With nearly 2,000 National Guard troops expected to be deployed in Washington as part of President Donald Trump’s law-enforcement crackdown, parts of the nation’s capital have started to look like occupied territory with massive miliary transport vehicles dotting the city.
The average number of people arrested each day in Washington during the first 10 days of Trump’s federal takeover increased by about 20%. Those totals include arrests by both local police and federal officers, but not immigration arrests, according to a law enforcement official who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss data that has not been publicly released.
While when members of the president’s staff including Vice President JD Vance and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth went to a Shake Shack Wednesday to praise soldiers for bringing “law and order back,” they were met mostly with jeers from city residents who argued the increase in military presence was without reason.
D.C. native LaVerne Smalls, 46, said the city’s vibe is “very different. It’s very quiet, and I don’t like it. It should be full of life.”
Other news we’re following today:
Appeals court tosses Trump civil fraud penalty: New York’s appeals court said the trial judge’s penalty against Trump for exaggerating his wealth was ‘excessive.’ After finding that Trump engaged in fraud by flagrantly padding financial statements that went to lenders and insurers, Judge Arthur Engoron ordered him last year to pay a price that, with interest and other penalties, topped $527 million.Judge denies request to unseal Epstein transcripts: The ruling Wednesday by federal Judge Richard Berman in Manhattan came after the judge presiding over the case against British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell also turned down the government’s request to unseal grand jury transcripts and exhibits. Trump calls on Fed governor to resign: In a Truth Social post, Trump called on Federal Reserve governor Lisa Cook to resign after a member of his administration accused Cook of committing mortgage fraud. The allegation represents another front in the Trump administration’s attack on the Fed, which has yet to cut its key interest rate as Trump has demanded. Trump plans to patrol DC tonight: Trump said on conservative The Todd Starnes Show that he would go out with law enforcement and the military to patrol the city.