WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump announced Monday he is federalizing the District of Columbia's police force and deploying the National Guard to patrol city streets, marking the most dramatic federal intervention in local law enforcement in decades.

Declaring what he called "Liberation Day in DC," Trump invoked Section 740 of the District of Columbia Home Rule Act to place the Metropolitan Police Department under direct federal control for up to 30 days. The action comes despite D.C. police data showing violent crime has dropped 26% compared to last year.

"Our capital city has been overtaken by violent gangs and bloodthirsty criminals, roving mobs of wild youth, drugged out maniacs, and homeless people," Trump said at a packed White House press conference. "And we're not going to

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