Georgia sends troops to DC in sign that Trump's policing push will continue

Georgia sends troops to DC in sign that Trump's policing push will continue

ATLANTA (AP) — Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp announced Friday that he's sending 316 members of the state's National Guard to Washington, D.C., later this month in the latest indication thatPresident Donald Trump'slaw enforcement operationin the nation's capital will drag on. The Republican Kemp said he will mobilize the roughly 300 troops in mid-September to take part in Trump's D.C. operation to relieve soldiers from elsewhere who deployed earlier. "Georgia is proud to stand with the Trump administration in its mission to ensure the security and beauty of our nation's capital," Kemp said in a statement. Trump initially called up 800 members of the District of Columbia National Guard to assist federal law enforcement in his bid to crack down oncrime,homelessnessandillegal immigration. Since then,seven otherRepublican-led states have sent troops — Louisiana, Mississippi, Ohio, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee and West Virginia. Kemp said Georgia's soldiers may be armed and will support law enforcement. Kemp said he already sent 16 soldiers this week to Washington in support roles that won't involve policing. Trump last month took over the district's local police department and deployed the National Guard in what he said was meant to fight crime. Earlier this week, members of the D.C. National Guard had their orders extended through December, another sign that their role will not wind down soon. The District of Columbia on ThursdaychallengedPresident Donald Trump'suse of the National Guardin Washington, asking a federal court to intervene even as he plans to sendtroopsto other cities in the name of driving down crime. Brian Schwalb,the district's elected attorney general, said in a lawsuit that the deployment, which now involves more than 1,000 troops, is an illegal use of the military for domestic law enforcement. "No American jurisdiction should be involuntarily subjected to military occupation," Schwalb wrote. The White House said deploying the Guard to protect federal assets and assist law enforcement is within Trump's authority as president. Kemp announced last month that he would mobilize 75 Georgia National Guard soldiers and airmen to provide administrative and logistical support to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement at locations in Georgia, although those soldiers won't be conducting law enforcement or making arrests. Georgia is one of 11 states where the guard will be helping ICE. Some Democratic state lawmakers attacked the use of the National Guard as illegal and unconstitutional in a Friday news conference at the Georgia Capitol in Atlanta. "The threat before us is not just from foreign shores, but from within — a reckless deployment of the National Guard against fellow American citizens," said state Rep. Eric Bell, an Jonesboro Democrat and former U.S. Navy officer. "Make no mistake, this is not about public safety. It's the erosion of American freedom and sovereignty." Kemp, the current chair of the Republican Governors Association, has for years been sending Georgia guard members to the Mexican border in Texas to support border enforcement there. ___

byAlpha World

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September 05, 2025

Georgia sends troops to DC in sign that Trump's policing push will continue

Georgia sends troops to DC in sign that Trump's policing push will continue ATLANTA (AP) — Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp announced Friday that...

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Congress is expected to allow Trump's takeover of DC police to expire

Congress is expected to allow Trump's takeover of DC police to expire

WASHINGTON (AP) — Congress is expected to allow PresidentDonald Trump's temporarytakeover of Washington's police departmentto expire next week as the 30-day limit comes to an end and Mayor Muriel Bowser pledges to maintain close coordination with federal law enforcement. Trump took control of the Metropolitan Police Department in August in addition to deploying hundreds of National Guard troops, saying he was going to "take our capital back" from criminals. He invoked a section of the District of ColumbiaHome Rule Actin an executive order to declare a "crime emergency" so his administration could temporarily take over the police force for 30 days. That order expires on Sept. 10. Congress would have to approve an extension, and Republicans on Capitol Hill have no plans to do so in the next week. Still, House Republicans plan to move forward with a raft of bills that would tighten federal control over the city, including tougher sentences for criminals and aTrump-led effortto "beautify the district" by removing graffiti and restoring public monuments. Kentucky Rep. James Comer, the Republican chairman of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, said that "together with President Trump," the panel will "fulfill its constitutional duty to oversee District affairs and make D.C. safe again." Bowser issued an order last week to continue the work of an emergency operations center that the city set up in response to thelaw enforcement surge. The mayor said police would work with federal law enforcement agencies and credited the surge with bringing down the level of crime in the city, including an 87 percent drop in carjackings. GOP leaders in the House and Senate haven't seen a reason to act, given that Bowser is working with federal authorities, according to aides who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss private deliberations, and Trump has so far not publicly urged them to seek an extension. Congressional Democrats have protested the takeover. Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton, the city's nonvoting representative, has pushed legislation to give the city full control of its police department. Maryland Sen. Chris Van Hollen introduced a similar bill in the Senate, saying that Trump is "playing dictator in our nation's capital." Bowser did not give a timeline for the coordination with federal agencies. She said that "neighborhoods feel safer" when carjackings go down. But she also said at the end of August that the presence of masked agents who were not always identifiable had led to a "break in trust between, police and community, especially with new federal partners." The city haschallengedTrump'suse of the National Guardin Washington, asking a federal court to intervene.Brian Schwalb,the district's elected attorney general, said in a lawsuit that the deployment is an illegal use of the military — some of whom are carrying firearms — for domestic law enforcement. Groups of Washington residents have protested the takeover as videos of arrests and detainments have circulated on social media. Trump and Republicans have portrayed the takeover as transformative for the city. He said last week that the city was safe and that restaurants were enjoying booming business. "We have no crime," he asserted flatly. "You're not going to be shot." National Guard troops are expected to stay in the city through later this year, including those sent byRepublican-led states. How long those troops, which number around 1,340, remain in the nation's capital is up to their individual governors. __ Associated Press writers Kevin Freking, Stephen Groves, Konstantin Toropin and Gary Fields contributed to this report.

byAlpha World

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September 05, 2025

Congress is expected to allow Trump's takeover of DC police to expire

Congress is expected to allow Trump's takeover of DC police to expire WASHINGTON (AP) — Congress is expected to allow PresidentDonald Tr...

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Browns' Myles Garrett set for season opener and renewing rivalry with Bengals QB Joe Burrow

Browns' Myles Garrett set for season opener and renewing rivalry with Bengals QB Joe Burrow

BEREA, Ohio (AP) — Myles Garrett is used to striking fear in Joe Burrow and the Cincinnati Bengals in the week leading up to their twice-a-year matchups. Garrett, though, did give Browns' fans and teammates cause for concern on Thursday when he didn't practice because of a hip injury. The All-Pro pass rusher was back on the practice field Friday and said he is set for Sunday's season opener. "We're ready to go. Had some pain yesterday. I'm good today," Garrett said Friday following a lifting session after practice. Garrett has sacked Burrow nine times, his most against any quarterback. He has sacked Burrow seven of the eight times they have faced each other, including three multi-sack games. Bengals left tackle Orlando Brown Jr. will be matched up against Garrett most of the time, but Cincinnati also has rookie left guard Dylan Fairchild making his first NFL start. "I know they'll have the majority of the attention pointed at me. I know there'll be some chips, some doubles, there'll be some slides. So just trying to get ahead of that," Garrett said. Burrow is used to facing talented pass rushers in AFC North games, but he considers Garrett to be the best of the bunch. "He can win the game if you let him," Burrow said. "You have to be aware of where he's at at all times with protection IDs and also know where your quick answer is in whatever concept you have called. Because sometimes he's back there before you can catch the ball, basically, and you have to get it out. "He's going to make plays. And when he does, you got to hold on to the ball and not make a bad play worse." Sunday's game will also be a matchup of the top two pass rushers from last season. Cincinnati's Trey Hendrickson led the league with 17 1/2 sacks while Garrett was second with 14. "It's not me versus Trey, so I don't think about it like that," Garrett said. "I want to be the best player on the field. I plan to lead the league in sacks and it's not like he's pass blocking against me. I hope he does well. I hope he goes out and does what he's supposed to do and I hope I do the same." Garrett has had an eventful nine months since he last played in Cleveland's 2024 regular-season finale at Baltimore. He requested a trade during Super Bowl week before he signed afour-year contract extension worth $204.8 millionin March. Last month, he was cited for driving a Ferrari 100 mph on a suburban Cleveland interstate. While Garrett was able to repair his relationship with the Browns, he acknowledged that his situation was different than Micah Parsons' in Dallas before he got traded to Green Bay. "Well, I mean, I wasn't sleeping on the training table during games. I think him and I went at it in two very different ways and this wasn't a relationship I wanted to ruin," Garrett said. "There was always a potential of me being back in this same spot, which I am now. I don't think that's what he wanted after no discussions with Jerry and some of the other people, especially without his agent being present. "I feel like that seemed like a show of disrespect, the way they were handling the situation, and I think the way ours was handled was a bit more respectful all around." Garrett's focus, though, is on seeing if the Browns can bounce back after going 3-14 last season. Cleveland upgraded the defensive line with the addition of Maliek Collins and first-round draft pick Mason Graham. Defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz said on Thursday he thinks this is his best group of defensive linemen in his three seasons with the Browns. Garrett is reserving judgement. "It has the potential," Garrett said. "But at the end of the day, potential is just that until you execute, until you apply it." ___ AP freelance writer Charlie Goldsmith in Cincinnati contributed to this report. ___ AP NFL:https://apnews.com/hub/nfl

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September 05, 2025

Browns' Myles Garrett set for season opener and renewing rivalry with Bengals QB Joe Burrow

Browns' Myles Garrett set for season opener and renewing rivalry with Bengals QB Joe Burrow BEREA, Ohio (AP) — Myles Garrett is used to ...

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Sky suspend Angel Reese one half for detrimental comments

Sky suspend Angel Reese one half for detrimental comments

One day after Angel Reese was suspended one game by the WNBA, the Chicago Sky added another half-game to her sentence. Reese will not play in the first half of Chicago's road game Sunday against the Las Vegas Aces due to "statements detrimental to the team" she made in an interview with the Chicago Tribune. "The Chicago Sky values the safety, respect and well-being of every player," the team said in a statement. "We are committed to accountability so our players can stay focused on playing basketball." Reese's team suspension doesn't kick in until Sunday because she is forced to sit out Friday's game at the Indiana Fever after accumulating her eighth technical foul of the season. As for the comments in question, the All-Star forward spoke to the Tribune about the upcoming offseason. Frustrated that the Sky will miss the playoffs for the second straight year since she was drafted in 2024, she said she wasn't "settling for the same (expletive) we did this year." "We have to get good players. We have to get great players. That's a non-negotiable for me," Reese said. "I'm willing and wanting to play with the best. And however I can help to get the best here, that's what I'm going to do this offseason. So it's going to be very, very important this offseason to make sure we attract the best of the best because we can't settle for what we have this year." Reese went on to say that she'd like to spend her full professional career in Chicago, "but if things don't pan out, obviously I might have to move in a different direction and do what's best for me." Reese apologized to her teammates and coaches and said during a press conference that she needed to choose better language to express her disappointment. Reese, 23, is averaging 14.7 points and a league-leading 12.6 rebounds in 30 games (all starts) this season. Her 23 double-doubles also top the league. --Field Level Media

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September 05, 2025

Sky suspend Angel Reese one half for detrimental comments

Sky suspend Angel Reese one half for detrimental comments One day after Angel Reese was suspended one game by the WNBA, the Chicago Sky adde...

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Justice Department talks about banning transgender gun owners spark fury across political spectrum

Justice Department talks about banning transgender gun owners spark fury across political spectrum

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Justice Department is drawing swift condemnation from gun rights groups and LGBTQ advocates alike after floating that it was considering restricting transgender people from owning guns — a move that would all but certainly face immediate constitutional challenges if ever implemented. The discussions come in the wake ofthe shooting at a Minneapolis Catholic schoollast month that federal officials have said was carried out by a transgender shooter, according to a person familiar with the matter. The person, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss internal deliberations, cautioned that the talks were in the early stages and that no proposal has been finalized. Even so, that high-level officials in theTrumpadministration were discussing such an idea sparked fury across the political spectrum. LGBTQ advocates called it misguided and dangerous as the vast majority of mass shootings in the U.S. are carried out by men and do not involve transgender people. "Transgender people are less than 2% of the overall population, yet four times as likely to be victims of crime," GLAAD said in an email. "Everyone deserves to be themselves, be safe, and be free from violence and discrimination. We all deserve leaders who prioritize keeping all of us safe and free." Since Trump returned to office, his administration has targeted transgender people in several ways, including removing them frommilitary service, scrubbing somefederal websitesof mentions of them, trying to bar changing the sex marker onpassports, seekingpersonal informationon gender-affirming care patients from doctors and clinics, and seeking to bar transgender girls and women from certainsports competitions. The Justice Department said in a statement in response to questions about the firearms talks that the agency is "actively evaluating options to prevent the pattern of violence we have seen from individuals with specific mental health challenges and substance abuse disorders." But, the department said: "No specific criminal justice proposals have been advanced at this time." Some conservative figures have coalesced around the idea of restricting guns for people diagnosed with gender dysphoria — the unease a person may have because their assigned gender and gender identity don't match — through a federal law that bars people from possessing firearms if they are "adjudicated as a mental defective." "It's incredibly worrying that that seems to be on the table for them," Alejandra Caraballo, a transgender rights activist and Harvard Law School instructor. "This is not something that would be that incredibly difficult to do logistically or practically but it would be politically explosive in terms of the backlash of Second Amendment groups." Guns rights advocates — including politically powerful groups such as the National Rifle Association and Gun Owners of America — vowed to fight any proposal that imposes a blanket gun ban targeting a segment of the population. "The Second Amendment isn't up for debate," the NRA said in a social media post on Friday. "NRA does not, and will not, support any policy proposals that implement sweeping guns bans that arbitrarily strip law-abiding citizens of their Second Amendment rights without due process." Another gun rights group, Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms, called the discussions "disturbing." "Prohibiting whole groups of people from owning and using firearms because a sick individual misused a gun to harm and kill children is as reprehensible as restricting the rights of all law-abiding citizens because some people have committed crimes," said Alan Gottlieb, the group's chairman said in a statement. "That anyone in the Trump administration would consider such nonsense is alarming." ____ Associated Press reporter Geoff Mulvihill in Philadelphia contributed.

byAlpha World

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September 05, 2025

Justice Department talks about banning transgender gun owners spark fury across political spectrum

Justice Department talks about banning transgender gun owners spark fury across political spectrum WASHINGTON (AP) — The Justice Department ...

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