Trump is considering deploying up to 1,000 National Guard troops to D.C. after threats to take federal control of the city. Netanyahu denies starvation in Gaza amid growing backlash for his military plans. And after a model’s husband is found dead in his New York City apartment, former friends and court documents shed light on their troubled relationship.
Here’s what to know today.
Trump to hold press event on D.C. crime after threatening a federal takeover
President Donald Trump is considering deploying up to 1,000 National Guard troops to D.C. and could make the announcement as early as today, according to one defense official and two U.S. officials. The number of Guard who would be assigned is still in flux, the officials say, and most of the troops would likely be pulled from the D.C. National Guard. Officials stress that the decision is not final and no orders have been signed.
The president will hold a press conference this morning on this and the “cleanliness” of the capital. Ahead of the event, he warned homeless people to leave the district “immediately.”
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It comes as Trump has intensified threats to assume federal control of D.C. and its local police force, following the assault of a well-known DOGE employee.
While the president could unilaterally take control of local police, a federal takeover of the district would require an act of Congress repealing the 1973 Home Rule act, which grants D.C. limited self-governance.
Over the weekend, the White House increased the presence of federal law enforcement in Washington, deploying 450 officers across the city and in high-traffic areas.
The operation included 18 agencies that form part of the Task Force’s Law Enforcement Working Group, according to a White House official. The agencies included D.C.’s Metropolitan Police Department, the FBI and Homeland Security Investigations.
D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser denied Trump’s claims that crime in Washington is spiking. She also expressed concern over his statements that he might call the National Guard.
“These are men and women who leave their families to serve our country, and that is just not their primary role to enforce local laws,” she said.
Despite the White House’s claims that crime has reached a peak, the Metro PD’s preliminary statistics show a decrease in violent crime year to date.
Follow our liveblog for the latest updates.
More politics news:
- Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker slammed Trump as a “cheater” and Texas Gov. Greg Abbott as a “joke” days after welcoming Texas Democrats who fled their state in protest of GOP-led redistricting efforts.
- A growing number of U.S. politicians are condemning a new British law that requires some websites and apps — including some based in the United States — to check the ages of users.
- Your 401(k) options could change soon, after Trump signed an executive order to clear the way for Americans to invest their retirement savings in cryptocurrency and other alternative assets.
Pressure mounts on Netanyahu amid ongoing starvation crisis in Gaza
Five Al Jazeera journalists were killed in a targeted Israeli airstrike in Gaza, the network said. The Israeli military claimed one was a Hamas leader posing as a journalist.
The news comes amid mounting criticism of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s controversial plan to seize Gaza City. A defiant Netanyahu continued to deny there is starvation in Gaza and claimed the situation is being exaggerated.
He also announced an expansion to his original takeover plan, adding the “central camps” and Mawasi area. The camps shelter well over a half-million displaced people, according to the United Nations. Netanyahu defended the offensive, stating that Israel “has no choice but to finish the job and complete the defeat of Hamas.”
On Sunday, the U.N. Security Council held an emergency meeting to discuss Israel’s proposal, which has been condemned by Britain, France, Australia and other Western governments. During the meeting, the U.S. strongly supported Israel’s “right to defend itself.” And Netanyahu’s office late Sunday said he had spoken with Trump about the plan and thanked him for his “steadfast support.”
Related news:
- Australia said that it plans to recognize a Palestinian state, joining a growing list of Western governments making the move over the humanitarian crisis. “A two-state solution is humanity’s best hope to break the cycle of violence in the Middle East and to bring an end to the conflict,” Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said.
Model’s husband was isolated for years before he was found dead, friends say
Jacob Zieben and Jacob Paulson were fast friends when they met in 2013. But after two years bonded at the hip, Paulson said their dynamic quickly changed after his friend started dating model Donald Hood.
“He just vanished,” Paulson said this week in an interview. He lost all contact with his friend, so it came as a shock when just two weeks ago, Paulson learned that police found Jacob dead inside his apartment.
In the days since Jacob was fatally stabbed, Paulson and seven others told NBC News they believed Donald cut them out, isolating Jacob from his friends — and potential lifelines.
Joshua Baker said that shortly after Jacob met the model, he began dodging invitations, declining phone calls, and ignoring text messages. Another friend recalled that Jacob said, “Donald was a little possessive” and “kind of restricted who he was in touch with.”
Court documents also shed light on years of alleged abuse, detailed in a series of charges against Donald on felony counts including strangulation and menacing. Those charges remain pending.
Prosecutors have not charged anyone with murder or named a suspect in Jacob’s death. Donald was arrested and charged with several crimes, including burglary. He is currently being held at Rikers Island.
Read the full story here.
Read All About It
- Say goodbye to an internet relic: AOL is ending its dial-up internet service on Sept. 30.
- At least one person is dead and 14 million are under flood watches from Kansas to Wisconsin as severe storms slam the Midwest.
- The herbal tonic “Feel Free” is growing in popularity, but people who have tried the drinks — which contain an opioid — say they became addicted.
- A Colorado prison was evacuated as one of the largest wildfires in state history continues to grow.
- Eva Longoria says the drama of Mexican soccer team Necaxa is “something you can’t script,” in her new docuseries, which gives viewers a look into the dream of winning Liga MX.
- A mysterious cartoon lizard has become TikTok’s latest rising star with its catchphrase “lizard, lizard, lizard.”
Staff Pick: A new start, then a tragic end
Abdul Niazi spent his life helping others — as an interpreter for U.S. troops in Afghanistan and then as an advocate for others who, like him, were settling into life in Houston as Afghan immigrants. Earlier this year, he was stabbed to death, allegedly by a fellow Afghan national who was frustrated at the slow pace of the U.S. immigration system. Months later, county prosecutors have yet to indict the suspect in Niazi’s death.
Reporter Tim Stelloh talks to friends, relatives and the Marines who Niazi worked with about his incredible life, his violent death and a community’s outrage.
— Jamie Knodel, news editor
NBC Select: Online Shopping, Simplified
Though it’s tempting, do not clean your ears with cotton swabs. Here’s what to do instead, according to multiple doctors. Plus, the NBC Select team rounded up the best at-home blackhead treatments, as recommended by dermatologists.
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