Welcome to the beat, everyone. I'm Ari Melbert, and we are covering Donald Trump's efforts to test or abuse federal powers.

He made an unusual address to American soldiers overseas. You may recall the many lectures that have been delivered by politicians, often in the Republican Party, about how politics must stop at the water's edge.

Take a listen to yourself about how the president sounded discussing things like his politicized

crackdown on what he says are the problems that are only in certain places, basically

cities run by the opposition party. He has less time and apparently interest in fighting crime and places that

happen to be controlled by his fellow Republicans. And then in this, again, unusual address to

troops overseas, he issued a type of warning. We can't have cities that are troubled. And we're sending

in our National Guard. and if we need more

than the National Guard, we'll send more than the National Guard because we're going to have

safe cities. Safe cities, of course, again, the context is the evidence, not just what politicians

say, but what they do. And this politician, who is running the United States, has been using

this type of force only in places run by the opposition party, which is why it has looked so

political. Then you hear the words, quote, more than the National Guard. Well, there ain't a lot more

than that other than soldiers or tanks or military powers. We don't want to speculate, but we are covering the president saying this not in a random

musing or even one of his online posts, but to a group of assembled soldiers.

There are reports that Trump wants to take more political and personal control over aspects of federal force that aren't usually done this way.

He may have lawful authority to do that, but it's at least, again, unusual going at the regional leadership of ICE and border patrol

and looking for those who would go into those spots and be more aggressive in their approach.

A DHS veteran or official that telling us that the mentality is they do what they're told,

and the administration thinks ICE isn't getting the job done.

So they will do it.

Now, again, there is what is allowed and then there is what is good policy or not.

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