INTERNACIONAL
Expert flips script on Dems pushing ‘cherry-picked’ crime stats to resist Trump’s DC crackdown
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Democrats across the country have been pushing back on President Trump’s D.C. crime crackdown, citing statistics purportedly showing that crime in the nation’s capital is down or even at historic lows, but an expert who spoke to Fox News Digital is pushing back on that narrative.
«These Democrats are citing statistics from the FBI, from its uniform crime report. And the problem with that is that they’re portraying it as if it’s a record of violent crime,» Jim Agresti, president of the nonprofit research institute Just Facts, told Fox News Digital shortly after Trump announced he was sending federal resources to the nation’s capital to confront crime in the city.
«But really what it is is a record of crimes that are reported to the police and then those of those crimes that get reported to the FBI. It’s not a full record of all violent crimes, and this is a problem. And the FBI is very explicit about this when they present the data in their formal report every year, where they say, ‘Do not directly compare the data from year to year because there are differences in how frequently people report crimes and how frequently the FBI gets that data from the local police agencies.’»
While many prominent Democrats, including Mayor Muriel Bowser, have insisted violent crime is at a 30-year low in the city, Agresti told Fox News Digital the «best way to understand the state of violent crime» in any jurisdiction is to look at the number of murders because it is a violent crime that is difficult to «sweep under the rug» because it «produces a dead body.»
WOMAN GUNNED DOWN IN ‘SAFE’ DC NEIGHBORHOOD AS TRUMP LAUNCHES FEDERAL POLICE TAKEOVER
Fox News Digital spoke to Just Facts President Jim Agresti about the crime situation in Washington, D.C. (Getty)
«When we look at the murder data for DC, we see that it is not a situation that is lower now than it’s been in the last 30 years. Quite the opposite,» Agresti explained. «It is currently 83% higher than it was at its low point a dozen years ago. So, there is a serious problem with serious crime, violent crime in D.C., and the city now, the nation’s capital, has a murder rate that is five times the U.S. average.»
The chances of a person facing a violent crime in Washington, D.C., have dropped in recent years, but the possibility of dying during such a crime has skyrocketed, data shows, Fox News Digital reported on Wednesday.
Lethality in D.C. jumped by a whopping 341% when compared to 2012 data, the study found, reporting that there were 13 homicides per 1,000 serious violent crimes in 2012 and 57 homicides per 1,000 serious violent crimes in 2024.
Agresti explained that while many people operate with the belief that crime spiked across the country during and because of COVID, the issue actually began getting worse specifically when the Black Lives Matter rioting erupted.
CAPITOL HILL STAFFER STABBED IN HEAD, CHEST WELCOMES TRUMP’S WASHINGTON, DC CRIME CRACKDOWN
Members of the National Guard monitor entries at the staging area of local and federal law enforcement agencies inside the U.S. Park Police Anacostia Operations Facility Aug. 12, 2025, in Washington, D.C. (Craig Hudson For The Washington Post via Getty Images)
«That makes a lot of sense,» Agresti said. «Police were vilified. They pulled back out of fear of being hurt. People were talking about defunding the police, and there was overall mayhem in this country. So, that rise, by the way, that people blame on COVID actually didn’t start with COVID, and it didn’t appear in other countries. It happened here where we had these BLM riots.»
Agresti told Fox News Digital there is a «clear connection» between crime in the United States and the «Defund the Police» movement and that most people don’t grasp the «full extent» of the crime problem in this country.
«We had roughly 17,000 murders last year,» Agresti explained. «Imagine if all of them made national news. At the current rate of murders in this county, roughly one in every 230 people in the United States will have their lives cut short by being murdered. That statistic is so unbelievable.»
In addition to the «staggering» facts about murder, Agresti said data compiled by Just Facts shows one in 10 women in the United States are raped in the course of their lives.
«Think about the horror of that, and beyond all this pain, suffering, death, there’s also a financial cost to crime,» Agresti said. «It’s been quantified in a 2021 academic paper, and, bottom line, crime in all of its forms, pain, death, suffering, financial loss, activities we take to prevent crime, they amount to a cost on our US economy of roughly $40,000 per U.S. household.»
Questions have also been raised about local crime stats from D.C. showing crime is down so far this year, with many pointing to news reports that a D.C. police commander was recently suspended for allegedly altering crime data.
Agresti said anyone can «cherry-pick» crime statistics to promote a specific agenda but that it is important to also realize that many crimes also go unreported due to various factors, including animosity toward police or the belief that calling the police won’t yield results.
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«The vast majority of crime goes unreported, and another phenomenon that’s really, really disturbing is the amount of crimes that are solved,» Agresti said. «It used to be in this country, in 1960, that 92% of all murders are solved. In 2023, that figure was down to 58%, meaning that 40-plus percent of people who committed murders got away with it, and they’re out there to commit them again.»
As of Thursday, 800 Trump-authorized National Guard troops were in Washington, D.C., supporting other federal law enforcement agencies with «monument security, community safety patrols, protecting federal facilities and officers, traffic control posts and area beautification,» according to the State Department.
President Donald Trump gestures in the State Dining Room of the White House Aug. 8, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)
Trump’s move to crack down on crime in the capital, which the White House says is happening at levels that dwarf capitals in other far more impoverished countries across the world, has sparked protests led by liberal activists and outrage from some elected Democrats, including House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries.
«When politicians are saying, ‘We don’t have to worry about this, it’s the lowest crime rate in 30 years,’ they are abdicating their responsibility,» Agresti told Fox News Digital.
«The Declaration of Independence said that governments are instituted to protect the rights of people, including their life, their liberty and the pursuit of happiness. What we have right now is many politicians and governments who are doing an extremely poor job of that, and the pain and suffering is unbelievable. It’s just so broad and so horrible.»
Fox News Digital’s Emma Colton contributed to this report
politics,washington dc,crime world,donald trump,police and law enforcement
INTERNACIONAL
EXCLUSIVE: Medicaid directs states to crack down on illegal immigrant enrollees with monthly checks
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FIRST ON FOX: The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) announced a new nationwide push to purge illegal immigrants from public health insurance programs on Tuesday.
Under the new initiative, CMS will issue monthly enrollment reports to states that identify any Medicaid or Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) enrollees whose citizenship or immigration status cannot be confirmed through federal databases. These databases will include the Social Security Administration and Department of Homeland Security’s Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements (SAVE) program, among others.
The first of those monthly reports was sent out Tuesday, CMS indicated in an announcement about the new initiative. Every single state will receive an individual report over the course of a month. Meanwhile, states will be expected to report back to CMS on the results of their verification reviews.
‘THAT ENDS NOW:’ WHITE HOUSE VOWS REMOVAL OF ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS FROM TAXPAYER BENEFITS
The Trump administration is expanding efforts to prevent illegal immigrants from obtaining public health benefits with a new initiative launched on Tuesday, Aug. 19, 2025. (Getty/iStock)
«We are tightening oversight of enrollment to safeguard taxpayer dollars and guarantee that these vital programs serve only those who are truly eligible under the law,» Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said Tuesday.
«Every dollar misspent is a dollar taken away from an eligible, vulnerable individual in need of Medicaid and CHIP,» added CMS Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz. «This action underscores our unwavering commitment to program integrity, safeguarding taxpayer dollars, and ensuring benefits are strictly reserved for those eligible under the law.»
Since President Donald Trump began his second term, the GOP president has taken several steps to ensure non-citizens are not accessing public benefits that are supposed to be reserved for American citizens.
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., accompanied by Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Marty Makary (R), speaks during a news conference at the Health and Human Services Department on April 22, 2025, in Washington, D.C. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)
One of the first steps the second Trump administration took was an executive order issued by the president in February. The order directed federal agencies to identify programs currently allowing illegal immigrants to receive federal benefits and take necessary action to ensure non-residents are not obtaining taxpayer-funded benefits in violation of a law passed in 1996 called the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act.
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Several weeks later, the Department of Health and Human Services indicated it was widening the list of federal government-operated programs deemed to be public benefits. The move increased the number of programs from 31 to 44.
Meanwhile, provisions in the highly contentious Republican spending package passed last month added new statutory obligations requiring states to more frequently check the eligibility of Medicaid enrollees at least twice per year.
Earlier this month, a judge told Trump’s Health and Human Services Department to stop sharing enrollee information with immigration authorities, after the administration began sharing this information to help Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) with their deportation efforts.
Immigrants line up at a remote U.S. Border Patrol processing center after crossing the U.S.-Mexico border on Dec. 7, 2023, in Lukeville, Arizona. A Department of Homeland Security Threat Assessment warned of migrants with ties to terrorism exploiting the border crisis. (John Moore/Getty Images)
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A coalition of more than 20 Democratic attorneys general, led by New York AG Letitia James, are suing the Trump administration over its new policies that require verification of immigrant status for participation in federally-funded programs.
«For decades, states like New York have built health, education, and family support systems that serve anyone in need,» James said last month. «These programs work because they are open, accessible, and grounded in compassion. Now, the federal government is pulling that foundation out from under us overnight, jeopardizing cancer screenings, early childhood education, primary care, and so much more. This is a baseless attack on some of our country’s most effective and inclusive public programs, and we will not let it stand.»
health,health care senate,illegal immigrants,health care healthy living,robert f kennedy jr,immigration
INTERNACIONAL
Kim Jong Un calls for rapid ‘upgrade’ to nuclear arsenal amid claims the US is trying to ‘provoke war’
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North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un called for the rapid buildup of his nation’s nuclear arsenal on Tuesday, reacting to joint military operations by the U.S. and South Korea.
Kim called the military exercises an «obvious expression of their will to provoke war,» according to North Korean state media. The U.S. and South Korea began their annual military drills, dubbed Ulchi Freedom Shield, this week and operations will continue sporadically through September.
The North Korean leader argued the drills show the intent by the U.S. and South Korea to «remain most hostile and confrontational,» and that North Korea must therefore «rapidly expand» its nuclear arsenal.
«Through this move, North Korea is demonstrating its refusal to accept denuclearization and the will to irreversibly upgrade nuclear weapons,» Hong Min, a North Korea analyst at the Korea Institute for National Unification, told Reuters.
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North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un called on his country to «rapidly expand» its nuclear arsenal. (STR/AFP via Getty Images)
The rise in tensions comes just days after South Korean President Lee Jae Myung announced plans to end some military activities along its border with North Korea, as well as restore a 2018 military agreement with its neighbor.
WHITE HOUSE RESPONDS TO ‘ROCKET MAN’ AND NORTH KOREA’S THREATS OVER DENUCLEARIZATION
The agreement ended some military activities at the border between the two countries, including creating buffer zones on land and sea and no-fly zones above the border to prevent fighting. It also ended military drills near the border and removed some guard posts along the Demilitarized Zone.
South Korean President Lee Jae Myung says his government is taking «gradual steps» to reduce tensions with North Korea. (AP)
The deal was signed at an inter-Korean summit in 2018, but it eventually fell apart as cross-border tensions ensued.
NORTH KOREAN AVOIDS LAND MINES TO CROSS DMZ INTO SOUTH KOREA AS SEOUL SOFTENS STANCE ON PYONGYANG
South Korea also dismantled its speakers along the border that had broadcast anti-North Korea messaging for years, a move Pyongyang reciprocated.
Col. Lee Sung-jun, left, public affairs director of South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff, and Col. Ryan Donald, public affairs director of the United Nations Command, attend the press briefing for the Ulchi Freedom Shield exercise at the Defense Ministry on Aug. 7, 2025, in Seoul, South Korea. (Chung Sung-Jun/Getty Images)
Lee said his government would continue to make «gradual steps to restore the September 19 Military Agreement.»
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«I hope that North Korea will reciprocate our efforts to restore trust and revive dialogue,» he added.
Reuters contributed to this report.
north korea,kim jong un
INTERNACIONAL
Donald Trump asegura que ayudará a defender a Ucrania, pero que no enviará tropas de Estados Unidos
Un día después del histórico encuentro multilateral en la Casa Blanca con el presidente ucraniano Volodimir Zelenski y los principales líderes europeos, Donald Trump dijo este martes en una entrevista televisiva que Estados Unidos ayudará a defender a Ucrania después de su guerra con Rusia, pero que no habrá tropas estadounidenses en el terreno.
En diálogo con Fox News, Trump dijo que Ucrania y los europeos «tienen mi seguridad». Si bien el republicano había afirmado en el marco de las reuniones del lunes que Estados Unidos estaría «involucrado» en las garantías de seguridad para Ucrania después de la guerra, no había dado demasiado detalles y ahora agregó un poco más de claridad.
«Cuando se trata de seguridad, están dispuestos a poner a la gente en el terreno», dijo Trump, refiriéndose a las naciones europeas. «Estamos dispuestos a ayudarlos con las cosas, especialmente probablemente … por aire porque no hay nadie que tenga el tipo de cosas que tenemos nosotros», dijo el presidente.
Su respuesta parece indicar que Europa podría enviar fuerzas terrestres a Ucrania, mientras que EE.UU. podría dar apoyo desde el aire, sin involucrarse en el terreno. El lunes había dicho que las garantías de seguridad “serían proporcionadas por los diversos países europeos” y que EE.UU. podría tener un rol de “coordinación” de fuerzas.
El tema de las garantías de seguridad para Ucrania para que no vuelva a suceder otra invasión rusa, y la posible participación de Estados Unidos en ellas es un punto de fricción en las negociaciones de entre Ucrania y Rusia.
En la cumbre el lunes, Trump se mostró abierto a que Estados Unidos tenga un papel en el mantenimiento de la paz en Ucrania y eso alentó a los líderes europeos que considera a las garantías de seguridad un requisito vital para un acuerdo de paz con el Kremlin.
Pero el apoyo de EE.UU. al deseo de Europa podría complicar las negociaciones con Rusia, que ha pasado años trabajando para contrarrestar el mayor apoyo militar a Ucrania por parte de sus aliados.
Trump restó importancia a cualquier tensión sobre el acuerdo en la entrevista con Fox, diciendo que no creía que fuera un «problema».
Al mismo tiempo, Trump reiteró que se oponía a otorgar a Ucrania la membresía en la OTAN, y los beneficios de defensa colectiva que conlleva, un reclamo importante de los líderes europeos y que Putin rechaza de plano.
El artículo 5 de la alianza dice que un ataque armado contra uno de sus miembros se considera un ataque contra todos ellos. El canciller alemán Friedrich Merz le planteó directamente la importancia de este artículo ante la prensa poco antes de la reunión del lunes. Porque no se trata solo de la seguridad de Ucrania sino de la seguridad de toda Europa, consideran.
«¿Quién querría eso?», dijo Trump sobre la posibilidad del ingreso de Ucrania a la OTAN. «Si fueras Rusia, ¿quién querría tener a tu enemigo, a tu oponente, sentado en tu frontera?»
Trump confirmó que hacia el final de sus reuniones con los líderes europeos salió un momento del salón para llamar al presidente ruso Vladimir Putin para actualizarlo sobre sus conversaciones de paz y proponer una reunión entre Putin y Zelenski.
Trump dijo que cree que tal reunión se ha vuelto posible porque los dos líderes en tiempos de guerra quizás «se llevan un poco mejor de lo que pensaba».
Si bien Trump dijo que Putin tomó su llamada «muy felizmente», no explicó qué tan dispuesto estaba el ruso a reunirse con Zelenski. El Kremlin dijo este martes que aceptaba la propuesta, pero pidió que la cumbre se hiciera en Moscú, algo que por supuesto Zelenski no acepta.
«Se necesitan, en este caso, dos para bailar el tango», dijo Trump. «Tienen que tener algo de relación. De lo contrario, solo estamos perdiendo mucho tiempo. No quiero hacer eso». Trump dijo que Estados Unidos «se enteraría» de la voluntad de Putin de poner fin a la guerra en los próximos días, pero dijo que Zelenski también «tiene que mostrar cierta flexibilidad».
En otro tramo de la entrevista, Trump manifestó su deseo de terminar la guerra no solo para salvar vidas sino para ganarse “el cielo”.
“Si puedo salvar a 7.000 personas a la semana de ser asesinadas… Creo que eso es bonito, quiero intentar llegar al cielo si es posible, estoy escuchando que no lo estoy haciendo bien. Escuché que realmente estoy en la parte inferior del tótem. Pero si puedo llegar al cielo, esta será una de las razones”, dijo sonriente.
Una de las promesas de campaña de Trump fue negociar la paz entre Rusia y Ucrania y en apenas 24 horas poner fin a la guerra que comenzó hace más de tres años y medio cuando Rusia invadió Ucrania. Pasaron 6 meses y aún no lo ha logrado, pero sigue intentando.
Trump ha declarado varias veces que le gustaría ganar el premio Nobel de la Paz y cree que se lo merece por sus esfuerzos para ayudar a aliviar la tensión entre varios países.
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