Overview

• Trump said his administration will direct prosecutors to seek capital punishment for murders committed in Washington, D.C., even though the district repealed its death penalty, which remains available under federal law.
• He announced work with Speaker Mike Johnson and Senate Majority Leader John Thune on a comprehensive crime bill as House Republicans draft measures to let federal control of D.C. policing run past the Home Rule Act’s 30-day limit.
• The administration cites more than 1,100 arrests, at least 115 firearms seized and dozens of encampment removals since the early August surge that federalized the Metropolitan Police Department and deployed National Guard troops.
• Mayor Muriel Bowser credited the surge with an 87% drop in carjackings and a 15% year-over-year decline in overall crime over 20 days, while criticizing masked ICE arrests and the efficiency of out-of-state Guard deployments.
• An AP-NORC poll found 81% of Americans view big-city crime as a major problem, with a narrow majority approving of Trump’s handling of crime but surveys showing the public split on federal control of local police and Guard patrols.