August 8, 2025: Trump’s ‘law and order’ gambit comes for D.C.

Last night, the White House announced that it will use federal law enforcement officers to patrol Washington D.C. in a striking escalation of the administration’s antagonism towards the city’s locally controlled government. It comes as Trump has threatened in recent days to federalize the city and take over its police force in response to an attempted carjacking that injured a staffer in the Trump administration. But there’s a bigger picture, too: A pivot on the part of the administration to refocus its message on the “law and order” issues where they feel the safest politically. Where do things go from here? Playbook’s Adam Wren breaks it all down with POLITICO White House reporter Megan Messerly. That, plus Texas’ redistricting melee scrambles the state’s marquee U.S. Senate race, and how the White House is thinking about the prospect of a one-on-one meeting between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin.