The White House said Thursday night that there will be an increased presence of federal law enforcement in the nation’s capital to combat crime for at least the next week, amid President Donald Trump’s suggestions that his administration could fully take over running the city.
Trump has repeatedly suggested that the rule of Washington could be returned to federal authorities. Doing so would require a repeal of the Home Rule Act of 1973 in Congress, a step Trump said lawyers are examining — but could face steep pushback. “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,” Trump posted on Truth Social earlier this week.
The catalyst for the order was the assault last weekend on a high-profile member of the Department of Government Efficiency by a group of teenagers in an attempted carjacking. The incident was seemingly unrelated to his work at DOGE. The number of homicides and carjackings, both of which spiked citywide in 2023, has dipped significantly in recent years.
A two-hour tour of the D.C. streets, starting around 1 a.m. ET Friday morning, revealed no evidence of the sort of multiagency flood of uniformed personnel described in Trump’s announcement.
What to know:
- Justice Department subpoenas NY AG over whether she violated Trump’s rights: The Justice Department has subpoenaed New York Attorney General Letitia James, according to people familiar with the matter on Friday. The subpoenas mark an escalation of the Trump administration’s ongoing efforts to scrutinize the president’s perceived adversaries. James investigated Trump before his election win last November.
- US Air Force will deny retirement pay to transgender service members: Transgender service members who have served between 15 and 18 years will not have the option to retire early and will be separated without retirement benefits. All transgender members of the Air Force are being removed from the service under the Trump administration’s policies. One Air Force sergeant said he was “betrayed and devastated” by the move.
- Federal regulators will probe alleged bank discrimination against conservatives: Trump signed an executive order mandating a probe into “debanking,” which is when banks close accounts of individuals or decline to do business with certain industries. Trump’s order seeks to ensure banks do not discriminate against individuals or companies for their political or religious beliefs.
