So how is that D.C. takeover going for President Donald Trump , and, more importantly, residents of the nation's capitol? |
Greetings This is America readers, this is Phillip M. Bailey, chief political correspondent for USA TODAY. |
Trump administration officials strutted through Union Station amid its deployment of federal law enforcement and National Guard troops in Washington, D.C., arguing the controversial action is bringing down crime. Only the "elderly white hippies" are upset, according to Stephen Miller, the White House's deputy chief of staff. |
But Trump isn't backing down and he has boasted −without much evidence − that the display of force is making the city safer as questions about where federal agents and guard members are having the most impact remain. | White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, and Vice President JD Vance speak with members of the National Guard at Union Station on Aug. 20 in Washington, D.C Al Drago-Pool/Getty Images |
For more on what's happening in Washington, D.C., check out the USA TODAY Network's coverage: |
| • | Trump declares victory in Washington DC after takeover of metro police: On Aug. 21 the president met with law enforcement officers who had been deployed to patrol the city he recently described as rampant with "crime, bloodshed, bedlam and squalor." | | • | Watch: The troops are "going to stay here awhile," Trump said. | | • | Fox News host Bret Baier pulled over in DC amid Trump law enforcement crackdown: The political news anchor is one of the more famous faces in the country who may have been inadvertently caught up in the crackdown. | |
Trump's next target? Non-English speaking truck drivers |
You might have seen the viral video of a trucker named Harjinder Singh causing a fatal Aug. 12 crash in Florida that killed three people after making an illegal U-turn. |
Singh, who was licensed in California, allegedly failed a roadside English proficiency test, according to homeland security officials. That is now part of a larger debate about who should and shouldn't be on U.S. roads, as the Trump administration gets tougher on commercial drivers nationally. |
It's the sort of move bound to ignite another fierce round of debate around immigration as trucking associations demand for consistent enforcement to improve safety by ensuring drivers can read roadside signs while critics warn this could result in racial profiling by police. |
There's no solid data on how many crashes are caused each year by truckers who can't read English, but for the victim's families there remain serious questions of how and why Singh was allowed to drive and that Trump administration is pouncing on those concerns within the context of its larger immigration enforcement goals. |
Thanks for reading! See you back next week with more stories of justice from across the country. You can find me on social @ phillipmbailey. | |
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