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Glenn's Show Prep

Morning Brief 2023-09-15

September 15, 2023
Chris Brady

No guests slated for today's show. Subject to change.

Matthew 5:45

Domestic News...

Report: J6 defendant handed 7 years for grabbing cop's wrist, denied chance to refute exaggerated charges
Kyle Young is serving 86 months for one charge tied to his interaction with a D.C. Metro Police Officer on J6. Young allegedly grabbed Fanone’s wrist, a three-second grasp that would later be categorized as “assaulting, resisting, or impeding certain officers.”

Man on parole punched cop in face, breaking his nose. Judge releases suspect with no bail.
"The message it sends to me is that that judge values that suspect more than he values our police officers."

Gen Z's surprise optimism about the future
76% of Gen Z surveyed said "they have a great future ahead of them." 82% believe they will achieve their goals.

Gen Z Has Very Little Trust in Major US Institutions
Young Republicans and Democrats are “more politically aligned” in their distrust of Congress, the information they find online, and large tech companies, according to the poll.

Over half of Gen Z and Millennial women think listening to Joe Rogan is a reason not to date someone
More than half of women surveyed (55%) said that if a man said he "listen[s] to Joe Rogan," that would be a red flag. This was apparently as big a warning sign as a man who identifies as a communist (55%).

Grisham’s anti-gun order would have left my wife and me defenseless
Depriving people of their rights in the name of “public health” will result in needless tragedy and death. My wife and I know this all too well. If Gov. Grisham had had her way in 2015, I doubt I could have written this.

Are constitutional ‘rights’ worth the paper they’re printed on?
Michelle Lujan Grisham suspended the right to bear arms, following shifting norms, not law. Her move reveals rights exist only if the citizenry mutually upholds them. When traditions decline, as in the fall of Rome, mere parchment can't stop tyrants like her.

Washington state's $143M homeless program housed fewer than 1,000. They want more money.
It took $165,000 per person to clear the camps and house 870 people.

Abortionists debate language on fetal viability for 2024 election cycle
"The abortion rights and health movement has been in a death spiral of compromise for about 30 years. We have an opportunity here to build something better, and we’re not even talking about it.”

Crime prosecutions double in St. Louis after Soros-backed DA resignation
Circuit Attorney Gabe Gore replaced Democrat Kim Gardner in May after the George Soros-backed attorney resigned amid pressure from Missouri's Attorney General Andrew Bailey.

Dem Portland mayor, blasted for failed handling of riots and homelessness crisis, announces he will not seek re-election
Ted Wheeler has received bipartisan blowback over the years for his handling of the violent and destructive summer 2020 riots, the city's rampant crime levels, and the ongoing homelessness crisis.

Dove Partners with BLM Activist to Promote ‘Fat Liberation’
Bryant claims that she is “committed to keeping the voices of marginalized people, such as Black, Indigenous, and Latinx people who exist in fat bodies at the forefront of our visions for liberation and change.”

Biden Crime Family...

Hunter Biden Indicted on 3 Firearm Charges, No Tax or FARA Violations
Thursday’s charges are unlikely to be the last, ABC News reported.

Article III Project founder Mike Davis says Hunter Biden indictment is a cover-up: 'Don't be fooled'
"This is just more cover-up by David Weiss and Merrick Garland and the Biden Justice Department," Davis said.

DOJ officials subpoenaed hours after Hunter indictment
Jim Jordan subpoenaed two longtime employees of the Department of Justice Tax Division on Thursday who were involved with the department's yearslong investigation of Hunter.

Oversight Dems admit Hunter's longtime business partner handled Biden’s finances throughout VP tenure
House Democrats acknowledged Wednesday that Hunter Biden’s then-business partner, Eric Schwerin, handled President Biden’s finances for the duration of his vice presidency.

Hunter Biden Said He Was ‘Office Mates’ With Joe Biden And A Chinese Business Associate, Emails Show
Hunter Biden told a property manager to give him keys for new “office mates” Joe Biden, Jill Biden, James Biden, and a Chinese business associate, emails on his laptop archive indicate.

White House, Democrats, Media Claims of ‘No Evidence’ to Support Biden Impeachment Inquiry Contradicted by Mountains of Evidence
The left’s message since the launch of the impeachment inquiry into Biden seems clear and coordinated: several media outlets, Democrats, and the White House itself have all used phrases such as “without evidence,” “no evidence,” or “no direct evidence” to describe the impeachment.

John Cornyn now supports Joe Biden impeachment inquiry
“Pres. Biden has committed the sort of acts that warrant an impeachment inquiry,” Cornyn said during a conference call, according to his office. He added, “Speaker McCarthy, I think, is doing the right thing.”

Politics...

The deep state tells Biden to retire
For decades, the WaPo's David Ignatius has cultivated a close relationship with the intelligence community, particularly the CIA. It’s common knowledge he has long served as an unofficial CIA spokesman. His recent post calling for Biden not to run in 2024 was a message from the deep state.

Trump tells Megyn Kelly that President Biden is not too 'old' to serve — he's just 'grossly incompetent'
"I have many friends that are in their 80s. I have friends … that are in their 90s and they're sharp as a tack. Just, I mean I would say, just about what they used to be. No, not old. He's incompetent," Trump said of Biden.

Fox News Poll: Trump leads Biden 48-46
A majority of 61% say Joe Biden doesn’t have the mental soundness needed for the job he holds.

Impeachment Case Against Paxton Implodes As Witnesses Admit No Misdeeds
Witness after witness, all called by the House Board of Managers, have testified under oath that they either have no direct evidence against the attorney general or explained that the articles of impeachment were simply untrue.

Race to replace Romney takes shape in Utah after he announces retirement; some jockey for position
Romney's moderate leanings often frustrated Republicans, even within his state, and he already had at least one primary challenger before making his announcement. Here is a look at who might replace him.

Romney plotted 'Stop the Stupid' party to thwart Trump
Romney told the Atlantic that he sought a party that promoted "centrist" policies, with the slogan "Stop the stupid." Romney said it would "endorse whichever party's nominee isn't stupid.'"

NY Times: Six Takeaways From Romney’s Tea-Spilling Biography
The Utah Republican’s announcement that he would retire coincided with the publication of a forthcoming book based on extensive interviews in which he slammed his party and the Senate.

Wisconsin Senate votes to fire top elections officer
The ouster of Meagan Wolfe spotlights Republican efforts to clean house after the state's 2020 election chaos.

Economy / ESG...

G20 proposes digital ID similar to COVID-19 passport system to 'further financial inclusion'
The G20 world leaders summit appear to have reached a consensus on digital identification and digital currency, announcing them as official policy proposals following the 2023 gathering in India.

Bidenomics: UAW Goes on Strike Against Detroit’s Big 3 Automakers
The union has demanded a 40% wage increase over the next four years.

Bidenomics: US oil prices top $90 a barrel for the first time this year
High oil prices have already created an unusual situation where gasoline is getting more expensive even after the summer driving season has ended.

More companies, especially airlines, warn higher costs will eat into profits
Airlines, whose biggest expenses are jet fuel and labor, are getting hit particularly hard.

WAR News... 

Tuberville military hold will ‘take years to recover’ from, Biden’s Navy pick says
"I think just at the three-star level, it would take about three to four months to move all the people around, but it will take years to recover from the, if confirmed, promotion delays that we would see for years to come."

Top Army general in Pacific says Tuberville standoff hold not a serious problem for him
Gen. Charles Flynn, commander of the Hawaii-based U.S. Army-Pacific, said he hadn’t noticed any “practical challenges.”

New message from the American Trans Ukrainian military spokesperson
Says Ukraine will hunt down "Russian propagandists" around the world.

COVID-19...

NY Times: DeSantis Spreads Vaccine Skepticism With Guidance That Contradicts CDC
Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida’s administration issued Covid-19 vaccine recommendations this week that directly contradicted federal officials’ guidance as his presidential campaign tries to use the resurgence of the virus to appeal to Republican voters.

IRS halts processing of a small business tax break amid ‘surge of questionable claims’
The ERC, which was created to support small businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic, can be worth thousands of dollars per employee.

Entertainment...

Disney in talks to sell ABC
Disney has quietly held early talks to sell its ABC network to local TV station owner Nexstar Media as the Bob Iger-led company looks to unload the property.

Jussie Smollett asks judge to overturn hate hoax conviction
"This case will set a dangerous precedent by giving prosecutors a second bite at the apple any time there is dissatisfaction with another prosecutor's exercise of discretion," the appeal says.

Drew Barrymore's stalker is released again after he tried to break into Emma Watson's dressing room
Hapless DA says he could not be held on bail because "it is not an eligible offense."

HBO's 'Real Time with Bill Maher' to return during Writers Guild strike
Maher said the show will be coming back without any writers. "The writers have important issues that I sympathize with, and hope they are addressed to their satisfaction, but they are not the only people with issues, problems, and concerns," he wrote.

Nickelback Members Reflect On ‘Hate’ Towards Their Band
“Everyone hated the band, so everyone hated us.”

Canada...

Book burning? School board removes half of all books, including anything they deem 'racist,' 'oppressive,' or published before 2009
Removes thousands of books as part of an "equitable weeding" process to censor works deemed racist, outdated, or not affirming student identities. Titles like "Harry Potter" were purged.

Environment...

Biden Admin Makes It Easier For Blue States To Block Oil And Gas Pipelines
The EPA announced Thursday that it would roll back Trump-era restrictions on the Clean Water Act’s rules that previously allowed states to block pipelines and other major federal projects, an agency press release said.

8 House Democrats join Republicans in voting to strike down California's electric vehicle mandate
The House voted Thursday afternoon in favor of legislation striking down environmental regulations in California mandating electric vehicle purchases.

California restaurant owner rips plan to ban plastic gift cards: 'This is peak absurdity'
Democrat state Sen. Monique Limon introduced the plastic gift card ban to "transition" away from traditional gift cards for more "environmentally friendly gift card options."

LGBTQIA2S+...

Woman who transitioned to male at 16 during ‘chaotic time’ sues doctors who gave her double mastectomy
Luka Hein, now 21, claims she was going through a tough time emotionally as a teenager, when her parents were getting divorced and when she was being groomed online by a man from another state.

Education...

Report: Public Schools Pick Teachers Based On Their Allegiance To Cultural Marxism
Public schools across the country are using politically one-sided questions to ideologically screen potential teachers, according to a survey of nearly 70 public schools by the National Opportunity Project.

Another Illinois teachers' union official sends his children to private school while fighting against school choice
Similar accusations were made against Chicago Teachers Union president Stacy Davis Gates until she admitted that she had put one of her three children in private school.

Health...

Couples share up to 89% of values, new study says
When it comes to finding a partner, it turns out that opposites don’t attract. In fact, most people tend to couple with those who are very similar to them, according to a new study published in the journal Nature Human Behavior.

AI...

Elon Musk warns of 'civilizational risk' posed by AI in meeting with tech CEOs and senators
Musk also endorsed the idea of a new federal agency to oversee AI and repeated his warning that artificial intelligence poses a tremendous danger.

Sean Penn says studio execs who won't agree to AI protections should let him 'do whatever we want' with their daughters' likenesses
The tough-guy actor is currently promoting his documentary "Superpower," about Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, on the festival circuit.

Technology...

Hacker group made up of minors claims to be behind MGM Resorts cyberattack
A hacker group, Scattered Spider, thought to be made up mostly of minors, has come forward claiming to be behind the MGM Entertainment hack, four days after the hotel network's systems went down.

Caesars admits it was hacked in second major Las Vegas casino breach
Company "paid $15M ransom" to Scattered Spider gang that also crippled MGM's hotels and casinos.

Science...

NASA UAP report finds no evidence of "extraterrestrial" UFOs, but some encounters still defy explanation
NASA formed the group of 16 experts last year to examine how the space agency can better contribute to the scientific understanding of the objects, which have been reported by hundreds of military and commercial pilots.

The hardest part of discovering alien life may be announcing it. Here's how NASA might break the news.
NASA has tried to develop a procedure for assessing and sharing such a monumental, sensitive discovery. The conversation is still ongoing, but in 2021, the agency published a framework as a starting point. It could help scientists, journalists, and NASA itself explain the science.

UFO whistleblower balks at claim of 'alien corpses' revealed in Mexico
"Unfortunately, yesterday’s demonstration was a huge step backwards for this issue."

Travel...

Parents say American Airlines flight attendant hid camera in bathroom to record teen daughter
A teen discovered a hidden camera disguised behind a "broken seat" note in the bathroom that the family says was placed there by a flight attendant.

Animals...

The case against pets: Is it time to give up our cats and dogs?
You will own nothing – including pets – and you will be happy.

September 15, 2008 - Back in NYC... McCain on 'The View'... Whoopi fears McCain will bring back slavery... Politics as usual... Doctor of Doom... Paris Hilton... Gas prices... Pat Gray calls in... Constant attacks on Palin... Need change in DC... Arguing with Idiots...

Trump's proposal explained: Ukraine's path to peace without NATO expansion

ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS / Contributor | Getty Images

Strategic compromise, not absolute victory, often ensures lasting stability.

When has any country been asked to give up land it won in a war? Even if a nation is at fault, the punishment must be measured.

After World War I, Germany, the main aggressor, faced harsh penalties under the Treaty of Versailles. Germans resented the restrictions, and that resentment fueled the rise of Adolf Hitler, ultimately leading to World War II. History teaches that justice for transgressions must avoid creating conditions for future conflict.

Ukraine and Russia must choose to either continue the cycle of bloodshed or make difficult compromises in pursuit of survival and stability.

Russia and Ukraine now stand at a similar crossroads. They can cling to disputed land and prolong a devastating war, or they can make concessions that might secure a lasting peace. The stakes could not be higher: Tens of thousands die each month, and the choice between endless bloodshed and negotiated stability hinges on each side’s willingness to yield.

History offers a guide. In 1967, Israel faced annihilation. Surrounded by hostile armies, the nation fought back and seized large swaths of territory from Jordan, Egypt, and Syria. Yet Israel did not seek an empire. It held only the buffer zones needed for survival and returned most of the land. Security and peace, not conquest, drove its decisions.

Peace requires concessions

Secretary of State Marco Rubio says both Russia and Ukraine will need to “get something” from a peace deal. He’s right. Israel proved that survival outweighs pride. By giving up land in exchange for recognition and an end to hostilities, it stopped the cycle of war. Egypt and Israel have not fought in more than 50 years.

Russia and Ukraine now press opposing security demands. Moscow wants a buffer to block NATO. Kyiv, scarred by invasion, seeks NATO membership — a pledge that any attack would trigger collective defense by the United States and Europe.

President Donald Trump and his allies have floated a middle path: an Article 5-style guarantee without full NATO membership. Article 5, the core of NATO’s charter, declares that an attack on one is an attack on all. For Ukraine, such a pledge would act as a powerful deterrent. For Russia, it might be more palatable than NATO expansion to its border

Andrew Harnik / Staff | Getty Images

Peace requires concessions. The human cost is staggering: U.S. estimates indicate 20,000 Russian soldiers died in a single month — nearly half the total U.S. casualties in Vietnam — and the toll on Ukrainians is also severe. To stop this bloodshed, both sides need to recognize reality on the ground, make difficult choices, and anchor negotiations in security and peace rather than pride.

Peace or bloodshed?

Both Russia and Ukraine claim deep historical grievances. Ukraine arguably has a stronger claim of injustice. But the question is not whose parchment is older or whose deed is more valid. The question is whether either side is willing to trade some land for the lives of thousands of innocent people. True security, not historical vindication, must guide the path forward.

History shows that punitive measures or rigid insistence on territorial claims can perpetuate cycles of war. Germany’s punishment after World War I contributed directly to World War II. By contrast, Israel’s willingness to cede land for security and recognition created enduring peace. Ukraine and Russia now face the same choice: Continue the cycle of bloodshed or make difficult compromises in pursuit of survival and stability.

This article originally appeared on TheBlaze.com.

The loneliness epidemic: Are machines replacing human connection?

NurPhoto / Contributor | Getty Images

Seniors, children, and the isolated increasingly rely on machines for conversation, risking real relationships and the emotional depth that only humans provide.

Jill Smola is 75 years old. She’s a retiree from Orlando, Florida, and she spent her life caring for the elderly. She played games, assembled puzzles, and offered company to those who otherwise would have sat alone.

Now, she sits alone herself. Her husband has died. She has a lung condition. She can’t drive. She can’t leave her home. Weeks can pass without human interaction.

Loneliness is an epidemic. And AI will not fix it. It will only dull the edges and make a diminished life tolerable.

But CBS News reports that she has a new companion. And she likes this companion more than her own daughter.

The companion? Artificial intelligence.

She spends five hours a day talking to her AI friend. They play games, do trivia, and just talk. She says she even prefers it to real people.

My first thought was simple: Stop this. We are losing our humanity.

But as I sat with the story, I realized something uncomfortable. Maybe we’ve already lost some of our humanity — not to AI, but to ourselves.

Outsourcing presence

How often do we know the right thing to do yet fail to act? We know we should visit the lonely. We know we should sit with someone in pain. We know what Jesus would do: Notice the forgotten, touch the untouchable, offer time and attention without outsourcing compassion.

Yet how often do we just … talk about it? On the radio, online, in lectures, in posts. We pontificate, and then we retreat.

I asked myself: What am I actually doing to close the distance between knowing and doing?

Human connection is messy. It’s inconvenient. It takes patience, humility, and endurance. AI doesn’t challenge you. It doesn’t interrupt your day. It doesn’t ask anything of you. Real people do. Real people make us confront our pride, our discomfort, our loneliness.

We’ve built an economy of convenience. We can have groceries delivered, movies streamed, answers instantly. But friendships — real relationships — are slow, inefficient, unpredictable. They happen in the blank spaces of life that we’ve been trained to ignore.

And now we’re replacing that inefficiency with machines.

AI provides comfort without challenge. It eliminates the risk of real intimacy. It’s an elegant coping mechanism for loneliness, but a poor substitute for life. If we’re not careful, the lonely won’t just be alone — they’ll be alone with an anesthetic, a shadow that never asks for anything, never interrupts, never makes them grow.

Reclaiming our humanity

We need to reclaim our humanity. Presence matters. Not theory. Not outrage. Action.

It starts small. Pull up a chair for someone who eats alone. Call a neighbor you haven’t spoken to in months. Visit a nursing home once a month — then once a week. Ask their names, hear their stories. Teach your children how to be present, to sit with someone in grief, without rushing to fix it.

Turn phones off at dinner. Make Sunday afternoons human time. Listen. Ask questions. Don’t post about it afterward. Make the act itself sacred.

Humility is central. We prefer machines because we can control them. Real people are inconvenient. They interrupt our narratives. They demand patience, forgiveness, and endurance. They make us confront ourselves.

A friend will challenge your self-image. A chatbot won’t.

Our homes are quieter. Our streets are emptier. Loneliness is an epidemic. And AI will not fix it. It will only dull the edges and make a diminished life tolerable.

Before we worry about how AI will reshape humanity, we must first practice humanity. It can start with 15 minutes a day of undivided attention, presence, and listening.

Change usually comes when pain finally wins. Let’s not wait for that. Let’s start now. Because real connection restores faster than any machine ever will.

This article originally appeared on TheBlaze.com.

Exposed: The radical Left's bloody rampage against America

Spencer Platt / Staff | Getty Images

For years, the media warned of right-wing terror. But the bullets, bombs, and body bags are piling up on the left — with support from Democrat leaders and voters.

For decades, the media and federal agencies have warned Americans that the greatest threat to our homeland is the political right — gun-owning veterans, conservative Christians, anyone who ever voted for President Donald Trump. President Joe Biden once declared that white supremacy is “the single most dangerous terrorist threat” in the nation.

Since Trump’s re-election, the rhetoric has only escalated. Outlets like the Washington Post and the Guardian warned that his second term would trigger a wave of far-right violence.

As Democrats bleed working-class voters and lose control of their base, they’re not moderating. They’re radicalizing.

They were wrong.

The real domestic threat isn’t coming from MAGA grandmas or rifle-toting red-staters. It’s coming from the radical left — the anarchists, the Marxists, the pro-Palestinian militants, and the anti-American agitators who have declared war on law enforcement, elected officials, and civil society.

Willful blindness

On July 4, a group of black-clad terrorists ambushed an Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention center in Alvarado, Texas. They hurled fireworks at the building, spray-painted graffiti, and then opened fire on responding law enforcement, shooting a local officer in the neck. Journalist Andy Ngo has linked the attackers to an Antifa cell in the Dallas area.

Authorities have so far charged 14 people in the plot and recovered AR-style rifles, body armor, Kevlar vests, helmets, tactical gloves, and radios. According to the Department of Justice, this was a “planned ambush with intent to kill.”

And it wasn’t an isolated incident. It’s part of a growing pattern of continuous violent left-wing incidents since December last year.

Monthly attacks

Most notably, in December 2024, 26-year-old Luigi Mangione allegedly gunned down UnitedHealth Group CEO Brian Thompson in Manhattan. Mangione reportedly left a manifesto raging against the American health care system and was glorified by some on social media as a kind of modern Robin Hood.

One Emerson College poll found that 41% of Americans between the ages of 18 and 29 said the murder was “acceptable” or “somewhat acceptable.”

The next month, a man carrying Molotov cocktails was arrested near the U.S. Capitol. He allegedly planned to assassinate Trump-appointed Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, and House Speaker Mike Johnson.

In February, the “Tesla Takedown” attacks on Tesla vehicles and dealerships started picking up traction.

In March, a self-described “queer scientist” was arrested after allegedly firebombing the Republican Party headquarters in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Graffiti on the burned building read “ICE = KKK.”

In April, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro’s (D-Pa.) official residence was firebombed on Passover night. The suspect allegedly set the governor’s mansion on fire because of what Shapiro, who is Jewish, “wants to do to the Palestinian people.”

In May, two young Israeli embassy staffers were shot and killed outside the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington, D.C. Witnesses said the shooter shouted “Free Palestine” as he was being arrested. The suspect told police he acted “for Gaza” and was reportedly linked to the Party for Socialism and Liberation.

In June, an Egyptian national who had entered the U.S. illegally allegedly threw a firebomb at a peaceful pro-Israel rally in Boulder, Colorado. Eight people were hospitalized, and an 82-year-old Holocaust survivor later died from her injuries.

That same month, a pro-Palestinian rioter in New York was arrested for allegedly setting fire to 11 police vehicles. In Los Angeles, anti-ICE rioters smashed cars, set fires, and hurled rocks at law enforcement. House Democrats refused to condemn the violence.

Barbara Davidson / Contributor | Getty Images

In Portland, Oregon, rioters tried to burn down another ICE facility and assaulted police officers before being dispersed with tear gas. Graffiti left behind read: “Kill your masters.”

On July 7, a Michigan man opened fire on a Customs and Border Protection facility in McAllen, Texas, wounding two police officers and an agent. Border agents returned fire, killing the suspect.

Days later in California, ICE officers conducting a raid on an illegal cannabis farm in Ventura County were attacked by left-wing activists. One protester appeared to fire at federal agents.

This is not a series of isolated incidents. It’s a timeline of escalation. Political assassinations, firebombings, arson, ambushes — all carried out in the name of radical leftist ideology.

Democrats are radicalizing

This isn’t just the work of fringe agitators. It’s being enabled — and in many cases encouraged — by elected Democrats.

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz routinely calls ICE “Trump’s modern-day Gestapo.” Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass attempted to block an ICE operation in her city. Boston Mayor Michelle Wu compared ICE agents to a neo-Nazi group. Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson referred to them as “secret police terrorizing our communities.”

Apparently, other Democratic lawmakers, according to Axios, are privately troubled by their own base. One unnamed House Democrat admitted that supporters were urging members to escalate further: “Some of them have suggested what we really need to do is be willing to get shot.” Others were demanding blood in the streets to get the media’s attention.

A study from Rutgers University and the National Contagion Research Institute found that 55% of Americans who identify as “left of center” believe that murdering Donald Trump would be at least “somewhat justified.”

As Democrats bleed working-class voters and lose control of their base, they’re not moderating. They’re radicalizing. They don’t want the chaos to stop. They want to harness it, normalize it, and weaponize it.

The truth is, this isn’t just about ICE. It’s not even about Trump. It’s about whether a republic can survive when one major party decides that our institutions no longer apply.

Truth still matters. Law and order still matter. And if the left refuses to defend them, then we must be the ones who do.

This article originally appeared on TheBlaze.com.

America's comeback: Trump is crushing crime in the Capitol

Andrew Harnik / Staff | Getty Images

Trump’s DC crackdown is about more than controlling crime — it’s about restoring America’s strength and credibility on the world stage.

Donald Trump on Monday invoked Section 740 of the District of Columbia Home Rule Act, placing the D.C. Metropolitan Police Department under direct federal control and deploying the National Guard to restore law and order. This move is long overdue.

D.C.’s crime problem has been spiraling for years as local authorities and Democratic leadership have abandoned the nation’s capital to the consequences of their own failed policies. The city’s murder rate is about three times higher than that of Islamabad, Pakistan, and 18 times higher than that of communist-led Havana, Cuba.

When DC is in chaos, it sends a message to the world that America is weak.

Theft, assaults, and carjackings have transformed many of its streets into war zones. D.C. saw a 32% increase in homicides from 2022 to 2023, marking the highest number in two decades and surpassing both New York and Los Angeles. Even if crime rates dropped to 2019 levels, that wouldn’t be good enough.

Local leaders have downplayed the crisis, manipulating crime stats to preserve their image. Felony assault, for example, is no longer considered a “violent crime” in their crime stats. Same with carjacking. But the reality on the streets is different. People in D.C. are living in constant fear.

Trump isn’t waiting for the crime rate to improve on its own. He’s taking action.

Broken windows theory in action

Trump’s takeover of D.C. puts the “broken windows theory” into action — the idea that ignoring minor crimes invites bigger ones. When authorities look the other way on turnstile-jumping or graffiti, they signal that lawbreaking carries no real consequence.

Rudy Giuliani used this approach in the 1990s to clean up New York, cracking down on small offenses before they escalated. Trump is doing the same in the capital, drawing a hard line and declaring enough is enough. Letting crime fester in Washington tells the world that the seat of American power tolerates lawlessness.

What Trump is doing for D.C. isn’t just about law enforcement — it’s about national identity. When D.C. is in chaos, it sends a message to the world that America is weak. The capital city represents the soul of the country. If we can’t even keep our own capital safe, how can we expect anyone to take us seriously?

Bloomberg / Contributor | Getty Images

Reversing the decline

Anyone who has visited D.C. regularly over the past several years has witnessed its rapid decline. Homeless people bathe in the fountains outside Union Station. People are tripping out in Dupont Circle. The left’s negligence is a disgrace, enabling drug use and homelessness to explode on our capital’s streets while depriving these individuals of desperately needed care and help.

Restoring law and order to D.C. is not about politics or scoring points. It’s about doing what’s right for the people. It’s about protecting communities, taking the vulnerable off the streets, and sending the message to both law-abiding and law-breaking citizens alike that the rule of law matters.

D.C. should be a lesson to the rest of America. If we want to take our cities back, we need leadership willing to take bold action. Trump is showing how to do it.

Now, it’s time for other cities to step up and follow his lead. We can restore law and order. We can make our cities something to be proud of again.

This article originally appeared on TheBlaze.com.