Overview

• Joint Task Force–D.C. said Guardsmen began carrying service weapons Sunday night under Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s authorization.
• AP photographs showed armed troops near Washington’s Union Station, with reports citing M17 pistols or M4 rifles and use limited to self-defense under strict rules.
• About 1,900 National Guard members remain deployed in the district as the federally directed operation continues.
• Trump said Chicago is “next” and that New York will “get help,” while the Washington Post reported planning options that include deploying several thousand Guardsmen to Chicago as early as September.
• Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker, Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson, and House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries dispute the authority and necessity of such deployments, as outlets note Section 12406 as a contested legal pathway and point to a June Los Angeles precedent.