Trump announces takeover of Washington, D.C., police, deploying National Guard
President Trump says he is taking over control of the Washington, D.C., municipal police and also deploying the National Guard to patrol Washington’s streets. Trump also raised the possibility of taking over other U.S. cities, and named New York City as a likely candidate. Trump also is targeting homeless people who are in Washington, D.C. In an internet post, he says the homeless will be moved out to someplace far from the District of Columbia, but did not say where they’d be taken or what services would be provided. Trump has claimed that the nation’s capital city is overrun by crime when actually statistics show that crime is down and the city is relatively safe. Violent crime last year was at its lowest level in 30 years in D.C.
Netanyahu defends planned military takeover of Gaza
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has defended his planned military takeover of Gaza City in the face of growing international condemnation and anger, with United Nations officials warning Sunday the move would lead to “another calamity” in the embattled, starving enclave. In a rare news conference with international media, Netanyahu said the controversial operation for an Israeli take over of Gaza is the fastest way to end the war. Donald Trump has proposed a plan for him to redevelop Gaza into a seaside resort area. Israel faced condemnation at the U.N. on Sunday, with the United Kingdom, Russia, China and France among others expressing their strong opposition to Netanyahu’s military plan for Gaza that would constitute “further violations of international law.”
Al Jazeera says more of its journalists were killed by Israel
The Middle East news service Al Jazeera says that three of its journalists were killed by an Israeli attack in Gaza. The Israeli military admitted targeting and killing Al Jazeera correspondent Anas Al-Sharif after accusing him of leading a Hamas cell. Al-Sharif, a 28-year-old journalist who covered the war from inside Gaza, previously denied the allegation. The attack occurred near the entrance of Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City. Hospital director Dr. Mohammad Abu Salmiya said the journalists were in a tent marked with a “Press” sign. According to the Committee to Protect Journalists, 186 journalists have been killed since the beginning of the war nearly two years ago. Of those, at least 178 were “Palestinians killed by Israel.” Minutes before he was killed, Al-Sharif posted on social media: “If this madness does not end, Gaza will be reduced to ruins, its people’s voices silenced, their faces erased — and history will remember you as silent witnesses to a genocide you chose not to stop.”
California takes Trump to court over National Guard deployment
The legal battle over President Trump’s deployment of National Guard troops to quell protests in Los Angeles heads to court today. In June, hundreds of people held demonstrations in the city to protest immigration raids by ICE. In response, Trump deployed 4,000 National Guard members over the objections of California Gov. Gavin Newsom and LA Mayor Karen Bass. Now, a judge will determine if Trump violated a 147-year-old law that allows the president to federalize the Guard during times of actual or threatened rebellion or invasion, or when regular forces can’t enforce US laws. Newsom’s attorneys say Trump illegally made an “unprecedented power grab” and violated the Constitution by overruling local authorities to send in the military. Trump’s lawyers said the National Guard troops were dispatched only to protect federal property and personnel and didn’t engage in any law enforcement activities.
Extreme weather continues in Midwest
More than 10 million people across the Midwest remain under flood alerts this morning as heavy rains continue to fall. Milwaukee was hit particularly hard by storms over the weekend and is on track to break its daily rainfall record of 14.5 inches. On Sunday, Milwaukee County declared a state of emergency as the Milwaukee River crested to a historic 11.19 feet. Flash floods swamped roads and stranded vehicles, prompting first responders to make dozens of water rescues. Even the Wisconsin State Fair had to shut down early because heavy rains flooded the fairgrounds. The severe weather is part of the same storm system that brought wind gusts of more than 80 mph to Nebraska on Saturday and killed one person. Hundreds of inmates at the Nebraska State Penitentiary also had to be relocated after the storms damaged two housing units, the AP reported.
AOL to end dial-up service
AOL, the internet pioneer that was once known as America On Line, has announced that it is discontinuing its dial-up service next month. The company brought the internet to the masses beginning in the early 1990s with a service that used ordinary telephone lines. It now says that it has decided to discontinue “Dial-up Internet” on Sept. 30. Very few people today still use their telephone lines as a method for connecting with the internet. AOL is now owned by a private equity firm, which also owns Yahoo.
