President Trump has established the Memphis Safe Task Force to replicate in the Tennessee city the recent federal law enforcement crackdown in Washington, D.C.
“This task force will be a replica of our extraordinary successful efforts here and you’ll see it’s a lot of the same thing,” Trump said about D.C., flanked in the Oval Office by Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee (R) and GOP Tennessee Sens. Marsha Blackburn and Bill Hagerty.
The president noted that the task force was created at the request of Lee. Federal law enforcement on the ground in Memphis will include the National Guard; FBI; Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; Drug Enforcement Administration; U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE); Homeland Security Investigations; and U.S. marshals.
“I’m tired of crime holding the great city of Memphis back,” Lee said, noting that he spoke with the directors of the U.S. Marshals Service and FBI, along with Attorney General Pam Bondi, about the multiagency crackdown.
“When we come together, we can make significant change in our city and the city of Memphis … and I want to say thank you,” the governor added.
Trump said Chicago will be “probably next.” He has eyed sending federal law enforcement into the Illinois city for weeks.
“We were going to hold it off, we were going to do some of the smaller ones, the truth is our people are so good … I don’t think we need too much practice. But we’ve got to go and save our big cities, our great cities,” Trump said of Chicago.
The choice to go into Memphis is notably supported by the governor and senators, while Memphis Mayor Paul Young (D) earlier on Monday refuted Trump’s claim that he is “happy” about the plan to deploy the National Guard to the city.
While Trump has said for months he wants to take over Chicago, Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker (D) has pushed back on the idea of a federal government takeover.
In July, Trump took over the D.C. police by invoking a Home Rule Act provision, which gives the president the authority to take control for up to 30 days in emergency situations. The takeover expired last week.
Welcome to The Hill’s Defense & National Security newsletter, I’m Ellen Mitchell — your guide to the latest developments at the Pentagon, on Capitol Hill and beyond.
United States service academies are set to announce next month that they will start accepting scores on the Classic Learning Test (CLT) for the 2027 admissions cycle, as reported by Politico on Monday. The CLT, developed in 2015, assesses aptitude in reading, writing, grammar and mathematics, similar to the widely used SAT and ACT. Where it differs from those two exams, however, is its assessment of knowledge pertaining …
The Pentagon on Monday unveiled new grooming standards, which now require service members “to be clean shaven and neat in presentation for a proper military appearance.” Chief Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell said in a statement Monday that following “a rapid force-wide review of military standards” Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth “recently directed the Services to implement the following grooming standards for facial hair.” …
President Trump said Monday the U.S. had carried out another military strike targeting what he said were “confirmed narcoterrorists from Venezuela” in international waters, further escalating his war on drug traffickers. “This morning, on my Orders, U.S. Military Forces conducted a SECOND Kinetic Strike against positively identified, extraordinarily violent drug trafficking cartels and narcoterrorists in the …
The U.S. Army unveiled a midrange Typhon missile system on a Japanese base Monday for the first time, a couple of weeks after China showcased its military strength in a parade on the 80th anniversary of World War II. The missile system was revealed during the annual bilateral exercise Resolute Dragon, a military practice that occurs to strengthen the defensive capabilities of the allied countries, which started Thursday and …
Lawmakers set to grill Kash Patel in back-to-back hearings
FBI Director Kash Patel is expected to take heat from the right and the left in back-to-back appearances before Congress amid heightened scrutiny of his performance leading one of the nation’s top investigative agencies. Patel is set to appear before the Senate and House Judiciary committees starting …
Upcoming things we’re watching in and around the defense world:
FBI Director Kash Patelwill testify before the Senate Judiciary Committee tomorrow at 9 a.m.
Brookings Institutionwill hold a virtual talk on “China Influence in the Pacific Islands: Overstatement or Underestimation,” at 9 a.m. tomorrow.
The National Press Clubwill host an event to discuss “Congressional efforts to take control of D.C., deployment of National Guard members and how these recent events connect to the fight for D.C. statehood,” tomorrow at10 a.m.
Carnegie Endowment for International Peacewill have a virtual discussion on “A U.N. Without the U.S.,” at 11 a.m. tomorrow.
The Center for a New American Securitywill hold a conversation on “Efforts to secure the release of multiple hostages and detained Americans overseas,” with State Department Special Envoy for U.S. Hostage Response Adam Boehler, tomorrow at12 p.m.
Hudson Institutewill discuss “Hybrid Warfare and CCP Infiltration: A Shared Challenge for US-Taiwan Security Cooperation,” at 1 p.m. tomorrow.
A House Oversight subcommittee will have a hearing on “A One Year Update on DoD Struggling Background Check System,” tomorrow at 2 p.m.
The Center for Strategic and International Studieswill host a virtual talk on “The future of a dedicated Cyber Force,” at 7:15 p.m. tomorrow.
What We’re Reading
News we’ve flagged from other outlets:
Russia made drone production a supreme priority. Now it swarms the skies. (The New York Times)
US drone dilemma: Why the most advanced military in the world is playing catchup on the modern battlefield (CNN)
Silent crashes: Hidden toll of brain trauma on naval aviators (Military Times)
Opinions in The Hill
Op-eds related to defense & national security submitted to The Hill:
