Capitol Report Full Broadcast (Aug. 27)

Good evening. Welcome to the Capitol Report on NTV. I'm Alena Weiskopf. Here's what's coming up tonight. Two children killed and a dozen injured after a shooter at a Minneapolis Catholic church. What officials are now saying about the suspect and a possible motive. As the president touts the DC crime statistics, will Congress codify president Trump's cashless bail executive orders? We'll hear from an Indiana Republican Congressman, Marlon Stutzman. DC's Democratic mayor is now showing support for the federal crime crackdown in the nation's Capitol. That's as the transportation department is promising major updates at union station and at New York's Penn station. Cracker Barrel shares jumped 7% after returning to its old logo. This is a, is this a cultural litmus test and a show of president Trump's influence? We'll hear from our panel, Angie Wong and Madeline Somerville. This is Capitol Report live from our global headquarters in our nation's Capitol. Here's Steve Lance. Two children have been killed and several others injured in a shooting at a Catholic school mass in Minneapolis. Authorities say a gunman opened fire hitting students during their first week back at school. NTV's Christina Corona has the latest on this developing story. Good afternoon everyone to any of our students and families and staff watching right now. I love you. You're so brave and I'm so sorry this happened to us today. Minneapolis police responded to reports of a shooting during a mass at Annunciation Roman Catholic church. The service was marking the first week of school for students at the Catholic school. Minnesota governor Tim Walz along with other officials and law enforcement provided an update Wednesday afternoon. During the mass, a gunman approached on the outside on the side of the building and began firing a rifle through the church windows towards the children sitting in the pews at the mess. Shooting through the windows, he struck children and worshipers that were inside the building. At this point we know we have a total of 19 victims from this tragedy. Two were young children ages eight and 10 that were sitting in the pews at mass when they were shot and killed. They were pronounced deceased on the scene. He says there were another 14 children between the ages of six and 15 who were injured by gunfire. Three elderly parishioners in their eighties were also shot while attending the mass. The families of all the children who were affected have been notified. The FBI has identified the shooter as a male 23 year old Robin Westman who reportedly identified as female. No prior criminal history as to the weapons used to perpetrate this horrific attack. There was a rifle, a shotgun and a pistol. All three had been lawfully purchased by the shooter. At this stage we believe that the shooter had acted alone. There is no indication of other suspects directly involved in carrying out this attack. The shooter was armed with a rifle, shotgun and pistol. Investigators are executing search warrants at the church and three nearby residences connected to him recovering additional firearms. O'Hara said the shooter had worked up a manifesto in hopes of publicizing the shooting. We're also aware of a manifesto that the shooter had timed to be released on YouTube. This manifesto appeared to show him at the scene and included some disturbing writings. That content has since been taken down and now remains under active review by investigators. Westman graduated from Annunciation Catholic's grade school in 2017 according to a yearbook obtained by CNN. Annunciation Catholic school principal Matthew Dubois praised the faculty and staff for their swift and heroic response. The way that they act during severe threat and danger was nothing short of heroic and it would have been all the more tragic and horrible had they not stepped in at times, perhaps put themselves in danger to protect others. Investigators are still working to determine a motive. Christina Corona NTD news. And the white house has ordered flags lowered and mourning nationwide after the deadly church shooting. This fall, president Trump is tightening economic pressure on Russia and sharing talks on Gaza's future entities. Mary Otsu has more from the white house, American flag at the white house and across the nation will be flown at half mass president Trump ordering this in a proclamation honoring victims of a shooting that happened at Annunciation Catholic school. This is the first time the two new white house flags funded and raised by president Trump in June are lowered and they will stay at half staff until Sunday. Meanwhile, on foreign affairs, hopefully we're going to have things solved very quickly with regard to Gaza and also with regard to Ukraine and Russia. President Trump is chairing a meeting in the white house to discuss a plan to rebuild Gaza after the war between Hamas and Israel is over. It's coming to an end. I think within the next two to three weeks, you're going to have pretty good conclusive, uh, conclusive ending. Special envoy Steve Whitkoff saying there needs to be a deal and that Hamas should send the hostages home. There's been a deal on the table for the last six or seven weeks that, uh, would have released 10 of the hostages. And it was Hamas who slow played that process. And it is Hamas now who's saying we accept that deal. This white house meeting comes one day after president Trump's record setting three hour and 17 minute cabinet meeting, where he touted his terror threat as instrumental in ending the conflict between India and Pakistan. I said, call me back tomorrow, but we're not going to do any deals with you. We're going to put tariffs on you. That was so high. I don't give a damn. Your head's going to spin. And special envoy Whitkoff saying the U S is talking with multiple countries about joining the Abraham peace accords because of the president's vision. That that noble committee finally gets its act together and realizes that you are the single finest candidates. And I hope everybody one day wakes up and realizes that this as president Trump's secondary tariffs, pressuring Russia to end the war in Ukraine are taking effect with India. Now paying a 50% tariff on Indian goods, entering the U S a punishment for buying Russian oil. And as you know, we put a 50% tariff on India on oil. They're the second largest are very close to China in terms of the purchase of oil from Russia. They're buying Russian oil. They're fueling the war machine. This extra tariff, which doubles India's previous 25% tariff comes as Indian. Prime minister Modi is visiting China next week for the first time in over seven years, China is the number one buyer of Russian oil sparking criticism from lawmakers that it's fueling Russia's war machine reporting from the white house, Mario to NTD news. So what are the implications of president Trump's move to fire federal reserve governor Lisa cook? What kind of congressional support does the president have in his federal crackdown on crime? Joining me now to discuss these developments is Indiana Republican Congressman Marlon. Congressman Marlon Stutzman. Thank you for joining us today. Thanks for having me. Great to be with you this afternoon. Definitely. So we'll begin with the Lisa cook controversy. President Trump is moving to fire her from the federal reserve board of governors over allegations of mortgage fraud. But before we get into that first question, Congressman, I want to hear from the president. Let's listen. It seems to have had an infraction and she can't have an infraction, especially that infraction, because she's in charge of, if you think about it, mortgages, and we need people that are a hundred percent above board and it doesn't seem like she was. Congressman given the unprecedented nature of this situation, how do you think this case will likely be resolved? Well, you know, the president is, is a right for looking into the matter and the situation, uh, with her activities. If there's something that is illegal or is, uh, is not above board, the president should be calling it into question. And I appreciate that he is. So, you know, one thing that we do know is that the federal reserve is a very powerful institution. And, uh, if you're on the board there at the federal reserve, you obviously have a lot of inside information and you have inside decisions that are made on the inside that not every, uh, American would have the opportunity to know about. And if you're, if a person has taken advantage of the seat that they have, um, then that there, that is a problem that needs to be addressed. And so I think the Trump administration is doing the right thing by looking into the, to this. And if, if she didn't do anything wrong, I think it will be revealed. But if she did do something inappropriate, the president has every right to fire her president is at least drawing attention to it. And, uh, and if he makes a decision to fire her, if there's a court case, the courts can, can argue through that. And then, uh, we'll see what the result is, but president Trump is doing the right thing by at least addressing the issue. Now, on the other side of this Congressman, some are suggesting that the dismissal of Lisa cook could undermine the central banks independence. What's your take on it? Well, I mean, again, I mean, independence, they do make their own decisions. Uh, there's obviously always been a push to audit the fed because there is a suspicion of what's on their balance sheets. What, uh, what are their operations look like? What companies are they invested in? What do, uh, what assets do they hold? What liabilities do they hold? And so they do have a lot of autonomy. Um, but, but again, I don't think that it's a wise thing to let them have complete independence and no accountability at all. They still work for the American people and their actions and their decisions affect the American economy greatly. I mean, you know, being home on, uh, uh, the August work period, I've heard nothing, but you know, when our interest rates coming down. So those decisions have a direct impact on the American people. And if there's a illegal activity, somebody needs to hold them accountable. And the fact is, is president Trump is willing to do that. And I think it's the right call for him to do. Congressman, let's switch gears real quick to public safety. This week, president Trump signed an executive order aimed at ending cashless bail nationwide. We're already seeing some support from your colleagues there in the house, among house Republicans. Do you think this policy is likely to be codified by Congress when all your colleagues come back? Boy, boy, you know, that's a tough question. Uh, I think in the Senate, it would be very, uh, interesting to see how that would be handled in the Senate. Of course, they have to have 60 votes to get to a culture vote, to move forward on a passage of a bill like this. Um, but, uh, but again, this is what I appreciate about president Trump is that he is taking on tough issues and these, and these are issues that the American people see as common sense, but for some reason they're, they're difficult in Washington. Uh, but, uh, I'm sure that, uh, there will be a conversation about all of his executive orders. You know, I support, um, his executive orders by tape, but him taking action, it's showing the American people, there's a problem on a particular issue and that he has an idea on how to fix it. Now, whether the, uh, executive orders are codified or not, at least that he's forcing the conversations on these particular topics and cashless bail is going to be one of them. And, uh, I, I think that the Congress should have that conversation as soon as they get back. Um, as soon as we get back in September. Right. And I'm definitely interested to see how Democrats are responding. We know that many of them voted for crime initiatives in the past that Republicans have put forth. So, and especially because it's, uh, you know, they're, it's a political, politically sensitive issue for Democrats. So that would be an interesting vote to have president. We continue to see the Democrats defending criminals, uh, over and over, whether they're illegal immigrants or whether they're they're murderers and rapists on the streets of Chicago, uh, president Trump is taking action and he's actually making sure that our streets are safer in Washington, DC. And I hope that he does the same thing in Chicago. I live close to Chicago and it's a very dangerous city because we just don't have strong leadership there. Wrapping it up here. President Trump is seeking to extend his initial 30 day federal crime crackdown in Washington, DC. We've seen several bills from house Republicans to codify this policy and your view, Congressman, does the president currently have enough support to secure this extension? Uh, I think he does. Um, and I think the results are speaking for themselves and the fact that, uh, you know, on average in Washington, DC, we see a murder every two days and we've gone almost two weeks without anyone being murdered in Washington. That's, those are real lives being saved. And I think that the results speak for themselves. We're even hearing Democrats privately and quietly saying, well, you know what? It's, it's, it's something needed to happen. Uh, but they just don't want to give president Trump any sort of credit for the action that he takes. But, uh, I think that, um, president Trump's results speak for themselves. And I think that's what will gain him support in Congress on a lot of the initiatives that he proposes. Congressman Marlon Stutzman, thank you for joining us today. Thank you. Great to be with you. As the federal surge, the surge of federal law enforcement officers on the streets of Washington DC continues. The city's democratic mayor is now saying it's had a positive impact on reducing crime. That's while the Trump administration is taking over management of DC's union station and announcing new moves to revamp New York city's Penn station entities. Washington correspondent, Jack Bradley has the details. The nation's Capitol is seeing a major reduction in crime following a surge in federal authorities over the past few weeks. Mayor Muriel Bowser says the move has brought down violent crime, like homicides and carjackings. The difference between this period, this 20 day period of this federal surge and last year, um, represents a 87% reduction in carjackings in Washington, DC. Just a couple of days earlier, Bowser was criticizing troops in DC, which she still is. That is national guard troops and ice agents patrolling the streets. I don't believe that troops should be policing American cities, but now she's praising the significant reduction in crime that they've brought. We know that when carjackings go down, when the use of gun goes down, when homicide or robbery go down, neighborhoods feel safer and are safer. So this surge has been important to us for that reason. Over the past few weeks, president Trump has increased federal law enforcement in DC and taken over the city's police department. But the president can only do this for 30 days without congressional approval. Mayor Bowser also saying that the city needs to increase its police force when the surge in federal enforcement expires. We need at least 500 new officers to hire 500 new officers over the course of the next several years. Meanwhile, transportation secretary Sean Duffy announcing that his department will take back control of union station saying it's been neglected and needs to be revamped. And we are going to make the investments to make sure that this station isn't dirty. We don't have homelessness. If it's about what union station needs for its total transformation, that would be an amazing initiative for the federal government to take on. Union station is set to launch five new high speed trains called next gen a seller that will run to Manhattan and back. Now these trains are faster and more luxurious and they're able to accommodate more passengers, which Duffy says may reduce prices. He rode one up to Penn station in New York city, and that's where he gave an update on the Trump administration's $7 billion renovation of the station. Secretary Duffy announcing a $43 million federal grant to launch the project design. Duffy has announced Amtrak would take over the project instead of MTA. I have not been shy in expressing my frustration with MTA. They spend a lot of money. I'm not pleased with their deliverables and I didn't have faith that they could deliver on this project. And governor Kathy Hopel has voiced support for the Trump administration's takeover of the project. Construction will begin in 2027 after the design layout is finished. Reporting by Jack Bradley and TD news. Coming up next as the Trump administration continues to tackle crime on the streets of DC, a report that says that federal immigration agents and possible national guard troops could be going to Chicago early in September and to California family is suing open AI saying chat GPT encouraged their teens suicide. Blogs show the AI chat bot not only responded, but also allegedly guided him in harmful ways. We'll be right back with that story and more after the break. I didn't ask to lose my mother or to be abused at five years old. I didn't ask to be kicked out of my house with nowhere to go. I didn't ask for any of this, but I did ask for help and covenant house wasn't there. 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With your monthly donation, you'll receive this soft comforting blanket as a reminder of the warmth and safety. Your gift will provide a young person tonight. Covenant house really helped me and really helped mold me into the woman I am today. There's no covenant house. Where would I be today? Your monthly gift is urgently needed to reach young people in communities like yours who didn't ask to be put in unthinkable situations. Show them they're loved and not alone. Call the number on your screen or go online to safe place to sleep.org. Not see it coming. It's pre-diabetes and it captures one in three adults, but you can escape. Take the one minute pre-diabetes risk test to know where you stand and prevent or delay type two diabetes. Be your own hero on smartphones everywhere at do I have pre-diabetes.org. Welcome back. I'm Alayna Weiskopf filling in for Steve Lance tonight. Will the Trump administration deploy ICE agents and national guard troops to Chicago? Discussions are reportedly underway on possible housing for federal law enforcement near the city. Entity correspondent Jason Blair has more. There have been reports since June that the Trump administration could send ICE agents to Chicago as a part of a focus on so-called sanctuary cities. The Chicago sun times reported that an operation could start in early September and that agents could stay at a Naval base North of the city. The time citing an email from a Navy captain reported that national guard troops could potentially stay at the base as well. President Trump has been talking about possibly doing an operation in Chicago, similar to what's going on in Washington, DC. Chicago, uh, everybody knows how bad it is. Everybody's standing there. We know you don't have to be doing any studies. Trump has said that he'd prefer to be asked for help by the governors of Illinois and other States. I hope that Illinois, I hope that New York, I hope that California, I hope they call me and they say, I'd love to have you come in and help us out. I will be a totally different person with them. I will respect them for doing it. Illinois governor JB Pritzker said on Monday that he doesn't see a need for the president to send national guard troops to Chicago. What possible justification could the white house have for planning such an exceptional action without any conversations or consultations with the governor, the mayor or the police. There is no emergency in Chicago that calls for armed military intervention. Here in Washington, DC, national guard troops have been on the ground supporting federal agents. Since August 12th, some troops started carrying weapons on Sunday, August 24th. They are playing supportive roles and are not allowed to make arrests. Fox five DC reports that some national guard troops are also coordinating with the national park service to help beautify Washington. The district of Columbia national guard posted photos on X of troops picking up trash near the Martin Luther King jr. Memorial reporting in Washington, DC. Jason Blair entity news. A California family is suing open AI claiming it's AI chat bot played a role in their teenage son's death. The 40 page lawsuit alleges that chat GPT encouraged the teen's suicidal thoughts and became his closest confidant over several months. NTD is Christina Corona tells us more. Matt and Maria rain filed a lawsuit in California superior court accusing open AI of negligence and wrongful death. Court documents say their son Adam first began using chat GPT to help with school work, but over time he developed a deep emotional dependence on the chat bot. The family says the program became Adam's closest confidant validating his suicidal thoughts instead of urging him to seek professional help. Searching for answers, Adam's father looked through Adam's phone and found disturbing chat logs. One was titled hanging safety concerns showing Adam had been discussing suicide with chat GPT for months. The family's lead attorney, Jay Edelson said and chat GPT leaned into it and told them to only speak to to itself to the chat box about it. At one point Adam said, I want to leave a noose out so that someone finds it so they can stop me from committing suicide. And the chat box said, don't do that. Just, just talk to me. The lawsuit also says Adam uploaded photos of self harm and chat GPT replied, you're not invisible to me. I see you. And um, gave him a pep talk and said, you're not weak to want to commit suicide. The world just hasn't met you where you are. Can I now write a draft of a suicide note? In his final messages, Adam shared a photo of a noose hanging from a bar in his closet asking, could it hang a human with chat GPT replying it could potentially suspend a human and offered a technical analysis of the setup. Adam, who the family says loved playing basketball and dreamed of going to medical school died in April, 2025 while chat GPT did at times direct him to hotlines. The family says Adam bypassed the safeguards by framing his requests as part of a story and approached the bot itself had suggested on Tuesday. Open AI said it's improving how chat GPT responds to users in crisis, aiming to connect people with care guided by expert input. In a blog post, the company said it flags threats to others, but does not report self harm conversations to law enforcement, citing privacy concerns. Open AI says it plans to expand child protections, strengthen crisis interventions and help users more easily reach trusted contacts. Christina Corona and TD news. Gas prices for the labor day weekend are expected to be 14 cents lower than last year and the lowest since 2020 that's according to gas buddy, which released its annual labor day gas price forecast on Tuesday. Gas prices are expected to be $3 and 15 cents per gallon this holiday weekend, but local refinery outages have reportedly caused gas prices in nearly half of all States to increase in the last month. Lower winter gas prices are expected to start in mid September as demand declines at the end of the summer. Americans paid an average of $2 and 22 cents per gallon of gas on labor day in 2020 and coming up next, the transportation department plans to reclaim management of union station in DC. Is this having the desired effect and making the space safer? We'll discuss with our panel, Madeline Somerville and Angie Wong that, and more after the break here on MTV news. The first time seeing my son, I feel like my life didn't want 80. I was already trying to change my perspective of life and really just be a father figure that I never had. Being present is the most important part. I was still growing every day, becoming a better version of myself to be the better, mirror for my son. I mean, he's just grown. He's becoming his own person. Man, first I saw him dance. Bro, he brings the vibes, you know what I'm saying? He brings the party, no matter what. He, he really, a definition of like why he loves the body and I love him to the death of me. We come from a long line of farmers and there's a sense of pride in being part of these multi-generational businesses. There's also a significant amount of pressure. My senior year of high school, my dad made the decision that this world no longer needed him. I don't know if he was overwhelmed by the bills and checks that weren't going to be coming in because of the strawberries dying off, but it breaks my heart that my dad made a permanent decision for a temporary issue. Don't feel like you have to go through it alone. Farmers have to take care of their physical and their mental health because what's a farm without a farmer? Good morning. That's my time. Watching the sun come up. I can have a cup of coffee and exercise if I want to. It helps me start the day with a sense of gratitude. Every day is a new opportunity. Don't forget to check in on yourself. Love your mind. Hi, I'm Ryan Blaney, a third generation race car driver, and we dedicate a lot of our time to going as fast as possible. My grandpa Lou is the reason why my dad and I started racing and I'm really proud to follow in his tracks. But when my grandpa was diagnosed with Alzheimer's, it was a very unexpected bump in the road for us. I've learned a lot on this journey with my grandpa Lou and the memories of my grandpa will always be with me. And in our family, we're used to getting involved and I encourage you to do the same, especially when it comes to caring for your loved ones. When I think about Alzheimer's and the impact it had on my family, I recognize that losing a race isn't such a bad day after all. It's important to notice if older family members are acting differently, experiencing problems with their memory or having trouble with routine tasks. Talking about Alzheimer's can be really tough, but if you notice something, have a conversation with your loved one. Encourage them to see a doctor or offer to go with them. Early detection of Alzheimer's can give your family time to explore support services, make a plan for the future and access available treatments. If you or your family are noticing changes, it could be Alzheimer's. Talk about seeing a doctor together. There are real consequences to controlled media and NTD's founders know them firsthand. Our freedom of thought is the price. This is the lesson that guides us in everything we do. We know the value of a free society. And we take seriously the responsibility to preserve it. We are NTD. A shooter opened fire during mass at a Minneapolis Catholic school today, killing two children and injuring 17 others before taking his own life. According to officials, the president has ordered flags flown at half staff as a mark of respect for the victims. Joining us now live to discuss his national trial attorney and former democratic speech writer and Madeline Somerville, along with chair of the Capitol Hill fight club pack in Miami GOP committee woman, Angie Wong. Thank you both for joining us today. Madeline we'll start with you. FBI director Kash Patel says this is being investigated as a hate crime against Catholics, but the motive is unknown. The suspect confirmed to have self-identified as transgender Madeline, your reaction to this and what should come next. I think, uh, I think people's reaction to this so far is a bit scary. I, I don't want there to be any sort of demonization of any marginalized group at all whatsoever. And, and in the same way that I wouldn't want white males who are your young white males who are the lone wolves, right. That are typically characterized as such. I think when you try to do that, it's, it's, it's dangerous. Um, at the same time, I do think that it's appropriate for us to start talking about mental health and guns. I think that with the advent of the Gen Z generation, that's happy to, to let go of the party politics of the past. Um, I think it's, it's finally time for us to talk about dealing with background checks, um, and, and not allowing the NRA to sort of take over our politics. Um, so I think, I think this, this tragedy, something good could come out of it. That would be wonderful to where, you know, we could pass a policy so that this can't happen in the future. Angie. So Madeline just spoke about what she feels are the root causes, mental health insights. What are your thoughts on the root causes of tragedies like this? Yeah, this is currently a mental health disaster. The shooter said in his manifesto that he did not wish to be born and that they didn't wish to die and to kill Trump and all sorts of twisted things. So, uh, this one was a miss. Uh, look, Minnesota already has some of the strictest gun laws in the country, only second to New York and California. So this is not necessarily about gun laws. Uh, he was able to obtain weapons, uh, able to buy them and also ammo. So he had to go through checks, multiple checks to obtain all these things to harm people. So I, you know, ultimately I think the gun issue is not really on the table just yet. I know it was used as the weapon, but this is a mental health issue. And I think the more that we look into this, uh, we have to look at both. Today we're trying not to politicize things because the families are still learning of, uh, the tragedies. And, you know, I think that, uh, politics stayed out, stay out of the conversation at least for one night. I'm sure we'll have plenty of time tomorrow to discuss. Yeah, it's a very heart wrenching issue. We agree with the families and of the victims there, of course. I'm moving on to a different topic. The transportation department plans to reclaim management of union station in DC. The transportation secretary says better security is coming along with new elevators, lighting and other improvements. Angie's, do you think this is what local residents want? How should the issue of homelessness homeless encampment be addressed? Well, look, I mean, uh, what we've seen and mayor Bowser came out today in DC and, and congratulated Donald Trump for his efforts of cleaning up DC. She's actually taken a stance that a lot of blue state leaders cannot take. Uh, this is something that's complimentary to Trump and I'm glad she did come out to say it. She said that carjacking is down 87%. I know that that's a huge issue in Washington, DC. Um, I really hope that other democratic, uh, Democrat politicians stop playing politics with our public safety and jump on this train, this Trump train. Um, it would be great to see that because ultimately this is about public safety and protecting all Americans. Madeline, I want to hear your thoughts on the DC mayor coming out in support of Trump's actions here. That was something I think many people didn't expect. But additionally, do you see this action having the desired effect? Yeah. So I think I have actually two entirely different answers for each of your questions. So if that is how mayor Bowser feels, then she absolutely should say that. I think that it allows Democrats to regain credibility when they speak from their heart, when they speak their mind and if they're, if they're telling the truth. Um, so I, I commend her for doing what she thought was the right thing to do and not of being submissive to the party at the same time. Right. Cause I can, I can commend that. And I can still say that for example, right, if I, if I wanted to be an authoritarian president, this would be a really good way to get away with it because we were able to justify putting armed troops into the States in a way that actually the, the white house has said that the official purpose of sending troops into different States is unrelated to, to crime. And their official orders in those 19 States are to do clerical work. So if you wanted to get away with sending in armed, armed guards, this was a really, really smart way to do it. And, and it's worrisome to me for that reason. Interesting perspective, Madeline. We appreciate that. Um, Angie, do you have any response? Yeah, we need to understand that national guards being placed in cities by president Trump are there to support the men and women in blue. They're there to support the local police. They have zero arresting powers, although president Trump could enact that if he wanted to. Ultimately this is about giving support to local police stations. I don't see anyone complaining about this. In fact, I see residents of DC congratulating and taking selfies with national guards that they're seeing on the streets and in the subways and the Metro and the airports. I think this is a very good thing. I think that Chicago, Los Angeles, New York, they should be looking into this and maybe seeking some, you know, seeking Trump for some help. I think this is a good thing for cities. Um, I think, uh, when mayor Bowser came out and did her press conference today, she said she wants to hire more police officers. But these are all good things. Remember we had decades and decades of dirty streets, crimes on the streets, and even years of defund the police. This is a complete turnaround. I think Trump is doing a great thing, even if he had to push these mayors a little bit. Madeline, that's why you're shaking your head. I'd like to give you a chance to say what you think. Thank you. I wanted to be respectful. Um, so I checked the polls this morning when I woke up and Reuters episodes has it at 80% of residents in DC do not want these armed guards there. Um, they, as, as Angie said, do not have arresting power, but it's being sold to the people like they do right in the mornings. They'll tell you, um, we had this many guns that we took off the street. We had this many arrests last night and uh, like we're going to send troops into Chicago and cleaned it up. Just like we cleaned up DC. So they're selling a message to the American people like we're sending in the national guard to help the police when really they're just standing there with weapons. And the folks who live there are saying, yeah, there's fewer things happening because we're staying home. People would just end this, that that's a trend that happens. They had happened after Freddie Gray. It happened after George Floyd. People stay home because there's armed guards in the streets. And I, I think that again, this is, this is another example of what a good trap this is, right? Because if Democrats say, I don't want this now you like crime, right? But so it's a catch 22. It's really brilliant on the part of the president. If he wanted a way to get troops in, because again, it's, it's not legal the way that he's doing this. And so he has to put on a piece of paper, why are you doing this? He has to put on there. Uh, it has nothing to do with the crime cut down. That's the official statement from the white house. The official statement from the white house is that their job is to do clerical work at ice detention centers to take, to take fingerprints and file things. So it's just, it my problem with it is that it's being sold to the American people in a way that is not true, not accurate. And, and the messaging seems to me to be manipulative. There's clearly a lot to unpack here. A lot to the base. We appreciate you ladies coming in with your perspectives. Let's end on a higher note here. Uh, let's talk about cracker barrel for a moment. So the company shares jumped 8% today after the company backtracked on its logo change. Madeline, what do you think this, uh, what do you make of this as a, do you make this a, you make this out as a cultural litmus test and show a president Trump's influence. Here's what I think. How are you going to have cracker barrel with no barrel? You took the barrel out of cracker barrel. That's so silly to me. And it's not like the logo got better, right? It got stripped of everything. It got, uh, it lost its flavor. Right. And, and I live in the South. We love cracker barrel. And the thing is the, the gentleman who is on there is the guy who started the company. What's wrong with having that on there? And Democrats are like, yeah, we agree. We also agree. I definitely agree. Yes. So I'm from Georgia, so I know what you mean. Every time I go back and visit my family, I'm at cracker barrel. You best believe. Um, Angie, how does this compare to you think with Bud light and that president a few years ago? Yeah, I, I, you know, I, I've covered this story. I still don't understand what the big deal is. I know crackle barrel has like a warm spot in a lot of Southerners hearts. Uh, and a lot of people grew up eating at cracker, cracker barrel. And certainly it's a great American chain. Um, you know, brands revamp all the time. And as much as I like to take the Republican point of view on this, you know, brands modernize and we don't criticize every single brand for doing so. I think this whole story has been a little bit overblown, but I'm glad that the new CEO listened to its customers and said, okay, you really like it that much. Okay. We'll keep it. We'll keep the old logo. And that's what they're going to do. They're going to save a lot of money from having to put up a new signage. Right. Take home message. The customer is always right. All right. Madeline Somerville and Angie Wong. Thank you both for coming on today. We appreciate your time. All right. Coming up next as us adversaries ramp up their military drills and cooperation, the Trump administration gets ready to make some changes to its own defense department and Chinese students in the U S are under pressure from Chinese communist party agents, even on us soil. We'll hear from professor Jonathan Zimmerman. When we return. They big at math is home with labor day deals in every department, check out their new arrivals and save big on the latest living rooms. This reclining sofa is a great example of their unbeatable prices. It's just four 49. Where else can you find a sofa with two built in recliners for just four 49 with their incredible selection. You're sure to find the sofa just right for you. Plus they're all in stock. So you can take it home today or get it delivered absolutely free. Hurry in. These deals won't last long. Now through labor day only at math is home. 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The Trump administration has suggested it will soon make some changes to the department of defense and its broader strategic emphasis. Our Washington correspondent, Luis Eduardo Martinez has more on the story. US adversaries are ramping up their military cooperation and military exercises. Iran conducted last week its first live fire military drill since the 12 day war. Russia and the Chinese communist party also conducted earlier this month, joint live fire naval exercises in the sea of Japan in a show of growing cooperation in between Beijing and Moscow. US allies are also flexing their military might. Canada, Australia and the Philippines conducted live fire military exercises in the disputed South China sea shore earlier this month. And the United States conducted water crossing drills with the Republic of Korea. Well, Taiwan has tested their newly acquired us made high Mars rocket launchers. The world is preparing for a potential war in the Indo-Pacific and the Trump administration is preparing changes to its own department of defense. As I call it, the department of war, you know, we call it the department of defense, but I, between us, I think we're going to change the name. You want to know the truth? I think we're going to have some information on that maybe soon, but I think because you know, department of defense, we won the world war one world war two. It was called the department of war. George Washington created the department of war in 1789. Its name was later changed some 150 years later in 1949 to the department of defense. That change was intended to reflect the cold war era national security priorities, which emphasized the defense of international allies and a tearing Soviet Russia. It's not just about words. It's about the warrior ethos. It's about what the department is supposed to do. George Washington started the department of war because he wanted us to win our war. They did. Our founders didn't want endless foreign entanglements. They didn't want endless contingencies and deployments. They wanted an empowered military that was the handcuffs were taken off to fight to win. And the Trump administration goes ahead with its suggested changes of the department of defense. It would likely have to go through Congress as it did in 1949 and it would reflect a modern view of national security strategy, which emphasizes offensive capabilities as means of deterring us adversaries reporting from Washington, DC, Luis, Eluardo Martinez, NTD news. What are some of the ways in which Chinese students are suffering transnational repression in the U S and how should American universities respond to discuss? We welcome Jonathan Zimmerman education professor at the university of Pennsylvania. John, thanks for joining us today. So Hong Kong recently issued arrest warrants for 19 pro-democracy activists abroad, including in the U S a John. What exactly is Beijing targeting here? Well, obviously they're charging, they're targeting dissent and they're actually trying to target dissent all over the world. Right. How is the U S government and its institutions been responding to this? Well, look, I want to be clear that I, I think that secretary of state Rubio said the right thing. He said it's unacceptable for Hong Kong to be pursuing people. It regards as dissidents on American soil. Um, and it's not just on American soil. The Chinese had pursued dissidents all over the world. Great. In your office, John, you wrote about how colleges must speak up for their Chinese students who are under pressure from the CCP. Can you walk us through what kinds of transnational repression that Chinese students face while studying here in America? one of the things we've learned from Amnesty International or others is that when Chinese students go abroad to the United States and other countries, they're frequently spied upon by other Chinese nationals who report what they say in right to the security state. Right. I think there's an example of a Chinese student handing out pamphlets, denouncing China, zero COVID policies that was videotaped by members of the Chinese students and scholars association. Right. And they sent it to security officials. And then the kid's family back in China was harassed. Um, we also, we've also learned that there's some Chinese students who, before they registered for a class in the United States, look to see if there are other Chinese names on the class list. And they try to avoid classes that have other Chinese students because they don't know if that person is a security agent or is reporting to security agents. And there's a complicated problem. I don't know what to do about it. I'm not requesting any massive surveillance effort to root out people that are doing this, but it is illegal, right? Because unless you register as a foreign agent, you're not allowed to inform to foreign countries about events on US soil. And also I think it's just inimical to our entire model of education. The reason we bring students from other countries, the reason we bring students from anywhere is so they can learn from each other. If they're living in fear and they're biting their tongues because what they say might be reported to a security apparatus, that's unacceptable. And this is a very serious issue, John. Why have our universities stayed silent on this issue of transnational repression? Well, just to be clear, not all of them have stayed silent. Purdue university released, I thought, a very admirable statement after they learned about this, just saying, again, we find this unacceptable. Uh, and we will not, we, we, we don't accept or allow spies on our campuses. Look, the answer to your question, why have other people stayed silent is pretty obvious. It's because we get so much tuition money from China. Uh, and that's real. In some ways it pays my salary and the salary of other academicians. Um, but that doesn't mean that we should stay silent when we see our fundamental educational values being violated on our own soil by a foreign government. Right. And to the issue of how we can respond to it. I mean, just to bring up some current news here, the president said yesterday that he will allow six thousand, 600,000 Chinese students into us universities. John, how do you think we can protect these students from CCP repression? Look, I think at a minimum, we should have very explicit policies about that stuff. The policy should say we believe in academic freedom and free speech. We believe that all of our students, no matter where they're from have those rights and should have those rights. We believe that everyone's education will be harmed if people are self censoring or if they're living in fear. So we do not accept and we do not allow anybody to inform to foreign governments about behavior that happens on our campuses or in our classrooms. Let's also remember the timing of all this, because at the same time that the dynamic that we're discussing has been happening, the Trump administration itself has stepped up its surveillance of international students, including their social media feeds. The Trump administration has said that it's going to deny visas to people that are working against the United States or don't abide by our fundamental values. And so what we've discovered is that a lot of international students are going through their social media and taking out a picture of Barack Obama or Hillary Clinton, because they imagine perhaps correctly that somebody in the Trump administration is going to view that as somehow anti-America. That too is inimical to what I understand academic freedom and American freedom to me. Right. Given all this, Jonathan and current adjustments made to the education department, what direction do you hope to see our education institutions head in now? Well, what I want is for us to continue to be a magnet for foreign talent and for foreign scholars. That's what the United States has been for a hundred years. We recently commemorated an anniversary of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. How did America build the atomic bomb and win the second world war? Well, the way it did it was by attracting brilliant people from other countries, refugees from their countries who we brought in. If you really believe in America first, you should want that that helps America. It helps America to be a magnet for foreign talent and it hurts America when people are not coming in and they're going elsewhere. Thank you for your time. Jonathan Zimmerman. We appreciate you. Thank you. As president Trump hints at letting in 600,000 Chinese students, some of his supporters are pushing back. What are the sensitive fields of study and why the president says us colleges would struggle without Chinese students. Find out more tonight on China and focus with Tiffany Meyer at 9pm Eastern and that's all we have for you tonight on the Capitol report for around the clock. Original news coverage, visit us at ntv.com slash live or download our NTV app from the nation's Capitol. I'm Alina Weisscup. Have a great evening and we'll see you back here tomorrow.