Federal grip on DC police may tighten as Trump seeks long-term authority: Unbiased Updates, Aug. 14, 2025
President Donald Trump says he wants to maintain control of D.C.’s police long past the initial 30-day order, and he’s prepared to urge Congress to make it happen.
Plus, Trump has warned Russia there will be “severe consequences” if Friday’s meeting with President Vladimir Putin doesn’t go his way. Here’s what to expect from the high-stakes sit-down that could shape the Kremlin’s next move.
And a melting glacier has caused dangerous flooding before. Now, the Army Corps of Engineers says they can stop it — this time.
These stories and more highlight your Unbiased Updates for Thursday, Aug. 14, 2025.
Trump to seek long-term control of DC police
President Donald Trump isn’t just taking control of Washington, D.C.’s police; he aims to maintain power. The president said he will push Congress for a long-term extension of his federal takeover of the D.C. Metropolitan Police Department.
National Guard troops and federal agents now patrol the streets around the clock.
Protesters gathered Wednesday at a new checkpoint in the U Street corridor, one of the first set up under the president’s 30-day order that puts D.C. police under federal control.
Currently, the order is set to expire in a month, but Trump said he wants to extend it for much longer.
“So, we’re gonna need a crime bill that we’re gonna be putting in, and it’s gonna pertain, initially, to D.C. … We’re gonna use it as a very positive example. And we’re gonna be asking for extensions on that, long-term extensions because you can’t have 30 days,” Trump said. “I don’t want to call a national emergency. If I have to, I will. But I think the Republicans in Congress will approve this pretty much unanimously.”
To extend the takeover, Republicans would need at least seven Democrats in the Senate to sign on.
Trump said crime in D.C. is “out of control,” but the Justice Department claims violent crime in the nation’s capital actually fell to a 30-year low last year. The administration touted police union support and nearly two dozen arrests on the first night in D.C.
This is not the only fight over federal control of local law enforcement.
In California, a trial has wrapped after Trump deployed thousands of National Guard troops to Los Angeles earlier this summer. Gov. Gavin Newsom is suing, claiming it violated a law that limits the military’s role in domestic law enforcement.
A federal judge questioned the Justice Department about potential limits to what he called “a national police force” and asked why hundreds of federally deployed guardsmen are still there months after the initial threat.
There’s currently no timeline for a ruling.
Trump sets clear expectations for Putin ahead of high-stakes Alaska summit
President Donald Trump has set clear expectations for Friday’s high-stakes meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska. He warned the Russian leader of “very severe consequences” if he refuses to end the war in Ukraine.
Before leaving the Kennedy Center on Wednesday, Trump specified exactly what that means:
Reporter: Will Russia face any consequences if Vladimir Putin does not agree to stop the war after your meeting on Friday?
Trump: Yes, they will.
Reporter: What will be the consequences?
Trump: There will be consequences.
Reporter: Sanctions, tariffs?
Trump: There will. I don’t have to say. There will be very severe consequences.
Trump and Vice President JD Vance met virtually with Ukrainian President Zelenskyy and European allies on Wednesday. They agreed on five key expectations, including a ceasefire before any further talks and security guarantees for Ukraine outside of NATO.
Still, Trump acknowledged he does not believe he can stop Putin from targeting civilians, casting doubt on the chances for a quick truce.
Trump blamed his predecessor, former President Joe Biden, for the war in Ukraine, instead of the Russian leader.
“Again, this is Biden’s war. This isn’t my war. He got us into this thing. And it should have never happened. This war would have never happened if I were president. But it is what it is, and I’m here to fix it,” Trump said.
The White House said that if Friday’s talks go well, Trump wants a quick second meeting. However, that meeting would include Zelenskyy and Putin at the same table.
Local officials, military personnel and businesses in Anchorage are rushing to prepare for Friday’s meeting. In addition, Alaska’s tourist season is at its peak, hotels are nearly full and the rooms that are left are going for top dollar.
Israel in talks to resettle Palestinians in South Sudan: AP
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu continues to push for Palestinians to voluntarily leave Gaza. Reports now indicate that his government is considering resettling them in another conflict zone.
The Associated Press reported that Israeli officials are now in discussions with South Sudan regarding accepting Palestinians from Gaza. However, it is unclear how far those talks have progressed.
Netanyahu has floated similar proposals to other African nations.
The news comes as Israel faces outrage over an attack Wednesday that reportedly killed more than two dozen people who were lined up for humanitarian aid.
Palestinians and human rights groups call any forced relocation a violation of international law.
Juneau avoids widespread damage as new flood walls face biggest test yet
A record-breaking glacier flood hit Alaska’s capital this week. But for the first time in years, most homes along Juneau’s Mendenhall River were spared.
The water surged out of Suicide Basin, a giant pool dammed by the receding Mendenhall Glacier, sending the river to its highest level ever. However, two miles of Hesco barriers — giant sandbag walls built by the Army Corps of Engineers — kept the worst of it away.
In past years, floods have destroyed riverbanks, swept away homes and caused damage to hundreds more. This time, officials say that without the walls, nearly 1,000 structures could have been impacted again.
Floodwaters have damaged some roads, trails and bridges so far, but compared to 2023 and 2024, city leaders call it a relief.
Judge orders Infowars assets sold to pay Sandy Hook families
A Texas judge has approved the sale of Infowars to help pay the more than $1 billion owed by conspiracist and radio host Alex Jones to the families of Sandy Hook shooting victims.
Judge Maya Guerra Gamble ordered Wednesday that Infowars’ parent company, Free Speech Systems, be handed over to a court-appointed receiver. That receiver can seize everything from cash and equipment to the Infowars name itself and sell it off to cover Jones’s debts.
The move reopens the door for satirical outlet The Onion to revive its bid for the conspiracy-driven platform.
A civil jury found Jones guilty of defamation in 2022 for falsely claiming the 2012 school shooting — which left 20 children and six educators dead in Newtown, Connecticut — was a hoax.
But he hasn’t paid a cent of the damages.
On the show, Jones said he’s “pissed off” but “resigned” to Infowars’ shutdown and promised to keep broadcasting under a different brand. Attorneys for the families describe the order as a significant step toward holding Jones accountable for years of cruel harassment.
Trump announces first Kennedy Center honorees
The president is leaving his mark on Washington’s biggest night for the arts, announcing his first class of Kennedy Center Honorees:
- American actor Sylvester Stallone
- Disco legend Gloria Gaynor
- Rock icons Kiss
- Country superstar George Strait
- Michael Crawford, the original Phantom of the Opera
Trump, now chairman of the Kennedy Center, said he was “very involved” in selecting the honorees after overhauling a process he felt had become “too woke.”
The gala is scheduled for December, with Trump himself hosting. It’ll air on CBS.
Ella Rae Greene, Editor In Chief
