Donald Trump and his supporters are spreading false information about FEMA and President Biden’s hurricane response for several reasons:
Political Motivations
Trump and his allies appear to be using the hurricane disaster as an opportunity to criticize the Biden administration and sow distrust in government institutions like FEMA. By claiming that aid is being withheld from Republican areas or diverted to migrants, they aim to portray the administration as incompetent or biased13.
Undermining Trust in Government
These false narratives seem designed to erode public trust in FEMA and the federal government’s disaster response capabilities. By suggesting FEMA is mismanaging funds or discriminating based on politics, they may be trying to justify future efforts to reduce FEMA’s role or funding24.
Distracting from Their Own Record
Spreading misinformation about the current response may be an attempt to deflect attention from the Trump administration’s own controversial handling of past disasters. For example, there were reports that Trump considered withholding aid from California during wildfires2.
Exploiting Confusion for Political Gain
In the chaotic aftermath of a major disaster, it’s easier to spread misleading claims. Trump and his supporters appear to be leveraging people’s fears and uncertainties to push a political agenda, even if it hampers relief efforts34.
Consequences of Misinformation
FEMA officials have warned that this spread of false information is actively hampering disaster response efforts:
It’s discouraging people from seeking necessary aid
It’s forcing FEMA to divert resources to counter misinformation
It’s potentially inciting hostility towards FEMA workers in the field34
FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell has called Trump’s claims “frankly ridiculous and just plain false,” emphasizing that they create a “dangerous narrative that instills fear” among disaster victims4.While there may be valid criticisms of FEMA’s efficiency or bureaucracy, the specific claims being spread by Trump and his allies are demonstrably false and appear motivated more by political opportunism than genuine concern for disaster victims
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The Chevron doctrine had broad implications for many federal agencies involved in regulation and rule making. Some of the key agencies that were impacted by and relied on Chevron deference included:
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) – The original Chevron case itself involved EPA regulations, and the agency frequently relied on Chevron deference for its environmental regulations.
Department of Labor (DOL) – Used Chevron deference to defend interpretations of labor laws like the Fair Labor Standards Act.
Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) – Relied on Chevron for workplace safety regulations.
National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) – Though courts gave less deference to NLRB interpretations, the agency still cited Chevron at times.
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) – While courts often did not grant full Chevron deference to EEOC guidance, the agency used it to support some regulatory efforts.
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) – Used Chevron to defend interpretations of healthcare laws like the Affordable Care Act.
Federal Communications Commission (FCC) – Relied on Chevron for telecommunications regulations.
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) – Used Chevron to support financial regulations.
Food and Drug Administration (FDA) – Cited Chevron to defend food and drug safety rules.
National Marine Fisheries Service – The recent Supreme Court cases overturning Chevron involved this agency’s fishing regulations.
The Chevron doctrine allowed these and other federal agencies significant latitude in interpreting and implementing the statutes they were charged with enforcing. Its overturning may lead to more challenges of agency regulations across many sectors of government.
Written with the help of Perplexity.ai
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I take my dogs for a walk every morning and in Phoenix the hotter it gets, the earlier the walk. Today we started at 6:45 AM. It is suppose to go up to 95 today. My birthday is often the first day of over 100 degrees. I often take the dogs around the desert trail along the mountain preserve. I’ve seen a tortoise on this trail. I’ve seen road runners, Jack Rabbits, Quails, all kinds of birds and an awful lot of coyotes. The coyotes excite my dogs and it’s hard to hold onto them. They want to chase the coyotes. That’s what the coyotes want. I have seen as many as 20 coyotes in the wash in the desert at one time. Once a coyote stayed about 20 feet behind me and followed us. It was tiresome holding onto my dogs. So I had to turn around and leave their domain.
I use to put carrot tops, old lettuce and veggies under the bush in my front yard for the lean bunnies we have but I started to get mice so I had to stop. Road runners like mice and started hanging around. I have a video of Javelinas stealing the scapes too and once stole a pumpkin out of my front yard. We often see the coyotes on the street looking for food. I’ve seen them on the neighbors patio eating the bird seed the birds would leave behind. This gave me an idea.
What if I took my food scapes to the desert. So, I packed some old crackers, carrot tops and golden beet scrapes and took my dogs on our walk. Half way through, I dumped the scapes over the edge. The next day I was about to do it again but checked to make sure the scapes were gone. They were. I dumped more scrapes. Someone likes it or maybe many like it. I headed up the third day. Right near the place that I would dump these scrapes, I saw a very small coyote pup run across the trail and then another. Not far behind was the big mama. I stopped and we stared at each other. I turned around to let her know her presence upset my dogs. I came back the next day. She was gone. I continued to put scrapes and they continued to be gone the followng day.
There was a while when I didn’t go. I heard my dogs barking in the back yard and went out and there in the wash that’s next to me was a large coyote looking at us. I think it was big mama. Was she telling me to keep bringing the food?
I continued to bring the scapes to the desert and have been doing it every time I go. We are often in Flagstaff so it is not everyday. The coyotes leave us alone now. It seems to be our right of passage in their domain.
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I believe in the Constitution of the USA. It defines our government as for the people by the people. My voice is my vote. I vote in my Representatives to make decisions in my best interest through a Democratic Republic.
The Constitution honors the separation of church and state so that I have the freedom to worship or not. The way I want.
I believe in the equality of everyone that means no matter how much money I have, what color I am, whom I choose to love or no matter what gender I am or my disability. I believe this has to extend to every part of life for everyone from the justice system, to healthcare to housing and to education.
I believe in protections of the government. My government needs to protect me not just from outside tyranny and terrorists but from gun violence and military weapons on our own streets threatening the children and the citizens where I Live. The government needs to protect me from Corporate power. I want to make sure my government regulates industry, capitalism and monopolies so that I am not taken advantage of through scams and pollution. That companies are not allowed to lie to me to get my money or to foul me into buying something that isn’t what they claim. They are not allowed to use poisons in my food. They are not allowed to pollute the land.
Equality for all The right to fair justice The right to healthcare for all The Right for Women to be in control of their healthcare The Right for shelter The right to eat The right to have clean air and water The right to be educated The right to go to school without fear The right to be safe form gun violence The right to free speech yet the right to the truth in the news
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What is happening in Gazza by the hands of Israel is wrong at every level. It is breaking International law. But if we take a look at more of the history, this is bad guy vs bad guy. The muslims were the conquerers. The Jews were thrown out, enslaved or put in ghettos all over the world all through history.
The British decided the Jews could buy the land of Israel and tell those living on the land to move off. Sounds like Wall Street here in in the USA. Wall Street buys up homes, apartments and property when they can no longer afford to live there. They are evicted and living on the streets. Not too different. The Jews didn’t shoot or bomb their way in. The bought the land. Ever since then, the muslims have been terrorists to the Jews. Israel is surrounded by enemies. The have steel domes to protect themselves against the bombs that are often sent to them from other countries. They all hate the Jews and want them all dead.
The Europeans came over to America and took the land away from the Indigenous and put them in reservations. The Indigenous have still lived in peace. They did not become terrorist.
There are 15 million Jews in all of the world. They do not recruit. They have no missionaries and they do not conquer but they are constantly being attacked. There are over a billion Muslims and 2.5 Christians. Where is the genocide? Yet, the Jews in Israel tell the Jews of the world to come home to Israel. It is the safest place for us.
Don’t Waste Arizona (DWAZ) found out from a concerned member about a proposed ethylene oxide medical equipment sterilization facility in Tucson. After researching and finding that the cancer rates in every community that have similar facilities are many times normal, Steve Brittle of Don’t Waste Arizona provided detailed information about the real hazards of regular emissions and problems in the event of a spill of the chemical to the Tucson City Council and Pima County Board of Supervisors. Ward 6 Councilman Steve Kozachik pursued a solution, and got special permission from the USDOT to allow Tucson to regulate hazardous materials transportation on its city streets. With this in hand, Kozachik heroically challenged the facility owners to prove that a spill of their ethylene oxide could be handled with no injuries, or else he would block transportation of the chemical to the facility. With that, the company agreed to change the technology to irradiating the materials and withdrew its air permit. After learning about the dangers of ethylene oxide from the Tucson effort, Steve Brittle discovered that air monitoring for ethylene oxide in Phoenix air showed the highest levels anywhere in the country, but no one has an air permit to emit it. He has asked Governor Hobbs, the ADEQ, Attorney General Kris Mayes, and EPA to investigate who is using and emitting the chemical and stop.
I met Steve Brittle around the time that he was launching Don’t Waste Arizona (DWAZ). I had received a flyer on my door from a Real Estate agent claiming that my house was in a Superfund site determined by the EPA and that Motorola was responsible for extensively polluting the ground water with TCE. Being related to a lawyer who worked on the first Superfund site in the USA, Love Canal, I called him and he referred me to Steve Brittle, President of DWAZ, who was an organizer helping citizens in Superfund sites. Later, there was a settlement in the class action suit where many of those effected with cancer received some compensation. They also began the Superfund cleanup which is still ongoing today. Steve Brittle recommended that I move out of my home in the Superfund area because of the TCE fumes in the air there. I did. Check out a few of the other actions DWAZ has been involved with at http://dontwastearizona.org/
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The news is dominated with corporate control. Major corporations are now allowed to take over the news. They own main stream media. Major corporations prefer Conservative control because they continue to be in their pocket. This keeps their taxes low and gets rid of regulations. Our main stream news does offer the truth but only on the subjects they allow and it tends to be slanted to the right. They look to make Democrats and the Biden Administration look bad in a somewhat subtle way.
“Roughly 90% of the American media (by viewership, readership and listeningship) is owned by 6 companies. A handful of media executives decide what we’ll see, hear and read; and although they have a political agenda, in every case their support of their own monopolies in their media world is legally their first priority. That means oligarchy.”* Thom Hartmann
Then there is propaganda that offers very little truth and embraces the lies put out by billionaires who have moved away from Democracy and appear to be embracing Fascism. Fascism is not unlike Libertarianism where they believe in small government which means turn everything over to Corporations. We are at an Oligarchy stage where Corporations own much of our government. Rupert Murdock owns Fox News and pushes these lies. There is also OAN and Newsmax. There are 1,500 right-wing radio stations through out the country and most are far-right lies. That is at least 30 per state. If they want to know why Latinos are leaning right? They have moved into Spanish radio as well. They outright demonize Democrats. It is the right that created the conspiracy theories of QAnon.
Corporate Democrats (Moderate) like the corporate support and use it to get elected. They may agree with Democrats unless it damages their pocket book. It is the Progressive Democrat who truly wants the government to work for the people. That means it must be run by the people and not Corporations. It is a movement that is taking over Democrats at the local level. Because the choose not to be funded by corporations so they are not slanted in their governing. Therefore, the truth serves the Progressive Democrat.
There is no Liberal media. They have no agenda to control, only to govern to make our communities better. They honor the truth. I am giving my take on some good Progressive media that can only work with the truth and work to change the issues and protect our freedoms.
Please feel free to offer your favorite Progressive new outlet for the list.
* The Hidden History of American Oligarchy by Thom Hartmann
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Peter Allen’s Auto Repair Shop Dubois PA about 1910
If you had wanted to drive cross country in the 1920s, you had to take gas with you. There were very few gas stations. WHAT? How about GPS to find the next gas station? That didn’t come out for another 100 years. If you were stuck because your car ran out of gas but the meter said you had half a tank, who did you call? Did you call AAA? It was a driving club in those days. And how would you call? There were no cell phones. How far did you have to walk to find a public phone? And you better have a nickel on you. Did they even have public phones then? How about tow trucks? How many were around? I guess you had to hope your neighbor with a car would tow you to the nearest repair shop 200 miles away.
How about the 1970s when we had plenty of gas stations, but you got stuck in traffic because your car overheated. You still had to walk to the public phone, or you could take your chances and hitch to a repair shop that was willing to get your car. Life was tough but the oil industry knew they were about to be obscenely rich. They’ve since drained the earth of oil and still won’t give in. Suck it up, Chuck Koch. It is the end of the gas-guzzling era. It’s time for electric. Guess what!? The sun sends us all the energy we need, and it doesn’t charge us a cent.
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Democracy is holding on by a thread as Fascist Republicans create laws that suppress the votes and control elections.
tRump must have known that he would not win the 2020 election. Even before the election, he was screaming voter fraud. Voter fraud occurs when voters vote illegally. Tell me, why would someone vote twice or illegally when they could be arrested? This is what tRump is claiming. He sued 240 times since then trying to prove it—with no evidence. Every lawsuit was kicked out because they had nothing to back their claims. He called secretaries of state to find more votes for him. Does he really think that he could find seven million more votes from those who voted illegally? Of course not. He is now setting up the elections to steal in 2022 and 2024 with voter suppression bills. He is harassing poll workers who are Black since most Blacks are Democrats. They have gotten death threats. He is working to replace the secretaries of states who are responsible for the certification of the votes after the election.
Republican legislatures in several states have recently passed bills to make it more difficult to vote. It is also the election where we have redistricting in place. Republicans have found a way to gerrymander the districts to already claim the U.S. House of Representatives in 2022. In Arizona, we have nine representatives in Congress; currently, there are five Democrats and four Republicans. The gerrymander for congressional seats has now produced six Republican districts and three for Democrats. It is the same in many states. This is how they are taking back the House—cheating. Republicans are cutting both polling places and hours for voting in Democratic strongholds. Some voters had to wait 12 hours to vote where in affluent, white neighborhoods, voting time averaged 15 minutes. They want strict voter ID laws. Many poor people can’t afford to get new IDs which sometimes require driver’s licenses—many poor people do not drive. Some states require mail-in ballots to be notarized. These same states have also purged voters from the voter lists—notoriously, the Democrats. When Brain Kemp was Georgia’s Secretary of State, he purged well over 100,000 votes to win the governorship against Stacy Abrams; he only won by 55,000 votes. The Republicans even have gone so far as to give state Republican legislatures the power to change the results of an election if they don’t like the outcome. This is why the Democrats want laws to oversee this suppression. When the election is rigged with a voter suppression bill, it is election fraud.
Adrian Fontes was the Maricopa County recorder for the 2018 and 2020 elections. Both elections went smoothly. More people voted in 2020 than any election in Maricopa County history. Fontes made it easy for everyone to vote, and the Republicans hated it. Before Fontes, Helen Purcell held the office for many years. She cut polling places and made a mess of the elections, making it hard to organize the election and difficult to vote for many Maricopa County voters. Fontes cleaned up the election process and added safeguards to eliminate any possibility of fraud. Then came the “fraudit” audit, because tRump thought he should have won Arizona. He didn’t. He claims there was voter fraud. There wasn’t. The auditors couldn’t find anything. And the voters turned Arizona blue at the federal level since we have sent two Democratic senators and 5 Democratic representatives to the U.S. Congress. Meanwhile, the Republicans won the state elections. So, that is more proof that the election was not rigged. Even Democrat Adrian Fontes lost his election to Steven Richer, a Republican. Arizona is fortunate that he is an honest Republican; he even commented on how fair and smoothly the 2020 election was run in Arizona. He called the fraudit a mockery of our elections.
It is the responsibility of the states to run their own elections however, the U.S. Constitution says that if Congress finds that elections are not fair, they must step in. The Democrats in Congress are pushing to pass voter laws to make it harder for Republicans to suppress our votes. They are dealing with the filibuster to get these bills passed. Even though the Democrats have a majority of the Senate, if the filibuster is called—and it can be called anonymously by any senator—they will need 60 votes to pass the bill. It will never happen; Republicans fall in line again. Democrats need 50 votes to change the filibuster rule, so 60 votes will not be required to pass a bill. It’s an old Jim Crow relic. The filibuster could have been blocked or the rules could have been changed. Not one Republicans voted to do this and unfortunately, neither did Democratic senators Manchin and Sinema. If the Republicans succeed at stopping these bills from being passed, Democrats will have it even harder in 2022 and probably for good. We will no longer be a Democracy. The voter suppression bills will make it almost impossible for Democrats to win ever again. President Biden really thought he could get the support of the Republicans whom he has been friends with for 50 years. He knew how much Sinema and Manchin refused to do their job and change the filibuster in order to get a simple majority on the voting bills. The Republican Senators told their friend President Biden they would get primaried if they voted to change the filibuster. It failed. They all put themselves ahead of the country. Will President Biden find a way around this to save Democracy?
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We need to put a BIG effort into contacting our constituents; I believe it is urgent for the 2022 election. I know we are at a transition in redistricting, but this goes beyond our candidates. It’s about our Democratic Party and Democracy. I would start, but I am unable to access Van anymore.
I am a Bernie supporter and a Progressive. I was not happy when Biden won the primary, but he is doing a very good job. However, the media would prefer to point out his missteps rather than what he is up against and the fact that he has made progress for the people. It took Republicans—Reaganomics—40 years to destroy much of our government. Reaganomics was also embraced by Democrats. Our rebuilding will not happen in a year, and Democratic constituents deserve to hear that from Democrats—not biased media.
The mainstream media is owned entirely by Conservative companies who like Trump’s tax cuts. They do not like how President Biden will find a way for billionaires to pay for the Build Back Better bill. Meanwhile, the payment methods for the Pentagon’s bill, which equals 3 trillion dollars over 10 years, is not being challenged at all. What’s wrong here? The truth is even though President Biden has the Executive Branch, the Senate and Congress, it is still an uphill battle and constituents need to know how important their vote is in the next election. There are a handful of Progressive and Liberal radio talk show hosts while there are over 1,500 right-wing talk show hosts. The right-wing is now starting Spanish right-wing talk radio. We need to contact the Democrats. We need to give them hope and tell them how important their vote is.
I beg you to set up a team of volunteers to call, canvas, and mail our dedication to keeping Democracy alive and well. It won’t happen at the federal level. We need to start now. There is too much controversy over redistricting to wait for this to resolve. Calling Democrats, Independents, and even reaching out to Republicans. We did this in LD28 for the last election, and it worked. Let’s do it NOW for Democratic success in 2022. Democrats are doing what they always do after a Presidential election, kick back especially since tRump didn’t win. He is out there and not at all ready to give up. Let’s not relax. Let’s get active and save our country.
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