Good morning, D.C. In today’s newsletter: One year of the National Guard in D.C., a serious strain on city courts and the latest from Commanders training camp.
THE LATEST
It was a year ago today that President Donald Trump declared he was deploying the National Guard and hundreds of federal law enforcement agents to combat what he said were unacceptably high levels of crime in D.C.
The initial deployment of troops was small: roughly 800 of them, mostly from the D.C. National Guard. But that number has grown dramatically, with some 4,600 troops from more than a dozen states — most led by Republican governors — now patrolling the city. For context, consider that D.C.’s Metropolitan Police Department has just over 3,100 officers.
Trending
The deployment initially drew angry protests, and many D.C. residents told NOTUS’ Martin Austermuhle and Michael Brice-Saddler that they are still mad about what they derisively call an occupation. Other people credit the National Guard for the decrease in overall crime that the city has experienced, while the reality is mixed: Researchers say that the troops have helped drive down some property crimes, but that violent crime takes more work than just posting a Humvee with a few troops on a street corner.
“I guess it helps in the immediate area for a second,” a violence interrupter in LeDroit Park, where the Guard recently posted up in response to concerns of shootings, told NOTUS. “But it’s just a patch until you uplift the people.”
No matter where you stand on the National Guard in D.C., one thing is clear: It’s expensive. While it’s hard to determine the overall cost of the deployment, the Congressional Budget Office estimated this year that the first five months cost more than $300 million — roughly $607 per guardsman per day. The Pentagon recently told Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Massachusetts) that keeping the Guard in D.C. through January 2029 would cost an estimated $1.4 billion more.
Despite simmering frustration with the deployment, plenty of D.C. residents seem resigned to the new normal. Not only are troops expected to stay around until 2029, but some 2,000 of them will be moving into apartments across the city (at a cost of almost $300 million through next year). But that normalization is exactly what some activists and elected officials are so concerned about.
“Once you accept that the way you’re going to be policed is through armed military men,” said Michael Perloff of the ACLU of D.C., “you’ve accepted a categorical escalation in the way that law enforcement is conducted.”
DEEP DIVE
D.C. courts are warning they’ve hit a breaking point. While the deployment of the Guard and the federal law enforcement surge are adding pressure to local court operations, officials say the judicial system has been operating with essentially flat funding for four years — leaving them pleading for a financial lifeline to keep cases moving.
In a Washington Post op-ed, D.C. Court of Appeals Chief Judge Anna Blackburne-Rigsby and Superior Court Chief Judge Milton Lee Jr. declared that the courts “lack the operational capacity needed to administer justice.”
Rather than increase funding, House appropriators who set the courts’ budget are proposing a 6% cut, even as criminal cases have nearly tripled since fiscal year 2023 — rising from 6,993 to 18,214 cases.
That strain has coincided with the criminal case clearance rate — or the number of cases completed compared to the number of new cases filed — falling from 108% in 2023 to 60% in 2025 as incoming cases outpace capacity.
While the Senate confirmed eight new local judges last week to help ease the city’s longstanding vacancy crisis, court leaders warn that extra judges alone won’t solve the problem. Court spokesman Doug Buchanan noted in a statement that adding judges without funding essential courtroom staff, security officers and IT infrastructure leaves D.C. courts hamstrung amid the federal government’s broader enforcement surge.
FROM THE DISTRICT
Some D.C. bus drivers aren’t adhering to a WMATA directive that they quote the fare, saying it could cause confrontations, The Washington Post reports. Bus drivers in surrounding communities that have gone fare-free, such as Alexandria, have said that they no longer fear retaliation.
The Trump administration will ask the Supreme Court to reverse a federal judge’s ruling that stopped the $400 million White House ballroom project, the president said last week. A federal appeals court recently upheld U.S. District Judge Richard Leon’s ruling from this spring that Trump would need congressional approval before constructing a massive ballroom where the East Wing once stood.
Whine country: City Cast DC broke down what locals complained about to 311 in July, which most often was (surprise surprise) trash and parking enforcement.
The Federal Aviation Administration announced it will temporarily suspend flight operations at National Airport on Aug. 23 because of the Freedom 250 Grand Prix, Fox5 reports.
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SPORTS
Training camp update: NOTUS’ Martenzie Johnson reports that it was not a happy Monday in Ashburn as the Commanders confirmed starting left tackle Laremy Tunsil tore his triceps over the weekend. For now, the five-time Pro Bowler will be replaced by third-year lineman Brandon Coleman, who was the starting left tackle as a rookie in 2024 and served as a backup last fall.
“You never know what happens,” Coleman said after practice. “You always want to be ready.”
What to Watch Today
MLB: Nationals vs. Cubs, 6:45 p.m. (MLB.TV)
WNBA: Mystics at Aces, 10 p.m. (Monumental)
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The newsletter was produced by Jaden Amos, Michael Errigo and Nikie Johnson. National Guard photo by Lillian Bautista/NOTUS. Real estate photo courtesy of Rollings Home Team. Finally, yesterday’s trivia answer was B) one. Woodrow Wilson is entombed inside Washington National Cathedral. A special shout-out to Jackson Myers, who answered first.
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