President Donald Trump took unprecedented steps toward federalizing Washington, D.C. on Monday, saying it’s needed to fight crime even as city leaders pointed to data showing violence is down.

He took command of the police department and deployed the National Guard under laws and Constitutional powers that give the federal government more sway over the nation’s capital than other cities. Its historically majority Black population wasn’t electing its own city council and mayor until 1973, when Republican President Richard Nixon signed the Home Rule Act.

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George Washington University pressed to reach deal over antisemitism findings

A Justice Department investigation concluded that leaders of George Washington University were “deliberately indifferent” to complaints of antisemitism stemming from pro-Palestinian protests last year.

In a Tuesday letter to the university’s president, the Justice Department said George Washington violated Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 by failing to address the harassment of Jewish students amid a campus tent encampment. The department said it will pursue enforcement action unless the university agrees to a voluntary resolution agreement.

The university did not immediately comment.

The Trump administration has issued similar findings at Harvard, Columbia and the University of California, Los Angeles. The government has used a deal with Columbia as a template for agreements with other universities.

The tent encampment at George Washington lasted about two weeks starting in April 2024 before it was cleared by police.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis picks state Sen. Jay Collins to be state’s lieutenant governor

It’s a closely watched appointment by the two-term governor, who can’t run for reelection in 2026 and has been working to cement his legacy as his time leading the state winds down.

If Collins, an Army combat veteran and nonprofit executive, decides to launch a bid to succeed DeSantis, the move could tee up another proxy fight between the popular GOP governor and President Trump, who’s already endorsed U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds for the job.

During a Tuesday news conference announcing his pick, DeSantis praised Collins for having strong conservative principles.

Collins was then sworn in minutes after the announcement.

The seat had been vacant since February, when then-lieutenant governor Jeanette Nuñez was appointed to lead one of the state’s public universities.

▶ Read more about Florida’s lieutenant governor

Trump will join virtual meeting on Ukraine organized by German Chancellor Friedrich Merz

That’s according to a White House official.

The Europeans hope to use the Wednesday meeting to rally Trump to Ukraine’s cause ahead of his Friday summit in Alaska with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Trump has disappointed allies in Europe by saying Ukraine will have to give up some Russian-held territory. He also said Russia must accept land swaps, although it was unclear what Putin might be expected to surrender.

Trump said Monday he’s “going to get everybody’s ideas” before meeting with Putin.

DC mayor arrives for Justice Department meeting

Mayor Muriel Bowser was seen exiting a black SUV in the Justice Department courtyard and walking into the building ahead of her meeting with Attorney General Pam Bondi.

RFK Jr.’s formula to “Make America Healthy Again” won’t be made public — for now

The White House is holding off on publicly releasing the much-anticipated “MAHA” strategy report that’s supposed to provide a policy road map for making Americans healthier.

The policy recommendations are a follow up from the MAHA report released in May, which focused on ultraprocessed foods, prescription drugs, vaccines, screentime and pesticides.

The initial report had already divided some conservatives, with farmers concerned about its focus on pesticides and some from Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s coalition upset that the report didn’t call for a ban on those chemicals.

White House spokesperson Kush Desai said in a statement that the report is “on track” to be submitted to President Trump on Tuesday and will be unveiled to the public “shortly thereafter.”

Attorney General Pam Bondi meeting with Washington officials after police takeover

The attorney general is expected to meet Tuesday with D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser a day after the president put the city’s police force under federal control.

Metropolitan Police Chief Pamela Smith was also seen entering Justice Department headquarters ahead of the planned meeting.

Trump said Monday that Bondi would assume responsibility for the police department in the hopes of reducing crime, even as city officials stressed crime is already falling.

Trump threatens lawsuit against Federal Reserve Chair

Trump called Fed chair Jerome Powell a “loser” Tuesday and demanded that he cut the central bank’s short-term interest rate. Such rate reductions can, over time, reduce borrowing costs for mortgages, car loans, and business loans.

Trump also said he might allow a “major lawsuit” to proceed against the Fed over the burgeoning cost of its massive renovation of two office buildings, currently expected to cost $2.5 billion, up from a previous estimate of $1.9 billion. It’s not clear what lawsuit Trump was referring to.

Europe’s sidelined leaders urge Trump to defend security interests at his summit with Putin

It was unclear whether even Ukraine will take part in the summit. Trump has said he wants to see whether Russian leader Vladimir Putin is serious about ending the war, now in its fourth year.

Trump has disappointed allies in Europe by saying Ukraine will have to give up some Russian-held territory. He also said Russia must accept land swaps, although it was unclear what Putin might be expected to surrender.

The Europeans and Ukraine are wary that Putin, who has waged the biggest land war in Europe since 1945 and used Russia’s energy might to try to intimidate the EU, might secure favorable concessions and set the outlines of a peace deal without them.

▶ Read more about the war in Ukraine

Wall Street climbs toward records on expectations for a coming cut to interest rates

It comes after data suggested inflation across the country was a touch better last month than economists expected.

The S&P 500 rose 0.6% and was on track to top its all-time high set two weeks ago. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 251 points, or 0.6%, as of 9:35 a.m. Eastern time, while the Nasdaq composite was 0.7% higher and also heading toward a record.

Stocks got a lift from hopes that the better-than-expected inflation report will give the Federal Reserve more leeway to cut interest rates at its next meeting in September.

Lower rates would give a boost to investment prices and to the economy by making it cheaper for U.S. households and businesses to borrow to buy houses, cars or equipment. President Trump has angrily been calling for cuts to help the economy, often insulting the Fed’s chair personally while doing so.

▶ Read more about the financial markets

Trump backs Burt Jones in Republican race for Georgia governor in 2026

It’s a boost to the incumbent lieutenant governor’s effort to set himself up as the 2026 frontrunner for the GOP nomination.

Trump announced the nod Monday, noting Jones was among the first Georgia Republicans to endorse Trump’s first bid for the White House in 2016 and saying Jones “worked tirelessly to help us win” in all three of Trump’s bids.

“He has been with us from the very beginning,” Trump wrote on social media. “I know his family well and have seen Burt tested at the most difficult levels and times.”

Republicans including Attorney General Chris Carr are vying with Jones to be their party’s nominee to succeed Gov. Brian Kemp, who can’t run again because of term limits. Other Republican candidates who could enter the race include Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger.

▶ Read more about the race for Georgia governor

Guard troops start streaming in

National Guard troops are beginning to arrive at the Washington, D.C., armory. They were seen arriving this morning at the Guard’s headquarters in the city.

Trump said Monday that in hopes of reducing crime, he would be taking over Washington’s police department and activating 800 members of the National Guard. The crime Trump talked about is the same crime that city officials stress is already falling noticeably.

Trump says recipients of Kennedy Center Honors will be revealed on Wednesday

The Republican president, who had himself installed as chairman of the Kennedy Center’s board, said in a social media post that the to-be-named nominees are “GREAT.”

“GREAT Nominees for the TRUMP/KENNEDY CENTER, whoops, I mean, KENNEDY CENTER, AWARDS,” Trump wrote in a social media post. “They will be announced Wednesday.

“Tremendous work is being done, and money being spent, on bringing it back to the absolute TOP LEVEL of luxury, glamour, and entertainment,” he said, without offering details.

The Kennedy Center Honors program typically tapes in December for broadcast later in the month on CBS.

Trump spurned the performing arts center in his first term after some honorees refused to attend a traditional White House event recognizing their achievements to protest Trump’s policies, including those toward the arts. He did not attend the taping of the awards program during those four years in office.

Trump’s Tuesday schedule

There is nothing on the president’s public schedule today. However, press secretary Karoline Leavitt will hold a briefing at 1 p.m. ET.

Trump’s moves toward taking over Washington are unprecedented. Here’s what the law says

Trump took command of the police department and deployed the National Guard under laws and Constitutional powers that give the federal government more sway over the nation’s capital than other cities. The measure still leaves significant power to the president and Congress, though no president has exercised the police powers before.

Here’s a look at what the law says about Trump’s actions:

1. Trump activated the National Guard. The president can still call up the National Guard in Washington. His authority is less clear in Los Angeles, where a legal battle continues over his recent deployment of the National Guard despite the objections of Gov. Gavin Newsom.

2. Trump took over the local police. Section 740 of the Home Rule Act allows for the president to take over Washington’s Metropolitan Police Department for 48 hours, with possible extensions to 30 days, during times of emergencies. No president has done so before.

3. Trump didn’t specify how long the takeover would last. Congress still has power over things like the budget and laws passed by the city council, but would have to repeal the Home Rule Act to expand federal power in the district.

▶ Read more about the laws pertaining to Trump’s DC police takeover