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TERMS OF USE | PRIVACY POLICY

Live

Glenn's Show Prep

Morning Brief 2025-02-04

February 04, 2025
Chris Brady

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

Psalm 8:4-9

Psalm 8:4-9

News...

Trump order to dismantle the education department in the works
The proposed order gutting the agency is expected to call for the education secretary to submit a proposal for dismantling the department and for Congress to pass legislation to get rid of it.

Before Trump purge at USAID, memo warned agency of its 'vulnerabilities' in doling out foreign aid
The internal watchdog warned the agency that it was not sufficiently vetting for terrorists or getting the U.N. to comply with transparency requirements.

Here’s Some Of The Biggest Foreign Aid Boondoggles Bureaucrats Funded Before Trump Put Things On Ice
While Democrats rage over Trump’s aid freeze, they ignore how billions went to shady programs like Palestinian initiatives, pro-abortion grants, Taliban-controlled Afghanistan, and even the Wuhan lab.

Judge Napolitano Explains Trump’s Legal Grounds To Withhold Congressional Allocations To USAID
“Can the president not spend the money? Yes, he can take the money and isolate it, but then he must tell Congress he’s isolating it. And he must propose to Congress what should be done with that money instead. He has 45 days in which to do that.”

DOGE goes to war on NPR and PBS by threatening to cut government funding
In two letters sent to the CEOs of the outlets, Marjorie Taylor Greene, the DOGE subcommittee chair, called on them to testify on Capitol Hill to defend the government funding they use to share "systematically biased content."

Elon Musk says DOGE workers putting in 120 hours a week
“DOGE is working 120 hour[s] a week,” Musk wrote in a post on X on Sunday. “Our bureaucratic opponents optimistically work 40 hours a week. That is why they are losing so fast.”

DOGE Announces Termination of 20 Consulting Contracts, Saving Taxpayers $26 Million
"This morning, 20 consulting contracts, mostly focused on 'strategic communication' and 'executive coaching,' were terminated for immediate savings of $26mm."

Vance Visits East Palestine On Anniversary Of Train Disaster
“President Trump wanted to deliver a message that this community will not be forgotten, will not be left behind, and we’re in it for the long haul in East Palestine,” Vance said.

Democrats Take Another Step Toward Putting 9-Month Abortions In Virginia’s Constitution
Virginia Democrats fast-tracked the resolution as a top priority in the state’s first session of 2025, completing the first step in the two-year amendment process.

State Farm, California’s largest property insurer, demanding 22% rate hike after fires and huge losses
The insurance company says that as a result of Prop. 103, it has lost $5 billion over the last nine years and had no option but to stop underwriting new policies in 2023.

Tariffs...

Mexico agrees to send more troops to border, pause tariffs
"We had a good conversation with President Trump with great respect for our relationship and sovereignty; we reached a series of agreements," President Claudia Sheinbaum said on Monday.

Canada reaches deal with US to pause tariffs for 30 days
"I just had a good call with President Trump. Canada is implementing our $1.3 billion border plan — reinforcing the border with new choppers, technology, and personnel, enhanced coordination with our American partners, and increased resources to stop the flow of fentanyl," wrote Trudeau on social media.

China Is Ready To Make Make A Deal
The Chinese government is reportedly preparing to begin trade talks with the U.S. after President Donald Trump slapped China with a 10% tariff, according to the Wall Street Journal.

Confirmation Hearings...

Susan Collins says she will support Tulsi Gabbard's confirmation
“The Office of the Director of National Intelligence ... has become far larger than it was designed to be, and Ms. Gabbard shares my vision of returning the agency to its intended size.”

Senate Breaks Filibuster On Pam Bondi Nomination For Attorney General
A final confirmation vote is expected to take place in the coming days.

Politics...

Trump matches highest-ever favorability rating in New York
Trump’s approval rating in the Empire State climbed to 41% in the latest Siena College poll released Monday, matching his highest ever in the survey.

Biden Ignored His Own DOJ And Commuted ‘Violent’ Criminals In Final Days In Office
Just about 10% of Biden’s list were recommended to receive commutations from his own DOJ, according to an internal email reviewed by the WSJ.

The Democrats Hilariously Fall Apart During The DNC Meeting
The DNC’s leadership meeting descended into a woke talent show, complete with bizarre singing, racial grievance rants, and confusion over nonbinary candidates disrupting gender balance rules.

Chris Murphy melts down, claims Trump officials are racist and misogynist
The Democrat senator ranted on CNN that anyone serving in Trump’s administration must have "affection for racist and misogynist philosophy" and accused Elon Musk of giving a "Heil Hitler" salute at the inauguration.

New York Court Upholds State Election Law Democrats Were Using To Take Over Local Governments
An appeals court reinstated New York’s Voting Rights Act, overturning a ruling that called it unconstitutional, allowing Democrats to continue using race-based lawsuits to force local election changes.

Economy...

Trump signs order creating first-ever US sovereign wealth fund — and TikTok could be its first purchase
It was not immediately specified how the U.S. endowment would be capitalized, but Trump previously floated using tariff proceeds.

Waffle House Adds 50-Cent Surcharge Per Egg Due To Bird Flu
Since December, the average price of a dozen eggs has climbed to $4.15 with the Agriculture Department predicting a 20% price increase this year.

Immigration...

Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth pledges to gain ‘operational control’ as he visits US-Mexico border
Hegseth told reporters Monday that the thousands of additional troops deployed to the region are there to help free up overwhelmed border agents who are there to repel an “invasion.”

Mexican drug cartels plan attacks on Border Patrol agents with kamikaze drones
Cartels are ordering their members to attack U.S. Border Patrol agents with kamikaze drones and other explosives in a desperate bid to thwart the crackdown at the border, according to an internal memo obtained by the NY Post.

Texas National Guardsmen Empowered To Make Immigration-Related Arrests
A new memo from Customs and Border Protection empowers the National Guardsmen to assist with immigration enforcement.

Coast Guard conducting deportation flights out of California, Texas
In addition to repatriating those apprehended at sea from Haiti, Cuba, and other countries, Coast Guard crew are involved in “alien expulsion flights” in California and Texas.

US Should Stop Being One Of Only Two First-World Countries That Allows Anchor Babies
America is an outlier among developed nations in offering unrestricted birthright citizenship. Not a single European country does.

Overwhelming number of NYers and Latino residents want illegal-migrant criminals booted: Poll
Nearly 80% of New Yorkers statewide told Siena College pollsters that they back kicking out illegal aliens who have been convicted of a crime, with that figure including 69% of Democrats and 71% of Latinos.

'Mentally Ill' US Woman Refuses to Leave Pakistan After Teen Lover Ghosts Her
She flew to Pakistan for an online boyfriend, got rejected, overstayed her visa, and now demands $100,000 from its government — claiming she wants to "rebuild" the country. | Video

Garage Gate...

New Jersey governor says he's housing an illegal alien above his garage, challenges Trump admin to come and get her
"We said, you know what, let's have her live at our house above our garage, and good luck to the feds coming in who are trying to find her."

Border Czar Homan: I’ll Prosecute NJ Governor If He’s Concealing An Illegal Alien
“I got note of it. Won’t let it go. We’ll look into it. And if he’s knowingly, knowingly harboring, concealing an illegal alien, that’s a violation of Title VIII, United States Code 1324. I would seek prosecution or the secretary would seek prosecution."

New Jersey governor now claims he's not housing an illegal alien
A rep told the NY Post that the Democrat governor had been “misinterpreted” and that there is not an illegal alien living above his garage.

WAR News...

Iran Is Accelerating Nuclear Weapons Program, US Concludes
New intelligence about Iran’s nuclear program has convinced American officials that a secret team of the country’s scientists is exploring a faster, if cruder, approach to developing an atomic weapon if Tehran’s leadership decides to race for a bomb.

Daily Beast: Hegseth Replaces Mainstream Media with MAGA Sites at Pentagon
Out: NPR and NBC News. In: Breitbart News Network and One America News Network.

Israel...

American hostage Keith Siegel says Hamas deprived him of food and sunlight for 15 hellish months
Shir Siegel told reporters that her father was kept in inhumane conditions for 484 days by the terrorists, which caused him to lose a drastic amount of weight.

US to again withdraw from the UN Human Rights Council, stop UNRWA funding
The actions come one day before Trump is set to meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Washington.

Poll: 80% of Israelis Back Trump’s Gaza Emigration Plan, Majority Reject Palestinian State
Israelis were asked, “Do you agree with president Trump's initiative to encourage voluntary immigration from Gaza?”

US said readying to approve new $1 billion arms package to Israel
According to WSJ, aid would include thousands of 1,000-pound bombs as well as armored bulldozers.

Ukraine - Russia...

Trump wants ‘guarantee’ that US will get Ukraine’s rare earth minerals in exchange for aid
“We’re looking to do a deal with Ukraine where they’re going to secure what we’re giving them with their rare earth and other things,” Trump told reporters, adding that he wants a “guarantee” in exchange for U.S. money.

- Flashback to Dec 28, 2006: Britain to make its final payment on World War II loan from US

Ukraine strikes a major Russian oil refinery for a second time in 3 days
Ukraine seems to be accelerating attacks on Russian energy production.

China...

Former deep-stater accused of sharing US economic secrets with China
A Federal Reserve adviser shared data that "could allow China to manipulate the U.S. market, in a manner similar to insider trading," DOJ says.

Africa...

Trump to cut off South Africa over land confiscation law likely to be weaponized against white farmers
The new law allows South Africa to confiscate land without compensation in the name of equity.

South Africa Complains After Trump Threatens to Revoke Funding
ANC Secretary-General Fikile Mbalula defended the Expropriation Act as “a fair, constitutional mechanism aimed at reversing historical land dispossession.”

Entertainment...

Joe Biden inks deal with powerhouse agency CAA as ex-president potentially eyes Hollywood ventures
The talent agency deal comes after insiders speculated on how Biden and his family might make money — after reaping millions from foreign patrons and a dubious Ivy League professorship during and after his vice presidency.

David Spade recalls how Biden, Fauci impressions sparked online outrage
"People flipped out. Is this really controversial to make fun of? You're supposed to make fun of everybody."

Media...

Wikipedia’s Blacklist: Smearing Trump, Conservatives, And The GOP
The latest report from MRC shows that 84% of left-leaning outlets have Wikipedia’s stamp of approval, while 0% of right-leaning outlets even get a wink from the tech giant.

FCC chair Brendan Carr says he’ll fast-track CBS probe over editing of Kamala Harris’ ‘60 Minutes’ interview
“The FCC has had a prohibition against news distortion on our books for 50 years. It applies to broadcasters but not cable. A group brought a non-frivolous complaint, so the FCC is taking the next appropriate step in adjudicating the issue."

Pentagon shakes up press access, legacy media panics, Katie Couric panics
"This is how news becomes propaganda. It’s begun. Pay attention."

Environment...

EPA Puts 1,100+ Employees On Notice, Warns They Could Be Fired ‘Immediately’
The email was sent to employees hired within the past year who have probationary status, including new hires and employees who took new roles at the agency. EPA spokeswoman Molly Vaseliou said the goal of the email was to be "transparent" about the agency.

LGBTQIA2S+...

NY AG Letitia James tells hospitals to continue sex-change procedures for minors despite Trump’s executive order
“Regardless of the availability of federal funding, we write to further remind you of your obligations to comply with New York State laws, including those that prohibit discrimination."

Living with a Transgender Sailor
Imagine having to sleep, bathe, and work next to an unwell man pretending to be a woman.

AI...

OpenAI reveals ChatGPT agent for ‘deep research’
Deep Research can gather information from across the web and summarize it in easy-to-read reports, with citations.

Technology...

Microsoft keeps Biden-era censorship ties while cozying up to Trump admin
As Microsoft wins favor in Washington with OpenAI's Project Stargate and a potential TikTok buyout, it continues funding censorship groups like NewsGuard and employs figures tied to 2020 election suppression efforts.

Texas teens arrested over TikTok prank asking elementary schoolers if they ‘wanted to be kidnapped’
Kaine Villarreal, 19, and Lane Burch, 18, both residents of Kyle, Texas, were arrested on charges of terroristic threats last Wednesday.

Feb. 4, 2011 - Why GB wasn't nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize... Violence in Egypt continues... Is Sharia law happening in America?... The left's continued attempt to put the media under 'official' government control... Guests Frank Caliendo and Michael Reagan...

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.