Networks are planning coverage of the nationwide No Kings protests on Saturday, the second round of demonstrations against President Donald Trump‘s actions in the White House.
Thousands of events are being planned across the country, but there will be a few differences from the last day of demonstration in June. This time, it is taking place amid a government shutdown, with few signs that it will end soon. And there is an official event being planned in Washington, D.C. at Pennsylvania Ave. and Third Street NW near the National Mall and the Capitol. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Sen. Chris Murphy (D-VT) among the figures expected to speak, along with Bill Nye and Mehdi Hasan, among others.
One person who will not be in D.C.: Trump himself. He departed for Mar-A-Lago on Friday.
The rhetoric around the protests also has been amped up, as House Speaker Mike Johnson has labeled the demonstrations as a “hate America rally,” betting that pro-Hamas supporters and “antifa types” will show up. Organizers say that it is actually the opposite. “no kings protests are in the great tradition of America opposing authoritarian leaders all the way back to 1776 and more notably, in the 1940s, against the Nazi regime,” Hunter Dunn of 50501, one of the organizers, said on MSNBC.
Robert De Niro is among the celebrities who has helped mobilize participation, with a video last week that noted that democracy has survived for 250 years but “no we have a would-be king who wants to take it away. King Donald the first. F— that.”
Sponsors also include dozens of other groups, including the ACLU, Common Cause, SEIU, Public Citizen and Indivisible. They have emphasized non-violence, and call for participants to “de-escalate any potential confrontation with those who disagree with our values and to act lawfully at these events. Weapons of any kind, including those legally permitted, should not be brought to events.”
Other major rallies are expected in downtown Los Angeles and New York, with the No Kings site offering a video stream.
C-SPAN will carry the Washington, D.C. rally starting at noon ET/9 a.m. PT.
Networks are generally covering the protests as part of their regular programming.
CNN‘s Fredericka Whitfield will anchor coverage starting at noon ET/9 a.m. PT, with Jessica Dean picking up coverage at 5 p.m. ET/ 2 p.m. PT. Correspondents will cover events as they unfold, with Shimon Prokupecz in New York City, Brian Todd in Washington, Rafael Romo in Atlanta, Whitney Wild in Chicago and Julia Vargas Jones in Los Angeles.
MSNBC will cover the protests throughout the weekend, with Stephanie Ruhle hosting an additional live hour at 4 p.m. ET/1 p.m. PT. Jacob Soboroff will be in Los Angeles, Antonia Hylton in New York City, Maya Eaglin in Chicago, Nnamdi Egwuonwu in Houston and Jake Traylor in Washington.
NewsNation will cover through the day and in primetime, with national correspondents Nancy Loo, Jorge Ventura and Mills Hayes in major cities across the country. Anchor Nastaha Zouves will provide highlights on NewsNation Prime at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT.
Broadcast networks don’t have special coverage planned but will provide updates on regular newscasts and on streaming platforms.
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