Latest news with #Section740
The Herald Scotland
a day ago
- Politics
- The Herald Scotland
Trump takeover shows why DC should be 51st state, mayor says
"It's times like this when America needs to know why your nation's capital, a place where 700,000 tax-paying Americans live, should be the 51st state," said Bowser on the radio show. "[Trump] wants to send the message to cities that if he can get away with this in Los Angeles, if he can get away with this in DC, he can get away with it in New York, or Baltimore or Chicago, or any other place where millions of people live, work and are doing everything the right way." On Monday, Aug. 11, Trump announced he'd be invoking Section 740 of the Home Rule Act to take control of the police department. The 1973 law grants Washington, DC residents limited authority to govern themselves. Under the law, the president can take control of local police for two days, but any additional time would require congressional notice or an amendment to the existing law. After 30 days, Trump would need congressional approval to retain control of DC police. Trump has touted the idea of taking over the police force since 2020, when the Black Lives Matter protests were taking hold of the city, and has since voiced his criticisms of Washington, DC leadership. His recent attempt to crack down on violent crime came after a Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) employee was assaulted during an attempted carjacking on Aug. 3. "We're going to take our capital back," said Trump during a news briefing at the White House on Aug. 11. "Our capital city has been overtaken by violent gangs and bloodthirsty criminals, roving mobs of wild youth, drugged-out maniacs and homeless people." The president also said he'd be deploying National Guard troops into the city as part of the effort. Bowser refuted the characterization that violent crime in the city has gotten out of control and disagreed with the president's actions. It's the first time a president has taken control of local police. According to data from the Metropolitan Police Department, violent crime in DC has fallen by 26% compared to the same period last year. "The numbers just don't justify the action," said Bowser. She said it's "not a good idea" for local police, who have gained the trust of city residents, to be used in a way that makes communities fearful. Bowser said it appears the president is targeting urban areas where he is less popular, including DC. Trump, she said, is "very aware" of the number of DC residents who voted for him in the 2024 election and has, in turn, taken an aggressive stance. About 6% of city residents voted for the president in the 2024 election. The president has named other liberal-leaning cities, like Chicago and Los Angeles, as places where he might send federal troops next. Charlamagne Tha God asked Bowser if she believes Trump's actions could be a "trial run for a police state." While she didn't directly respond to the question, she said: "It is a step in fascism when the federal government can bigfoot sovereign states. "Right now... he's trying to make it normal where citizens say the federal government should overtake local policing and try to make that a normal thing, so if he tries it in other places, people will be desensitized to it." She continued: "We can't be desensitized to it because it's not normal." Michelle Del Rey is a trending news reporter at USA TODAY. Reach her at mdelrey@
Economic Times
a day ago
- Politics
- Economic Times
Trump plans 600-soldier military reaction force ready to strike at a moment's notice - here's what it will do
Trump plans for military policing 2025: Donald Trump and the Pentagon consider a 'Domestic Civil Disturbance Quick Reaction Force'. It will consist of 600 National Guard troops. Half of the troops will be in Alabama and Arizona. They will quickly deploy to cities facing unrest. Troops will have military weapons and riot gear. The program could launch in 2027. Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Donald Trump Eyes National Guard Quick Reaction Force to Respond to Domestic Unrest Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Title 10 vs Title 32: How Donald Trump Could Use Federal Authority Program Could Launch in 2027 DC in Focus: Trump Moves to Seize Control of Local Police Is Trump Using Military As Personal Police Force? Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads FAQs US president Donald Trump and the Pentagon are considering creating a permanent 'Domestic Civil Disturbance Quick Reaction Force' made up of about 600 National Guard troops, according to internal documents reviewed by The Washington of these troops would be based on military bases in Alabama and Arizona, as per the report. They would be ready at all times to quickly deploy to any city or state experiencing unrest or protests, according to The New Republic troops would be equipped with military-style weapons and riot gear and would be sent out in waves of 100 soldiers, according to the report. To prevent burnout, the soldiers would rotate out every 90 days, as per The New Republic Pentagon documents also raised concerns about the reduced availability of the National Guard, the cost of the program, logistical challenges, and the possible public and political impact, along with other negative external impacts this program could cause, as reported by The New READ: Ex-Intel boss pushes shocking $40 billion rescue plan involving Apple, Nvidia - calls for sacking Lip-Bu Tan Trump would have the authority to call upon the National Guard under federal laws known as Title 10 and Title 32, according to the Title 10 limits the Guard's role mainly to assisting local police without making arrests or leading investigations, Title 32 allows the Guard to operate with expanded powers, including making arrests and acting more aggressively in states declared to have unrest, as per The New Republic report. Trump used Title 32 during the Black Lives Matter protests in 2020, according to the READ: Giant Wyoming data center to guzzle 5x more power than residents, but the user remains secret If the program is approved and goes through the usual budget process, it could begin operating in 2027 and cost hundreds of millions of dollars, as per The New Republic report. However, it's unclear whether Trump might try to speed up its approval, according to the plan comes just a day after Trump announced his intention to take control of Washington, D.C.'s police force under Section 740 of the D.C. Home Rule Act of 1973, as reported by The New Republic. The US president threatened to increase police presence to 'clean up' homeless populations and what he described as 'slums,' according to the report. Trump also announced the deployment of 800 National Guardsmen to the city, according to the READ: 10 must-change iOS 18.6 settings that'll make your iPhone feel like day one again Critics say Trump is turning the military into a personal police force that answers only to him, as per the report. In June, he sent over 5,000 Guardsmen and active-duty Marines to California to stop protests against his immigration policies, according to The New Republic Nunn, a lawyer with the Brennan Center for Justice, told The Washington Post that 'You don't want to normalize routine military participation in law enforcement,' adding, 'You don't want to normalize routine domestic deployment,' as quoted in the Governor Wes Moore's spokesperson, Carter Elliot, said the Trump administration is ignoring established procedures for requesting additional help during times of need, saying that 'the Trump administration is blatantly and dangerously ignoring that precedent,' as quoted in The New Republic READ: As the July jobs report paints a grim picture, 114 companies plan layoffs in August - is yours on the list? It's a proposed 600-soldier National Guard unit that could quickly deploy to US cities during protests or would be stationed in Alabama and Arizona, ready to fly out when needed.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Trump invokes the Home Rule Act to take control of the Washington, D.C., police. What the act says he can and can't do.
The statute does not require evidence or congressional approval — only a presidential declaration of emergency. When President Trump announced Monday that he was bringing the Washington, D.C., police department under federal control in order to crack down on what he described as 'crime, bloodshed, bedlam and squalor' in the nation's capital, he cited Section 740 of something called the Home Rule Act as the legal mechanism behind the move. 'Effective immediately, the Mayor of the District of Columbia (Mayor) shall provide the services of the Metropolitan Police force for Federal purposes for the maximum period permitted under section 740 of the Home Rule Act,' read Trump's executive order. So what is the Home Rule Act? And does section 740 really give him the authority to take over the D.C. police? What is the Home Rule Act? As you probably learned in elementary school, Washington, D.C., isn't a state. It isn't part of any other state either. It doesn't have a constitution of its own. Instead, Washington is what's known as a 'federal district,' and it has been mostly under the jurisdiction of the U.S. Congress since its founding in 1791. For a long time, that meant residents of the capital didn't have the power to choose their own representatives. First, the president of the United States appointed three commissioners who ran Washington. Then in 1967 Lyndon B. Johnson did away with the old system and put a mayor and council in charge — but they were presidential appointees too. The Home Rule Act, which Congress passed in 1973, is the law that finally allowed Washington residents to elect their own mayor and council members. It doesn't give the district complete autonomy though. Even now, the president still appoints D.C.'s judges, and Congress still controls its budget. Congress also has the power to review and block local legislation. What is Section 740? Section 740 of the Home Rule Act — titled 'Emergency Control of the Police' — is like a federal override switch for local control of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD). It plainly states that the president of the United States may 'direct the Mayor [of Washington, D.C.] to provide him, and the Mayor shall provide, such services of the Metropolitan Police force as the President may deem necessary' as long as the president 'determines that special conditions of an emergency nature exist which require the use of the Metropolitan Police force for Federal purposes.' In announcing his police takeover Monday, Trump insisted that special conditions of an emergency nature do in fact exist in Washington 'Our capital city has been overtaken by violent gangs and bloodthirsty criminals, roving mobs of wild youth, drugged-out maniacs and homeless people,' the president claimed. 'And we're not going to let it happen anymore.' As evidence, Trump has cited the Aug. 3 beating of Edward Coristine, a 19-year-old software engineer at the Department of Government Efficiency, during an attempted carjacking. In his executive order, Trump delegated his authority to run the MPD to Attorney General Pam Bondi and directed Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser to 'provide such services of the Metropolitan Police force as the Attorney General may deem necessary and appropriate.' 'Crime in D.C. is ending, and it's ending today,' Bondi declared Monday. Does Trump have to prove there's an emergency in D.C. before taking over the police? No. The statute does not require evidence or congressional approval — only a presidential declaration of emergency. In reality, violent crime has been declining in the district since 2023, according to the Washington Post; it's currently at its lowest point in six years. Juvenile crime has been falling too. So far this year, D.C. police have made about 900 juvenile arrests, the Post reports — almost 20% fewer than during the same time frame last year. On Sunday, Bowser, a Democrat, cited similar statistics to claim that Trump is more focused on politics than policy. 'If the priority is to show force in an American city, we know he can do that here,' Bowser told MSNBC. 'But it won't be because there's a spike in crime.' Can Trump control the Washington, D.C., police forever? Not really. Per Section 740 of the Home Rule Act, Trump now gets to control the MPD for an initial 48-hour emergency window, with the option to extend for up to 30 days. Anything longer than that requires 'the Senate and the House of Representatives [to] approve a concurrent resolution authorizing such an extension.' Of course, Republicans control both the Senate and the House of Representatives, so they might authorize an extension. Or lawmakers could do away with the Home Rule Act altogether. Trump has already said that he's interested in getting Congress to overturn the law. "We're gonna look at that," he told reporters last week. "In fact, the lawyers are already studying it. We have to run D.C.' In the meantime, Trump has other ways to exercise power over the capital. He announced Monday that he would also be deploying 800 National Guard members to Washington — which he can do without the consent of the local government (unlike in U.S. states, where the governor holds that authority). 'We will bring in the military if needed,' Trump added. He can also reinstate something called the Control Board, a five-member federal authority that effectively ran the city from 1995 to 2001, during a time of financial hardship. Going forward, Trump could appoint five members of his own and significantly reduce the remaining authority held by Bowser and the D.C. council. Solve the daily Crossword
The Hill
2 days ago
- Politics
- The Hill
What is Section 740 of the DC Home Rule Act?
President Trump on Monday announced he was taking federal control of Washington, D.C.'s police department and deploying the National Guard in the city in an attempt to fight crime. 'Our capital city has been overtaken by violent gangs and bloodthirsty criminals, roving mobs of wild youth, drugged-out maniacs and homeless people, and we're not going to let it happen anymore. We're not going to take it,' the president said. The president is taking over the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) via the District of Columbia Home Rule Act's Section 740. Congress passed the act in the 1970s to give D.C. control over its local affairs. Here's what you need to know about the history and background of Section 740: What is the Home Rule Act? The D.C. City Council states on its website that the Home Rule Act 'is the result of the ongoing push by District residents for control of their own local affairs.' In 1790, Congress created the federal district to be the nation's capital. The Constitution states that the district lies under the jurisdiction of the legislative branch. While D.C. residents can participate in the presidential election with three electoral votes, they do not have a member of Congress who can vote on legislation. In the wake of the passage of the Home Rule Act in 1973, D.C. was allowed a council and mayor. But Congress still 'reviews all legislation passed by the Council before it can become law and retains authority over the District's budget,' even under the D.C. government established by the act. What is Section 740? Section 740 is a portion of the Home Rule Act which states that if a president 'determines that special conditions of an emergency nature exist,' D.C.'s mayor has to lend them 'such services of the Metropolitan Police Force as the President may deem necessary and appropriate.' A president cannot take over those powers for over 48 hours unless, amid that period, they give an explanation of their reasons to Congress. There is also a limit of 30 days on those powers, even if Congress receives notification. What has led up to Trump's use of Section 740? Trump has again threatened to federalize D.C. in the wake of the alleged beating of a young man in an attempted carjacking in Washington two weekends ago. The man is Edward Coristine, who received attention earlier this year for being part of Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) and the nickname of 'Big Balls.' Last week, Trump posted a message on social media featuring a photo of a bloodied Coristine and the president's sentiments that crime in the nation's capital was 'totally out of control. However, Trump did not name Coristine in that post. Trump also said that 'if D.C. doesn't get its act together, and quickly, we will have no choice but to take Federal control of the City, and run this City how it should be run.'
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Trump invokes the Home Rule Act to take control of the Washington, D.C., police. What the act says he can and can't do.
The statute does not require evidence or congressional approval — only a presidential declaration of emergency. When President Trump announced Monday that he was bringing the Washington, D.C., police department under federal control in order to crack down on what he described as 'crime, bloodshed, bedlam and squalor' in the nation's capital, he cited Section 740 of something called the Home Rule Act as the legal mechanism behind the move. 'Effective immediately, the Mayor of the District of Columbia (Mayor) shall provide the services of the Metropolitan Police force for Federal purposes for the maximum period permitted under section 740 of the Home Rule Act,' read Trump's executive order. So what is the Home Rule Act? And does section 740 really give him the authority to take over the D.C. police? What is the Home Rule Act? As you probably learned in elementary school, Washington, D.C., isn't a state. It isn't part of any other state either. It doesn't have a constitution of its own. Instead, Washington is what's known as a 'federal district,' and it has been mostly under the jurisdiction of the U.S. Congress since its founding in 1791. For a long time, that meant residents of the capital didn't have the power to choose their own representatives. First, the president of the United States appointed three commissioners who ran Washington. Then in 1967 Lyndon B. Johnson did away with the old system and put a mayor and council in charge — but they were presidential appointees too. The Home Rule Act, which Congress passed in 1973, is the law that finally allowed Washington residents to elect their own mayor and council members. It doesn't give the district complete autonomy though. Even now, the president still appoints D.C.'s judges, and Congress still controls its budget. Congress also has the power to review and block local legislation. What is Section 740? Section 740 of the Home Rule Act — titled 'Emergency Control of the Police' — is like a federal override switch for local control of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD). It plainly states that the president of the United States may 'direct the Mayor [of Washington, D.C.] to provide him, and the Mayor shall provide, such services of the Metropolitan Police force as the President may deem necessary' as long as the president 'determines that special conditions of an emergency nature exist which require the use of the Metropolitan Police force for Federal purposes.' In announcing his police takeover Monday, Trump insisted that special conditions of an emergency nature do in fact exist in Washington 'Our capital city has been overtaken by violent gangs and bloodthirsty criminals, roving mobs of wild youth, drugged-out maniacs and homeless people,' the president claimed. 'And we're not going to let it happen anymore.' As evidence, Trump has cited the Aug. 3 beating of Edward Coristine, a 19-year-old software engineer at the Department of Government Efficiency, during an attempted carjacking. In his executive order, Trump delegated his authority to run the MPD to Attorney General Pam Bondi and directed Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser to 'provide such services of the Metropolitan Police force as the Attorney General may deem necessary and appropriate.' 'Crime in D.C. is ending, and it's ending today,' Bondi declared Monday. Does Trump have to prove there's an emergency in D.C. before taking over the police? No. The statute does not require evidence or congressional approval — only a presidential declaration of emergency. In reality, violent crime has been declining in the district since 2023, according to the Washington Post; it's currently at its lowest point in six years. Juvenile crime has been falling too. So far this year, D.C. police have made about 900 juvenile arrests, the Post reports — almost 20% fewer than during the same time frame last year. On Sunday, Bowser, a Democrat, cited similar statistics to claim that Trump is more focused on politics than policy. 'If the priority is to show force in an American city, we know he can do that here,' Bowser told MSNBC. 'But it won't be because there's a spike in crime.' Can Trump control the Washington, D.C., police forever? Not really. Per Section 740 of the Home Rule Act, Trump now gets to control the MPD for an initial 48-hour emergency window, with the option to extend for up to 30 days. Anything longer than that requires 'the Senate and the House of Representatives [to] approve a concurrent resolution authorizing such an extension.' Of course, Republicans control both the Senate and the House of Representatives, so they might authorize an extension. Or lawmakers could do away with the Home Rule Act altogether. Trump has already said that he's interested in getting Congress to overturn the law. "We're gonna look at that," he told reporters last week. "In fact, the lawyers are already studying it. We have to run D.C.' In the meantime, Trump has other ways to exercise power over the capital. He announced Monday that he would also be deploying 800 National Guard members to Washington — which he can do without the consent of the local government (unlike in U.S. states, where the governor holds that authority). 'We will bring in the military if needed,' Trump added. He can also reinstate something called the Control Board, a five-member federal authority that effectively ran the city from 1995 to 2001, during a time of financial hardship. Going forward, Trump could appoint five members of his own and significantly reduce the remaining authority held by Bowser and the D.C. council. Solve the daily Crossword
