Tourists greeted by National Guard patrolling DC landmarks on Thursday morning
Members of the National Guard were present along the Mall as part of the administration's show of force, which was trailed in advance by an insider who spoke to ABC News.
But the soldiers making up the 'significant militart presence' were only ever likely to encounter visitors and school children on vacation touring the capital's historic landmarks at the height of summer, leaving the purpose of the exercise somewhat unclear.
'That's part of our assignment – to go to the national monuments and be present,' U.S. Army spokesperson Col. Dave Butler told ABC.
The Independent has reached out to the National Guard for more information about its duties as part of the deployment and what criminal activities its troops have encountered so far.
Trump insisted at a press conference on Monday that his strategy was necessary because crime in D.C. is 'out of control,' a conclusion he appears to have reached after ex-DOGE employee Edward 'Big Balls' Coristine was brutally assaulted in an attempted carjacking last month.
Announcing that he was handing responsibility for policing the district over to Attorney General Pam Bondi and mobilising 800 members of the Guard to protect the public, Trump insisted the city required 'liberation' from 'violent gangs and bloodthirsty criminals, roving mobs of wild youth, drugged-out maniacs and homeless people.'
His claim is not consistent with official crime statistics for the last two years, which report that street crime is actually in a state of steep decline to 30-year lows, leading his opponents to suggest he is seeking a 'distraction' from unfavorable media narratives, notably the Jeffrey Epstein uproar.
Trump's operation is reportedly being run by a joint task force led by Army Col. Larry Doane.
Residents in the capital are unlikely to see more than around a quarter of the total number of assigned Guard members on the streets at any one time, as they are working in shifts.
The deployment of additional forces on Wednesday evening was not without incident, with traffic-stops in the northwest of the city greeted by protests from around 100 members of the public, some of whom chanted, 'Go home, fascists!,' according to The Washington Post.
Approximately 20 law enforcement officers, many of whom were wearing face masks and 'Homeland Security Investigations' vests, stopped multiple cars at the busy intersection of 14th and W streets NW from 8 pm to around 10 pm, detaining at least two people, one of whom was a woman whose arrest inspired the crowd to shout at the agents: 'Read the Constitution!'
An officer at the scene reportedly told the hecklers the team was checking for 'driving eligibility' and 'status.'
Some members of the crowd reportedly ducked into a CVS pharmacy and returned bearing crudely-assembled signs that read 'Police checkpoint ahead' and 'ICE,' with which to warn approaching drivers. At the same time, another person blared Vanilla Ice's hit 'Ice, Ice Baby' from a speaker for the same purpose.
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Yahoo
22 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Geoff Epstein wants to become Framingham's third mayor. Here are his priorities
FRAMINGHAM — He has three key priorities, a clear campaign finance strategy and a name that ... has brought some attention. Geoff Epstein has big plans for Framingham. Epstein, a former School Committee member, hopes to become the city's third mayor. He's facing off against incumbent Mayor Charlie Sisitsky, who's seeking a second four-year term, in the Nov. 4 city election. After filing with the state's campaign finance office in January, Epstein, who also writes The Framingham Observer blog, went on to acquire enough signatures to appear on the ballot in November. In a sit-down interview with the Daily News, Epstein shared his goals if elected, which include investing more in the schools, installing more environmental projects and repairing infrastructure. Mayoral candidate is focused on three main issues Epstein said his top three issues are education, environment and infrastructure. Epstein, who has served on both the Framingham and Newton school boards, says things have gotten worse in Framingham Public Schools over the past four years. While saying the School Department has the best team the city could have, he says it's time to return money to the school system. 'Our schools were promised': Trump administration review holds up $1M in Framingham education grants According to Epstein, Framingham schools have been defunded by $30 million in taxpayer-funded support. He said that because local funding strayed from the trajectory it was on when he was on School Committee, that money has been defunded. 'If it had stayed on the trajectory it was on, the local support, taxpayer-funded support of the schools, it would be at $95 million,' Epstein said. 'If you compute overall, what's the difference between if it stayed on the direction it was going when I was there (on the School Committee)? Thirty million.' According to the schools' fiscal 2026 budget sheet, local funding went from $89.8 million in fiscal 2022 to $84.8 million in fiscal 2023. This was further reduced to about $80 million in fiscal 2024 before rising to $86.7 million in fiscal 2025. For the current year, the school budget has $90.6 million in local contribution funding. Epstein also said MCAS scores have gone down for every grade. "That's unusual, there's something really dire about that," he said. Epstein wants to expand preschool for students in order to increase English language profiency before they start kindergarten. He also wants to boost compensation for classroom aides, as well as address the city's teacher retention rate. 'Urgency of climate change': Framingham State unveils its latest sustainability initiative "Teacher morale is low, so you've got a situation where students are not performing well and the teachers are leaving, which is very unusual, Epstein said. "The school school system is trending down because of that." For the environment, he wants to expand solar installations on public buildings, something he said the city should have begun awhile ago. "We should have gone gangbusters on that and installed them," Epstein said, adding that installing solar panels at schools and parking lots would generate up to $3 million in utlity savings. "I thought that was a natural thing that should obviously be done and wasn't; if I get elected mayor, we'll try and do 10 solar installations a year, which you can actually do." Lastly, Epstein wants to address what he says is a backlog of roof and road repairs, along with water and sewer infrastructure. He pointed out that a year ago, Department of Public Works Director Robert Lewis called the city's water and sewer infrastructure a "ticking time bomb" during a City Council public hearing. "We're not alone, other communities are trying to deal with this, but we have not invested properly in it," Epstein said. "It's Governance 101, invest in your infrastructure." Epstein talks campaign finance On his website, Epstein said he needs $30,000 in donations to run an effective campaign. He said that the big money in campaigning comes from getting the word out through mailers, yard signs and social media. "Suppose you're targeting 10,000 voters, it costs about $1 for each one," he said. "If you send out a mailer, it's $10,000 for a mailer; if you do two, it's $20,000. You can run a district race for about $3,000 — I've done that and that's what it takes. This is nine districts, so it scales up to about $30,000." As of Aug. 6, Epstein has raised $10,838, with about $5,000 of his own money. By comparison, Sisitsky has raised $42,763 since Jan. 1. 'Isn't just about property': Why Nobscot residents take dim view of new housing proposal "I'm supporting Geoff because he has the technical confidence to analyze the finances of Framingham and to analyze administrative systems the city uses," said Carol Spack, who is running for City Council in District 2. "Geoff will bring, at the top, a philosophy and value system Framingham needs to be a town where government is committed to public service." Epstein also is declining to take donations from real estate developers, claiming they have undue influence on city officials. He pointed to J&Co., the developers behind the controversial Nobscot development, and other developers donating to local campaigns. "I feel like when developers pay you $1,000, they expect something back," Epstein said. About his name... While Framingham residents have known about Epstein for awhile, his campaign recently picked up some viral attention after the name of a certain American financier and child sex offender — the late Jeffrey Epstein — again became part of the news cycle. Epstein's campaign was soon picked up by Politico's Massachusetts Playbook, the New York Post, HuffPost, NewsNation and WBZ's TikTok with reporter Matt Shearer. The Framingham mayoral candidate, who pronounces his last name "ep-stine" as opposed to "ep-steen" has no interest in running from his name. "He was a pretty dark guy and did some terrible things," Epstein said. "You just have to take it as it comes and laugh about it, and that's the approach I've taken because it is my name. I like my name. It's nothing to do with him, but also, I believe with any trouble that comes with any discomfort, you got to talk about it." Framingham election to be held in November Framingham's city election is Nov. 4. The deadline to register to vote is 5 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 25, if in person and 11:59 p.m. that day if online. All public officials are sworn in on Jan. 1. This article originally appeared on MetroWest Daily News: Geoff Epstein outlines priorities in campaign for Framingham mayor Solve the daily Crossword
Motor 1
24 minutes ago
- Motor 1
'AND THE VENT WAS CLOSED:' Woman Gets into Boyfriend's Tacoma. Then She Sees the Strategically Placed Strand of Hair
Was it a stroke of luck? A sign from above? Or just a content creator messing with us? In a recent TikTok, Laci Johnson ( @laci_johnson ) filmed what looked like a strand of blonde hair drifting out of the front side vent of her boyfriend's Toyota Tacoma. 'Late night finds, but it's his truck putting a strand of girl's hair DIRECTLY in my face as soon as I get in,' she said. 'What a real one.' Stay informed with our newsletter every weekday back Sign up For more information, read our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use . Johnson later revealed the whole thing was staged—the hair was hers, not evidence of some mystery woman—but that didn't stop commenters from swapping their own stories of discovering a partner's cheating through similarly bizarre clues. By Thursday, the video had garnered over 1.6 million views. Did Her Boyfriend Cheat? Probably not. In her first clip, Johnson implies the hair came from someone else—likely another woman her boyfriend was secretly seeing. She even refers to the mystery woman as 'a girl's girl.' Maybe she did suspect it at first. But in a follow-up video , Johnson clarifies the hair was her own. How she figured that out—or why she's certain it wasn't from someone else—remains unclear. 'When I make a video about finding a hair in my bf's truck and it gets a million views, but the hair was mine,' she says. Trending Now 'I'm Being Watched:' Tampa Woman Parks Her Mustang Near a Gas Station. Then She Decides to Stay in the Car Indefinitely 20-Year-Old Woman Tries to Buy a Car That's Been on the Lot For 1 Year. Her Negotiation Skills Stop Salesman in His Tracks Still, spotting another woman's hair in your boyfriend's car can be a gut punch—something Johnson and plenty of commenters admitted. As Johnson put it, her 'crashout' was 'valid.' Do People Leave Tokens Behind to Expose Cheaters? If someone wants to reveal an affair, they might leave something behind that's impossible to miss. It could be a pair of underwear that doesn't belong to the spouse, tucked away somewhere it's likely to be found, such as the laundry or a drawer. Sometimes it's a note or letter that explains the situation directly, eliminating any uncertainty. Other times, it's smaller, like a hair tie (or a strand of hair), a piece of jewelry, or a stray item of clothing, just enough to prompt someone to start asking questions. On Reddit, one woman in the infidelity subreddit described sleeping with someone whom she later learned was married, and she asked commenters how she should discreetly inform the spouse. The answers ranged from leaving pads and tampons in their shared bathroom to posting a photo of herself with the other person online—and tagging the spouse. A large swath of commenters, though, advised against leaving these so-called tokens and, instead, said it's better to just confront the woman directly. If she's to go this route, though, Redditors recommended providing the affected woman with irrefutable proof, such as a picture of her at their house. Of course, not everyone involved in an affair will leave a token behind. But even if they don't, other signs may still emerge. According to Choose Therapy , many affairs are discovered in different ways, such as unusual behavior, increased stress, privacy around phones, decreased intimacy, or unexplained absences. Not everyone leaves evidence intentionally. When it does occur, the outcome can be challenging for everyone involved. Viewers React Before realizing the hair in Johnson's boyfriend's car was her own, some commenters insisted she was 'protected' and needed to leave him immediately. 'That's a sign literally,' one said. 'AND THE VENT WAS CLOSED,' added a second. 'You are divinely protected,' a third chimed in. 'That's the universe saying, 'Hey girl, we need to talk,'' a fourth TikTok user quipped. While Johnson doesn't appear to be ending the relationship—especially if there was no cheating—others still joked that it was a red flag for any man to drive a Tacoma and claimed she could do better. 'He drove a Tacoma girl, no loss there,' one woman said. 'He drives a Tacoma, you should have known from the start,' wrote another. 'Girl, he's driving a Tacoma,' a third added. 'Run.' Motor1 has reached out to Johnson via a direct message on TikTok. We'll update this if she responds. More From Motor1 'Subscription?:' Man Buys New Toyota. Then He Gets a Notification 2 Years Later Saying His 'Session Has Expired' Arizona Woman Test-Drives Brand-New Black Toyota Tacoma. Then She Runs Over White Paint 'Toyota Tacoma. Chevy Tahoe:' Car Salesman Can Tell the Make And Model By the Sound Of The Hood Closing. Then He Proves It Man Says He Bought a Nissan Frontier Because of These Standard Features. Should You Consider the Same? Share this Story Facebook X LinkedIn Flipboard Reddit WhatsApp E-Mail Got a tip for us? Email: tips@ Join the conversation ( )
25 minutes ago
Trump says Zelenskyy can end Russia war 'almost immediately' before White House meet
LONDON -- President Donald Trump on Sunday teased what he said would be a "big day" as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and a host of European leaders prepared for a White House meeting that Trump said can end Russia's invasion of Ukraine "almost immediately." Monday's Washington, D.C., summit follows Trump's meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska on Friday. Since that meeting, Trump appears to have dropped his demand for Russia to agree to an immediate ceasefire and is now pressuring Kyiv to accept territorial concessions to secure a peace deal. On Sunday, Trump explicitly said Ukraine will not regain Crimea -- occupied by Russia in 2014. The president also repeated that Ukraine will not be allowed to join NATO, though White House special envoy Steve Witkoff and Zelenskyy have hinted at alternative security guarantees involving the U.S. "President Zelenskyy of Ukraine can end the war with Russia almost immediately, if he wants to, or he can continue to fight," Trump wrote on social media on Sunday. The president has previously incorrectly framed Ukraine as the initiator of the conflict, which began with Russia's full-scale invasion in February 2022. That invasion followed Moscow's cross-border aggression in 2014, which saw Russia seize Crimea and parts of the eastern Donbas region. "Big day at the White House tomorrow," Trump added. "I've never had so many European leaders at one time. It's my great honor to host them!!!" "NO GOING INTO NATO BY UKRAINE," Trump added. "Some things never change!!!" Trump is expected to greet Zelenskyy outside the West Wing at 1 p.m. ET, according to a schedule published by the White House, after which they will hold a bilateral meeting. The president is scheduled to take photos with European leaders at around 2:30 p.m. ET and hold a multilateral meeting with them at 3 p.m. Zelenskyy said in a post to social media that he had arrived in Washington on Sunday night, expressing his gratitude to Trump for hosting the planned meeting. "We all share a strong desire to end this war quickly and reliably," Zelenskyy wrote. "And peace must be lasting," he added, noting Moscow's 2014 aggression plus the failure of the international community to enforce the 1994 Budapest Memorandum -- which was also signed by Russia -- that offered Ukraine "security assurances" in exchange for Kyiv surrendering its Cold War-era nuclear arsenal. "Ukrainians are fighting for their land, for their independence," Zelenskyy wrote. "Russia must end this war, which it itself started. And I hope that our joint strength with America, with our European friends, will force Russia into a real peace." Friday's summit in Alaska ended with Russia demanding that Ukraine cede the entirety of its contested and fortified eastern Donetsk region in exchange for an end to the fighting, two sources told ABC News. Trump then challenged Kyiv to "make the deal" and lavished praise on Putin. "Look, Russia is a very big power, and they're not," Trump told Fox News after the meeting. Putin, he added, is a "strong guy" and "tough as hell." A host of European leaders will accompany Zelenskyy at the White House meeting. European leaders have backed Zelenskyy and Ukraine's positions during the Trump administration's pressure campaign on Kyiv. Those confirmed as attending are European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte, French President Emmanuel Macron, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and Finnish President Alexander Stubb. Ahead of last week's summit in Alaska, European leaders echoed Zelenskyy's position that a ceasefire must precede peace negotiations, that security guarantees for Kyiv must be put in place and that only Ukraine can make the final decision on any territorial concessions. On Sunday, French President Emmanuel Macron told reporters that he and his fellow European leaders will be traveling to Washington both to support Zelenskyy and "to defend European interests" at a "very serious" moment for the continent's security. "If we are weak today with Russia, we prepare the wars of tomorrow," Macron said, adding that Moscow had "never" respected past "promises of non-aggression." The nature of Western security guarantees for Ukraine will be a key topic for discussion, Macron said, explaining to journalists a two-pronged approach by which Ukraine's military would be bolstered and a Western "reassurance force" would be deployed to Ukraine to act as a deterrent against renewed Russian attacks. Any concessions will spark intense debate within Ukraine. The country's constitution dictates that any changes to the national borders must be approved by an all-Ukraine referendum. Kyiv's ambitions to join both NATO and the European Union are also enshrined in the constitution, meaning it may need to be amended for Ukraine to accept exclusion from either bloc. "Territorial concessions are impossible," Oleksandr Mrezhko, a member of the Ukrainian parliament and chair of the body's foreign affairs committee, told ABC News. "Under the present circumstances, we need a ceasefire and security guarantees to prevent Putin from violating the ceasefire." "In my opinion, Putin's idea about a 'peace treaty' instead of a ceasefire is extremely dangerous and unacceptable for both Ukraine and the U.S.," he added. "That the U.S. offers to be engaged in security guarantees is great news for us, but we don't know yet what it will be in practice," Merezhko said. "I personally continue to believe that the best option for all -- Ukraine, the U.S. and the EU -- is NATO membership for Ukraine." "Putin is afraid of only one thing -- NATO," Merezhko added. "That's why it's the most reliable and effective security guarantee for us." Meanwhile, both Russia and Ukraine continued long-range attacks overnight into Monday. Ukraine's air force said Russia launched 140 drones and four missiles in the country, of which 88 drones were shot down or suppressed. Missile and drone impacts were reported across 25 locations in Donetsk, Kharkiv, Sumy, Dnipropetrovsk, Odesa and Kyiv regions, the air force said. At least seven people, including a child, were killed when a Russian drone impacted an apartment complex in Kharkiv, local officials said. Russia's Defense Ministry said its forces downed at least 24 Ukrainian drones overnight.
