DC attorney general sues to end federal National Guard deployment
Members of the National Guard patrol the National Mall in Washington, DC, on September 3, 2025. (Austin DeSisto/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
(WASHINGTON) — Washington, D.C., Attorney General Brian L. Schwalb filed a lawsuit on Thursday to end the Trump administration’s deployment of National Guard troops to the city, calling it an unlawful “military occupation.”
Nearly 2,300 troops from seven states have been stationed in the district since Aug. 11, a move Schwalb says goes beyond the president’s authority and violates local autonomy under the Home Rule Act.
The lawsuit argues the troops were placed under Defense Department command and later deputized by the U.S. Marshals Service to perform law enforcement, which Schwalb’s office says is “in violation of the foundational prohibition on military involvement in local law.”
By law, the president’s emergency deployment can last only 30 days unless extended by Congress, meaning the surge is set to expire Sept. 10.
Schwalb also alleges the federal government is unlawfully asserting command over state militias without formally bringing them into federal service, which he says is a violation of the Constitution and federal law.
The complaint says the deployments threaten to erode trust between residents and police, inflame tensions and damage the city’s economy — particularly in the restaurant and hospitality industries as, just last month, the Restaurant Association Metropolitan Washington extended summer restaurant week in an effort to draw customers during the surge.
The attorney general’s office further argues that the deployments violate the Home Rule Act by overriding local autonomy and undermining public safety “by inflaming tensions and eroding trust between District residents and law enforcement.”
Still, Gregg Pemberton, the D.C. union chairman said the long-term goal is for the Metropolitan Police Department to resume full responsibility.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
(WASHINGTON) — Speaker of the House Mike Johnson defended labeling this weekend’s “No Kings” rallies opposing President Donald Trump as “hate America” rallies, arguing that he was not referring to Democrats themselves but the message of the protesters.
“Just on this notion that these are, ‘hate America’ rallies — and you not only talked about anarchists, antifa advocates, pro-Hamas wing — you said this is the modern Democratic Party,” ABC News’ “This Week” co-anchor Jonathan Karl asked, referring to comments Johnson made last week. “But I remember not that long ago what you said after the murder of Charlie Kirk when you said that we should view fellow Americans, not as our enemies, but as our fellow countrymen.”
“I’ve never called anybody an enemy,” Johnson said, but claimed that “there were a lot of hateful messages” during Saturday’s protests.
“I mean, we have video and photos of pretty violent rhetoric calling out the president, saying fascists must die and all the rest,” he added. “So it’s not about the people, it’s about the message.”
Pressed by Karl about Johnson likening anarchists, antifa and Hamas to the modern Democratic Party, Johnson defended his remarks.
“I never said it was the whole Democratic Party, but you and I have to acknowledge the reality,” Johnson said before turning his criticism to New York City’s Democratic mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani.
“Look at what’s happening in New York. They’re about to elect an open socialist Marxist as the mayor of America’s largest city. There’s a rise of Marxism in the Democratic Party. It’s an objective fact, and no one can deny it,” he said.
Mamdani has previously stated he is not a “communist,” as Trump has called him. He identifies as a democratic socialist and has repeatedly claimed that label.
Johnson also argued the “No Kings” branding of the nationwide protests was ironic.
“If President Trump was a king, the government would be open right now. If President Trump was a king, they would not have been able to engage in that free speech exercise out on the (National) Mall,” he said.
Here are more highlights from Johnson’s interview:
On not yet swearing in Democratic Rep.-elect Adelita Grijalva Karl: When are you going to swear in Representative-elect Adelita Grijalva
Johnson: As soon as we get back to legislative session, when Chuck Schumer allows us to turn the lights back on.
Karl: Why haven’t you done already?
Johnson: Because this is the way the institution works. I’m following the Pelosi precedent, by the way.
…
Karl: And what about the Johnson precedent? I mean, you swore in two Republicans the day after their election.
Johnson: I’m happy to answer. I’m happy to answer. Pelosi precedent — Pat Ryan. Joe Sempolinski. They were elected during an August recess. So 21 days later, when the House returned to regular legislative session, they were administered the oath. That’s what we’re doing. We’re not in session right now. Rep. Grijalva was elected after the House was out of session. As soon as we returned the legislative session, as soon as the Democrats decide to turn the lights back on so we can all get back here, I will administer the oath —
Karl: You could swear in tomorrow, right?
Johnson: No. Not tomorrow. No, we couldn’t, we wouldn’t. There was an exception for two Floridians earlier in this Congress. But the reason was they were duly elected. They had a date set. They flew in all their friends and family and the House went out of session unexpectedly.
Karl: So if she flies in friends and family —
Johnson: We don’t have a date set. She was elected after we were out of session.
On former Rep. George Santos’ sentence being commuted
Karl: What do you make of that?
Johnson: The president has the right around the Constitution for pardon and —
Karl: For sure.
Johnson: And commutation, of course. We believe in redemption. This is a personal belief of mine. And I, you know, I hope Mr. Santos makes the most of his second chance.
…
Karl: Is it OK for him to say, essentially, “I’m pardoning someone because they always had the courage — “
Johnson: That’s not the reason.
Karl: “Conviction and intelligence to always vote Republican?”
Johnson: That’s one snippet of what he said, among many things about George Santos.
Karl: Should that be a factor in pardoning somebody that they vote Republican — or clemency?
Johnson: No, and I don’t think — I don’t think it was. No, I don’t think it was. I just think he’s talking about, this individual and his past, and at least he’s open and transparent about it. Joe Biden never told us anything. And frankly, we’re not even sure he knew who he’s pardoning on any one of those things.
How ICE is conducting enforcement operations Karl: I want to play something for you that (podcast host) Joe Rogan recently said about how this is being undertaken. Take a listen.
Joe Rogan (host, “The Joe Rogan Experience”): The way it looks is horrific. It looks — when you’re just arresting people in front of their kids and just normal, regular people that have been here for 20 years. That — everybody who has a heart can’t get along with that.
Karl: Do you worry that these ICE raids are going too far, or at least — or could go too far?
Johnson: I think everybody is aware of the optics, but I do believe in the rule of law. And I believe the American people were alarmed that the, the, the border was wide open for four years, and by many estimates, as many as 20 million illegal aliens get into the country, many of them hardened, dangerous criminals —
Karl: What you’re seeing people that have been in the country 20 years or more with that have families. You know, have American citizens as children, as spouses, that are facing, you know, these pretty rough deportations.
Johnson: Yeah. And no one takes any pleasure in that at all. What ICE has prioritized is the dangerous, hardened criminals first. And there’s probably a few million of those, OK? So they’ve been trying to round them up and send them back home with great success.
Whether he has concerns about military operations in the Caribbean Sea Karl: Don’t you have questions for him (Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth) about what’s happening in Venezuela We have this buildup around Venezuela. We have the, the targeting of these boats. I mean, you must at least have questions. I know we have questions.
Johnson: The targeting of the boats? You have drug cartels bringing in fentanyl and boatloads of it that would kill potentially hundreds of thousands of Americans. What we’re doing is restoring —
Karl: You have no questions about how they’re doing.
Johnson: No, I believe in peace through strength. I think that the president and the commander-in-chief are in charge of ensuring national security and the safety of the American people. And I think most common-sense Americans look at that and say “Thank goodness.”
President Donald Trump meets with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in the Oval Office at the White House, Aug. 18, 2025. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
(WASHINGTON) — President Donald Trump, just days after celebrating an Israel-Hamas ceasefire agreement he helped broker in the Middle East, turns his attention Friday to the Russia-Ukraine war, hosting President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the White House.
Ukraine’s request for American-made Tomahawk missiles is expected to be a focus of the talks.
“They want to go offensive,” Trump said of Kyiv earlier this week. “I’ll make a determination on that.”
The long-range weapons would give Ukraine the ability to strike deep inside Russia, and Zelenskyy described them as a difference-maker in a conflict that has dragged three-and-a-half years. Moscow, though, warned that Tomahawk deliveries would mark “a dangerous escalation of relations between Russia and the United States.”
Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin held a long phone call on Thursday, one day before his in-person meeting with Zelenskyy. In a surprise development, Trump announced he and Putin plan to meet again (this time in Budapest) to discuss the war after initial discussions among high-level advisers next week.
Trump said he would be telling Zelenskyy on Friday what he and Putin discussed in the call.
The president said he talked with Putin “a little bit” about Tomahawks in their two-hour conversation. He said he asked the Russian president how he would feel if he sold them to Ukraine. “He didn’t like the idea,” Trump said.
Trump also expressed concern about depleting the U.S. supply of Tomahawks.
“They’re very vital. They’re very powerful. They’re very accurate. They’re very good. But we need them too. So, I don’t know what we can do about that,” Trump told reporters as he took questions during an Oval Office event.
This latest diplomatic push comes nearly two months after Trump hosted Putin in Alaska for a high-profile summit that ultimately yielded no major breakthrough. Days later, Trump welcomed Zelenskyy to the White House as well as a delegation of European leaders who rushed to Washington to support the Ukrainian leader after an extraordinarily tense scene between Zelenskyy, Trump and Vice President JD Vance in the Oval Office back in February.
Trump, who once said he could end the Russia-Ukraine war immediately upon his return to office, has lamented that the conflict is more difficult to bring to a close than he anticipated.
“This is a terrible relationship, the two of them have. … Because of my relationship with President Putin, I thought this would be very quick. And it has turned out to be — who would think I did the Middle East before I did this?”
In Alaska, Trump’s immediate goal was to set up a trilateral meeting with himself, Putin and Zelenskyy, or a bilateral meeting between Putin and Zelenskyy. Those meetings never occurred.
ABC News Chief White House Correspondent Mary Bruce, after Trump announced he planned to meet Putin again in Hungary, asked White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt if the president still believed he could get Putin and Zelenskyy in the same room.
“I think he thinks it’s possible, and he would, of course, love to see that happen,” Leavitt said. “But right now, there were discussions and plans are now being made for the Russian side and our folks, led by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, to meet and then for President Putin and President Trump to perhaps meet again. But I don’t think the president has closed the door on that at all.”
Meanwhile, Russia continues to bombard Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, firing more than 300 drones and about three dozen missiles at targets throughout Ukraine overnight into Thursday.
Zelenskyy, landing in Washington on Thursday, said he hopes “that the momentum of curbing terror and war, which worked in the Middle East, will help end the Russian war against Ukraine.”
“Putin is definitely not braver than HAMAS or any other terrorist. The language of force and justice will definitely work against Russia as well. We already see that Moscow is rushing to resume dialogue, just hearing about ‘Tomahawks,'” the Ukrainian president wrote on X.
Zelenskyy met with American defense and energy companies on Thursday ahead of his Friday meeting at the White House.
Trump at times blamed Russia’s invasion on Ukraine and Zelenskyy, though has recently expressed frustration and disappointment with Putin. This week, he said “all we want from President Putin” is to stop the killing of Ukrainians and Russians.
“It doesn’t make him look good. It’s a war that he should have won in one week and he’s now going into his fourth year,” the president said on Wednesday.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, in remarks at a NATO gathering this week, also ramped up rhetoric against Russia, notably calling Moscow the aggressor.
“If this war does not end, if there is no path to peace in the short term, then the United States, along with our allies, will take the steps necessary to impose costs on Russia for its continued aggression,” Hegseth said. “If we must take this step, the U.S. War Department stands ready to do our part in ways that only the United States can do.”
But so far, Trump and his administration has held back from imposing tougher sanctions on Russia. Instead, he’s focused on getting European countries and nations like India to stop purchasing Russian oil.
On Capitol Hill, there are growing calls among Republicans — including Senate Majority Leader John Thune — to proceed with a bill that would put economic penalties on Russia.
Asked what he thought about those efforts on Thursday, Trump was noncommittal: “Well, we’re going to see.”
In this March 12, 2025, file photo, a person walks by the headquarters of the Department of Education in Washington, D.C. Win McNamee/Getty Images, FILE
(WASHINGTON) — After 43 days, the longest federal government shutdown in history is history after President Donald Trump late Wednesday night signed the funding bill passed in both chambers of Congress.
With the bill now signed, federal agencies and services are expected to immediately return to normal; however, some benefits, such as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, will take a little time to be doled out.
The spending bill reopens and funds the federal government until Jan. 30, 2026, with some agencies like the Department of Agriculture and Veterans Affairs funded through the end of the fiscal year.
Here’s what to know about the government reopening.
When will federal employees return to work?
At least 670,000 federal employees were furloughed during the shutdown, according to the Bipartisan Policy Center.
Furloughed employees are expected to return to work immediately and there is some indication that those orders have gone out to specific agencies.
Furloughed employees at Health and Human Services were told to “report for duty” on Thursday, according to a memo obtained by ABC News.
“If HHS employees do not have previously approved leave scheduled, or do not get leave approved, then they will be “considered absent without leave (AWOL),” the memo reads.
The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) also told agencies Thursday that they should consider “the disruption in the lives and routines of furloughed employees.”
Back pay and undoing Trump firings
Federal workers deemed essential, including Capitol Police officers, Transportation Security Administration workers and air traffic controllers, were forced to work without pay during the shutdown.
During the shutdown, the administration issued layoffs through Reduction in Force orders for federal workers in various agencies.
All federal workers are entitled to back pay under the Government Employee Fair Treatment Act of 2019, signed into law by Trump during the now-second-longest shutdown in his first term in office.
The law covers both furloughed employees and those required to work without pay during a government shutdown.
The funding bill includes additional language to reverse Trump administration firings during the shutdown and ensures that furloughed workers receive back pay.
It also includes language to prevent any additional reductions in force until the next government funding deadline on Jan. 30, 2026.
When will SNAP benefits get doled out?
The bill includes a provision to fully fund SNAP benefits through the end of September 2026.
The money is expected to be doled out soon, but the timetable has not been revealed by officials.
Federal courts ordered the administration to pay SNAP benefits during the shutdown, however, the administration went to the Supreme Court to get the order paused as the appeals litigation continued.
On Thursday, the administration withdrew its case.
Solicitor General John Sauer said in a filing that the “underlying dispute here is now moot.”
When do D.C.’s museums open?
All of the Smithsonian museums have been closed since Oct. 12 after running out of funding.
The Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History, the National Air and Space Museum and the Steven F. Udvar-Hazey Center will reopen on Nov. 14, according to a notice on its website.
“All other museums, research centers, and the National Zoo will reopen on a rolling basis by Monday, Nov. 17,” the message read.
When will the air traffic system be fully staffed?
The shortage of air traffic controllers, who were not furloughed, was so dire during the shutdown that the Federal Aviation Administration was forced to reduce flights by 10% at 40 airports — leading to thousands of flights being canceled and delayed across the country.
As many as 15 to 20 controllers resigned during the shutdown, according to the Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy.
Duffy told reporters Tuesday that air traffic controllers will get 70% of their back pay within 24 to 48 hours of the reopening.
It could take up to a week for air travel to return to normal operations after the government shutdown ends, Airlines for America President and CEO Chris Sununu said at a press briefing Wednesday afternoon.
Sununu said he doesn’t see any impacts lasting into the holiday season.
“I don’t think any flights over the Thanksgiving week have actually been canceled yet. I think the airlines have been pretty tight working with the FAA looking a few days out to be sure,” he said.
Where do Obamacare subsidies stand?
Affordable Care Act (ACA) subsidies that Democrats held out for during the shutdown were not included in the Senate deal to reopen the government, which passed with the help of eight moderate Democrats.
The enhanced ACA tax credits don’t expire until Dec. 31, and if no deal is reached, health premiums will jump for more than 20 million Americans.
Sources told ABC News on Monday that Senate Republican leadership promised to allow a vote on a bill of Democrats’ choosing related to the ACA in December.
But House Speaker Mike Johnson has not committed to holding a vote in the House on the subsidies.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries on Wednesday filed a discharge petition to extend the Obamacare subsidies. He would need a few House Republicans to vote with Democrats for it to pass.
