Overview

• Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth signed an order allowing roughly 2,000 National Guard members in Washington to carry service weapons, with the shift expected to take effect in the coming days.
• The D.C. National Guard says any arming will be consistent with mission and training; troops are supporting law enforcement and are not making arrests, though they may temporarily detain suspects.
• Nearly 2,000 Guard personnel from D.C. and at least six Republican-led states are deployed across the city, supplementing a federal surge that has included additional agents.
• Attorney General Pam Bondi reports 630 arrests and 86 seized guns since the crackdown began, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office has brought in 20 military JAG attorneys to prosecute misdemeanor cases.
• President Trump threatened a “complete and total” federal takeover of Washington and said Chicago could be next, as the Justice Department investigates whether local police manipulated crime statistics.