Lithium mine being built on ‘sacred ground’ where Native Americans say they were massacred
It could be a scene from centuries ago. In the Nevada desert, Native Americans are protesting over a mining project they say desecrates sacred land.
They are riding to Sentinel Mountain, which their ancestors once used as a lookout in times gone by. Here, they say, more than 30 of their people were massacred by US cavalry in 1865.
Today, the land is at the heart of America’s electric car revolution and Joe Biden’s clean energy policy
Native American tribal members say the mine neglects their interests and offends their history.
The route of the “Prayer Horse Ride”, a journey on horseback through mining-affected communities in Northern Nevada, is designed to publicise their objections.
“Being the original inhabitants of the land means we have cultural ties and roots to these landscapes,” says Gary McKinney, a member of the Duck Valley Shoshone Paiute tribe.
“To me, it’s sacred ground,” says Myron Smart. His grandmother survived the massacre of 1865 as a baby. Industrialising this place, he says, offends her memory and reflects the story of Native Americans through time.
“We’re people too. We have red blood just like everybody in the United States.”
Myron Smart says the land is sacred ground
Myron Smart’s grandmother, who survived the 1865 massacre
However, a US judge has rejected their complaints and the project is going ahead.
The open mine, which is on public land, will source lithium to power up to a million electric vehicles a year and will create 1,800 jobs in its construction phase.
President Biden aims to make the United States a world leader in electric vehicle technology and reduce reliance for lithium supply on countries like China.
The Thacker Pass project has supporters as well as opponents.
Lithium Americas, the company behind the project, insists the mine is not located on a massacre site. This was supported by a judge in 2021 who ruled the evidence presented by tribes “does not definitely establish that a massacre occurred” within the proposed project area.
Tim Crowley, the company’s VP of Government and External Affairs, said in a statement to Sky News: “Lithium Americas is committed to doing this project right, which is why we have a community benefits agreement in place with the local Fort McDermitt Paiute and Shoshone Tribe that ensures benefits from Thacker Pass accrue to them.
“Concerns about cultural and environmental resources were thoroughly addressed in the BLM’s (Bureau of Land Management) approved Environmental Impact Statement, which withstood comprehensive reviews by the Federal District and Circuit Courts.”
However, members of different Nevada-based Native American tribes continue to oppose the mining project. They say their evidence of the 1865 massacre, and a separate inter-tribal conflict, is rooted in the oral history passed on from their ancestors, through generations – not collated with a court case in mind, but compelling nonetheless.
“Back in our ancestors’ days, they didn’t write any documentation down, they didn’t send letters, they didn’t write in journals,” says Gary. “So there was no way that the United States government could know our story.
“These stories have been passed down generation to generation, so we have direct lineage from survivors of these massacres, which is how these stories remain in our families.”
The courts have also rejected complaints by tribal members and conservationists on the environmental impact and planning consultation.
The project throws a focus onto the issues surrounding the pursuit of clean energy.
“First off, we have to acknowledge that we need electric vehicles,” says Amanda Hurowitz of Mighty Earth, a global environmental non-governmental organisation.
They are more efficient than petrol and diesel cars, she says, and they are needed for the US to hit its climate targets.
But they also need more mined minerals – like lithium – and getting those materials out of the ground has an impact.
“All mining operations need to get consent from the local people,” she adds, “and the more consent, the better.”
Les Miserables, what else.
The hit musical about anti-government protest is now showing at the Kennedy Center in Washington DC.
Donald Trump was in the audience for Wednesday’s performance for what amounts to a busman’s holiday.
The narrative explores issues of social justice, love, and the enduring power of human compassion amidst a backdrop of poverty and revolution. Not everyone shares the president’s vision of those themes.
Indeed his presence drew what can only be described as mixed reviews from his fellow theatre goers – cheers and boos in equal measure as he waved from the front row of the circle.
The script of Les Miserables barely presents a break from the day job – Trump won’t be the only one getting a sense of art imitating life, as the real thing plays out on the streets of LA.
It is the first show the president has chosen to attend since he made sweeping changes at the iconic venue, prompting an outcry and accusations that he was politicising art and ‘MAGAfying’ the venerated institution.
According to CNN, a number of Les Miserables cast members had planned to sit out the performance in protest.
The Kennedy Center is a prestigious venue that showcases the best of American performance art.
More than 2,000 shows per year include the famous honours ceremony, an annual event that celebrates artists who have made a significant contribution to US culture.
Honourees through the years have included Joni Mitchell, Aretha Franklin, the Grateful Dead and Francis Ford Coppola.
The Kennedy Center in Washington DC
Following his election in November, Trump made himself chairman of the Kennedy Center’s board and replaced members with political loyalists.
Traditionally, the board has been made up of individuals from across the political spectrum; after his election, Trump got rid of 18 members and replaced them with political soulmates, including his chief of staff Susie Wiles and Fox presenters Laura Ingraham and Maria Bartiromo.
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Donald Trump signalled a change in artistic direction at the Kennedy Center when he wrote on social media of “Drag shows specifically targeting our youth”, and said of its production schedule: “We didn’t like what they were showing, we’re going to make sure it’s good and it’s not going to be woke.”
His changes prompted a number of acts to cancel shows at the venue in protest. The touring production of Broadway hit Hamilton cancelled dates, as did actor and producer Issa Rae, writer Louise Penny and Pulitzer Prize-winning folk musician Rhiannon Giddens.
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Trump’s attendance at the Les Mis performance was designed to boost fundraising, with donors paying up to $2m to attend a reception with the president.
Ticket sales and subscriptions have, reportedly, slumped since Trump’s changes although the centre’s management points out its campaign to renew subscriptions has been launched later this year than last.
Trump watched the performance of Les Miserables from the presidential box, in the company of his wife, Melania.
Vice president JD Vance was also there. When he attended a performance by the National Symphony Orchestra in March with his wife, he was booed by members of the audience.
For the first time in more than 30 years, tanks will roll through the capital of the United States.
The 250th anniversary of the United States Army could see hundreds of thousands descend on Washington DC to watch as 60-ton M1 Abrams battle tanks and Paladin self-propelled howitzers rumble along the streets.
But, like almost everything Donald Trump is involved in, it has not come without controversy or criticism.
It wasn’t originally planned as a birthday celebration – the event had been in the works since before Trump was elected – but earlier this year the President announced his intention to add a massive military parade to the event, which would coincide with his own 79th birthday.
Speaking earlier this week, Trump said it is going to be a “big day”, adding: “We want to show off a little bit.”
Officials have estimated around 200,000 people could turn out, including protesters, plus 6,600 soldiers, 150 vehicles and 50 aircraft.
More than 1,500 ‘No Kings’ demonstrations have also been planned across the US, but the group has said it will not be holding events in Washington DC, in part to avoid a direct confrontation.
It comes as the president warned that any protesters who rain on his military parade “will be met with very big force”.
Does the US typical hold military parades?
Unlike other countries, military parades in the United States are fairly rare, but Trump has made no secret of his desire for one.
The last time such a major display took place in the US it was in 1991, when tanks and thousands of troops paraded through Washington to celebrate the ousting of Iraqi president Saddam Hussein’s army from Kuwait.
Troops march over the Memorial Bridge in Washington DC, as they head towards the Pentagon during the National Victory Day Parade in 1991. Pic: PA
During Trump’s first administration, he ordered the Pentagon to look into holding a display after a visit to France in 2017.
He was seemingly inspired after witnessing the country’s Bastille Day parade, and attempted to plan a Veteran’s Day parade for 2018. However, this was cancelled due to “ridiculously high” cost estimates.
Trump ultimately settled for a display of tanks and other armoured vehicles during a fourth of July celebration, named Salute to America, two years later.
Tanks parade past President Donald Trump, Melania Trump, President Emmanuel Macron and his wife Brigitte Macron in 2017. Pic: AP
What is happening on the day?
Saturday will start with a wreath-laying ceremony in the morning at Arlington National Cemetery, followed by an army birthday festival on the National Mall in DC. The festival will include equipment displays and military demonstrations.
The day will conclude with a military parade throughout the city, overseen by Trump.
After the parade, the US Army Golden Knights team will parachute in and present the president with a flag.
How much will it cost?
All the celebrations will cost the US Army between $25 million (£18.51m) and $45 million (£33.33m), officials told Reuters.
Preparations are underway in Washington DC for the celebrations. Pic: AP
These estimates include costs that will be born by the city of Washington, include litter clean up. The event will involve 18 miles of fencing and 175 metal detectors being installed in the capital.
The military has also begun taking steps to protect the streets from damage caused by heavy tanks, including laying down metal plates in some areas.
The Army said it will pay for any unexpected repairs if needed and has set aside several million dollars in case of damage.
Why is it controversial?
President Trump’s critics have called the parade an authoritarian display of power, that is particularly wasteful as his administration seeks to slash federal spending.
Military vehicles are being transported to Washington DC ahead of this weekend’s parade. Pic: AP
The cost of the Army’s celebration is several million dollars more than it would have been without a parade, officials said.
Among the critics is California Governor Gavin Newsom, who has been trading barbs with Trump since the outbreak of riots in LA.
“And we all know, this Saturday, he’s ordering our American heroes – the United States military – forcing them to put on a vulgar display to celebrate his birthday, just as other failed dictators have done in the past,” he said.
Among the critics is California Governor Gavin Newsom. Pic: AP
“This is his ego and making everything about ‘him’,” Senator Jack Reed, the top democrat on the Senate Armed Services Committee, has also said.
But other officials have pointed out plans for the Army’s 250th birthday began before Trump won the presidential election, and it is not officially an event to mark his birthday – the dates just happen to be the same.
How will it compare to military parades around the world?
One of the criticisms of the parade is that it is a show of military might more often seen in authoritarian countries, such as North Korea, Russia, Iran and China.
This is because tanks in the streets are symbolically associated with these regimes, where they are designed to inspire nationalism and fear, whilst also promoting obedience – they often take place under the watchful eye of their country’s leader.
Russia holds its annual Victory Day parade on 9 May to commemorate the country’s Soviet victory over Nazi Germany. In recent years, it has been used to protect military strength during the Ukraine war.
Red Square during a military parade on Victory Day in 2025. Pic: Reuters
China holds a National Day parade on 1 October every ten years, or on key anniversaries, to celebrate the founding of the People’s Republic in 1949.
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In Iran, an Army Day Parade takes place in April, a month after the country’s Revolution Day celebrations.
North Korea’s 2023 military parade. Pic: AP
North Korea holds parades on key dates like Kim Il-sung’s birthday, or the ruling party’s foundation day. Taking place in the country’s capital of Pyongyang, the display will often feature new weapons, closely watched by leader Kim Jong-un.
But not every country that holds a military parade is necessarily authoritarian.
Pic: MoD
The UK holds its annual Trooping of the Colour every summer to celebrate the birthday of the British Monarch.
One word did the heavy lifting in Marco Rubio’s statement: unilateral.
The US secretary of state was keen to emphasise that strikes on Iran were Israel’s decision alone.
Israel-Iran latest: Iran retaliates after airstrikes
But that was not enough for Iran’s foreign minister, who claimed Israel could not have carried out the attack without support from America.
President Donald Trump had urged Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu not to attack Iran.
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Israeli PM announces strikes on Iran
The two leaders had what was described as a heated 40-minute exchange by telephone last Monday.
Speaking just hours before the attack, Trump said he feared such action would destroy US hopes of agreement with Iran.
Time and time again, the US president has insisted that Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon.
But the Americans and Iranians have been engaged in negotiations for months as the US president sought a diplomatic solution. At one point, he even appeared to concede slightly on enrichment.
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‘They cannot have nuclear weapons’
But Israel claimed the weaponisation of enriched uranium posed “a clear and present danger to Israel’s very survival”.
Netanyahu values his relationship with Trump, but the timing of this action was on Israel’s terms.
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Washington was informed in advance – the president’s national security team watched the strikes in real time in the situation room at the White House.
Afterwards, they said their number one priority was the safety of US personnel.
America had already restricted the movement of its staff in Israel and begun evacuating non-essential staff from its embassy in Baghdad.
Marco Rubio sent a clear warning: “Iran should not target US interests or personnel.”
They don’t want to be dragged into this, but have stated that they will protect Israel, if necessary.
America didn’t choose this moment, but knows the threat this escalation poses for US staff in the region.
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