President Trump says he may send National Guard to New Orleans next instead of Chicago

President Trump says he may send National Guard to New Orleans next instead of Chicago

WASHINGTON –President Donald Trumpsuggested he may not send National Guard troops to Chicago as he's repeatedly threatened, and for the first time introduced a new potential target for his next crime crackdown: New Orleans. One day after he declared,"We're going in" about plans for Chicago,Trump on Sept. 3 said his administration still hadn't decided whether it would deploy troops to the nation's third-largest city. Trump instead pointed to New Orleans, a city in a Republican-led state, in contrast to Democratic-led Illinois. "We're making a determination now," Trump said in the Oval Office to reporters. "Do we go to Chicago or do we go to a place like New Orleans, where we have a great governor, Jeff Landry, who wants us to straighten out a very nice section of this country that's become quite, you know, quite tough, quite bad?" "So, we're going to be going to maybe Louisiana," Trump added. More:Trump says federal troops are headed to Chicago. 'We're going in.' Trump emphasized that he wants Democratic Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker to request help from the Trump administration to combat Chicago's crime. "We could straighten out Chicago. All they have to do is ask us," Trump said. Pritzker, however, has resisted Trump's threats to send the National Guard to Chicago, calling federal interventionnot about addressing crime but rather Trump "testing his power." "I want to go into Chicago, and I have this incompetent governor who doesn't want us," Trump said. Trump is more thanthree weeks into his crime crackdown in Washington, DC, which has involved deploying more than 2,200 National Guard troops to patrol the streets. But unlike other American cities, DC's status as a federal enclave gives Trump special authority to deploy National Guard troops to the nation's capital, in contrast to governors traditionally overseeing mobilizations in their states. More:'None of this is about fighting crime': Illinois responds to Trump's troop plans Trump signed an executive order on Aug. 11directing Defense SecretaryPete Hegsethto "coordinate with state governors" to determine whether National Guard troops are needed in their communities. While both Chicago and New Orleans have Democratic mayors ‒ Brandon Johnson and LaToya Cantrell, respectively ‒ Louisiana presents an opportunity for cooperation with the state's governor, Republican Jeff Landry, while Chicago does not. "We will take President@realDonaldTrump's help from New Orleans to Shreveport!"Landry said in a poston X shortly after Trump's remarks. Both Chicago and New Orleans have well-documented struggles with crime. New Orleans has the third-highest homicide rate in 2025, while Chicago ranks 10th, according to a listcompiled from the nonprofit Freedom for All Americansbased on local data. DC ranks 19th on the same list. Trump has also discussed targeting Baltimore, Los Angeles, Oakland, California and New York City in future crackdowns. Yet the president, in his Sept. 3 remarks, signaled he may not deploy the National Guard to these cities unless he is asked. "The politicians are not in tune with the people. The people in Chicago, the people in Baltimore, the people in all the places we talk about, they want to see us there," Trump said, but added, "I think we are pretty much waiting until we are asked." His comments marked a shift in rhetoric from one day earlier, on Sept. 2, when Trump claimed that he planned to send troops into Chicago whether or not they asked for help. "If the governor of Illinois would call me up, I would love to do it," Trump said 24 hours earlier. "Now, we're going to do it anyway. We have the right to do it because I have an obligation to protect this country." More:Judge blocks Trump deployment of National Guard in California A federal judge in Californiaruled on Sept. 2 that Trump's deploymentof National Guard troops this year in Los Angeles in response to protests was illegal because it violated a federal law prohibiting the use of the military to enforce domestic laws. However, the narrow ruling does not require Trump to withdraw the remaining 300 National Guard troops from Los Angeles, nor does it apply to other states. Memphis, St. Louis, Kansas City and Cleveland are other cities that ‒ like New Orleans ‒ rank among the top 10 in homicide rates and are in states with Republican governors. Trump, however, has not cited them as potential targets. Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee, a Republican ally of Trump, told reporters last week he hadn'tplanned to ask for federal troops for Memphis. "We have no plans to put the National Guard there now," Lee said. Reach Joey Garrison on X @joeygarrison. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Trump says he may send National Guard to New Orleans over Chicago

byAlpha World

in

September 03, 2025

President Trump says he may send National Guard to New Orleans next instead of Chicago

President Trump says he may send National Guard to New Orleans next instead of Chicago WASHINGTON –President Donald Trumpsuggested he may no...

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'This is not a hoax': Epstein survivors speak out demanding files be released

'This is not a hoax': Epstein survivors speak out demanding files be released

Through tears, a group of women who say they were victimized by Jeffrey Epstein shared their stories on Capitol Hill as they called on lawmakers to support the release of records that the Department of Justice has so far withheld from Congress. "This is not a hoax. It's not going to go away," said Marina Lacerda, a central witness in Epstein's 2019 indictmentwho spoke with ABC News. Anouska De Georgiou, the first survivor of Epstein and his longtime associate Ghislaine Maxwell to step to the podium, said the victims are coming together to have their voices be heard. MORE: 'We need the Epstein files to be out': Central witness in Epstein case speaks publicly for 1st time "The days of sweeping this under the rug are over. We the survivors say 'no more,'" she said. "I'm no longer weak, I am no longer powerless and I'm no longer alone. And with your vote, neither will the next generation," she said. "President Trump, you have so much influence and power in this situation. Please use that influence and power to help us, because we need it now, and this country needs it now." Trump was asked about the press conference pushing for transparency on the Epstein files at the White House on Wednesday. He continued to insist it was a "Epstein hoax" distracting from his administration's success. "This is a Democrat hoax that never ends," Trump claimed. Survivor after survivor, however, implored lawmakers to back a bipartisan push from Republican Rep. Thomas Massie and Democratic Rep. Ro Khanna to compel the Justice Department to publicly release the Epstein files. "Mr. President, Donald J. Trump, I am a registered Republican -- not that that matters, because this is not political -- however, I cordially invite you to the Capitol to meet me in person so you can understand this is not a hoax. We are real human beings. This is real trauma," survivor Haley Robson said when asked by ABC News Capitol Hill Correspondent Jay O'Brien about Trump's comments calling the matter a "hoax." At times growing emotional, some survivors also detailed the abuse they said they suffered at the hands of Epstein, some saying the abuse happened when they were teenagers. "I had never been more scared in my life than I was that first time that he hurt me," Jena-Lisa Jones recounted. She said she first met Epstein when she was 14 years old. "I know that I was just a little kid but sometimes I still feel that it was my fault this happened," she added through tears. "It's time for us to see behind the curtain. Why was Jeffrey Epstein so protected? Who is still being protected? And who protected them all, so the world can understand how Jeffrey was able to abuse so many of us for so long," said Courtney Wild, an Epstein survivor. So far, four Republicans have signed on to the Massie and Khanna discharge petition -- a procedural tool to bypass GOP leadership and force a vote. Those signers include Massie, Reps. Nancy Mace, Marjorie Taylor Greene and Lauren Boebert. If all 212 Democrats sign the petition, only two Republicans are needed to reach the 218 needed to compel a vote on the House floor. "I hope my colleagues are watching this press conference. I want them to think, what if this was your sister? What if this was your daughter?" Massie said. "Today we stand with survivors, we stand against big money, we stand to protect America's children. That is really what this is about," Khanna said on Wednesday. MORE: House Oversight chair issues subpoenas for Epstein files, depositions with Clintons Attorney Bradley Edwards, who has represented more than 200 Epstein survivors, said the push should "pass with flying colors." "While we have seen the documents, you haven't, and when you see the documents, you're going to be appalled," Edwards said at the press conference. House Republican leadership, however, is opposed to the Massie and Khanna effort -- as is the White House. Speaker Mike Johnson urged Republicans to not support Massie's discharge petition during a closed conference meeting Wednesday morning, according to multiple sources. "It does not adequately protect the innocent victims, and that is a critical component," Johnson said on Tuesday of the discharge petition. MORE: Johnson says GOP is committed to transparency and justice on Epstein Johnson instead argued the ongoing investigation by the House Oversight Committee, which has subpoenaed records from the Justice Department and the Epstein estate, is the better path because committee investigators will pour over the files and redact any identifying or otherwise confidential information. The House Oversight Committee on Tuesday evening released tens of thousands of pages related to Epstein, much of which was already publicly known. "To the American people -- don't let this fool you," Rep. Robert Garcia, the top Democrat on the House Oversight Committee, said after the release. "After careful review, Oversight Democrats have found that 97% of the documents received from the Department of Justice were already public. There is no mention of any client list or anything that improves transparency or justice for victims." Epstein was arrested in July 2019 and charged in a federal indictment with conspiracy and child sex trafficking. He died in custody a month later, while awaiting trial. His death was ruled a suicide by hanging. Maxwell was convicted in 2021 by a federal jury on sex trafficking and other charges. She is currently serving a 20-year prison sentence for aiding and participating in Epstein's trafficking of underage girls, which involved a scheme to recruit young women and girls for massages of Epstein that turned sexual.

byAlpha World

in

September 03, 2025

'This is not a hoax': Epstein survivors speak out demanding files be released

'This is not a hoax': Epstein survivors speak out demanding files be released Through tears, a group of women who say they were vict...

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John Force's charisma and demeanor remain undaunted despite long, tough recovery from horrific crash

John Force's charisma and demeanor remain undaunted despite long, tough recovery from horrific crash

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — John Force's flamboyant personality still shines brightly. The memories of ahorrific crash 14 months agohave started to fade away, and Force's charisma and million-dollar smile — two features that played a role in his successon the trackand on television — remain in place. He didn't stay away long, either. Force attended his first post-crash racein late October. He has been at most of this year's races, including last weekend for the one he calls "the grandaddy of races" — the U.S. Nationals in Indianapolis. He still meets regularly with team members, shows off cars and, of course, enjoys mingling with fans in a new role — the non-racing team owner of John Force Racing. "I'm just really glad I'm standing. Walking is a little rough for me on the starting line," he said last week at a shop owned by his son-in-law, IndyCar driver Graham Rahal. "Sometimes, I've got to hang onto a pole, but I'm getting through it." Just arriving at this moment is a milestone for Force, especially considering his long, arduous journey since a catastrophic engine failure sent him crashing into a concrete wall in Virginia at roughly 300 mph. The rebound sent him careening across the center line and into another wall. He suffered a fractured sternum among other injuries, but it was the traumatic brain injury that forced the 76-year-old out of the car after winning 16 Funny Car titles and an NHRA-record 157 races. Force spent months working with specialized therapists on an outpatient basis in California as he tried to return to the sport that turned him and his family into national stars. While he would, naturally, prefer driving, Force is following doctors' orders and is using the positive vibes from interacting with fans to help fuel his rehab. "I love the fans," Force said. "I ran other circuits but not like I've lived NHRA for the last 50, over 50, years. And I've got guys like (Jack) Beckman that taught my wife and my kids, they even snuck my name on the side of (Beckman's) car. But Beckman is a great talker, (Austin) Prock is a great talker, Brittany (Force) is, so we get the job done." Those are the team's three regular drivers, and they've done well. Prock and Beckman are first and second in the Funny Car points with six events remaining. Brittany Force, the latest of John Force's daughters to compete on drag strips, still ranks fifth in Top Fuel as she continues to race for her father. But as difficult as the crash and recovery were on John Force, it was equally challenging for his 39-year-old daughter. "Last year was really tough, just watching everything he went through and then we spent months in the hospital with him and then watching him return," Brittany Force said. "His first race after his wreck was Las Vegas, which, ironically, Austin and I doubled up (winning) and that to me was just a higher power. His first race back, both his cars get into the winner's circle and it was my first win in two years to the date." Behind the scenes, Brittany Force says not much has changed. She says her father loves family time, being at the team shop, and talking racing. "One of the biggest things he's taught me is how we interact with the fans, and that's why he's so loved by his fans," she said. "That's how he's always been." No, Force won't be climbing into or out of a car. But he's likely to be at whatever stop is next on the NHRA schedule. It's who he is. And after everything he's endured over all these months, he figures that's a pretty good place to be. "There's nothing they can do to make me better, all they can do is teach me the things I'm off with," he said. "But I'm the luckiest guy in the world. I don't get to drive my hot rod. They want me to warm it up, but with the problems I've got, I just, you know, do what the doctors tell me to do and I'm getting better." ___ AP auto racing:https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing

byAlpha World

in

September 03, 2025

John Force's charisma and demeanor remain undaunted despite long, tough recovery from horrific crash

John Force's charisma and demeanor remain undaunted despite long, tough recovery from horrific crash INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — John Force'...

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Kalen DeBoer hot seat talk premature, but his Alabama bandwagon is empty

Kalen DeBoer hot seat talk premature, but his Alabama bandwagon is empty

The Kalen DeBoerbandwagon has emptied out. It's been left to rust, and if you're left holding stock in DeBoer, it's trading at a 52-week low. Alabamahas 60-plus million reasons (aka DeBoer's buyout) to stay the course with its beleaguered coach, but there's no denying this much: There's trouble in Tuscaloosa. DeBoer is swimming upstream against a strong current afterAlabama got whipped by Florida Statein the season opener. On this edition of "SEC Football Unfiltered," a podcast from the USA TODAY Network, hostsBlake ToppmeyerandJohn Adamsdiscuss whether this result puts DeBoer on the hot seat. They're dumping the idea of Alabama making the playoff, while increasing their stock in two SEC teams that showed promise for a higher-than-expected ceiling. Also, the hosts react toArch Manning's lackluster performancein Texas' loss to Ohio State, and Adams stumps fora certain SEC team to be ranked No. 1in the polls. Subscribe to SEC Football UnfilterediTunes|Google Play|Spotify Toppmeyer:It's tempting to say yes, after the Script A translated to awful in the season opener. It's not just that Alabama lost. The Crimson Tide got bullied. The rushing yardage differential (230 to 74) tells you everything you need to know about how this went. Alabama has become an opponent that you can talk trash to and get away with it. But, there's the matter of DeBoer's buyout. If Alabama fires DeBoer after this season, it would owe him the second-largest buyout in college football history. As bad as it might seem right now for Alabama fans, I don't think the Tide have found the rock bottom that would be necessary to swallow that buyout after Year 2. DeBoer's in trouble, but hot-seat talk remains a bit premature. Adams:I sprained my ankle springing free of the DeBoer bandwagon during that debacle in Tallahassee. Is Alabama drilling for oil? If not, does Texas A&M have any funds leftover from firing Jimbo Fisher (at a cost of $76 million) that it could loan Alabama? My gut tells me Alabama isn't too eager to shell out more than $60 million to fire DeBoer at a time when schools also need money to pay their athletes. So, I wouldn't label DeBoer as being on the hot seat just yet, but the fact that we're using the words "hot seat" and "buyout" in the same sentence with a coach who's only 14 games deep into his tenure should tell you how this is going for DeBoer. Toppmeyer's five-pack of picks (picks in bold): ∎ San Jose State atTexas (-36.5) ∎ Arkansas State atArkansas (-23.5) ∎ South Florida atFlorida (-17.5) ∎Kansasat Missouri (-6.5) ∎ UCLA (-2.5) atUNLV Season record:3-2 ---------- Adams' five-pack of picks (picks in bold): ∎ San Jose State atTexas (-36.5) ∎South Floridaat Florida (-17.5) ∎Mississippi (-10.5)at Kentucky ∎ Louisiana Tech atLSU (-37.5) ∎ Kent State atTexas Tech (-48.5) Season record:2-3 Apple Spotify iHeart Google Blake Toppmeyeris the USA TODAY Network's national college football columnist.John Adamsis the senior sports columnist for the Knoxville News Sentinel.Subscribe to theSEC Football Unfilteredpodcast, and check out theSEC Unfiltered newsletter, delivered straight to your inbox. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Kalen DeBoer on hot seat? Not yet, but Alabama bandwagon is empty

byAlpha World

in

September 03, 2025

Kalen DeBoer hot seat talk premature, but his Alabama bandwagon is empty

Kalen DeBoer hot seat talk premature, but his Alabama bandwagon is empty The Kalen DeBoerbandwagon has emptied out. It's been left to ru...

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'I understood the reason,' Trump says of show of force by Russia, China, North Korea

'I understood the reason,' Trump says of show of force by Russia, China, North Korea

President Donald Trumpsaid he was "watching" the event staged by China on the 80th anniversary of Japan's defeat in World War II and "understood the reason" itbrought togetherthe leaders of China, Russia and North Korea publicly for the first time. "I thought it was very, very impressive," Trump said Sept. 3 during an event at the White House. "But I understood the reason they were doing it. And they were hoping I was watching, and I was watching. My relationship with all of them is very good. We're going to find out how good it is over the next week or two." The massive show of force showcased China's advancing military might in front of 50,000 guests and spectators. China staged a large and highly choreographed military parade in Beijing's Tiananmen Square, unveiling a new long-range hypersonic missile, underwater drones and even robotic wolves. China's Xi Jinping used a crowd-pleasing speech to highlight how the country's growing military and diplomatic clout represents an alternative to a US-led world under Trump's White House that hasstrained relations with allies and rivals alike. Trump complained the United States was left out of the speech. "President Xi is a friend of mine, but I thought that the United States should have been mentioned last night during that speech, because we helped China," Trump said Sept. 3. More:Russia suggests Trump was being 'ironic' with Putin, Xi, Kim 'conspiring' claim Trump addressed Xi, Russia'sVladimir Putinand North Korea's Kim Jong Un in anearlier social media postthat accused them of working to "conspire against The United States of America." He also said inthe postthat the United States should be acknowledged for "the massive amount of support and 'blood' that The United States of America gave to China in order to help it to secure its FREEDOM." More:Russian, Chinese, North Korean leaders meet to 'conspire' against US, Trump says Japan invaded China in a conflict that ended after Japan was defeated − in large part by the United States − in World War II. Trump had earlier told reporters he did not see the parade as a challenge to the United States. Asked Sept. 3 if he was upset that he wasn't invited to the parade in Beijing, Trump said, "It wouldn't have been my place to be there." Contributing: Joey Garrison, Francesca Chambers This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Trump says he watched event with leaders of North Korea, Russia, China

byAlpha World

in

September 03, 2025

'I understood the reason,' Trump says of show of force by Russia, China, North Korea

'I understood the reason,' Trump says of show of force by Russia, China, North Korea President Donald Trumpsaid he was "watchin...

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