ReportWire

Tag: National Guard

  • ‘Rooftop Pastor’ Corey Brooks to make second cross-country walk to fundraise for Woodlawn community center

    [ad_1]

    Chicago’s “Rooftop Pastor,” the Rev. Corey Brooks, is set to embark on another yearlong cross-country journey on foot to raise funds for a community center.

    Brooks, founder and pastor of New Beginnings Church of Chicago in Woodlawn, on Monday will begin his “Walk Across America” voyage in New York City and end it in Los Angeles next year.

    Brooks said he is fundraising $25 million in private donations by walking 12.5 miles Monday through Friday and dedicating Saturdays and Sundays to worship and event days in other cities.

    The pastor wants to take Project H.O.O.D., his nonprofit organization aimed at helping troubled youth, across the country.

    “Our organization is so important because we are showing that when you give people opportunities, they take advantage of those opportunities and they begin to take advantage of living great lives,” Brooks said Sunday.

    Brooks said part of the $25 million will go toward completing a 90,000-square-foot leadership and economic opportunity center in Woodlawn. He also has an ambitious goal of opening a tuition-free private school for boys and starting an endowment to run the institution.

     

    The Rev. Corey Brooks, also known as “The Rooftop Pastor,” speaks with Karen Bellamy after a service at New Beginnings Church of Chicago in Grand Crossing on Aug. 31, 2025. Brooks will begin his Walk Across America campaign to raise $25 million for a new community center and violence prevention initiatives on Sept. 1. (Eileen T. Meslar/Chicago Tribune)

    Brooks said this mission is important to Chicago because of the solutions that are needed every day. Last week, an 18-year-old man was charged with murder for the August 2024 shooting death of Brooks’ 21-year-old godson, Christion Tucker.

    “We have young people who are committing serious crimes,” Brooks said. “We have young people who need mentors, we have young people who need to be educated, and to be given the opportunity to live better lives.”

    The walk also comes as President Donald Trump has threatened to deploy National Guard troops to Chicago. Brooks last week called on Trump to send the National Guard to lower crime in an interview with Fox News. That’s despite reports that crime in Chicago dropped in the first half of the year. Chicago has seen fewer than 200 homicides in the first six months of the year, the fewest it’s had in over a decade.

    “We would need to invite President Trump in, we invite the National Guard in,” Brooks said on the program.

    Brooks gained recognition back in 2012 when he slept on a motel rooftop to raise awareness of city violence and to fundraise to buy the motel, which was used as a hub for drugs and prostitution.

    This is not the first time Brooks has walked across America. In 2012, he used a similar walk to fundraise for a community center. He planned to raise $15 million, but only received $500,000.

    Robert Marshall, assistant pastor at New Beginnings Church of Chicago, has been alongside Brooks since the late 2000s when Brooks adopted him.

    Marshall said being with Brooks all this time and seeing him progress has been “a blessing.”

    Marshall recalled seeing Brooks being held at gunpoint and another instance when people went up to Brooks’ car with his children inside, because they didn’t like what he was doing to their business.

    Tracy Stingley, executive pastor, has also been with Brooks since 2007, he said. He’s seen Brooks’ success in bringing awareness to Chicago.

    “To see all that God has done through him and the pillar he’s been to the community, how much the community trusts him and means to him, it’s amazing to see,” Stingley said.

    Stingley and Marshall will take over operations at the church while Brooks is away.

    From sleeping on rooftops to walking across the country, his advocacy hasn’t been easy and requires a lot of hard work, Brooks said.

    “It requires a lot of tenacity, a lot of courage in the face of adversity, but I’m really thankful and grateful for where we are, but I’m even more grateful and thankful for where I know we’re going to go,” Brooks said.

    Brooks is set to finish the walk by Sept. 19, 2026, at Santa Monica Pier in California.

    chardy@chicagotribune.com

    Originally Published:

    [ad_2]

    Cam'ron Hardy

    Source link

  • Moore: ‘I have no interest in fighting with the president, but I have an interest in fighting for my communities’ – WTOP News

    [ad_1]

    Maryland Gov. Wes Moore defended his rhetoric against President Donald Trump over crime in his home city of Baltimore amid an escalating feud between the two leaders.

    Maryland Gov. Wes Moore speaks, Tuesday, Oct. 29, 2024, at the Dundalk Marine Terminal in Baltimore. (AP Photo/Daniel Kucin Jr.)(AP/Daniel Kucin Jr.)
    Nathan Luna/ABC News

    (BALTIMORE) — Maryland Gov. Wes Moore defended his rhetoric against President Donald Trump over crime in his home city of Baltimore amid an escalating feud between the two leaders.

    “I have no interest in fighting with the president, but I have an interest in fighting for my communities and fighting for our people,” Moore told ABC News’ “This Week” co-anchor Martha Raddatz in an interview that aired Sunday.

    Earlier this month, Trump offered to send the National Guard into other cities across the country after his law enforcement surge into Washington, D.C., calling Baltimore “so far gone.” Moore responded by formally inviting the president to join him and Baltimore officials on a public safety walk.

    After the two continued to trade barbs on social media, Trump rebuked the invitation and renewed his threat to send the National Guard into Baltimore, calling the city a “hellhole” in the Oval Office on Tuesday.

    “Wes Moore was telling me he wants — ‘I want to walk with the president.’ Well, I said, ‘I want to walk with you, too, someday. But first you’ve got to clean up your crime,” Trump said.

    Baltimore, like most of the U.S., has seen a drop in crime and homicides in recent years, but remains one of the country’s most violent cities. It had the fifth highest rate of violent crime and fourth highest murder rate per capita in cities with at least 100,000 people last year, according to recent FBI data.

    While Moore acknowledged there is still “work to do there,” he touted the progress the state has made and called out the president’s comments.

    “It would just be great if we could have a president of the United States to actually understand that this is one of the great American turnaround stories that’s happening right now, and we would love the help to be able to continue to do that work instead of this — arrogant criticism and cynicism that he continues to introduce into the conversation,” Moore said.

    Moore said while he “would love more federal support,” he called the National Guard deployment in Washington, D.C. “performative.”

    Raddatz pressed Moore on the reduction in crime in Washington since the increased federal presence that D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser cited this week.

    “You’ve heard Mayor Bowser say [they’ve seen an] 87% reduction in carjackings, robberies cut by half. Why wouldn’t you want that here, if that is actually helping?” Raddatz asked.

    “If the president of the United States were to have a serious conversation with me and say, what can we do — particularly when you look at the cost of the National Guard of well over a million dollars a day?” Moore responded. “I would tell him things like, we need to make sure we’re increasing funding for local law enforcement.”

    “Asking me to deploy my National Guard, people who are not trained for municipal policing, is just not a serious approach,” Moore added.

    In posts on his social media platform, Trump has also resurfaced a controversy over Moore’s military record. The New York Times reported last year that Moore falsely claimed to have been awarded a Bronze Star in a 2006 White House application. During his 2022 campaign, clips of Moore being introduced as a Bronze Star recipient and not correcting the interviewers in 2008 and 2010 surfaced.

    Moore had been recommended for the medal but did not receive it until last year and has called it an “honest mistake.”

    In response, Moore called Trump “President Bone Spurs” in a post on X, referencing Trump’s medical deferment from the Vietnam draft.

    Moore said about his post: “When the president wants to attack my military record as someone who’s actually a decorated combat veteran, as someone who actually has served overseas, as someone who has defended the country, I just think that if the president wants to have a real debate about public service and about the sacrifice for this country, he should really sit that debate out. I’m not the one he wants to have it with.”

    Asked why he put the Bronze Star on his 2006 application, Moore told Raddatz he “didn’t think about it” since his commanding officers told him to include it.

    “I think it’s pretty common knowledge or common belief that when your, when your commanding officers, and your superior officers tell you, ‘Listen, we put you in, and we’ve gone through everything, so as you’re going through your application, include it.’” Moore said. “I included it, and I didn’t think about it.”

    Pressed on why he didn’t correct the interviewers when they wrongly introduced him, Moore said “Even at the time of those interviews, it wasn’t something I thought about.”

    “Now I’m thankful that the military, after they found out that the paperwork was lost and didn’t process [it], that they came back and awarded me the Bronze Star,” Moore said. “So I do have a Bronze Star that I earned in Afghanistan and a Combat Action Badge that I earned in Afghanistan. So I’m proud of that, but that’s not why I served.”

    “But do you regret not correcting when you were introduced that way?” Raddatz asked.

    “I don’t regret not going back and consistently looking over my service records. I don’t. I’m thankful for the service I did. I’m grateful for the fact that I had the opportunity to lead soldiers in combat, what a small fraction of this people of this country will ever understand,” Moore responded.

    Moore’s national profile has risen from his public clash with the president and some have drawn comparisons to California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s brash style.

    Asked how Democrats should approach taking on Trump, Moore said the party should “move with the kind of aggression that is necessary.”

    “The Democrats don’t have a messaging problem, there’s a results problem. The Democrats have to deliver results and stop being the party of no and slow and start being the party of yes and now because the frustration that people have, it is real,” Moore said.

    While speculation mounts about his future presidential ambitions, Moore said he’s focused on delivering results for Marylanders.

    “You’ve got to focus on protecting your people right now and the issues that the people in our states are facing, and that’s where I know my focus is,” Moore said.

    Copyright © 2025, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

    [ad_2]

    WTOP Staff

    Source link

  • Illinois Gov. Pritzker says sending troops to Chicago would be an “invasion”

    [ad_1]

    Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker told CBS News the Trump administration has not communicated with his state on a reported plan to send military forces to Chicago, calling the idea an “invasion” and arguing President Trump has “other aims” aside from cracking down on crime.

    Asked about a possible military deployment to America’s third-largest city, which was recently reported by The Washington Post, Pritzker told CBS News: “It’s clear that, in secret, they’re planning this — well, it’s an invasion with U.S. troops, if they, in fact, do that.”

    Mr. Trump has deployed National Guard forces and federal agents to the streets of two other major cities — Los Angeles and Washington, D.C. — in recent months, part of what the president casts as a crackdown against illegal immigration, violent crime and civil unrest.

    Last week, the president said his administration could take similar steps in Chicago. Mr. Trump called the city a “mess” and lashed out against Mayor Brandon Johnson, saying, “We’ll straighten that one out probably next.”

    Mr. Trump is planning major immigration enforcement operations in Chicago that could start as soon as next week, echoing a similar operation in Los Angeles, sources told CBS News. And The Washington Post has reported that the Pentagon is drawing up plans to potentially send thousands of National Guard members to the Midwest’s largest metro area as early as September — though those plans haven’t been publicly confirmed.

    Pritzker told CBS News that, if Mr. Trump sends the Guard to Chicago, voters “should understand that he has other aims, other than fighting crime.”

    The governor argued that the president’s gambit may be part of a plan to “stop the elections in 2026 or, frankly, take control of those elections.”

    He also called the idea “an attack on the American people.”

    “Now, he may disagree with a state that didn’t vote for him. But, should he be sending troops in? No,” Pritzker said in an interview with CBS News in Chicago.

    White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson rejected Pritzker’s accusations and blasted the city’s violent crime rate.

    “It’s amazing the lengths this slob will go to in order to deflect from the terrible crime crisis that has been plaguing Chicago for years,” Jackson said in a statement to CBS News. “Chicago’s residents would be much safer if Pritzker actually did his job and addressed his crime problem instead of trying to be a Resistance Lib hero.”

    In a Truth Social post Saturday evening, Mr. Trump called Pritzker a “weak and pathetic Governor” who “just said that he doesn’t need help in preventing CRIME. He is CRAZY!!! He better straighten it out, FAST, or we’re coming!”

    On Friday, Pritzker, asked whether he was suggesting that the president is an authoritarian, pointed to Germany’s history. He noted that he built a Holocaust museum and knows “what the history was of a constitutional republic being overturned, after an election, in 53 days.” Pritzker added that he’s “very, very concerned.”

    “We could talk about lots of authoritarian regimes in the world, but that just happens to be the one that I know,” Pritzker said. “And I can tell you that- that the playbook is the same: It’s thwart the media, it’s create mayhem that requires military interdiction. These are things that happen throughout history, and Donald Trump is just following that playbook.”

    The Illinois governor said that he plans to “do everything I can to stop him from taking away people’s rights and from using the military to invade states,” referencing Mr. Trump. He added that it’s “very important for us all to stand up.”

    The Guard deployments in Los Angeles and D.C. have drawn stiff pushback from elected officials who argue local police are better able to handle crime, and warn the presence of federal agents and military personnel could inflame tensions.

    Future military deployments could also draw legal challenges. While Mr. Trump controls the D.C. National Guard outright, the governors of the 50 states typically control their own Guard forces except in certain circumstances.

    The Trump administration deployed thousands of California National Guard members to Los Angeles over Gov. Gavin Newsom’s objections in June, arguing they were necessary to protect federal immigration agents and facilities from tense protests in the city.

    The state of California sued the administration, calling the deployment illegal. An appeals court found that Mr. Trump likely did have the legal authority to call up the state’s National Guard, under a law that lets the president call Guard forces into federal service during a “rebellion” or if he isn’t able to “execute the laws of the United States.” A lower court is still reviewing whether military forces in Los Angeles were inappropriately used for law enforcement purposes.

    The Long Island home renovation that uncovered a hidden story

    Nature: Sea lions at California’s Monterey Bay

    So long, Jessica Frank!

    [ad_2]

    Source link

  • Chicago police will not collaborate with National Guard, federal agents if Trump moves on deployment: mayor

    [ad_1]

    NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!

    Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson, a Democrat, signed an executive order on Saturday prohibiting city police officers from collaborating with National Guard troops or federal agents if President Donald Trump follows through on his threats to deploy them to the Windy City.

    “This executive order makes it emphatically clear that this president is not going to come in and deputize our police department,” Johnson said at a news conference with other city leaders.

    The mayor’s order affirms that Chicago police officers will continue to enforce state and local laws, but will not work with the National Guard or federal agents on patrols, arrests, immigration enforcement or other law enforcement actions.

    “We will protect our Constitution, we will protect our city, and we will protect our people,” he said. “We do not want to see tanks in our streets. We do not want to see families ripped apart. We do not want grandmothers thrown into the back of unmarked vans. We don’t want to see homeless Chicagoans harassed or disappeared by federal agents.”

    PRITZKER SAYS ‘ACTION WILL BE MET WITH A RESPONSE’ AFTER TRUMP THREATENS TO SEND NATIONAL GUARD TO CHICAGO

    Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson signed an executive order to prohibit the city’s police officers from collaborating with National Guard troops. (Getty Image/ Kamil Krazaczynski)

    The order also instructs city police to wear their official police uniforms, continue to identify themselves, follow body camera procedures and to not wear masks so they can be clearly distinguished from any federal operations.

    “The Chicago Police Department will not collaborate with military personnel on police patrols or civil immigration enforcement,” Johnson said. “We will not have our police officers who are working hard every single day to drive down crime deputized to do traffic stops and checkpoints for the president.”

    The order states that the deployment of federal military forces in Chicago without the consent of local authorities “undermines democratic norms, violates the City’s sovereignty, threatens civil liberties, and risks escalating violence rather than securing the peace.”

    This order comes as Johnson and Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker have been feuding with Trump over the potential of National Guard troops being deployed to Chicago to address crime in the city.

    Johnson has cited data showing that violent crime has declined in the last year, including homicides and robberies dipping by more than 30%, and shootings dropping by nearly 40%.

    Pritzker has also warned Trump that “action will be met with a response” and that a federal deployment without the state’s request would be “unconstitutional” and “un-American.”

    CHICAGO MAYOR CALLS TRUMP’S NATIONAL GUARD PLAN ‘MOST FLAGRANT VIOLATION OF OUR CONSTITUTION’

    Brandon Johnson speaks on Capitol Hill on March 5, 2025

    The mayor’s order affirms that Chicago police officers will not work with the National Guard or federal agents on any patrols, arrests or other law enforcement actions. (Graeme Sloan for The Washington Post via Getty Images)

    Trump responded to the Democratic leaders last week by saying that Pritzker is “incompetent” and Johnson “no better.”

    The White House dismissed Johnson’s order on Saturday, claiming that Democrats were attempting to make efforts to reduce crime a partisan issue.

    “If these Democrats focused on fixing crime in their own cities instead of doing publicity stunts to criticize the President, their communities would be much safer,” White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson said in a statement to Reuters.

    Johnson said on Saturday that he was considering any legal and legislative measures to stop the federal government, including possible lawsuits.

    “We will use the courts if that’s necessary,” Johnson said.

    Trump speaks with National Guard and law enforcement personnel

    President Donald Trump speaks with members of law enforcement and National Guard soldiers in Washington, D.C. (Jacquelyn Martin/AP Photo)

    CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

    Previous deployments of the National Guard to Chicago were coordinated with local officials, according to Reuters. The president’s authority to deploy troops is limited under U.S. law, although there are no restrictions on sending ICE agents or other federal law enforcement officers.

    Trump’s threat to deploy troops to the Windy City comes after he boosted the presence of federal law enforcement in Washington, D.C., in an attempt to cut down on crime.

    Hundreds of federal agents and National Guard troops have been deployed to the streets of D.C. as part of the federal takeover of the district.

    Reuters contributed to this report.

    [ad_2]

    Source link

  • Chicago’s mayor urges Trump to ‘stand down’

    [ad_1]

    CHICAGO — Mayor Brandon Johnson issued an executive order Saturday calling for President Donald Trump to “stand down” on his threat to deploy the National Guard to Chicago. The order also affirms that the Chicago Police Department doesn’t take orders from anyone other than the mayor.

    Chicago police will not “collaborate with federal agents on joint law enforcement patrols, arrest operations, or other law enforcement duties including civil immigration enforcement,” according to the order.

    Johnson’s directive also urges the federal law enforcement officers on the ground in Chicago “to refrain from wearing masks” and to identify themselves by agency and badge number.

    Chicago Police, including undercover officers, will be required to wear their full uniforms.

    “It gives a clear directive” about who’s in charge, Johnson told reporters after signing the order. “This is about making a clear distinction about what our law enforcement engages in vs. what the federal government engages in. This president is not going to come in and deputize our police department.”

    The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

    The mayor’s executive order follows a memo from the Department of Homeland Security requesting use of the Naval Station Great Lakes north of Chicago as a home base for immigration operations in Chicago. Local officials said nearby suburbs could be affected, too.

    Separately, Trump has vowed to send the National Guard to Chicago to address crime, similar to actions his administration took in Washington, D.C., and Los Angeles.

    Johnson, who has spoken to LA Mayor Karen Bass, said his office expects an “expansive slew” of federal agents are being sent to Chicago “as early as Friday.”

    Johnson and Gov. JB Pritzker have both criticized the Trump administration for not communicating its plans. Without any information, the city is preparing by using the playbook it followed during the Democratic National Convention, which drew large protests that were considered peaceful.

    [ad_2]

    Source link

  • DOJ staffer fired after flipping off, cursing National Guard in Washington, DC: report

    [ad_1]

    NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!

    Attorney General Pam Bondi fired another Department of Justice paralegal on Friday, this time for flipping off a member of the National Guard in Washington, D.C., on her way to work earlier this month.

    Elizabeth Baxter of the department’s environmental division arrived for work just after 8:20 a.m. on Aug. 18 at the DOJ’s “4CON” building in the NoMa district, where she bragged to a security guard that she had just made the gesture at Metro Center Metro Stop and told the guardsman, “F–k the National Guard,” Bondi said, according to the New York Post.

    “Today, I took action to terminate a DOJ employee for inappropriate conduct towards National Guard service members in DC,” Bondi told the outlet.

    FORMER DOJ WORKER WHO HURLED SANDWICH AT FEDERAL OFFICER CHARGED WITH MISDEMEANOR

    Attorney General Pam Bondi fired another Department of Justice paralegal. (Samuel Corum/Bloomberg via Getty Images, left, and MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty Images, right.)

    “This DOJ remains committed to defending President Trump’s agenda and fighting to make America safe again,” she continued. “If you oppose our mission and disrespect law enforcement — you will NO LONGER work at DOJ.”

    Later that day, Baxter was seen on DOJ security footage sticking up her middle finger at the National Guard and exclaiming, “F–k you!” the outlet reported. She was also allegedly seen demonstrating to a department security guard how she held up her middle finger.

    On Aug. 25, she allegedly arrived at work and again boasted to the security guard that she hated the National Guard and that she told them to “F–k off!” 

    BONDI ANNOUNCES NEARLY 200 ARRESTS ‘AND COUNTING’ AS FEDERAL AGENTS SWARM NATION’S CAPITAL

    Armed National Guard troops patrol with the U.S. Capitol in the background amid an increased security presence in Washington.

    Elizabeth Baxter was terminated for flipping off a member of the National Guard in Washington, D.C., on her way to work. (Getty Images/Tasos Katopodis)

    “You are removed from your position of Paralegal Specialist, GS-0950-11, Environmental Defense Section, Environment and Natural Resources Division, and from the federal service, effective immediately,” Bondi wrote in a termination letter to Baxter on Friday following an investigation into her conduct, according to the outlet.

    The Trump administration moved in recent weeks to boost the presence of federal law enforcement in D.C. in an attempt to reduce crime. Hundreds of federal agents and National Guard troops have been deployed to the city’s streets as part of the federal takeover of the district.

    Trump speaks with National Guard and law enforcement personnel

    Hundreds of federal agents and National Guard troops have been deployed to D.C.’s streets. (Jacquelyn Martin/AP Photo)

    CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

    Baxter’s termination comes after Sean Charles Dunn, another DOJ paralegal, was fired after he was accused of throwing a sandwich at a Customs and Border Protection agent earlier this month in Washington, D.C.

    Dunn, who worked in the criminal division’s international affairs section in the 4CON building, was initially charged with a felony, but a grand jury declined to hand down an indictment. He was subsequently charged with a misdemeanor, which could result in up to one year in jail.

    [ad_2]

    Source link

  • Gavin Newsom to Trump: Send troops to these Republican states!

    [ad_1]

    California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) unveiled his plans to combat crime in his state while taking a jab at President Donald Trump‘s threats to deploy the National Guard to Democratic-led cities.

    Newsom held a press briefing on Thursday afternoon, where he announced that he would be expanding the California Highway Patrol in key regions to deter crime. He also suggested that Trump send troops to Republican-led states where there are skyrocketing crime rates while touting his own efforts to deter crime in California.

    Newsom said that Mississippi is the state with the highest murder rate, noting that the state’s murder rate is 180% higher than the city of Los Angeles, which has more people. He also said that the murder rate in Louisiana, the home state of House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.), is four times higher than California’s.

    “These are not just observations. They’re stone cold facts. And the fact remains, if the President is sincere about the issue of crime and violence, there’s no question in my mind that he’ll likely be sending the troops into Louisiana and Mississippi to address the just, unconscionable wave of violence that continues to plague those states,” Newsom said.

    The states with the highest homicide rates per 100,000 people are Mississippi, Louisiana and Alabama, according to 2023 data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Newsom suggested on Thursday that Trump focus on bringing down crime in those states.

    “Alabama’s top three murder states in America. Where’s the President of the United States? I thought he cared,” Newsom said.” These are his states that voted for him. His state of mind doesn’t seem to be focused on the issue of crime and violence. It’s about an expression of authoritarianism. He reflects and waxes, I think, two of the last three days talking about being a dictator. I hope people pay attention,” Newsom said.

    Newsom’s press office continued to highlight the high crime rates in GOP-led states on its social media account while also taking a swipe at Fox News.

    “Mississippi’s homicide rate is 380% California’s, yet FOX NEWS refuses to cover it!” the account posted.

    Another post read: “Alabama has a homicide rate 290% higher than California’s, but Fox News is choosing to ignore that.”

    The account also posted: “Tennessee’s homicide rate is 220% higher than California’s, why is Fox News not covering it?”

    The fourth post stated: “Missouri’s homicide rate is 200% higher than California’s, but you wouldn’t know that by watching FOX NEWS.”

    Trump has repeatedly threatened to deploy the National Guard to Democratic-led states, including the cities of Chicago and New York City, after deploying troops to Washington D.C. earlier this month. His deployment of troops to D.C. has been met with sharp criticism, with many critics warning that Trump could do the same to other U.S. cities.

    A Reuters/Ipsos poll, released Wednesday, found that just 38% of Americans support Trump’s decision to deploy the National Guard in the nation’s capital to combat crime in the city. Another 46% said they were opposed to Trump’s decision, while the rest of respondents said they were unsure.

    Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com.

    [ad_2]

    Source link

  • Bowser says federal surge in DC is helping combat crime, but causing anxiety for some residents – WTOP News

    [ad_1]

    President Donald Trump’s law enforcement surge is helping combat crime in D.C., but causing fear and anxiety in some communities, Mayor Muriel Bowser said.

    Members of the West Virginia National Guard patrol on the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, Wednesday, Aug. 27, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mariam Zuhaib)(AP/Mariam Zuhaib)

    President Donald Trump’s law enforcement surge is helping combat crime in D.C., but causing fear and anxiety in some communities, Mayor Muriel Bowser said during a news conference Wednesday.

    In the weeks since the federal assistance started, the city has reported fewer gun crimes, fewer homicides and an “extreme reduction in carjackings,” Bowser said.

    The mayor’s comments come as the surge of officers and National Guard troops approaches the end of its third week. She met with Trump on Wednesday for what she characterized as a “courtesy meeting” and also had conversations with Chief of Staff Susie Wiles and U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi.

    “We greatly appreciate the surge of officers that enhance what MPD has been able to do in this city,” Bowser said.

    During the hourlong briefing with reporters, Bowser said D.C. police need about 500 more officers to reach the 4,000 figure that city leaders think is necessary for staffing. Between Aug. 7 and Aug. 26, there were four carjackings, compared to 31 during the same period last year, an 87% reduction, according to city data. There was a 47% drop in burglaries and 38% drop in homicides.

    City Administrator Kevin Donahue, citing “fairly precipitous declines” in robbery, carjacking and overall violent crime, said the way to consider the data is by “recognizing we already had good momentum coming into the federal surge, and it made it better.”

    City leaders said crime has been at a 30-year low, a claim Trump has described as inaccurate. Bowser previously told WTOP the Department of Justice reviews D.C. crime data.

    While Bowser said the law enforcement surge is helping, she criticized National Guard troops on city streets and Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents in masks as things that are “not working.” Many people are still calling police for emergencies, though Bowser said the city doesn’t have data on who isn’t calling.

    Eighty-one percent of Americans see crime as a “major problem,” according to a survey from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. Fifty-five percent of adults think it’s either “completely” or “somewhat” unacceptable for the federal government to take control of local police departments.

    Police Chief Pamela Smith said D.C. police officers are still doing community outreach, but “clearly there is some hesitation, obviously, with some of our community members, which is very important to me, that my team, myself, that we are educating our communities on the relationships that we have with our federal partners.”

    Trump’s invocation of the Home Rule Act is scheduled to end after 30 days, and he would need congressional approval to extend it. However, it’s unclear whether the additional federal law enforcement officers and National Guard troops will remain.

    “We will be prepared to take advantage of additional federal officers, to focus on the beautification, to support the federal task force, when that time period expires,” Bowser said. “We will be prepared as a city.”

    Last week, Bowser said she launched an emergency operation center to help respond to emergent situations and “support federal surge or any federal task force activities beyond the emergency.” She’s planning to issue a mayor’s order to describe how the operations center will continue to engage with the federal Clean, Safe and Beautiful task force and make sure “task force resources continue to be strategically deployed in the District.”

    Several D.C. Council members were highly critical of Bowser’s comments. Ward 5 Council member Zachary Parker said city leaders “should be unequivocal that the federal surge of officers in D.C. and deployment of national guardsmen on our streets are dangerous, unnecessary, and an affront to Home Rule. We ought to be real clear about that. Real clear.”

    Ward 1 Council member Brianne Nadeau said residents are “angry that our limited autonomy is being eroded. There’s nothing welcome about this.”

    Meanwhile, Bowser said since the start of the law enforcement surge, 81 residents have entered the city’s shelter system. The city doesn’t know where they are coming from, Bowser said. They’re planning a census count Thursday.

    “There’s no names collected,” Donahue, the city administrator said. “It is really just individuals identifying those who are unsheltered or homeless on a particular given night.”

    As a result of extra law enforcement, Bowser said there’s “tremendous anxiety in the District. When I look and I see residents putting things on social media or neighborhood chats, I know that there is a lot of anxiety.”

    Get breaking news and daily headlines delivered to your email inbox by signing up here.

    © 2025 WTOP. All Rights Reserved. This website is not intended for users located within the European Economic Area.

    [ad_2]

    Scott Gelman

    Source link

  • Commentary: Why Trump’s death penalty threat is dangerous to all of us

    [ad_1]

    President Trump declared Tuesday that federal prosecutors in Washington, D.C., should seek the death penalty for murders committed in the capital, claiming without explanation that “we have no choice.”

    “That’s a very strong preventative,” he said of his decision. “I don’t know if we’re ready for it in this country, but we have it.”

    Trump’s pronouncement is about much more than deterring killings, though. With speed and brazenness, Trump seems intent on creating a new, federal arrest and detention system outside of existing norms, aimed at everyday citizens and controlled by his whims. The death penalty is part of it, but stomping on civil rights is at the heart of it — ruthlessly exploiting anxiety about crime to aim repression at whatever displeases him, from immigration protesters to murderers.

    This administration “is using the words of crime and criminals to get themselves a permission structure to erode civil rights and due processes across our criminal, legal and immigration systems in ways that I think should have everyone alarmed,” Rena Karefa-Johnson told me. She’s a former public defender who now works with Fwd.us, a bipartisan criminal justice advocacy group.

    Authoritarians love the death penalty, and have long used it to repress not crime, but dissent. It is, after all, both the ultimate power and the ultimate fear, that the ruler of the state holds the lives of his people in his hands.

    Though we are far from such atrocities, Spain’s purge of “communists” and other dissenters under Francisco Franco, Rodrigo Duterte’s extrajudicial killings of alleged drug dealers in the Philippines (though the death penalty remains illegal there) and the routine executions, even of journalists, under the repressive rulers in Saudi Arabia are chilling examples.

    What each of those regimes shares in common with this moment in America is the rhetoric of making a better society — often by purging perceived threats to order — even if that requires force, or the loss of rights.

    Suddenly, violent criminals become no different than petty criminals, and petty criminals become no different than immigrants or protesters. They are all a threat to a nostalgic lost glory of the homeland that must be restored at any cost, animals that only understand force.

    “We have no choice.”

    The result is that the people become, if not accustomed to masked agents and the military on our streets, too scared to protest it, fearful they will become the criminal target, the hunted animal.

    Already, the National Guard in D.C. is carrying live weapons. With great respect to the women and men who serve in the Guard, and who no doubt individually serve with honor, they are not trained for domestic law enforcement. Forget the legalities, the Constitution and the Posse Comitatus Act, which should prevent troops from policing American citizens, and does prevent them from making arrests.

    Who do we want these soldiers to shoot? Who have they been told to shoot? A kid with a can of spray paint? A pickpocket? A drug dealer? A flag burner? A sandwich thrower?

    We don’t even know what their orders are. What choices they will have to make.

    But we do know that police do not walk around openly holding their guns, and certainly do not stroll with rifles. For civilian law enforcement, their guns are defensive weapons, and they are trained to use them as such.

    Few walking by these troops, even the most law abiding, can fail to feel the power of those weapons at the ready. It is a visceral knowledge that to provoke them could mean death. That is a powerful form of repression, meant to stop dissent through fear of repercussion.

    It is a power that Trump is building on multiple fronts. After declaring his “crime emergency” in D.C., Trump mandated a serious change in the mission of the National Guard.

    President Trump with members of law enforcement and National Guard troops in Washington on Aug. 21, 2025.

    (Jacquelyn Martin / Associated Press)

    He ordered every state to train soldiers on “quelling civil disturbances,” and to have soldiers ready to rapidly mobilize in case of protests. That same executive order also creates a National Guard force ready to deploy nationwide at the president’s command — presumably taking away states’ rights to decide when to utilize their troops, as happened in California.

    Trump has already announced his intention to send them to Chicago, called Baltimore a “hellhole” that also may be in need and falsely claimed that, “in California, you would’ve not had the Olympics had I not sent in the troops” because “there wouldn’t be anything left” without their intervention.

    Retired Maj. Gen. Randy Manner, a former acting vice chief of the National Guard Bureau, told ABC that “the administration is trying to desensitize the American people to get used to American armed soldiers in combat vehicles patrolling the streets of America. “

    Manner called the move “extremely disturbing.”

    Add to that Trump’s desire to imprison opponents. In recent days, the FBI raided the home of former National Security Advisor John Bolton, a Republican who has criticized Trump, especially on his policy toward Ukraine. Then Trump attempted to fire Lisa D. Cook, a Biden appointee to the Federal Reserve board, after accusing her of mortgage fraud in another apparent attempt to bend that independent agency to his will on the economy.

    On Wednesday, Trump wrote on social media that progressive billionaire George Soros and his son Alex should be charged under federal racketeering laws for “their support of Violent Protests.”

    “We’re not going to allow these lunatics to rip apart America any more, never giving it so much as a chance to “BREATHE,” and be FREE,” Trump wrote. “Soros, and his group of psychopaths, have caused great damage to our Country! That includes his Crazy, West Coast friends. Be careful, we’re watching you!”

    Consider yourselves threatened, West Coast friends.

    But of course, we are already living under that thunder. Dozens of average citizens are facing serious charges in places including Los Angeles for their participation in immigration protests.

    Whether they are found guilty or not, their lives are upended by the anxiety and expense of facing such prosecutions. And thousands are being rounded up and deported, at times seemingly grabbed solely for the color of their skin, as Immigration and Customs Enforcement, arguably the most Trump-loyal law enforcement agency, sees its budget balloon to $45 billion, enough to keep 100,000 people detained at a time.

    Despite Trump’s maelstrom of dread-inducing moves, resistance is alive, well and far from futile.

    A new Quinnipiac University national poll found that 56% of voters disapprove of the National Guard being deployed in D.C.

    This week, the U.S. attorney’s office in D.C. for a second time failed to convince a grand jury to indict a man who threw a submarine sandwich at federal officers — proof that average citizens not only are sane, but willing to stand up for what is right.

    That comes after a grand jury three times rejected the same kind of charge against a woman who was arrested after being shoved against a wall by an immigration agent.

    Californians will decide this in November whether to redraw their electoral maps to put more Democrats in Congress. Latino leaders in Chicago are protesting possible troops there. People are refusing to allow fear to define their actions.

    Turns out, we do have a choice.

    [ad_2]

    Anita Chabria

    Source link

  • Bringing order and hope: Arkansas Guard’s Katrina mission remembered

    [ad_1]

    When the call came out to help their neighbors, the Arkansas Army National Guard and the Air National Guard responded.

    Hurricane Katrina struck the Gulf Coast in late August 2005 and became one of the deadliest and most destructive natural disasters in U.S. history.

    The eye of the hurricane made landfall near Buras-Triumph, La., about 60 miles south of New Orleans as a Category 3 hurricane, with sustained winds of 125 mph. The loss of marshland allowed the storm surge to overwhelm the levees and floodwalls, especially in New Orleans. The massive flooding submerged about 80% of the city and displaced hundreds of thousands of people.

    Katrina caused over 1,800 deaths, destroyed or damaged more than a million homes, and inflicted an estimated $125 billion in total damages. The disaster overwhelmed local and federal emergency response systems, prompting one of the largest domestic military mobilizations in U.S. history.

    The mobilization provided authorities in the Louisiana Parishes a needed reprieve to get back on their feet.

    “Local authorities are overwhelmed by this scale of a disaster or even something like a tornado,” said Col. Joe Lynch. “Our presence allows them to increase their capability to do their job, whether it’s just us blocking an intersection, providing water, or keeping watch over a neighborhood or section of a town.”

    After the storm, the forward base engaged with local mayors. Meetings were held with utility companies and police. Lynch assessed reporters daily to determine if there was a specific item to discuss, to clean up areas, or to clear the entrance to a park. They provided advice and even removed furniture from buildings damaged by flooding so that FEMA could haul it away.

    “We were later helping the outlier communities. The ones that couldn’t snap back because they lacked the resources or the personnel,” Lynch said.

    Answering the Call

    “We were the third busiest wing,” said Ret. Col. Paul Jara, who was a major at the time with the 189th Airlift Wing out of Camp Robinson near Little Rock. “We flew into a naval base, and when we got off the plane, it was a Who’s Who of C-130s from various states. It was a ballet of forklifts, equipment going on and off of aircraft. You knew you had to get out of the way. It was mesmerizing to watch. It was an amazing view of America. We used that picture a lot. I wish I could find it again.”

    The 142nd artillery unit was in the process of adding cannon-fired artillery alongside the rocket-fired vehicles, so Ret. Capt. Ross Brashears remained behind in Fort Smith to provide support to process the evacuees from Louisiana.

    The old Fort Smith Armory was opened to serve as the central processing stage. Afterward, the evacuees were transported to Fort Chaffee for temporary housing. The base could hold about 5,000 soldiers at a single time, but 9,000 people came through the base for a few weeks.

    “Our mission was to process the evacuees, so we could move them somewhere else they could live,” Brashears said. “It was a coordinated effort between local law enforcement, Chaffee’s forest and game wardens, soldiers, and some of those were also in the guard. It was a good, non-standard mission that we were able to bring all those other agencies together to help them.”

    Brashears added that it may not have seemed efficient from the evacuees’ point of view, as they were moved onto a C-130, then bused to the armory, and subsequently bused to Fort Chaffee, where they were set up with the necessary commodities and received medical care. However, they processed 9,000 evacuees in three days, and within less than two weeks, all of them were relocated to more permanent housing.

    Col. Lynch, who served as the intelligence officer for the unit in Baghdad and during the Hurricane Katrina mission, was at home in Shreveport with his family. He trained with the Arkansas Guard unit in Warren, Ark. Lynch was getting back into his regular life and preparing to make a trip with his family to San Antonio. He was keeping an eye on the storm that hit the southern part of Louisiana.

    Lynch received a call on Tuesday before Labor Day (Aug. 30, the day after landfall) from an administrative officer stating that the 39th Infantry Brigade was heading to New Orleans and that he was to link up with his unit as it prepared to convoy to Little Rock.

    “If you’re the intelligence officer, your job is to prepare information for the commanders. From my experience in Baghdad, one of the things I knew I would be doing was looking for maps,” Lynch said. “I stopped at every Walmart between Shreveport before I connected with my unit and cleaned out each one of any Rand-McNally map so that we would have a reference.”

    The maps paid off.

    “It turned out to be a good purchase. It assisted in planning operations, looking at the terrain,” said Lynch. “I’m a map nut. Always have been.”

    Jara stated that it was rare for the Air Guard to respond to a domestic mission, but when the call came in, it was all hands on deck.

    “We didn’t know what was needed for a domestic response. Maj. Wes Nichols had some knowledge about what kind of assets may be needed, and we were able to send those down before landfall,” said Jara. “We had returned from Iraq the year before, and one of my guys, a former airman, arrived and began loading the trailers. I thought it was a huge testament. He wanted to help our Louisiana brothers and sisters.”

    Nichols is now a brigadier general and served as the interim commander for the 188th at Ebbing ANGB in 2023.

    Into the Unknown

    Going into New Orleans, the unit didn’t know what to expect. The rumors coming out of the city painted a chaotic situation. Stories of lawlessness were sensationalized. The police lost control, gangs were roaming around, cars were on fire, and looting. During a press conference, then Gov. Kathleen Blanco implied that the Arkansas troops had just come back from Iraq, and that they were “well-trained, experienced, battle-tested, and under my orders to restore order in the streets. These troops know how ot shoot to kill and they are more than willing to do so if necessary, and I expect they will.”

    Lynch said they never received shoot-to-kill orders, but in their minds, they were going down to restore order. He suspected that the local authorities in Louisiana and New Orleans were tired of the situation. However, the unit wasn’t going to let its guard down.

    “We had on all our combat gear, vest, and helmet. We thought it was going to be rough. We thought we were going to have to engage in urban combat, use force,” said Lynch. “Concerns of the civilian population were going through our minds as well. It was just an unknown.”

    Everything that followed happened fast. The unit was focused on preparing for the trip. No one knew what was happening in New Orleans except what was reported on the news. They gathered food and arranged for the most suitable mode of transportation to transport the troops, their gear, and their supplies to their southern neighbor.

    “We didn’t know how we were going to get everything down there, and we had to leave that day,” Lynch said. “I’m in charge of 300 men. Get them to the right truck and the right highway. We were going to be the first ones on the ground for the first couple of days, and not knowing what’s ahead.”

    The Convention Center

    When the unit arrived in New Orleans, they began at a parking garage to devise a plan. They still had no idea of the situation they were going into. The unit commanders decided to proceed with the entire convoy and secure the convention center.

    “We talked through the things we normally do. We’re good at planning. That’s what we’re trained for,” said Lynch.

    A convoy unit from the Louisiana Guard was there, but their driver, who had heard about the lawlessness, didn’t want to go to the convention center. The Arkansas unit followed a police escort. They turned a corner and went about eight to 10 blocks toward the aquarium.

    People were milling around. A couple of non-functional police cars littered the street. The police escort pulled back. The Arkansas unit turned onto another street and reached their objective. Lynch and his driver exchanged a glance. There was no one else ahead of them. They were the point. Lynch got the convoy in place. They dispersed food and water.

    “When the people saw the military, anyone who would have caused trouble backed away,” Lynch said. “We were moving people out of the way, pulling in a truck, and starting to help people. The situation was fairly calm. The people were cooperative. We thought we would be involved in urban combat, but it turned into an urban rescue.

    “You can tell that they were appreciative that we were there. They felt like they’d been let down, but the police and other services were overwhelmed, and that’s why we were there.”

    Mirroring Baghdad

    Lynch would spend his days in New Orleans as a liaison to the police department, meeting with them twice a day to discuss current situations and coordinate efforts.

    He would also meet up with other organizations that came into New Orleans to help.

    “People came in so fast, I would link up and establish rapport with them. We had units from all over,” Lynch said. “One came down from Connecticut for three days. An Oklahoma unit showed up for one day, and I knew some of them. It was constantly changing. Shaking hands. That’s part of what we did. It illustrated the scale of the response.”

    Lynch stayed for thirty days, and others remained up to six months. When the commanders asked for 100 volunteers, it didn’t take long to fill out the roster. Lynch could see how it was leveling out after a couple of weeks, as local officials and authorities were able to get things under control.

    “In Baghdad, we were trying to get a country back on its feet, and I spent time interfacing with the local council to collaborate on improving the city, whether it’s the schools or utilities. Once it was secure, it became a rescue mission. It was similar to what we experienced in New Orleans in that regard.”

    Exclusive book: How Katrina changed all of us

    Moving Forward

    In the aftermath, improvements were made and lessons were learned. More importantly, those who were part of the mission to help felt like they contributed.

    “All the training, equipment, leadership, trades, and engineers were used in direct support for American citizens on the worst day of their lives,” said Jara, who was a new Guardsman at the time of the Katrina mission. “The things we learned, I learned, during Katrina, shaped my future. I got a master’s in emergency management. I performed emergency work in both theory and practice, and passed that knowledge along to many other Arkansas guardsmen and recruits. I got the most satisfaction from supporting a domestic mission in Arkansas or Louisiana.”

    Before Katrina, the Fort Chaffee barracks needed to be upgraded, but the process was slow, even to get started. There was no air conditioning in the barracks. That may be part of the military training process, but not for refugees from New Orleans seeking a brief respite from the early September humidity in Arkansas.

    After Katrina, the barracks began to be upgraded. It took 20 years for all to be completed, but the process is about to start again.

    Cell phone reception was scarce enough on the base that officers couldn’t get a signal from their own offices. A temporary tower was erected and later replaced by a permanent one.

    Rep. Steve Womack retired from serving with the Arkansas Army National Guard in Little Rock in 2009. While he wasn’t part of the unit sent to Louisiana, he has been a strong proponent for the National Guard and its mission.

    “From pre-landfall planning to executing one of the largest evacuation efforts, Task Force Razorback answered the call with excellence and without hesitation,” Womack said. “Our guardsmen did not just demonstrate operational excellence in their response to Hurricane Katrina. They showed immense humanity and empathy in the face of chaos.”

    Womack added that the storm and its aftermath underscored the necessity of having a modern National Guard capable of responding to national emergencies and functioning as an operational force. He said that the National Guard component offered the best return on investment for the Department of Defense. Womack continues to support the effort to ensure the National Guard is equipped and funded to meet the ever-evolving challenges it faces.

    “Today, the Guard remains an elite force, not only vital in responding to domestic emergencies, but also serving as an indispensable warfighting unit, protecting Americans from an increasingly complex global security landscape,” Womack said.

    Before Katrina, commanders couldn’t lead both federal and state units. The laws were amended to permit dual-status commanders. Lynch is one for Arkansas. He added that the lessons learned have helped with future responses to natural disasters.

    “It was my first time to help with a domestic operation, and it happened to be the biggest in my lifetime. We trained and plan for such events, but until it happens, you don’t know what the response will look like,” said Lynch. “It was on-the-job training. We learned how infrastructure works at the federal, state, and local levels. I’m appreciative of the people who continue to train for a cloudy day, when it inevitably arrives.

    “We jump in when things are at their worst. We’ve done that three times since then. We leave our families, our jobs, and hop in a Humvee. It’s not easy to do, but we practice and learn the skills to help, so that others can do their jobs and help other people get their lives back together.”

    By The Numbers

    Arkansas Army and Air National Guard Hurricane Katrina Domestic Mission

    • More than 1,800 Arkansas National Guardsmen from the Army and Air divisions were activated for Hurricane Katrina support. More than 500 were at Fort Chaffee, while many others were on the ground in Louisiana.

    • Opened 59 armories in 58 counties to register incoming evacuees from Louisiana and Mississippi.

    • Rescued more than 750 patients and hospital staff from the VA Medical Center in New Orleans.

    • About 300 members of the 39th Infantry Brigade provided support at the Superdome and New Orleans Convention Center.

    • Supplied over 5,000 blankets, 1,200 cots, and 26,000 MREs (Meals, Ready to Eat).

    • Delivered 59 tons of cargo by air from the 189th Airlift Wing to the New Orleans area.

    • Evacuated more than 620 individuals by air and flew nearly 60 patients to safety.

    • Processed 9,000 evacuees over three days at Fort Chaffee.

    • More than 30 non-military official agencies (police, fire, first responders, etc.) participated in the processing.

    • Nearly 20 social service entities (Red Cross, Salvation Army, United Way, etc.) assisted at Fort Chaffee.

    • More than 1,000 volunteers (including general support, medical, etc.) also assisted at Fort Chaffee.

    • Roughly 20 tractor-trailer loads of donated goods were provided (food, water, clothing, toys, diapers, etc.)

    This article originally appeared on Fort Smith Times Record: Arkansas Guard’s role in Katrina response recalled 20 years later

    [ad_2]

    Source link

  • Why Trump’s DC ‘murder a week’ stat is misleading

    [ad_1]

    President Donald Trump said sending National Guard troops to Washington, D.C., to reduce crime has paid off. 

    While speaking about his crime-fighting initiatives on Aug. 25, Trump said: “In the last 11 days, again, I hate to say it, because it sounds so ridiculous, but in the last 11 days, we’ve had no murders, and that’s the first time that’s taken place in years, actually, years, we always have a murder a week.”

    Trump later added, “So for 11 days there have been no murders. The record goes back years where that’s happened. They haven’t seen that happen in years.”

    Trump made similar statements in recent days. Shortly before he spoke, Trump said in a Truth Social post, “There have been no murders in 9 days, something which hasn’t happened in years.” On Aug. 22, he said, “There have been no murders in D.C. in the last week. That’s the first time in anybody’s memory that you haven’t had a murder in a week.”

    Trump’s actions have drawn strong reactions from residents and politicians. A Washington Post poll found a majority of Washington, D.C., residents oppose Trump’s recent orders. House Speaker Mike Johnson said the 11-day streak tops the list of reasons that Trump deserves a Nobel Peace Prize.

    Sign up for PolitiFact texts

    On top of consulting the district’s crime dashboard, we asked the White House if it had evidence we should consider about Trump’s district homicide statistics.

    Spokesperson Taylor Rogers told PolitiFact in an email that Trump’s action “has stopped the senseless killings, removed over one thousand violent criminals from the streets, and overall crime has decreased.” The White House did not share additional data. 

    Trump’s underlying metric for his shifting statistic is off: There was a stretch of more than two weeks earlier this year with no murders. And crime statistics experts say that while a homicide-free week is positive, it doesn’t say much about crime trends, safety or public perceptions of safety.

    Washington, D.C., has had stretches of around a week — or more — without homicides

    The district’s crime dashboard shows a homicide Aug. 11, the date Trump issued his executive order declaring a crime emergency in Washington, D.C. The next reported homicide took place Aug. 13. At the time Trump made his statements, that was the last one in August. (One note: The dashboard is frequently updated when police learn of new homicides, so the numbers can change.)

    For 2025, the longest stretch without a homicide happened about six months ago: A homicide occurred Feb. 24 and the next one was sometime between the night of March 13 and the early morning hours of March 14, which is a stretch of about 16 days.

    There were no homicides May 4 through May 11, an eight-day span.

    In 2024, there were three reported homicides Aug. 3 and then the next one occurred Aug. 13, which means there were no homicides for nine days. That example shows a shortcoming about Trump’s statement: There could be one homicide per week for two weeks in a row, or multiple homicides in one week followed by a week with none, so a homicide-free week may not mean much in the context of a longer stretch of time.

    “It is not particularly uncommon for Washington, D.C., to go more than a week without a murder,” said Thomas Abt, founding director of the University of Maryland’s Center for the Study and Practice of Violence Reduction.

    Abt worked in the Office of Justice Programs at the Justice Department during former President  Barack Obama’s presidency.

    A week doesn’t constitute a crime trend

    A week of data doesn’t amount to a trend or tell us much about overall safety, experts said.

    Homicides are far less common than other crimes: There had been about 101 homicides reported in Washington, D.C., in 2025 as of Aug. 25. (A new reported homicide occurred Aug. 26.) In the same time, Metropolitan Police data shows, there have been nine times that number of robberies and thousands of thefts. (The district’s data uses the word “homicide,” which is the legal term referring to a person killing another person, including lawfully. Trump uses the more narrow term “murder,” which means an unlawful intentional killing.)

    “Homicides are already pretty rare,” said Tahir Duckett, executive director at the Center for Innovations in Community Safety at Georgetown Law. “So when the murder rate drops, it doesn’t necessarily make people feel more safe in their day to day lives or change their behavior.”

    Research shows that people’s feelings about safety are only loosely connected to actual crime rates. 

    “Other factors — everything from neighborhood design, lighting, and the availability of green spaces to their access to health care — also play a role,” Duckett said in an email, citing research.

    Experts who study crime generally compare crimes and crime rates over longer periods. And comparing this year-to date with the same time period in the previous year showed that violent crimes including murder dropped before Trump’s actions. 

    “Every day without murder is a good day, but it’s not a particularly meaningful way of measuring crime,” Abt said.

    There is a degree of year-to-year volatility with homicide numbers based on factors such as a shooter’s skills, the type of weapon and if the victim received medical help in time, said Northeastern University criminology professor James Alan Fox. 

    “One year is not enough time to establish a reliable trend; certainly a week or two is even less reliable,” Fox said.

    Statistically, we should expect a few homicide-free weeks. Based on the 101 reported homicides year-to-date as of the time that Trump spoke, that averaged roughly three per week. That means there is a 5% chance that a week would have no homicides, Fox said. Over a year, that would equal two to three weeks with no homicides. 

    Our ruling

    Trump said Aug. 25, “We always have a murder a week” in Washington, D.C.

    That ignores that a two-week stretch earlier in 2025 had no reported homicides. 

    Criminologists caution that one week of data does not say much about the crime trends. Crime experts generally compare crimes and crime rates over longer periods, such as years. 

    We rate this statement False.

    RELATED: Trump exaggerates Washington, DC, crime while ordering police takeover and National Guard deployment

    RELATED: How does Washington, D.C.’s homicide rate compare with other countries?

    [ad_2]

    Source link

  • Trump says “most people” would “rather have a dictator” in the Oval Office

    [ad_1]

    President Donald Trump has heard concerns that he behaves like a dictator. On Tuesday, he questioned whether that’s such a bad thing.

    During a Cabinet meeting in the White House, Trump described criticisms of his decision to deploy the National Guard in Washington, D.C.

    “So the line is that I’m a dictator, but I stop crime,” he said. “So, a lot of people say, you know, ‘If that’s the case, I’d rather have a dictator.’ But I’m not a dictator. I just had to stop crime.”

    It was the second time in as many days that Trump invoked the term.

    “And they say, we don’t need him, freedom, freedom, he’s a dictator, he’s a dictator. A lot of people are saying maybe we like a dictator,” he said Monday, while signing an executive order directing agencies to prosecute anybody who burns an American flag. “I don’t like a dictator. I’m not a dictator. I’m a man with great common sense, and I’m a smart person.”

    Speaking on Tuesday, the president criticized Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker, arguing that violent crime in Chicago was out of control and “most people” believe that “if [Trump] can stop crime, he can be whatever he wants.”

    Trump has repeatedly threatened to deploy other states’ National Guard in response to supposed crime problems in major American cities. While badmouthing Pritzker, he said he’d hoped for a little gratitude from the governor after Trump suggested deploying the military on the streets of Chicago.

    “I would have much more respect for Pritzker if he called me up and said, ‘I have a problem. Can you help me fix it?” he said. “It would be nice if they’d call.”

    Pritzker has repeatedly rejected any federal intervention in Chicago.

    “There is a law on the books, confirmed by the Constitution, called ‘posse comitatus,’” Pritzker told reporters earlier this month. “It means that the federal government does not have the right to send soldiers into American cities…for any purpose.”

    Start your day with essential news from Salon.
    Sign up for our free morning newsletter, Crash Course.

    On Tuesday, Trump said that he has “the right to do anything [he wants] to do” to fight crime.

    “I’m the president of the United States. If I think our country is in danger, and it is in danger in these cities, I can [deploy troops],” he said.

    The post Trump says “most people” would “rather have a dictator” in the Oval Office appeared first on Salon.com.

    [ad_2]

    Source link

  • ‘It just wouldn’t be fair:’ Maryland’s only Republican congressman responds to governor’s redistricting threat – WTOP News

    [ad_1]

    The only Republican member of Congress in Maryland, Andy Harris, spoke out Tuesday after Maryland Democratic Gov. Wes Moore said he was looking closely at redistricting options in the state and potentially joining a nationwide battle over partisan redistricting.

    Maryland Rep. Andy Harris sits down with WTOP’s Nick Iannelli to discuss the potential threat of redistricting

    The only Republican member of Congress in Maryland, Andy Harris, spoke out Tuesday after Maryland Democratic Gov. Wes Moore said he was looking closely at redistricting options in the state, potentially joining a nationwide battle over partisan redistricting.

    If Moore followed through with that, Harris could be drawn out of his district.

    “It disenfranchises huge amounts of the Maryland population. It just wouldn’t be fair,” Harris said in an interview with WTOP.

    Some Democratic governors have vowed to consider redrawing congressional maps in retaliation against Texas Republicans, who are moving forward with rewriting their congressional lines to give the GOP more seats in the U.S. House of Representatives.

    In an interview on CBS’s Face the Nation, Moore said “all options are on the table.”

    “For the governor, it would be a stunning reversal from his position,” Harris said. “If you want to go and listen to his inaugural address, he talked about, ‘If they’re good ideas, you work across the aisle.’”

    Harris said the move “is the most un-bipartisan thing you could do.”

    “The most partisan thing you could do is gerrymander a state that has had two Republican governors out of the last four, into a state that can’t send a Republican to Congress,” Harris said.

    He pointed to 2022, when a judge threw out a congressional map drawn by Maryland’s General Assembly, finding that it unfairly favored Democrats.

    Harris said he was already weighing his legal options.

    “We will take this to court, it will go as high as necessary, and in the end, a judge could draw a map that actually has two or three Republican congressmen,” Harris said. “I’d caution the Democrats, be careful what you wish for.”

    The redistricting fight is just one of many disputes involving Maryland and the Trump administration.

    Another came when President Trump recently threatened to send in National Guard members to Baltimore to “quickly clean up” crime.

    Harris said he could support the idea of putting National Guard members in Baltimore.

    “There are many areas of the city where you can’t go in or you’re afraid to go in because crime is just not controlled,” Harris said. “If it takes National Guard troops to clean it up, to stop the drug dealing, to stop the homicides, to stop the carjackings, then I would welcome that.”

    “It’s easily justified, and I think the people of Baltimore would benefit from it,” he added.

    As part of the growing bitterness between Trump and Moore, the president also threatened to possibly withhold federal funding for the project to rebuild the collapsed Key Bridge in Baltimore.

    Harris again sided with the Trump administration.

    “I think the funding for the Key Bridge might have to be reinvestigated, because it’s a little unusual that we allowed 100% payment by the federal government,” Harris said. “Normally, it’s a lower amount.”

    Though he acknowledged that a different cost-sharing plan could cost Maryland around $200 million.

    “If Wes Moore has enough money to spend tens of millions of dollars suing the Trump administration, then maybe Maryland should pick up more of the tab on the Key Bridge,” Harris said. “If the Trump administration rethinks about allowing 100% payment for the Key Bridge, that’s fine with me.”

    The Key Bridge reconstruction project is expected to cost about $2 billion and take about four years to complete.

    Get breaking news and daily headlines delivered to your email inbox by signing up here.

    © 2025 WTOP. All Rights Reserved. This website is not intended for users located within the European Economic Area.

    [ad_2]

    Nick Iannelli

    Source link

  • DC town hall answers some questions about how federal officers are being deployed – WTOP News

    [ad_1]

    D.C. Council member Robert White’s virtual town hall revealed new details about the deployment of federal officers and National Guard troops in D.C., including daily operations with local police and limited interaction with the National Guard.

    D.C. Council member Robert White hosted a virtual town hall Monday night, shedding new light on how federal officers and National Guard troops are being deployed in the District.

    A D.C. police officer at the meeting talked about how the officers and guard members are being used.

    “We very much see this as an enhancement of our normal operations,” said Capt. Jon Dorrough, who is the acting commander for the Seventh District. “Since the inception of MPD, we’ve worked with our federal partners. However, it has been much, much enhanced that we’ve heard the mayor describe it as a ‘surge.’”

    Dorrough said the federal partners sent in by President Donald Trump have been deploying with D.C. police on a daily basis.

    “Primarily, they’ve been going out with our crime suppression teams, which are our teams that focus on proactive enforcement in the neighborhoods,” he said.

    Dorrough said they have been working with their special operations division and traffic units as well.

    “With that, you have seen increased levels of enforcement, things like serving warrants, traffic stops, but it is things that we do on a daily basis, just at a higher level,” he said.

    When it comes to the National Guard, he said they haven’t had much interaction with them.

    “I know there’s a lot of concern about the National Guard. That is not someone that we’ve been partnering with on a day-to-day basis, as far as patrolling or anything of that sort. They are very much focused on securing federal properties and the monuments right now,” he said.

    When asked about whether U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has been working with D.C. police on daily operations, Dorrough said they have been out with them.

    “They have been deploying with some of our units. So, there is some cooperation on the street, as you might have seen,” he said. “There was an executive order issued by the chief that allows some very limited assistance to ICE, as far as transports.”

    When it comes to the information ICE gets, he said they are getting information about who they are arresting.

    “If they’re on the scene with us, the identity of folks that are stopped or arrested, they will be privy to that obviously if they’re on the scene with us,” Dorrough said.

    Get breaking news and daily headlines delivered to your email inbox by signing up here.

    © 2025 WTOP. All Rights Reserved. This website is not intended for users located within the European Economic Area.

    [ad_2]

    Valerie Bonk

    Source link

  • DC records first homicide in nearly two weeks – WTOP News

    [ad_1]

    D.C.’s nearly two-week stretch without a homicide during the federal law enforcement surge came to an end early Tuesday, when a man was fatally shot.

    D.C.’s nearly two-week stretch without a homicide during the federal law enforcement surge came to an end early Tuesday, when a man was fatally shot.

    The District had not recorded a homicide since Aug. 13, a few days after President Donald Trump declared a federal crime emergency on Aug. 11.

    D.C. police said officers responded at 12:25 a.m. Tuesday to a shooting in the 300 block of Anacostia Road SE.

    The man who’d been shot was still breathing and taken to a hospital, where he was later pronounced dead.

    He was identified as Franck Foute Mohdjiom, 31, of Southeast D.C.

    While some areas east of the Anacostia River have had some federal agents carrying out arrests, the neighborhood where the shooting occurred is far from the National Mall and other tourist areas of D.C., where close to 2,000 National Guard personnel have been stationed.

    The shooting occurred in Ward 8, where 24 homicides have been recorded this year.

    That is nearly a quarter of the 102 homicides that have taken place in D.C. this year. The murder rate is down 15% from last year, when there were 120 homicides at this time.

    President Trump calls Baltimore a ‘hellhole’

    The president asserted again Tuesday that his crime emergency had transformed public safety in D.C. during a cabinet meeting.

    “It was like a jungle,” Trump said. “But it’s not a jungle anymore.”

    The president this week said the recent period without a homicide in D.C. was the longest stretch of its kind in years.

    But D.C. crime reports indicate there was a 16-day period between February and March when no homicide was recorded. There have also been periods of a week or more this year when there were no homicides.

    Overall, violent crime is down 27% this year in the District and it had been trending downward before the federal surge.

    The president on Tuesday also again criticized Maryland Gov. Wes Moore for saying he would fight against having the National Guard sent to Baltimore if the president ordered personnel to deploy there.

    Trump called Baltimore a “hellhole,” suggesting it is unsafe, and reiterated that he would not accept the governor’s invitation to walk Baltimore’s streets with him.

    The president has not committed to sending the National Guard to Baltimore or Chicago, but has repeatedly floated the idea.

    Get breaking news and daily headlines delivered to your email inbox by signing up here.

    © 2025 WTOP. All Rights Reserved. This website is not intended for users located within the European Economic Area.

    [ad_2]

    Mitchell Miller

    Source link

  • What federal laws could President Trump use to send troops to US cities?

    [ad_1]

    What federal laws could President Trump use to send troops to US cities?

    Updated: 3:24 PM EDT Aug 26, 2025

    Editorial Standards ⓘ

    President Donald Trump indicated late last week that Chicago could be the next U.S. city targeted for a federal troop deployment, mirroring similar actions already taken in Los Angeles and Washington, D.C.On Monday, Trump doubled down on the potential of sending the U.S. military to Chicago, though he stopped short of making any guarantees.”They need help. We may wait. We may or may not, we may just go in and do it, which is probably what we should do,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office.The Washington Post reported over the weekend that the Trump administration has been working on plans for some time to deploy the National Guard to Chicago, possibly as early as September.The Trump administration has cited high levels of crime and lack of immigration enforcement as reasons for deploying federal troops. However, officials from D.C., Los Angeles and Chicago have pushed back against those claims and voiced strong opposition to Trump’s actions.“The guard is not needed,” Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson told NBC News. “This is not the role of our military. The brave men and women who signed up to serve our country did not sign up to occupy American cities.”Sending federal troops to Chicago would represent a significant escalation beyond the Trump administration’s earlier deployments in Los Angeles and D.C., pushing the limits of executive authority and inviting greater legal scrutiny. It could also lay the groundwork for Trump to send troops to other U.S. cities.Here’s a closer look at the federal laws at play and the legal arguments the Trump administration may use to uphold its deployment of federal troops to cities like Chicago.Title 10, Section 12406When considering the legal justifications for future troop deployments to cities like Chicago, Baltimore and New York, it’s best to begin with the Trump administration’s past actions.Washington, D.C., was the most recent place targeted, but its unique status as the capital means it’s unlikely to serve as a legal precedent for a nationwide rollout.Los Angeles, on the other hand, may offer a better roadmap.On June 7, Trump deployed 2,000 California National Guard troops in response to protests over his administration’s immigration policies. Shortly after, the number of Guard troops was increased to 4,100, plus approximately 700 Marines were also sent to the state.In a memo announcing the deployment, Trump invoked Title 10, Section 12406 of the U.S. Code, which states that the president can federalize National Guard units to repel an invasion, suppress a rebellion or enforce federal law.Video below: President Trump considers deploying armed National Guard to cities amid criticismAccording to Elizabeth Goitein, senior director of the Liberty and National Security Program at the Brennan Center for Justice, it was the first time since 1965 that a president activated a state’s National Guard without the governor’s request.California subsequently sued Trump, arguing that the deployment of federal troops violated the Posse Comitatus Act, an 1878 federal law that generally prohibits the use of the U.S. military to enforce domestic law.The Trump administration has maintained that federal troops were not engaged in law enforcement, but were instead deployed to protect federal immigration personnel and property.A federal judge initially ruled in favor of California Gov. Gavin Newsom, stating that Trump must relinquish control of the National Guard back to the state. However, a week later, an appeals court overturned the ruling.The lawsuit went back to court earlier this month, but a new ruling has not been made.Looking toward Chicago, Baltimore and New York, Trump could attempt to invoke Section 12406 again, using claims of high crime rates or lack of cooperation with federal officials in immigration enforcement as justification. But, like California, the move would certainly be met with legal action.Insurrection Act of 1807Another route the Trump administration could take is to invoke the rarely used Insurrection Act of 1807.The 19th-century law serves as an exception to the Posse Comitatus Act, giving the president the power to use the U.S. military to carry out domestic law enforcement duties.Like Section 12406 of Title 10, the Insurrection Act requires certain conditions to be met to justify its use, such as suppressing an insurrection, quelling domestic violence or enforcing civil rights. However, it is widely viewed as a more extreme measure, especially when used without a state’s consent.Additionally, Section 12406 only gives the president control of the National Guard, while the Insurrection Act extends to the entire armed forces. The act also authorizes those forces to engage in domestic law enforcement, including detaining civilians and controlling crowds. Section 12406 does not.According to the Brennan Center for Justice, the Insurrection Act has only been used 30 times in American history. Most recently, it was used in 1992, at the request of California’s governor, to respond to the Los Angeles riots. The last time it was used against the state’s wishes was during the 1950s and 1960s to enforce school desegregation and to protect civil rights marches.Trump has never officially invoked the Insurrection Act, though he has repeatedly threatened to do so. “If there’s an insurrection, I would certainly invoke it,” Trump said in June, regarding the situation in Los Angeles. “We’ll see … If we didn’t get involved right now, Los Angeles would be burning.”Some legal experts have questioned whether Trump’s past actions have already crossed the threshold, including his deployment of the Marines to Los Angeles, which isn’t explicitly protected by Section 12406, but does fall under the Insurrection Act’s powers.Ultimately, if Trump does invoke the Insurrection Act to deploy troops to cities like Chicago, Baltimore, or New York, it would almost assuredly be challenged in court.However, it’s important to note that the Supreme Court, in the 1827 case Martin v. Mott, ruled that the president has sole discretion to determine if conditions are met to invoke the Insurrection Act. It’s a judgment that courts have historically been reluctant to contest.

    President Donald Trump indicated late last week that Chicago could be the next U.S. city targeted for a federal troop deployment, mirroring similar actions already taken in Los Angeles and Washington, D.C.

    On Monday, Trump doubled down on the potential of sending the U.S. military to Chicago, though he stopped short of making any guarantees.

    “They need help. We may wait. We may or may not, we may just go in and do it, which is probably what we should do,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office.

    The Washington Post reported over the weekend that the Trump administration has been working on plans for some time to deploy the National Guard to Chicago, possibly as early as September.

    The Trump administration has cited high levels of crime and lack of immigration enforcement as reasons for deploying federal troops. However, officials from D.C., Los Angeles and Chicago have pushed back against those claims and voiced strong opposition to Trump’s actions.

    “The guard is not needed,” Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson told NBC News. “This is not the role of our military. The brave men and women who signed up to serve our country did not sign up to occupy American cities.”

    Sending federal troops to Chicago would represent a significant escalation beyond the Trump administration’s earlier deployments in Los Angeles and D.C., pushing the limits of executive authority and inviting greater legal scrutiny. It could also lay the groundwork for Trump to send troops to other U.S. cities.

    Here’s a closer look at the federal laws at play and the legal arguments the Trump administration may use to uphold its deployment of federal troops to cities like Chicago.

    Title 10, Section 12406

    When considering the legal justifications for future troop deployments to cities like Chicago, Baltimore and New York, it’s best to begin with the Trump administration’s past actions.

    Washington, D.C., was the most recent place targeted, but its unique status as the capital means it’s unlikely to serve as a legal precedent for a nationwide rollout.

    Los Angeles, on the other hand, may offer a better roadmap.

    On June 7, Trump deployed 2,000 California National Guard troops in response to protests over his administration’s immigration policies. Shortly after, the number of Guard troops was increased to 4,100, plus approximately 700 Marines were also sent to the state.

    In a memo announcing the deployment, Trump invoked Title 10, Section 12406 of the U.S. Code, which states that the president can federalize National Guard units to repel an invasion, suppress a rebellion or enforce federal law.

    Video below: President Trump considers deploying armed National Guard to cities amid criticism

    According to Elizabeth Goitein, senior director of the Liberty and National Security Program at the Brennan Center for Justice, it was the first time since 1965 that a president activated a state’s National Guard without the governor’s request.

    California subsequently sued Trump, arguing that the deployment of federal troops violated the Posse Comitatus Act, an 1878 federal law that generally prohibits the use of the U.S. military to enforce domestic law.

    The Trump administration has maintained that federal troops were not engaged in law enforcement, but were instead deployed to protect federal immigration personnel and property.

    A federal judge initially ruled in favor of California Gov. Gavin Newsom, stating that Trump must relinquish control of the National Guard back to the state. However, a week later, an appeals court overturned the ruling.

    The lawsuit went back to court earlier this month, but a new ruling has not been made.

    Looking toward Chicago, Baltimore and New York, Trump could attempt to invoke Section 12406 again, using claims of high crime rates or lack of cooperation with federal officials in immigration enforcement as justification. But, like California, the move would certainly be met with legal action.

    Insurrection Act of 1807

    Another route the Trump administration could take is to invoke the rarely used Insurrection Act of 1807.

    The 19th-century law serves as an exception to the Posse Comitatus Act, giving the president the power to use the U.S. military to carry out domestic law enforcement duties.

    Like Section 12406 of Title 10, the Insurrection Act requires certain conditions to be met to justify its use, such as suppressing an insurrection, quelling domestic violence or enforcing civil rights. However, it is widely viewed as a more extreme measure, especially when used without a state’s consent.

    Additionally, Section 12406 only gives the president control of the National Guard, while the Insurrection Act extends to the entire armed forces. The act also authorizes those forces to engage in domestic law enforcement, including detaining civilians and controlling crowds. Section 12406 does not.

    According to the Brennan Center for Justice, the Insurrection Act has only been used 30 times in American history. Most recently, it was used in 1992, at the request of California’s governor, to respond to the Los Angeles riots. The last time it was used against the state’s wishes was during the 1950s and 1960s to enforce school desegregation and to protect civil rights marches.

    Trump has never officially invoked the Insurrection Act, though he has repeatedly threatened to do so.

    “If there’s an insurrection, I would certainly invoke it,” Trump said in June, regarding the situation in Los Angeles. “We’ll see … If we didn’t get involved right now, Los Angeles would be burning.”

    Some legal experts have questioned whether Trump’s past actions have already crossed the threshold, including his deployment of the Marines to Los Angeles, which isn’t explicitly protected by Section 12406, but does fall under the Insurrection Act’s powers.

    Ultimately, if Trump does invoke the Insurrection Act to deploy troops to cities like Chicago, Baltimore, or New York, it would almost assuredly be challenged in court.

    However, it’s important to note that the Supreme Court, in the 1827 case Martin v. Mott, ruled that the president has sole discretion to determine if conditions are met to invoke the Insurrection Act. It’s a judgment that courts have historically been reluctant to contest.

    [ad_2]

    Source link

  • What’s the cost of the National Guard deployment in DC? – WTOP News

    [ad_1]

    D.C. Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton is calling for the Pentagon to provide an estimate of the cost of deploying 2,000 National Guard personnel in the District during the federal law enforcement surge against crime.

    D.C. Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton is calling for the Pentagon to provide an estimate of the cost of deploying 2,000 National Guard personnel in the District during the federal law enforcement surge against crime.

    Norton sent a letter on Monday to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and the Chief of the National Guard Bureau, Gen. Steven Nordhaus, outlining her opposition to the deployment.

    “A tenet of our democracy is that the military does not engage in civilian law enforcement, and it is not trained to do so in any case, which puts service members and the public at risk,” she said. “I urge you to end this gross abuse of power and withdraw the troops immediately.”

    The Democratic lawmaker questioned the legal basis for sending in the National Guard, seeking more information about its scope and mission, as well as the cost.

    President Donald Trump has held out the possibility of keeping the National Guard in D.C. beyond 30 days, which requires the approval of Congress.

    Cost may be close to $1 million a day

    The Pentagon so far has not provided a formal estimate of what the National Guard deployment is costing. But a past deployment in D.C. may provide some guidance.

    In 2020, Trump ordered the deployment of more than 5,000 National Guard personnel to support law enforcement during demonstrations that took place in the wake of the killing of George Floyd, a Black man who died after a Minneapolis police officer pinned him under his knee.

    After the protests, U.S. officials told Reuters it cost about $530 per guard member, per day, to be deployed.

    The D.C. National Guard said it cost roughly $2.6 million a day for the 5,000 National Guard troops that were deployed five years ago.

    Based on those estimates, the current deployment in D.C. likely costs more than $1 million a day.

    Former guard members question D.C. deployment

    The Trump administration and many Republican lawmakers credit the presence of the National Guard with helping to decrease crime in the District over the past two weeks.

    But some military veterans from Ohio — one of the six states that have sent in guard personnel — said on Monday that they oppose the deployment.

    On a media conference call, they argued that the deployment sets a dangerous precedent and potentially undermines the readiness of guard units in their home states.

    “I think it goes without saying that if our citizen-soldiers wanted to become (MPD officers) or ICE agents, they would have signed up for that instead of the National Guard,” said Jermaine Collins, a former Ohio National Guard member who now lives in D.C.

    The president, meanwhile, is still holding open the possibility of sending the National Guard to other cities, including Baltimore and Chicago. In response to a reporter’s question, he also said he would be open to sending National Guard units to red states with crime problems. But he suggested major cities led by Democrats have larger problems.

    Get breaking news and daily headlines delivered to your email inbox by signing up here.

    © 2025 WTOP. All Rights Reserved. This website is not intended for users located within the European Economic Area.

    [ad_2]

    Mitchell Miller

    Source link

  • National Guard troops to New York? NYPD Commissioner Tisch says the city can handle its own

    [ad_1]

    NEW YORK (WABC) — Visitors to the nation’s capital this week are seeing armed National Guard troops – 2,200 of them – and while no such order has been given to deploy troops in New York City so far, a big question is whether or not the Trump administration could see a need to do so.

    National Guard troops have been deployed, not to high crime areas of Washington, D.C., but instead at national monuments and in train stations.

    “They’re armed, capable of defending themselves and others, if need be, supporting law enforcement,” U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth said.

    But Commissioner Jessica Tisch says the NYPD doesn’t need that kind of support, telling Attorney General Pam Bondi in a sit-down meeting on Monday that the department can handle the city’s crime, and that gun violence is down so far this year.

    Bondi appeared publicly at Brooklyn Federal on Monday before the meeting with Tisch.

    According to a source, the two also discussed drones.

    The commissioner has made no secret that the NYPD would like the authority to take down drones suspected in criminal activity, authority only the federal government currently has.

    The Trump administration is now flexing the federal muscle of the National Guard or considering it in other major cities.

    Violent crime is also down in Chicago in the last four years, and the governor of Illinois says National Guard troops aren’t needed.

    “This is about Donald Trump searching for any justification to deploy the military in a blue city, in a blue state, to try and intimidate his political rivals,” Illinois Governor JB Pritzker said.

    The cities with the highest violent crime rates are in red states: St. Louis and New Orleans. They have Democratic mayors, but are in states with Republican governors, and it’s governors that can decide whether to deploy National Guard troops.

    On Monday, ABC News’ Rachel Scott asked the president if he would consider sending them to cities with high crime in red states.

    “Sure. But there aren’t that many of them. If you look at the top 25 cities for crime, just about every one of those cities is run by Democrats,” President Donald Trump said.

    President Trump also signed an order on Monday that would strip federal funding from states and cities that use cashless bail. That also involves Attorney General Bondi, who will have 30 days to create a list of jurisdictions that have eliminated it.

    New York Governor Kathy Hochul issued a statement on Monday, calling it reckless to withhold federal funds, saying it would only undercut law enforcement and make communities less safe.

    ———-

    * Get Eyewitness News Delivered

    * More New York City news

    * Send us a news tip

    * Download the abc7NY app for breaking news alerts

    * Follow us on YouTube


    Submit a tip or story idea to Eyewitness News

    Have a breaking news tip or an idea for a story we should cover? Send it to Eyewitness News using the form below. If attaching a video or photo, terms of use apply.

    Copyright © 2025 WABC-TV. All Rights Reserved.

    [ad_2]

    Sonia Rincón

    Source link

  • No, this video isn’t proof of military deployment in Chicago

    [ad_1]

    President Donald Trump has floated Chicago as the next city where he might send the National Guard, but a social media video claiming it’s already happened is premature. 

    A video posted Aug. 23 on X shows military vehicles in traffic alongside cars at a traffic light. You can also hear sirens and see a fire department vehicle parked in a parking lot on the side of the road.

    “The military is here, shawty, the military is here. They on the streets,” says the video narrator while driving past some Humvees. 

    The caption says: “The military’s already showing up in Chicago just weeks before the Pentagon’s planned National Guard deployment.”

    Is that true?

    Sign up for PolitiFact texts

    Immediately, there are reasons to suspect the video is dubious. When a commenter asked the user who first shared the video Aug. 17 on TikTok if the military was really on the streets, the user replied in another video, “No, I am a liar, liar, pants on fire.” The user also shared the video before Trump said he wanted to officially expand military deployment to Chicago.

    An Illinois National Guard spokesperson told PolitiFact the guard didn’t deploy the military vehicles seen in the video in response to a federal order.

    “As of this time, we have not received any orders — federal or state — to activate forces for duty in Chicago,” said Brad Leighton, Illinois National Guard public affairs director.

    Leighton said that while he can’t make out the unit information on the back of the two military vehicles, the National Guard has several armories based in Chicago, including two within the city limits, and a maintenance facility nearby.

    Leighton said that the guard moves vehicles around the city for maintenance reasons and community events, among other reasons.

    “It is impossible to say whether these vehicles are from the National Guard or Army Reserve, which also has facilities near Chicago,” Leighton said. 

    A closer look at the video shows it was recorded in Chicago Ridge in front of Billy Boy’s, a fast-casual American and Greek food restaurant. Billy Boy’s is 3.9 miles from an Army National Guard recruiting office and 5.1 miles from an Army Reserve Center.

    On Aug. 11, Trump deployed the National Guard in Washington, D.C., after declaring a public safety emergency. While he said Chicago is next on his list of places to deploy the military to combat crime, homelessness and illegal immigration, no orders have been published on the White House website. Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker said Aug. 23 that Illinois has received no outreach from the federal government, and the state has requested no federal assistance.

    This video doesn’t show the military “already showing up in Chicago” before a potential National Guard deployment. We rate this claim False.

    [ad_2]

    Source link

  • Trump signs executive orders to end cashless bail in D.C. and ban flag burning

    [ad_1]

    Washington — President Trump on Monday signed an executive order to push Washington, D.C., and other localities to end cashless bail for arrested suspects, threatening to withhold federal funding from cities that fail to end the program. It’s the latest move in the president’s federal crackdown on crime.

    Mr. Trump also signed an order directing the Justice Department to investigate instances of flag burning, although the Supreme Court in 1989 ruled that the First Amendment protected symbolic speech, including flag burning.

    The executive order on cashless bail charges Attorney General Pam Bondi with identifying jurisdictions in the U.S. that have cashless bail policies, and withholds or revokes federal grants to those jurisdictions.

    “We’re ending it,” Mr. Trump said of cashless bail before he signed the executive order in the Oval Office. “But we’re starting by ending it in D.C., and that we have the right to do through federalization.”

    The move comes as the National Guard and federal law enforcement are dispersed throughout the district, patrolling the streets. In the last 11 days, the White House says no murders have taken place in the district.

    D.C. introduced cashless bail in the 1990s over civil rights concerns, becoming one of the first cities in the country to do so.

    “That was when the big crime in this country started,” Mr. Trump said Monday, speaking of cashless bail. “They kill people and they get out. Cashless bail, they thought it was discriminatory to make people put up money because they just killed three people lying on the street.”

    The president also signed an executive order Monday stating it’s the government’s objective to hold as many suspects captured in D.C. in federal custody as possible, and to charge them with federal crimes. The president also signed an executive order encouraging federal law enforcement agencies to hire additional personnel so they can surge law enforcement to D.C.

    Trump on federal government intervention in Chicago: “We’re ready to go anywhere”

    One of the president’s executive orders also directs the defense secretary to ensure that each state’s National Guard is resourced, trained, organized and available to help in “quelling civil disturbances,” and directs the defense secretary to designate a number of each state’s National Guard to be available for such purposes. Mr. Trump has said Chicago could be the next city where the federal government imposes a crime crackdown.

    “We’re ready to go anywhere,” the president said when asked about Chicago. “We can go anywhere on less than 24 hours’ notice.”

    Cracking down on flag burning

    The executive order the president signed pushes Bondi to investigate instances of flag desecration. The administration has been critical of pro-Palestinian protests and anti-immigration crackdown demonstrations that have featured flag burning.

    “And then where there’s evidence of criminal activity, where prosecution wouldn’t fall afoul of the First Amendment, it instructs the Department of Justice to prosecute those who were engaged in these instances of flag burning,” said Trump staff secretary Will Scharf.

    Mr. Trump said he wants the penalty for flag burning to be at least one year in person.

    “And what the penalty is going to be, if you burn a flag, you get one year in jail, no early exits, no nothing,” the president said of what he hopes punishment for flag burning will be.

    Rainbow crosswalks in Florida painted over

    Welcome to New Orleans

    Maryland Gov. Wes Moore calls Trump D.C. National Guard deployment “unconstitutional”

    [ad_2]

    Source link