Trump: DC will ‘soon be one of the safest’ cities

 President Trump on Saturday touted his administration’s moves to address violence and crime in the nation’s capital, teasing that soon it would be “one of the safest” cities in the U.S.

Trump, in a post on Truth Social, said the administration would provide an update on Monday, after the president ordered federal law enforcement officials to patrol the streets in Washington over the next week.

“On Monday a Press Conference will be held at the White House which will, essentially, stop violent crime in Washington, D.C.,” he wrote. “It has become one of the most dangerous cities anywhere in the World.”

He added, “It will soon be one of the safest!!!”

The effort has been led by the U.S. Park Police and includes officers and agents from the FBI, Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA), Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), divisions of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and other agencies, according to the White House.

Vice President Vance on Saturday commended Trump for his plan to combat what he called Washington’s “out-of-control” crime.

“Our nation’s capital has become ridden with out-of-control violent crime thanks to misguided local leadership,” he wrote on X. “President Trump is putting a stop to this lawlessness.”

Friday marked the second day of the patrol and Trump added officers from the U.S. Secret Service and U.S. Marshals Service to the fray. Over 120 officers were assigned to high-traffic areas and will be highly visible and marked, a White House official said.

On the first night, according to the official, arrests were made for possession of stolen firearms and illegal drugs.

Trump has previously floated a federal overhaul of the city, which would require Congressional approval.

Earlier this year, he signed an executive order to make Washington “safe and beautiful.” At the time he said Mayor Muriel Bowser was doing a good job, but warned that if things changed, the federal government would have no other choice but to step in.

The latest threats of a takeover come after a former Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) official, known as “Big Balls,” was attacked in the city by a group of teenagers. Two 15-year-olds were arrested in connection to the incident and charged for the attempted carjacking.

The president has pushed the city council to upgrade its laws to allow teens 14 and older to be tried as adults. U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro has also supported the idea.

“They are not afraid of Law Enforcement because they know nothing ever happens to them, but it’s going to happen now!” Trump posted Tuesday on Truth Social, with a graphic photo. “The Law in D.C. must be changed to prosecute these ‘minors’ as adults, and lock them up for a long time, starting at age 14.”

He said, “The most recent victim was beaten mercilessly by local thugs.”

White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller also compared crime in the nation’s capital to foreign war zones on Thursday, calling Washington “more violent than Baghdad.” Crime in the district, however, hit a 30-year low last year.

https://thehill.com/homenews/state-watch/5444568-donald-trump-federal-takeover-dc/

Sunday talks: Vance, Abbott, Hochul on Fox

 NewsNation’s “The Hill Sunday”: Rep. Dave Min (D-Calif.); Rep. Derrick Van Orden (R-Wis.) and former U.S. Ambassador to NATO Kurt Volker. 

ABC’s “This Week”: NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte and former Ambassador John Bolton. 

CNN’s “State of the Union”: Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.). 

CBS’ “Face the Nation”: Rutte; Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz); Rep. Tony Gonzales (R-Texas) and former U.S. surgeon general Jerome Adams. 

NBC’s “Meet the Press”: Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker (D); Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) and former Attorney General Eric Holder (D). 

Fox News’ “Fox News Sunday”: New York Gov. Kathy Hochul (D); Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R); Rep. Rick Crawford (R-Ark.) and Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-N.J.). 

Fox News’ “Sunday Morning Futures”: Vice President Vance; Rep. James Comer (R-Ky.) and New York Post columnist Miranda Devine. 

https://thehill.com/homenews/sunday-talk-shows/5444922-sunday-shows-preview-gop-redistricting-trump-putin-talks/

Intel CEO targeted by Trump in power struggle with company’s board for months: WSJ

 Intel’s embattled new chief Lip-Bu Tan is reportedly locked in a power struggle with members of the chipmaker’s board — a clash thrust into the spotlight after President Trump called for his removal.

The tensions, which have been simmering since Tan took the helm in March, center on whether Intel should remain in the costly business of manufacturing its own chips or exit the segment entirely, people familiar with the matter told the Wall Street Journal on Friday.

Tan has pushed to keep Intel’s foundry operations, arguing they are essential for American technology independence.

Some board members, led by chairman Frank Yeary, have pushed to spin off or sell the unit, which has been losing money despite accounting for about a third of Intel’s revenue last year, according to the Journal.

4

Intel CEO Lip-Bu Tan, seen above speaking at an event, has defended keeping the company’s chip manufacturing operations.REUTERS

Yeary held talks with companies like Nvidia and Amazon about buying pieces of the business, according to the Journal. He is also reported to have explored selling the firm to Taiwanese chip giant TSMC, though that idea went nowhere.

The disagreement has stalled key initiatives, such as a planned multibillion-dollar fundraising effort to expand chip plants, which was delayed after Yeary and others urged moving at a slower pace.

Talks to acquire an artificial intelligence firm — viewed by Tan as critical to catching rivals like Nvidia and AMD — have also dragged, with another buyer now close to sealing the deal, according to the Journal.

Strategic partnerships have fallen through, and Tan has told associates he feels hamstrung in his efforts to turn Intel around, the Journal reported.

4

President Donald Trump has called for Tan’s resignation, citing concerns over his past ties to Chinese companies.AP

Intel’s difficulties come after years of sliding market value, driven in part by its failure to anticipate the rapid rise of AI. The company was awarded billions in funding last year from former President Joe Biden’s CHIPS Act.

Tan’s appointment initially sparked optimism, with shares jumping more than 13% on his first day. He had earned a reputation for reviving Cadence Design Systems, but his honeymoon with Intel’s leadership ended quickly.

The boardroom friction erupted into public view on Thursday when Trump posted on Truth Social that Tan was “highly conflicted” and should resign, declaring “there is no other solution to this problem.”

Trump’s comments appeared tied to Tan’s past leadership of Cadence and his venture-capital investments in Chinese companies with ties to the military. Cadence recently agreed to plead guilty and pay more than $140 million to settle federal charges that it sold chip-design tools to a Chinese military university.

The criticism followed a letter earlier this week from Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) to Yeary, questioning Tan’s links to Chinese firms. Sen. Bernie Moreno (R-Ohio), whose state is home to several planned Intel plants where construction has been delayed, joined in calling for Tan’s ouster on Thursday.

Intel defended its CEO, saying in a statement that the company, its board and Tan are “deeply committed to advancing US national and economic security interests” and making investments consistent with Trump’s “America First” agenda.

4

Intel’s headquarters in Santa Clara, Calif., where tensions between CEO Lip-Bu Tan and the board have escalated.Getty Images

It added that leadership is united on strategy and engages in “thorough discussions and deliberations.”

The company has been tightening its belt, announcing last month a 15% workforce reduction and scrapping plans for new chip facilities in Europe.

It also slowed construction on a major Ohio project.

“There are no more blank checks,” Tan told employees in a recent memo.

“Every investment must make economic sense.”

Before Trump’s post on Truth Social, it had appeared that Tan had been making inroads with the new administration. He met in April with Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick to outline his turnaround plans and spoke with him again by phone in recent weeks, sources told the Journal.

Lutnick indicated the administration would back Intel if it could land major customers such as Apple, a person familiar with the talks told the Journal.

4

Workers inside an Intel chip fabrication facility, part of the foundry operations at the center of the company’s leadership dispute.Intel Corporation

Tan’s political position may be further complicated by the legacy of his predecessor, Pat Gelsinger, who built a relationship with Vice President JD Vance before stepping down.

Gelsinger left the company soon after Trump and Vance won the 2024 election — three months after Tan resigned from Intel’s board over disagreements with Gelsinger and other directors.

One former board member believes Gelsinger’s ties to Vance could have given Intel a valuable connection to the White House, the Journal reported.

For now, Intel says it plans to keep working with the administration.

But with political pressure mounting and internal disputes unresolved, Tan faces the challenge of convincing both Washington and his own board that he can steer the storied chipmaker back to stability.

“President Trump remains fully committed to safeguarding our country’s national and economic security,” a White House official told The Post.

“This includes ensuring that iconic American companies in cutting-edge sectors are led by men and women who Americans can trust.”

https://nypost.com/2025/08/08/business/lip-bu-tan-intel-ceo-targeted-by-trump-has-been-in-dispute-with-companys-board-for-months-report/

Young Americans warned on ‘buy now, pay later’ plans as shopping tactic grows

 “Buy now, pay later” plans are rapidly growing in popularity among young Americans, but not everyone is convinced they’re a smart financial choice.

Haley Sacks, a personal finance influencer with over a million followers online, issued a chilling warning about BNPL plans on “Fox & Friends” Tuesday, calling the practice “predatory.”

“My take is that you should not use ‘buy now, pay later’ at all,” Sacks said. 

“If you need to finance something, use a credit card and a lot of credit card companies have ‘pay over time’ options with 0% interest.”

Sacks argued credit cards offer important benefits BNPL plans don’t, such as consumer protection and the opportunity to build credit. 

“Buy now, pay later” services let buyers split purchases into multiple installments instead of paying the full price upfront. However, if users aren’t careful to make payments on time, they may face late fees. 

3

“Buy now, pay later” plans are rapidly growing in popularity among young Americans, where buyers pay with multiple installments instead of the full price upfront.Bloomberg via Getty Images

3

Haley Sacks, a personal finance influencer with over a million followers online, warns against the practice, calling it “predatory,” and saying that it doesn’t offer benefits like consumer protection that credit cards do.fizkes – stock.adobe.com

They’re expected to hit record transaction volumes this year after initially being marketed as lower-risk alternatives to credit cards. But financial experts warn that reliance on these payment plans can lead to overspending and a rapid accumulation of debt if consumers aren’t on top of them. 

A LendingTree survey from April found that more Americans are using BNPL services for everyday essentials like groceries, and that 40% of users admitted to missing a payment on at least one loan in the past year.

3

Experts say the plans can lead to overspending and debt if consumers aren’t on time with payments. Bloomberg via Getty Images

Factors that could be leading to the shift are elevated prices, high interest rates, and student loan payments, which resumed less than two years ago after a stop during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Sacks says these factors are part of why these types of deferred payment plans have resonated with a struggling generation of young people. 

“Gen Z is facing so much inflation, wages have not kept up, and this is a way to actually be able to get things that you want,” she said. “But of course, then you’re paying the price.”

According to the LendingTree survey of 2,000 consumers aged 18 to 79, nearly half of American adults have used a BNPL service such as Klarna or Affirm. Millennials made up the largest share, but Gen Z and Gen X weren’t far behind.

https://nypost.com/2025/08/09/business/financial-expert-warns-young-americans-against-buy-now-pay-later-plans-as-shopping-tactic-growing-in-popularity/