# Martial Law in Today's America - daily report **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Tags:** trump\ **Created:** [August 14, 2025, 2:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/martial-law-in-todays-america-daily-report/1022021 "2025-08-14T02:43:23Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 14
**Author:** ![icon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/c6cbf5/32.png) [@icon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/icon)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2026, 1:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/martial-law-in-todays-america-daily-report/1022021/261 "2026-02-13T01:38:43Z")
Are you sure? Because I think I spotted them in City Hall when they went there to arrest Jake and Elwood. Which was unfair since they were on a mission from god! `//i\\` ---
**Author:** ![bobot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bobot/32/21622_2.png) [@bobot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobot)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2026, 2:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/martial-law-in-todays-america-daily-report/1022021/262 "2026-02-13T02:07:40Z")
Would you believe that Elwood is just south of a town called Joliet? ---
**Author:** ![Euphonious\_Polemic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/euphonious_polemic/32/3002_2.png) [@Euphonious\_Polemic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Euphonious_Polemic)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2026, 2:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/martial-law-in-todays-america-daily-report/1022021/263 "2026-02-13T02:08:19Z")
> [@Monty](#): > > Those deployments cost nearly half a billion dollars, according to the Congressional Budget Office. DOGE should look into that. ---
**Author:** ![Monty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/monty/32/47_2.png) [@Monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monty)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2026, 2:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/martial-law-in-todays-america-daily-report/1022021/264 "2026-02-16T02:33:53Z")
[I guess this is one way to observe _Mardi Gras_.](https://www.military.com/daily-news/investigations-and-features/2026/02/10/national-guard-soldier-left-m4-carbine-french-quarter-bathroom-during-mardi-gras-patrol.html?ESRC=dod_260213.nl&utm_medium=email&utm_source=dod&utm_campaign=20260213) > [@](#): > > A Louisiana National Guard soldier left his service rifle unattended in the bathroom of a Bourbon Street hotel Sunday night while on patrol in the French Quarter. > > The soldier walked into the Lafitte Hotel at 1003 Bourbon Street to use the restroom and left behind his M4 carbine, which was found propped against a sink by a customer who entered after him, according to [Nola.com](https://www.nola.com/news/national-guard-leave-gun-bathroom/article_2e78176f-5a8e-4b18-8a43-99cf1684d914.html). A photo of the weapon spread quickly on social media and drew thousands of reactions. > > Lt. Col. Noel Collins, a Louisiana National Guard spokesperson, confirmed the incident in a statement. ---
**Author:** ![Mundane\_Super\_Hero](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mundane_super_hero/32/6304_2.png) [@Mundane\_Super\_Hero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mundane_Super_Hero)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2026, 3:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/martial-law-in-todays-america-daily-report/1022021/265 "2026-02-16T03:19:21Z")
> [@bobot](#): > > Would you believe that Elwood is just south of a town called Joliet? I always thought that he escaped, stowed away on a ship heading North on Lake Michigan, and jumped ship when he got close to the Canadian side. I can’t prove it, but there has been an uptick in Blues Music restaurants in the [Ontario Area](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9DgFOsEs-kE&list=RD9DgFOsEs-kE&start_radio=1). “No, Ma’m… we just make and sell wine here. The band in the tasting room is just for… atmosphere.” ---
**Author:** ![Monty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/monty/32/47_2.png) [@Monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monty)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2026, 12:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/martial-law-in-todays-america-daily-report/1022021/266 "2026-05-24T00:09:00Z")
[Apparently the felon’s military dictatorship in the nation’s capital isn’t working all that well.](https://www.aol.com/articles/white-house-locked-down-reports-230032442.html) > [@](#): > > Gunfire was heard near the White House on the evening of Saturday, May 23, triggering a lockdown and a rapid response from the U.S. Secret Service, according to reports from [CNN](https://www.cnn.com/2026/05/23/politics/white-house-area-gunshots) and [ABC News](https://abcnews.com/US/white-house-lawn-cleared-after-apparent-gunshots/story?id=133257965). > > CNN reporters on the scene said they heard what appeared to be dozens of gunshots near the White House complex. A Secret Service official told CNN the agency was investigating reports of shots fired near the corner of 17th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue Northwest, just outside the White House grounds. > > Members of the press corps gathered on the North Lawn were rushed inside, with reporters directed into the White House briefing room as Secret Service agents shouted “get down” and warned of “shots fired,” according to CNN. One reporter said the sounds appeared to come from the side of the complex near the Eisenhower Executive Office Building. > > Secret Service agents carrying rifles were seen moving through the North Lawn area following the incident and blocking access near the briefing room, CNN reported. ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2026, 12:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/martial-law-in-todays-america-daily-report/1022021/267 "2026-05-24T00:31:33Z")
There are over 400 reader comments at WaPo on this story, and the great majority are skeptical about this. Gee, I wonder why. 🤔 I guess we won’t believe these shootings are legit until we see Donnie lying in state at Mar-a-Lago. 'Nuff said. ETA: Okay. For reals. One person killed (not trump). > # One Killed in Exchange of Gunfire With Secret Service Near White House > > A gunman who opened fire near the White House was killed and another person wounded by shots fired from federal officers. President Trump was in the White House at the time. > > [https://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/23/us/politics/white-house-shooting.html?unlocked\_article\_code=1.k1A.Pu\_q.bwHHhMFB2YvZ&smid=url-share](https://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/23/us/politics/white-house-shooting.html?unlocked_article_code=1.k1A.Pu_q.bwHHhMFB2YvZ&smid=url-share) ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2026, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/martial-law-in-todays-america-daily-report/1022021/268 "2026-05-24T16:33:58Z")
I’m more concerened about Trumps Brown Shirts (ICE). And If he can pay off the inserectionists, I supose they will be some sort of hap hazard Gestapo. ---
**Author:** ![Monty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/monty/32/47_2.png) [@Monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monty)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2026, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/martial-law-in-todays-america-daily-report/1022021/269 "2026-06-26T21:58:25Z")
[DC government settles with protestor.](https://www.yahoo.com/news/politics/articles/dc-reaches-court-settlement-man-170236142.html) > [@](#): > > WASHINGTON (AP) — The District of Columbia has reached a [settlement agreement](https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.dcd.286143/gov.uscourts.dcd.286143.27.0.pdf) for an undisclosed amount of money with a resident who claims police illegally detained him for following an Ohio National Guard patrol while playing Darth Vader’s theme song from “Star Wars” on his phone — an [act of protest](https://apnews.com/article/darth-vader-theme-song-national-guard-protest-2d9b35359504252004ddced67ccf9a86) against the Trump administration’s federal law-enforcement surge in the nation’s capital. > > A court filing late Thursday says the plaintiff, Sam O’Hara, will drop his lawsuit’s claims against the district and four Metropolitan Police Department officers within three business days of receiving the settlement payment. The filing doesn’t specify a dollar amount for the deal between the district and O’Hara, who is represented by the American Civil Liberties Union of the District of Columbia. > > In an email on Friday, an ACLU spokesperson referred to the settlement’s financial terms as “a significant amount” that O’Hara “is pleased with” but said they aren’t disclosing the dollar figure to protect his privacy. A spokesperson for D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb’s office declined to comment on the settlement. ---
**Author:** ![Eric1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/3bc359/32.png) [@Eric1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eric1)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2026, 6:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/martial-law-in-todays-america-daily-report/1022021/270 "2026-06-27T06:49:43Z")
I’m happy for Sam O’Hara. The protest seemed like a peaceful little parody to express outrage. I’m more into silently holding a sign across from the ICE building but it seems like both are in the place of free speech. ---
**Author:** ![Monty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/monty/32/47_2.png) [@Monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monty)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2026, 5:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/martial-law-in-todays-america-daily-report/1022021/271 "2026-07-09T05:19:04Z")
[Just in time for Independence Day, _MORE_ martial law.](https://www.yahoo.com/news/politics/articles/us--dc-national-guard-193750478.html) > [@](#): > > WASHINGTON (AP) — A [National Guard deployment](https://apnews.com/article/national-guard-surge-washington-dc-trump-7db1c795056a51c9fdc2d9c7f4c2147c) to the nation’s capital has ballooned during the celebrations of the country’s 250th anniversary of independence, bolstered in part by contingents from Democratic-led states. > > That participation has sparked anger among some in Washington who say the troops are not just there to [assist in securing the festivities](https://apnews.com/article/america-250-washington-trump-july-4-83af0834a23ba5c9962fe2fabe3b469b) but are being drawn into the Trump administration’s ongoing, open-ended Guard deployment to the city. > > A contingent from Minnesota sent for the 250th is set to depart early. On Tuesday, a coalition of think tanks and civic, labor and civil rights groups asked Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer to withdraw the state’s National Guard forces, saying they have been misused. > > “Previous presidents have requested assistance from out-of-state Guard forces during major events in D.C., and such requests would normally give little cause for concern,” the groups said in a letter. “But there is nothing normal about the way President (Donald) Trump has used National Guard forces in the nation’s capital.” Check out the number of troops. > [@](#): > > While the deployment stayed consistently in the 2,300 to 2,600 range, in recent weeks the numbers increased to around 5,000 as part of the security plan for the Great American State Fair, the fireworks display on July 4 and other crowd-intensive events. The ~~Dictatorship~~ [District of Columbia’s estimated population is 693,645](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Washington%2C_D.C.). That means the level of troop deployment matches almost one out of one hundred residents. I did some web surfing looking for the optimal number of cops to citizenry. The numbers ranged from 1 to 3 per 1000. That means martial law in DC now has ten times the number of law enforcement than needed. ---
**Author:** ![Monty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/monty/32/47_2.png) [@Monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monty)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2026, 12:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/martial-law-in-todays-america-daily-report/1022021/272 "2026-07-19T00:46:35Z")
[Here is the latest news from the front in what used to be a gleaming beacon of democracy.](https://www.yahoo.com/news/us/articles/national-guard-deployment-dc-residents-100001377.html) > [@](#): > > Every night as dusk settles in Lincoln Park, the sound of spoons and ladles banging metal pots and pans fills the air for five minutes straight, followed by the chant “We’ll be back.” > > This nightly ritual is known as a _cacerolazo_, a form of resistance that dates back to the 1830s, from France to Latin America. Residents all over Washington DC have been participating in it almost every night for nearly a year, starting when [Donald Trump](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/donaldtrump) deployed thousands of national guard troops to the city. > > “As long as they’re going to be here, I’m going to be here,” said Chris Salm, a resident in the area. “We need to show some resistance to what’s happening to our city.” > > Their protests are some of the few in a city that has otherwise become uncomfortably accustomed to the troops in their camouflage fatigues and gun holsters patrolling neighborhoods as part of [a presidential executive order](https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/08/restoring-law-and-order-in-the-district-of-columbia/) declaring a crime emergency last August. This week, that order was extended through January 2029, when Trump leaves the White House. But many DC residents believe this deployment of federal law enforcement hasn’t helped the city at all, and in fact has made some situations more unsafe, and new research supports their concerns. > > “It’s a city under siege,” said Mike Licht, who has been living in his DC neighborhood for 40 years. “I’ve seen some changes, but this is the most disturbing one. Armed troops aimlessly walking our streets, they’ve got nothing to do, they’re bored,” he said. _More at the link._ ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2026, 5:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/martial-law-in-todays-america-daily-report/1022021/273 "2026-07-19T05:24:18Z")
I feel bad for the residents of DC, but I’m relieved that his despot cosplay can be contained to a relatively small area. ---
**Author:** ![Monty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/monty/32/47_2.png) [@Monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monty)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2026, 5:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/martial-law-in-todays-america-daily-report/1022021/274 "2026-07-19T05:26:01Z")
But it’s not. It’s also in Tennessee, etc. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2026, 5:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/martial-law-in-todays-america-daily-report/1022021/275 "2026-07-19T05:26:32Z")
Not to nearly the same extent as I understand it. ---
**Author:** ![Monty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/monty/32/47_2.png) [@Monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monty)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2026, 1:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/martial-law-in-todays-america-daily-report/1022021/276 "2026-08-01T01:06:23Z")
[Retired US Army Captain Sues National Guard after Assault in the Dictatorship of Columbia.](https://www.yahoo.com/news/us/articles/decorated-army-vet-files-3m-200743392.html) > [@](#): > > National Guard members[shoved a retired Army captain](https://www.nbcwashington.com/news/local/veteran-suing-idaho-national-guard-for-3m-says-she-was-assaulted-during-arrest-in-dc/4136418/?amp=1) to the pavement in violent retaliation for her opposition to their deployment in Washington, D.C., the decorated soldier said in a multimillion-dollar administrative claim filed this week. > > The confrontation unfolded May 8 in front of the home of retired Capt. Anna King, on New York Avenue NW in the district, she said in her claim filed against the Defense Department on Tuesday. > > King, 44, was sitting on a bench outside her home at about 7:05 p.m. when “three National Guardsmen walked through the gate and announced they were” apprehending her, though they “did not have a warrant and did not explain the basis for” detaining her, according to the complaint made against the Idaho National Guard. > > The guard members “grabbed her arms and back and shoved her toward the concrete patio” before two of them “pressed their weight down on her and cuffed her wrists behind her back, extraordinarily tightly, with plastic handcuffs,” King’s legal team wrote. > > “Ms. King repeatedly screamed in pain, but the Guardsmen continued to hold her down and did nothing to help her. One Guardsmen pressed his knee into her back and pulled her arms upward, increasing the pain,” according to the injury claim seeking $3 million. ---
**Author:** ![RitterSport](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rittersport/32/6326_2.png) [@RitterSport](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RitterSport)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2026, 11:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/martial-law-in-todays-america-daily-report/1022021/277 "2026-08-01T11:12:54Z")
Jesus. Apparently, she had been calling for DC Guard troops to leave, so that’s why that had to rough her up, I guess. Martial law indeed. ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2026, 1:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/martial-law-in-todays-america-daily-report/1022021/278 "2026-08-01T13:00:17Z")
My Wife and I target shoot twice a month. This is where we are now. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Bredin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/96bed5/32.png) [@John\_Bredin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Bredin)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2026, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/martial-law-in-todays-america-daily-report/1022021/279 "2026-08-04T17:37:28Z")
I would have thought some of the National Guard troops would actually be receptive to that message, as it’s my understanding that some troops have been posted in D.C. for over a year. Receiving military pay instead of their civilian salaries, not seeing any actual unrest on D.C. streets to justify their deployment. ---
**Author:** ![Monty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/monty/32/47_2.png) [@Monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monty)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2026, 4:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/martial-law-in-todays-america-daily-report/1022021/280 "2026-08-20T04:42:56Z")
[The troops aren’t doing a blame thing to stop crime in the Dictatorship of Columbia.](https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/trump-put-thousands-of-soldiers-on-washingtons-streets-they-seldom-stop-crime-100309325.html) > [@](#): > > WASHINGTON, Aug 19 (Reuters) - Well past midnight one day this spring, three police officers pulled up to a nightclub where a man was stomping on a young woman lying on the sidewalk. > > The officers stopped the attack and arrested him, according to a police report. It was the kind of assault police might encounter on almost any night in almost any city. > > But one detail stood out to police officer Xavier Jimenez, who wrote the report: “There was approximately 15 national guard members in the area on routine patrol who did not take any action.” > > President Donald Trump deployed thousands of National Guard troops to Washington last summer as the centerpiece of what he describes ‌as a no-holds-barred effort to combat crime, especially in cities run by Democrats. Every day, small clots of soldiers in camouflage and body armor patrol tourist-heavy areas of the U.S. capital, including national monuments, subway stations and the area around its professional baseball park. > > What the soldiers seldom do, Reuters found, is fight crime. For more dystopian non-fiction, read the rest of the article. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/martial-law-in-todays-america-daily-report/1022021.md?page=13) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/martial-law-in-todays-america-daily-report/1022021.md?page=15)