Some of the 800 National Guard members deployed by President Donald Trump began arriving in Washington D.C. on Tuesday, ramping up after the White House ordered federal forces to take over the city’s police department and reduce crime in what the president called — without substantiation — a lawless city.
The law lets Trump control the police department for a month, but how aggressive the federal presence will be remains an open question.
Here's the latest:
DEA administrator says feds will be ‘embedded’ with DC police
Terry Cole, administrator of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, said federal officers will be “embedded with the Metropolitan Police Department” starting Tuesday night.
“You will see federal agents working hand-in-hand on patrol with the Metropolitan Police Department,” he said in an interview with Fox News on Tuesday. “You will also see an increase of patrol activity in certain sectors to go after the violent criminal offenders that are the drivers of this crime.”
Cole said the city’s police chief has been “very accommodating” and applauded intel sharing between federal forces and local law enforcement.
His remarks continue a tone of cooperation that contrasted with D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser’s initial reactions to the federal takeover of the city’s police department.
Cole did not offer specific details on what will change in the chain of command amid the federal takeover, only saying that the move “brings so much power to allow the police officers to do their job.”
He also blamed the D.C. City Council for not previously empowering city law enforcement, arguing that the federal government is helping rectify “concerning” dynamics for police officers created by the council.
Senior Democrat calls on Republicans to hold confirmation hearing for Trump’s new BLS pick
Sen. Patty Murray, a senior Democrat, is calling for Republicans to hold a confirmation hearing for E.J. Antoni, who President Trump has nominated to lead the agency that compiles the nation’s employment and inflation figures.
Murray in a statement slammed Antoni as “an unqualified right-wing extremist” and demanded that the GOP chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, Sen. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, hold a confirmation hearing for him.
Some Senate Republicans were critical after Trump fired the previous director of the Bureau of Labor Statistics, Erika McEntarfer, and have said they want someone in the job who can reliably compile and report data on the nation’s economy. But they have also mostly gone along with Trump’s Cabinet picks.
Trump’s choice of Antoni, who was the chief economist at the conservative Heritage Foundation and often made overtly political arguments, sets up a key test for GOP senators and their willingness to go along with the president.
Philadelphia DA says Trump’s seizure of policing in DC is unjustified
Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner said during a Tuesday news conference with faith leaders that Trump’s effort to seize policing in Washington D.C. is unjustified and will be resisted if it comes to Pennsylvania’s largest city.
Krasner said crime is actually down in many major cities, including Philadelphia and the nation’s capital. He described Trump’s declaration of federal control of D.C. police, and threat to do so elsewhere, as a “bogus” attempt to assert authority.
“What we have going on in Philadelphia and elsewhere is actually good news, but that’s not the news that Donald Trump needs,” he said.
Krasner’s office said it held the news conference to “reaffirm the city’s commitment to uphold the Constitutional rights of residents and to hold accountable anyone who violates the law.”
He said Trump’s threat to send members of the National Guard to Washington D.C. and other cities could bring chaos in a time of relative peace.
Trump administration cuts down human rights reports
The Trump administration released human rights reports for countries worldwide that eliminate mentions of discrimination faced by LGBTQ people and reduce a previous focus on reproductive rights.
The reports, which cover 2024 before President Donald Trump took office, also criticize restrictions on political speech by U.S. allies in Europe that American officials believe target right-wing politicians.
They offer a glimpse into the administration’s view of dire human rights conditions in countries like Eswatini, South Sudan and Rwanda that have agreed to accept migrants deported from the United States under Trump’s immigration crackdown.
South Africa also was singled out for its human rights situation “significantly worsening.” The report pointed to unfair treatment of white Afrikaners, a minority that ran the country’s apartheid government.
US attorney for DC on local crime: ‘There is a whole community that is suffering’
Pirro argued during a Tuesday press briefing that violent crime in the nation’s capital is significant and causing suffering throughout the community.
She displayed poster boards that she said showed teenagers who were shot and killed in D.C. in 2024 and 2025 so far. She said anyone who argues crime is down or an emergency designation is not needed should “talk to the loved ones and the family members of these individuals, all shot and killed long before their time.”
As she backed the Trump administration’s argument for placing the city’s police department under federal control, Pirro pointed to violent crime rates that spiked in the nation’s capital in 2023.
“I don’t need any more statistics,” she said.
A recent Department of Justice report shows that violent crime is down 35% since 2023, returning to the previous trend of decreasing crime that puts the district’s violent crime rate at its lowest in 30 years.
Officials brief the media on the indictment of a Haitian gang leader
U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro and other federal officials briefed the media on Tuesday’s unsealed indictment of Jimmy “Barbecue” Cherizier, whom many consider Haiti’s most powerful gang leader.
The State Department is offering a reward of up to $5 million for information that leads to Cherizier’s arrest or conviction, the officials said.
Pirro said Haiti is a “hotspot” where “incredible violence” is taking place right now.
CDC Director: ‘Misinformation can be dangerous’
Dr. Susan Monarez held her first ‘all-hands’ meeting on Tuesday after her first full week on campus as the CDC’s director was capped by an attack on the agency’s headquarters in Atlanta.
“We know that misinformation can be dangerous. Not only to health, but to those that trust us and those we want to trust,” she told her employees. “In moments like this, we must meet the challenges with rational, evidence based discourse spoken with compassion and understanding. That is how we will lead.”
Kennedy was a leader in a national anti-vaccine movement before Trump selected him to oversee federal health agencies, and has made false and misleading statements about the safety and effectiveness of COVID-19 shots and other vaccines
Health Secretary, after the shooting at CDC, criticizes CDC’s pandemic response
Trump’s Health Secretary, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., refused to directly answer when asked during an interview with Scripps News on Monday what message he had for CDC employees who are worried about the culture of misinformation and skepticism around vaccines.
Although law enforcement officials have made clear the shooter was targeting the public health agency over the COVID-19 vaccine, Kennedy said in the interview that not enough was known about his motives.
He described political violence as “wrong” and said his job is to protect employees.
He went on to criticize the public health agency’s actions during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“One of the things that we saw during COVID is that the government was overreaching in its efforts to persuade the public to get vaccinated and they were saying things that are not always true,” Kennedy said.
White House not ruling out ‘future plans’ for Trump to travel to Russia
Leavitt said that Trump will be traveling to Alaska on Friday and meeting one-on-one with Putin -- even amid lingering questions about whether Zelenskyy will be involved.
But asked if Trump might then head to Russia -- or go there in the future -- Leavitt was less committal.
“Perhaps there are plans in the future to travel to Russia,” she said.
Business as usual in Chinatown
The intersection of 7th and H street in Chinatown is one of the more high-profile battlegrounds in the effort to bring down crime rates in Washington D.C.
Residents and business owners have long complained about the open drug dealing, aggressive panhandlers and 24/7 marijuana smell around the Metro exit, one block from Capitol One Arena.
Folks on the street corner — none of whom would give their names — said federal law enforcement officers swept through the area Sunday night, but there’s disagreement if it was FBI or DEA or both.
On Tuesday afternoon, the corner was relatively tranquil. But two young men did offer to sell marijuana to a reporter as soon as they were introduced.
Another man, sitting in a wheelchair and rolling a joint, predicted that any crackdown would just temporarily push illegal activity down the block.
“They’re never going to stop crime,” he said. “You know why? Because crime gets people paid.”
White House says monthly jobs report will continue
White House press secretary Leavitt said that the government will continue to issue the monthly jobs report, which includes the nation’s unemployment rate, despite comments by an administration’s nominee that suggested suspending it.
“I believe that is the plan and that’s the hope,” Leavitt said.
On Monday, E.J. Antoni, a conservative economist at the Heritage Foundation, said on Fox Business news that the agency should pause the issuance of the reports while it works to improve its data collection. Antoni was later on Monday nominated by Trump to head the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the agency that compiles the jobs data as well as monthly inflation report.
The jobs report is closely watched by Wall Street and many businesses around the country, and suspending it would be unprecedented.
Trump slammed the last report Aug. 1 after it showed hiring weakened in July and was much lower in May and June than originally reported, then fired the BLS commissioner, Erika McEntarfer.
Leavitt: DC homeless will face fines or jail if they refuse shelter or treatment
Leavitt says people living in Washington homeless encampments will be offered space in a homeless shelter or treatment for addiction. She says those who refuse will face fines or jail time.
With Trump taking control of law enforcement in the nation’s capital, Leavitt said authorities will enforce anti-homelessness laws that she says have been ignored.
The National Park Service has removed 70 homeless encampments from parks controlled by the federal agency, she said.
“We want to make DC safe and beautiful,” and that requires removing “mentally disturbed individuals” and homeless encampments, Leavitt said in the White House briefing room.
Army leaders visit DC National Guard as troops report in
Two top Army leaders made a visit to the Washington, D.C. National Guard armory on Tuesday morning as activated guard members began reporting for duty to support law enforcement in the capital.
An Army spokesman confirmed to The Associated Press that Secretary Driscoll, the Army’s top civilian official, and Gen. James Mingus, the service’s second highest ranking officer, visited the armory this “to visit with Soldiers and leaders.”
“Secretary Driscoll wanted the D.C. National Guard Soldiers to know first-hand that they have support from the very top of the Army and that we have every confidence in their skill, discipline, and professionalism to support our law enforcement partners and accomplish this mission,” Lt. Colonel Jeff Tolbert said in an email.
White House says that Trump is ‘considering’ lawsuit against Fed Chair Jerome Powell
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt expanded on Trump’s social media post indicating that a lawsuit might be forthcoming on the Federal Reserve’s $2.5 billion renovation project.
Leavitt said at the Tuesday news briefing that Trump is weighing whether he as president should sue the U.S. central bank.
“The president is considering a lawsuit against the Fed, and I will leave it to him to comment further on it,” Leavitt said.
DC police takeover may last longer than 30 days
The federal takeover of the District of Columbia’s police department could last longer than 30 days.
During a press briefing, White House press secretary Leavitt said that the administration would “reevaluate and reassess and make further decisions” after the 30-day period is over.
The White House would need approval from both House and Senate in order to extend the takeover the police department.
Trump remains “very much engaged” with Ukraine, Europe, Leavitt says
Leavitt said that President Trump has “deep respect for all parties involved” in the war between Russia and Ukraine.
She said that the president continues to be “very much engaged” with Ukrainians and allies in Europe.
Trump is expected to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin this Friday in Alaska.
White House calls judge’s ruling on Maxwell grand jury testimony ‘unfortunate’
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt says a judge denying the Trump administration’s motion to unseal grand jury testimony from the criminal case against Ghislaine Maxwell “unfortunate.”
“We think that decision is unfortunate,” Leavitt said, adding that the information should be unsealed because Trump has said he wanted it released.
Those comments came a day after U.S. District Judge Paul Engelmayer of the Southern District of New York criticized the Department of Justice for using “demonstrably false” reasoning to justify the release of grand jury testimony.
Maxwell is currently serving a 20-year prion sentence for sex trafficking and other crimes in connection with Jeffrey Epstein.
Putin meeting is ‘a listening exercise’ for Trump, Leavitt says
Leavitt says Trump’s goal for his meeting with Putin this week is “to walk away with a better understanding of how we can end this war.”
The White House press secretary downplayed the president’s aims for the summit on Friday in Alaska. She described the meeting as “a listening exercise for the president” that he agreed to after Putin requested a meeting.
Leavitt declined to discuss Trump’s conversations with Zelenskyy but said Trump has “deep respect” for all parties.
White House says federal officers arrested 23 in DC
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt says approximately 850 federal law enforcement officers were deployed in Washington and made 23 arrests overnight.
Leavitt says the arrests include charges of homicide, gun and drug crimes, reckless driving, fare evasion and drunken driving.Leavitt said six illegal handguns were seized.
“This is only the beginning,” she said, pledging that federal authorities would continue policing in the nation’s capital for a month.
“President Trump will not be deterred by soft on crime democrats and media activists,” Leavitt said
California Gov. Newsom mimics Trump’s social media style
“THIS IS YOUR SECOND-TO-LAST WARNING!!!” Newsom’s press office wrote Tuesday in a X post urging the president to back off efforts to redraw congressional maps.
California Democrats are planning to introduce new partisan maps on Friday to counter efforts to help GOPs in 2026 in Texas.
“STAND DOWN NOW OR CALIFORNIA WILL COUNTER-STRIKE (LEGALLY!) TO DESTROY YOUR ILLEGAL CROOKED MAPS IN RED STATES,” the post reads.
The new maps in California would still need state lawmakers and voters approval. State Republicans vow to challenge the effort.
Switzerland’s pivotal gold industry is breathing some relief
The Swiss Association of Precious Metals Manufacturers and Traders on Tuesday said it was awaiting a formal decision after Trump wrote “Gold will not be Tariffed!” on his Truth Social platform late Monday.
“President Trump’s statement is an encouraging signal for trade stability,” said Christoph Wild, the president of the association, which counts 15 companies that process and trade in precious metals like gold. “However, only a formal and binding decision will provide the certainty the gold sector and its partners require.”
The Swiss National Bank, citing figures from the Swiss government, in April issued a report saying that gold refineries in Switzerland supply about one-third of refined gold worldwide.
Last year, gold accounted for some 27% of goods trade value from the country, making it Switzerland’s most-traded product — ahead of pharmaceuticals at 22%, the SNB said.
The precious metals association, known as ASFCMP, last week expressed concern following news reports and other indications that the Trump administration might apply whopping 39% U.S. tariffs on Swiss products -- among the highest it has imposed anywhere -- to gold products.
DC mayor emphasizes ‘working collaboratively’ with feds amid Trump takeover
Washington, D.C., Mayor Muriel Bowser says the city will aim to “make the most of” the increase in federal resources in the city after Trump’s announcement that he’s taking over Washington’s police department and activating 800 members of the National Guard.
Bowser also emphasized that the Metropolitan Police Department will retain its independence, including over hiring and firing, saying “our organizational chart, how we do business, how we fund the police, none of that has changed.”
“We have more police, and we want to make sure we use them,” Bowser added after a meeting with U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi.
The remarks mark a change in tone from Monday when Bowser called Trump’s executive order “unsettling and unprecedented.”
Pamela Smith, chief of the Metropolitan Police Department, spoke about reduced crime in the city and said increased federal resources “will only help us build upon that.”
Bondi called the meeting with Bowser “productive” in a statement on X, adding that the Justice Department will work closely with city government and police.
Republican US Rep. Barry Moore joins the race for Alabama’s open Senate seat
Moore, a member of the conservative Freedom Caucus, was first elected to Congress in 2020. He has the rare distinction of winning elections in two different congressional districts.
Last year, a federal court ordered Alabama to use a new congressional map, which put Moore’s home outside his own district. Rather than moving to seek his old seat, he opted to challenge his fellow GOP incumbent in a hard-fought primary for the more solidly Republican 1st District.
Now he’s seeking the position being vacated by Sen. Tommy Tuberville, who’s running for governor. The rare open Senate seat is expected to draw a number of candidates and Alabama’s Republican attorney general has already entered the race.
A UFC fight at the White House? Dana White says it’s happening as part of deal with Paramount
Hours after Paramount and UFC announced a billion-dollar rights deal, Dana White said he had yet to hear from his friend, President Trump, on his thoughts about the fight company’s new streaming home.
That was fine with White. The UFC CEO was set to travel to Washington on Aug. 28 to meet with Trump and his daughter, Ivanka, to catch up and discuss logistics on the proposed Fourth of July fight card next year at the White House.
Trump said last month he wanted to stage a UFC match on the White House grounds with upwards of 20,000 spectators to celebrate 250 years of American independence.
“It’s absolutely going to happen,” White told The Associated Press. “Think about that, the 250th birthday of the United States of America, the UFC will be on the White House south lawn live on CBS.”
▶ Read more about the UFC and the White House
Trump’s moves toward taking over Washington are unprecedented. Here’s what the law says
Trump took command of the police department and deployed the National Guard under laws and Constitutional powers that give the federal government more sway over the nation’s capital than other cities. The measure still leaves significant power to the president and Congress, though no president has exercised the police powers before.
Here’s a look at what the law says about Trump’s actions:
1. Trump activated the National Guard. The president can still call up the National Guard in Washington. His authority is less clear in Los Angeles, where a legal battle continues over his recent deployment of the National Guard despite the objections of Gov. Gavin Newsom.
2. Trump took over the local police. Section 740 of the Home Rule Act allows for the president to take over Washington’s Metropolitan Police Department for 48 hours, with possible extensions to 30 days, during times of emergencies. No president has done so before.
3. Trump didn’t specify how long the takeover would last. Congress still has power over things like the budget and laws passed by the city council, but would have to repeal the Home Rule Act to expand federal power in the district.
▶ Read more about the laws pertaining to Trump’s DC police takeover
The Associated Press
