"NONE of Us Is Doing Enough:" Maryland Rep. Raskin on Democrats' Efforts In Congress
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San Francisco Chronicle
27 minutes ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
By sending troops to D.C. and eyeing Oakland, Trump continues targeting Black-led cities
When President Donald Trump announced Monday that he will deploy National Guard troops to the streets of Washington D.C. to combat crime, he named several other cities where he might take similar action. 'We have other cities also that are bad. Very bad,' Trump said during the White House news conference. 'You look at Chicago, how bad it is. You look at Los Angeles, how bad it is. We have other cities that are very bad. New York has a problem. And then you have, of course, Baltimore and Oakland. We don't even mention that anymore there.' Trump and other members of his administration, while often using false or misleading statistics, have cited rampant crime as the justification for deploying federalized troops within U.S. cities. But these cities share another commonality: They're led by Black mayors. Critics don't think that's a coincidence. Trump's focus on Washington D.C., Chicago, Baltimore, New York and Oakland is part of a larger pattern in which the president has suggested cities with majority-Black populations, or those led by Black leaders, are hotbeds of crime and corruption and symbols of American decline. 'I see this as a political dog whistle to his base, evoking long-running stereotypes that Black mayors cannot adequately govern or are soft on crime in their cities,' said Jordie Davies, a professor of political science at UC Irvine. 'Donald Trump is engaging in political theater so he can be seen as responding to the racist ideas that these cities are poorly run and overrun with crime — even as statistics demonstrate that violent crime in major U.S. cities, including D.C., is down this year.' Reports of violent crimes — homicides, robberies, assaults and sexual abuse —have seen steep declines over the last two years, the Washington Post reported. 'If he is going to start lying about major American cities to justify sending the military there, it is not surprising to me that he would pick cities with Black leadership and significant Black populations,' state Sen. Scott Wiener, D-San Francisco, said Monday. 'That is straight up Donald Trump's alley and straight out of his racist playbook.' Crime is also falling in Oakland, a trend that Mayor Barbara Lee cited Monday in arguing that Trump was less interested in facts than in scoring 'cheap political points by tearing down communities he doesn't understand.' Oakland experienced a 6% increase in reported violent crimes in 2024, but saw a decrease in homicides and property crimes, according to a Chronicle analysis. So far in 2025, violent crimes including homicides are down significantly in the city. 'We're making real progress on public safety in Oakland, and while we acknowledge we have more work to do, we are doing this work each and every day,' Lee said. 'Our comprehensive public safety strategy is working — crime rates are coming down even though we still face many challenges. And let me repeat, President Trump is wrong.' Before Trump accepted the Republican presidential nomination at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee last year, he reportedly called the city 'horrible.' 'Trump is a lot of things but he certainly isn't subtle—all of the cities he denigrates have one important thing in common: they all have significant Black populations,' DNC Chair Jaime Harrison said in a statement to the Daily Beast at the time. In 2020, Trump said of Detroit, Oakland and Baltimore, 'these cities, it's like living in hell.' 'And everyone gets upset when I say it, they say, 'Is that a racist statement? ' It's not a racist,' Trump told Fox News. 'Frankly, Black people come up to me, they say, 'Thank you. Thank you sir for saying it.'' Davies, the UC Irvine professor, said using the fear of crime — especially the idea of 'Black crime' — has always been an effective political message in the U.S. It was a message Trump hammered consistently in the 2024 election, a race in which he doubled his share of Black voters from 2020. (still, Trump's opponent, then-Vice President Kamala Harris, won 83% of Black voters.) 'Crime evokes fear and fear provides a political vacuum that can be filled with state violence,' Davies said. 'It will be important for experts, politicians, and journalists to call out Trump's lies about crime in these places and name this for what it is: a racist attempt to dominate Black cities and a performance of power for his base.'
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Cause Of Death Confirmed For Kelly Clarkson's Ex-Husband, Brandon Blackstock
Kelly Clarkson's ex-husband, Brandon Blackstock, died from skin cancer three years after being diagnosed. Dan Hollis, the coroner for Silver Bow County in Montana, confirmed Blackstock had died from melanoma in a Monday statement to People magazine. The manner of death was natural causes. 'Brandon Blackstock passed away peacefully at his home in Butte, Montana on August 7th under hospice care surrounded by his family,' Hollis relayed. Blackstock, a music manager, was married to the 'American Idol' winner and talk show host from 2013 to 2022. The pair shared daughter River, 11, and son Remington, 9. His family announced his death in statement on Thursday, which said, 'It is with great sadness that we share the news that Brandon Blackstock has passed away.' 'Brandon bravely battled cancer for more than three years. He passed away peacefully and was surrounded by family,' it continued. 'We thank you for your thoughts and prayers and ask everyone to respect the family's privacy during this very difficult time.' One day before his death at age 48, Clarkson announced she was postponing the remainder of her Las Vegas residency's August dates for personal reasons. 'While I normally keep my personal life private, this past year, my children's father has been ill and at this moment, I need to be fully present for them,' she shared in an Instagram statement. 'I am sincerely sorry to everyone who bought tickets to the shows and I so appreciate your grace, kindness and understanding.' Blackstock is survived by Clarkson, ex-wife Melissa Ashworth, his four children and one grandchild. Related... Kelly Clarkson Changes Lyrics About Ex-Husband Just Days Before His Death Kelly Clarkson's Ex-Husband Brandon Blackstock Dead At 48 Kelly Clarkson Suspends Las Vegas Residency Due To Ex-Husband's Illness
UPI
an hour ago
- UPI
Trump extends China tariff deadline by another 90 days
Aug. 11 (UPI) -- President Donald Trump has signed an executive order, delaying the deadline for the United States to implement higher tariffs on Chinese goods by another 90 days, the White House announced Monday. The order was signed just before midnight, Sunday, hours before the current tariff pause was set to expire. The extension to Nov. 9 follows progress last month in Stockholm, Sweden, during talks between U.S. and Chinese trade negotiators. "We hope that the U.S. will work with China to follow the important consensus reached during the phone call between the two heads of state ... and strive for positive outcomes on the basis of equality, respect and mutual benefit," foreign ministry spokesman, Lin Jian, said in a statement. Last week, U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said he, too, was optimistic about "the makings" of a trade deal with China. China is one of the United State's largest trade partners. In June, Trump announced a trade agreement with China over rare earth minerals. Under the deal, China would export rare earth minerals to the United States with both countries reducing their tariffs for 90 days. Rare earth minerals fuel energy sources for mobile devices and electric vehicles. As Trump signed the executive order Sunday night, he called on China to quadruple its purchases of American soybeans to reduce the United States' trade deficit with China. "China is worried about its shortage of soybeans. Our great farmers produce the most robust soybeans. I hope China will quickly quadruple its soybean orders," Trump wrote in a post on X. "This is a way of substantially reducing China's Trade Deficit with the United States. Rapid service will be provided. Thank you President Xi." Despite ongoing trade threats, China's economy posted second quarter Gross Domestic Product growth at 5.2% last month, according to the National Bureau of Statistics, as exporters took advantage of the Trump administration's pauses in reciprocal tariffs, which were announced April 2. Since the announcement, Trump hit China with tariffs as high as 145%, while China threatened retaliatory tariffs of 125%. During the initial 90-day truce, the United States reduced its China tariffs to 30%, with China dropping its tariffs on U.S. goods to 10%. "We'll see what happens," Trump told reporters at the White House. "They've been dealing quite nicely. The relationship is very good with President Xi and myself." Over the past few weeks, the Trump administration announced trade deals -- to lower tariffs in exchange for larger U.S. investment -- with Japan, South Korea and the European Union.
