Civil rights activist calls out media silence on Cincinnati attack
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Yahoo
13 minutes ago
- Yahoo
As Guard deploys, Trump to seek 'long-term' federal control of DC police
President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that he will seek more permanent federal control of the Washington, D.C., police force as he continues his efforts to ramp-up crime enforcement in the nation's capital. Earlier this week, Trump announced his plans to deploy National Guard troops in the nation's capital, declaring a public safety emergency in order to put the Washington police department under federal control and station the National Guard on the city's streets. Trump's current control of the D.C. police force expires in 30 days, after which Congress would have to weigh in. Asked Wednesday whether he'd work with Congress to extend the emergency authorization allowing him to temporarily seize control of local law enforcement, Trump said he'll ask Congress for a "long-term" extension of federal authority over the Washington police force. MORE: National Guard troops told to maintain presence near National Mall as part of Trump's anti-crime mission "We're going to be asking for extensions on that -- long-term extensions, because you can't have 30 days," Trump said at an event at the Kennedy Center. Trump indicated at one point that he'd ask Congress for more funds to fight crime and to make repairs to Washington's streets and parks. "We're going to make Washington beautiful. We're going to redo roads. We're going to redo the medians. The pavers and the medians are all throughout the city. We're going to take all the graffiti off. We're going to have to remove the tents. And the people that are living in our parks, we're going to be redoing the parks, the grasses and all. We're going to be going to Congress for a relatively small amount of money. And [Senate Budget Committee chair and GOP Sen.] Lindsey [Graham] and the Republicans are going to be approving it," Trump said. MORE: What to know about DC Home Rule Act as Trump puts DC police under federal control Trump has long threatened to take control of Washington, saying he wants to crack down on violent crime in the District although police statistics show that in the past two years, violent crime has gone down. "Fighting crime is a good thing. We have to explain we're going to fight crime -- that's a good thing," Trump said Wednesday. "Already they're saying, 'He's a dictator,' he said, referring to Democrats. "The place is going to hell. We've got to stop it. So, instead of saying, 'He's a dictator,' they should say, 'We're going to join him and make Washington safe.'" "We're going to be essentially crime-free. This is going to be a beacon, and it's going to also serve as an example of what can be done," Trump said. The D.C. National Guard is expected to begin ramping up its presence along the National Mall and at the federal monuments in Washington overnight Wednesday into Thursday, according to several officials familiar with the plans. Officials said the Trump administration is still in the process of setting up a joint task force, which will be led by Army Col. Larry Doane. While the task force is expected to include 800 activated soldiers, D.C. residents won't see that many on the streets. The troops will work in shifts of 100 to 200 troops at a time, and some of them will be assigned to administrative or logistical roles in support of local law enforcement, officials told ABC News. ABC News producers did not see any National Guard or increased law enforcement presence around Washington Wednesday afternoon -- including around the National Mall, D.C. Armory or in Logan Circle where a man was gunned down and killed earlier this week. A White House official told ABC News that, beginning Wednesday night, officials expected a "significantly higher National Guard presence to be on the ground throughout Washington, D.C." The White House official added that beginning Wednesday night, the deployment will transition to round-the-clock, 24/7 operations. Those operations had been previously focused on evening and overnight hours. On Tuesday night, more than 1,450 federal law enforcement officers and National Guard members patrolled Washington, according to a White House official. Law enforcement teams made 43 arrests on Tuesday night -- nearly twice the number made Monday night, the official said. Those law enforcement teams included 750 D.C. Metropolitan Police Department officers who were "uniformed, marked as patrol and directly assigned as anti-crime officers," the White House official said. That was in addition to the federal law enforcement who had been previously mobilized in the area. The White House official said that there were about 30 National Guard troops on the ground last night. MORE: Trump admin live updates: Trump threatens 'severe consequences' for Putin if he doesn't stop war The law enforcement teams were "deployed throughout all seven districts in D.C. to promote public safety and arrest violent offenders," the White House official said. After Trump's announcement Monday, approximately 850 officers and agents fanned out over D.C. right after Trump declared a crime emergency in the capital, making 23 arrests, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Tuesday. On Tuesday, National Guard troops were spotted on the National Mall, with many stationed around the base of the Washington Monument. The troops left Wednesday morning. It was not immediately clear why the presence of U.S. troops along the National Mall was needed, other than to put Trump's orders on display. The area, marked by museums, monuments and long stretches of grass, is known as a relatively safe part of the city that attracts mostly tourists and school groups. ABC News' John Parkinson contributed to this report. Editor's note: This story has been updated to reflect that National Guard did not make any arrests of individuals in Washington. Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
18 minutes ago
- Yahoo
US warships sail in vicinity of disputed shoal where Chinese ships collided
A US Navy guided-missile destroyer performed a Freedom of Navigation operation (FONOP) near disputed Scarborough Shoal in the South China Sea on Wednesday, just two days after two Chinese military vessels collided while chasing a Philippine Coast Guard ship in nearby waters. The presence of the US ship in the area prompted China's military to accuse the US Navy of violating it's territorial sovereignty, but the US Navy said it had the right to be there. 'USS Higgins (DDG 76) asserted navigational rights and freedoms in the South China Sea near Scarborough Reef, consistent with international law,' US Navy 7th Fleet spokesperson Lt. Sarah Merrill said in a statement to CNN. China, the Philippines and Taiwan all claim sovereignty over Scarborough Shoal, which is about 140 miles (222 kilometers) west of the main Philippine island of Luzon and within the Philippines exclusive economic zone. But China has effectively controlled the uninhabited shoal since 2012 by maintaining an almost constant coast guard presence in nearby waters, according to the Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative. China and Taiwan each require advance notification of passage within the territorial waters of the reef, in violation of international laws guaranteeing the right of 'innocent passage' by foreign warships, Merrill said. The Philippines does not impose this requirement, she added. Merrill denied an earlier claim by China's Southern Theater Command that it 'organized its forces to track, monitor, warn and expel' the US warship as it 'violated China's territorial sovereignty.' 'China's statement about this mission is false,' Merrill said. 'The United States is defending its right to fly, sail and operate wherever international law allows, as USS Higgins did here. Nothing China says otherwise will deter us,' Merrill said. According to the Philippine Coast Guard, the USS Higgins wasn't the only US warship in the vicinity of Scarborough Shoal on Wednesday. The littoral combat ship USS Cincinnati was also nearby, spokesperson Jay Tarriela said in a statement on X. Merrill would only confirm to CNN that the Cincinnati was operating in the South China Sea. Wednesday's FONOP was the first near Scarborough Shoal in more than six years, according to Collin Koh, a research fellow at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS) in Singapore, who keeps a database of US Freedom of Navigation operations. It was also just the second FONOP in 2025, after one in the Spratly Islands in May. The US performed two FONOPs in the South China Sea in 2024 after executing five in 2023, according to Koh's database. China says such missions by the US threaten its sovereignty and peace and stability in the South China Sea. Tensions around Scarborough Shoal, home to rich fishing grounds, have been increasing as Beijing becomes more assertive in claiming of sovereignty over much of the South China Sea and Manila pushes back, embarking independent journalists on Philippine Coast Guard missions to document what it calls Chinese aggression. Wednesday's US Navy operation came two days after a Chinese navy guided-missile destroyer and coast guard ship collided near the shoal while chasing a Philippine Coast Guard vessel. The collision caused heavy damage to the bow of the China Coast Guard ship. In a state-run Global Times report late Wednesday, Chinese experts placed the blame for Monday's incident on the Philippines and, indirectly, its defense treaty ally, the US. The Philippine Coast Guard vessel made repeated dangerous maneuvers in front of the Chinese Coast Guard ship, the Global Times report said, without mentioning the presence of the Chinese destroyer. The media outlet reported that Chinese experts had said the 'Philippine ship's maneuvers severely compromised the navigational safety of the Chinese vessel, and seriously violated the most basic principles and rules of maritime navigational safety.' The report was accompanied by a 26-second video clip, which allegedly shows reckless action by the Philippine vessel, though did not show the moment of the collision between the Chinese ships. 'The full responsibility for the resulting damages lies with the Philippine side, and all losses should be entirely borne by the Philippine vessel that provoked and caused the incident at sea,' the report said in possible reference to the collision, which China has not specifically admitted. Carl Schuster, a former US Navy captain, reviewed the Global Times video for CNN and said the Chinese ship, being the overtaking ship, would be responsible for signaling its intentions to the Philippine vessel. 'There is no evidence they did so and the Philippine Coast Guard vessel is under no obligation to heave to,' or give way, Schuster said. The Global Times article quoted Yang Xiao, an expert on maritime issues at the China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations, who pointed the finger of blame at the US military for training its Philippine ally in gray-zone tactics, actions below the level of open warfare but employing more than diplomacy or negotiations. Yang said the tactics violate 'internationally accepted norms of maritime law enforcement' and 'could lead to serious miscalculations and heightened risks of conflict at sea.' Solve the daily Crossword
Washington Post
20 minutes ago
- Washington Post
Takeaways from AP's investigation into online school for incarcerated teens
GAINESVILLE, Fla. — No matter the offense, states must educate students in juvenile detention . It's a complicated challenge, no doubt — and success stories are scarce. In Florida, where more than 1,000 students are in long-term confinement, the state last year put those kids' schooling online. That's despite strong evidence that online learning failed many kids during the pandemic. The state juvenile justice system contracted with the Florida Virtual School, one of the nation's oldest and largest online learning systems.
