Johnson County GOP says attempted arson targeted headquarters in Overland Park
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New York Times
24 minutes ago
- New York Times
Trump Wants to Fight Democrats on Crime. They're Treading Cautiously.
With his efforts to take control of law enforcement in Washington, D.C., this week, President Trump has pushed the issue of crime back to the foreground of American politics. In doing so, he's invited a fight with Democrats, who are treading cautiously as they seek to forcefully oppose the federal incursion into the nation's capital, something no president has ever attempted, without getting caught up in a debate over public safety on Mr. Trump's terms. Mr. Trump and his Republican allies wielded the sharp increase in violent crime in urban areas during the pandemic as a campaign cudgel, winning control of the House in the 2022 midterms. Mr. Trump expanded his winning coalition two years later, in part with promises to prevent the rest of America from becoming like the cities he called 'unlivable, unsanitary nightmares,' deriding the data that showed improvement across the country. While his tactics in Washington, D.C., are extraordinary, the effort is an actualization of one of his most tried-and-true political arguments: Democrats — often Black Democrats — have let lawlessness run rampant in the cities and states they were elected to run. At a moment when Mr. Trump's approval ratings even among his supporters are declining, he appears to be laying the groundwork for Republicans to once again weaponize the issue in the midterm elections. Mr. Trump has sent National Guard troops to patrol the streets, turned federal law enforcement officers into beat cops and sought to put the local police department fully under his administration's control. And the president has suggested he wants to bring his brand of law and order to Chicago; Baltimore; Oakland, Calif.; and New York, all liberal cities in blue states, while avoiding any mention of high-crime cities in red states, like Memphis or St. Louis. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
News24
24 minutes ago
- News24
Ward councillor's legal action spurs probe into complaints of poor service at Maitland SAPS
A lawyer's letter sent to the Western Cape police commissioner by Maitland residents and their ward councillor has prompted an investigation into the alleged poor service at the local police station. Two weeks ago, residents protested outside the Maitland police station demanding that the station commander, his management team and 'nonchalant' staff be removed as crime continues to escalate. They also lobbied for the police station to 'immediately stop' shutting its doors after hours, making it nearly impossible for the community to seek assistance at those times. The police denied that the station was not operational after hours. At the time of the protest on 27 July, ward councillor Cheslyn Steenberg handed over a memorandum to a representative of Western Cape police commissioner Thembisile Patekile with a list of demands, and indicated that a response was needed within 14 days otherwise legal action would follow. In the memorandum, residents expressed concern at the lack of visible policing, inactive crime prevention and uncontrolled crime. The residents said they were living in fear. The 14-day deadline passed without a response from Patekile, prompting Steenberg to send a lawyer's letter to the commissioner, demanding the immediate removal of the current Maitland police station commander, among other things. 'Not only was it very disrespectful of the police commissioner to not even acknowledge receipt of the memorandum, but we have not been given any update [on] what will be done to remedy the concerns we are facing,' said Steenberg. 'We [gave him] seven days to react to this letter or we will see him in court. No time for jokes, our lives matter! Our ward matters and we matter,' said Steenberg. He said it was only when legal action was taken that Patekile responded to residents' concerns. Some of their demands included: The immediate removal of the current Maitland police station commander; A full review of the station's operational performance and a public report back on the measures to improve the station; and Increased visible policing and police accountability. On 13 August, Patekile wrote back to Steenberg, saying: 'This office had undertaken an investigation process for all the allegations. The investigations are still continuing.' However, the police visibility has been increased through deployment of district police task teams,' read Patekile's response. Patekile said the police were engaging with the community policing forum to improve community relations. Western Cape police spokesperson, Brigadier Novela Potelwa, said: 'The concerns raised about the precinct and its policing require further engagement with the affected community's role-players on board.' 'The office of the provincial commissioner recognises the role that various stakeholders play in policing matters. In relation to internal matters, they are currently being attended to as a matter of urgency,' said Potelwa. While residents have welcomed the investigation into the Maitland police station, some have questioned why legal action had to be taken before the South African Police Service (SAPS) intervened. READ | 'Keep the suspect until tomorrow': Residents claim Maitland SAPS shuts up shop at 17:00 'It's quite sad that our ward councillor had to go down this legal route to get some sort of outcome from the commissioner. We just want to feel safe in the area where we live,' said resident Merlin Jacobs. Another resident, Caleb Jansen, asked: 'How will we get crime under control if our police stations are closed to the public after hours? It's insane and a violation of the oath they (police) took to serve and protect their country.' In response, the police said, 'After office hours, most of our police stations implement access control, and Maitland SAPS is no exception.' 'These measures are in place to ensure the safety of our members and should not be interpreted as the closure of a police station,' police said. Steenberg said if Patekile didn't respond to the community's memorandum this week, he would 'see him in court'.
Newsweek
an hour ago
- Newsweek
Donald Trump's Approval Rating Surges After Putin Summit
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. U.S. President Donald Trump's approval rating surged after his summit with Russian leader Vladimir Putin. According to polling by InsiderAdvantage, 54 percent of voters said they now approved of the president while 44 percent disapproved. Trump's net +10 percent approval rating is an increase from the publication's last poll in July, which gave him a net +2 percent approval rating—with 50 percent of respondents approving and 48 percent disapproving. Why It Matters Approval ratings are useful in providing a snapshot of the electorate's response to key policies and developments in Trump's presidency. During his presidency, Trump's popularity has fluctuated. Maintaining broad support will be important for the president and the Republican Party more widely, particularly when voters head to the polls for the November 2026 midterms. Russian President Vladimir Putin, left, and U.S. President Donald Trump talk at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska, on August 15. Russian President Vladimir Putin, left, and U.S. President Donald Trump talk at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska, on August 15. AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson What To Know Trump hosted Putin in Alaska for a summit on Friday during which they spoke for two and a half hours to try to broker a ceasefire deal to end Russia's war with Ukraine. Critics have said Trump conceded too much to Putin and took umbrage with the talks ending without an agreement. Despite this, the new polling indicates the talks have boosted Trump's approval rating. InsiderAdvantage's survey was conducted between August 15 and 17. It had a margin of error of plus or minus 3.09 percentage points. The poll also suggests Trump is faring better than in other recent polls, which showed declining support for the president. According to a YouGov poll for British newspaper The Times, the proportion of people who disapproved of Trump's job performance increased from 52 percent in April to 57 percent in July. Newsweek analysis also found that Trump's approval rating was positive in 18 of the states he won in the 2024 election and negative in 13. What People Are Saying InsiderAdvantage pollster Matt Towery said in his analysis: "Donald Trump now has an advantage among every age group other than the most senior of voters. He has improved his numbers among African-Americans and Hispanic-Latinos. White voters are at a near record 64 percent. Voters under 65 years of age now approve of his job performance by wide margins. Only the nation's oldest voters disapprove of his job performance, which is consistent with our prior surveys. Overall, his approval numbers are surging upwards post-summit." U.S. President Donald Trump wrote on Truth Social after the summit: "The Fake News has been saying for three days that I suffered a 'major defeat' by allowing President Vladimir Putin of Russia to have a major Summit in the United States. Actually, he would have loved doing the meeting anywhere else but the U.S., and the Fake News knows this. It was a major point of contention! If we had the Summit elsewhere, the Democrat run and controlled media would have said what a terrible thing THAT was. These people are sick!" What Happens Next Trump's popularity is likely to continue oscillating throughout the remainder of his presidency. Meanwhile, he has discussed plans to secure a trilateral meeting with Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. He is also meeting with European leaders, including Zelensky, at the White House on Monday.
