The Latest: National Guard arrives in Washington DC for Trump’s federal takeover of local police
The Latest: National Guard arrives in Washington DC for Trump’s federal takeover of local police
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.
Following a meeting with U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi on Tuesday morning, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser 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. The remarks marked a change in tone from Monday when Bowser called Trump’s executive order “unsettling and unprecedented.”
Here’s the latest:
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
Judge orders Trump administration not to withhold funds from National Endowment for Democracy
The federal judge ordered the administration to stop withholding funding approved by Congress for the nonprofit that aims to strengthen democratic institutions around the world.
U.S. Judge Dabney Friedrich in Washington said Monday it was clear the State Department was blocking the money for “impermissible policy reasons,” and she rejected the department’s explanation that it was trying to ensure the endowment had funding for the upcoming year.
“Before and during litigation, the defendants obstructed routine drawdown requests on money already set aside in the Endowment’s Treasury account, imposed and then abandoned a novel waiver requirement, and delayed the obligation of apportioned funds,” she wrote. “These actions vitiate any inference that the defendants’ concern has been to ‘ensure’ the Endowment’s ‘level of funding in the coming fiscal year.’”
Friedrich granted a preliminary injunction sought by the endowment for its remaining 2025 funding — $95 million, or about a third of its annual funding.
The State Department did not immediately have comment.
George Washington University pressed to reach deal over antisemitism findings
A Justice Department investigation concluded that leaders of George Washington University were “deliberately indifferent” to complaints of antisemitism stemming from pro-Palestinian protests last year.
In a Tuesday letter to the university’s president, the Justice Department said George Washington violated Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 by failing to address the harassment of Jewish students amid a campus tent encampment. The department said it will pursue enforcement action unless the university agrees to a voluntary resolution agreement.
The university did not immediately comment.
The Trump administration has issued similar findings at Harvard, Columbia and the University of California, Los Angeles. The government has used a deal with Columbia as a template for agreements with other universities.
The tent encampment at George Washington lasted about two weeks starting in April 2024 before it was cleared by police.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis picks state Sen. Jay Collins to be state’s lieutenant governor
It’s a closely watched appointment by the two-term governor, who can’t run for reelection in 2026 and has been working to cement his legacy as his time leading the state winds down.
If Collins, an Army combat veteran and nonprofit executive, decides to launch a bid to succeed DeSantis, the move could tee up another proxy fight between the popular GOP governor and President Trump, who’s already endorsed U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds for the job.
During a Tuesday news conference announcing his pick, DeSantis praised Collins for having strong conservative principles.
Collins was then sworn in minutes after the announcement.
The seat had been vacant since February, when then-lieutenant governor Jeanette Nuñez was appointed to lead one of the state’s public universities.
▶ Read more about Florida’s lieutenant governor
Trump will join virtual meeting on Ukraine organized by German Chancellor Friedrich Merz
That’s according to a White House official.
The Europeans hope to use the Wednesday meeting to rally Trump to Ukraine’s cause ahead of his Friday summit in Alaska with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Trump has disappointed allies in Europe by saying Ukraine will have to give up some Russian-held territory. He also said Russia must accept land swaps, although it was unclear what Putin might be expected to surrender.
Trump said Monday he’s “going to get everybody’s ideas” before meeting with Putin.
DC mayor arrives for Justice Department meeting
Mayor Muriel Bowser was seen exiting a black SUV in the Justice Department courtyard and walking into the building ahead of her meeting with Attorney General Pam Bondi.
RFK Jr.’s formula to “Make America Healthy Again” won’t be made public — for now
The White House is holding off on publicly releasing the much-anticipated “MAHA” strategy report that’s supposed to provide a policy road map for making Americans healthier.
The policy recommendations are a follow up from the MAHA report released in May, which focused on ultraprocessed foods, prescription drugs, vaccines, screentime and pesticides.
The initial report had already divided some conservatives, with farmers concerned about its focus on pesticides and some from Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s coalition upset that the report didn’t call for a ban on those chemicals.
White House spokesperson Kush Desai said in a statement that the report is “on track” to be submitted to President Trump on Tuesday and will be unveiled to the public “shortly thereafter.”
Attorney General Pam Bondi meeting with Washington officials after police takeover
The attorney general is expected to meet Tuesday with D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser a day after the president put the city’s police force under federal control.
Metropolitan Police Chief Pamela Smith was also seen entering Justice Department headquarters ahead of the planned meeting.
Trump said Monday that Bondi would assume responsibility for the police department in the hopes of reducing crime, even as city officials stressed crime is already falling.
Trump threatens lawsuit against Federal Reserve Chair
Trump called Fed chair Jerome Powell a “loser” Tuesday and demanded that he cut the central bank’s short-term interest rate. Such rate reductions can, over time, reduce borrowing costs for mortgages, car loans, and business loans.
Trump also said he might allow a “major lawsuit” to proceed against the Fed over the burgeoning cost of its massive renovation of two office buildings, currently expected to cost $2.5 billion, up from a previous estimate of $1.9 billion. It’s not clear what lawsuit Trump was referring to.
Europe’s sidelined leaders urge Trump to defend security interests at his summit with Putin
It was unclear whether even Ukraine will take part in the summit. Trump has said he wants to see whether Russian leader Vladimir Putin is serious about ending the war, now in its fourth year.
Trump has disappointed allies in Europe by saying Ukraine will have to give up some Russian-held territory. He also said Russia must accept land swaps, although it was unclear what Putin might be expected to surrender.
The Europeans and Ukraine are wary that Putin, who has waged the biggest land war in Europe since 1945 and used Russia’s energy might to try to intimidate the EU, might secure favorable concessions and set the outlines of a peace deal without them.
▶ Read more about the war in Ukraine
Wall Street climbs toward records on expectations for a coming cut to interest rates
It comes after data suggested inflation across the country was a touch better last month than economists expected.
The S&P 500 rose 0.6% and was on track to top its all-time high set two weeks ago. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 251 points, or 0.6%, as of 9:35 a.m. Eastern time, while the Nasdaq composite was 0.7% higher and also heading toward a record.
Stocks got a lift from hopes that the better-than-expected inflation report will give the Federal Reserve more leeway to cut interest rates at its next meeting in September.
Lower rates would give a boost to investment prices and to the economy by making it cheaper for U.S. households and businesses to borrow to buy houses, cars or equipment. President Trump has angrily been calling for cuts to help the economy, often insulting the Fed’s chair personally while doing so.
▶ Read more about the financial markets
Trump backs Burt Jones in Republican race for Georgia governor in 2026
It’s a boost to the incumbent lieutenant governor’s effort to set himself up as the 2026 frontrunner for the GOP nomination.
Trump announced the nod Monday, noting Jones was among the first Georgia Republicans to endorse Trump’s first bid for the White House in 2016 and saying Jones “worked tirelessly to help us win” in all three of Trump’s bids.
“He has been with us from the very beginning,” Trump wrote on social media. “I know his family well and have seen Burt tested at the most difficult levels and times.”
Republicans including Attorney General Chris Carr are vying with Jones to be their party’s nominee to succeed Gov. Brian Kemp, who can’t run again because of term limits. Other Republican candidates who could enter the race include Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger.
▶ Read more about the race for Georgia governor
Guard troops start streaming in
National Guard troops are beginning to arrive at the Washington, D.C., armory. They were seen arriving this morning at the Guard’s headquarters in the city.
Trump said Monday that in hopes of reducing crime, he would be taking over Washington’s police department and activating 800 members of the National Guard. The crime Trump talked about is the same crime that city officials stress is already falling noticeably.
Trump says recipients of Kennedy Center Honors will be revealed on Wednesday
The Republican president, who had himself installed as chairman of the Kennedy Center’s board, said in a social media post that the to-be-named nominees are “GREAT.”
“GREAT Nominees for the TRUMP/KENNEDY CENTER, whoops, I mean, KENNEDY CENTER, AWARDS,” Trump wrote in a social media post. “They will be announced Wednesday.
“Tremendous work is being done, and money being spent, on bringing it back to the absolute TOP LEVEL of luxury, glamour, and entertainment,” he said, without offering details.
The Kennedy Center Honors program typically tapes in December for broadcast later in the month on CBS.
Trump spurned the performing arts center in his first term after some honorees refused to attend a traditional White House event recognizing their achievements to protest Trump’s policies, including those toward the arts. He did not attend the taping of the awards program during those four years in office.
Trump’s Tuesday schedule
There is nothing on the president’s public schedule today. However, press secretary Karoline Leavitt will hold a briefing at 1 p.m. ET.
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
By The Associated Press
