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Glenn's Show Prep

Morning Brief 2025-04-01

April 01, 2025
Chris Brady

BOTTOM OF HOUR 2
GUEST: Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.)
TOPIC: What a liberal Wisconsin Supreme Court would mean for the rest of the country.

Psalm 119:55-56

Psalm 119:55-56

Trump...

Trump administration cutting some funds to Planned Parenthood
Nine Planned Parenthood affiliates received notices late Monday about the Trump administration’s plans to withhold Title X funding starting April 1, according to the release.

Trump administration anti-Semitism task force launches probe of $8.7B in grants to Harvard
That review will also extend to $255 million in contracts that Harvard has locked down with the federal government.

Trump signs executive order to protect Americans from 'exploitive ticket scalping' in entertainment industry
The president’s executive order directs the Federal Trade Commission to work with the attorney general to ensure that competition laws are enforced in the concert and entertainment industry.

Trump warns EU not to help ICC dodge sanctions
The Trump administration vowed full enforcement — and possible expansion — of sanctions against the International Criminal Court after its president urged the EU to shield it from U.S. penalties.

NY Times: The Strategy Behind Trump’s Repeated Musings About a Third Term
The Times presents it in the worst possible light, but it might be a strategic move — by teasing a third term, Trump avoids lame duck status and keeps his political leverage intact beyond the usual post-100-day slowdown.

Trump ‘Probably Messing With You’ About 3rd Term, Thune Tells Reporters
“I think that you guys keep asking the question, and I think he’s probably having some fun with it and probably messing with you.”

Trump Admin Shutting Down Biden’s EPA Museum Pet Project
"The Biden Admin spent $4M in tax dollars on a museum to tell a selective story of @EPA history. It costs $600K per year to operate even though only 1,909 external visitors came through in the last 9 months. Today we are closing it," Lee Zeldin wrote on X.

Elon Musk...

Millions of noncitizens received SSNs — and some even voted: Musk
"It was a massive large-scale program to import as many illegals as possible, ultimately to change the entire voting map of the United States and disenfranchise the American people and make it a permanent, deep-blue one-party state from which there would be no escape."

Report: Musk says arrest imminent over massive Social Security theft scheme
Elon Musk claimed a suspect will be arrested for stealing 400,000 Social Security numbers and selling them, allowing widespread fraud against the Social Security system.

Musk merges X and xAI in $113B deal
The deal values xAI at $80B and X at $33B, cementing their integration as Grok uses X’s user data for training. The move formalizes Musk’s control of both platforms to scale AI with social reach.

Romance...

Elon Musk claims he’s ‘given’ alleged baby mama Ashley St. Clair $2.5M, $500K per year — despite not knowing ‘if the child is mine or not’
“I don’t know if the child is mine or not, but am not against finding out,” Musk wrote on X. “No court order is needed.”

‘Mother of Elon Musk’s 13th child’ sells Tesla after tech boss ‘reduces child support’
“I need to make up for the 60 per cent cut that Elon made to our son’s child support,” she told MailOnline.

How Donald Trump learned of Tiger Woods and Vanessa Trump’s romance
“I played golf with him a couple of times over the last month, and he’s a fantastic guy and a fantastic athlete, and he told me about it,” Donald told reporters in the Oval Office Monday.

News...

SCOTUS case over HIV drug mandates could gut bureaucratic power
A Supreme Court showdown over free HIV-prevention drug mandates is really a test of unchecked federal power, with challengers arguing the task force behind Obamacare coverage rules violates the Constitution’s Appointments Clause.

Epstein’s Most Outspoken Accuser Critically Injured In Bus Collision: ‘Four Days To Live’
Virginia Giuffre, who accused Prince Andrew and others in Jeffrey Epstein’s sex ring, says she’s in kidney failure with “four days to live” after being hit by a bus.

California ballot measure named after Luigi Mangione would make it illegal to ‘delay, deny’ health care coverage
To be clear, this is NOT an April Fools' Day joke.

Illegal alien caught on video vandalizing Tesla with wire cutters
Police in Mississippi have identified the man seen damaging a Tesla outside a Walmart as 63-year-old illegal alien Osvaldo Torres-Rodriguez. He faces felony charges, and Trump says sabotage of Musk’s companies may soon carry up to 20-year sentences.

I was devastated when my father abandoned me — yet liberals make excuses for broken homes
In "The Children We Left Behind," Adam B. Coleman confronts the emotional wreckage of growing up without a father, arguing that Western culture has normalized family breakdown and child neglect in the name of individualism.

Vanity Fair: Monica Lewinsky’s Guide to Pulling Off the Perfect April Fools’ Day Prank
A veteran practical joker shares some tricks of the trade.

Utah man finds stranger living in storage room of his basement
He found human waste in his cat's litter box.

Politics...

Special elections stand as early gauge of Trump support, strength of resistance
Tuesday evening’s outcomes will serve as a potential metric for the level of Trump’s support after a tumultuous first two months saw him upend several federal agencies and substantially alter the course of American foreign policy.

Trump approval rating dips: Poll
Trump’s “general ratings have been holding up, and he has much higher approval ratings than Biden. We show a dip, but it’s within the margin of error, and so we will see next month if it’s just random fluctuation or a trend,” said pollster Mark Penn.

Here’s What’s At Stake In Wisconsin’s Supreme Court Election
Voters will head to the polls on Tuesday to determine the ideological slant of the court.

DOJ drops Biden-era Georgia voter suppression lawsuit after turnout surges
Attorney General Pam Bondi announced the dismissal of the DOJ’s case against Georgia’s election law, calling it a politically driven lie.

Raphael Warnock Lives Free in $1 Million Luxury Home — Purchased by His Church
Sen. Raphael Warnock resides in a million-dollar house purchased by Ebenezer Baptist Church, rent-free and tax-exempt, while urging his congregation to pay down the church's mortgage. He quietly moved in after selling his own home and collecting a six-figure income from book royalties and church pay.

Tim Walz Reflects on Election Loss: 'I Can Be a Train Wreck'
When the interviewer suggested that "it doesn't feel like the party was very bold when you and Harris got on the ticket in the latter half of the 2024 campaign," Walz appeared to agree.

Daughter of Tim Walz says she is a 'privileged white woman' and won't attend graduate school as a protest
"I'm not going to name the institution, but given recent events, I am not going to give my money, go into debt for, support institutions that don't support their students and the right to protest and speak out for their communities."

Chuck Todd advises Kamala Harris not to run for California governor in 2026
"Come back maybe in 2030 or 2032.”

Economy...

First-quarter GDP growth will be just 0.3% as tariffs stoke stagflation conditions, says CNBC survey
The dour new forecasts come as the decline in consumer and business sentiment from the emerging trade war is showing up in real economic activity.

Republicans scramble to shield their states from Trump’s next wave of tariffs
Dozens of GOP lawmakers worry privately that another round of tariffs will raise prices on U.S. consumers, cripple American farmers, and rattle the stock market.

Immigration...

ICE arrested 113K, deported over 100K since Trump’s return
Illegal border crossings dropped to just 7,000 in March — down from 137,000 last March under Biden.

TikTok user calls for ICE agents to be shot on sight, prompting DHS warning
"If you threaten or attempt to harm a law enforcement officer, we will find you and prosecute you to the fullest extent of the law," Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said.

Media howls as illegal aliens ordered to leave US during Clinton admin finally deported
A couple who had been living in the United States illegally for 35 years have been deported back to their home country.

WAR News...

Trump Warns The Houthis: Stop Shooting At US Ships Or ‘The Real Pain Is Yet To Come’
"Our attacks will continue until they are no longer a threat to Freedom of Navigation."

Iran, Facing Trump Threats, Says It Positioned 'Launch-Ready Missiles' To Strike 'US-Related Positions'
Iran says it has readied "a significant number" of advanced missiles capable of striking American bases and military outposts in the Middle East.

Egypt military buildup in Sinai threatens peace with Israel, source warns
An Israeli security source underscored that the U.S. "is responsible for upholding the peace deal and must ensure it is implemented as written."

Ukraine - Russia...

Russia Responds After Trump Says He’s ‘Pissed Off’ At Putin
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov responded to Trump’s criticism of Putin, saying on Monday that Russia is still “working on” a peace deal with Ukraine but added that it’s a “time-consuming process.”

Moscow orders another 160,000 servicemen to be conscripted
It's Russia's largest increase since war began in Ukraine, and it comes as Putin continues to delay ceasefire.

Europe...

Le Pen convicted in blatant EU-backed lawfare to block 2027 run
French populist Marine Le Pen was hit with house arrest, fines, and a five-year political ban in a selective “embezzlement” case clearly designed to sabotage her presidential bid and protect the pro-EU establishment from electoral defeat.

Italy’s Deputy Prime Minister On Le Pen Conviction: ‘A Declaration Of War From Brussels’
“Those who fear the judgment of voters often seek reassurance from the courts. In Paris, they have condemned Marine Le Pen and would like to remove her from political life. A bad situation that is also being observed in other countries such as Romania."

Irish politicians erupt over Conor McGregor’s presidential bid
Not a single MP or senator backed McGregor's nomination for president, with lawmakers mocking him as a “moronic vulgarian,” “misogynist,” and “thug,” despite his popular stance on mass immigration and public safety.

South America...

Javier Milei Got Rid of Rent Control in Argentina. Housing Supply Skyrocketed.
Argentina’s libertarian president ditched socialist-era rent caps, sparking a 195% surge in rental listings and falling prices.

Secret documents on Nazis who fled to Argentina after WWII being declassified
President Javier Milei’s government will release secret files on thousands of Nazis who fled to Argentina, including records on escape routes and bank accounts, following a push from Sen. Chuck Grassley and pressure from the Simon Wiesenthal Center.

Entertainment...

Jason Statham’s ‘A Working Man’ beats out ‘Snow White’ at box office
Statham’s gritty action film surprisingly took over the top spot with $15.2M, toppling Disney’s struggling $250M “Snow White” remake, which collapsed 66% in its second weekend.

YouTube crowned new king of media, set to surpass Disney
With $54.2B in 2024 revenue and leading engagement in Nielsen’s report, analysts say YouTube will overtake Disney this year as the top media powerhouse.

Dave Coulier reveals he was 'prepared to die' during brutal cancer battle
The "Full House" star says he hit rock bottom after round five of chemo for Stage 3 non-Hodgkin lymphoma, but a recent biopsy showed no signs of cancer, and now he’s feeling like himself again.

Media...

Trump admin to shake up White House press seating, legacy media may lose front-row spots
The Trump administration plans to take control of the press briefing room seating chart, sidelining the White House Correspondents' Association and making room for independent journalists and influencers, signaling a major challenge to corporate media dominance.

Amber Ruffin goes on 'Late Night' to respond to being dropped from Correspondents’ dinner
"I thought, when people take away your rights, erase your history and deport your friends, you’re supposed to call it out. But I was wrong,” the alleged comedian said to uproarious laughter.

LGBTQIA2S+...

Utah becomes first state to ban rainbow flags in both schools and government buildings
Utah's RINO Gov. Spencer Cox was against the language of the ban — but Republicans didn't need his support.

Preschool Child Suspended For Being ‘Transphobic’
A child between the ages of 3 and 4 was suspended from a British state school two years ago after being accused of being “transphobic.”

Education...

Love your school mascot? You just might be a white supremacist
A Long Island NAACP leader is suing Brentwood schools over its new Spartan mascot, calling it a symbol of white supremacy and misogyny after it replaced the banned Native American logo.

Health...

If Vaccines Don’t Cause Autism, What Does?
The risk of autism develops before we are even born.

Apple plans to add 'AI doctor' to iPhone's Health app
Apple is developing an AI health coaching service called Health+ using physician-trained models to interpret user data from Apple devices.

Sports...

2028 Olympics could prove to be a costly undertaking for LA: City could be on the hook for $270M
With the city already facing a $1 billion deficit, many wonder if the city can handle it.

Animals...

Peanut the Squirrel’s killers admit, ‘We can do better’
“We have carefully reviewed all the public feedback and we understand the distress caused to communities throughout the state. We know that we can do better moving forward,” said NY Department of Environmental Conservation acting Commissioner Amanda Lefton.

April 1, 2004 - Gas prices creep past $3 in some places... Kerry says Bush needs to tap strategic oil reserve... How '24' relates to world politics... William Hung... Americans burned and mutilated by Iraq mob... Glenn Beck's annual baseball story...

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.