Wire report
Crowds pack into Washington's National Mall for prayer rally
President Donald Trump was expected to address the gathering, which got underway as a light rain fell, in a video message. Other top Republicans, including Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., were also on the schedule as part of the celebrations this year marking 250 years of U.S. independence.

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President Donald Trump was expected to address the gathering, which got underway as a light rain fell, in a video message. Other top Republicans, including Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., were also on the schedule as part of the celebrations this year marking 250 years of U.S. independence.
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What happened
According to PBS News’s linked item, Crowds pack into Washington’s National Mall for prayer rally, President Donald Trump was expected to address the gathering, which got underway as a light rain fell, in a video message. Other top Republicans, including Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., were also on the schedule as part of the celebrations this year marking 250 years of U.S. independence.
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Primary source: Crowds pack into Washington’s National Mall for prayer rally via PBS News. VINI cites and links the source; it does not reproduce the publisher’s full article text without rights clearance.
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- Crowds pack into Washington's National Mall for prayer rallyPBS News - 2026-05-17T16:55:42+00:00
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