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Trump administration awarded more than $60m each to St Louis, Missouri, and Jackson, Mississippi, in crime push.

The administration of United States President Donald Trump has said that it will award the cities of St Louis, Missouri, and Jackson, Mississippi, more than $60m each to expand law enforcement resources as part of a bid to combat violent crime.

The White House stated in a social media post on Tuesday that the so-called “Model Cities Initiative” would help the municipalities increase their capacity for prosecutions and policing activities.

“The Model Cities Initiative reflects the Trump Administration’s commitment to reducing crime across the country and ensuring the safety of every American,” Attorney General Todd Blanche said in a press release describing the programme last month.

The initiative has said that it will distribute nearly $300m for such efforts among the cities of St Louis and Jackson, along with Jacksonville, Florida, and Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

The Trump administration has promoted a largely punitive approach to combatting crime in cities across the country, including controversial steps such as the deployment of the National Guard to large, Democrat-led cities that have drawn accusations of executive overreach, civil liberties violations and political intimidation.

While Trump and his supporters have credited their policies with a drop in violent crime, that trend predates his return to office and has taken place in cities with a wide variety of approaches towards criminal justice across the country.

Homicides in St Louis, for example, have been falling for several years after a brief surge during the COVID-19 pandemic, and hit their lowest levels in more than a decade during the first half of 2026.

While Democratic officials have denounced Trump’s crackdowns, some Republican-led states have embraced them.

The government deployed members of several federal agencies to the city of Memphis, Tennessee, governed by Democrats at the local level but located in a Republican-led state.

The Trump administration has touted that effort as an inspiration for the Model Cities Initiative along with other cases, such as Washington, DC.

The government has hailed the Memphis deployment as a success, but some residents and civil liberties groups have accused the task force of widespread civil rights violations and excessive force.

A video released earlier this month as part of an investigation into a shooting by a member of the Tennessee National Guard, deployed in Memphis as part of Trump’s task force, showed the soldiers aiming their guns at a man as he lay dying on the street after being shot in the back.

The Festival of Remembrance was hosted by BBC presenter Clive Myrie.

BBC viewers said the same thing minutes into Saturday night’s Festival of Remembrance.

The Royal British Legion’s Festival of Remembrance 2026 saw senior members of the Royal Family join veterans, serving personnel and their families at London’s Royal Albert Hall.

The BBC event was hosted by Clive Myrie, and featured performances from Alfie Boe, James Emmanuel, Mica Paris, Rita Wilson and Tom Odell, alongside stirring performances from The Band of The Royal Air Force Regiment and The Bands of HM Royal Marines Portsmouth and Collingwood.

However, just minutes into the event, BBC viewers were left feeling rather emotional. One said on X, “Less than 5 minutes into the #FestivalOfRemembrance, @CliveMyrieBBC is already proving he’s the perfect man to present it. “

Another commented, “The one thing the BBC does correctly. The remembrance service at the Albert Hall.”

“Always very emotional, always very important, always vital to remember…,” someone else wrote as another added, “It’s that emotional time of the year again.”

Another said, “I reach for the hankies earlier each year,” while one viewer shared, “10 minutes in and I’m already in tears. (especially at Tom O’Dell’s When I Close My Eyes).”

Through powerful personal stories, the Festival reflected on the experiences of those whose lives have been shaped by conflict. In a year marking significant anniversaries of operations in Bosnia, the end of the Gulf War and the Iraq War, viewers heard from those who served, those who lost loved ones and the families who continue to live with the impact of military service.

This year’s Festival shone a light on Places of Remembrance, exploring how the places we associate with those we have lost can hold profound personal meaning.

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From national memorials and familiar landmarks to gardens, football pitches and quiet corners of everyday life, people from across the UK share the places where they remember and feel close to loved ones who are no longer with them.

As the Festival drew to a close, the Royal Albert Hall observed a two-minute silence, as poppies fell in a moving tribute to all those who have served and sacrificed

The BBC’s Festival of Remembrance is available to watch on BBC iPlayer.