Trump on possible National Guard deployment to Chicago: "We're going in"

Trump on possible National Guard deployment to Chicago: "We're going in"

President Trump suggested Tuesday he's planning to sendNational Guard troops to Chicago, in what could be the latest salvo in his controversial push to use federal forces to address crime, drawing pushback from local political leaders. "We're going in. I didn't say when, we're going in," Mr. Trump said in an Oval Office event, after a reporter asked if he plans to send the Guard to Chicago. Mr. Trump did not specify whether his administration will primarily send Guard forces or federal law enforcement agents to Chicago. He also didn't say how many Guard troops could be deployed, or where they will hail from. Helater suggested Baltimorecould also draw a federal response. The presidenthas vowed for weeksto intervene in Chicago and Baltimore, arguing the two cities have failed to contain violent crime. Chicago could be the third city to face a crackdown under the Trump administration: Thousands of Guard troops and federal agents have beendeployed to the streets of Washington, D.C.,since last month as part of an anti-crime initiative, and Guard forceswere sent to Los Angelesin June to protect immigration agents. Mr. Trump said he hopes Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker — a vociferous Trump critic — will call him and request that troops be sent to Chicago. But the president said: "We're going to do it anyway. We have the right to do it because I have an obligation to protect this country." In a press conference Tuesday, Pritzker called Mr. Trump's comments "unhinged." "No, I will not call the president asking him to send troops to Chicago," he said. Pritzker said he expects federal agents from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and other agencies to surge in Chicago in the coming days. He said the president could then "use any excuse" to deploy military personnel. The governor said his administration is "ready to fight troop deployments in court." Any Guard deployment to Chicago would likely draw legal pushback. The D.C. National Guard is controlled by the president, but the 50 states' Guard forces are typically run by governors. Mr. Trump called members of the California National Guard into federal service without Gov. Gavin Newsom's permission by invoking a law that applies to rebellions or situations where the president can't enforce the law with "regular forces." Newsom sued the Trump administration over the move. Anappeals court ruledthat Mr. Trump likely had the right to call up the California National Guard, but a lower court judge on Tuesdayruled the deploymentviolated a 19th century law prohibiting the military from being used for domestic law enforcement. Trump calls Chicago a "mess" — Pritzker calls his claims "absurd" The president has zeroed in on cracking down on crime in the nation's major cities, beginning with the effort in D.C. — despite data showing crime has declined in the city in recent years. When Mr. Trump announced the crackdown in the nation's capital, he said the effort "will go further," saying the administration is "starting very strongly with D.C." and suggesting it could then move to other cities. Since then, he haspublicly lashed outover Chicago's murder rate. "We have other cities also that are bad. Very bad. You look at Chicago, how bad it is. You look at Los Angeles, how bad it is," Mr. Trump said last month. "We're not going to lose our cities over this." The president later praised the National Guard's work with the police in D.C., saying, "After we do this, we'll go to another location, and we'll make it safe, also.""Chicago's a mess, you have an incompetent mayor, grossly incompetent," Mr. Trump said last month. "And we'll straighten that one out, probably next – that will be our next one after this." The president predicted that, within a week of a federal intervention in Chicago, "We will have no crime in Chicago just like we have no crime in D.C." In Tuesday's press conference, Pritzker said "there is no emergency that warrants deployment of troops." He called Mr. Trump's characterization of crime in Chicago "absurd" and pointed to recent reductions in homicides, shootings and other violent crimes according tocity statistics. "One violent crime is too many, and we have more work to do," Pritzker said. "But we have made important progress on safety that Trump is now jeopardizing." Judge lets Google keep Chrome, but says it must share search data with rivals "Ding-dong ditch" shooting suspect was "waiting in the shadows," police say Trump vows to send National Guard troops to Chicago amid local and state opposition

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September 02, 2025

Trump on possible National Guard deployment to Chicago: "We're going in"

Trump on possible National Guard deployment to Chicago: "We're going in" President Trump suggested Tuesday he's planning t...

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Trump says his administration will ask Supreme Court for expedited ruling on tariffs

Trump says his administration will ask Supreme Court for expedited ruling on tariffs

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday said his administration will ask the Supreme Court for an expedited ruling on tariffs that a U.S. appeals court found illegal last week. The court ruling on Friday threatens to undercut the Republican president's use of the levies as a key economic policy tool. The court allowed the tariffs to remain in place through October 14 to give the Trump administration a chance to file an appeal with the Supreme Court. Trump told reporters in the Oval Office when asked about the court ruling that his administration will seek an expedited ruling as early as Wednesday "because we need an early decision." Trump's tariff policy is a central pillar of his economic agenda and he credits it with taking in billions of dollars for the U.S. government. "It's a very important decision, and frankly, if they make the wrong decision, it will be devastation for our country," he said. U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent on Monday expressed confidence that the Supreme Court will uphold Trump's use of a 1977 emergency powers law to impose sweeping tariffs on most trading partners. (Reporting by Christian Martinez and Steve Holland; Editing by Franklin Paul and Edmund Klamann)

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September 02, 2025

Trump says his administration will ask Supreme Court for expedited ruling on tariffs

Trump says his administration will ask Supreme Court for expedited ruling on tariffs WASHINGTON (Reuters) -U.S. President Donald Trump on Tu...

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During a quiet summer election, one clerk practices to make future elections smoother

During a quiet summer election, one clerk practices to make future elections smoother

On one of her two purple phones, Livonia City Clerk Lori Miller has a sticker that proudly proclaims "I [purple heart emoji] Boring Elections." And on Aug. 5 that's just what she got. Elections in her city and across the state were uneventful, a welcome gift to clerks who are bracing for a busy 2026. Miller used the primary in Livonia, a Detroit suburb in Wayne County, as an opportunity to test out some upgrades ahead of a competitive city council race in November and next year's elections for the U.S. House and Senate, state legislative seats, governor, and other statewide offices. "We're trying a lot of things," Miller toldVotebeatas she helped to close out absent voter counting boards at the end of the night. "I didn't want to do them last year, with so many other things happening, and I want to be ready for next year." Miller is relatively new to the job — her first general election as clerk was last year's presidential contest. She said she's focused on improving processes and ensuring elections run smoothly. That includes steps likeconsolidating precincts, which is allowed under a state law that reflects voters' increased interest in absentee and early voting, and reorganizing the way absentee ballots are stored, allowing counting boards to finish sooner. And, for the most part, it worked. The precinct consolidation did confuse some voters who'd voted for years at a different polling location or precinct number. The city posted signs outside each polling place, but some voters still wondered if they were at the right place. "We've voted at the same place for 30 years," Natalie Shields, a Livonia voter, told Votebeat after casting her ballot at a new precinct housed at Riley Upper Elementary School. "Now we have a new number, a new place — it's just frustrating to try to figure this all out." Despite these short-term impacts, Miller said there were plenty of reasons for the change: It will save money in the long term by allowing her to maintain fewer machines and bring on fewer workers for smaller elections. It can be difficult to find people prepared to work shifts that easily stretch past 14 hours. It's also given her leverage to push for higher pay for election workers to make the job more appealing. That proposal is still moving through the city's budget process. The city sent out cards to voters with their new precincts and voting locations, and posted signs that said which old precincts became which new ones. Even so, poll workers said, nearly every voter they spoke to questioned if they were at the right place. Some were sent to other locations, but most were able to cast their ballots as expected. Whatever confusion resulted didn't appear to diminish turnout. The city of 95,000 has just under 75,000 registered voters, and 27,571 of them cast ballots in Aug. 5's election — or about 37%. That's high for an August election, bolstered by a huge slate of 17 candidates running for city council and a contentious bond proposal to fund new city buildings. By comparison, in Detroit — where voters were picking out candidates for the first open mayoral race in more than a decade — fewer than 17% of registered voters cast ballots in Aug. 5's election. More than 9,000 Livonia voters turned out to vote in person, leading to a steady stream of voters at nearly every polling place all day. The rest of the city's voters cast their ballots either early or absentee. About a third of the city's registered voters received mailed absentee ballots. That was one reason she felt confident consolidating precincts: Most voters now take advantage of expanded early voting and the right to no-excuse absentee voting, both enshrined in the state's constitution through voter referendums in2018and2022. "People like those options," Miller said. "My job is to make sure they're able to use them." But that's not her only job, especially on Election Day. She spent the day shuttling between polling places, troubleshooting minor problems that arose and ensuring that voter assist terminals — designed for voters with disabilities but open for anyone to use — were set up properly. Once the polls closed, she changed out of her red "Livonia City Clerk's Office" shirt into a navy blue blouse and went live on Facebook, YouTube, and local TV, a Livonia tradition, to quickly share results with the public. Back at City Hall, the counting of absentee ballots went on all day. Starting as early as 7 a.m., four teams of half a dozen people or more counted continually at tables on the top floor. With more than 17,000 ballots coming in early, Miller's team needed a better system to sort and process them. Enter a new idea, borrowed from fellow clerks in neighboring downriver communities (who in turn borrowed it from a clerk in tiny Houghton County in the Upper Peninsula): Sort ballots by the date they're received, not by precinct. It allowed them to better count each day's results, leading to smoother final tallies and much faster paperwork. So on Aug. 5, in a conference room decorated with posters that depicted city officials as movie stars — City Emergency Preparedness Director Brian Kahn featured in a "Wrath of Kahn" mockup, for instance — the city's four absentee voter counting boards gave it go. "We learned a lot here tonight," Miller said, standing beneath her face superimposed on a poster for the 2014 football film "Draft Day," instead, reading "Election Day." "We'll do it all again next time." This storywas produced byVotebeatand reviewed and distributed byStacker.

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September 02, 2025

During a quiet summer election, one clerk practices to make future elections smoother

During a quiet summer election, one clerk practices to make future elections smoother On one of her two purple phones, Livonia City Clerk Lo...

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Here’s where things stand in the New York City mayor’s race

Here's where things stand in the New York City mayor's race

Labor Day marks the traditional start of the sprint to Election Day. This fall's marquee event: the contest to become New York City's next mayor. Zohran Mamdani is vying to finish the job after his shocking victory in June's Democratic primary. Mayor Eric Adams and former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo are running as independents, trying to rescue their political careers from a torrent of scandals. And Republican Curtis Sliwa adds an unpredictable element to the mix. The winner on Nov. 4 will lead America's largest city, but the results will resonate across politics. A victory by Mamdani, the 33-year-old state assemblyman and democratic socialist, would signal a sharp break within the Democratic Party from leaders who have refused to endorse him even after his primary win. Casting a shadow over the race is President Donald Trump, a Queens native and owner of several namesake properties in Manhattan. Trump has referred to Mamdani as a "communist" and said he would need to "take over" the city if Mamdani wins. Cuomo has used the threat to boost his campaign, saying only he knows how to battle with Trump, who has suggested the former governor should stay in the race despite his loss in June. Here's what to know about the race heading into the fall: Despite having the backing of much of the city's Democratic establishment, Mamdani has yet to secure the support of House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries. The pair recently met for a second time in Jeffries' Brooklyn district, this time alongside clergy leaders and Rep. Yvette Clarke, chair of the Congressional Black Caucus who also represents parts of Brooklyn. As Jeffries holds out, Mamdani is facing added scrutiny over his connection to the Democratic Socialists of America. Cuomo is trying to tie Mamdani to the DSA's most controversial proposals – including abolishing misdemeanors, disarming police officers, abolishing prisons and decriminalizing sex work. It's a tricky balance: The New York City chapter of the party has endorsed him and Mamdani has made it clear he is proud to identify as a member of DSA. But he also ran as a Democrat focused on affordability and has disavowed his previous calls to defund the police. He is putting some space between his campaign and the national arm of the DSA. "If you cannot find a policy on my website, that is not a policy that I am running on," Mamdani told reporters last week. The national organization is helping him with distance too. "While we are proud that Zohran works closely with NYC-DSA, we also understand his platform for mayor is not identical to the DSA National platform," DSA co-chair, Ashik Siddique, said in a statement. Cuomo, who is trying to revive his campaign through a mix of rebranded social media videos, pithy posts and frequent press conferences, is leaning into the public-safety focus of his primary campaign. Mamdani and Cuomo's public safety proposals are vastly different. Cuomo is proposing to hire an additional 5,000 police officers while Mamdani has said he wants to change the way in which officers respond to certain emergency calls, particularly calls involving the homeless or mentally ill. Despite a decline in shootings and murders, Cuomo has remained focused on the city's crime rate and the NYPD's officer shortage. Standing near a memorial where a 69-year-old woman was killed by a stray bullet, he renewed his call to bring the NYPD's headcount – which is already the largest in the nation – to the same levels as the administration of former Mayor David Dinkins. Or at least that's what it looks like for now. The incumbent is staying in the race despite a constant stream of corruption allegations surrounding his inner circle, a lack of public funds to help his campaign and abysmal polling showing that a majority of New Yorkers disapprove of his performance. Adams, who has been endorsed by a handful of law enforcement unions got another boost of support after Teamsters Local 831 – which represents the city's sanitation workers – endorsed his campaign. One of the more bizarre episodes in the campaign so far unfolded after one of Adams' former senior staff members handed a bag of potato chips stuffed with cash to a reporter following a campaign event in Harlem. Winnie Greco, who previously worked as Adams' liaison to the Chinese community and has been under investigation by federal authorities for months, handed the sour cream and onion potato chips bag to Katie Honan of THE CITY, a digital news outlet that has extensively covered Adams' corruption scandals. After realizing the chips were not just an awkward snack offer, Honan tried to return the money to Greco, who insisted that she keep it. Honan declined, explaining she could not receive gifts. The incident was referred to the city's Department of Investigation. "We don't give money to reporters. I don't know anything about what took place there," Adams said after the incident. Greco, who has since been suspended from her volunteer position in the campaign, denied the cash was a bribe to the reporter. Greco's lawyer told CNN it was meant to be a kind gesture. Hours later, Adams' former senior adviser, Ingrid Lewis-Martin was indicted on state charges of corruption and bribery, accused in a wide-ranging scheme involving cash, television shows and moneyed donors opposed to a street redesign project in Brooklyn. Manhattan prosecutors allege Lewis-Martin who Adams has referred to as "his sister" traded influence and favors from her powerful perch at City Hall in exchange for thousands of dollars in cash bribes and even a cameo on the small screen. Lewis-Martin pleaded not guilty along with eight co-defendants charged in the scheme. While Adams was not accused of any wrongdoing, the ongoing corruption scandals affecting his inner circle persist, reinforcing the perception that Adams cannot get away from the accusations that have hobbled his administration. It also gave his opponents fodder. Mamdani, whose viral videos helped him catapult to national notoriety, posted a clip of himself eating from a bag of chips. For more CNN news and newsletters create an account atCNN.com

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September 02, 2025

Here’s where things stand in the New York City mayor’s race

Here's where things stand in the New York City mayor's race Labor Day marks the traditional start of the sprint to Election Day. Thi...

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Congress faces potential government shutdown Oct. 1 without compromise

Congress faces potential government shutdown Oct. 1 without compromise

WASHINGTON – Congress faces the prospect of apartial government shutdown Oct. 1unless lawmakers can overcome partisan differences that sparked nationwide protests before the fast-approaching deadline. The debate comes after a federal appeals court overturnedPresident Donald Trump's tariffs, which could blow a $4 trillion hole in his budget over the next decade. AndTrump has antagonized some fellow Republicansin the narrowly divided Congress by refusing to spend billions of dollars that lawmakers have already approved. Here's what to know about the looming potential shutdown. Senate Republicans are pushing for a short-term funding patch to allow time for a yearlong agreement. But Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-New York, urged his colleagues Sept. 2 to prevent Republicans from helping what he called Trump's move toward authoritarianism. "Senate Republicans must decide: stand up for the legislative branch or enable Trump's slide toward authoritarianism," Schumer wrote. "This month will give us the opportunity to show a sharp contrast between our agenda and the chaos and extremism of the other side." Schumer said House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-New York, agreed. Mike Marinella, a spokesperson for the National Republican Congressional Committee, the campaign arm for the House GOP, said Jeffries and his "radical party" would "rather play politics than govern." "While Republicans are focused on keeping the government open and working for the American people, Democrats are threatening chaos to protect their extremist agenda,"Marinella said in a statement. A key Senate Republican has already challengedTrump's move to cut nearly $5 billionthat Congress approved for foreign aid, setting up a clash among members of the president's own party. Trumpnotified House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-Louisiana, in a one-page letter Aug. 28 that he planned to rescind 15 expenditures totaling $4.9 billion from the State Department and U.S. Agency for International Development. "Last night,President TrumpCANCELLED $4.9 billion in America Last foreign aid using a pocket rescission," the Office of Management and Budget said ina social media post. "(President Trump) will always put AMERICA FIRST!" But the head of the Appropriations Committee, Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, opposed the move. "Any effort to rescind appropriated funds without congressional approval is a clear violation of the law," Collins said on Aug. 29. Congress could block Trump's move, butit's unclear whether that will happen. The fight over government spending rekindled aftera federal appeals court overturnedTrump's significant new funding by collecting tariffs on imports from other countries. The crux of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit's7-4 decision on Aug. 29was that Trump had overstepped his authority by imposing tariffs based on the 1977 International Emergency Economic Powers Act. The decision could knock a $4 trillion hole in Trump's budget over the next decade.The Congressional Budget Office projectedthe tariffs would raise $3.3 trillion and reduce debt by $700 billion during that period. The appeals court left the tariffs in place until Oct. 14 to give the administration a chance to appeal. Attorney GeneralPam Bondisaid she would appeal to the Supreme Court. But a decision from the high court might not arrive before the spending clash comes to a head in Congress. Trump acknowledged the financial dilemma a loss of tariffs would create. "Today a Highly Partisan Appeals Court incorrectly said that our Tariffs should be removed, but they know the United States of America will win in the end,"Trump said on social media. "If these Tariffs ever went away, it would be a total disaster for the Country. It would make us financially weak, and we have to be strong." Negotiations over federal spending come after aLabor Day weekend of protestsorganized by unions and community activists against the Trump administration. The ralliesaimed to demonstrate the power of the working classin cities including Boston, Chicago, Detroit and New York. Hundreds of protesters gathered in New York across Fifth Avenue from Trump Tower. The protesters handed out tacos, after some critics adopted the acronym TACO for "Trump always chickens out." The protesters also chanted slogans such as "New York is a working town." Taylor Rogers, a White House spokesperson, told USA TODAY: "No one has done more for working men and women than President Trump." This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Congress faces potential government shutdown Oct. 1. What to know.

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September 02, 2025

Congress faces potential government shutdown Oct. 1 without compromise

Congress faces potential government shutdown Oct. 1 without compromise WASHINGTON – Congress faces the prospect of apartial government shutd...

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