The Latest: National Guard troops arrive in Washington DC as Trump's federal takeover begins
He took command of the police department and deployed the National Guard under laws and Constitutional powers that give the federal government more sway over the nation's capital than other cities. Its historically majority Black population wasn't electing its own city council and mayor until 1973, when Republican President Richard Nixon signed the Home Rule Act.
Here's the latest:
Washington, D.C., Mayor Muriel Bowser says the city will aim to 'make the most of' the increase in federal resources in the city after Trump's announcement that he's taking over Washington's police department and activating 800 members of the National Guard.
Bowser also emphasized that the Metropolitan Police Department will retain its independence, including over hiring and firing, saying 'our organizational chart, how we do business, how we fund the police, none of that has changed.'
'We have more police, and we want to make sure we use them,' Bowser added after a meeting with U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi.
The remarks mark a change in tone from Monday when Bowser called Trump's executive order 'unsettling and unprecedented.'
Pamela Smith, chief of the Metropolitan Police Department, spoke about reduced crime in the city and said increased federal resources 'will only help us build upon that.'
Bondi called the meeting with Bowser 'productive' in a statement on X, adding that the Justice Department will work closely with city government and police.
Republican US Rep. Barry Moore joins the race for Alabama's open Senate seat
Moore, a member of the conservative Freedom Caucus, was first elected to Congress in 2020. He has the rare distinction of winning elections in two different congressional districts.
Last year, a federal court ordered Alabama to use a new congressional map, which put Moore's home outside his own district. Rather than moving to seek his old seat, he opted to challenge his fellow GOP incumbent in a hard-fought primary for the more solidly Republican 1st District.
Now he's seeking the position being vacated by Sen. Tommy Tuberville, who's running for governor. The rare open Senate seat is expected to draw a number of candidates and Alabama's Republican attorney general has already entered the race.
A UFC fight at the White House? Dana White says it's happening as part of deal with Paramount
Hours after Paramount and UFC announced a billion-dollar rights deal, Dana White said he had yet to hear from his friend, President Trump, on his thoughts about the fight company's new streaming home.
That was fine with White. The UFC CEO was set to travel to Washington on Aug. 28 to meet with Trump and his daughter, Ivanka, to catch up and discuss logistics on the proposed Fourth of July fight card next year at the White House.
Trump said last month he wanted to stage a UFC match on the White House grounds with upwards of 20,000 spectators to celebrate 250 years of American independence.
'It's absolutely going to happen,' White told The Associated Press. 'Think about that, the 250th birthday of the United States of America, the UFC will be on the White House south lawn live on CBS.'
▶ Read more about the UFC and the White House
Judge orders Trump administration not to withhold funds from National Endowment for Democracy
The federal judge ordered the administration to stop withholding funding approved by Congress for the nonprofit that aims to strengthen democratic institutions around the world.
U.S. Judge Dabney Friedrich in Washington said Monday it was clear the State Department was blocking the money for 'impermissible policy reasons,' and she rejected the department's explanation that it was trying to ensure the endowment had funding for the upcoming year.
'Before and during litigation, the defendants obstructed routine drawdown requests on money already set aside in the Endowment's Treasury account, imposed and then abandoned a novel waiver requirement, and delayed the obligation of apportioned funds,' she wrote. 'These actions vitiate any inference that the defendants' concern has been to 'ensure' the Endowment's 'level of funding in the coming fiscal year.''
Friedrich granted a preliminary injunction sought by the endowment for its remaining 2025 funding — $95 million, or about a third of its annual funding.
The State Department did not immediately have comment.
George Washington University pressed to reach deal over antisemitism findings
A Justice Department investigation concluded that leaders of George Washington University were 'deliberately indifferent' to complaints of antisemitism stemming from pro-Palestinian protests last year.
In a Tuesday letter to the university's president, the Justice Department said George Washington violated Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 by failing to address the harassment of Jewish students amid a campus tent encampment. The department said it will pursue enforcement action unless the university agrees to a voluntary resolution agreement.
The university did not immediately comment.
The Trump administration has issued similar findings at Harvard, Columbia and the University of California, Los Angeles. The government has used a deal with Columbia as a template for agreements with other universities.
The tent encampment at George Washington lasted about two weeks starting in April 2024 before it was cleared by police.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis picks state Sen. Jay Collins to be state's lieutenant governor
It's a closely watched appointment by the two-term governor, who can't run for reelection in 2026 and has been working to cement his legacy as his time leading the state winds down.
If Collins, an Army combat veteran and nonprofit executive, decides to launch a bid to succeed DeSantis, the move could tee up another proxy fight between the popular GOP governor and President Trump, who's already endorsed U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds for the job.
During a Tuesday news conference announcing his pick, DeSantis praised Collins for having strong conservative principles.
Collins was then sworn in minutes after the announcement.
The seat had been vacant since February, when then-lieutenant governor Jeanette Nuñez was appointed to lead one of the state's public universities.
▶ Read more about Florida's lieutenant governor
Trump will join virtual meeting on Ukraine organized by German Chancellor Friedrich Merz
That's according to a White House official.
The Europeans hope to use the Wednesday meeting to rally Trump to Ukraine's cause ahead of his Friday summit in Alaska with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Trump has disappointed allies in Europe by saying Ukraine will have to give up some Russian-held territory. He also said Russia must accept land swaps, although it was unclear what Putin might be expected to surrender.
Trump said Monday he's 'going to get everybody's ideas' before meeting with Putin.
DC mayor arrives for Justice Department meeting
Mayor Muriel Bowser was seen exiting a black SUV in the Justice Department courtyard and walking into the building ahead of her meeting with Attorney General Pam Bondi.
RFK Jr.'s formula to 'Make America Healthy Again' won't be made public — for now
The White House is holding off on publicly releasing the much-anticipated 'MAHA' strategy report that's supposed to provide a policy road map for making Americans healthier.
The policy recommendations are a follow up from the MAHA report released in May, which focused on ultraprocessed foods, prescription drugs, vaccines, screentime and pesticides.
The initial report had already divided some conservatives, with farmers concerned about its focus on pesticides and some from Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s coalition upset that the report didn't call for a ban on those chemicals.
White House spokesperson Kush Desai said in a statement that the report is 'on track' to be submitted to President Trump on Tuesday and will be unveiled to the public 'shortly thereafter.'
Attorney General Pam Bondi meeting with Washington officials after police takeover
The attorney general is expected to meet Tuesday with D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser a day after the president put the city's police force under federal control.
Metropolitan Police Chief Pamela Smith was also seen entering Justice Department headquarters ahead of the planned meeting.
Trump said Monday that Bondi would assume responsibility for the police department in the hopes of reducing crime, even as city officials stressed crime is already falling.
Trump threatens lawsuit against Federal Reserve Chair
Trump called Fed chair Jerome Powell a 'loser' Tuesday and demanded that he cut the central bank's short-term interest rate. Such rate reductions can, over time, reduce borrowing costs for mortgages, car loans, and business loans.
Trump also said he might allow a 'major lawsuit' to proceed against the Fed over the burgeoning cost of its massive renovation of two office buildings, currently expected to cost $2.5 billion, up from a previous estimate of $1.9 billion. It's not clear what lawsuit Trump was referring to.
Europe's sidelined leaders urge Trump to defend security interests at his summit with Putin
It was unclear whether even Ukraine will take part in the summit. Trump has said he wants to see whether Russian leader Vladimir Putin is serious about ending the war, now in its fourth year.
Trump has disappointed allies in Europe by saying Ukraine will have to give up some Russian-held territory. He also said Russia must accept land swaps, although it was unclear what Putin might be expected to surrender.
The Europeans and Ukraine are wary that Putin, who has waged the biggest land war in Europe since 1945 and used Russia's energy might to try to intimidate the EU, might secure favorable concessions and set the outlines of a peace deal without them.
▶ Read more about the war in Ukraine
Wall Street climbs toward records on expectations for a coming cut to interest rates
It comes after data suggested inflation across the country was a touch better last month than economists expected.
The S&P 500 rose 0.6% and was on track to top its all-time high set two weeks ago. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 251 points, or 0.6%, as of 9:35 a.m. Eastern time, while the Nasdaq composite was 0.7% higher and also heading toward a record.
Stocks got a lift from hopes that the better-than-expected inflation report will give the Federal Reserve more leeway to cut interest rates at its next meeting in September.
Lower rates would give a boost to investment prices and to the economy by making it cheaper for U.S. households and businesses to borrow to buy houses, cars or equipment. President Trump has angrily been calling for cuts to help the economy, often insulting the Fed's chair personally while doing so.
▶ Read more about the financial markets
Trump backs Burt Jones in Republican race for Georgia governor in 2026
It's a boost to the incumbent lieutenant governor's effort to set himself up as the 2026 frontrunner for the GOP nomination.
Trump announced the nod Monday, noting Jones was among the first Georgia Republicans to endorse Trump's first bid for the White House in 2016 and saying Jones 'worked tirelessly to help us win' in all three of Trump's bids.
'He has been with us from the very beginning,' Trump wrote on social media. 'I know his family well and have seen Burt tested at the most difficult levels and times.'
Republicans including Attorney General Chris Carr are vying with Jones to be their party's nominee to succeed Gov. Brian Kemp, who can't run again because of term limits. Other Republican candidates who could enter the race include Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger.
▶ Read more about the race for Georgia governor
Guard troops start streaming in
National Guard troops are beginning to arrive at the Washington, D.C., armory. They were seen arriving this morning at the Guard's headquarters in the city.
Trump said Monday that in hopes of reducing crime, he would be taking over Washington's police department and activating 800 members of the National Guard. The crime Trump talked about is the same crime that city officials stress is already falling noticeably.
Trump says recipients of Kennedy Center Honors will be revealed on Wednesday
The Republican president, who had himself installed as chairman of the Kennedy Center's board, said in a social media post that the to-be-named nominees are 'GREAT.'
'GREAT Nominees for the TRUMP/KENNEDY CENTER, whoops, I mean, KENNEDY CENTER, AWARDS,' Trump wrote in a social media post. 'They will be announced Wednesday.
'Tremendous work is being done, and money being spent, on bringing it back to the absolute TOP LEVEL of luxury, glamour, and entertainment,' he said, without offering details.
The Kennedy Center Honors program typically tapes in December for broadcast later in the month on CBS.
Trump spurned the performing arts center in his first term after some honorees refused to attend a traditional White House event recognizing their achievements to protest Trump's policies, including those toward the arts. He did not attend the taping of the awards program during those four years in office.
Trump's Tuesday schedule
There is nothing on the president's public schedule today. However, press secretary Karoline Leavitt will hold a briefing at 1 p.m. ET.
Trump's moves toward taking over Washington are unprecedented. Here's what the law says
Trump took command of the police department and deployed the National Guard under laws and Constitutional powers that give the federal government more sway over the nation's capital than other cities. The measure still leaves significant power to the president and Congress, though no president has exercised the police powers before.
Here's a look at what the law says about Trump's actions:
1. Trump activated the National Guard. The president can still call up the National Guard in Washington. His authority is less clear in Los Angeles, where a legal battle continues over his recent deployment of the National Guard despite the objections of Gov. Gavin Newsom.
2. Trump took over the local police. Section 740 of the Home Rule Act allows for the president to take over Washington's Metropolitan Police Department for 48 hours, with possible extensions to 30 days, during times of emergencies. No president has done so before.
3. Trump didn't specify how long the takeover would last. Congress still has power over things like the budget and laws passed by the city council, but would have to repeal the Home Rule Act to expand federal power in the district.
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The Herald Scotland
an hour ago
- The Herald Scotland
Trump takes aim at Washington DC's 'old, tired, exhausted' grass
"We're going to be redoing the parks, redoing the grass," Trump said on Aug. 13 as he named the latest slate of Kennedy Center honorees from Washington's John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. "You know, grass has a lifetime, like people have a lifetime. And the lifetime of this grass is long. It's been gone, when you look at the parks." Trump's push for a grass makeover comes as he's vowed not only to tackle crime in the nation's capital but to also make D.C. "so beautiful again." Echoing the language of his long career in real estate, Trump has talked about D.C. like he might a fixer-upper property. He wants graffiti painted over, litter picked up and - yes - grass replaced at parks. "The grass is old, tired, exhausted," Trump said. "We're going to be redoing the grass with the finest grasses. I know a lot about grass because I own a lot of golf courses. And if you don't have good grass, you're not in business very long." More: Seeing 'oceanfront property' in Ukraine, Trump's real estate history shapes his presidency Trump did not identify the parks he has in mind for grass replacement. Several of D.C.'s most recognizable parks, including the National Mall, are federal parks managed by the National Park Service. Others are local parks managed by DC's Department of Parks and Recreation. Washington DC is in the middle of a dry spell, making grass around town browner and barer than usual. For the past five years, Washington DC has been named the nation's best big-city park system by the nonprofit Trust for Public Land. More: President Trump says other US cities could be next as he deploys National Guard to DC Trump to ask Congress to extend police takeover beyond 30 days Trump on Aug. 11 took control of Washington DC's Metropolitan Police Department by declaring a "crime emergency" under the Home Rule Act of 1973, even as the city's violent crime has dropped by 26% this year. He also deployed 800 National Guard troops to DC, declaring he wants to rescue it from "crime, bloodshed, bedlam, squalor and worse." Under the Home Rule Act, however, Trump's federal takeover of the police department must end within 30 days unless he gets approval from Congress. Trump said he plans to submit crime-related legislation to Congress "very quickly" that will include extending the federalized police force in D.C. beyond 30 days. He said he expects unanimous Republican support for the measure. "We're going to be asking for extensions on that - long-term extensions - because you can't have (just) 30 days," he said. Reach Joey Garrison on X @joeygarrison.
The Herald Scotland
an hour ago
- The Herald Scotland
Homeless encampments removed on Trump's Kennedy Center route
Amber Harding, executive director of the Washington Legal Clinic for the Homeless, said officials cleared at least two tents on a patch of green space near the Kennedy Center as Trump spoke at the performing arts center. Members of the city's Department of Human Services pinned notices to at least nine other tents in the area, notifying residents that the camps would be broken down and closed if not removed by the following morning. George Morgan, a lifelong D.C. resident who has lived in the encampment for two months, said he's not sure where he will go. He won't go to a shelter because they wouldn't allow him to bring his American pit bull terrier. "I'm very concerned," said Morgan, a Trump supporter, about the president's takeover of the city's police force and his mobilization of the National Guard. "I try not to take offense." He said while he doesn't know where he will go, he's "hopeful God will make a way." Where are they being taken? Advocates for the city's homeless population say they're still unclear where the Trump administration expects people living outside to move. At an Aug. 12 news conference, White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt told reporters homeless people would be "given the option to leave their encampment, to be taken to a homeless shelter, to be offered addiction or mental-health services, and if they refuse, they will be susceptible to fines or to jail time." She said U.S. Park Police have removed 70 homeless encampments from federal parks since March and are set to clear the remaining two encampments in the city later this week. Andrew Wassenich, director of policy at Miriam's Kitchen, a local nonprofit that assists the homeless, said Trump's rhetoric and the notices being put on tents appear targeted at scaring homeless people to leave. "The more people who do that on their own, the easier for them," he said. So far, Wassenich said the clearing of encampments mirrors past efforts by city officials to move people away from high-traffic areas of the city. In 2023, officials removed a large site of tents at a park near the White House despite pushback from some local officials and homeless advocacy groups. "They're not solving the homeless problem. It's not going away," Wassenich added. "They're just moving it." 'Minimize the disruption' Over the weekend, the city's human services department added about 70 beds to homeless shelters to make room for an expected influx of residents, said Rachel Pierre, the agency's acting director. She said that the city's shelters were at capacity when the order took effect, but that additional room could be made. Wayne Turnage, the deputy mayor of the DC Department of Health and Human Services, said the number of homeless encampments in the city is way down from their pandemic levels. Turnage said about 100 people are living in encampments today - down from around 300 in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. But advocates said those numbers likely do not include all of the people living outside in D.C. The city counted 900 people living on the streets during a one-night survey in January. When the city conducts a cleanup or shuts down an encampment, they typically provide residents with a week's notice, Turnage said. But with the new federal order in place, they're telling residents that they should pack up now. "Our objective is to see that the encampments are closed in an orderly fashion and to extend homeless services to those who are impacted," Turnage said. "These people are human beings, they're not chess pieces. Their lives are being disrupted, so we have to make sure that we do as much as we can to minimize the disruption."
The Herald Scotland
an hour ago
- The Herald Scotland
Why Trump could take over DC police and deploy National Guard
Trump also has special authority to deploy the National Guard in DC, in contrast to governors traditionally overseeing mobilizations in their states. But the military is typically blocked from participating directly in law enforcement, which is why California filed a federal lawsuit against Trump's recent deployment of thousands of troops in Los Angeles. "DC as a federal enclave is fundamentally different than a state or a local government," Anthony Michael Kreis, a law professor at Georgia State University, told USA TODAY. Here's what to know about Trump's authority to bolster law enforcement in states and cities - and the limitations on that power: Trump becomes first to take over DC police under 1973 Home Rule Act The Constitution ratified in 1787 provided for a federal capital district to serve as the seat of government controlled by Congress, and DC was founded a few years later. In 1973, Congress approved the Home Rule Act that gave the city a mayor and city council. But Congress kept control over the city's spending and the ability to overturn DC laws, as happened in 2023 when the council tried to reduce penalties for some crimes. A provision in DC law allows the president to take control of the Metropolitan Police Force temporarily during an emergency. "I think Washington DC is the only city where the president can do that," Tom Manger, the former chief of Capitol police and departments in the DC suburbs of Montgomery County in Maryland and Fairfax County in Virginia, told USA TODAY. Trump invoked the provision for the first time Aug. 11 aiming to rid the city of what he called "crime, bloodshed, bedlam and squalor and worse." He said the city was overrun with "violent gangs and bloodthirsty criminals," despite a declining crime rate. Trump had to notify the leaders of congressional committees overseeing DC in order for him to keep control of the police for 30 days. A longer extension would require authorization by lawmakers. Trump told reporters Aug. 13 that he would ask Congress to "long-term extensions" for him to remain control of the DC police, which he expected to be approved "pretty much unanimously." But he said he could call a national emergency if needed. "We're going to be essentially crime free," Trump said. "This is going to be a beacon." Trump declared the initial emergency despite DC reporting a 35% drop in violent crime from 2023 to 2024, and a 26% drop in crime so far in 2025. Kreis said "a lot of people would contest" the declaration of an emergency, but the challenge would be difficult to litigate. "You almost by default have to defer to the president's judgment on this, no matter who the president is," Kreis said. Taking away DC home rule would require change in federal law Trump is unlikely to be able to take control of the entire DC government because that would require a change in federal law. The legislation could be blocked by filibuster in the Senate, which requires 60 votes to overcome in a chamber with 53 of Trump's fellow Republicans and 47 members of the Democratic caucus. Trump threatened to expand the deployment of the National Guard to help fight crime in other states and cities. He specifically cited New York, Chicago and other cities as targets for more troops. "We're not going to lose our cities over this. This will go further. We're starting very strongly with DC," Trump said. "We're going to take back our capital," Trump added. "And then we'll look at other cities also. But other cities and states aren't part of the federal government, so experts say he could not directly take over their police or local governments."The federal government does not have the authority to commandeer state and local officials against their will to do (its) bidding," Kreis said. "He just fundamentally cannot do that as a federalism matter." DC Mayor Muriel Bowser called Trump's takeover of the police force "unsettling and unprecedented" but didn't challenge it in court. "It's times like these when America needs to know that DC should be the 51st state," Bowser said in a social media post Aug. 12. Trump leads DC National Guard as commander in chief Trump didn't need any additional authority Aug. 11 to assign 800 National Guard troops to bolster crime fighting in DC because as commander in chief he oversees the Guard in the federal city. Joseph Nunn, national security counsel at New York University's Brennan Center for Justice, said presidents can deploy the National Guard where they want, but the troops are prevented from directly participating in law enforcement such as making arrests under a law called the 1878 Posse Comitatus Act. This is why California National Guard troops in Los Angeles were described as protecting federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents and buildings rather than helping arrest undocumented immigrants. "He can put those troops wherever he wants to put them, but they will be constrained by the Posse Comitatus Act," Nunn told USA TODAY. National Guard deployments have been routine Before Trump's latest directives, National Guard deployments were routine in DC and elsewhere for purposes other than law enforcement. For example, after the Capitol attack Jan. 6, 2021, Congress gave Manger the authority to request reinforcements from the National Guard on his own as chief of Capitol police, as opposed to having requests come from a three-member board. Manger said he appreciated the extra staffing to protect the Capitol or help with traffic during protests, such as when he set up dozens of traffic posts to keep vehicles moving during a protest by truckers against COVID-19 mandates. "The National Guard is terrific," Manger said. Local authorities also often coordinate with federal law enforcement such as the FBI to fight organized crime or the Drug Enforcement Administration to combat drug trafficking. "There's a symbiotic relationship between federal and local police across the country," Chuck Wexler, executive director of the Police Executive Research Forum think tank, told USA TODAY. "What happened in Washington is distinctly different from what happens in pretty much any city in the country." Wexler added that the National Guard has a role to play, but troops are traditionally use "sparingly." The military "will never be a replacement for local police," Wexler said. "No police chief I know would ever put the National Guard in a position where they're making an arrest or their dealing directly with a volatile crowd. They have to be used strategically." But Manger was uncertain how Trump would move homeless people out of the capital. "I'm not aware of any other cities or towns around the country that are clamoring for homeless," Manger said. "Where is he going to put them?" Richard Stengel, a former undersecretary of state during the Obama administration, warned against the use of military to bolster law enforcement at a time when violent crime in DC is at a 30-year low. "Throughout history, autocrats use a false pretext to impose government control over local law enforcement as a prelude to a more national takeover," Stengel said in a social media post Aug. 11. "That's far more dangerous than the situation he says he is fixing." Trump bolsters immigration enforcement with National Guard The Pentagon announced on July 25 that 1,700 National Guard personnel - 1,200 already deployed plus 500 additional troops - will work on "case management, transportation and logistical support, and clerical support for the in- and out-processing" of ICE arrests. The troops were sent to more than a dozen cities. The duties of some will also include taking DNA swabs, photographs and fingerprints of people held at ICE facilities, according to a defense official speaking on condition of anonymity. California fights Trump's use of National Guard for law enforcement A landmark federal trial began Aug. 11 in San Francisco challenging Trump's deployment of 4,000 National Guard troops and 700 active-duty Marines to support deportations and quell immigration protests in Los Angeles. U.S. District Judge Charles Breyer in San Francisco will determine if the government violated the Posse Comitatus Act. California sued the Trump administration by arguing the deployment violated federal law and state sovereignty. But a federal appeals court allowed Trump to retain control of California's National Guard during the legal fight. California Gov. Gavin Newsom seeks a ruling that would return its National Guard troops to state control and a declaration that Trump's action was illegal. What is the Insurrection Act? One option for Trump to get around the prohibition on troops conducting law enforcement would be to invoke the 1807 Insurrection Act, which aimed to suppress armed rebellion or insurrection. Despite the harsh terms, president have invoked the law throughout the country's history. Former President George H.W. Bush was the last to invoke the law in 1992, when he deployed the National Guard in Los Angeles in response to rioting after the acquittal of four white police officers charged with beating a Black motorist, Rodney King. Trump threatened repeatedly after Black Lives Matter protests in 2020 to invoke the Insurrection Act but hasn't done so recently. Legal experts said any challenge to Trump invoking that law would turn on similar semantics defining whether the emergency or rebellion justified taking over the DC police or deploying National Guard troops in other cities. "I think it would be naive to suggest that the president would not try or could not try to stretch the definitions of insurrection or rebellion beyond their common political usage to suit his political needs," Kreis said. "The law might say one thing but its ability to be stretched and molded into a political weapon for the president's benefit is not really purely speculative." Contributing: Cybele Mayes-Osterman and Reuters
