On Friday, August 15, 2025, District of Columbia officials and the U.S. Justice Department negotiated a same-day arrangement that halted an attempted federal takeover of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) and preserved the city’s command structure—for now. The talks followed an overnight directive from Attorney General Pam Bondi naming Drug Enforcement Administration Administrator Terry (Terrance) Cole “Emergency Police Commissioner,” which would have supplanted MPD Chief Pamela Smith and routed operational control through a federal appointee. The District sued hours later, seeking a temporary restraining order.
Remaining content is for paid members only.
Please subscribe to any paid plan to unlock this article and more content.
Subscribe NowAuthor
We cover the world’s chaos so you don’t have to scroll twelve feeds to understand it.
Sign up for Atlas newsletters.
Stay up to date with curated collection of our top stories.
