Desert Shield and Desert Storm Memorial opens on the National Mall in Washington

The Desert Shield and Desert Storm Memorial officially opened to the public on Saturday on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. It stands at the southwest corner of Constitution Avenue and 23rd Street NW. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum delivered remarks at the dedication ceremony. One commentary tied the memorial to the U.S. defense of Kuwait after Iraq's invasion. That commentary argued that President Trump's recent overtures toward Russia run contrary to the American values shown in that defense, and it urged him to defend Ukraine forcefully. The available accounts give no further detail on the ceremony, such as attendance, other speakers or the memorial's design.

Left-leaning coverage, represented here by MS NOW, is an opinion piece rather than a news report. Its headline hopes the new memorial will inspire Trump to defend Ukraine, and its excerpt centers on Trump, Russia, Ukraine and American values, using Kuwait's defense as a moral comparison. The excerpt does not mention Burgum, the ceremony or the memorial's location. Right-leaning coverage, represented by Just the News, runs a straightforward headline and opening about the memorial officially opening. It names Burgum as the speaker, gives Saturday as the date and specifies the National Mall location. Its opening says nothing about Trump, Russia or Ukraine. Both sides treat the memorial's opening as the occasion, but the left uses it as a springboard for a foreign-policy argument, while the right reports the event's basic facts. Alternative / independent outlets had not reported this story at the time of writing, while left-leaning and right-leaning outlets had.