Trump’s takeover of Washington, DC: ‘Crazy as hell!’ and ‘Distraction from Epstein’

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August 19, 2025 • 45 mins

For the last week, countless videos have circulated online showing National Guard troops menacingly patrolling the streets of Washington, DC, and militarized police setting up traffic checkpoints, harassing residents in the streets, and violently clearing encampments of people experiencing homelessness. “The state of mind of DC citizens right now is that they're under a police state, mainly in the poor Black and Brown communities,” Mansa Musa, host of Rattling the Bars at TRNN and a DC native, reports. In this episode of Working People, we speak with Mansa about the authoritarian reality DC residents are experiencing right now, and we hear from a range of residents and organizers Mansa spoke with on the ground at the “Free DC” demonstration on Monday, August 11.

Additional links/info:

Rattling the Bars website and Bluesky page
Free DC Coalition website, Facebook page, and Instagram
Chris Cameron, The New York Times, “Trump’s DC police takeover and national guard deployment, explained”
Brian Mann, NPR, “Trump's purge of Washington's homeless encampments escalates”
Stephen Prager, Common Dreams, “Trump may 'fabricate a national emergency' to extend DC takeover without Congressional support”
Brad Reed, Common Dreams, “'We are fighting to stop it': DC Attorney General sues to block Trump takeover of City police”

Featured Music:

Jules Taylor, “Working People” Theme Song

Credits:

Studio Production: Cameron Granadino
Audio Post-Production: Jules Taylor

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.css-14f5ked{margin:0;word-break:break-word;display:-webkit-box;-webkit-box-orient:vertical;box-orient:vertical;-webkit-line-clamp:2;overflow:hidden;}Trump’s takeover of Washington, DC: ‘Crazy as hell!’ and ‘Distraction from Epstein’