorities before an inmate’s release and hold the person briefly, so ICE can assume custody. ICE has argued that at-large arrests are more unpredictable and potentially dangerous than jail transfers.

Abdul Jalloh, 32, is accused of killing Stephanie Minter, 41, at a Virginia bus stop.  (Fairfax County Police Department; provided)

The Fairfax County Sheriff’s Office pushed back on DHS’s characterization of the Rico Rosales case, telling Fox News Digital that he was booked into the Fairfax County Adult Detention Center in 2024 and that ICE filed an «informal request,» but «failed to act upon» it after a court ordered Rico Rosales released.

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«There was no judicial warrant filed by ICE,» a spokesperson for Sheriff Stacey Kincaid’s office said.

The sheriff’s office also said it does not currently have an ICE detainer on file for Rico Rosales in connection with his latest charges, despite DHS saying ICE had lodged one. The office said ICE would be able to take him into custody at the Fairfax County Adult Detention Center if federal immigration officials file a detainer and respond when he is ordered released.

«The Fairfax County Sheriff’s Office does not obstruct or prevent ICE from acting on their civil detainers,» the spokesperson said.

Kincaid’s office said its policy is not to hold inmates past their release date unless ICE presents a judicial warrant or court-issued criminal detainer. A portion of the sheriff’s office standard operating procedures provided to Fox News Digital states that, «to hold a prisoner for» Customs and Border Patrol (CBP), ICE or another immigration enforcement official, «a criminal judicial order» is required.

When asked about Rico Rosales’ charges being dropped in 2024, Laura Birnbaum, chief of staff and public information officer for Descano’s office, said there are «many reasons» why the outcome of a criminal case may differ from the initial charges, including insufficient evidence, victims not wanting to continue with prosecution, key witnesses not being present in court, defendants cooperating with police or prosecutors, defendants taking behavioral steps such as restitution or treatment, coordination with other agencies or the initial charge not reflecting what actually occurred.

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«Our office will share additional specifics about cases where possible, but we cannot jeopardize ongoing prosecutions or investigations; disclose personal information about victims or witnesses; or share non-public case information,» Birnbaum told Fox News Digital.

Birnbaum also pushed back on criticism of the office, saying, «Some right-wing activists may attempt to retrofit political motives onto certain case outcomes or claim that prosecutors have the perfect ability to predict and avert future crimes.»

Governor Spanberger has moved to limit Virginia law enforcement’s role in federal civil immigration enforcement, including rescinding Youngkin-era directives, ending state-level 287(g) agreements and signing legislation that restricts state and local law-enforcement assistance in civil immigration operations absent a judicial warrant or subpoena. However, her office argues local jail custody decisions, including in Fairfax County, are made by local officials rather than the governor.

Abdul Jalloh, a 32-year-old man from Sierra Leone who DHS says entered the U.S. illegally in 2012, was arrested for allegedly fatally stabbing a 41-year-old woman in Fairfax County and has an extensive prior criminal history. (Department of Homeland Security/Getty Images)

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«Governor Spanberger strongly believes violent criminals who are in the United States illegally should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law and deported. Under Governor Spanberger’s leadership, the Virginia Department of Corrections continues the long-standing practice of notifying ICE when individuals born outside of the United States are in state custody. Virginia state law enforcement agencies also continue to participate in task forces and inter-agency cooperation with federal agencies,» a statement from Spanberger’s office provided to Fox News Digital said.

«As a former federal law enforcement officer who went after child predators, Governor Spanberger will always prioritize the safety and well-being of Virginia’s families,» her office continued.