Trump’s war on cities, briefly explained

This story appeared in The Logoff, a daily newsletter that helps you stay informed about the Trump administration without letting political news take over your life. Subscribe here. Welcome to The Logoff: The Trump administration is pushing harder to deploy National Guard troops to Portland, Oregon, and Chicago despite the protests of state and local leaders. What’s the latest? Up to 400 Texas National Guard troops are on their way to Chicago after a federal judge declined, for now, a request by the state of Illinois to block their deployment, which Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker described Monday as an “unconstitutional invasion.” They could arrive as soon as Tuesday or Wednesday. Also over the weekend, a federal judge in Oregon slapped down two efforts by President Donald Trump to send National Guard troops — first from Oregon and then from California — into Portland. Trump has falsely described the city as “war ravaged.” Why does Trump want to deploy troops? The administration has pointed to protests at ICE facilities in both Portland and Chicago as part of its rationale, though in terms that dramatically distort the actual impact of protests. Chicago, in particular, has faced a heavily militarized crackdown by federal immigration agents who have tear-gassed Chicagoans and arrested a city council member. What’s the context? In August, Trump deployed National Guard troops to Washington, DC, where they’ve had little to do besides some landscaping on National Park Service property. But Trump has suggested he has a darker vision for his troop deployments. “We should use some of these dangerous cities as training grounds for our military,” he told US military leadership last week. Why does this matter? Trump is trying to deploy soldiers into US cities to address a completely made-up set of facts, contrary to the wishes of those cities’ leaders. In the process, he’s recruiting red-state governors like Texas’s Greg Abbott to help him go after his opponents. And his administration’s rhetoric is getting increasingly histrionic. On Monday, White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller described anti-ICE protests in Portland as “the textbook definition of domestic terrorism.” And with that, it’s time to log off… This conversation on Vox’s The Gray Area between my colleague Sean Illing and neuroscientist Charan Ranganath about the nature of memory was a great listen. I hope you enjoy it, too, and we’ll see you back here tomorrow!