Trump to seek death penalty in DC murder cases

President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that his administration will seek the death penalty in murder cases in Washington, D.C., framing the move as part of a broader crackdown on violent crime in the nation’s capital. Speaking at a Cabinet meeting at the White House, Trump said, "If somebody kills somebody in the capital, Washington, D.C., we’re going to be seeking the death penalty," and called capital punishment "a very strong preventative," while acknowledging the measure would be controversial. "I don’t know if we’re ready for it in this country, but we have it. We have no choice," he added.

The announcement comes amid an aggressive federal intervention in D.C. policing that began earlier this month, when the administration federalized the Metropolitan Police Department, deployed hundreds of National Guard members and sent additional federal law enforcement officers to the city. Administration officials and the U.S. attorney in Washington have said the stepped-up enforcement has produced hundreds of arrests and, as of late August, more than a week without a reported homicide. Local officials and some crime analysts dispute parts of that picture, noting that violent crime in...