One month has passed since President Trump deployed the National Guard, federal agents, and took over control of D.C.’s police department. Trump’s MPD takeover expires today, 30 days after it was announced, but the National Guard and other federal agents may be extended through Nov. 30 or later, so the end is not in sight just yet.
Use this podcast playlist to deep dive into the takeover’s most impactful local changes over the last month, and what we can expect going forward.
The 30-day crime emergency might be up, but MPD will continue to cooperate with federal agents. Plus, Congress is expected to take up 14 new bills this week aimed at changing D.C.’s governance. These include replacing D.C.’s attorney general, requiring cash bail, and changing juvenile sentencing. NBC4’s Mark Segraves explains what to expect.
Trump is clearing homeless encampments as part of his plan to make D.C. "more beautiful.” But what are the numbers, where are folks going, and are there enough shelters for them to go to? We talked with the Washington Post’s Marissa Lang about how this push is affecting D.C.’s unhoused and how the city is reacting.
We asked Congressman Jamie Raskin (MD-D) about how he and his colleagues can oppose the administration’s unprecedented surge into hometown Washington. Last month, Raskin proposed a bill to terminate Trump’s takeover of the police department. In a GOP Congress, passing it may be a stretch, but it begs the question: Are politicians doing enough to fight for D.C.?
Viral videos of ICE agents arresting D.C. residents, dragging them into cars, and driving off are all over local social media. The Washington Post’s Teo Armus has been tracking those incidents and answers every question you might have about what we know about ICE in D.C., their involvement with MPD, and what’s ahead.
Youth crime is front and center in Trump’s claims that D.C. is a dangerous hellscape (his words, not ours). But he's not the first to raise the issue: Mayor Bowser has also pushed for curfews to counter the alleged spike. So is it true? And if so, what policies are really the best way to keep kids out of trouble? We got some answers from Georgetown University crime expert Eduardo Ferrer.
The takeover has been an unprecedented attack on home rule, but it isn’t the first time we’ve seen this kind of threat. In this episode, we dive into what exactly home rule means, how easy it is to overturn, and other times it was under threat with Howard University’s Robinson Woodward-Burns.
Still trying to explain all this succinctly to your out-of-towner friends? Send them this episode, recorded the day that Trump announced the takeover. We break down, from the beginning, exactly what Trump’s deployment of the National Guard and takeover of local police means with NBC4’s Mark Segraves.
