America in Brief

Trump said he will send National Guard to Memphis, while federal agents arrest hundreds of cartel members.

Armed National Guard members patrol the National Mall in Washington on Aug. 27, 2025. Madalina Kilroy/The Epoch Times

National Guard Deployment in Memphis

President Donald Trump announced he intends to send the National Guard to Memphis, Tennessee, in the latest effort to reduce crime since his federalization of police in the District of Columbia in mid-August.

Trump called Memphis a “deeply troubled” city in a Sept. 12 interview on Fox News, adding that the national guard presence would fix the problem, “just like we did in Washington.”

He said New Orleans was another potential target.

On Sept. 10, Attorney General Pamela Bondi said 2,310 arrests have been made and 225 illegal guns have been seized since the federal deployment in Washington, D.C.

Wife of Former Senator Sentenced

Nadine Menendez, the wife of former Sen. Bob Menendez (D-N.J.), has been sentenced to four and a half years in prison, eight months after her husband was sentenced in an international bribery scheme.

Nadine Menendez, 58, was sentenced on Sept. 11 to 54 months and three years supervised release for collaborating with her husband to accept bribes.

Bob Menendez, who was sentenced on Jan. 29 to 11 years in prison, was found guilty of accepting hundreds of thousands of dollars in bribes from Egypt and Qatar, including gold bars and a Mercedes-Benz. He had served as a senator since 2006.

Nadine Menendez, wife of former Sen. Bob Menendez (D-N.J.), (C) accompanied by her lawyer Sarah Krissoff (L), leaves a Manhattan federal court in New York City on Sept. 11, 2025. Richard Drew /AP Photo

Senate Votes to Hasten Trump Confirmations

In a party-line vote, Republicans in the U.S. Senate implemented a rule change on Sept. 11 to speed up the confirmation of 48 Trump nominees.

The maneuver known as the “nuclear option” was invoked, which changes the rules, allowing for Republicans to work around delays created by Democratic senators.

Democrats have been slowing down the confirmation process, creating a backlog of unfulfilled executive positions in the Trump administration.

This rule would allow the Senate to push through 48 of Trump’s nominees on a simple majority vote alone, rather than needing the usual 60 votes.

Majority Leader Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.) speaks to reporters at a press conference on Capitol Hill in Washington on Sept. 3, 2025. Madalina Kilroy/The Epoch Times

US Drug Agency Arrests 617 Cartel Members

The U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) announced on Sept. 8 that it had arrested 617 members of the Sinaloa cartel following a week-long operation.

The Trump administration in February designated the Sinaloa cartel as a Foreign Terrorist Organization, holding it responsible for flooding the country with deadly drugs and violent criminals.

The Sinaloa cartel is a network of some of Mexico’s most notorious drug lords and has been considered one of the world’s largest drug trafficking organizations.

“These results demonstrate the full weight of DEA’s commitment to protecting the American people,” DEA Administrator Terrance Cole said in a statement.

A Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) agent at the Department of Justice in Washington on Feb. 12, 2025. Madalina Vasiliu /The Epoch Times