Latest news with #OhioNationalGuard
USA Today
12 hours ago
- Politics
- USA Today
Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine calls sending National Guard to D.C. 'the right thing to do'
Gov. Mike DeWine says it's the "right thing to do" to send 150 Ohio National Guard members to Washington, D.C., as President Donald Trump deploys troops and seizes control of the city's Metropolitan Police Department. Trump announced on Aug. 11 that he would deploy National Guard troops to Washington to crack down on crime in the nation's capital. Late Aug. 15, Secretary of the Army Daniel P. Driscoll asked DeWine to send military police to D.C. "The initial decision to deploy D.C. National Guard was not my decision. That was the president of the United States' decision," DeWine told the statehouse bureau. "But when the secretary of the Army asks for backup support to our troops that are already deployed, yes, we will back up our troops." DeWine is one of three Republican governors who said they'll send additional troops, Reuters reported. Ohio House Democrats are calling on DeWine to bring the Ohio National Guard home. 'Ohio's National Guard exists to protect and serve Ohioans and other Americans in moments of true crisis. When disasters like floods, storms, or community emergencies happen here at home, they're there to rebuild," said House Minority Leader Dani Isaacsohn, D-Cincinnati. "Their mission is helping Ohioans, not serving as props in a president's political theatre." But DeWine says his decision, which was optional, is consistent with how he's deployed the Ohio National Guard in the past. More: DeWine ordered National Guard troops to assist in DC. What to know about Trump's plan What will the Ohio National Guard do in D.C.? The Ohio National Guard will patrol Washington, D.C., and protect federal buildings, DeWine said. "If in doing a patrol or if in standing guard of a federal building, an arrest has to be made, our guard will be in direct contact with the D.C. police department who will make arrests," DeWine said. "Our people won't make the arrests." How long will the Ohio National Guard be in the nation's capital? The Ohio National Guard will leave Aug. 20 for a 30-day deployment, DeWine said. The secretary of the Army could ask for an extension, which DeWine could grant or deny. How often does DeWine deploy the Ohio National Guard? DeWine deployed Ohio National Guard members and Ohio State Highway Patrol troopers to the southern border in 2021. He also sent members to assist with hurricane recovery in Florida, North Carolina and Louisiana. In 2020, DeWine sent the National Guard to Columbus and Cleveland to respond to protests following the murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis. In both instances, mayors requested help. The Ohio National Guard played a key role in Ohio's COVID-19 response and assisted with the aftermath of a train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, in February 2023. Is the D.C. deployment different? Washington, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser didn't ask for help with the city's violent crime rate, which declined 35% between 2023 and 2024. Attorneys for the District of Columbia are suing the Trump administration over its police takeover. DeWine says that doesn't matter, legally. "The people who don't like it in D.C. don't have the authority. The president of the United States has that authority," DeWine said. "Anybody can argue whether or not he should or shouldn't have the authority, but it's very clear. There is no debate he has the authority to do what he did." But Democrats say the deployment is political. Rep. Joyce Beatty, D-Columbus, said in a statement: "The men and women of Ohio's National Guard signed up to serve their country, not a lawless president who has repeatedly ignored our nation's constitution and principles." What will this cost and who pays? The federal government will pay for the Ohio National Guard's service, a spokesperson said. No cost estimate was available as of Aug. 18. Is sending the National Guard optional? It depends. Typically, governors control the National Guard within their states. The federal government can request assistance from state National Guard members, which governors can approve or reject. That is the case with Secretary Driscoll's request for Ohio National Guard assistance in D.C. "The law is not a blank check allowing the president to use military forces anywhere in the country and for any purpose so long as they can find one willing governor," according to a Brennan Center for Justice analysis. In certain circumstances, presidents can federalize the National Guard by invoking the Insurrection Act. But this is rare. Earlier this year, Trump deployed the California National Guard to respond to protests over immigration enforcement − against the wishes of California Gov. Gavin Newsom. An appeals court ruled that Trump could retain control of the troops while a judge reviews the legality of Trump's decision. Will the Ohio National Guard be deployed to Cincinnati? DeWine said he's received no requests to deploy the Ohio National Guard to Cincinnati, where a viral brawl led to debates about the city's security, and has no plans to deploy them. DeWine instead offered other help to Cincinnati officials that included traffic enforcement and aviation surveillance. "They've taken me up on part of it, but not all of it," DeWine said. "But that's their choice. They have the choice." USA TODAY contributed to this article. State government reporter Jessie Balmert can be reached at jbalmert@ or @jbalmert on X. What do you think of Gov. DeWine sending Ohio Guard troops to DC?
USA Today
19 hours ago
- Politics
- USA Today
Ohio governor says sending National Guard to D.C. 'the right thing to do'
Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine is sending 150 Guard members to Washington, D.C., at the request of the secretary of the Army. COLUMBUS, Ohio - Gov. Mike DeWine says it's the "right thing to do" to send 150 Ohio National Guard members to Washington, D.C., as President Donald Trump deploys troops and seizes control of the city's Metropolitan Police Department. Trump announced on Aug. 11 that he would deploy National Guard troops to Washington to crack down on crime in the nation's capital. Late Aug. 15, Secretary of the Army Daniel P. Driscoll asked DeWine, a two-term Republican, to send military police to D.C. "The initial decision to deploy D.C. National Guard was not my decision. That was the president of the United States' decision," DeWine told the USA TODAY Network's Ohio statehouse bureau. "But when the secretary of the Army asks for backup support to our troops that are already deployed, yes, we will back up our troops." DeWine is one of three Republican governors who said they'll send additional troops, Reuters reported. Ohio state House Democrats are calling on DeWine to bring the Ohio National Guard home. 'Ohio's National Guard exists to protect and serve Ohioans and other Americans in moments of true crisis. When disasters like floods, storms, or community emergencies happen here at home, they're there to rebuild," said Ohio state House Minority Leader Dani Isaacsohn, a Democrat from Cincinnati. "Their mission is helping Ohioans, not serving as props in a president's political theatre." But DeWine says his decision, which was optional, is consistent with how he's deployed the Ohio National Guard in the past. More: DeWine ordered National Guard troops to assist in DC. What to know about Trump's plan What will the Ohio National Guard do in D.C.? The Ohio National Guard will patrol Washington, D.C., and protect federal buildings, DeWine said. "If in doing a patrol or if in standing guard of a federal building, an arrest has to be made, our guard will be in direct contact with the D.C. police department who will make arrests," DeWine said. "Our people won't make the arrests." How long will the Ohio National Guard be in the nation's capital? The Ohio National Guard will leave Aug. 20 for a 30-day deployment, DeWine said. The secretary of the Army could ask for an extension, which DeWine could grant or deny. How often does DeWine deploy the Ohio National Guard? DeWine deployed Ohio National Guard members and Ohio State Highway Patrol troopers to the southern border in 2021. He also sent members to assist with hurricane recovery in Florida, North Carolina and Louisiana. In 2020, DeWine sent the National Guard to Columbus and Cleveland to respond to protests following the murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis. In both instances, mayors requested help. The Ohio National Guard played a key role in Ohio's COVID-19 response and assisted with the aftermath of a train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, in February 2023. Is the D.C. deployment different? Washington, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser didn't ask for help with the city's violent crime rate, which declined 35% between 2023 and 2024. Attorneys for the District of Columbia are suing the Trump administration over its police takeover. DeWine says that doesn't matter, legally. "The people who don't like it in D.C. don't have the authority. The president of the United States has that authority," DeWine said. "Anybody can argue whether or not he should or shouldn't have the authority, but it's very clear. There is no debate he has the authority to do what he did." But Democrats say the deployment is political. Rep. Joyce Beatty, D-Columbus, said in a statement: "The men and women of Ohio's National Guard signed up to serve their country, not a lawless president who has repeatedly ignored our nation's constitution and principles." Is sending the National Guard optional? It depends. Typically, governors control the National Guard within their states. The federal government can request assistance from state National Guard members, which governors can approve or reject. That is the case with Secretary Driscoll's request for Ohio National Guard assistance in D.C. "The law is not a blank check allowing the president to use military forces anywhere in the country and for any purpose so long as they can find one willing governor," according to a Brennan Center for Justice analysis. In certain circumstances, presidents can federalize the National Guard by invoking the Insurrection Act. But this is rare. Earlier this year, Trump deployed the California National Guard to respond to protests over immigration enforcement − against the wishes of California Gov. Gavin Newsom. An appeals court ruled that Trump could retain control of the troops while a judge reviews the legality of Trump's decision. Will the Ohio National Guard be deployed to Cincinnati? DeWine said he's received no requests to deploy the Ohio National Guard to Cincinnati, where a viral brawl led to debates about the city's security, and has no plans to deploy them. DeWine instead offered other help to Cincinnati officials that included traffic enforcement and aviation surveillance. "They've taken me up on part of it, but not all of it," DeWine said. "But that's their choice. They have the choice." USA TODAY contributed to this article. State government reporter Jessie Balmert can be reached at jbalmert@ or @jbalmert on X.
UPI
19-06-2025
- Health
- UPI
Feds funding 5-year, $10M East Palestine derailment health study
Ohio National Guard 52nd Civil Support Team members prepare to enter an incident area to assess remaining hazards with a lightweight inflatable decontamination system in East Palestine, Ohio, on February 7, 2023. Photo courtesy of Ohio National Guard/ Twitter June 19 (UPI) -- The National Institutes of Health is undertaking an extended study of the health effects that East Palestine, Ohio, residents have experienced due to the 2023 train derailment there. The NIH is allocating $10 million to fund the study that will continue for five years and assess the long-term health impacts from the Feb. 3, 2023, derailment of a Norfolk Southern train that was carrying toxic chemicals. "The people of East Palestine have a right to clear,science-backed answers about the impact on their health," Health and Human Services Secretary Robert Kennedy Jr. said. He credited Vice President JD Vance for raising awareness of the need to study the potential health effects on East Palestine's 4,658 residents. Vance was a U.S. senator representing Ohio when the derailment occurred. "It was incredibly frustrating watching the Biden administration refuse to examine the potentially dangerous health impacts on the people of East Palestine following the train derailment," Vance said. "This historic research initiative will finally result in answers that this community deserves," he added. The Norfolk Southern freight train included 38 railcars carrying toxic chemicals, including vinyl chloride, butyl acrylate, ethyleneglycol and benzene. Many of the railcars were vented or intentionally burned over two days to rid them of the toxic chemicals, which the National Transportation Safety Board a year ago said was a mistake. NTSB members conducted a public hearing in East Palestine last June to publicly discuss the derailment that was caused by a defective wheel bearing that overheated and failed. Norfolk Southern and its contractors erred when they vented or burned off the contents of five tank cars that had derailed and contained vinyl chloride. The venting and burning created a toxic plume that spread across 16 states and exposed about a third of the nation's population to the chemicals. Many East Palestine residents have reported experiencing many health-related symptoms afterward, including headaches and respiratory, skin and eye irritations. Other concerns include the potential long-term effects on maternal and child health and psychological, immunological, respiratory and cardiovascular impacts. The NIH-funded study will focus on short- and long-term health affects from exposure to the chemicals, public health tracking and how to address community health concerns. "[President] Joe Biden abandoned East Palestine and left a community of working Americans behind when they needed him the most," Moreno, R-Ohio, said. "This is a huge step toward finally getting justice for East Palestine."
Yahoo
14-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Megan Giles Cooney column: Now is the time to remember tragedy of Kent State
I am a kid of the tragedy at Kent State University. I wasn't there, but I had a front-row seat to the awful aftermath of Ohio National Guard troops firing on protesting unarmed students, killing four and wounding nine others. 55 years ago, my father Robert Giles was the managing editor of the Akron Beacon Journal at the time of heightened national conflict over U.S. military involvement in the Vietnam War. A child at the time, I still have strong memories of the campus standoff between the armed troops and the anti-war students. The events and fallout impacted dad for the rest of his life. He wrote a book about his professional experiences during those unsettling days in May of 1970, titled 'When Truth Mattered: The Kent State Shootings 50 Years Later.' It isn't difficult to close my eyes and see how the scene now unfolding in Los Angeles with protesters and deployment of the National Guard and U.S. Marines is uncannily similar to Kent State. Large crowds protesting what they see as government overreach and the government responding with armed troops to control them. I fear a dreaded crack down inching toward confrontation. Nothing good will come from this. The events of May 4, 1970, at Kent State bear witness to potential tragedy. But will we look back and learn? It wasn't just the chaotic, awful day of the campus shootings; I also remember the phone calls my dad fielded nightly at home from the parents of some of the student victims. The shock, misery, and sorrow of those conversations reverberated around our breakfast nook as dad, phone to ear, listened to the grief, the human toll of the armed response on students who gathered to protest, but not to die. I hope the defiant people who are burning cars and spraying graffiti in protest of ICE arrests in Los Angeles and the armed soldiers who are there to ensure order let cooler heads prevail. Don't take steps that can't be revoked. Protesters stop burning cars, vandalizing buildings and don't spit on troops. and military leaders, don't rattle the situation by threatening to shoot citizens who have a constitutional right to free speech. Can we please prevail with reason so we don't repeat the mistakes that were of such national consequence in the past? We have many records of the event that happened at Kent State, including the lyrics 'Four Dead in Ohio.' The events burned like the words from the Crosby, Stills and Nash song that laid out the mess — civil unrest, armed National Guard troops, confusion and death. Collectively, we can't afford another heartbreak in Los Angeles. No good comes from hot-headed and violent conflict.
Budapest Times
23-05-2025
- Politics
- Budapest Times
Takács: Trump's return to office has helped increase visibility and legitimacy of Hungarian foreign policy in US
Szabolcs Takács, Hungary's ambassador to the US, said President Donald Trump's return to office has helped increase the visibility and legitimacy of Hungarian foreign policy in the United States, particularly with regard to its efforts to promote peace in the conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East. Addressing an event marking Hungarian Armed Forces Day in Washington on Wednesday, Takács said Trump's messaging on Ukraine and his efforts to broker an agreement were in line with Hungary's pro-peace stance, adding that Hungary was fully behind the peace efforts. Takács argued for preserving solidarity and unity within NATO in the current 'turbulent times', emphasising, at the same time, the need for it to remain a defence alliance and avoid getting involved in the conflict in Hungary's eastern neighborhood. David Baker, the US deputy assistant secretary of defense for European and NATO policy, also said that NATO must remain a defence alliance and return to its original function. He also highlighted his recent positive experiences from his visits to Hungary. Major General John C. Harris, the Adjutant General of the Ohio National Guard, highlighted the achievements of the partnership that has existed since 1993 between the military component he had been in charge of and the Hungarian Armed Forces. He said Hungarian Armed Forces Day highlighted the strength of US-Hungarian relations as a relationship between two allies linked by strategic political and diplomatic ties. The event at the Hungarian embassy was hosted by Takács and Hungary's two military attachés. It was attended by representatives of the new US administration as well as members of the diplomatic corps and leaders of military attaché offices in the US.
