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Los Angeles Times
an hour ago
- Los Angeles Times
Black mayors of cities Trump decries as ‘lawless' tout significant declines in violent crimes
As President Trump declared Washington, D.C., a crime-ridden wasteland in need of federal intervention last week and threatened similar actions in other Black-led cities, several mayors compared notes. The president's characterization of their cities contradicts what they began noticing last year: that they were seeing a drop in violent crime after a pandemic-era spike. In some cases the declines were monumental, due in large part to more youth engagement, gun buyback programs and community partnerships. Now members of the African American Mayors Assn. are determined to stop Trump from burying accomplishments that they already believed were overlooked. And they're using the administration's unprecedented law enforcement takeover in the nation's capital as an opportunity to disprove his narrative about some of the country's greatest urban enclaves. 'It gives us an opportunity to say we need to amplify our voices to confront the rhetoric that crime is just running rampant around major U.S. cities. It's just not true,' said Van Johnson, mayor of Savannah, Ga., and president of the African American Mayors Assn. 'It's not supported by any evidence or statistics whatsoever.' Trump has deployed the first of 800 National Guard members to the nation's capital, and at his request, the Republican governors of three states pledged hundreds more Saturday. West Virginia said it was sending 300 to 400 Guard troops, South Carolina pledged 200, and Ohio said it would send 150 in the coming days, marking a significant escalation of the federal intervention. Beyond Washington, the Republican president is setting his sights on other cities including Baltimore, Chicago, Los Angeles and Oakland, calling them crime-ridden and 'horribly run.' One thing they all have in common: They're led by Black mayors. 'It was not lost on any member of our organization that the mayors either were Black or perceived to be Democrats,' Johnson said. 'And that's unfortunate. For mayors, we play with whoever's on the field.' The federal government's actions have heightened some of the mayors' desires to champion the strategies used to help make their cities safer. Trump argued that federal law enforcement had to step in after a prominent employee of his White House advisory team known as the Department of Government Efficiency was attacked in an attempted carjacking. He also pointed to homeless encampments, graffiti and potholes as evidence of Washington 'getting worse.' But statistics published by Washington's Metropolitan Police contradict the president and show violent crime has dropped there since a post-pandemic-emergency peak in 2023. Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson scoffed at Trump's remarks, hailing the city's 'historic progress driving down homicides by more than 30% and shootings by almost 40% in the last year alone.' Mayor Karen Bass of Los Angeles, where homicides fell 14% from 2023 to 2024, called the federal takeover in District of Columbia a performative 'power grab.' In Baltimore, officials say they have seen historic decreases in homicides and nonfatal shootings this year, and those have been on the decline since 2022, according to the city's public safety data dashboard. Carjackings were down 20% in 2023, and other major crimes fell in 2024. Only burglaries have climbed slightly. The lower crime rates are attributed to tackling violence with a 'public health' approach, city officials say. In 2021, under Mayor Brandon Scott, Baltimore created a Comprehensive Violence Prevention Plan that called for more investment in community violence intervention, more services for crime victims and other initiatives. Scott accused Trump of exploiting crime as a 'wedge issue and dog whistle' rather than caring about curbing violence. 'He has actively undermined efforts that are making a difference saving lives in cities across the country in favor of militarized policing of Black communities,' Scott said via email. The Democratic mayor pointed out that the Justice Department has slashed more than $1 million in funding this year that would have gone toward community anti-violence measures. He vowed to keep on making headway regardless. 'We will continue to closely work with our regional federal law enforcement agencies, who have been great partners, and will do everything in our power to continue the progress despite the roadblocks this administration attempts to implement,' Scott said. Oakland officials this month touted significant decreases in crime in the first half of this year compared with the same period in 2024, including a 21% drop in homicides and a 29% decrease in all violent crime, according to the midyear report by the Major Cities Chiefs Assn. Officials credited collaborations with community organizations and crisis response services through the city's Department of Violence Prevention, established in 2017. 'These results show that we're on the right track,' Mayor Barbara Lee said at a news conference. 'We're going to keep building on this progress with the same comprehensive approach that got us here.' After the president gave his assessment of Oakland last week, Lee, a steadfast Trump antagonist during her years in Congress, rejected it as 'fearmongering.' Social justice advocates agree that crime has gone down and say Trump is perpetuating exaggerated perceptions that have long plagued Oakland. Nicole Lee, executive director of Urban Peace Movement, an Oakland-based organization that focuses on empowering communities of color and young people through initiatives such as leadership training and assistance to victims of gun violence, said much credit for the gains on lower crime rates is due to community groups. 'We really want to acknowledge all of the hard work that our network of community partners and community organizations have been doing over the past couple of years coming out of the pandemic to really create real community safety,' Lee said. 'The things we are doing are working.' She worries that an intervention by military troops would undermine that progress. 'It creates kind of an environment of fear in our community,' she said. In Washington, agents from multiple federal agencies, National Guard members and even the United States Park Police have been seen performing law enforcement duties including patrolling the National Mall and questioning people parked illegally. Pentagon Press Secretary Kingsley Wilson said the National Guard troops will not be armed, but he declined to elaborate on their assignments to safety patrols and beautification efforts. Savannah's Johnson said he is all for partnering with the federal government, but troops on city streets is not what he envisioned. Instead, he said, cities need federal assistance for things like multistate investigation and fighting problems such as gun trafficking and cybercrime. 'I'm a former law enforcement officer. There is a different skill set that is used for municipal law enforcement agencies than the military,' Johnson said. There has also been speculation that federal intervention could entail curfews for young people. But that would do more harm, Lee said, disproportionately affecting young people of color and wrongfully assuming that youths are the main instigators of violence. 'If you're a young person, basically you can be cited, criminalized, simply for being outside after certain hours,' she said. 'Not only does that not solve anything in regard to violence and crime, it puts young people in the crosshairs of the criminal justice system.' For now, Johnson said, the mayors are closely watching their counterpart in Washington, Muriel Bowser, to see how she navigates the unprecedented federal intervention. She has been walking a fine line between critiquing and cooperating since Trump's takeover, but things ramped up Friday when officials sued to block the administration's naming its Drug Enforcement Administration chief as an 'emergency' head of the police force. The administration soon backed away from that move. Johnson praised Bowser for carrying on with dignity and grace. 'Black mayors are resilient. We are intrinsically children of struggle,' Johnson said. 'We learn to adapt quickly, and I believe that we will and we are.' Tang writes for the Associated Press.
Business Insider
an hour ago
- Business Insider
Nvidia and AMD Stocks Face Fresh Risk as Democrats Oppose Trump's China Chip Deal
Top Senate Democrats are urging President Trump to rethink his plan that allows artificial intelligence chip sales to China. In an open letter, they warned that the deal could contradict U.S. national security goals. The policy gives chip makers Nvidia (NVDA) and Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) the right to sell advanced AI chips to China if they share 15% of sales revenue with the U.S. Elevate Your Investing Strategy: Take advantage of TipRanks Premium at 50% off! Unlock powerful investing tools, advanced data, and expert analyst insights to help you invest with confidence. The Senators said that any move which gives China more access to high-grade chips could strengthen its AI sector. They pointed out that such an outcome could hurt U.S. defense and tech goals. Therefore, they urged Trump to pause and weigh the risks before moving forward. The letter reflects rising concern in Washington about the role of AI chips in both global trade and military use. What It Could Mean for the Companies and Investors For investors, the core issue is whether this letter leads to a policy shift. If Trump does not change course, the deal stands, and both Nvidia and AMD keep access to China, the largest global chip market. However, if Trump rethinks the move and imposes new curbs, the financial hit could be sharp. Nvidia earns most of its revenue from selling chips designed for data centers, particularly those used in AI. China has been a major market for these products, accounting for nearly a quarter of Nvidia's revenue even after earlier trade restrictions. If new rules cut off those sales, the company could lose billions in annual revenue. Such a setback could weigh heavily on Nvidia's growth outlook and its share price. As for AMD, it has a smaller share of the AI chip space, but its plans depend on growth in this market. If it loses China sales, the company may fall short of its targets for data center gains. In turn, this could slow its race with Nvidia and limit returns for investors who are betting on strong AI growth. As a result, the open letter marks a sign of ongoing tension that could hit chip makers in real ways. While the outcome of the policy fight is not set, the risk for both Nvidia and AMD is that a large source of demand may shrink at a time when growth in AI is key to their value story. By using TipRanks' Comparison Tool, we've compared Nvidia and AMD to gain a broader look at both companies' financials and overall sentiment.
New York Post
2 hours ago
- New York Post
DC police allegedly downplay violent crimes to make stats look more favorable: ‘Completely agree' with Trump
The Metropolitan Police Department in Washington, DC, is facing accusations it routinely manipulates statistics on crimes such as stabbings, shootings and carjackings to create the appearance that violent offenses are dropping. At least one high-ranking officer has been suspended so far over the disturbing allegations, which the DC Police Union has said effectively reflect standard operating procedure. Michael Pulliam, police commander of the DC's 3rd District, was put on paid leave in mid-May, allegedly for manipulating local crime statistics to make them appear more favorable. 'When our members respond to the scene of a felony offense where there is a victim reporting that a felony occurred, inevitably there will be a lieutenant or a captain that will show up on that scene and direct those members to take a report for a lesser offense,' DC Police Union Chairman Gregg Pemberton told NBC Washington last month. 'So instead of taking a report for a shooting or a stabbing or a carjacking, they will order that officer to take a report for a theft or an injured person to the hospital or a felony assault, which is not the same type of classification.' The department confirmed to the outlet that Michael Pulliam, commander of the city's 3rd District, was put on paid leave in mid-May — and unnamed law enforcement sources said he was being investigated internally for making questionable changes to crime data. Pulliam allegedly falsified violent crime statistics to make them appear more favorable for the city, an accusation he denies. President Trump last week invoked section 740 of DC's Home Rule Act to place the capital's police force under federal control for 30 days, citing an out-of-control rise in violent crime, particularly among youthful offenders. President Trump evoked a section of Washington, DC's, Home Rule Act to put law enforcement authorities under federal control in the district for 30 days and has deployed 700 National Guard troops. AP 'Our capital city has been overtaken by violent gangs and bloodthirsty criminals, roving mobs of wild youth, drugged-out maniacs and homeless people,' Trump said Monday. 'And we're not going to let it happen anymore. We're not going to take it.' Trump said the crime crackdown — which he dubbed 'Liberation Day' for DC — would include the deployment of 700 National Guard members, with an additional 750 coming from GOP-led South Carolina, Ohio and West Virginia in the days to come. The move provoked swift condemnation from liberals, who rushed to left-leaning news outlets such as CNN and MSNBC to accuse the president of everything from 'federal overreach' to 'a power grab' to using the federal takeover as a ploy to get late powerful pedophile Jeffrey Epstein out of the headlines. Prominent Democrats including House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York City and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton took to social media to parrot the MPD's crime stats, which have been thrown into question pending the results of the Pulliam investigation. 'Violent crime in Washington, DD, is at a 30-year low,' Jeffries said Monday. 'Donald Trump has no basis to take over the local police department. And zero credibility on the issue of law and order. Get lost.' Clinton posted on X last week, 'As you listen to an unhinged Trump try to justify deploying the National Guard in DC, here's reality: Violent crime in DC is at a 30-year low.' The District of Columbia has the fourth-highest murder rate per capita in the US, according to a February report by Rochester Institute of Technology, seeing 265 murders — a 20-year high — in 2023 and 186 in 2024. Even with the 30.7% drop in homicides between 2023 and 2024 as recorded by the MPD, DC remained the fourth worst US city for murders per capita, edging out well-known homicide hot spots like Compton, California; Newark, New Jersey and even Chicago. In announcing the crackdown, President Trump noted that DC's murder rate even eclipses those of crime-challenged Mexico City and Bogota, Colombia. The MPD's data also asserts that violent crime in DC dropped 35% across the board between 2023 (5,345 reported incidents) and 2024 (3,469 incidents). Pemberton said during an interview on Fox Business that the police union 'completely agree[s]' with Trump's decision to federalize the city's police force. 'Crime in the district is out of control and something needs to be done about it. This concept that crime is down is really an old trope,' he said. 'They're using statistics in a way that makes it appear that crime is going down, but our rank-and-file officers know that we're going call to call to call for armed carjackings, stabbings, robberies, shootings, homicides and the crime isn't going anywhere.' The Post reached out to the union Sunday but did not immediately hear back.
