Welcome back to the City Journal podcast.

I'm your host, Charles Fane Lehman, senior editor of City Journal.

Joining me on the panel today are John Ketcham, responsible for all things cities at the Manhattan Institute.

Jesse Arm, responsible for all things external affairs. He's responsible to grow ever larger at the

Manhattan Institute. And Rina Mukherjee, responsible for all things ethnic politics at the

Manhattan Institute, which may I may not be external affairs. I don't know. It's a good question,

whether or not either of those things constitutes external affairs.

I want to bring us right into the news of the day. As we are recording this, so I'll disclaim for our listeners, we're recording this as Donald Trump, I believe, is in the process of doing a press conference on it. But the administration has been moving aggressively to crack down on what they perceive is a serious violent crime problem in the District of Columbia.

This was in part prompted by a vicious assault on a former Doge employee who is known for them under the moniker Big Balls.

This is prompted renewed calls from the folks on Capitol Hill and also in the White House to potentially end home rule in D.C., federalized D.C. And then also, over last night, the National Guard was deployed in the district.

So, you know, I think the GOP is looking to really make a show out of D.C. say, this is, you know, poorly

governed city. This is serious failures for urban governance.

I want to kick it to the group. What do we make of these developments? Does this make sense? What do we think the politics here? What do we think of, you know, the viability of this strategy? Maybe there's some other ways they could be thinking about this. It's a lot of questions, but I'll throw it out for discussion. I think it's all very good news.

I'm definitely excited about it.

I imagine Rayneways as well as DC residents, right?

Yeah, frequent. I'll throw it out for discussion. I think it's all very good news. I'm definitely excited about it.

I imagine Rainey is as well as DC residents, right?

Yeah, frequent D.C. person, D.C. resident.

No, Washington is, it would be really a misunderstanding to look at Washington, D.C.

as any other just large blue city in America.

D.C. exists because the Constitution created a federal district under Congress's

executive legislation in all cases whatsoever language.

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