Since President Trump seized D.C.'s police force, the department has referred arrest inquiries to the White House, top aide Stephen Miller has been spotted at police headquarters, and questions over its leadership have swirled.

Why it matters: It's very unclear who's in charge.

State of play: D.C. leaders say they are. "Chief [Pamela] Smith is leading MPD," mayoral spokesperson Daniel Gleick told Axios.

• That comes after D.C. sued the Trump administration last week, and U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi backed off her attempt to give Terry Cole, the administrator of the DEA, authority over the Metropolitan Police Department. Cole is now a liaison who delivers requests to MPD.
• This week, Mayor Muriel Bowser said she met with federal officers, alongside Cole and Miller, to support their mission, listening to their concerns and offering "ways that I can support them as their big boss."
• As the big boss, Bowser calls it a "federal surge" — not a "federal takeover."

Yes, but: The chain of command is murky.

What we don't know: Can Smith say no to Bondi and Cole?

• One big test: Bondi announced a "directive" last Friday that D.C. must cooperate fully with federal authorities on immigration enforcement, "regardless of any policies MPD might otherwise have."
• In plain terms: Toss your sanctuary city policies immediately, arrest undocumented immigrants alongside federal agents and share immigration status information with ICE. All actions the city has previously prohibited.
• Bowser's office declined to say whether MPD is following Bondi's order.

That begs other questions: Is Bowser in insubordination, actively defying Bondi? And what might the feds do about it?

• Or is she quietly ignoring Bondi's order, hoping a judge ends up striking it?
• The Bowser administration is waiting on U.S. District Judge Ana Reyes to set another date about the immigration question.

Between the lines: D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb argued in court last week that the president cannot "command the police force himself," only request its services.

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President Trump visited U.S. Park Police headquarters in Anacostia last night to thank National Guard members and law enforcement officers for their help during his crackdown on D.C. crime.

State of play: Trump suggested that D.C.'s police takeover could be modeled in other cities, and talked about his plans to beautify D.C.

• "One of the things we're going to be redoing is your parks. I'm very good at grass because they have a lot of golf courses all over the place," said Trump. "And we're going to be re-grassing all of your parks, all brand new sprinkler systems, the best that you can buy, just like Augusta."
• The crowd gathered, then ate Wise Guys pizza and hamburgers from the White House.

Signs of pushback to Trump's D.C. takeover are showing up citywide — from "Free DC" whistles at MLK Library to Banksy-style murals in Adams Morgan.

The latest craze: Sub-versive sandwich merch from Etsy printmaker Lorraine Hu.

• The design nods to the D.C. flag and "sandwich guy" — the now-ex DOJ staffer who launched a Subway hoagie at a federal officer and became a hero of the resistance.

Zoom in: Hu, a hobbyist with a nonprofit day job, has sold over 450 T-shirts, totes, and pins since last weekend on her Etsy shop.

• She's donating all proceeds — now over $4,300 — to organizations working with vulnerable D.C. communities, including Miriam's Kitchen, Ayuda and D.C. Migrant Mutual Aid Network.

Zoom out: It started as a joke — she doodled the design and put it on the D.C. Reddit channel.

• Strangers began reaching out. A pin-maker in New York is helping fill orders. Customers keep coming (most items are sold out or on pre-order).

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The Kennedy Center cut its dance programming team yesterday. An announcement about its "new direction" is coming soon, per a spokesperson. KenCen also removed an art installation called "China Red," a cultural piece, without explanation. (Washington Post)

💰 ICE wants to spend over $2 million on a fleet of SUVs that will be deployed in D.C. as part of the crime crackdown. The cars will have custom, gold-detailed wrapping that reads "DEFEND THE HOMELAND." (Washington Post)

⏸️ The White House is indefinitely pausing tours ahead of construction on President Trump's ballroom, which will likely start next month and cost $200 million. The project is slated to debut in 2029. (NBC4)

🍽️ Washington's restaurant association extended Summer Restaurant Week through Aug. 31, with over 120 spots of the record-breaking 380 participating. Business traffic has been reportedly slow through the federal crackdown. The last time a restaurant week was extended was last winter due to extreme weather.

🗓️ Mark your calendar with our Event Board.

Family Game Night at sweetFrog on Aug 21: Hop in on the third Thursday of each month for family game night with board games, dominoes, and cards. $23.

Hosting an event? Email [email protected].

DMV residents dodged a big tax hike when Congress passed the "big, beautiful bill," making permanent the tax cuts of President Trump's first term — and adding on a bunch more.

Why it matters: Tax cuts free up money for folks to spend on other things — which could be dearly needed next year if wages still haven't caught up with inflation and tariffs threaten to push costs higher.

By the numbers: District residents will see a federal tax cut of $4,922 in 2026 thanks to the bill, per an analysis from the Tax Foundation, a nonpartisan research group that mostly supports lower taxes.

• In NoVa, Falls Church residents will see the biggest cuts ($7,107), followed by Fairfax County ($5,699), Loudoun County ($5,317), Arlington County ($5,086) and Alexandria ($4,440).
• In the Maryland 'burbs, Montgomery County ($4,589) will see higher cuts than Prince George's County ($1,706).

Zoom out: The average American will receive a cut of $3,752.

How it works: The map above compares the tax rate in 2026 with what it would've been had the big bill not passed and the 2017 tax cuts expired.

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