Trump's homicide-rate chart has been making the rounds on right-wing social media.  —  D.C.'s mayor acknowledged local officials could do little to block what was expected to be a 30-day takeover of the capital's policing.  President Trump suggested his action might be expanded to other cities.

Fighting Gives Democrats Stories To Tell  —  It's easier to rally people when they have protagonists to cheer on.  —  Fighting is most important because it's a predicate to winning.  Good, hard fighters combine strategic thinking with aggression, and that mixture alone will change an opponent's behavior.

The U.S. Marches Toward State Capitalism With American Characteristics  —  President Trump is imitating Chinese Communist Party by extending political control ever deeper into economy  —  A generation ago conventional wisdom held that as China liberalized, its economy would come to resemble America's.

Trump Wields Tariffs as a Force in Diplomacy, to Questionable Effect  —  The president has threatened more tariffs on Russia and its trading partners and has imposed harsh ones on India and Brazil to try to sway matters of war and politics.  —  As President Trump pushes to end the war in Ukraine …

Harvard Nears a Deal With the Trump Administration to Restore Funding  —  A potential $500 million settlement would end a monthslong battle that pitted the nation's wealthiest school against the Trump administration's extraordinary crackdown on higher education.

Trump Tax Law Squeezes Poor, Boosts Income for Wealthy, CBO Says  —  President Donald Trump's tax and spending law will deal a financial blow to the poorest Americans while boosting the income of wealthier households, according to a new analysis from the Congressional Budget Office.

Israel kills Al Jazeera journalists in targeted Gaza City airstrike  —  The Committee to Protect Journalists is appalled to learn of the killing today of Al Jazeera journalist Anas Al-Sharif, Mohammed Qreiqeh, camera operators Ibrahim Zaher and Mohammed Noufal, and an unnamed assistant by Israeli forces in Gaza.

Trump extends China tariff deadline by 90 days … President Donald Trump on Monday delayed high U.S. tariffs on Chinese goods from snapping back into place for another 90 days, a White House official told CNBC.  —  Those tariffs were set to resume Tuesday.

How the 2025 Reconciliation Act (Public Law 119-21) Will Affect the Distribution of Resources Available to Households  —  This interactive tool illustrates the distributional effects of the 2025 reconciliation act (P.L. 119-21).  It allows users to explore how that law will affect …

Declaring a Crime Emergency in the District of Columbia  —  By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, including section 740 of the District of Columbia Self-Government and Governmental Reorganization Act (Public Law 93-198) …

Supreme Court formally asked to overturn landmark same-sex marriage ruling  —  Kim Davis, a former clerk who refused gay couples, brought the appeal.  —  Paula Faris speaks to Kim Davis, the Kentucky court clerk who went to jail because she refused to issue gay marriage licenses.

172. “Federalizing” D.C.  —  Like any federal enclave, the federal government has plenary power over the District of Columbia.  But Congress has delegated most of that power to local officials; it would take new laws to undo that.  —  Welcome back to “One First,” a weekly newsletter that aims …