Trump's DC takeover

The Hill

4 days ago

Happy Tuesday. TS12 is coming!!!! Taylor Swift announced at 12:12 a.m. that she will be dropping a new album, 'The Life of a Showgirl.' Keep scrolling for more on this announcement.
In today's issue:
Trump is taking over DC
How Trump uses military for domestic policies
July inflation remains steady
Trump teases renaming Kennedy Center
Taylor Swift to unveil album on a podcast
Breaking down Trump's D.C. takeover:
President Trump took the extraordinary step Monday of seizing control of the Washington, D.C., police department and deploying 800 federal National Guard troops to combat crime, putting the city on edge.
🔷 The administration's argument: Trump said this is an attempt to 'rescue' D.C. from 'bloodshed, bedlam and squalor.'
The stats the White House wants to emphasize: White House officials handed out a pamphlet to reporters showing the crime rate: It shows the District's murder rate as higher than Delhi, India; Bogotá, Colombia; and London . There were 187 homicides last year, which is higher than the years immediately preceding the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic.
♦ ️ The argument against the D.C. takeover: That crime rates are actually falling. Critics are concerned about Trump's expanding militarization in domestic cities.
The stats critics want you to see: Police statistics show crime rates in the District have dropped significantly over the past two years. Violent crime is down 26 percent from last year. Plus, 2024 saw a 32 percent drop in homicides and a 35 percent drop in overall violent crime compared to 2023.
District of Columbia Mayor Muriel Bowser (D) was critical of Trump's Washington takeover during a press conference Monday and said she was not given a heads up about the president's full plan. (Though she was fairly guarded in her criticism.)
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) slammed Trump's move as a 'political ploy and attempted distraction from Trump's other scandals.' Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.) called Trump 'an incoherent wannabe dictator.' Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) described it as a 'gross abuse of power that reeks of authoritarianism.' And California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) accused Trump of '[gaslighting] his way into militarizing any city he wants in America.'
This plan worries advocates for homeless people: ABC News reports on what this means for homeless people in the District of Columbia.
🗨️ Follow today's live blog
➤ TRUMP ALSO RAILED ON CASHLESS BAIL:
It's a policy that allows defendants to be released with the promise they will return for trial, but without cash bail. This policy has been adopted in some form by places like Illinois, New York and the District.
The argument is that it creates more fairness and equity in the justice system. Read more: Cashless bail explainer
➤ STEPPING BACK:
The New York Times's Eric Schmitt and Helene Cooper argue Trump's D.C. takeover is 'the latest example of how the president has used the military to advance domestic policy priorities.'
The southern border: 'Already this year, Mr. Trump has deployed some 10,000 active-duty troops to the southwest U.S. border to choke off the flow of drugs as well as migrants.'
And in Los Angeles: Trump deployed '4,700 National Guard troops and Marines to Los Angeles to help quell protests that had erupted over immigration raids and to protect the federal agents conducting them.'
Latin drug cartels: 'Trump last month secretly signed a directive to the Pentagon to begin using military force against certain Latin American drug cartels that his administration has deemed terrorist organizations.'
➤ RELATED READS:
The Washington Post: Trump had a playbook for taking more control in D.C. The question was when.
The Wall Street Journal: How Trump Is Expanding the Role of the American Military on U.S. Soil
The Atlantic: Trump Is Right That D.C. Has a Serious Crime Problem: But he has the wrong answer for how to fix it.
📰 ON CAPITOL HILL
What is raising eyebrows:
'Two major chipmakers in the U.S., Nvidia and AMD, have struck an unusual agreement to provide the federal government some of their revenue from chip sales to China — a deal that experts say raises constitutional questions and may set a concerning new precedent,' reports The Hill's Julia Shapero.
'The two firms have agreed to share 15 percent of the revenue generated from selling advanced artificial intelligence (AI) chips to China in order to secure export licenses after a months-long pause, a U.S. official confirmed to The Hill on Monday.'
Inflation keeps on trucking along:
'Consumer prices rose 0.2 percent in July, according to data released Tuesday by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), as the economy braces for the full imposition of President Trump's tariffs,' reports The Hill's Sylvan Lane.
The numbers: Prices rose 0.2 percent in July and 2.7 percent over the past year. 'But core inflation — which strips out volatile food and energy prices — came in at 0.3 percent higher over the past month and rose 3.1 percent over the past year.'
Breaking it down: 'The latest reading of the consumer price index (CPI) showed monthly and annual inflation plateauing as declining gasoline prices wiped out increases in the costs of medical care, airfares, household furnishings and a wide range of other goods and services.'
➤ QUICK HITS:
🎭 Trump floats a Kennedy Center rename: Trump teased a name change to the Kennedy Center. 'GREAT Nominees for the TRUMP/KENNEDY CENTER, whoops, I mean, KENNEDY CENTER, AWARDS,' Trump posted on Truth Social.
⚕️ A gunman attacked the CDC: A lone gunman fired 180 shots at the Atlanta Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) headquarters Friday. A police officer was killed — and so was the gunman.
🎒 Harvard and the Trump administration are getting closer to a deal: A source familiar with the discussions told The Hill's Lexi Lonas Cochran that a deal between Harvard University and the Trump administration is 'close' despite real barriers.
COMING UP
The House and Senate are out. President Trump is in Washington. (All times EST)
1 p.m.: White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt briefs reporters. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt briefs reporters. 💻 Livestream
🧡💚 The talk of every social media platform today: Taylor Swift is releasing her 12th studio album! Swift announced the new album, 'The Life of a Showgirl,' in a clip from her upcoming appearance on the 'New Heights' podcast, hosted by her boyfriend Travis Kelce and his brother Jason Kelce. The podcast episode will be released Wednesday at 7 p.m. 📹 Watch the teaser clip
📺 What's it like for terminated federal employees these days?: My friend, Nicole DeCastro, lost her job at USAID as part of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) cuts. She has been documenting her journey of finding a new job on Instagram and TikTok. She appeared on our new morning show, 'Sunrise on the Hill' to discuss her experiences. 📹 Watch the segment
👋 AND FINALLY…