Federal Control Over D.C.

On Monday morning, President Donald Trump announced that he is putting Washington, D.C., under federal control and deploying the National Guard to fight crime. 

While police data shows a drop in violent crime in D.C. in recent years, Trump said this historic action would “rescue our nation’s capital from crime, bloodshed, bedlam and squalor and worse.” He suggested he could deploy the National Guard in other cities as well, referencing the deployment of Guard troops in Los Angeles earlier this year. 

Host Colby Itkowitz speaks with local reporter Olivia George about this unprecedented move to militarize Washington, D.C.; how some of the city’s residents are already protesting; and what this deployment could mean for cities across America.

Today’s show was produced by Sabby Robinson, with help from Laura Benshoff and Rennie Svirnovskiy. It was edited by Reena Flores and mixed by Sam Bair. 

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