The Justice Department selected Jacksonville, Florida; East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana; Jackson, Mississippi; and St. Louis, Missouri, for the Model Cities Initiative, splitting nearly $300 million in federal public-safety funding. The money can be used for hiring law enforcement personnel, technology, equipment, forensics, and mental health/substance-use or recidivism-reduction services. Exact city-by-city amounts have not been disclosed; DOJ leaders plan to visit each city to present the awards.
The initiative launched in June 2026 as part of the Trump administration's violent-crime reduction push, using a “whole-of-city” approach. Jacksonville was highlighted for sharply falling crime: murders fell 38% from 2023 to 2025, and the city recorded 59 murders in 2024, its lowest total since at least 1995.
Jacksonville was one of four jurisdictions selected for the DOJ's Model Cities Initiative, which will share nearly $300 million in federal public-safety funding. Attorney General Todd Blanche tied the funding to the One Big Beautiful Bill.
Syrian military advisers and training teams are aiding Saudi Arabia as it faces Houthi attacks, according to two Syrian military sources and a senior U.S. official. A Saudi official confirmed expertise sharing, while Damascus called reports of deployments premature.
President Trump signed a proclamation Thursday designating the Oval Office and Cabinet Room as landmarks to prevent future presidents from making major changes, according to The Wall Street Journal. This is a headline/tease about a successor to Nancy Pelosi and a round of calls; no specific checkable factual claim is stated.
OpenAI told CNBC it will keep investing in AI data centers despite election results; the report notes voters across the country supported some candidates who pledged restrictions on data center development.
CoreWeave's bond yield topped 16%, according to CNBC, reflecting investor worry about an AI data center slowdown and stress in AI debt m
BReuters is reporting that Syrian military advisers may be in Saudi Arabia to help with Houthi attacks.
BThat is not a sentence I expected.
BTwo Syrian military sources and a senior U.S. official say training teams are already there.
BSo the country that spent years as an Iranian ally is now advising Riyadh?
BThat's the part to sit with.
BI'm sitting. It's weird.
BThe weird part is that it might be useful.
BHow? Syria's army has been on the back foot for years.
BExactly. They've spent a decade under drone and missile fire.
BNot from the Houthis. The Houthis hit Saudi, not Syria.
BSame Iranian playbook, though.
BThat's the theory.
BNot just theory. Syrian forces have had to adapt to Iranian-style attacks.
BI'd still like to see what a Syrian training team actually teaches.
BSame. But the Saudis clearly see something.
BOr they see cheap expertise.
BDamascus says reports of deployments are premature. Only a Saudi official confirmed "expertise sharing."
BThat phrase covers a lot. It could be a few officers in a hotel room.
BOr it could be the start of a real security relationship.
BWhy would Saudi want that? Syria is broke and under sanctions.
BBecause the Houthis keep hitting them, and Washington's protection is not what it used to be.
BSo they go to Syria? That's a desperate move.
BIt's a pragmatic one. You take expertise where you find it.
BBut the expertise is contaminated. Syria has been aligned with Iran for years, the Houthis' patron.
BThat's exactly my point! They know the playbook.
BThey were part of the playbook.
BAnd now they might be selling it to Riyadh. That's how the Middle East works.
BI don't buy that this is a grand realignment.
BI'm not saying grand. I'm saying it's a signal.
BA signal to whom?
BTehran. Riyadh is saying, "We'll work with your friends if it buys security."
BThat's a dangerous message.
BOr a realistic one. Saudi has lived under Houthi fire for years.
BRealistic is buying Patriot batteries, not Syrian advisors.
BPatriots don't stop a swarm of cheap drones. Training might.
BYou're overselling what "training" means. We don't even know numbers.
BWe know a senior U.S. official confirmed it. That's not nothing.
BConfirmed teams exist. Not that they've done anything.
BFine. But the political shift alone is the story.
BOn that we agree. Damascus and Riyadh talking security is huge.
BIf it holds, it redraws the map.
BOr it's a leak to pressure the Houthis. The timing is convenient.
BCould be both. Let's see if any Syrian boots actually show up.
BAnd if they do, that's a different world.
BDifferent world entirely.
BFor now, the map hasn't changed. But the phone calls have.
BThat's the first step.
BAnd Riyadh is taking it.