It’s been two weeks of federal control in D.C. Here’s what’s changed in the city.

Summary

Podcast Summary:

Apple News Today — “It’s been two weeks of federal control in D.C. Here’s what’s changed in the city.”
Date: August 25, 2025
Host: Shumita Basu

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Overview

This episode examines the impact of two weeks of federal control in Washington, D.C., focusing on changes in crime rates, law enforcement practices, and immigration enforcement following President Trump's declaration of a crime emergency. The episode also covers the effects of federal health funding cuts, Texas’s evolving abortion laws, the humanitarian situation in Gaza, and concludes with a recap of the Little League World Series.

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Federal Control of D.C.: Crime, Militarization, and Immigration Enforcement

Key Discussion Points:

• National Guard & Policing:

  • President Trump declared a crime emergency in D.C., federalized the city’s police, and deployed National Guard troops.
  • For the first time, National Guard troops began carrying firearms through the city. ([00:39])
  • Troops are patrolling even tourist-heavy areas like the National Mall. ([00:54])

• Impact on Crime:

  • Initial data shows property crime dropped by about 19%, and violent crime by about 17% in the first week of the federal presence compared to the prior week. However, trends among theft, burglary, and car break-ins vary. ([01:08-01:20])
  • Restaurant visits and store foot traffic have noticeably declined, indicating an economic effect. ([01:27-01:35])

• Escalating Immigration Enforcement:

  • Jenny Gathrite (Washington Post) highlights an "increased immigration enforcement from ICE," with ICE agents accompanying D.C. police for arrests, and a notable increase in detentions of delivery drivers, many from Central and South America. ([01:51-02:23])
  • Over 300 arrests of people without legal immigration status—a tenfold increase—were reported since federal control, but claims about additional crimes committed remain unverified. ([02:36-02:56])

• Legal Challenges:

  • D.C.’s Attorney General filed a lawsuit challenging Attorney General Pam Bondi's order to ignore sanctuary city laws; the courts are now considering the extent of presidential power under the Home Rule Act.
  • Quote: “This is an untested law...how far the Trump administration can take this is something that's moved to the courts and is gonna be fascinating and very intense to watch.” — Jenny Gathrite ([03:12])

• Public Opinion & Administration Response:

  • About 80% of D.C. residents oppose Trump’s police takeover and National Guard deployment (Washington Post/Char School poll). ([03:40])
  • DHS reiterates its stance: “President Trump was clear he will make D.C. safe and beautiful again.”
  • Note: violent crime was already at a 30-year low before federal intervention. ([03:49])

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Massive Federal Health Cuts: Agencies in Crisis

Key Discussion Points:

• Supreme Court & Grant Cancellations:

  • The Trump administration, with the Supreme Court’s go-ahead, canceled nearly $800 million in NIH grants for research areas the administration claims contradict its values —including HIV, cancer, and COVID-19 studies. ([04:23-04:44])

• Broader Cuts & Workforce Impact:

  • According to Annie Waldman (ProPublica), over 20,000 workers—around 18% of federal health agency staff—have left or been ousted this year, affecting scientists, public health experts, inspectors, and more. Agencies report difficulty performing even basic functions, such as food safety inspections and vaccine research. ([05:06-06:00])
  • Hardest hit: NIH (16% staff loss), FDA (21%), especially in critical areas like inspections. CDC chronic disease office lost 20% of staff, with programs like tobacco prevention nearly wiped out. ([06:08-06:40])
  • Quote: “We have revealed that these cuts... are not trimming the fat of the federal government, but it’s really cutting into the vital muscle of our health agencies.” — Annie Waldman ([05:06])
  • Quote: “I've been told by multiple people that there is only one employee left working in [the tobacco use office].” — Annie Waldman ([06:47])

• Agency Response:

  • HHS claims they are “redirect[ing] resources to science that rebuilds public trust and helps make America healthy again,” but did not dispute ProPublica’s findings. ([07:39])

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Texas Abortion Law: Chaos for Doctors, Trauma for Patients

Key Discussion Points:

• Legal Landscape & Enforcement:

  • Texas has one of the strictest abortion bans—illegal except to prevent loss of the mother’s life or major bodily harm. Doctors face loss of license, prison, and fines. ([08:18-08:22])

• Effects on Medical Practice:

  • Physicians report confusion and fear, noting the law is so vague they often can’t provide standard care.
  • Quote: “What we're seeing is women ending up getting severe infections, getting septic... losing their uterus... lead[ing] to significant morbidity and unfortunately, mortality for patients.” — Dr. Shanna Combs, OB GYN ([09:06-09:17])
  • Hospitals vary in how cases are reviewed: some use committees, others leave decisions to doctors’ judgment, which creates further legal risk.

• Physician and Legal Perspectives:

  • Tommy Hastings, medical malpractice attorney:
    Quote: “Every time I treat a patient, I have to think, am I going to risk this mother's life or do I have to risk my children not having their mother at home because some zealot has decided to come after me to make a point?” ([09:47])
  • Doctors sometimes withhold information or use coded language to help patients seek care out of state. ([10:04-10:35])
  • Dr. Austin Dennard:
    Quote: “It's traumatic to flee the state to go get essential medical care... But practicing every single day in the state sometimes feels as traumatic as having to go flee myself.” ([10:35])

• Worsening Health Outcomes:

  • Rates of serious complications, maternal and infant mortality are rising in Texas—doctors say some patients are now questioning whether it's even safe to be pregnant at all. ([11:04-11:08])

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Other Top Stories

Famine in Gaza:

• The world’s top food crisis authority formally declared a “man-made famine” in Gaza due to Israeli siege and airstrikes. ([11:36-12:05])
• Quote: “Children literally waste away... they're all quiet because they have no energy even to cry. ...This did not happen because there were cyclones or droughts. This happened because we could not get enough aid.” — Katherine Russell, UNICEF ([12:05])

Immigration News:

• Kilmar Abrego Garcia, wrongfully deported and since returned, faces new threats of ICE detention and complicated legal maneuvering. ([13:06-13:28])

Little League World Series:

• Chinese Taipei triumphed over Nevada 7–0, with notable pitching, a record 18th title, and ending a six-year winning streak for U.S. teams. ([13:28-14:07])

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Notable Quotes & Timestamps

• "This is an untested law...how far the Trump administration can take this is something that's moved to the courts and is gonna be fascinating and very intense to watch." — Jenny Gathrite, Washington Post ([03:12])
• “We have revealed that these cuts... are not trimming the fat of the federal government, but it’s really cutting into the vital muscle of our health agencies.” — Annie Waldman, ProPublica ([05:06])
• “What we're seeing is women ending up getting severe infections, getting septic... losing their uterus... lead[ing] to significant morbidity and unfortunately, mortality for patients.” — Dr. Shanna Combs, OB GYN ([09:06-09:17])
• “Every time I treat a patient, I have to think, am I going to risk this mother's life or do I have to risk my children not having their mother at home because some zealot has decided to come after me to make a point?” — Tommy Hastings, attorney ([09:47])
• “It's traumatic to flee the state to go get essential medical care... But practicing every single day in the state sometimes feels as traumatic as having to go flee myself.” — Dr. Austin Dennard, OB GYN ([10:35])
• “Children literally waste away... they're all quiet because they have no energy even to cry. ...This happened because we could not get enough aid.” — Katherine Russell, UNICEF ([12:05])

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Timestamps for Important Segments

• Federal Control & Crime in D.C.: 00:34 – 03:49
• Federal Health Cuts & Consequences: 04:19 – 07:39
• Texas Abortion Law & Impact: 08:05 – 11:33
• Famine in Gaza & Immigration Update: 11:33 – 13:28
• Little League World Series Recap: 13:28 – 14:07

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This episode provides a sweeping overview of some of the most pressing news in the U.S., especially the controversial federal interventions in D.C., intense pressure on public health infrastructure, consequences of abortion law in Texas, and international humanitarian crises. The reporting is grounded in data, interviews, and first-hand expert accounts, making clear the stakes residents and officials face in each scenario.

Transcript

[Shemitah Basu]

Good morning.

[Co-host / Reporter]

It's Monday, August 25th. I'm Shemitah Basu. This is Apple News Today.

[Shemitah Basu]

On today's show, federal cuts have left.

[Co-host / Reporter]

Many health agencies stretching to perform basic functions.

[Shemitah Basu]

How a strict abortion law has changed.

[Co-host / Reporter]

What it's like to be pregnant in Texas. And a new Little League World Series champion is crowned.

[Shemitah Basu]

But first, in a new phase of.

[Co-host / Reporter]

President Trump's Crackdown on Washington, D.C. some.

[Shemitah Basu]

National Guard troops patrolling the city began.

[Co-host / Reporter]

Carrying firearms last night. It's been two weeks since Trump declared a crime emergency in D.C. and used that as justification for federalizing the city's police force and sending in National Guard troops.

[Shemitah Basu]

Some of those troops are now reportedly.

[Co-host / Reporter]

In areas like the city's National Mall, among the safest and most tourist friendly sites.

[Shemitah Basu]

CNN reports that overall there has been.

[Co-host / Reporter]

A drop in crime in Washington since Trump's takeover.

[Shemitah Basu]

According to police data, in the first.

[Co-host / Reporter]

Week of Federal forces in D.C. property crime was down about 19% compared to the week before, while violent crime dropped roughly 17%.

[Shemitah Basu]

The numbers for things like theft, burglary.

[Co-host / Reporter]

And car break ins, however, vary widely.

[Shemitah Basu]

There are some indications that the increased.

[Co-host / Reporter]

Militarized presence is beginning to have an.

[Shemitah Basu]

Effect on the local economy, with restaurant.

[Co-host / Reporter]

Visits and store foot traffic compared to data from a year ago.

[Shemitah Basu]

At the same time, the Washington Post reports that federal law enforcement is increasingly.

[Co-host / Reporter]

Taking a new approach of having ice agents accompany D.C. police officers to make arrests. Jenny Gathrite is a reporter for the Washington Post who covers D.C. politics and government.

[Jenny Gathrite]

A big change in D.C. and probably the most visible and most felt by residents, has been this increased immigration enforcement from ice. A significant portion of the arrests that the White House is touting as a result of this have been and immigration.

[Shemitah Basu]

Related that has included instances of delivery.

[Co-host / Reporter]

Drivers on mopeds being detained by ice.

[Shemitah Basu]

The Post reports that local police had.

[Co-host / Reporter]

Been trying to enforce traffic laws for.

[Shemitah Basu]

Mopeds, but now with ICE officials riding.

[Co-host / Reporter]

Along, a number of these arrests have resulted in drivers, many from Central and South America, being detained.

[Jenny Gathrite]

Those are some of the most visible, you know, in commercial corridors, arrests that go viral on social media of ICE detaining delivery drivers who routinely are all over the city on mopeds delivering food.

[Shemitah Basu]

The White House says there have been more than 300 arrests of people in.

[Co-host / Reporter]

D.C. who do not have legal immigration status. That's a tenfold increase over typical ICE arrest numbers in the area, according to a review of government data by cnn.

[Shemitah Basu]

And the administration claims many have been.

[Co-host / Reporter]

Arrested for additional crimes, but Gathrite says so far they haven't provided evidence to.

[Shemitah Basu]

Verify that DC's Attorney General had filed.

[Co-host / Reporter]

A lawsuit challenging Attorney General Pam Bondi's order to ignore sanctuary city laws in the Capitol.

[Shemitah Basu]

In a hearing last week, the judge.

[Co-host / Reporter]

In the case seemed to suggest that Trump likely has the authority to order police to assist ice.

[Jenny Gathrite]

I think that this legal battle is what we're gonna be keeping a close eye on this week to see what a judge decides, especially because this is an untested law. This is a provision of the Home Rule act that grants the city limited self governance that Trump is invoking to exert this authority over the city. But it's never been done before. And so I think the question about how far the Trump administration can take this is something that's moved to the courts and is gonn fascinating and very intense to watch.

[Co-host / Reporter]

Roughly 8 in 10 D.C. residents oppose Trump's police takeover and the deployment of National Guard troops to the city, according to a Washington Post Char School poll.

[Shemitah Basu]

In a statement last week, a spokesperson.

[Co-host / Reporter]

For DHS said agents are working to reestablish law and order and quote, President Trump was clear he will make D.C. safe and beautiful again. D.C. officials have noted violent crime in the city before Trump's actions were at a 30 year low.

[Shemitah Basu]

Let's turn now to public health. Last week, the Supreme Court allowed the.

[Co-host / Reporter]

Trump administration to for now move ahead.

[Shemitah Basu]

With canceling close to $800 million in.

[Co-host / Reporter]

Grants from the National Institutes of Health.

[Shemitah Basu]

That it claimed were earmarked for topics.

[Co-host / Reporter]

That do not align with the administration's values. These grants affect a wide array of projects like research on HIV, cancer, the impact of the COVID 19 pandemic, and more.

[Shemitah Basu]

And they're just one part of massive.

[Co-host / Reporter]

Cuts to federal health spending the administration has made this year. ProPublica recently took stock of how the workforce across all federal health agencies has been impacted. By analyzing public information from the HHS staff directory, reporter Annie Waldman told us the administration went much further than it initially promised.

[Annie Waldman]

They really said that these cuts were going to be focused on paring down the federal government and getting rid of, in their words, administrative bloat. We have revealed that these cuts are not trimming the fat of the federal government, but it's really cutting into the vital muscle of our health agencies.

[Shemitah Basu]

ProPublica found a little more than 20,000.

[Co-host / Reporter]

Workers have either left or been pushed out of federal health agencies this year. That's about 18% of the total workforce.

[Annie Waldman]

This includes scientists, public health specialists, clinicians, consumer safety specialists, product investigators, cancer and HIV specialists, and vaccine and chronic disease.

[Co-host / Reporter]

Experts the net result, ProPublica reports, is a number of departments stretching to perform their basic work. Some food and drug inspectors have had to buy their own supplies to sweep for pathogens. Some labs have been unable to purchase mice for vaccine tests.

[Shemitah Basu]

And this tally does not include workers.

[Co-host / Reporter]

Who have received layoff notices but remain on administrative leave. So Waldman says the true total is higher.

[Shemitah Basu]

The NIH was hit particularly hard, losing.

[Co-host / Reporter]

16% of its staff and the FDA, which lost at least 21% of its workforce.

[Annie Waldman]

And more than a third of these workers that were cut were at their Office of Inspections and Investigations, which serves as the eyes and ears of the agency. That means there are going to be fewer people that are looking at Americans food, drugs and medical devices.

[Shemitah Basu]

The CDC's chronic disease center lost about.

[Co-host / Reporter]

20% of staff, nearly half of whom were scientists and public health workers.

[Shemitah Basu]

Waldman says that's meant some divisions, like.

[Co-host / Reporter]

The office that tracks tobacco use and supports state level programs to prevent smoking, have been effectively eliminated.

[Annie Waldman]

I've been told by multiple people that there is only one employee left working in the office. And so you know what this means is that even though RFK Jr is on his bully pulpit saying that he is going to end chronic disease in America, he is taking away the very people who are experts at this.

[Shemitah Basu]

ProPublica interviewed more than three dozen former.

[Co-host / Reporter]

And current federal employees for this story.

[Shemitah Basu]

And they told Waldman there are ways.

[Co-host / Reporter]

To find efficiencies in their work as the administration wants to do.

[Annie Waldman]

But most people told me that this is not the way to do it. You need to go in and actually see which programs are working and support those programs and then try to find the inefficiencies to phase those out. But what's happening right now is that full scale departments divisions are just being hit hard with these cuts.

[Shemitah Basu]

A spokesperson for HHS told ProPublica cuts.

[Co-host / Reporter]

Were made to reduce bloated bureaucracies and they're working to redirect resources to science that rebuilds public trust and helps make America healthy again. The agency did not dispute any of ProPublica's findings.

[Shemitah Basu]

Let's turn now to text Texas, where a year long investigation from the Dallas.

[Co-host / Reporter]

Morning News reveals how state abortion laws have changed the landscape of health care for providers and patients.

[Shemitah Basu]

Texas has one of the most restrictive.

[Co-host / Reporter]

Abortion bans in the country.

[Shemitah Basu]

Abortion is illegal except in cases where.

[Co-host / Reporter]

A patient's life or major bodily functions are at risk. Doctors who are convicted of providing an illegal abortion can lose their medical license, face prison time and be subject to larger fines to date, no physicians have been convicted for performing an abortion in the state since the Dobbs decision.

[Shemitah Basu]

The Dallas Morning News spoke with nearly.

[Co-host / Reporter]

50 current and former physicians who say Texas abortion laws are so vague that.

[Shemitah Basu]

They'Re unable to provide the treatment they.

[Co-host / Reporter]

Would typically recommend based on best practices and medical training.

[Shemitah Basu]

They see abortion as a necessary standard.

[Co-host / Reporter]

Of care, but say Texas has created a culture of fear that's jeopardizing their patients lives. Here's how Dr. Shanna Combs, an OB GYN in Fort Worth, described it to the Dallas Morning News.

[Annie Waldman]

What we're seeing is women ending up.

[Dr. Shanna Combs]

Getting severe infections, getting septic, admitted to.

[Annie Waldman]

The icu, needing massive blood transfusions, losing their uterus, all these complications that can.

[Dr. Shanna Combs]

Lead to significant morbidity and, unfortunately, mortality for patients.

[Shemitah Basu]

Some institutions have taken these decisions out.

[Co-host / Reporter]

Of doctors hands, creating committees to review and approve cases where abortion can be provided. In other cases, hospitals are instructing physicians to use their best judgment when deciding if abortion is necessary and legal.

[Shemitah Basu]

Doctors and legal experts say that puts.

[Co-host / Reporter]

Them in a vulnerable position given the lack of clarity around Texas laws. Here's how Tommy Hastings, a medical malpractice attorney in Houston, put it.

[Tommy Hastings]

A very dear friend of mine who's a physician, said, every time I treat a patient, I have to think, am I going to risk this mother's life or do I have to risk my children not having their mother at home because some zealot has decided to come after me to make a point?

[Shemitah Basu]

The Texas State Medical Board did revise.

[Co-host / Reporter]

Some of its guidance for doctors but did not specifically list exceptions to the abortion law under these restrictions. Doctors told the Dallas Morning News they've changed how they counsel their patients, sometimes withholding information or talking in code, especially when they want to recommend a patient seek care out of state. Dr. Austin Dennard, an OB GYN from Dallas, said it's distressing for patients to consider leaving Texas for care and she would know she's had to do it herself.

[Dr. Shanna Combs]

It's traumatic to flee the state to go get essential medical care, even when you have the means and the privilege to get on an airplane to go get the care that you need to save your life or to save your future fertility. That's traumatic enough, and I don't think that that's discussed enough publicly about what that really feels like. But practicing every single day in the state sometimes feels as traumatic as having to go flee myself.

[Shemitah Basu]

Physicians told the Dallas Morning News that their patients are increasingly questioning if it's.

[Co-host / Reporter]

Safe to be pregnant at all. In Texas, the Medical Research from recent years shows health outcomes are getting worse for mothers and babies. Rates of serious complications like sepsis in the state have climbed. So have maternal and infant mortality rates.

[Shemitah Basu]

Before we let you go, a few.

[Co-host / Reporter]

Other stories we're following.

[Shemitah Basu]

For the first time, the world's leading.

[Co-host / Reporter]

Authority on food crises declared on Friday that a man made famine was occurring in Gaza City. This follows months of warnings from aid groups that Israel's restrictions on food and other aid in Gaza, as well as the military strikes, were leading to starvation, particularly among Palestinian children. Israel has repeatedly denied that people are starving in the Gaza Strip. UNICEF executive Director Katherine Russell spoke to CBS's Face the Nation about the horrific conditions.

[Katherine Russell]

Children literally waste away and you see it in rooms where, you know, suddenly they're all quiet. The children are so quiet because they have no energy even to cry. And to see that happen, and especially in a place where food is not very far away, right? There's no reason for this. This did not happen because there were cyclones or, you know, droughts. This happened because we could not get enough aid.

[Co-host / Reporter]

Children Vox reports that official famine classifications are exceedingly rare. Advocates say that while the distinction doesn't change the conditions on the ground, it can draw more attention and political action. In immigration news, lawyers for Kilmar Abrego Garcia, the man who was wrongfully deported to El Salvador earlier this year before being returned to the United States, say he's expected to be detained again by immigration authorities today. Abrego, Garcia's attorney, told NPR his client has been told to turn himself into an ice facility in Baltimore.

[Shemitah Basu]

He had just been released from federal.

[Co-host / Reporter]

Custody on Friday with an ankle monitor, then threatened with deportation to Uganda over the weekend.

[Shemitah Basu]

His lawyers say the Uganda threat came.

[Co-host / Reporter]

After Garcia declined to accept a plea deal that involved being deported to Costa Rica in exchange for pleading guilty to human smuggling. He decided instead to await trial in Maryland.

[Shemitah Basu]

And finally, the Little League World Series.

[Co-host / Reporter]

Concluded yesterday with a big win for Chinese Taipei. The team beat American Champs Nevada 7 to nothing, thanks in part to a dominating pitching performance by Ace Lean Chainsaw. Yesterday's game draws to a close, a series that featured some early drama, notably a bat flipping scandal that involved lawsuits and a sign stealing debacle that caused chaos on the field.

[Shemitah Basu]

This is a record 18th title for.

[Co-host / Reporter]

Chinese Taipei and its first Little League World series win since 1996. They also broke a six year win streak by American teams.

[Shemitah Basu]

You can find all these stories and.

[Co-host / Reporter]

More in the Apple news app.

[Shemitah Basu]

And if you're already listening in the.

[Co-host / Reporter]

News app right now, we've got a narrated article coming up next. Vanity Fair tells the story of William Nogueira, a man who spent 40 years on death row and while there, helped take down one of America's most notorious serial killers. If you're listening in the podcast app, follow Apple News Narrated to find that story. And I'll be back with the Muse tomorrow.