Trump threatens to declare a national emergency in Washington DC over Ice dispute
Welcome to our live coverage of US politics.
Donald Trump has threatened to call a national emergency and federalize Washington DC after the city’s mayor, Muriel Bowser, said its police would not cooperate with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (Ice), whose agents have been taking suspects into custody and have been accused of racially profiling people in doing so.
The US president took charge of the city’s Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) on 11 August for 30 days, activating the National Guard and deploying federal officers in what he framed as a crackdown on crime and homelessness but what was widely seen as another example of federal overreach.
It is true that Washington DC has struggled with the scourge of gun violence, but its violent crime rate is at a 30-year low, much lower than that of cities in many red states.
Trump’s 30-day emergency declaration has expired but over 2,000 national guard troops are patrolling the district – reportedly including several hundred sent from Republican-run states. It is unclear when their mission will end.
Bowser issued an executive order at the beginning of the month requiring ongoing coordination between local law enforcement and various federal partners, though Ice was notably excluded.
Trump blamed “Radical Left Democrats” for pressuring Bowser to inform the government about the non-cooperation with Ice, adding that if the police halted cooperation with Ice, “Crime would come roaring back.”
He said: “To the people and businesses of Washington, D.C., DON’T WORRY, I AM WITH YOU, AND WON’T ALLOW THIS TO HAPPEN. I’ll call a National Emergency, and Federalize, if necessary!!!”
We will have more on this and other US politics stories throughout the day so stick with us.
Key events
Bessent says US and China ‘have a framework for TikTok deal’, days before ban deadline
US treasury secretary Scott Bessent has said the commercial terms for a TikTok deal have been agreed upon between the US and China.
“We have a framework for a TikTok deal,” Bessent told reporters in Madrid after talks between the two sides. He declined to comment on the details, saying they were private negotiations. He added that “getting to this framework was made possible by President Trump”.
Ahead of the call between Donald Trump and Xi Jinping on Friday, Bessent said: “They will have to confirm the deal.”
Trump earlier this morning said that trade talks with China had gone very well and hinted that a deal has been reached to resolve issues the US has over TikTok ownership.
JD Vance to host edition of Charlie Kirk’s podcast to ‘pay tribute to my friend’
As the killing of Charlie Kirk continues to dominate political conversation in Washington, Politico notes that vice-president JD Vance will take the extraordinary step of guest-hosting Kirk’s podcast, live on the Rumble platform at 12pm ET.
It is the latest in a string of unprecedented moves from the Trump administration in the wake of Kirk’s death, after Trump ordered flags across the nation to be hung at half-staff within hours of the shooting and later announced Kirk is to posthumously receive a Presidential Medal of Freedom.
A prayer vigil for Kirk last night at the Kennedy Center was attended by many of the most senior figures in the administration including press secretary Karoline Leavitt, HHS Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr, DNI Tulsi Gabbard; and House speaker Mike Johnson.
There will be further memorial events in Congress. And Trump will fly on Air Force One to Kirk’s funeral at the State Farm stadium in Glendale, Arizona this coming weekend, Politico notes, in what will to be an enormous test for law enforcement, particularly the US Secret Service.
Donald Trump has called for Federal Reserve chair Jerome Powell to enact a “bigger” cut to benchmark interest rates and pointed to the housing market in a social media post ahead of the US central bank’s meeting this week.
“‘Too Late’ MUST CUT INTEREST RATES, NOW, AND BIGGER THAN HE HAD IN MIND. HOUSING WILL SOAR!!!” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform, referring to Powell.
It comes after Reuters reported this morning that the US would go ahead with a ban on TikTok if China doesn’t drop demands for reduced tariffs and technological restrictions as part of a divestiture deal, citing a senior US official with knowledge of negotiations.
US and Chinese delegations are discussing the divestment from TikTok by Chinese owner Bytedance as part of a round of broader talks on tariffs and economic policy taking place in Madrid. TikTok faces being shut down as early as 17 September (Wednesday) in the US unless it moves to US ownership.
The Chinese delegation came to the Madrid talks with a fundamental misunderstanding of the US position on TikTok, said the US official.
Speaking to reporters earlier, US treasury secretary Scott Bessent and US trade representative Jamieson Greer said China wanted concessions on trade and technology in exchange for agreeing to divest from the popular social media app.
“Our Chinese counterparts have come with a very aggressive ask,” Bessent said, adding: “We are not willing to sacrifice national security for a social media app.”
Trump hints TikTok deal reached and will speak to Xi Jinping on Friday
Donald Trump has said that trade talks with China had gone very well and hinted that a deal has been reached to resolve issues the US has over TikTok ownership.
Trump also said he would be speaking to Chinese president Xi Jinping on Friday.
“The big Trade Meeting in Europe between The United States of America, and China, has gone VERY WELL! It will be concluding shortly,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform.
“A deal was also reached on a ‘certain’ company that young people in our Country very much wanted to save. They will be very happy! I will be speaking to President Xi on Friday. The relationship remains a very strong one!!!”
Marco Rubio to travel to Qatar after visit to Israel – report
Secretary of state Marco Rubio will travel to Qatar on Tuesday, the Washington Post is reporting, after holding talks with Benjamin Netanyahu today in Israel.
As my colleague Julian Borger writes: “Part of [Rubio’s] mission on this two-day visit is to convey Donald Trump’s irritation at the Israeli missile strike on Doha that was aimed at Hamas leadership but killed their aides and a Qatari security officer.
“Rubio, before his departure on Sunday, discussed the Qatar strike with reporters. ‘Obviously, we’re not happy about it. The president was not happy about it. Now we need to move forward and figure out what comes next,’ Rubio said. He added, however, that the incident was “not going to change the nature of our relationship with the Israelis”.
You can follow all the latest from the Middle East over on our live blog here:
Bronx congressman Ritchie Torres plans to introduce a bill this week directing the Department of Homeland Security to study the feasibility of using drones to prevent assassination attempts, Axios is reporting.
In a statement to Axios, the Democrat said:
Common sense dictates that drone technology should be harnessed to scan every elevated structure with a line of sight to a target.
If drones can enable the early detection and prevention of assassination attempts, why not use them? Better to have vigilant eyes in the sky than to remain blind to would-be assassins.
His statement comes after the killing of the far-right commentator Charlie Kirk at a speaking event on a college campus in Utah, which has given fresh urgency to the question around security measures at events.
The US secretary of state Marco Rubio has met Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem and is currently participating in a press conference with him.
Rubio told reporters on Monday that Washington would provide “unwavering support” to Israel in achieving its goals in Gaza as he called for the eradication of Hamas, the Palestinian militant group.
It comes as Arab leaders hold a summit in a show of support for Qatar after Israel attempted to kill Hamas leaders with an airstrike on the capital Doha last week.
Netanyahu, who relies on the US for weapons and diplomatic cover to continue his assault on Gaza, has accused Qatar of harbouring terrorists and has suggested he reserved the right to continue attacks in the future.
You can read more about the latest developments in the Middle East in our live blog.
South Korea to review whether there were rights violations during US raid
Donald Trump has said foreign workers sent to the US are “welcome” and he doesn’t want to “frighten off” investors, just over a week after hundreds of South Koreans were arrested at a work site in Georgia.
About 475 people, mostly South Korean nationals, were arrested at the construction site of an electric vehicle battery factory, operated by Hyundai-LG, in the south-eastern US state of Georgia on 4 September.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials alleged South Koreans had overstayed their visas or held permits that didn’t allow them to perform manual labor.
Though the US decided against deportation, images of the workers being chained and handcuffed during the raid caused widespread alarm in South Korea. Seoul repatriated the workers last week.
The South Korean government said on Monday it would review whether there were any human rights violations involved in the immigration raid.
Some of the workers told local media about appalling conditions during their arrest, including alleging they were held without being informed of their rights.
“Both our side and the US are checking if there were any shortcomings in the measures taken and companies are also looking into it,” presidential spokesperson Kang Yu-jung told a press briefing earlier today.
“Together with the company concerned, we are conducting a more thorough review into possible human-rights infringements.”
Kathy Hochul backs Zohran Mamdani in race for New York City mayor
Adam Gabbatt
Adam Gabbatt is a writer and presenter for Guardian US, based in New York
Kathy Hochul, the governor of New York, has endorsed Zohran Mamdani in his run for mayor of New York City, a major boost for the democratic socialist.
Writing in a New York Times opinion piece, Hochul said: “In the four years since I took office, one of my foundational beliefs has been the importance of the office of New York governor working hand in hand with the mayor of New York City for the betterment of the 8.3 million residents we both represent.”
“The question of who will be the next mayor is one I take extremely seriously and to which I have devoted a great deal of thought. Tonight I am endorsing Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani.”
In a post on X linking to the column she wrote: “New York City deserves a mayor who will stand up to Donald Trump and make life more affordable for New Yorkers. “That’s @ZohranKMamdani.”
You can read the full story here:
In mid-June, Donald Trump extended a deadline for TikTok to find a (non-Chinese) buyer or face a ban in the US. That extension is due to expire on Wednesday.
US ’very close’ to TikTok deal with China, treasury secretary says
The US is “very close” to a deal with China to settle their dispute over TikTok, the US treasury secretary, Scott Bessent, said earlier today.
“On the TikTok deal itself, we’re very close to resolving the issue,” he told reporters as he arrived at Spain’s foreign ministry for the second day of talks with Chinese officials.
Congress has approved a US ban on the popular video-sharing platform unless its parent company, ByteDance, sold its controlling stake.
After initially calling for TikTok to be banned during his first term, Trump has so far extended the deadline three times during his second term.
A federal law requiring TikTok’s sale or a ban on national security grounds was due to take effect the day before Trump’s inauguration on 20 January.
But the Republican president, whose 2024 election campaign relied heavily on social media and who has said he is fond of TikTok, put the ban on pause.
China and the US – the world’s two biggest economies – have agreed to several 90-day pauses on a series of increasing reciprocal tariffs, staving off an all-out trade war.
Donald Trump said on Friday he’ll send the National Guard to address crime concerns in Memphis, Tennessee, his latest test of the limits of presidential power by using military force in American cities.
Speaking on Fox News, Trump said “the mayor is happy” and “the governor is happy” about the pending deployment. Calling the city “deeply troubled,” he said “we’re going to fix that just like we did Washington.”
Paul Young, the Democratic Memphis mayor, had signaled the intervention was coming. “Earlier this week I was informed that the government and the president were considering deploying the national guard,” he said on Thursday, while requesting “financial resources for intervention and prevention” rather than military deployment.
“I did not ask for the National Guard and I don’t think it’s the way to drive down crime,” Young, who ran for office on a tough-on-crime platform, told a news conference the following day.
The Guardian US’ democracy editor, Kira Lerner, has explored the ways in which Trump’s Washington takeover led to the indiscriminate detention of immigrants, the rise of racial profiling and the arrests of large numbers of people for low-level crimes. Here is an extract from her story, published on 10 September 2025, the day Trump’s direct control of Washington DC’s police force ended:
A White House official said on Monday that 2,120 people have been arrested since the start of Trump’s takeover, 20 known gang members had been arrested and 214 firearms had been seized. Although violent crime has decreased during this period, Washington residents say the impact has not been worth the overbearing law enforcement presence.
Federal agents with numerous agencies, including Immigrations and customs enforcement (Ice), Customs and Border Protection, Federal Bureau of Investigation, US Park Service, Secret Service, Drug Enforcement Administration, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the US marshals service have all been activated across the city. Often a single arrest will involve officers from multiple agencies and the local Metropolitan police department (MPD).
Though the deployment of national guard troops from six states was the most high-profile aspect of the 30 days, the camo-clad troops, who are now armed, were largely focused on patrolling tourist sites and Union Station, the city’s main train station. With little work to be done, some were instructed to do landscaping and other “beautification” tasks …
Washington DC residents have pushed back against what many call an occupation, which is deeply unpopular in the largely Democratic city. On Saturday, thousands marched from Malcolm X park in Northwest DC to the White House in an event organized by Free DC, a community organization working to protect the city’s Home Rule that has trained thousands of people since 11 August.
Trump threatens to declare a national emergency in Washington DC over Ice dispute
Welcome to our live coverage of US politics.
Donald Trump has threatened to call a national emergency and federalize Washington DC after the city’s mayor, Muriel Bowser, said its police would not cooperate with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (Ice), whose agents have been taking suspects into custody and have been accused of racially profiling people in doing so.
The US president took charge of the city’s Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) on 11 August for 30 days, activating the National Guard and deploying federal officers in what he framed as a crackdown on crime and homelessness but what was widely seen as another example of federal overreach.
It is true that Washington DC has struggled with the scourge of gun violence, but its violent crime rate is at a 30-year low, much lower than that of cities in many red states.
Trump’s 30-day emergency declaration has expired but over 2,000 national guard troops are patrolling the district – reportedly including several hundred sent from Republican-run states. It is unclear when their mission will end.
Bowser issued an executive order at the beginning of the month requiring ongoing coordination between local law enforcement and various federal partners, though Ice was notably excluded.
Trump blamed “Radical Left Democrats” for pressuring Bowser to inform the government about the non-cooperation with Ice, adding that if the police halted cooperation with Ice, “Crime would come roaring back.”
He said: “To the people and businesses of Washington, D.C., DON’T WORRY, I AM WITH YOU, AND WON’T ALLOW THIS TO HAPPEN. I’ll call a National Emergency, and Federalize, if necessary!!!”
We will have more on this and other US politics stories throughout the day so stick with us.
