News – Page 293 – 105.7 WDNY

Trump ‘very angry’ with Putin as Russia’s strikes on Ukraine continue despite peace push

August 26, 2025 by WDNY Radio

(LONDON) — President Donald Trump again on Monday expressed frustration with Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin as Russian strikes on Ukraine continued despite White House efforts to broker a peace deal between the warring neighbors.

“Every conversation I have with him is a good conversation,” the president told reporters of Putin during an Oval Office executive order signing event. “And then unfortunately, a bomb is loaded up into Kyiv or someplace, and then I get very angry about it.”

Trump has repeatedly admonished Putin for Russia’s nightly strikes on Ukrainian cities. Nonetheless, the president told reporters he was still hopeful of progress towards a peace deal.

“I think we’re going to get the war done,” Trump said, though added, “You never know what’s going to happen in a war. Strange things happen in war. The fact that [Putin] went to Alaska, our country, I think, was a big statement that he wants to get it done.”

Both Russia and Ukraine continued long-range strikes through the weekend and into Monday. On Tuesday, Ukraine’s air force said Russia launched 59 drones into the country overnight, of which 47 were shot down or suppressed.

The air force reported impacts of 12 drones across nine locations.

Russia’s Defense Ministry, meanwhile, said its forces downed at least 51 Ukrainian drones overnight into Tuesday morning, two which were en route to Moscow.

Following in-person meetings with Putin in Alaska and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy — plus a host of European leaders — in Washington, D.C., earlier this month, Trump raised the hope of an imminent bilateral meeting between the Russian and Ukrainian presidents.

Zelenskyy has repeatedly expressed willingness to attend such a meeting. But Putin and his officials have consistently dodged the proposal.

“Maybe they will, maybe they won’t,” the president told ABC News Monday of the potential for the two men to meet. Trump said he had spoken to Putin since Zelenskyy’s visit to Washington, but declined to discuss the specifics of the call.

Asked if he would act if the bilateral meeting does not materialize, Trump refused to detail possible consequences but said he may act “over the next week or two.”

U.S. peace efforts continued on Monday, with Secretary of State Marco Rubio speaking with European counterparts and Trump’s Ukraine envoy Keith Kellogg traveling to Kyiv to meet with Zelenskyy.

For both U.S. officials, the question of future security guarantees for Ukraine to prevent future Russian aggression was a key topic of discussion.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha took part in the call with Rubio. “I reiterated Ukraine’s position that security guarantees must be concrete, legally binding and effective,” he wrote on X after. “They should be multidimensional, including military, diplomatic, legal and other levels.”

Zelenskyy said his meeting with Kellogg was “productive,” again expressing his thanks to Trump’s efforts to broker a deal and his willingness to lend U.S. backing to security guarantees.

Kellogg, meanwhile, said the U.S. side is “working very, very hard” to get “to a position where, in the near term, we have, with a lack of a better term, security guarantees. That’s a work in progress.”

Senate Republicans push back against Trump’s calls to end ‘blue slips’

August 25, 2025 by WDNY Radio

(WASHINGTON) — President Donald Trump is once again upping the pressure on Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley to do away with a century-old Senate tradition that places some constraints on the president’s authority to appoint judicial nominees.

Trump is targeting the Senate’s “blue slip” tradition, a time-honored Senate process that gives senators the right to approve or object to nominees nominated to serve as federal judges or U.S. attorneys in their home states.

Senators approve of a nominee by returning their blue slip to the Judiciary Committee Chairman. If a senator does not return their blue slip or returns it with objections, the nominee does not advance. In blue states like New York, some of Trump’s judicial nominees have stalled out because Democratic senators have not returned blue slips.

In a post on his social media platform on Sunday evening, Trump made his continued displeasure with this Senate tradition known.

I have a Constitutional Right to appoint Judges and U.S. Attorneys, but that RIGHT has been completely taken away from me in States that have just one Democrat United States Senator,” Trump said. “This is because of an old and outdated “custom” known as a BLUE SLIP, that Senator Chuck Grassley, of the Great State of Iowa, refuses to overturn, even though the Democrats, including Crooked Joe Biden (Twice!), have done so on numerous occasions.”

This isn’t the first time that Trump has gone after blue slips and Grassley. But Grassley has consistently committed to maintaining the Senate tradition.

In a post on X on Monday, Grassley once again defended the Senate process.

“A U.S. Atty/district judge nominee without a blue slip does not hv the votes to get confirmed on the Senate floor & they don’t hv the votes to get out of cmte,” Grassley posted. “As chairman I set Pres Trump noms up for SUCCESS NOT FAILUREThe 100 yr old “blue slip” allows home state senators 2 hv input on US attys & district court judges In Biden admin Republicans kept 30 LIBERALS OFF BENCH THAT PRES TRUMP CAN NOW FILL W CONSERVATIVES.”

But Grassley’s pushback has not dissuaded Trump from trying to force modifications to the process.

While speaking with reporters in the Oval Office on Monday, Trump doubled down, saying he would file a lawsuit to challenge the use of blue slips, though he did not say who he intended to file suit against. He then blamed Grassley for a lag in the advancement of his appointees to be judges and U.S. attorneys.

“It’s a gentlemen’s agreement that’s about 100 years old, where if you have a president like a Republican, and if you have a Democrat senator, that senator can stop you from appointing a judge or or U.S. attorney in particular,” Trump said. “And this is based on an old custom. It’s not based on a law … And I think it’s unconstitutional. And I’ll probably be filing a suit on that pretty soon.”

The Senate has the authority to govern itself and typically retains authority to make its own rules and traditions. Blue slips are not codified in the Senate rules, but are rather a courtesy observed by the committee chairman.

The blue slip process goes back to at least 1917, according to the Congressional Research Service. Since the use of blue slips is not codified or in the committee’s rules, the chair has the discretion to determine whether a home state senator’s negative or withheld blue slip stops a judicial nomination from receiving consideration by the committee and whether it reaches the Senate floor.

Trump explicitly expressed his desire to advance nominees like Jay Clayton, who was appointed to serve as U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York by Manhattan federal judges earlier this month despite his nomination being stalled in the Senate by Minority Leader Chuck Schumer’s refusal to return a blue slip on the nominee.

“That’s the only way you get by. But generally speaking, you can’t do that because you’ll have judges from the other party. So, so Jay Clayton just got approved and he’s in, but he didn’t get approved by the senators, Trump said.

Trump said the blue slip process was a barrier for him to get any Republican judges through — that he can now “only get a Democrat U.S. attorney.”

“The only person that I can get approved are Democrats or maybe weak Republicans. But we don’t want that. But the only person I will be able to get approved in any of those states where you have a Democrat will I can’t get a U.S. attorney. I can only get a Democrat U.S. attorney,” Trump said.

Still, Senate Republicans are generally opposed to modifying the tradition.

Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., who serves on the Judiciary Committee and announced earlier this year he wouldn’t seek re-election next year, said in a post on X Monday that getting rid of the blue slip is “short-sighted.”

“Chairman Grassley is a principled conservative who wants to keep radical liberals off the bench. Getting rid of the blue slip is a terrible, short-sighted ploy that paves the path for Democrats to ram through extremist liberal judges in red states over the long-term,” Tillis posted. “It’s why radical liberal groups have been pushing to get rid of the blue slip for years — Republicans shouldn’t fall for it.”

A number of Senate Republicans spoke out when Trump last called for changes to the Senate process in July.

At the time, Majority Leader John Thune expressed little interest in making modifications.

“I think that the blue slip process is something that’s been used for a long time by both sides, and neither side has violated its usage in the past,” Thune said in July. “So my view on it is and I’m happy to hear what Sen. Grassley and some of my colleagues say, “but no, I don’t think there’s any strong interest in changing that up here.”

El Mayo, the infamous Mexican drug lord, pleads guilty to drug trafficking charges

August 25, 2025 by WDNY Radio

(MEXICO CITY) — The co-founder of Mexico’s Sinaloa cartel pleaded guilty Monday to federal drug trafficking charges that accused him of being one of the most prolific and powerful narcotraffickers in the world.

Ismael Zambada, 75, pleaded guilty to two counts contained in two different indictments, including one that charged him with engaging in a continuing criminal enterprise for 35 years beginning in 1989.

Judge Brian Cogan said he would sentence Zambada to life in prison. The plea agreement orders him to forfeit $15 billion.

His sentencing has been scheduled for Jan. 13, 2026.

Zambada, who is known as El Mayo, said his career began when he was teen while speaking from a prepared statement with dozens of federal drug agents crowding the courtroom.

“I started getting involved with illegal drugs in 1969 when I was 19 years old when I planted marijuana for the first time,” Zambada said. “I went on to sell heroin and other drugs, especially cocaine.”

El Mayo founded the Sinaloa cartel with Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman, shipping at least 1.5 million kilos of cocaine since 1980 largely to the United States and maintaining control through the regular use of violence, bribery and murder.

Zambada admitted in court he “directed people under my control to kill others to further the interests of my organization” during the Mexican drug wars of the 1980s and 1990s and he conceded “many innocent people” were killed.

“I recognize the great harm illegal drugs have done to the people in the United States and Mexico,” Zambada said.

Federal prosecutors have said Zambada presided over a violent, militarized cartel armed with high-powered weapons and a cadre of hitmen.

His guilty plea followed the conviction at trial of El Chapo in the same federal courthouse in Brooklyn. Guzman is serving a life sentence in a maximum-security prison.

Zambada thought he was flying with one of Guzman’s sons to inspect a clandestine Mexican airfield when he instead landed in El Paso and was taken into U.S. custody in July 2024, according to a Homeland Security Investigations official.

His defense attorney, Frank Perez, said the plea agreement contains no cooperation component.

“He recognizes that his actions over the course of many years constitute serious violations of the United States drug laws, and he accepts full responsibility for what he did wrong,” Perez said in a statement. “The agreement that he reached with the U.S. authorities is a matter of public record. It is not a cooperation agreement, and I can state categorically that there is no deal under which he is cooperating with the United States Government or any other government.”

Perez said Zambada calls on Sinaloa to “remain calm” and “avoid violence” after descendants of El Mayo and El Chapo have waged a bloody war for control of the cartel.

“My client is also mindful of the impact of this case on his home state of Sinaloa. He calls upon the people of Sinaloa to remain calm, to exercise restraint, and to avoid violence,” Perez said. “Nothing is gained by bloodshed; it only deepens wounds and prolongs suffering. He urges his community to look instead toward peace and stability for the future of the state.”

Search for missing 7-month-old continues after parents arrested for murder: Sheriff

August 25, 2025 by WDNY Radio

(SAN BERNADINO COUNTY, CA) — Officials in California continue to search for the remains of Emmanuel Haro, the 7-month-old child who has been missing for nearly two weeks, after his parents were charged for his murder, according to the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Office.

Emmanuel Haro was reported missing on Aug. 14 at approximately 7:47 p.m. local time after his mother “reported being attacked outside a retail store on Yucaipa Boulevard,” the sheriff’s office said in a statement on Aug. 15.

During the investigation into Emmanuel’s disappearance, officials said they could not “rule out foul play,” as his mother’s statement contained inconsistencies.

The parents, 32-year-old Jake Mitchell Haro and 41-year-old Rebecca Renee Haro, were arrested at their residence in Cabazon, for the murder of Emmanuel, the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department said on Friday. The two have been charged with felony murder with malice.

“Based on the evidence, investigators determined a kidnapping in Yucaipa did not occur,” the sheriff’s department said in a statement on Friday.

While the arrests “mark a significant development” in the case, officials said “our focus remains on finding Emmanuel.”

“It is believed Emmanuel is deceased and the search to recover his remains is ongoing,” the sheriff’s department said.

On Sunday, officials conducted another search for the 7-month-old “along the westbound shoulder of the 60 Freeway, near Gilman Springs Road, in Moreno Valley,” with the father of the child and cadaver dogs accompanying detectives. That search concluded after “Emmanuel was not located,” authorities said.

“The circumstances surrounding this investigation are tragic and we will continue to search for Emmanuel. I trust our justice system will hold the parents accountable,” San Bernardino County Sheriff Shannon Dicus said in a statement on Friday.

Back when Emmanuel was originally reported missing, his mother told officials that “while she stood outside her vehicle, changing the child’s diaper, she was physically assaulted by an unknown male and rendered unconscious,” authorities said.

When she woke up, the child was gone, the mother said at the time, according to officials.

Once on the scene, scent-tracking dogs were deployed, but the 7-month-old “was not located,” officials said.

The sheriff’s department interviewed “multiple individuals” regarding the disappearance, including the child’s parents.

Since then, officials noted that have conducted “extensive” searches in the areas of Yucaipa and Cabazon and have also served “several search warrants at the Haro home.” Authorities also previously said they were reviewing a “large amount of surveillance video” from the areas of interest.

In an interview with Los Angeles ABC station KABC prior to her arrest, Rebecca Haro described her son as a “happy boy” and begged whoever has her son to “give him back to me.”

“Please don’t hurt my son,” she told KABC on Aug. 16.

The father, Jake Haro, previously pleaded guilty to willful cruelty to a child following a 2018 arrest, KABC reported.

“Whoever took our son, please bring him back,” Jake Haro told KABC on Aug. 16.

Rebecca Haro is currently held at the Robert Presley Detention Center, while Jake Haro is being held at the Larry D. Smith Correctional Facility, according to jail records. Both are currently held without bail, the sheriff’s office said.

Officials said anyone who may have information relating to the case should contact the Homicide Detail at 909-890-4904.

Jake Haro’s attorney did not immediately respond to ABC News’ request for comment. It is unclear whether Rebecca Haro has an attorney who can speak on her behalf. The next court appearance for the parents is scheduled for Tuesday at 8 a.m., according to jail records.

Some FEMA staff warn that Trump cuts may weaken disaster response

August 25, 2025 by WDNY Radio

(WASHINGTON) — On the 20th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) employees on Monday warned Congress that the Trump administration’s changes and leadership at the agency could harm the United States if disaster strikes.

“Since January 2025, FEMA has been under the leadership of individuals lacking legal qualifications, Senate approval, and the demonstrated background required of a FEMA Administrator,” around 180 employees wrote to Congress on Monday.

FEMA is an agency of the Department of Department of Homeland Security (DHS).

“Decisions made by FEMA’s Senior Official Performing the Duties of the Administrator (SOPDA) David Richardson, Former SOPDA Cameron Hamilton, and Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem erode the capacity of FEMA and our State, Local, Tribal, and Territorial (SLTT) partners, hinder the swift execution of our mission, and dismiss experienced staff whose institutional knowledge and relationships are vital to ensure effective emergency management,” they added.

The agency went through a force reduction and Noem placed a tighter grip on grants given out by the agency.

In the months after Katrina, which killed almost 1,300 and resulted in billions of dollars worth of damage to New Orleans in August 2005, Congress passed the Post Katrina Emergency Management Reform Act of 2006 with an effort to better streamline emergency management at the federal level.

FEMA employees wrote that the “agency’s current trajectory reflects a clear departure from the intent” of that legislation.

Current and former employees outlined six different issues with the Trump administration — ranging from opposing a “qualified” administrator to opposing cuts to the agency.

The Trump administration has said in the past they are looking to streamline the agency and the cuts are necessary.

In a statement sent to ABC News, a DHS spokesperson cited its responses to recent flooding in New Mexico and Texas as examples of its reforms’ effectiveness.

“For too long, FEMA was bogged down by red tape, inefficiency, and outdated processes that failed to get disaster dollars into survivors’ hands. The Trump Administration has made accountability and reform a priority so that taxpayer dollars actually reach the people and communities they are meant to help,” they said.

“It is not surprising that some of the same bureaucrats who presided over decades of inefficiency are now objecting to reform. Change is always hard. It is especially for those invested in the status quo. But our obligation is to survivors, not to protecting broken systems,” the spokesperson added.

17-year-old boy drowns during high surf conditions at New Hampshire beach: Officials

August 25, 2025 by WDNY Radio

(HAMPTON BEACH, NH) — A 17-year-old boy drowned during high surf conditions in New Hampshire after lifeguards had left the beach for the day, according to local officials.

The teenager was swimming with relatives at Hampton Beach on Sunday when, around 6:45 p.m., “he was pulled away from shore by a strong ocean current,” the New Hampshire State Police said.

His dad went into the water to try to save him, but the dad “also became distressed,” police said.

Lifeguards had gone off duty at 5:30 p.m., but when the report came in for the drowning at 6:44 p.m., lifeguards responded, with the first rescuer entering the water at 6:48 p.m., New Hampshire State Beach Patrol Chief Patrick Murphy said.

Lifeguards took the teenager and his dad to shore and tried to save the boy’s life, but he was later pronounced dead at a hospital, police said.

The teen’s dad was taken to a hospital in stable condition, police said.

Hampton Fire/Rescue Chief Michael McMahon told ABC News that the “strong ocean current” described by police was not a rip current, but was from high surf conditions from Hurricane Erin.

A high surf advisory was in effect in Hampton Beach on Sunday, with the National Weather Service warning of large, breaking waves of 4 to 7 feet.

“We’d been having very high surf conditions all week as remnants from Hurricane Erin,” McMahon said.

Red flag warnings were in effect at the beach this weekend, which “meant shallow wading only,” McMahon said, adding it’s not clear how far from shore the teenager was swimming.

McMahon said beachgoers should make sure to swim when lifeguards are on duty and to always “be cautious in the ocean.”

“It was low tide at that time [of the drowning],” he said. “That’s a relatively calm period, but it doesn’t take a lot for somebody to get in trouble.”

ABC News’ Ahmad Hemingway and Kenton Gewecke contributed to this report.

1st human case of flesh-eating parasite detected in US

August 25, 2025 by WDNY Radio

(WASHINGTON) — The U.S. has confirmed the first case of a flesh-eating parasite in a human, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) said on Monday.

New World screwworm (NWS) is a species of parasitic flies that feed on live tissue. The name refers to the way in which maggots screw themselves into the tissue of animals with their sharp mouth hooks, causing extensive damage and often leading to death.

The patient returned from travel to El Salvador, an HHS spokesperson told ABC News in a statement. The risk to the public in the U.S. is very low, they added.

Countries in Central America and Mexico have been dealing with an outbreak of the parasite among livestock.

Panama saw infections among livestock rise from an average of 25 cases annually to over 6,500 in 2023, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) says. Since then, the parasite has been detected in seven other Central American countries, breaking a previously established barrier that contained the pest to South America for decades.

Screwworm has not been detected in animals within the U.S., the USDA noted. It was largely eradicated for decades in the U.S. through a technique in which male screwworm flies are sterilized and then released into the environment to mate with females until the population dies out.

But given the spread in neighboring countries, “[NWS] is not only a threat to our ranching community — but it is a threat to our food supply and our national security,” the USDA said in a press release where they outlined initiatives to prevent the parasite from crossing into the U.S.

Those initiatives include building a sterile fly production facility in Texas and hiring mounted patrol officers to track wildlife crossing as well as detector dogs to track imports along ports of entry. In May, the USDA banned imports of live cattle, horse and bison from Mexico and has since slowly re-opened trade.

Earlier this month, the FDA issued an Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) for animal drugs to treat or prevent infestations caused by screwworm.

People who travel to outbreak areas, spend time among livestock animals, sleep outdoors, and have an open wound are at greater risk of becoming infested with screwworm, the CDC noted.

Kilmar Abrego Garcia detained at ICE office in Maryland

August 25, 2025 by WDNY Radio

(WASHINGTON) — Kilmar Abrego Garcia was taken into immigration custody after checking in with Immigration and Customs Enforcement at its office in Baltimore on Monday morning, his attorney announced.

Abrego Garcia was detained as soon as he entered ICE’s office, attorney Simon Sandoval-Moshenberg said.

“We asked the ICE officer what the reason for his detention was, the ICE officer didn’t answer,” Sandoval-Moshenberg said, adding that ICE officers would not say which detention center his client would be taken to.

“We asked the ICE officer for a copy of any paperwork that’s being served on him today, the ICE officer wouldn’t commit to even giving us that paperwork,” he added.

Sandoval-Moshenberg said a new lawsuit challenging Abrego Garcia’s detainment and potential deportation was just filed in Maryland.

Less than 24 hours after being released from criminal custody in Tennessee on Friday, ICE notified Abrego Garcia’s attorneys that he may be deported to Uganda and ordered him to report to their office in Maryland.

The notification from ICE came after Abrego Garcia rejected a plea deal to be deported to Costa Rica in exchange for pleading guilty to human smuggling charges and remaining in jail, according to a court filing from his attorneys.

In the filing, Abrego Garcia’s attorneys accused the federal government of trying to force their client to accept a guilty plea or face deportation to East Africa.

In July, U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis ordered the government to “restore Abrego Garcia to his ICE Order of Supervision out of the Baltimore Field Office.”

But Xinis also said that if the government intends to deport Abrego Garcia to a third country, it needs to provide 72 hours’ notice.

The order allowed President Donald Trump’s administration to initiate “lawful immigration proceedings” when Abrego Garcia returned to Maryland.

The immigration proceedings may or may not include “lawful arrest, detention and eventual removal,” Xinis said in July.

14-year-old arrested in shooting that sparked panic at Kentucky high school football game

August 25, 2025 by WDNY Radio

(NEW YORK) — A 14-year-old boy was arrested after he allegedly sparked panic by opening fire near a high school football game in Kentucky, causing players to run off the field to seek cover, according to police.

The shooting in Mayfield, Kentucky, erupted during the fourth quarter of the annual “Battle of the Birds” football game between Mayfield and Graves high schools, authorities said.

A livestream video taken by the Red Helmet Sports Network captured the sound of multiple shots being fired and the panic that ensued, as players ran off the field at Mayfield’s War Memorial Stadium and sought cover while spectators in the stands appeared to duck and look around to see where the shots were coming from.

On Sunday, the Mayfield Police Department announced that a 14-year-old boy from Fulton, Kentucky, had been arrested in the shooting that occurred in the parking lot of War Memorial Stadium and left an 18-year-old boy with gunshot wounds to his upper torso.

The victim, identified as Jordan Riley of Farmington, Kentucky, was airlifted to an out-of-state hospital, where he was in stable condition on Sunday, according to the Mayfield police.

“The investigation revealed that the shooting occurred following a physical altercation between the victim and another juvenile, during which the suspect discharged his weapon,” the Mayfield police said in a statement.

The teen suspect was charged with first-degree assault and was being held on Sunday at a juvenile detention center, according to police.

A motive for the shooting remains under investigation, and police urged anyone who witnessed the crime or has information about it to contact the Mayfield Police Department.

The Kentucky State Police, the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives are assisting in the investigation.

DC students head back to school amid Trump’s law enforcement surge

August 25, 2025 by WDNY Radio

(WASHINGTON) — Despite more than 2,000 National Guard troops authorized by President Donald Trump’s crackdown on crime, Washington, D.C., Mayor Muriel Bowser said students in the nation’s capital will not be aided by their presence as children return to school this week.

“We don’t need federal agencies to help get kids to school,” Bowser told ABC News. “We will take care of getting our kids to school.”

The school year begins as Bowser and the Office of the State Superintendent of Education (OSSE) tout proficiency rates in English language arts/literacy (ELA) and math are the highest since prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, and the ELA proficiency rate is the highest on record.

Hundreds of thousands of students are returning to the classroom across major metropolitan school districts this week.

Some 100,000 students return to D.C. schools on Monday amid the Trump administration’s surge of law enforcement into Washington. Student safety is always a top issue for education leaders during back-to-school season. However, the presence of troops in Washington is raising new questions as a military-style vehicle was involved in an accident last week and troops will be gathering throughout the city at Metro rail stations, which is how many students get to school.

Bowser said D.C.’s existing transportation strategies include using the district’s safe passage program with local law enforcement lining the streets. If families feel unsafe, the district offers a safe connect program, which connects students with a ride to school.

Bowser believes using the Guard as law enforcement is unnecessary and said the crime rate had decreased “precipitously” before Trump’s surge.

“I think calling men and women from their homes and their jobs and their families — they have to be used on, you know, on mission-specific items that benefit the nation,” Bowser said, adding, “I don’t think we have an armed militia in the nation’s capital.”

But Washington’s Metropolitan Police Department Chief Pamela Smith acknowledged that the federal agents spread throughout the city have made improvements to safety.

“Hearing from the officers on the street, some of them have found it to be very helpful, some people in the community have found it to be very helpful,” Smith said.

In Philadelphia, where nearly 200,000 students are returning to schools this week, School District of Philadelphia Superintendent Tony Watlington argued crime and shootings have also decreased there. He noted that the nation’s eighth-largest school district is investing in “safety zones” by contracting with the Philadelphia Police Department to provide additional patrols in areas that have an uptick in violence.

“We’ve invested more resources and safe paths programs where we contract with community organizations to oversee children as they traverse, as they make their way to school, to ensure their safety,” Watlington told ABC News. In addition, Philadelphia is hiring more school safety officers for the school district staff, Watlington said Watlington said he is fostering a welcoming environment in the City of Brotherly Love, which he said is creating a culture where young people feel connected, seen, and heard.

“We have to build relationships,” Watlington said.

“We’re focusing on that heavily in the school district, because when kids who feel connected, their social and emotional mental health and wellness are attended to, and they have relationships with each other and with adults, when they see something, they’re more likely to say something and so those are a number of things that we’re doing in our strategic plan to provide for the safety and well being of our young people and our staffs,” he said.

But Watlington and Philadelphia parents and families do have anxiety about significant cuts to its public transit system, SEPTA.

“We just can’t go and get more yellow school buses and put them on the street in Philadelphia,” Watlington said. “We rely on public transit, and it is unfortunate, and it’s no fault of our children that they’ll have some impacts to their transportation.”

Still, Bowser and education officials in both D.C. and Philadelphia agree safety is the top priority for their respective cities. At Bowser’s back-to-school pep rally earlier this month, she stressed a community response is needed to ensure a successful first day back.

Bowser urged D.C. residents to clap, cheer, and celebrate the city’s students all week.

“Our children deserve and will get a joyful start to their school year,” Bowser said, adding, “All the adults in our buildings, all of the people in our government are focused on making sure that that happens.”

“We want them to have a great school year, and we’re all going to be standing shoulder-to-shoulder with them.”

+ More