The Morning Sixpack - August 13, 2025

Trump seizes DC & taps partisan hack for BLS, SCOTUS eyes Voting Rights & same-sex marriage, Europe warns Trump on Putin, plus August’s 6-planet parade

Trump Sends National Guard to D.C.—But the Numbers Tell a Different Story

Armored vehicles rolled into Washington D.C. this week, not because crime is spiraling out of control—but because Donald Trump says it is.

The president has deployed 800 National Guard troops and 500 federal agents to the capital, taking over local policing in what Mayor Muriel Bowser calls an “authoritarian push.” Trump insists violent crime is climbing, but official MPD stats say otherwise—violent offenses in D.C. are down 26% compared to this time last year, hitting a 30-year low in 2024 and continuing to fall in 2025.

Troops have been spotted at tourist sites, building barricades, and even posing for selfies. Federal agents wasted no time making 23 arrests for charges ranging from homicide to reckless driving. “This is only the beginning,” declared White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt, promising a month-long crackdown on “every violent criminal in the District.”

Even with the federal surge, D.C.’s own leadership is split on Trump’s move. Bowser, after meeting with Attorney General Pam Bondi, said she’d work with the extra officers but doubled down at a town hall, urging residents to “protect our autonomy” and vote for a Democratic House. Police Chief Pamela Smith, meanwhile, said she welcomed the influx to get illegal guns off the streets.

Not everyone trusts the falling crime stats. The D.C. Police Union accuses city leaders of cooking the books, claiming residents are still suffering. FBI data also shows a smaller drop in crime—about 9% last year—and the city’s homicide rate remains higher than the average for major U.S. cities. And while the overall trend is downward, the city’s 100th homicide of the year—just a mile from the White House—shows that crime isn’t vanishing anytime soon.

Whether this is a genuine safety operation or a made-for-TV political stunt depends on which set of “facts” you believe. Either way, D.C. now has Humvees parked next to hot dog carts.

Source: BBC News

More: White House to Vet Smithsonian Museums to Fit Trump’s Historical Vision (gift article)

Nothing says “welcome to our nation’s capital” quite like getting frisked between buying a pretzel and taking a monument selfie.

I am SO GLAD that I took a vacation in Washington, D.C., last year when Trump wasn’t POTUS. It was the best vacation I’d ever had. The city is beautiful, we didn’t get beat up or robbed, and the Smithsonian Museums (all of them) were FASCINATING! I could have spent an entire month there and never tire or get bored. Now, I doubt I’ll ever go back. Trump has fucked up everything. #ETTD

Europe Scrambles to Stop Trump From Cutting Ukraine Out of Putin Deal

European leaders are in last-minute damage control, urging Donald Trump not to hand Vladimir Putin a win by sidelining Ukraine in an upcoming Alaska summit.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will join a call with Trump today, but he hasn’t been invited to Friday’s face-to-face between Trump and Putin. That’s the problem—Trump has floated the idea of ceding Ukrainian territory to Moscow, a move Zelenskyy warns would be a launchpad for an even bigger war. “Giving Russia land now just means giving them more room to attack later,” he’s argued.

The White House is playing expectations down, branding the Putin meeting as a “listening exercise” for Trump. Zelenskyy, however, plans to lay out his must-haves: A durable ceasefire, real security guarantees, and billions in reparations from Russia. Politico reports he’ll stress that without these, any “peace” deal is just a pause before the next invasion.

European capitals are clearly alarmed. Leaders fear Trump’s eagerness to “end the war” could translate into a photo-op deal that fractures Western unity and leaves Kyiv defenseless. Their hope is to box Trump in with commitments that prevent him from making concessions without Ukraine’s buy-in.

But if history is any guide, Trump doesn’t like being boxed in—unless it’s a gold-plated, Trump-branded box with his name in giant letters. With Putin already holding the upper hand in the optics game, this summit could turn into exactly the kind of one-sided “deal” Moscow has been angling for.

Source: Semafor

If Trump thinks “Art of the Deal” applies to war zones, he’s about to learn that Putin doesn’t do two-for-one specials.

Trump Picks Loyalist E.J. Antoni to Lead Nation’s Jobs Data—Experience Optional

Donald Trump has nominated a partisan ally with virtually no research track record to run the Bureau of Labor Statistics—the very agency whose data he’s been trashing for years.

E.J. Antoni, currently the Heritage Foundation’s chief economist, is best known for echoing Trump’s talking points, railing against “flawed” jobs reports, and even suggesting the BLS stop publishing its monthly employment data altogether.

That unprecedented idea, if implemented, would blind markets and the public to one of its most vital economic indicators.

His résumé? A Ph.D. in economics from 2020, no peer-reviewed research since his dissertation, and a knack for making the rounds on pro-Trump media like Steve Bannon’s “War Room.” Read more about this craptastic Trump appointee:

Trump fired former BLS Commissioner Erika McEntarfer on Aug. 1 after a weak jobs report showed downward revisions in hiring—something that happens every month, regardless of who’s president. Past commissioners have risen through the agency or held extensive research credentials. Antoni, by contrast, has one academic citation to his name—by his own former employer—and a long history of partisan commentary, including false claims about prior BLS leadership.

Conservative allies are thrilled. Heritage’s president calls him “a fearless truth-teller.” But many economists, even on the right, say he’s unqualified. Jason Furman, former Obama CEA chair, says Antoni is “completely unqualified…an extreme partisan” with “no relevant experience.” Others warn that politicizing the BLS will erode trust in economic data, making it less useful to the Fed and potentially backfiring on Trump’s own agenda.

Even Bill Beach, Trump’s first-term BLS pick, says Antoni’s suspension idea is “a bad idea” that would undermine trust rather than build it.

If confirmed, Antoni will be the buffer between Trump’s political instincts and an agency that’s supposed to be independent. Whether he serves as a firewall or a rubber stamp will determine if the BLS stays credible—or becomes just another partisan megaphone.

Source: Wall Street Journal (gift article)

More: There's no good replacement for government data

Putting a political loyalist with no serious research chops in charge of the nation’s economic scorekeeper is like hiring your campaign’s social media intern to referee the Super Bowl—expect a lot of flagrant calls, and none against your own team.

Supreme Court to Revisit Louisiana Voting Rights Case That Could Gut Key Protections

The Supreme Court is taking another swing at a Louisiana redistricting fight that could reshape how—and if—Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act can still protect minority voters.

The justices will rehear Louisiana vs. Callais in October, months after first hearing arguments and punting on a decision.

At stake: Whether Louisiana’s 2024 congressional map, which created two majority-Black districts for the first time in state history, is a lawful fix to past voter dilution—or unconstitutional racial gerrymandering. Plaintiffs argue the map went too far by making race the dominant factor in drawing district lines.

The NAACP Legal Defense Fund says the map is essential to fair representation, not proportional representation. “It’s about places where, unless you create a district to provide an opportunity to have representatives of your choice, a particular group will not have a fair opportunity,” argued NAACP attorney Stuart Naifeh.

Black voters make up roughly one-third of Louisiana’s population but for decades had only one district where they could elect their preferred candidate.

This case follows Allen vs. Milligan, where the Court—led by Chief Justice Roberts and joined in part by Justice Kavanaugh—ruled in favor of Black voters in Alabama. That ruling reaffirmed the difference between being “aware” of racial demographics and letting race dictate boundaries. But Kavanaugh also hinted that race-based districting “cannot extend indefinitely,” a line that could come back to haunt Louisiana’s map.

If the Court sides with the plaintiffs, it could limit the ability of states to create majority-minority districts at all, undermining one of the Voting Rights Act’s last remaining guardrails. And if that happens, Naifeh warns, we could end up with a country where race is still a major factor in elections—but without any legal remedy to ensure minority voters aren’t shut out.

Source: UPI

If the Court keeps redefining “equal protection” to mean “pretend race doesn’t exist,” they might as well replace the VRA with a Magic 8-Ball and call it a day.

Speaking of the Supreme Court…

The First Real Attempt to Kill Same-Sex Marriage Rights Lands at the Supreme Court’s Door

Kim Davis—the former Kentucky clerk who went to jail rather than sign marriage licenses for same-sex couples—is back, and she’s aiming to erase the 2015 ruling that made those marriages legal nationwide.

Davis, hit with a $100,000 jury award for emotional damages plus $260,000 in attorneys’ fees, is appealing to the Supreme Court on two fronts: To wipe out the verdict and to overturn Obergefell v. Hodges itself.

That landmark decision guaranteed same-sex couples the right to marry in all 50 states, something Davis refused to honor, citing her religious beliefs. Her lawyers at the conservative Liberty Counsel say the case is about “protecting religious liberty,” but LGBTQ advocates see it for what it is—a direct threat to roll back marriage equality.

This isn’t Davis’s first shot. She petitioned the Supreme Court in 2019 and was rejected, then lost again at the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals earlier this year. But now the Court’s makeup has shifted sharply to the right, with three Trump appointees joining the bench since Obergefell was decided. That doesn’t guarantee her a win—but it certainly raises the stakes.

The precedent for gutting long-settled rights is fresh in everyone’s mind. In 2022, the Court overturned Roe v. Wade after nearly five decades, and Justice Clarence Thomas openly suggested revisiting Obergefell in his concurring opinion. If Obergefell falls, 32 states will still have laws on the books banning same-sex marriage. While the 2022 Respect for Marriage Act would force states to recognize existing unions, it wouldn’t require them to issue new licenses.

Davis’s case is the first real test of whether the conservative majority is ready to do to marriage equality what they did to abortion rights. If the Court takes it, the outcome could reshape not just the law but the lives of millions of LGBTQ Americans.

Source: Yahoo News

Some people dream of retirement; Kim Davis dreams of nullifying other people’s marriages. Everyone needs a hobby, I guess.

Six-Planet Parade and the Moon to Light Up August Skies—If You’re Willing to Wake Up Early

On August 18, 2025, early risers will be treated to a rare sight—a line of six planets and the Moon gracing the pre-dawn sky.

Mercury, Venus, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune will all be above the horizon at once, with the Moon joining the display for a picture-perfect “planet parade.” The view will stretch from the eastern horizon, where Mercury, Venus, Jupiter, and the Moon will form a striking line, up toward Uranus near the Pleiades, while Saturn and Neptune sit together in the south. The only no-show is Mars, which this month keeps pace with the Sun and can’t join the lineup.

For the best view, you’ll need a clear eastern horizon and minimal light pollution. Mercury doesn’t enter the picture until August 18–19, emerging from the Sun’s glare, while Venus and Jupiter will be closest together on August 12 in a stunning conjunction. Uranus will require sharp eyes or binoculars, and Neptune will demand a telescope. The trickiest part? Timing. These planets appear just before sunrise, so the window for viewing is short.

By late August, the mornings grow darker, making the alignment easier to see. The Moon will move out of line after August 19, but Venus and Jupiter will remain bright beacons in the east. And on August 21, a delicate crescent Moon will hover just above Mercury for those quick enough to catch it before dawn swallows the scene.

While it may not match the dazzling February 2025 alignment—thanks to summer twilight and Mars’ absence—this celestial gathering is still worth setting an alarm for. Just remember, if you’re using binoculars or a telescope, stop well before the Sun appears in order to protect your eyes.

Source: BBC Sky at Night Magazine

Think of it as nature’s reward for people who wake up before their coffee maker finishes brewing. And so many jokes about Uranus…”Uranus will require sharp eyes or binoculars” LOL!!!