NOTE: Once a year, this date coincides with the time: 10/10 10:10.
FEMA and other aid works in disaster relief have received death threats because of Donald Trump's lies.
Donald Trump doesn't care.
And so, he has eroded the trust of these American people in FEMA, the FBI, our election system, the Attorney General's office, the press, the Department of Education, and so much more.
Thankfully not everyone believes him and joins him on this bandwagon of isolation.
But his continued rhetoric of hate, grievance, lies, and racism is going to get someone hurt. It's likely why two people have tried to kill him already.
Thanks for tuning in.
Biden Accuses Trump of ‘Outright Lies’ About Hurricane Response
President Biden expressed concern that misinformation would undermine confidence in the response to Hurricane Milton.
Mr. Biden lashed out at the former president and Republican
lawmakers as he participated in a briefing from federal officials about
Hurricane Milton, which is expected to slam into Florida’s west coast just two
weeks after Helene hit the state.
“The last few weeks, there’s been a reckless, irresponsible
and relentless promotion of disinformation and outright lies,” Mr. Biden said.
“It’s undermining confidence in the incredible rescue and recovery work that
has already been taken and will continue to be taken. It’s harmful to those who
need help the most.”
Mr. Trump, who is seeking a second term in the White House,
and his running mate, Senator JD Vance of Ohio, have made accusations about the
government’s response that have repeatedly been debunked by local, state and
federal authorities in the disaster areas.
The former president said at a Michigan rally that Vice
President Kamala Harris had spent FEMA money on housing migrants. He said no
helicopters had been used to rescue people in North Carolina. And he has
claimed that FEMA told victims of the storms they would receive only $750.
All of those false claims are part of what Mr. Biden on
Wednesday called a “disturbing” pattern of comments.
“Assertions have been made that property is being
confiscated. That’s simply not true,” Mr. Biden said. “They’re saying people
impacted by these storms will receive $750 in cash and no more. That’s simply
not true. They’re saying the money needed for this crisis is being diverted to
migrants. What a ridiculous thing to say. It’s not true.”
The president also lashed out at Representative Marjorie
Taylor Greene, Republican of Georgia, for writing on social media that “they”
can control the weather, without indicating who that might be. She also seemed
to suggest that the federal government’s response was designed to not help
victims in states controlled by Republicans.
“We’re controlling the weather — it’s beyond ridiculous,”
Mr. Biden said. “It’s got to stop, moments like this. There are no red or blue
states.”
Alejandro N. Mayorkas, the homeland security secretary, said
at the briefing that some of the lies about the hurricane response were hurting
efforts to reach people who are affected and who qualify for federal help.
“One of the false narratives is that the federal employees
who are actually delivering assistance will take an individual’s land,” Mr.
Mayorkas said. “And that is causing individual survivors not to approach the
people who are there to help and obtain the relief to which they are entitled
and that we have available to them.”
He added that “false information only is fuel for the
criminal element to exploit individuals in positions of vulnerability.”
In the late afternoon, Mr. Biden appeared in the Roosevelt
Room and addressed Floridians facing Hurricane Milton. “We’ve got your back,”
he said, adding that he and Ms. Harris were singularly focused on providing aid
and making sure there was a fast recovery effort.
During a brief question-and-answer session with reporters,
Mr. Biden was asked why Mr. Trump was spreading disinformation about FEMA’s
relief efforts and suggesting that money intended for FEMA was instead going to
the care of illegal immigrants.
“I don’t know,” Mr. Biden said, shaking his head, “I simply
don’t know. You can speculate, but I just find it — I’ve used the phrase more
than I’ve used it ever my whole career — un-American. It’s un-American. It’s
not who the hell we are. What are they talking about?”
David E. Sanger contributed reporting.
Michael
D. Shear is a White House correspondent for The Times, covering
President Biden and his administration. He has reported on politics for more
than 30 years. More
about Michael D. Shear
 |
| Mario Tama/Getty Images |
Donald Trump’s many, many lies about Hurricane Helene, debunked
Rampant disinformation is getting in the way of disaster response.
Since Hurricane Helene decimated parts of western North Carolina last week, former President Donald Trump has seized on the tragedy to perpetuate lies about the federal response, sowing chaos and confusion as officials scramble to help those affected.
In recent days, Trump has repeatedly and falsely suggested that the federal government is purposely neglecting areas with Republican voters, that it is funneling emergency aid to migrants instead of disaster response, and that it’s giving hurricane victims just $750 in support.
“I’ll be there shortly, but don’t like the reports that I’m getting about the Federal Government, and the Democrat Governor of the State, going out of their way to not help people in Republican areas,” he wrote on Truth Social on September 30.
None of these claims are true, but federal officials say Trump’s disinformation — which has been condemned by regional Republican leaders — could further harm the relief effort, and deter people who need aid from trying to pursue it. It is certainly making aid distribution more difficult, with disaster recovery officials spending valuable time fighting lies, including by putting up an agency website to combat them. Deanne Criswell, the administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), said the degree of disinformation is at a point that [she’s] “never seen before.”
So far, Helene is estimated to have damaged thousands of homes and businesses and taken more than 220 lives, washing out dozens of roads and entire towns. FEMA, which is the government entity dedicated to disaster relief, has also said that it’s provided upward of $210 million in aid to victims of Helene, including 15.6 million meals and 13.9 million liters of water.
Trump’s falsehoods come as he and others on the right — including Tesla’s Elon Musk — are attempting to use the recent natural disaster as a political wedge in the 2024 presidential election.
Below are some of the lies Trump has elevated about Helene and what we know about what’s actually happened.
Trump’s lies, debunked
Claim: The federal government isn’t helping Republican areas of western North Carolina.
“They’re being treated very badly in the Republican areas,” Trump said in a Fox News interview on September 30. “They’re not getting water, they’re not getting anything.”
Reality: FEMA administrator Criswell has described these allegations as “frankly ridiculous and just plain false.”
Data from the agency shows that it distributed significant funding to states that voted for Trump in 2020, as well as those that didn’t. Per an October 7 FEMA press release, the agency greenlit $32 million in aid for households in North Carolina, $87 million for households in Florida, $57 million for households in South Carolina, and $632,000 for households in Tennessee — states that backed Trump in 2020. It’s also approved $31 million for households in Georgia, and almost $500,000 for households in Virginia, both of which voted for Biden in 2020. Roughly 84 percent of the $210 million in funds it has doled out in the Hurricane Helene response went to states that backed Trump in 2020.
Republican governors in South Carolina, Virginia, and Tennessee have praised the speed of the government’s response, and regional North Carolina GOP lawmakers, including state Sen. Kevin Corbin, have urged people to stop spreading misinformation. Some news reports indicate that aid to more remote, rural areas has taken longer to arrive — and that lack of accessibility and cell service has posed a challenge in getting support out to numerous places. (There isn’t evidence these delays are politically motivated, however.)
Previously, NBC News reporter Garrett Haake asked the former president directly about evidence he had to support this claim, and Trump did not provide any.
Claim: Kamala Harris gave FEMA funding to migrants.
“Kamala spent all her FEMA money, billions of dollars, on housing for illegal migrants, many of whom should not be in our country,” Trump said at a Thursday rally in Michigan.
Reality: “This is false. No money is being diverted from disaster response needs,” FEMA notes.
The agency does oversee a program called the Shelter and Services program that was allocated $650 million in funding for housing for migrants in fiscal year 2024. This funding actually comes from the US Customs and Border Patrol budget, but FEMA helps oversee the program’s implementation. As such, this funding is completely separate from the Disaster Relief Fund (DRF), which FEMA draws from for aid during natural disasters. The DRF received about $45 billion in funding between the fiscal year 2024 budget and a supplemental appropriations bill.
“Disaster Relief Fund money has not been diverted to other, non-disaster related efforts,” FEMA states.
Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas has warned that the DRF could run out of money before the end of hurricane season due to the severity of this year’s storms. House Republicans, however, have balked at returning to Congress to approve more funds prior to the November election.
Claim: FEMA is only giving $750 to people affected by the hurricane.
“They’re offering them $750 to people whose homes have been washed away. And yet we send tens of billions of dollars to foreign countries that most people have never heard of. They’re offering them $750. They’ve been destroyed. These people have been destroyed,” Trump said during a Butler, Pennsylvania, rally this past Saturday.
Reality: FEMA does have a program — Serious Needs Assistance — that gives recipients $750 each if they qualify, but it’s one of many aid offerings that disaster victims can receive.
The barrier to qualify is low, most people affected by the storm are likely eligible, and recipients are not limited to this $750 in support.
Serious Needs Assistance is supposed to provide rapid relief to people who need cash to cover immediate needs like water, food, and first aid. That relief is intended to temporarily help while people wait to hear about approval for other aid programs that could provide more robust funds for larger issues like home repairs.
This misinformation could cause real harm
One major concern multiple FEMA officials have expressed is that Trump’s lies will undercut people’s trust in the agency and reduce their openness to applying for the aid they need.
“It is reducing the likelihood that survivors will come to FEMA with a trusted way to register for assistance,” Keith Turi, an acting associate administrator for Response and Recovery, told reporters earlier this week. “That misinformation is directly impacting our ability to help people, and it’s unfortunate because these individuals have been through extremely traumatic times.”
This worry stems from the concrete impact misinformation can have as it’s shared and regurgitated by prominent leaders. As the Washington Post reported, a rumor about a dam bursting in western North Carolina led to hundreds of people evacuating and the diversion of precious first responder resources last week. Criswell also expressed concerns that these lies could make FEMA workers’ lives more difficult in the field: in one viral online post, a person suggested that people should form a militia to counter the agency.
As Trump’s misinformation about Haitian immigrants in Springfield, Ohio, also made clear, the falsehoods he spreads can have damaging and immediate real-world consequences. In that case, Trump falsely suggested that Haitian immigrants were eating people’s house pets, fueling bomb threats at schools as well as property violence against people living in Springfield.
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- Bloggery committed by chris tower - 2410.10 - 10:10
- Days ago: MOM = 3387 days ago & DAD = 043 days ago
- New note - On 1807.06, I ceased daily transmission of my Hey Mom feature after three years of daily conversations. I plan to continue Hey Mom posts at least twice per week but will continue to post the days since ("Days Ago") count on my blog each day. The blog entry numbering in the title has changed to reflect total Sense of Doubt posts since I began the blog on 0705.04, which include Hey Mom posts, Daily Bowie posts, and Sense of Doubt posts. Hey Mom posts will still be numbered sequentially. New Hey Mom posts will use the same format as all the other Hey Mom posts; all other posts will feature this format seen here.
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