By ALANNA DURKIN RICHER, Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — Attorney General Pam Bondi is effectively in charge of the police department in Washington, D.C. — so says the White House. But the city’s police force already has a Pam at the helm — Chief Pamela Smith — and she says she only reports to the mayor.

D.C. and federal officials say they are working together after President Donald Trump announced he was placing the police department in the nation’s capital under federal control to crack down on violent crime. But despite the unified tone, the unusual arrangement is raising questions about who gets to make decisions about D.C. police resources, personnel and policy and — in the event of a disagreement — which Pam gets the final say.

According to D.C. leaders, the attorney general can request services of the mayor, but nothing has changed when it comes to the chain of command and the department’s funding. And when pressed Tuesday about who she reports to in light of the federal takeover, Smith said: “I answer to Mayor Muriel Bowser.”

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“Let us not have any controversy with that, OK?” Smith told reporters outside the Justice Department after meeting with Bondi and other federal officials. “Because I know people want to build upon and create division. We’re here to work together with our federal partners, and that’s what we’re going to do.”

Yet hours later, the White House struck a different tone, suggesting the ultimate authority lies in the hands of Bondi and Terry Cole, the Drug Enforcement Administration director whom Trump has tapped to serve as interim federal administrator of the police force.

“We plan to work with the Metropolitan Police Department, but ultimately, the chain of command is as such: the president of the United States, the attorney general of the United States, our DEA administrator, Terry Cole, who is now serving head of the chief of the Metropolitan Police Department,” White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters. Cole is working with Smith “to ensure that law enforcement officers are allowed to do their jobs in the city,” Leavitt said.

Justice Department officials have not answered questions about whether the Trump administration believes it has the authority to make decisions about D.C. personnel, and whether the attorney general has issued any new orders for the police force.

Smith took on her role as police chief in the nation’s capital in November 2023 and briefly served in other units, including the homeland security bureau. She also led the police force’s diversity, equity and inclusion efforts and had served as chief of the United States Park Police after a long career in that federal force.

The law allows Trump to take over the D.C. police for up to 30 days, though the White House has suggested it could last longer as authorities later “reevaluate and reassess.” Extending federal control past that time would require congressional approval, something likely tough to achieve in the face of Democratic resistance.

Hundreds of federal officers from the FBI, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and other agencies have been doing overnight patrols in Washington since last week. Cole said federal officers would be “embedded” with D.C. police to patrol the streets, but did not offer specific details on what would change in the chain of command. Even so, he described Smith as “very accommodating” and said she was sharing ideas, giving him an office at police headquarters, and introducing him to staff.

“We have tremendous cooperation, tremendous intel sharing, and what’s most encouraging, the police are looking forward to doing their job again,” Cole said in a Fox News interview.

Det. Josh Brown’s supervisor at the Forest Lake Police Department said it’s hard to remember a time when Brown wasn’t smiling.

“He was constantly smiling, always smiling,” said Det. Sgt. Jonathan Glader. “I don’t know where they came from. He was just always genuinely excited to see the person that he was walking towards. He was genuinely excited to come in the doors of the police department and see his co-workers. He was genuinely excited when we would get together outside of work hours.”

Det. Josh Brown. (Courtesy of the Forest Lake Police Department)

Brown, 41, died unexpectedly Monday morning at his home in North Branch, Minn. Officials are still waiting for the cause of death from the Midwest Medical Examiner’s Office, but there were “no suspicious circumstances and no trauma,” Glader said.

Glader found Brown’s body around 11 a.m. Monday when he went to Brown’s house at the request of Brown’s wife, Jennifer, who was out of town visiting family and couldn’t reach him. Brown, who was attached to the department’s narcotics unit, did not show up for work that day.

“It’s a tough one,” Glader said. “Josh was such an amazing guy. He obviously enjoyed his job. He loved his family. Deeply. He loved everybody around him.”

Brown, a 2002 graduate of Forest Lake Area High School, had served on the police department since 2017. Prior to that, he worked for two years as a patrol officer with the Wyoming (Minn.) Police Department. He also served eight years with the Minnesota Army National Guard.

Extra mile(s)

More than 1,400 people have commented on a Forest Lake Police Department’s Facebook post about Brown’s death. “He served with dedication and tenacity as a patrol officer and detective during his career,” the post states. “Detective Brown will be greatly missed by his family, friends, and the whole law enforcement community.”

One woman commented that Brown picked her up on the freeway at 4 a.m. one morning when both her car and her cellphone had died.

“I had to go on foot,” she wrote. “I walked to a nearby exit to get help. But he picked me up, and he went extra miles. He called his sergeant to get approval to see if he could drop me off all the way home because I couldn’t find a way to get home if he left me at the nearest gas station. So yes, so did take me home and made sure I was safe. I will never forget that. He had a heart of gold. May he rest in peace. Many will miss him and the good deeds he did.”

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Brown “could always be counted on to have good interactions with the public,” Glader said. “He was just so positive.”

Brown was an avid fitness enthusiast and amateur body builder who regularly worked out at Anytime Fitness in Forest Lake, Glader said. He had recently competed in a bodybuilding competition – the National Physique Committee’s Twin Cities Open at Mystic Lake Casino – and placed second in the Men’s Physique’s “True Novice B” division.

A procession was held Wednesday morning to accompany Brown’s body from the medical examiner’s office to Mattson Funeral Home in Forest Lake.

“Line the route, wave a flag, or place your hand over your heart as the procession passes,” the police department wrote on Facebook. “Let’s show his family and fellow officers that his service and sacrifice will never be forgotten.”

Funeral services are pending.

The state Capitol grounds will host IndiaFest from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Saturday — an event featuring entertainment, cultural exhibits, food and bazaar vendors as well as nonprofit groups associated with India.

A main attraction is Bollywood Night, from 6 to 9 p.m., when the upper mall is converted to a dance floor. Musicians include Raga Rewired, performing popular Bollywood songs, along with featured artist Ananth Vikram.

Metro Transit is providing complimentary rides to and from the event all day. More information on Metro Transit rides and the event itself can be found at iamn.org/event/indiafest-2025/

IndiaFest is outdoors and free for all. It marks the celebration of Indian Independence Day, that falls on Aug. 15.

 

A platter of somosa chat waits hungry fesitival goers at the Bawarchi Indian Food tent at IndiaFest at the Minnesota Capitol grounds in St. Paul on Saturday, Aug 13, 2022. The one day festival includes traditional and contemporary Indian dance, food, cultural exhibits and vendors. (John Autey / Pioneer Press)

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By KONSTANTIN TOROPIN and MICHELLE L. PRICE, Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — In an ironic twist, President Donald Trump is set to discuss the war in Ukraine with Russian leader Vladimir Putin at a military base in Alaska that was crucial to countering the Soviet Union during the height of the Cold War and still plays a role today.

The meeting is scheduled to take place Friday at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage, according to a White House official who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss internal planning.

The base created by merging Elmendorf Air Force Base and Army Fort Richardson in 2010 has played a key strategic role in monitoring and deterring the Soviet Union during much of the Cold War.

FILE – President Donald Trump greets troops after landing at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson for a refueling stop en route to Japan for a four-day state visit, May 24, 2019, in Anchorage. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File)

Throughout its long history, the base hosted large numbers of aircraft and oversaw operations of a variety of early warning radar sites that were aimed at detecting Soviet military activity and any possible nuclear launches. It earned the motto “Top Cover for North America” at this time, according to the base website.

While much of the military hardware has since been deactivated, the base still hosts key aircraft squadrons, including the F-22 Raptor stealth fighter jet. Planes from the base also still intercept Russian aircraft that regularly fly into U.S. airspace.

The irony of Putin visiting an American military base that long has — and still does — aimed to counter Russian threats comes as Trump works to reach a ceasefire deal in a war that he promised during the 2024 campaign to end quickly.

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Officials from Ukraine and Europe fear that the one-on-one meeting they will not take part in could lead to an outcome that favors Russian goals.

French President Emmanuel Macron said Trump was “very clear” that the United States wants to achieve a ceasefire at the summit. Macron spoke after a virtual meeting between Trump, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and other European leaders.

Trump has said any major agreement could involve land swaps and that Zelenskyy and Putin could meet next or he could meet with both leaders.

“There’s a very good chance that we’re going to have a second meeting, which will be more productive than the first, because the first is I’m going to find out where we are and what we’re doing,” Trump told reporters Wednesday. “It’s going to be a very important meeting, but it’s setting the table for the second meeting.”