Apple News Today

Episode: The new GOP plan for D.C. crime: charging kids as adults
Host: Shumita Basu
Date: September 16, 2025

Episode Overview

This episode explores some of the most pressing policy debates and news developments of the day, focusing primarily on proposed GOP-backed changes to D.C.'s approach to juvenile crime—including efforts to lower the age at which youths can be charged as adults. Other featured stories cover the use of counterterrorism laws in immigration enforcement, impacts of Kentucky’s groundbreaking 50/50 child custody law, escalating U.S. military action against cartels in Latin America, and a remarkable medical procedure restoring a man’s vision.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. GOP Proposal: Charging Kids as Adults in D.C.

• Context & Political Dynamics

  • Congress is expected to vote on a set of bills that would transform D.C.’s criminal justice system, marking the most significant changes in 30 years ([00:53]).
  • The GOP's approach, particularly the pace and scope of intervention in D.C.—a city with historically fraught relations with the federal government—is described as "new" and aggressive ([01:28] Megan Flynn, Washington Post).

• Juvenile Crime Focus

  • Despite violent crime being at a 30-year low in 2025, the administration is focusing on juveniles, who make up over half the arrests for robberies and carjackings ([01:53]).
  • Janine Pirro, U.S. Attorney for D.C., has advocated automatically transferring certain juveniles into the adult system, citing specific high-profile cases, such as a carjacking by 15-year-olds ([02:47]).

• Legislative Details

  • Lowering Adult Charging Age: One bill would allow 14-year-olds to be tried as adults—down from the current 16 ([01:53], [02:47]).
  • No Reversal Mechanism: Unlike other states, D.C. would not allow teens to petition to reverse adult charges even if new evidence emerges ([03:23]).
  • Other Bills:
    • Capping lenient sentencing eligibility for young offenders at 18 (previously 24).
    • Rolling back restrictions on police vehicle pursuits.
    • Abolishing the city's Judicial Nomination Commission, removing D.C. input on judicial appointments ([03:57]).

• Criticism & Research

  • Advocates argue it could make D.C. less safe, citing research that suggests trying youths as adults increases reoffending and ignores rehabilitative potential ([02:47]):

    "If the intent is to make DC safer, these types of actions won't necessarily do that..."
    —Megan Flynn, Washington Post ([02:47])

• D.C. Government Response

  • Local officials oppose the bills but have little power due to the federal governance structure ([04:18]).
  • Senate passage remains uncertain due to potential filibuster; oversight hearings are forthcoming.

2. Counterterrorism Laws Used for Immigration Enforcement

• Case Spotlight: Ayman Soliman

  • Soliman, a Muslim chaplain and asylee, now faces deportation after being accused of providing material support to a terrorist group in Egypt—a group not classified as such by the U.S. ([07:01]).
  • Previous, unsubstantiated ICE claims tied him to terrorism in Iraq, which he never visited; called a mistake due to an “inadvertent footnote” ([07:01]).

• Broader Legal Shift

  • ProPublica’s Hannah Allam describes how post-9/11 counterterror laws are being “weaponized” to accelerate immigration enforcement ([06:02]):

    "It's these sweeping laws that remain on the books from the war on terror years that are now being picked up by the Trump administration... to boost the immigration and deportation effort."
    —Hannah Allam, ProPublica ([06:02])

• Family & Community Impact

  • Families and friends highlight Soliman’s compassion and role as a community leader; many are shocked by the allegations ([06:41], [06:41]):

    "How could this guy who just attended a butterfly release for our daughter... be in an ICE cell facing terrorism allegations?"
    —Hannah Allam, retelling a family's sentiment ([06:41])

• Rights Groups’ Concerns

  • Immigrant advocates worry that “material support” laws are so broad they could criminalize actions like paying ransoms or bribes under coercion, jeopardizing asylum claims ([07:58]):

    "You paid a ransom... you paid a bribe... that means you provided material support to a terrorist group, you're no longer eligible for asylum and you've got to go. That's the fear with these laws."
    —Hannah Allam ([07:58])

3. Kentucky’s 50/50 Child Custody Law: Benefits & Complications

• Policy Background

  • Kentucky, in 2018, became the first state to mandate equal custody as the default in divorces ([09:24]).
  • Advocates—mainly fathers’ rights groups—say it allows dads to play a bigger role, lightens mothers’ burdens, and may explain the state’s rapid decline in divorce rates ([09:54], [10:07]).

• Unintended Consequences

  • Some experts argue the 50/50 law also causes parents, particularly those in abusive relationships, to stay married to protect children ([10:40]).

    “Parents [are] staying married to people who either they just would prefer to not be married to or are afraid of leaving their kids with...”
    —Rachel Wolf, Wall Street Journal ([10:40])

  • Kentucky’s largest domestic violence program leader, Darlene Thomas, details disturbing cases where abusive parents still secured 50/50 custody, despite documented violence ([11:18]):

    "They're willing to stay to protect their kids, even if it means taking some beatings. They don't want to leave their kids with somebody who they know has a history of violence 50% of the time."
    —Darlene Thomas ([11:18])

• Legal System’s Response

  • Law intends that a domestic violence order voids 50/50 arrangements, but in practice, the bar for overturning that default is sometimes extremely high ([11:28]).

4. Other Notable News Segments

• White House Response to Violence Allegations

  • After Charlie Kirk’s killing, VP J.D. Vance vows action against “left-wing organizations” accused of promoting violence; administration mulls targeting specific groups ([12:08]).
  • Motive for the killing remains unclear.

• Escalating U.S. Military Action Against Cartels

  • President Trump claims recent strikes against Venezuelan “narco-terrorists,” raising questions about U.S. strategy and legality of attacks in international waters ([13:03]):

    "Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro responded... calling Secretary of State Marco Rubio the, quote, lord of death and war."
    —Shumita Basu ([13:47])

• Medical Breakthrough: Tooth-in-Eye Surgery

  • Ben Chapman regains sight after innovative procedure; doctors used his own tooth to create a prosthesis for his eye ([14:19]).
  • Chapman’s first sight post-surgery:

    “He called it indescribable.”
    ([14:59])

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the speed of Congressional reforms:

  "What is new is the pace at which they are doing this."
  —Megan Flynn, Washington Post ([01:28])

• On why advocates oppose charging kids as adults:

  "If the intent is to make DC safer... it could just increase recidivism or the odds that they'll reoffend."
  —Megan Flynn ([02:47])

• On the reach of counterterrorism laws:

  "[Laws] weaponized to enhance or to boost the immigration and deportation effort."
  —Hannah Allam ([06:02])

• On families caught in these policies:

  "How could this guy... be in an ICE cell facing terrorism allegations? That just, it doesn't add up to them."
  —Hannah Allam ([06:41])

• On custody and domestic violence:

  "They don't want to leave their kids with somebody who they know has a history of violence 50% of the time."
  —Darlene Thomas ([11:18])

• On regaining sight through surgery:

  “He called it indescribable.”
  —Shumita Basu ([14:59])

Timestamps for Important Segments

• [01:28] — Discussion begins on GOP-led D.C. crime bills, Megan Flynn commentary
• [02:47] — Rationale for prosecuting juveniles as adults; advocates’ perspectives
• [03:57] — D.C. Judicial Nomination Commission and federal/local power struggle
• [06:02] — Use of counterterrorism laws in immigration (Hannah Allam, ProPublica)
• [06:41] — Soliman’s case and community response
• [07:58] — Legal risks for asylum seekers under current laws
• [09:24] — Kentucky’s 50/50 custody law, Rachel Wolf profile
• [10:40] — Criticism: custody law and domestic violence
• [11:18] — Darlene Thomas on the impact for abuse survivors
• [12:08] — White House response to Charlie Kirk killing, political fallout
• [13:03] — U.S. strikes against alleged Venezuelan narco-terrorists
• [14:19] — “Tooth-in-eye” surgery restorer Ben Chapman’s sight

Conclusion

This episode provides a thoughtful look at how significant policy shifts—from D.C. crime bills to revolutionary custody laws—impact real lives, often with unintended consequences. Through reporting from major national outlets and interviews with on-the-ground experts, the show asks difficult questions about whether quick fixes and sweeping laws truly deliver justice, safety, and care.