Some National Guard units in Washington start carrying firearms as Trump threatens additional cities with deployments

Some National Guard units patrolling the nation’s capital at the direction of President Donald Trump have started carrying firearms, an escalation of his military deployment that makes good on a directive issued late last week by his defense secretary.

National Guard troops patrolling the streets of Washington, D.C., are now armed. It comes as President Donald Trump is threatening to expand his crackdown on crime beyond the nation’s capital to other major cities including New York and Chicago.