Trump's D.C. takeover met with confusion and 2 dead in steel factory explosion: Morning Rundown

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Donald Trump said National Guard troops will be deployed to Washington, D.C., and Pam Bondi will "take command" of local police. Two people died in an explosion at a Pennsylvania steel factory. And how FEMA flood risk maps concerning Texas's Camp Mystic were edited over several years.
Here's what to know today.
Trump's Washington, D.C., takeover met with confusion
National Guard troops are expected to be on the ground in Washington, D.C., starting today after President Donald Trump claimed the nation's capital was "one of the most dangerous cities anywhere in the World" and announced a plan to deploy hundreds of troops to the city. One hundred to 200 troops out of the 800 activated "will be supporting law enforcement" at any given time, Army Public Affairs confirmed. In yesterday's announcement, Trump also declared a public safety emergency in D.C. and said Attorney General Pam Bondi will "take command of the Metropolitan Police Department as of this moment."
Trump portrayed D.C. as a hellscape and ticked off recent violent incidents, including the fatal shooting of a congressional intern and the attempted carjacking of a DOGE staffer, as examples to back up his claim.
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According to the D.C. Home Rule Act, Trump has to notify certain members of Congress within 48 hours about the reason for his taking control of the police and the estimated timeline for federal control. He also can't take control of the D.C. police for more than 30 days, unless Congress authorizes an extension.
Trump's unprecedented decision was met with skepticism by police and military experts who point out that crime is at its lowest level in decades and question how efficient it is for federal law enforcement to address local crime. "To just flood the streets of D.C. with law enforcement" and "taking over D.C. local police, it seems like a half-baked idea looking for a problem," said Donell Harvin, a former homeland security and intelligence chief for Washington, D.C.
Already, as many as 120 FBI agents worked shifts with the Metropolitan Police Department last weekend, but a senior law enforcement official said the effort was chaotic and the agents were confused about their exact role on the streets and who they reported to at any given time. And the National Guard does not have arresting powers, so there will be a limit to how involved they can be in fighting crime.
"It's a big photo op," said Daniel Hodges, one of the Metropolitan Police Department officers who were brutalized during the Jan. 6 riot. "It's not going to change anything."
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Inflation report may show consumer prices rising
The monthly Consumer Price Index report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics is expected to show the rate of inflation increased last month, a potential indication of how Trump's tariffs are weighing on consumers. It is also important to watch how the president reacts to the key report, which comes after he fired former BLS commissioner Erika McEntarfer over a weaker-than-expected July jobs report that he claimed was "rigged." Trump announced yesterday that he plans to nominate E.J. Antoni, the chief economist at the conservative Heritage Foundation and a contributor to the Project 2025 rubric, to replace McEntarfer.
If the report hints at Trump's tariffs strategy disrupting the economy, it would be at odds with his assertion that trade duties are making the U.S. "strong and rich." For now, debate is ongoing about who actually ends up footing the cost of import taxes. Analysts with Goldman Sachs estimate consumers paid approximately 22% of tariff costs through June, and that figure could rise to 67% by year's end. Read the full story here.
Two killed in Pennsylvania steel factory explosion
Investigators are working to determine the origin and cause of an explosion at a steel factory in the Pittsburgh area that killed two people and injured at least 10. The blast ignited yesterday just before 11 a.m. local time between two batteries at Clairton Coke Works, which produces commercial coke, a type of fuel used in steel production.
The second victim, whose death was confirmed yesterday evening by Allegheny County officials, had previously been unaccounted for. Five people were in critical but stable condition as of last night, officials said, and five others were taken to the hospital and were treated and released. Here's what else we know about the incident.
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In the weeks since a devastating flood hit Central Texas, questions have swirled about local leadership, emergency notifications, and federal staffing. Science reporter Evan Bush's latest report delves into another factor in how the floods devastated properties along the Guadalupe River: flood maps.
From 2013 to 2020, Camp Mystic asked FEMA to redesignate the flood risk for 65 of its buildings — more buildings than previously known — changing the risk designations of decades-old buildings and their new construction from "high" to "moderate" or "low" on paper. NBC News' review of documents revealed the ease with which Camp Mystic was able to make the changes and showed how widely flood maps can vary for a place like Camp Mystic, depending on who draws them. As the state and nation grapple with the floods' toll, this story spotlights an issue that's relevant beyond Texas. — Elizabeth Robinson, newsletter editor
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