What happened: President Donald Trump announced he is taking the unprecedented step of federalizing the police department in Washington, D.C.Can he do that? Acting alone, the president can federalize the police for 48 hours. If he notifies certain members of Congress, Trump can federalize the police for up to 30 days.
Key context: Trump cited rising crime as the emergency that justified his police takeover and National Guard deployment — but violent crime in D.C. has been in decline.
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D.C.’s mayor called Trump’s police takeover “unsettling and unprecedented”
What she said: “I can’t say that given some of the rhetoric of the past, that we’re totally surprised,” said Mayor Muriel E. Bowser, who was sharply critical of the takeover.
More: Bowser affirmed the authority of D.C. Police Chief Pamela A. Smith, saying “its 3,100 members work under her direction.”
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A federal judge blocked the release of Epstein case testimony.
The latest: A federal judge in New York became the second judge to reject the Justice Department’s request to release grand jury testimony from Jeffrey Epstein’s case.
Why: District Judge Paul A. Engelmayer said today that the request did not rise to the level of a “special circumstance” that would justify the release of secret testimony.
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The U.S. attorney for D.C. vowed to “change the law” to arrest more people.
Pirro is just one of many Fox News hosts or frequent guests who have been appointed to the Trump administration. (Eric Lee / For The Washington Post)
The details: U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro called D.C. laws “weak” and warned would-be troublemakers: “We see you, we’re watching you, and we’re going to change the law to catch you.”
Background: The former Fox News host was confirmed by the Senate this month, and served in the role on an interim basis starting in May.
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Chipmakers agreed to pay the U.S. 15 percent of Chinese AI sales revenue.
What to know: Nvidia and AMD have agreed to pay the U.S. a share of all sales of artificial intelligence chips in China in exchange for an export license for China.
Controversy: Some experts warn the agreement might be unconstitutional, as the fee could be seen as an export tax, which would violate the Export Clause.
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The White House said it’s open to peace talks with Ukraine and Russia.
Yesterday: Vice President JD Vance told Fox News that the White House is “trying to figure out, frankly, scheduling” for a meeting with Ukrainian and Russian leaders.
Related: Trump will meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin Friday, and Trump has talked with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky several times in recent months.
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Trump’s social media AI bot keeps contradicting him.
“I’m sorry, Donald. I’m afraid I can’t do that”: Trump’s Truth Social introduced an AI bot that insists, among other things, the 2020 election was legitimate and tariffs are taxes.
Ironic: Trump signed an executive order last month attacking “woke AI,” and ordering federal contracts go to companies whose AI bots were found to be bias free.
Before you go … Research laboratories have been hit hard by the Trump administration’s cuts to grants and education funding. Carolyn Y. Johnson went to one such laboratory to see how its staff is handling the cuts.
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