Trump's Washington, D.C., takeover is about culture war, not combating crime
'I'm announcing a historic action to rescue our nation's capital from crime, bloodshed, bedlam and squalor and worse,' Trump said
The decision to deploy roughly
Frustration with Trump's plans — and whether they are legal — likely resurface decades-old debates about whether Washington should become a state so that its voters could have more say in how it is governed. Since it isn't a state the federal government can take control over situations despite the objections of residents and elected leaders. This has been an issue for many D.C. residents for decades, but has increasingly become a topic of concern due to Trump's repeated attacks on the city.
Advertisement
Trump has claimed that the attempted carjacking is indicative of crime run amok in D.C. — particularly among teenagers, despite a nearly 20 percent decline in juvenile arrests over the past year,
While the president's impetus for his latest action was couched in concerns about ongoing acts of violence, Trump's frustration with the city may be rooed in deeper, long-standing issues with some of America's most influential cities — and the people who occupy them.
Trump has long characterized cities with large Black and Latino populations as places of decay and chaos. Trump's issues with the urban core arguably reached their zenith when he
Washington was once broadly known as Chocolate City because of its large population of upwardly mobile Black people, and few places in this country make their disapproval of the president more known.
The overwhelmingly liberal city has been home to
Advertisement
Marches, rallies, and other demonstrations regularly fill the city's streets. It is
Since returning to office in January, the president has supported police crackdowns on everything from protests to suspicion of violent behavior, including the federal takeover of Washington, where homicides are
'Now, they are allowed to do whatever the hell they want,' Trump
'We're not going to lose our cities over this, and this will go further,'
This is not the first time Trump has deployed the National Guard to a city that he deemed out of control due to the behavior of individuals from groups that he and his supporters deplore. The president is
If he wins, it's only logical to conclude that, as he suggested, he would take this approach to law and order further — and in more cities. Youth of color have
Advertisement
What increased policing will improve is yet to be seen. Past research has shown that over-policing
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
23 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Commentary: Why Trump is waging war on economists
President Trump knows something he doesn't want to admit publicly — the economy is weakening, largely because of his own policies. What to do? Trump obviously loves tariffs, because slapping taxes on imports gives him leverage over countries, companies, and CEOs. Trump can sway foreign economies, US corporate profits, and even voter well-being by dialing tariffs up or down, a form of power he must find thrilling. But Trump's import taxes are bound to take a toll on the US economy because they raise costs, destroy efficiencies, and add uncertainty. When you raise the cost of doing business in a free-market economy, you simply get less economic activity. That data is now starting to show that, just as hundreds of economists have forecast. Hiring has slowed sharply, probably because CEOs are suddenly more cautious about whether sales and profit margins will hold up. Some companies are already suffering and others are likely to join them. Read more: What Trump's tariffs mean for the economy and your wallet Wholesale prices surged in the latest monthly data, exactly what you'd expect given that tariffs are a consumption tax that directly raises the cost of imported goods. There are signs that tariff-related price hikes are hitting consumers too, which also makes sense because wholesalers try to pass on as much of the added cost as they can. "Businesses, for now, are bearing the tariff brunt," David Rosenberg of Rosenberg Research wrote in an Aug. 14 analysis. The cost impact is spreading across the supply chain. Goods shipments to the United States are plunging, which suggests there will be future shortages and even higher prices. Consumers are likely to start noticing in the back-to-school shopping season and when they do holiday shopping toward the end of the year. Trump and his supporters argue that the tariffs haven't had any of the dire effects critics have predicted, such as a recession or a stockmarket wipeout. But that defense is premature. The timing of the tariff impacts is hard to predict because much depends on how thousands of individual companies react to higher costs. But a slowing economy is virtually certain, as volumes of research into tariff effects show. This, Trump knows. While surrounded by many preening sycophants, Trump's advisers also include econoliterates such as Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and White House economist Kevin Hassett. Sure, a big part of their job is to tout Trump's policies, no matter what. But it's also their job to prep Trump for bad news and help him get ahead of is doing that now, laying the groundwork for a propaganda blitz that he hopes will offset some bad economic news that's likely to get worse. On Aug. 1, he fired the top economist overseeing the monthly jobs report, falsely claiming that the weak numbers for July were 'rigged.' On Aug. 12, Trump said investing titan Goldman Sachs should 'get … a new economist' after the firm published a report forecasting that consumers would bear 67% of the cost of Trump's tariffs. Trump has repeatedly lambasted Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell (who's a banker, not an economist) for refusing to cut interest rates. Many economists think the Fed is right to stand pat, given that Trump's tariffs are stoking inflation and lower rates would make inflation worse. Trump is seeking some friendlier economists who might be inclined to tilt the data in Trump's favor. He nominated conservative economist EJ Antoni to run the agency overseeing the jobs and inflation reports, a move widely booed by the economic establishment. Trump appointed White House economist Stephen Miran to a temporary opening on the Fed's rate-setting committee, and next year Trump will be able to appoint a new Fed chair as Powell finishes out his term. Read more: How jobs, inflation, and the Fed are all related The battle lines forming will pit most mainstream economists against the alternative narrative Trump's own forecasters are likely to weave. Trump will never attain critical mass. Most economic forecasts and analyses are within decimal points of each other, and sometimes the only big variation is timing. While Goldman Sachs thinks consumers will bear most of the cost of Trump's tariffs, for example, so do researchers at just about every other investing firm, forecasting outfit, and think tank. There's no political cost to Trump's war on economists, who aren't exactly populist heroes toiling in the trenches with the common man. But ordinary people don't need economists to tell them if the economy is good or bad, if it's a boom or a recession. They feel it in their own lives based on how much their paycheck can buy, opportunities to get ahead, and what they see happening to other people in their communities. Trump might be able to fudge some data, but he can't convince struggling people they're better off than they are. A year or two into Trump's presidency, the impact of tariffs and other policies will no longer be mysterious. We'll know how damaging they are through grocery store prices, rising or falling unemployment, and the value of 401(k) plans. What economists say might not matter, but what they're telling us now is that more pain is coming. Rick Newman is a senior columnist for Yahoo Finance. Follow him on Bluesky and X: @rickjnewman. Click here for political news related to business and money policies that will shape tomorrow's stock prices. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
USA Today
24 minutes ago
- USA Today
Brian Flores' lawsuit against New York Giants can proceed, Circuit Court rules
The 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Manhattan has upheld a previous ruling by Judge Valerie Caproni, allowing Brian Flores' claims against the NFL and three of its teams, including the New York Giants, to proceed. In addition to the Giants, the Houston Texans and Denver Broncos are named in the lawsuit that was initially filed in 2022, claiming the league was "rife with racism" and that the hiring/promotion of minority coaches is intentionally flawed. ESPN reports that the decision came on Thursday. The NFL can be put on trial over civil claims that Brian Flores and other Black coaches face discrimination, a federal appeals court ruled Thursday, finding insurmountable flaws with a league arbitration process that would permit commissioner Roger Goodell to serve as arbitrator. The 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Manhattan upheld Judge Valerie Caproni's ruling that Flores can proceed with claims against the league and three teams: the Denver Broncos, the New York Giants and the Houston Texans. In a decision written by Circuit Judge Jose A. Cabranes, the appeals court said the NFL's arbitration rules forcing Flores to submit his claims to arbitration before Goodell do not have the protection of the Federal Arbitration Act because they provide for "arbitration in name only." At the time of his original filing, Flores claimed he was "humiliated" by the Giants for running him through a "sham interview." The team had just hired Brian Daboll as their next head coach, choosing him over Flores, who was a finalist for the job. Flores was informed of the Giants' decision through an accidental text by then-New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick. Giants co-owner John Mara denied Flores' claims, defended the decision to hire Daboll, and vowed to fight the allegations in court. "I'm not settling," Mara said at the time, via the New York Post. "Because the allegations are false and we're very comfortable with our hiring process. It was a fair process and we ended up making the decision we made based on a lot of factors, none of which had anything to do with race." Flores, who currently serves as defensive coordinator of the Minnesota Vikings, felt he was risking his NFL career after the filing, but claimed it would be worth the trouble to help establish better hiring practices for minority coaches. "The significance of the Second Circuit's decision cannot be overstated," Flores' attorneys -- Douglas H. Wigdor, David E. Gottlieb and John Elefterakis -- said in a statement. "For too long, the NFL has relied on a fundamentally biased and unfair arbitration process -- even in cases involving serious claims of discrimination. This ruling sends a clear message: that practice must end. This is a victory not only for NFL employees, but for workers across the country -- and for anyone who believes in transparency, accountability and justice." The NFL sees things differently. "We respectfully disagree with the panel's ruling, and will be seeking further review," spokesperson Brian McCarthy said. The Giants have yet to issue a statement following Thursday's ruling.
New York Post
24 minutes ago
- New York Post
DC cops allowed to alert ICE about illegal immigrants during traffic stops in sanctuary city shift
DC Metropolitan Police Chief Pamela Smith issued an order Friday giving her cops the power to notify Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) of suspected illegal immigrants not in MPD custody — including those pulled over for traffic violations. Smith's directive, first reported by NBC Washington, also allows cops to assist in transporting migrants detained by the feds. While Washington, DC, is not included on the Trump administration's list of declared sanctuary cities, the nation's capital does have laws on the books restricting cooperation with federal immigration authorities. Advertisement Smith's order to members of her force expressly prohibits DC police from investigating a suspect's immigration status or making arrests 'based solely on federal immigration warrants or detainers.' Capital cops are also barred from notifying the feds of illegal migrants in custody, allowing suspects to be questioned by immigration authorities or holding them past their scheduled release date in response to a detainer request. 3 DC Metropolitan Police Chief Pamela Smith has acknowledged that the reinforcements will make a positive impact on clamping down on crime. JIM LO SCALZO/EPA/Shutterstock Advertisement 3 Law enforcement made 45 arrests Wednesday night, according to FBI Director Kash Patel. Getty Images On Monday, President Trump signed an executive order federalizing the MPD for 30 days and designating Attorney General Pam Bondi as his point person to oversee the department. DC Mayor Muriel Bowser has claimed that Chief Smith still reports to her, while Bondi will 'request services from me' in keeping with the 1973 Home Rule Act, which gives the president emergency powers over the nation's capital in addition to providing the District with limited self-government. The federal government has stepped in to manage DC's affairs before, most notably in 1995, when then-President Bill Clinton signed legislation creating a five-member Financial Control Board to oversee the District's finances after the local government deficit breached $700 million. Advertisement The board was dissolved in September 2001 after DC lawmakers managed to balance their budget for four consecutive years Trump's crackdown followed a series of high-profile crimes, including an attack on former Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) employee Edward Coristine — aka 'Big Balls' — while he tried to prevent a carjacking attempt. Hundreds of federal officers have begun patrolling the streets of DC to root out criminal activity and Trump has said he plans to ask Congress to extend federal authority over MPD beyond 30 days –and fund beautification efforts for the nation's capital as well. 3 Federal law enforcement has been helping DC police tackle crime in the city. REUTERS Advertisement Overnight into Thursday morning, law enforcement apprehended 45 people, including 29 for immigration related offenses, 16 for violent crime and three firearm seizures, FBI Director Kash Patel announced, adding that some of the suspects face charges including assault on a federal officer, possession of child sex abuse material, and drug trafficking. 'These results are happening night after night because of the efforts of this federal task force that are working alongside the Metropolitan Police Department, who agree with this effort,' White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told 'Fox & Friends' Thursday morning. 'While Democrats want to rant and rave and coddle criminals, President Trump wants to put them behind bars.' Smith has said that the additional personnel will have a 'positive' impact on the MPD's efforts to address crime. 'Remember, you're talking about 500 additional personnel in the District of Columbia,' she told Fox 5 Wednesday. 'As you know, we've talked about the fact that we're down in numbers with our police officers, and so this enhanced presence clearly is going to impact us in a positive way.'
