The nation’s capital challenged President Donald Trump’s takeover of its police department in court on Friday (August 15, 2025), hours after his administration stepped up its crackdown on policing by naming a federal official as the new emergency head of the department, with all the powers of a police chief.

District of Columbia Attorney General Brian Schwalb said in a new lawsuit that Mr. Trump is going far beyond his power under the law. Mr. Schwalb asked a judge to find that control of the department remains in district hands.

“The administration’s unlawful actions are an affront to the dignity and autonomy of the 700,000 Americans who call DC home. This is the gravest threat to Home Rule that the District has ever faced, and we are fighting to stop it,” Mr. Schwalb said.

The lawsuit comes after Trump Attorney General Pam Bondi said on Thursday night that Drug Enforcement Administration boss Terry Cole will assume “powers and duties vested in the District of Columbia Chief of Police.” The Metropolitan Police Department “must receive approval from Commissioner Cole” before issuing any orders, Ms. Bondi said. It was unclear where the move left the city’s current police chief, Pamela Smith, who works for the Mayor.

Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser pushed back, writing on social media that “there is no statute that conveys the District’s personnel authority to a federal official.”

Chief had agreed to share immigration information

Mr. Schwalb had said late on Thursday that Ms. Bondi’s directive was “unlawful,” arguing it could not be followed by the city’s police force. He wrote in a memo to Smith that “members of MPD must continue to follow your orders and not the orders of any official not appointed by the Mayor,” setting up the legal clash between the heavily Democratic district and the Republican administration.

Ms. Bondi’s directive came even after Smith had told MPD officers hours earlier to share information with immigration agencies regarding people not in custody, such as someone involved in a traffic stop or checkpoint. The Justice Department, said Ms. Bondi, disagreed with the police chief’s directive because it allowed for continued enforcement of “sanctuary policies,” which generally limit cooperation by local law enforcement with federal immigration officers.

Ms. Bondi said she was rescinding that order as well as other MPD policies limiting inquires into immigration status and preventing arrests based solely on federal immigration warrants. All new directives must now receive approval from Cole, the Attorney General said.

The police takeover is the latest move by Mr. Trump to test the limits of his legal authorities to carry out his agenda, relying on obscure statutes and a supposed state of emergency to bolster his tough-on-crime message and his plans to speed up the mass deportation of people in the U.S. illegally.

It also marks one of the most sweeping assertions of federal authority over a local government in modern times. While Washington has grappled with spikes in violence and visible homelessness, the city’s homicide rate ranks below those of several other major U.S. cities and the capital is not in the throes of the public safety collapse the administration has portrayed.

Residents are seeing a significant show of force

A population already tense from days of ramp-up has begun seeing more significant shows of force across the city. National Guard troops watched over some of the world’s most renowned landmarks and Humvees took position in front of the busy main train station. Volunteers helped homeless people leave long-standing encampments — to where was often unclear.

Department of Homeland Security police stood outside Nationals Park during a game on Thursday between the Washington Nationals and the Philadelphia Phillies. DEA agents patrolled The Wharf, a popular nightlife area, while Secret Service officers were seen in the Foggy Bottom neighbourhood.

Mr. Bowser, walking a tightrope between the Republican White House and the constituency of her largely Democratic city, was out of town Thursday for a family commitment in Martha’s Vineyard but would be back Friday, her office said.

The uptick in visibility of federal forces around the city, including in many high-traffic areas, has been striking to residents going about their lives. Mr. Trump has the power to take over federal law enforcement for 30 days before his actions must be reviewed by Congress, though he has said he’ll re-evaluate as that deadline approaches.

Officers set up a checkpoint in one of DC’s popular nightlife areas, drawing protests. Troops were stationed outside the Union Station transportation hub as the 800 Guard members who have been activated by Mr. Trump started in on missions that include monument security, community safety patrols and beautification efforts, the Pentagon said.

Troops will assist law enforcement in a variety of roles, including traffic control posts and crowd control, National Guard Major Micah Maxwell said. The Guard members have been trained in de-escalation tactics and crowd control equipment, Maxwell said.

National Guard troops are a semi-regular presence in DC, typically being used during mass public events like the annual July 4 celebration. They have regularly been used in the past for crowd control in and around Metro stations.

Published – August 15, 2025 08:06 pm IST

PSA Airlines, an American regional airline passenger jet collided midair with a US Army Black Hawk helicopter on Wednesday night, near Reagan Washington Airport. The jet crashed into the Potomac River, which borders the airport.

The victim was actively looking for a job.

Washington DC:

With 30 miles (48 km) of tall black temporary fencing, 25,000 law enforcement officers and security checkpoints set up to process hundreds of thousands of spectators, Washington is braced for President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration next week.

The Monday swearing-in on the steps of the U.S. Capitol and parade to the White House will follow a weekend featuring protests by Trump’s opponents and parties and rallies by the Republican’s supporters.

The inauguration follows a campaign marked by two attempts on Trump’s life – including one from a would-be assassin who nicked his ear with a bullet – and a pair of New Year’s Day attacks on ordinary Americans. In one, 14 people were killed and dozens injured when a U.S. Army veteran rammed a truck into a crowd of New Year’s Eve revellers in New Orleans. The same day, an active-duty U.S. Army soldier detonated a Tesla Cybertruck outside a Trump-branded hotel in Las Vegas, killing himself.

“We are in a higher-threat environment,” said U.S. Secret Service Special Agent in Charge Matt McCool at a Monday press briefing.

The inauguration itself, when Trump formally takes the oath of office with members of Congress, the Supreme Court, his incoming administration and tens of thousands of others looking on, will take place on the Capitol steps, facing the Washington Monument.

That is the same spot where, on Jan. 6, 2021, thousands of Trump supporters smashed windows, fought with police and sent lawmakers running for their lives in an attempt to overturn his 2020 election loss to Democratic President Joe Biden.

Trump’s 2024 election rival, Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris, conceded her defeat in the Nov. 5 contest, unlike Trump who continues to falsely maintain that his loss was the result of fraud.

FEAR OF A LONE WOLF

Security officials said they were not aware of any specific, coordinated threats to the inauguration. What they are worried about is lone wolves, such as the New Orleans attacker, or two separate incidents last week. In one, a man was arrested for trying to bring a machete into the Capitol. In the other, a man was arrested for trying to ignite a fire near the Capitol, according to U.S. Capitol Police.

“That threat of the lone actor remains the biggest justification for us being at this heightened state of alert throughout the next week,” U.S. Capitol Police Chief Thomas Manger told the security briefing.

The FBI and Department of Homeland Security on Monday warned police nationwide of the risk of copycat attacks similar to the New Orleans incident.

A large chunk of downtown Washington – stretching about 2 miles (3 km) from the White House to the Capitol – will be closed to vehicular traffic, with entry points blocked with concrete barriers, garbage trucks and other heavy items.

The 30 miles of 7-foot-tall (2-meters-tall) black fencing, designed to be unclimbable, will be the longest ever erected in Washington, officials said. Some 7,800 National Guard troops and 4,000 officers brought in from other police departments around the country will reinforce security.

While some residents of the city, where 90% of voters cast ballots for Harris over Trump, were readying to leave for the holiday weekend or hunker down at home to avoid the gridlock, tens of thousands of people were expected to descend upon the city for celebrations and protests.

About 70% of Washington’s 34,500 hotel rooms were booked for the night of the inauguration and the night before as of last week, according to data from Smith Travel Research and shared with Reuters by Destination DC, Washington’s official tourism organization. Hotel occupancy was at about 95% for Trump’s 2017 inauguration, and about 78% for former President Barack Obama’s second inauguration in 2013.

MARCHES AND RALLIES

Trump’s 2017 inauguration was marked by massive protests and counter-protests. His former spokesman, Sean Spicer, famously began his tenure by claiming – contrary to photographic evidence — that the crowd on the grassy National Mall was “the largest audience ever to witness an inauguration – period.”

The Women’s March the following day drew hundreds of thousands of people onto the streets of Washington — and even more in pop-up solidarity events that took place around the country.

A far smaller crowd of 25,000 people is expected to take part in the anti-Trump People’s March on DC on Saturday, Metropolitan Police Chief Pamela Smith said on Monday. 

Thousands are expected to show up for nearly a dozen other protests or rallies that local officials have permitted between Saturday and Monday, including a Trump rally at the 20,000-seat Capital One Arena on Sunday. 

Juliette Kayyem, a professor at Harvard Kennedy School who served as a homeland security official during the Obama administration, said officials appeared to follow standard practice in planning for all possibilities.  

“What you’re planning for is a worst-case scenario, but my suspicion is you’re not going to get it, which is good,” Kayyem said. “In terms of planning, it’s always easier to ratchet down than ratchet up.”

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

A new poll conducted by real estate company Clever has found Washington DC to be the least desirable city in America. For the study, the firm polled 1,000 people in June and analysed migration data from the US Census to uncover why the US capital city has fallen out of favour. It found that for the second year, Washington DC topped the list of places where Americans would least want to live, with a whopping 33% of survey respondents ranking it among the top five worst cities. 

According to the New York Post, the study found that a staggering 65% of Americans said that sky-high living costs make a place unlivable, with Washington DC being no exception. The city’s reputation has also taken a hit due to a surge in crime, with 2023 seeing 274 murders, which is the highest number in over two decades, the outlet reported. 

New York, Los Angeles and San Fransico also landed on the list of least desirable cities this year. According to the study, this is largely due to their unaffordable housing markets. 

Washington DC, however, was crowned the best place for working parents, thanks to its high scores in work and health categories, remote work opportunities and a strong network of paediatricians.

Other cities which were once thriving are struggling, per the study. Baltimore, now known for leading the country in murders and robberies, ranks seventh on the least desirable list. Detroit, plagued by high rates of rape and aggravated assault, is also mentioned on the list. Birmingham, Alabama, and Buffalo, New York, are also grappling with the fallout from crumbling industrial infrastructure. 

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On the other hand, Tampa, Florida, has been crowned America’s most desirable city for 2024. However, Americans are content where they are, with 73% saying they’re happy with their current home. Yet, frustration lingers for many, with 59% feeling dissatisfied and 43% even embarrassed by their state, the study said. 

According to the Post, California has fallen out of favour, coming in last in a recent Consumer Affairs poll due to poor marks in education, health and safety. The once-Golden State has also lost its luster, with New Mexico, Texas, Louisiana and Alaska trailing close behind in the rankings.

Washington:

A US Postal Service worker in Washington, DC, has allegedly stolen around $1.7 million from its residents, Wtopnews reported citing a court document. 

As per the Wtopnews website, the civil forfeiture filing ordered the seizure of $402,669.95 from the bank account, believed to be operated by the US Postal Service worker, Hachikosela Khose Muchimba, at the Friendship Post Office Station. 

Officials believe the amount may be less than half of the total amount of fraudulent deposits made across eight bank accounts, as per Wtopnews.

Wtopnews is a Washington DC-based news website. 

The filing further read that Muchimba had deposited around 98 misappropriated checks into those accounts with an aggregate value of $1,697,909.52. And at least 90 of those misappropriated checks were US Treasury checks.

Investigators included checks stolen from residents dating back to December 13, 2021 – Muchimba was first employed as a mail carrier on February 16, 2020, and was assigned to the route in question beginning on January 31, 2021.

The investigators believed that Muchimba altered checks from the US Treasury and added his name and address before depositing them to bank accounts via mobile apps.

After a search warrant was served on March 29, law enforcement also recovered receipts for the deposit of more than $400,000 into an Olney, Maryland bank account, the filing states, reported Wtopnews.

Prosecutors argue that Muchimba was pinned as a potential account holder after a person noticed that the name signed to an altered check matched holiday cards provided by Muchimba to residents last December.

The filing also depicts the mail carrier at local ATMs, making withdrawals of up to $1,000 from the named accounts.

“Surveillance photographs captured the same person withdrawing USD 1,000 … on four subsequent dates: September 20, 22, 28 and October 6,” the filing said. “In three of the surveillance photographs, the person appears to be wearing US Postal Service clothing typically worn by employees.”

Officials with the US Postal Service Inspector General told “our news partners at NBC Washington that an investigation is ongoing,” and a representative for USPS said the employee remains on the rolls of the USPS. Filings from the attorney general, however, call Muchimba a “former” postal service employee, reported Wtopnews.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)