logo
Why did Trump deploy the National Guard in Washington, DC?

Why did Trump deploy the National Guard in Washington, DC?

Al Jazeera14 hours ago
Hundreds of National Guard troops and federal agents are now on the streets of Washington, DC. United States President Donald Trump says it is to fight 'out-of-control' crime, even as city data shows crime has been falling. What impact does this unprecedented federal takeover have on DC's residents and democracy?
In this episode:
Keya Chaterjee (@freedcproject), executive director, Free DC
Episode credits:
This episode was produced by Chloe K Li, Sonia Bhagat and Julia Muldavin, with Phillip Lanos, Spencer Cline, Melanie Marich, Marcos Bartolomé, Amy Walters and host Malika Bilal. It was edited by Kylene Kiang and Sarí el-Khalili.
Our sound designer is Alex Roldan. Our video editors are Hisham Abu Salah and Mohannad Al-Melhem. Alexandra Locke is The Take's executive producer. Ney Alvarez is Al Jazeera's head of audio.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

US-led mediators ‘appalled' by humanitarian crisis in war-torn Sudan
US-led mediators ‘appalled' by humanitarian crisis in war-torn Sudan

Al Jazeera

time19 minutes ago

  • Al Jazeera

US-led mediators ‘appalled' by humanitarian crisis in war-torn Sudan

United States-led mediators have said they are 'appalled' by the continuously deteriorating humanitarian situation in Sudan, where a brutal civil war is raging into its third year, and called for urgent action by the warring parties to protect civilians. The mediators, known as the Aligned for Advancing Lifesaving and Peace in Sudan (ALPS) Group, include the US, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, among others. 'The ALPS group urgently reiterates that international humanitarian law must be fully respected. This includes the obligations to protect civilians, including humanitarian personnel, their premises and assets, as well as to allow and facilitate rapid and unimpeded humanitarian access to all those in need,' the ALPS Group said in a statement on Wednesday. The group said it was also appalled by 'the growing number of people in situations of severe malnutrition and famine, and by the wide range of access impediments that are delaying or blocking the response in key areas'. It added that the situation was especially urgent in the North Darfur and Kordofan regions. 'Civilians continue to pay the highest price for this war,' it said. Sudan has been ravaged by violence and hunger since the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) went to war in April 2023. The country in effect is split in two, with the army controlling the north, east and centre of Sudan and the RSF dominating nearly all of Darfur and parts of the south. Nearly 25 million people in Sudan face dire hunger, with millions cut off from lifesaving aid, according to the United Nations. The UAE has been accused of championing the RSF, including by sending weapons, something it strongly denies. The plea for Sudan comes as the US faces global criticism for its support of Israel in the genocidal war on Gaza, which is also facing an Israeli-induced famine.

Trump calls on Fed Gov Cook to resign over mortgage allegations
Trump calls on Fed Gov Cook to resign over mortgage allegations

Al Jazeera

timean hour ago

  • Al Jazeera

Trump calls on Fed Gov Cook to resign over mortgage allegations

United States President Donald Trump has called on Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook to resign, intensifying his effort to gain influence over the central bank on the basis of allegations made by one of his allies about mortgages Cook holds in Michigan and Georgia. US Federal Housing Finance Agency Director Bill Pulte alleged in a post on X earlier on Wednesday that Cook had designated a condo in Atlanta as her primary residence after taking a loan on her home in Michigan, which she also declared as a primary residence. Loans for a primary residence can carry easier terms than for second homes or investment properties. Pulte said the loans date to mid-2021, before Cook was appointed to the Fed by former President Joe Biden and confirmed by the Senate the following year. She is a native of Georgia and, at the time, was an economics professor at Michigan State University. Pulte asked Attorney General Pam Bondi to investigate, and Trump quickly amplified the allegation. The Department of Justice was taking the matter very seriously, a department official told Reuters. 'We're also probing some property that she has in Massachusetts to see if there's something there. But I don't have anything yet on that,' Pulte said in an interview on CNBC. Cook's federally filed financial disclosure documents show three mortgages taken out in 2021, including a 15-year 2.5 percent loan on an investment property and two loans for personal residences, including a 30-year 3.25 percent mortgage and a 15-year 2.875 percent mortgage. The weekly average rate for 30-year loans during 2021 ranged between 2.9 percent and 3.3 percent, Mortgage Bankers Association data shows. Cook started at the Fed in 2022 and was reappointed to a 14-year term in 2023. Spokespersons for the Fed and for Cook did not immediately respond to a request for comment. 'Cook must resign, now!!!' Trump wrote in a post on his social media platform, his latest remarks aimed at reshaping the makeup of the US central bank, a body designed to set benchmark interest rates independent of White House influence. Trump has told aides he is considering attempting to fire Cook, according to the Wall Street Journal, which cited a senior White House official and another person familiar with the matter. White House at odds with the central bank Cook is one of three Biden appointees to the Fed whose term extends beyond Trump's time in office, complicating the president's efforts to get more control by appointing a majority of its seven-member board. Currently, two of the Fed's remaining six board members were appointed by Trump: Governor Christopher Waller and Vice Chair for Supervision Michelle Bowman. Trump has repeatedly blasted Fed Chair Jerome Powell over benchmark rates that he wants sharply reduced, calling for his resignation while acknowledging that the Fed's unique status in US governance prevents him from firing Fed board members over monetary policy disputes. Trump can name a new chair when Powell's term ends in May, but claiming a majority on the board may take more time. Powell could continue serving as a governor until 2028, near the end of Trump's term, should he buck convention and continue sitting on the board under a new chair. Until Powell's departure, Trump at this point has only one other seat to fill, vacated recently by the surprise resignation of former Governor Adriana Kugler. Earlier this month, Trump nominated Council of Economic Advisers Chairman Stephen Miran to serve out the rest of her term.

Most Americans support international recognition of Palestine: Poll
Most Americans support international recognition of Palestine: Poll

Al Jazeera

timean hour ago

  • Al Jazeera

Most Americans support international recognition of Palestine: Poll

Washington, DC – Most Americans believe that all countries should recognise Palestine as a state, a new Reuters/Ipsos poll suggests, as public support for Israel in the United States continues to plunge amid the atrocities in Gaza. A majority of respondents – 59 percent – also said that Israel's military response in Gaza has been excessive. The survey, released on Wednesday, quizzed 4,446 US adults between August 13 and 16. Fifty-eight percent of respondents agreed with the statement that 'Palestine should be recognised as a country by all UN members'. The number rose to 78 percent amongst Democrats, compared to 41 percent of Republicans. Strikingly, fewer Democratic respondents, 77 percent, agreed that 'Israel should be recognised as a country by all UN members'. The study comes as global outrage grows against Israel's campaign of destruction, starvation and displacement in Gaza, which leading rights groups have labelled as a genocide. Several US allies, including France, the United Kingdom and Canada, have said that they intend to recognise Palestine as a state at the United Nations General Assembly next month. The administration of US President Donald Trump has rejected international efforts to recognise a Palestinian state and dismissed the moves as meaningless. The overwhelming majority of countries already recognise Palestine. It remains to be seen how further recognition by Western countries would impact Israel's ongoing war in Gaza and the expansion of illegal settlements in the occupied West Bank – the two territories that would form a Palestinian state. Rights advocates have been calling on the international community to impose tangible consequences on Israel for abuses against Palestinians, including sanctions and an arms embargo. Despite protests by European countries, Israel is pushing on with a campaign to seize Gaza City, an assault that risks displacing tens of thousands of people and destroying what remains of the area that was once the largest city in Palestine. In the West Bank, Israel continues to step up military and settler attacks while building more settlements in violation of international law. Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich celebrated a newly announced plan for 3,400 illegal Israeli housing units between occupied East Jerusalem and Palestinian communities in the West Bank as an effort to eliminate the possibility of a Palestinian state. 'The Palestinian state is being erased from the table not by slogans but by deeds,' Smotrich said, according to the Times of Israel. 'Every settlement, every neighbourhood, every housing unit is another nail in the coffin of this dangerous idea.' Last year, the International Court of Justice ruled that Israel's presence in the occupied Palestinian territories – Gaza and the West Bank, including East Jerusalem – is unlawful and should come to an end 'as rapidly as possible'. The Fourth Geneva Convention, to which Israel is a signatory, prohibits the occupying power from transferring 'parts of its own civilian population into the territory it occupies'. Successive US administrations have verbally supported the two-state solution, while continuing to provide Israel with billions of dollars in military aid as it further entrenches its occupation of the Palestinian territories. Trump – a staunch supporter of Israel – has broken with traditional policy, refusing to explicitly back the two-state solution or criticise settlement expansion. Still, US public opinion has continued to turn against Israel. In a YouGov poll released on Tuesday, 43 percent of US respondents said they believe Israel is committing genocide in Gaza, compared to 28 percent who disagreed with the statement.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store