Overview

• National Guard units patrolling Washington, D.C., have been authorized to carry M4 rifles and M17 pistols, with officials saying force would be used only as a last resort.
• Trump signed orders to tighten pretrial policies in the capital, fund additional security staffing and criminalize flag burning despite past Supreme Court protections.
• The president has publicly floated deployments to Chicago, New York and Baltimore, as adviser Stephen Miller claims local crime networks are tied to transnational cartels, a contention disputed in coverage.
• The Washington Post reports the Pentagon has been preparing options for Chicago, while a Pentagon spokesperson declined to discuss future operations.
• Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker and Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson reject any troop deployment as unnecessary and potentially unconstitutional, noting falling crime rates and vowing to assess legal action.