We have major breaking news out of Washington, after significant back and forth in the courtroom today, the Trump Administration and attorneys for Washington, D.C. have agreed to scale back, in part, AG Pam Bondi's Executive Order. At least for now, the Metro Police Department will remain under the control of the DC Police Chief.
The decision came down minutes ago— as Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin are currently meeting in Alaska. In a historic twist, Putin’s plane has already landed in the U.S., marking the first time a Russian president has set foot on American soil since 2007.
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What the Agreement Is
The latest agreement halts part of Attorney General Pam Bondi’s attempt to strip the D.C. Police Commissioner of authority and replace them with the DEA Chief as head of the Metropolitan Police Department.
The lawsuit, filed in federal court, warns that the attempted takeover could “wreak operational havoc” within the MPD, sowing confusion over who’s in command. D.C.’s legal team argues that the move flagrantly violates the law—both by exceeding presidential authority in city governance and by dismantling policies duly adopted by local leaders.
On the Ground in D.C.
I’ve been in the city all day, where protests have been erupting across neighborhoods. Earlier this afternoon, several hundred demonstrators gathered outside MPD headquarters.
Across D.C., you can now spot bold signs calling for Trump’s impeachment and removal—a sign that the resistance is already mobilizing.
What This Means
Today’s agreement is a major setback for Trump’s power grab, but it’s not a complete stop. Sources tell me that by this weekend, the federal presence in D.C. will still grow, with more federal law enforcement on the streets as the takeover effort continues in other forms.
I’ll be on the ground all weekend, bringing you real-time updates as this unprecedented showdown unfolds. Here’s more news you missed this afternoon:
Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin arrived in Alaska, shook hands, and stood together on a stage marked “ALASKA 2025” as the global media documented the start of their summit.
At 11:08am local time in Alaska, Donald Trump, wearing a dark suit, white shirt, and red tie, descended from Air Force One looking solemn before warmly greeting Vladimir Putin with applause, a handshake, and a friendly arm tap; after exchanging smiles and walking to an “Alaska 2025” stage amid shouted questions to Putin about a ceasefire and civilian casualties, the Russian leader shrugged and then joined Trump in the presidential limousine “The Beast,” where he was seen laughing.
The White House confirmed that Donald Trump’s planned one-on-one meeting with Vladimir Putin in Alaska will instead be a three-on-three discussion, joined by US officials Marco Rubio and Steve Witkoff alongside their Russian counterparts, followed by a lunch with additional cabinet members; Trump signaled openness to business talks but said commercial ties would not expand until the Ukraine war ends, noting Putin’s delegation included many Russian business figures.
Russian state media reported that Vladimir Putin will be joined by foreign minister Sergey Lavrov and advisor Yuri Ushakov for his Alaska meeting with Donald Trump.
The DC government filed a federal lawsuit accusing the Trump administration of unlawfully seizing control of the Metropolitan Police Department by invoking Section 740 of the Home Rule Act without justification, arguing that both Trump’s takeover and AG Pam Bondi’s appointment of DEA chief Terry Cole as “emergency police commissioner” exceed legal authority, misrepresent DC’s crime rate (at a 30-year low in 2024), and cause “immediate, devastating, and irreparable harm” by usurping local governance.
Mount Pleasant residents reported that federal agents posed for a photo near a pro-immigrant banner before tearing it down and leaving a dildo in its place, an incident captured on a neighbor’s Ring camera.
Democratic lawmakers, led by Rep. Jamie Raskin, Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton, and Rep. Robert Garcia, introduced a joint resolution to end what they call Donald Trump’s unlawful federalization of Washington DC’s Metropolitan Police Department, arguing no emergency exists under the Home Rule Act of 1973 to justify his executive order, and citing concerns over worsened public safety, blocked local funds, prosecutorial disruptions, and pardons related to January 6.
Texas governor Greg Abbott called a second special legislative session to pressure Democratic lawmakers who fled the state to block GOP-backed redistricting maps sought by Donald Trump that could give Republicans five more US House seats; Democrats, some staying in Illinois to avoid arrest, say they will only return if the special session ends and California’s competing plan—which could net Democrats five seats—is introduced, while Abbott insists on completing redistricting, flood safety measures, and other pending legislation.
Microsoft has launched an urgent external inquiry, overseen by Covington & Burling, into allegations that Israel’s Unit 8200 used its Azure cloud platform to store millions of intercepted Palestinian phone calls, potentially breaching its terms of service; sparked by a Guardian investigation, the review follows earlier assurances of compliance but now faces pressure from the activist group No Azure for Apartheid, internal concerns about concealed information, and reports that the data may have been used to identify bombing targets in Gaza, where Israel’s 22-month offensive has killed over 60,000 people.
Senator Adam Schiff has questioned the US Secret Service and Army Corps of Engineers over the Trump administration’s decision to alter water levels at Ohio’s Caesar Creek Lake for Vice-President JD Vance’s August 2 birthday canoe trip, suggesting the move may have been an inappropriate personal use of federal resources; while officials say the request met operational criteria and required no formal deviation, Schiff alleges standard documentation was bypassed, cites similar “questionable abuses” of water resources, and Vance’s team has dismissed the criticism as partisan elitism.
New Orleans mayor LaToya Cantrell was indicted on federal corruption charges, accused of accepting gifts from businessman Randy Farrell in exchange for firing a municipal employee investigating his company, and indicted alongside former police bodyguard Jeffrey Vappie amid allegations of a romantic relationship; the case, stemming from a probe that began in 2022, makes Cantrell the first sitting New Orleans mayor charged with federal crimes, with her second and final term set to end in January 2026.
