Month: August 2025

President Donald Trump announced Monday that the federal government will take over law enforcement in Washington and deploy National Guard troops in the nation’s capital, in order to combat what he says is “rampant violent crime;” despite data showing crime has actually declined in the city in recent years.

Surrounded by Attorney General Pam Bondi, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, U. S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro, FBI Director Kash Patel and Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, Trump announced in a press conference that the administration intends to crack down on violent crime, and was declaring a public safety emergency in order to put the Washington police department under federal control.

The President signed an executive order declaring crime an emergency in Washington and stated he would be invoking section 740 of the District of Columbia Home Rule Act. He said the D.C. National Guard will deploy to fight crime, and he said he may deploy units from other states if needed.  The President added that AG Bondi will be taking command of the Metropolitan Police Department, and DEA Administrator Terry Cole will be interim federal commissioner of the force.

Trump said during the press conference: “We’re here for a very serious purpose. Very serious, very. Something’s out of control. But we’re going to put it in control very quickly, like we did in the southern border. I’m announcing a historic action to rescue our nation’s capital from crime, bloodshed, bedlam and squalor and worse. This is Liberation Day in D.C., and we’re going to take our capital back … Our capital city has been overtaken by violent gangs and bloodthirsty criminals, roving mobs of wild youth, drugged out maniacs and homeless people, and we’re not going to let it happen anymore … In addition, I’m deploying the National Guard to help reestablish law, order and public safety in D.C., and they’re going to be allowed to do their job properly,”  adding later that about 800 guardsmen would be called up.

Hegseth said the National Guard was formally mobilized Monday and would be “flowing into the streets of Washington in the coming week.” In an accompanying executive order, Mr. Trump wrote that the deployment “shall remain in effect until I determine that conditions of law and order have been restored in the District of Columbia.”

Metro police data released this month said violent crime rates have continued to fall in 2025, with violent crime down 26% year-over-year. Homicide rates have dropped 12%, sex abuse by 49%, assault with a dangerous weapon by 20% and robbery by 28%.  However, Trump said that the administration was examining a person who claimed he was asked to falsify data: “And we had a recent indication, and there was a story about a man who just left. He quit because he was asked to do phony numbers on crime, and we’re going to look into that. I think Pam [Bondi] is going to be looking into that, but he was asked by the city, I guess we don’t want to show the real numbers. Let me do numbers so it looks like it’s going down, not going down, and under Biden, it was a disaster, and nobody did anything about it. We’re going to do things about it like you wouldn’t believe.”

Washington, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser called Trump’s directive “unsettling and unprecedented” but said the city would cooperate with the administration to the extent that the law allows. Rep. Jamie Raskin of Maryland said he plans to introduce a bill to undo Trump’s order, calling it “a textbook authoritarian maneuver.”

Editorial credit: DT phots1 / Shutterstock.com

An explosion at the U.S. Steel Clairton Coke Works about 15 miles southeast of Pittsburgh has left one dead and at least 10 injured, with some people still trapped under the rubble as emergency workers on site trying to rescue victims.

Allegheny County Emergency Services said the explosion at the plant began at approximately 10:51 a.m, when emergency medical services received a call for an “ongoing situation” at the plant for a potential mass casualty event, per the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

A Level 3 Mass Casualty incident was declared and more resources across the region were deployed, with officials asking residents to stay away from the scene so emergency workers could respond. The Allegheny County Health Department also advised people who lived within a mile of the plant to stay inside.

Allegheny County Emergency Services spokesperson Kasey Reigner told local affiliate WPXI-TV that “dozens were injured” in the blast, adding that two people were missing as crews searched for those trapped. The explosion sent black smoke into the sky in the Monongahela Valley.  Reigner, said one person died in the explosion and multiple other people were treated for injuries. Several of those injured were taken to hospitals. Allegheny Health Network said it was receiving patients at several of its hospitals, and the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center said two patients were taken to Mercy Hospital.

U.S. Steel’s Clairton Coke Works is a massive industrial facility along the Monongahela River south of Pittsburgh, and considered the largest coking operation in North America. It is one of four major U.S. Steel plants in Pennsylvania that employ several thousand workers. The plant converts coal to coke, a key component in the steel-making process. To make coke, coal is baked in special ovens for hours at high temperatures to remove impurities that could otherwise weaken steel. The process creates what’s known as coke gas — made up of a lethal mix of methane, carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide.

U.S. Steel issued the following statement Monday afternoon following the explosion: “Around 11 a.m. ET on Monday, August 11, an incident occurred at U. S. Steel’s Clairton Plant, specifically at coke oven batteries 13 and 14. Emergency teams were immediately dispatched to the scene. Our top priority is the safety and wellbeing of our employees and the environment. We are working closely with relevant authorities to investigate the cause of the incident and will provide additional updates as they become available. Nearly 1,300 dedicated men and women work at the Clairton Plant each day, performing their jobs with the utmost safety. During times like this, U. S. Steel employees come together to extend their love, prayers, and support to everyone affected.’”

Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro posted on X: “Multiple explosions occurred today at U.S. Steel Clairton Coke Works in Clairton, PA. Since then, my Administration has been in constant contact with labor leaders and local officials, and I’ve spoken with@ACE_Innamorato to reiterate that the Commonwealth is here to provide any resources needed. Injured employees have now been transported to local hospitals to receive care, and search-and-rescue efforts remain active at the plant. If you’re in the area, continue to follow the instructions of local authorities. Lori and I are eternally thankful for the bravery of our first responders — and we continue to pray for the entire Clairton community.”

Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman also wrote on X: “UPDATE: I was just on-site at the Clairton Coke Works. I’ve been talking with USW and US Steel officials to get more information. There is an active search and rescue underway, dozens injured, and per police there’s at least one unaccounted for.”

Editorial credit: Wade H. Massie / Shutterstock.com