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Trump’s Hostile D.C. Takeover
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President Trump’s strongman act is on full display in the nation’s capitol.


In a move straight out of the authoritarian handbook, Trump this week declared a crime emergency in Washington, D.C. and took federal control of the city’s police force and deploying National Guard ([link removed]) troops into its streets. This federalization of the nation’s capitol is another attempt by the president to project an image of strength and resilience in the face of opposition — and to show what he is willing to do to punish his perceived adversaries.
* In targeting D.C., Trump has spewed lies about the city’s history, population, and safety, many of which are based on and perpetuate racist rhetoric and narratives ([link removed]) about the city’s large Black population.
* That same rhetoric has been used to disenfranchise D.C.’s citizens ([link removed]) for decades, and was used as a basis ([link removed]) for the city’s lack of representation in Congress in the late 19th century.
* Despite Trump’s claims of lawlessness and chaos in D.C., data from both the F.B.I ([link removed]) and Metropolitan Police Department ([link removed]) shows the city’s crime rate is currently at its lowest in nearly 30 years.


Trump has named specific and vulnerable targets in his takeover of the nation’s capitol; unhoused people ([link removed]) and juveniles suspected of being members of “violent gangs” ([link removed]) are at the top of his arrest priority list.
* White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said on Monday that unhoused people who refuse to leave D.C. “will be subjected to fines or jail time,” but advocates ([link removed]) have pointed out that there is limited bed space in area shelters.
* “This is not about preventing crime, it’s about political theater and federal control,” Clinique Chapman, the chief executive of D.C. Justice Lab, told the New York Times ([link removed]) . “Young Black boys will bear the brunt of this, as they are the most likely to be stopped, to be questioned, to just really encounter the police interactions.”


We’re investigating ([link removed]) Trump’s brazen efforts to seize control of Democratic power centers. Immediately following his federalization of D.C., we submitted a suite of public records requests ([link removed]) to the departments of justice and the interior, as well as to the National Parks Service, the D.C. Mayor’s Office, and the D.C. City Council, for information that could help determine whether the administration’s public-safety rationale is a cover for a broader political effort to strip power from D.C.’s locally elected leaders.
* D.C. residents have the right to elect their own mayor and council, but Congress retains power to override local governance.
* Trump’s comments and the task force’s sweeping mandate raise concerns that the president could wield that authority to permanently revoke local control.
* D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser called Trump’s actions an “authoritarian push” and an “intrusion on our autonomy.”


This isn’t the first time we’ve witnessed Trump’s willingness to deploy military personnel on American soil to advance his political agenda and suppress opposition — and it seems like it won’t be the last.
* On Monday, Trump vowed ([link removed]) , “This will go further,” threatening to extend similar federal crackdowns to New York City, Los Angeles, Baltimore, Chicago, and Oakland — all cities led by Black Democratic mayors.
* In June, Trump authorized the deployment of National Guard and Marine troops to quash protests in Los Angeles, despite local and state officials’ objections ([link removed]) — a stunning abuse of power ([link removed]) that flies in the face of Americans’ right to free speech.
* The administration also dispatched thousands of military troops to the southern border in another political stunt ([link removed]) earlier this year.
* And new reporting ([link removed]) suggests that the Trump administration is now evaluating plans to establish a “Domestic Civil Disturbance Quick Reaction Force” of National Guard troops to be deployed into U.S. cities to quash protests or other civil unrest. Such an endeavor could cost hundreds of millions of dollars and poses a serious threat to Americans’ constitutional rights to free speech and assembly.
* Read more here ([link removed]) about our investigation into Trump’s weaponization of the military to quash protests and silence dissent.



** Congress Must Investigate IRS Commissioner Billy Long’s Ousting
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Trump ousted IRS Commissioner Billy Long last weekend, after he reportedly raised concerns about the agency’s data-sharing agreement with ICE. We’re calling on Congress ([link removed]) to immediately investigate Long’s removal.
* Long, a former Republican congressman from Missouri, was hand-picked for the role ([link removed]) by Trump, but was removed after just two months, following a reported dispute with the administration over its use of IRS records for immigration enforcement.
* According to the Washington Post ([link removed]) , last week the Department of Homeland Security sent the IRS a request for personal tax information about 40,000 individuals. The IRS refused to provide most of the information, citing privacy laws. Long was removed soon afterward.


“Removing the head of the IRS for refusing to violate this already controversial agreement is as alarming as it is telling,” American Oversight’s executive director Chioma Chukwu said ([link removed]) . “That the Trump administration reportedly sought to weaponize confidential taxpayer information to advance its nativist and anti-immigrant agenda — and, when Commissioner Long appeared to stand in the way, pushed him out after only two months on the job — should alarm all Americans.”
* “If this kind of abuse goes unanswered, it will embolden the administration to further trample privacy protections for immigrants and citizens alike,” Chukwu added.
* We previously uncovered details of a data-sharing agreement ([link removed]) between ICE and the IRS that showed ICE was seeking IRS records containing the addresses and other personal information of people it was investigating.
* The government repeatedly attempted in federal court to keep the details of the agreement hidden. Our successful efforts ([link removed]) to lift the redactions revealed the government’s apparent expectation that it could use the law-enforcement privilege to shield the records without proper justification or reason.



** On the Records: Texas and ICE are Coordinating Immigration Detention Spaces in the State
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Texas Gov. Greg Abbott’s office has been coordinating with federal immigration authorities to prop up detention spaces in the state, emails show ([link removed]) — another indication of states’ willingness to bend to President Trump’s extreme goals of mass arresting, detaining, and deporting immigrants.
* Texas could become the most recent state to announce it will prop up new detention facilities in support of Trump’s anti-immigrant agenda, following similar moves by Florida ([link removed]) , Tennessee ([link removed]) , Louisiana ([link removed]) , and others ([link removed]) .
* Emails show that Abbott’s Chief of Staff Robert Black asked top Trump administration officials working in immigration enforcement about possible detention spaces in Texas in February.
* “Attached is the list of facilities we visited about,” Black wrote. “Workforce will be a challenge but that can be contracted. … “I would recommend we set up a conference call to see if we can hammer out an agreement if you want to proceed.” The suggested facilities were redacted in the version of the email we obtained.


Other emails include references to a meeting about detention space that was held that same month between Abbott’s Deputy Chief of Staff, Angela Colmenero, and officials at ICE, DHS, and the National Security Council.
* “It was a pleasure speaking with you and Trevor this morning,” an NSC official wrote to Colmenero on February 13. (Colmenero noted that the director of the state’s prison system also joined the meeting.)
* “We sincerely appreciate your support for the administration’s agenda of expanding our detention portfolio nationwide,” the official continued. “We need to iron out some significant details regarding terms of use, length, cost, and any other facility or structural requirements needed.”


ICE recently announced that it plans to convert a Texas military base ([link removed]) , Fort Bliss, into a detention facility to hold thousands of detainees.
* The $1.2 billion site ([link removed]) — which is still under development — will begin detaining individuals on August 17. As planned, it will be the largest federal immigration detention space ([link removed]) in U.S. history.
* Legal battles over other recently-opened detention facilities are ongoing. Last week, a judge ordered a 14-day halt of construction ([link removed]) at the Florida Everglades detention space, citing environmental concerns.
* That order doesn't include any restrictions on law enforcement or immigration enforcement activity, though, and detained individuals are still being held in the swampy space, where conditions ([link removed]) include sweltering heat, abrupt air conditioning cut-offs, and bugs in the food ([link removed]) .
* We’ve been investigating abusive detention space conditions and the private prison industry’s ties to Trump’s mass detention and deportation goals. Read more here. ([link removed])


** Other Stories We’re Following
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Trump Administration Accountability
* White House to vet Smithsonian museums to fit Trump’s historical vision (Wall Street Journal ([link removed]) )
* Trump Bureau of Labor Statistics nominee was a 'bystander' outside Capitol on Jan. 6, White House says (NBC News ([link removed]) )
* Appeals court allows DOGE access to sensitive data at several agencies (New York Times ([link removed]) )
* Congressional Democrats ask Trump administration to stop DOGE employees from moving into permanent positions (CBS News ([link removed]) )
* Just how much has DOGE exaggerated its numbers? Now we have receipts. (Politico ([link removed]) )
* Kari Lake’s attempt to deport her own employees (Atlantic ([link removed]) )
* ICE adds random person to group chat, exposes details of manhunt in real-time (404 Media ([link removed]) )

Voting Rights
* Justice Department widens its request for Pennsylvania election information (Votebeat ([link removed]) )
* Texas Senate approves new congressional lines as House Democrats remain out of state (Texas Tribune ([link removed]) )
* Appeals panel declines Louisiana’s invitation to gut Voting Rights Act (The Hill ([link removed]) )
* A Trump cabinet member endorsed a pastor who wants the 19th Amendment repealed, and the danger is growing (Ms. Magazine ([link removed]) )
* The Supreme Court is determined to turn voting into a limited privilege (Slate ([link removed]) )

State and National News
* Evers requests FEMA review, federal disaster aid for Milwaukee floods (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel ([link removed]) )
* Paxton urges Texas judge to jail Beto O’Rourke over fundraising related to redistricting fight (Politico ([link removed]) )
* Hack of federal court filing system exploited security flaws known since 2020 (Politico ([link removed]) )

Immigration
* Florida to open second immigrant detention center (New York Times ([link removed]) )
* 'Who's running the show?' is a key question in 'Alligator Alcatraz' challenge (NPR ([link removed]) )
* Judge says ICE can't hold detainees at NYC facility unless it improves conditions and gives them sleeping mats (CBS News ([link removed]) )
* Trump administration hits hurdles as it builds a key immigrant detention facility (NBC News ([link removed]) )
* West Tenn. town approves CoreCivic to run immigration detention facility after chaotic meeting (Tennessee Lookout ([link removed]) )
* Angry Democratic members of Congress get a planned tour of ICE detention facility, leave with questions (Colorado Public Radio ([link removed]) )

LGBTQ+ Rights
* Supreme Court formally asked to overturn landmark same-sex marriage ruling (ABC News ([link removed]) )
* Appeals court upholds Arkansas’ ban on transgender minors’ health care after SCOTUS ruling (Arkansas Advocate ([link removed]) )

Abortion and Reproductive Rights
* Trump has said abortion is a state issue. His judicial picks could shape it nationally for decades (Associated Press ([link removed]) )
* Women in states with abortion bans are the biggest users of abortion telemedicine (Stateline ([link removed]) )
* Veterans are ‘guinea pigs’ in Trump’s first national abortion ban experiment (Intercept ([link removed]) )
* Missouri AG erred in asking Supreme Court to overturn order legalizing abortion (Missouri Independent ([link removed]) )
* Costco won’t sell abortion pill as religious investors declare win (Bloomberg ([link removed]) )

Threats to Education
* The Harvard-trained lawyer behind Trump’s fight against top universities (New York Times ([link removed]) )
* As classes near in Elizabeth, a book ban hangs over the town’s schools (Colorado Public Radio ([link removed]) )
* Judge strikes down parts of a Florida law used to ban school library books (Orlando Sentinel ([link removed]) )
* The White House has a preferred alternative to PBS. It may already be in countless classrooms. (Vox ([link removed]) )

Government Transparency and Public Records Law
* ACLU and Pima County Sheriff's Department head to court this month over ICE records request (KJZZ ([link removed]) )
* Another Ohio sheriff’s office is sued for not turning over ICE records (Ohio Capital Journal ([link removed]) )
* Oklahoma AG launches open records compliance complaint portal (Oklahoma Voice ([link removed]) )

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