A recap of in a single day occasions in DC
Because the federal takeover of the DC police and deployment of nationwide guard troops entered its fourth evening, right here’s a recap of what occurred in a single day.
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The US legal professional basic, Pam Bondi, ended DC’s “sanctuary insurance policies”. In a directive signed yesterday, she rescinded earlier orders – together with one from the DC police chief, Pamela Smith – that Bondi’s workplace says “restricted” the Metropolitan police division (MPD) from working with federal officers. Bondi has now scrapped guidelines which stop DC police from arresting folks “solely for federal immigration warrants” and “restricted sure data from being shared with federal authorities,” a justice division spokesperson mentioned.
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Bondi additionally stripped energy away from Smith, the police chief, and appointed Terry Cole – who leads the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) – as “emergency police commissioner”. Based on her order, the MPD “should obtain approval from Commissioner Cole” earlier than issuing any additional directives.
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And immediately, the DC authorities introduced it’s suing the Trump administration for its takeover of the DC police. The district’s legal professional basic, Brian Schwalb, wrote: “Part 740 of the Residence Rule Act permits the President to request MPD’s companies … Even when Part 740 is lawfully invoked, the Residence Rule Act retains operational management of MPD with the Mayor and Chief, and the President should request MPD companies by means of the Mayor.” He added that the federal authorities’s actions are “openly illegal” and “infringe on the District’s proper to self-governance”.
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In the meantime, federal regulation enforcement started conducting sweeps of homeless encampments. Crews tore down a significant encampment close to the Kennedy Middle on Thursday, eradicating residents and clearing out the remaining encampments throughout the town. My colleague Kirstin Garriss has more on the latest here.
Key occasions
Late yesterday, DC’s mayor, Muriel Bowser, hit again towards Pam Bondi’s transfer to place DEA chief Terry Cole accountable for the capital’s police division. In a post on X, Bowser wrote: “There isn’t any statute that conveys the District’s personnel authority to a federal official.”
She additionally mentioned that her workplace have “adopted the regulation” and supplied the companies of the DC police on the request of the president, as outlined in Part 740 of the Residence Rule Act.
Bowser additionally reposted a letter from DC legal professional basic Brian Schwalb, addressed to the mayor, which mentioned that Bondi’s order is “illegal” and Bowser is “not legally obligated to comply with it”.
Trump police takeover will create ‘speedy, devastating, and irreparable hurt’ for DC, federal lawsuit says
Based on the federal lawsuit filed by the DC government today, the Trump administration has engaged in “a brazen usurpation of the District’s authority over its personal authorities”.
The go well with says that the president’s transfer to federalise the DC police, and legal professional basic Pam Bondi’s order to put in DEA administrator Terry Cole as “emergency police commissioner”, each “exceed the slim delegation that Congress granted the President in Part 740”.
A reminder, earlier this week the president invoked Part 740 of the DC Residence Rule Act, which grants him a 30-day interval to manage the district’s native regulation enforcement if he declares a security emergency. To get an extension, the president would wish Congress’s approval.
The president has mentioned that violent crime in DC – which the justice division says skilled a 30-year low in 2024 – is “the worst it’s ever been”.
The lawsuit also states that Part 740 solely requires that the DC mayor “present companies” of the Metropolitan police division (MPD) to federal authorities, however “doesn’t allow the President to grab management of MPD. Nor does it authorize the President to direct MPD within the policing of native crime.”
A recap of in a single day occasions in DC
Because the federal takeover of the DC police and deployment of nationwide guard troops entered its fourth evening, right here’s a recap of what occurred in a single day.
-
The US legal professional basic, Pam Bondi, ended DC’s “sanctuary insurance policies”. In a directive signed yesterday, she rescinded earlier orders – together with one from the DC police chief, Pamela Smith – that Bondi’s workplace says “restricted” the Metropolitan police division (MPD) from working with federal officers. Bondi has now scrapped guidelines which stop DC police from arresting folks “solely for federal immigration warrants” and “restricted sure data from being shared with federal authorities,” a justice division spokesperson mentioned.
-
Bondi additionally stripped energy away from Smith, the police chief, and appointed Terry Cole – who leads the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) – as “emergency police commissioner”. Based on her order, the MPD “should obtain approval from Commissioner Cole” earlier than issuing any additional directives.
-
And immediately, the DC authorities introduced it’s suing the Trump administration for its takeover of the DC police. The district’s legal professional basic, Brian Schwalb, wrote: “Part 740 of the Residence Rule Act permits the President to request MPD’s companies … Even when Part 740 is lawfully invoked, the Residence Rule Act retains operational management of MPD with the Mayor and Chief, and the President should request MPD companies by means of the Mayor.” He added that the federal authorities’s actions are “openly illegal” and “infringe on the District’s proper to self-governance”.
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In the meantime, federal regulation enforcement started conducting sweeps of homeless encampments. Crews tore down a significant encampment close to the Kennedy Middle on Thursday, eradicating residents and clearing out the remaining encampments throughout the town. My colleague Kirstin Garriss has more on the latest here.
‘We won’t let a scientific assault on democracy simply occur,’ Obama says as he praises Texas Democrats
Former president Barack Obama has praised Texas Democrats for protesting towards the state’s gerrymandered GOP-drawn congressional maps by breaking quorum, according to a report from ABC News.
ABC obtained footage of a Zoom assembly on Thursday by which Obama addressed the legislators.
“We are able to’t let a scientific assault on democracy simply occur and stand by and so due to your actions, due to your braveness, what you’ve seen is California responding, different states what they’ll do to offset this mid-decade gerrymandering,” he mentioned.
Within the assembly, Obama additionally mentioned that the Democrats – who left the state capital nearly two weeks in the past – “helped to steer what will be a protracted battle”.
He added:
It’s not going to be resolved instantly, and it’s going to require, in the end, the American folks understanding the stakes and realizing that we can not take our freedoms and our democracy as a right. You’ve helped set the tone for that, and I’m grateful for it.
In an announcement to ABC Information, Texas home minority chief Gene Wu mentioned Obama’s message to the Democrats is “proof that once they arise and battle again, we don’t stand alone”.
Wu added that “President Obama’s assist exhibits the entire nation is watching – and Texas home Democrats received’t be silenced by bullies”.
This comes as Texas Democrats additionally mentioned they’re ready to return to the state beneath sure situations, ending their efforts to dam Republicans from passing a brand new map that may add 5 GOP seats.
The lawmakers mentioned they might return so long as the legislature ends its first particular session on Friday, which Republicans have mentioned they plan to do. Nonetheless, Texas’s governor, Greg Abbott, has mentioned he’ll instantly name one other particular session.
Chris Stein
Washington DC’s solely Residence Depot was busy with contractors and prospects on Thursday morning – however the Hispanic day laborers who normally collect and look forward to work beneath the parking zone’s sparse bushes had been nowhere to be discovered.
Two days earlier, masked federal brokers swarmed the world and made a number of arrests, which had been photographed by bystanders and posted on social media. Juwan Brooks, a retailer worker who witnessed the raid, mentioned the brokers grabbed anybody who appeared Hispanic.
“They don’t ask no questions,” Brooks mentioned. Folks strolling throughout the parking zone, getting out of their vehicles and even sleeping of their automobile – all had been grabbed by the brokers, abandoning empty work vehicles that had been finally towed away.
“It was cool when Trump was saying it, however to truly see it first-hand? I didn’t prefer it,” Brooks mentioned. The day laborers “are usually not unhealthy folks”, and he questioned what occurred to the kids of the lads that had been taken away.
4 days after Trump ordered federal brokers and nationwide guard on to the streets of Washington DC to battle against the law wave that metropolis leaders say shouldn’t be taking place, residents of the capital have gotten used to the presence of teams of armed males of their neighborhoods, and the aggressive techniques they use.
Stephanie Kirchgaessner
When the director of the Nationwide Institutes of Well being (NIH) this week mentioned funding for the event of mRNA vaccines – the spine of Covid vaccines – was being wound down as a result of that they had didn’t “earn public belief”, it was met, publicly and privately, with exasperated incredulity.
Critics say few have completed greater than Jay Bhattacharya and different prime well being officers within the Trump administration to sow doubts about public well being establishments and, by extension, the worth of the vaccines which have saved hundreds of thousands of lives around the globe.
“It’s astounding that Bhattacharya has the audacity to assert to know that Biden-era insurance policies are answerable for mistrust of mRNA vaccines, when he and his associates have completed a lot to decrease the appreciation of those vital medical accomplishments,” Jeremy Berg, the previous director of the Nationwide Institute of Basic Medical Sciences on the NIH, mentioned in an announcement to the Guardian.
Bhattacharya’s feedback appeared in an op-ed in the Washington Post by which he defended a current announcement by the well being secretary, Robert F Kennedy Jr, who’s anti-vaccine, to terminate $500m in federal funding for mRNA vaccine analysis, which Kennedy justified by claiming he had “reviewed the science”. Consultants say the evidence Kennedy reviewed didn’t assist ending the analysis.
Whereas the mRNA platform was “promising” and will ship breakthroughs within the remedy of most cancers and different illnesses, Bhattacharya mentioned it had failed the take a look at of use for a public well being emergency as a result of it had not earned public belief.
My colleague Jakub Krupa is operating our Europe reside weblog immediately, with all the most recent information traces forward of the Trump-Putin assembly later.
The summit is ready to begin 11am Alaska time, which for us in Europe is 8pm British time, 9pm central Europe time, beginning a flurry of diplomacy between the 2 delegations in quite a lot of codecs: one-on-one and in bigger teams.
It’s anticipated to conclude some seven hours later, in keeping with the schedule, with plans for a joint press convention with each leaders. No less than that’s the plan for now.
Native residents are torn between pleasure over high-profile go to and trepidation over what US-Russian leaders may agree, with some even joking: “Please don’t promote us again.” (The US purchased Alaska from the Russian empire in 1867).
Comply with all of the buildup right here:
Trump forward of Putin assembly: ‘excessive stakes!’
Effectively, the president is awake and has made his first Reality Social publish of the day.
Forward of his assembly in Alaska with the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, Donald Trump says:
HIGH STAKES!!!
Extra on this as we get it …
Maya Yang
Donald Trump cold-called Norway’s finance minister final month to ask a few nomination for the Nobel peace prize, Norwegian press reported on Thursday.
The Norwegian outlet Dagens Næringsliv, citing unnamed sources, reported: “Out of the blue, whereas finance minister Jens Stoltenberg was strolling down the road in Oslo, Donald Trump referred to as … He needed the Nobel prize – and to debate tariffs.”
The outlet added that it was not the primary time that Trump had raised the query of a Nobel peace prize nomination to Stoltenberg.
In a statement to Reuters, Stoltenberg, the previous Nato secretary basic, mentioned the decision targeted on tariffs and financial cooperation forward of Trump’s name with Jonas Støre, the Norwegian prime minister.
“I can’t go into additional element in regards to the content material of the dialog,” Stoltenberg mentioned, including that a number of White Home officers together with the treasury secretary, Scott Bessent, and US commerce consultant, Jamieson Greer, had been on the decision.
Every year, the five-member Norwegian Nobel committee critiques lots of of candidates earlier than selecting laureates. The committee members are appointed by Norway’s parliament in keeping with the need of Alfred Nobel, a 19-century Swedish industrialist. Laureates are introduced in October.
Sam Levine
Texas Democrats mentioned on Thursday they’re ready to return to the state beneath sure situations, ending an almost two-week-long effort to dam Republicans from passing a brand new congressional map that may add 5 GOP seats.
The lawmakers mentioned they might return so long as the legislature ends its first particular session on Friday, which Republicans have mentioned they plan to do. Texas’s governor, Greg Abbott, has mentioned he’ll instantly name one other particular session.
The Democrats additionally mentioned they might return as soon as California introduces a brand new congressional map that may add 5 Democratic seats, offsetting the positive aspects in Texas. California’s governor, Gavin Newsom, is predicted to announce what he has teased as a “main” redistricting announcement on Thursday.
Gene Wu, chair of the Texas home Democratic caucus, mentioned in an announcement that he and his colleagues “efficiently mobilized the nation towards Trump’s assault on minority voting rights”.
“Going through threats of arrest, lawfare, monetary penalties, harassment and bomb threats, we have now stood agency in our battle towards a proposed Jim Crow congressional district map,” he mentioned. “Now, as Democrats throughout the nation be a part of our battle to trigger these maps to fail their political function, we’re ready to deliver this battle again to Texas beneath the correct situations and to take this battle to the courts.”
Bondi sends ‘sanctuary cities’ letters to mayors of 32 cities
George Chidi
Pam Bondi, the legal professional basic, mentioned she has despatched “sanctuary metropolis” letters to the mayors of 32 cities and a handful of county executives, warning that she intends to prosecute political leaders who are usually not, in her view, sufficiently supportive of immigration enforcement.
“You higher be abiding by our federal insurance policies and with our federal regulation enforcement, as a result of should you’re not, we’re going to come back after you,” she mentioned, speaking to a Fox Information reporter. “Our leaders must assist our regulation enforcement.”
Bondi’s letter asks the recipients to offer a response by 19 August that “confirms your dedication with complying with federal regulation and identifies the speedy initiatives you’re taking to eradicate legal guidelines, insurance policies and practices that impede federal immigration enforcement”.
Bondi cites an executive order issued by Donald Trump on 28 April which referred to as for the legal professional basic to determine jurisdictions that “impede the enforcement of Federal immigration legal guidelines” then to “notify every sanctuary jurisdiction relating to its defiance of Federal immigration regulation enforcement and any potential violations of Federal legal regulation” as a precursor to prosecution or withholding grants.
Every of the recipients seems to have obtained a near-identical letter, none of which specify what native legal guidelines or practices fail to adjust to Bondi’s assertions.
Preliminary responses from state and native governments receiving the letters embrace a mixture of incredulity and defiance.
Patrick Wintour
Donald Trump has mentioned he believes Vladimir Putin is able to make a deal on the battle in Ukraine as the 2 leaders put together for his or her summit in Alaska on Friday, however his suggestion the Russian chief and Volodymyr Zelenskyy might “divvy issues up” might alarm some in Kyiv.
The US president implied there was a 75% probability of the Alaska assembly succeeding, and that the specter of financial sanctions might have made Putin extra prepared to hunt an finish to the battle.
Trump insisted that he wouldn’t let Putin get the higher of him in Friday’s assembly, telling reporters: “I’m president, and he’s not going to fiddle with me.
“I’ll know throughout the first two minutes, three minutes, 4 minutes or 5 minutes … whether or not or not we’re going to have assembly or a foul assembly.
“And if it’s a foul assembly, it’ll finish in a short time, and if it’s assembly, we’re going to finish up getting peace within the fairly close to future,” mentioned Trump.
He additionally mentioned a second assembly – not but confirmed – between him, Putin and Zelenskyy could be the extra decisive.
“The second assembly goes to be very, crucial, as a result of that’s going to be a gathering the place they make a deal. And I don’t need to use the phrase ‘divvy’ issues up, however you already know, to a sure extent, it’s not a foul time period, OK?” Trump instructed Fox Information Radio.
He was referring to the chance that Zelenskyy should accept “land swaps” – in observe the handing over of Ukrainian territory to Russia, probably together with some not captured by Moscow.
Newsom says California will push to redraw maps in riposte to Texas plan
Lauren Gambino
Gavin Newsom, California’s governor, mentioned on Thursday that state Democratic lawmakers would transfer ahead with a redistricting plan to counter the Republican-led map-drawing effort in Texas geared toward securing a Home majority after the midterm elections.
As he spoke on the Japanese American Nationwide Museum’s Nationwide Middle for the Preservation of Democracy – a venue intentionally chosen for its symbolism – federal brokers, armed and masked, fanned out throughout the complicated, led by Gregory Bovino, head of the border patrol’s El Centro sector. Native information footage confirmed a person being led away in handcuffs.
Newsom, joined by congressional Democrats and legislative leaders, unveiled a plan, often known as the “election rigging response act”, that may override California’s impartial redistricting fee and draw new congressional traces – a direct counter to a Texas effort, sought by Donald Trump, to push by means of mid-cycle maps that would hand Republicans 5 additional US Home seats. The governor vowed the transfer would “neuter and neutralize” Texas’s proposal.
“As we speak is liberation day within the state of California,” Newsom declared at a rally in Los Angeles, by which he formally referred to as for a 4 November particular election to approve a brand new congressional map. “We are able to’t stand again and watch this democracy disappear district by district all throughout the nation.”
After the rally, Newsom referred to as the presence of border patrol brokers “sick and pathetic” and accused Trump of ordering the operation to intimidate Democrats. “Get up, America,” Newsom warned. “You’ll not have a rustic if he rigs this election.”
Los Angeles’s mayor, Karen Bass, a Democrat who was not attending the occasion, arrived on the scene to sentence the raid. In remarks to reporters, she argued that it was not “a coincidence” the raid passed off steps from the place Newsom was talking. “The White Home simply despatched federal brokers to attempt to intimidate elected officers at a press convention,” she mentioned in a social media post. “The issue for them is Los Angeles doesn’t get scared and Los Angeles doesn’t again down. We by no means have and we by no means will.”
Trump makes false claims about crime in Washington DC as homeless camps are cleared
Good morning and welcome to the US politics reside weblog. My title is Tom Ambrose and I’ll be bringing you all the most recent information traces over the subsequent few hours.
We begin with information that Donald Trump has falsely claimed crime in Washington DC is “the worst it’s ever been” on Thursday, amid a federal takeover of the town’s police division and deployment of the nationwide guard and federal brokers within the metropolis.
“Washington DC is at its worst level,” Trump mentioned from the Oval Workplace. “It should quickly be at its finest level.” He additionally baselessly accused DC regulation enforcement officers of giving “phony crime stats” and mentioned “they’re beneath investigation”.
The president’s feedback got here after protesters heckled federal regulation enforcement officers as they reportedly stopped dozens of vehicles at a checkpoint alongside a busy road in Washington DC on Wednesday night.
About 20 regulation enforcement officers, a few of whom gave the impression to be from the Division of Homeland Safety, pulled over drivers for infractions reminiscent of damaged taillights and never carrying seatbelts, according to the Washington Post.
No less than one girl was reportedly arrested as greater than 100 protesters gathered and reportedly yelled issues like “get off our streets”, according to NBC News. Some protesters started warning drivers to keep away from the world, the outlet reported.
Town’s homeless encampments, which Trump has lengthy fixated on, got here beneath goal Thursday evening as metropolis police started eradicating residents. Officers in Washington DC and advocates for the unhoused had warned folks dwelling in camps to relocate to shelters earlier than the federal sweeps started.
“We shouldn’t have sufficient shelter beds for everybody on the road,” mentioned Amber W Harding, govt director of the Washington Authorized Clinic for the Homeless. “It is a chaotic and scary time for all of us in DC, however notably for folks with out properties.”
Learn the complete story right here:
In different developments:
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As a part of its promoting blitz to draw new recruits, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (Ice) launched a social media video on Thursday that makes use of a track by the rapper DaBaby and exhibits company autos that seem like painted in the same red, blue and gold style as Donald Trump’s personal aircraft, which was featured in the opening sequence for The Apprentice.
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New York’s mayor, Eric Adams, confirmed on social media {that a} federal constructing the place protesters held a silent vigil on Thursday towards Immigration and Customs Enforcement (Ice) was evacuated after “envelopes containing white powder had been found”.
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In one other signal that the Trump presidency is essentially made for TV, the White Home and Fox Information revealed that Trump will seem on Fox Information each earlier than and instantly after his summit assembly with Vladimir Putin on Friday.
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4 days after Trump ordered the unhoused residents of Washington DC, whom he sped past in his motorcade for a golf outing, to go away the town, native officers helped clear encampments earlier than introduced sweeps by federal brokers.
