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New York Post
a day ago
- Politics
- New York Post
ABC News anchor reveals she was ‘jumped' by a ‘half-dressed' vagrant in DC: ‘We're all experiencing it firsthand'
ABC News anchor Kyra Phillips on Monday recounted a harrowing encounter she had with a 'half-dressed' homeless man who mugged her in downtown Washington, DC, as she noted that many in the nation's capital are experiencing crime 'firsthand' despite what official statistics show. 'I can tell you firsthand here in downtown DC where we work, right here around our bureau, just in the past six months, you know, there were two people shot, one person died, literally two blocks down here from the bureau,' Phillips explained. 'It was within the last two years that I actually was jumped walking just two blocks down from here,' she revealed. 'And then, just this morning, one of my co-workers said her car was stolen, a block away from the bureau,' Phillips added. 3 Kyra Phillips described her encounter with a deranged mugger in downtown DC as 'scary as hell.' ABC News 'We can talk about the numbers going down, but crime is happening every single day because we're all experiencing it firsthand, working and living down here,' the 'ABC News Live' host continued, as she reported on President Trump's decision to place the city's police department under federal control and deploy National Guard troops into the streets. Phillips later described her encounter with the mugger as 'scary as hell,' as she interviewed DC US Attorney Jeanine Pirro. 'So, I was jumped just two blocks here from the ABC bureau. It was not a minor, though,' she told Pirro, noting that 'it's happened to a lot of people in our building, sadly.' 'He was homeless and half-dressed – clearly wasn't in his clear mind,' Phillips said of her attacker. The former CNN journalist said she felt her best option was to fight back. 'It was scary as hell, I'm not going to lie, but I fought back. I didn't see any weapons in his hands. I felt like it was my only choice,' Phillips recalled. 3 Trump has ordered federal law enforcement and National Guard troops to patrol DC streets in an effort to crackdown on violent crime. Kyle Mazza/NurPhoto/Shutterstock 3 Trump has threatened a federal takeover of Washington, DC, if the district doesn't do more to protect its citizens from crime. Getty Images Trump fumed Monday that DC has been 'overtaken by violent gangs and bloodthirsty criminals, roving mobs of wild youth, drugged-out maniacs and homeless people.' The president vowed that his administration is 'not going to let it happen anymore,' and will remove homeless encampments from all public places, including in parks and underpasses. The latest data from DC's Metropolitan Police Department shows violent crime has dropped 26% in the district so far this year, compared to 2024. Overall crime is down 7% so far, according to MPD. Trump claimed Monday that the numbers were 'phony' and promised that Attorney General Pam Bondi will be 'looking into that.' The president noted that a DC police commander was suspended last month for allegedly falsifying crime data to make trends appear more positive.
a day ago
- Politics
What to know about DC Home Rule Act as Trump puts DC police under federal control
President Donald Trump announced Monday that he is putting Washington, D.C. police "under direct federal control" -- invoking Section 740 of D.C.'s Home Rule Act, which deals with control of the city's police force. "We're taking it back. Under the authorities vested in me as the President of the United States, I'm officially invoking Section 740 of the District of Columbia Home Rule Act. You know what that is -- and placing the D.C. Metropolitan Police Department under direct federal control," Trump said. Washington, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser has not yet publicly commented on Trump's announcement. ABC News has reached out to Bowser as well as the Metropolitan Police Department for comment. D.C.'s Home Rule Act of 1973 allows D.C. residents to elect a mayor, members of D.C. Council and Advisory Neighborhood Commissioners. The act "is the result of the ongoing push by District residents for control of their own local affairs," according to D.C. Council. Still, under the act, there is congressional oversight. Congress reviews all legislation passed the D.C. city council before it can become law and has authority over D.C.'s budget. Additionally, the president appoints D.C.'s judges and D.C. has no voting representation in Congress. Section 740 of the Home Rule Act gives the president the ability to use D.C.'s Metropolitan Police Department for "federal purposes" that the president "may deem necessary and appropriate." On Monday, Trump said Attorney General Pam Bondi is taking command of D.C.'s police force. Section 740 of the DC Home Rule Act does have some limitations. The emergency control will expire in 30 days, unless the Senate and House enact into law a joint resolution to extend it. Asked about the 30-day timeframe on ABC News Live, U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro said the president has sent a "real clear message" about the direction he wants to take D.C. "I think at the end of 30 days he will make the right decision as to what he is going to do at that point going forward," she said. Trump has long threatened to take control of D.C., saying he wants to crack down on violent crime in the district although police statistics show that in the past two years, violent crime in Washington, D.C., has fallen dramatically. Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton -- the non-voting delegate to the House of Representatives from Washington, D.C. -- called Trump's decision "an egregious assault on D.C. home rule." "There are more than 700,000 D.C. residents, and they are worthy and capable of governing themselves," Norton said in a statement Monday. "The ultimate solution to ensure D.C. has control of its own resources is passage of my D.C. statehood bill, which would provide D.C. the same protections the states enjoy." She says the move helps justify the need to pass legislation she has repeatedly reintroduced to establish statehood in the District of Columbia. On Capitol Hill, many Democrats have said the moves are a power grab by the president and a distraction from other matters, such as Trump's involvement with the Jeffrey Epstein files. "Violent crime in Washington, D.C. is at a thirty-year low. Donald Trump has no basis to take over the local police department. And zero credibility on the issue of law and order. Get lost," House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries wrote in a post on X. Democratic Sen. Chris Murphy said in a post on X that"Trump's decision to take over the DC police isn't about public safety" and is "another attempt to distract from Trump's corruption and suppress dissent." In a post on X, Democratic Sen. Tina Smith wrote, "WHAT THE HECK IS IN THOSE FILES?!" -- a reference to the Epstein files -- accompanied by a video of Trump in the briefing room for his announcement. Republicans have lauded the announcement, claiming that Trump is "making D.C. safe again." "President Trump is RIGHT. We can't allow crime to destroy our Nation's Capital," House Speaker Mike Johnson said in a post on X. "Every American should be able to visit and enjoy Washington, D.C. without fear. House Republicans support this effort to CLEAN UP Washington, END the crime wave, and RESTORE the beauty of the greatest capital in the world." Republican Sen. Josh Hawley applauded Trump's decision, saying on X, "Make DC beautiful — and SAFE — again!"
2 days ago
- Business
Local coffee-roaster owner speaks out about tariffs
Ron Kurnik, owner of Superior Coffee Roasting, joins ABC News Live to discusses how tariffs are affecting his business.
2 days ago
OpenAI releases newest version of ChatGPT, GPT-5
Axios chief technology correspondent Ina Fried joins ABC News Live to discuss what OpenAI is calling the fastest, smartest and most reliable model yet.
2 days ago
- Health
How to protect against melanoma
Dr. Jessica Shepherd, chief medical officer for Hers, joins ABC News Live to discuss today's top health headlines.
