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Hurricanes and Headlines Collide

Plus, a hero passenger.

October 09, 2024

The Flag

Good morning and Happy Wednesday! Here are the Flag’s Top Five stories that should be on your radar to start the day:

  • US: A former aide to New York Mayor Eric Adams is charged with destroying evidence as top deputy quits (AP) is a good

  • World: Nobel Physics Prize 2024 won by AI pioneers John Hopfield and Geoffrey Hinton (Reuters)

  • Business: Spirit Halloween to open 10 new ‘Spirit Christmas’ stores catering to holiday shoppers (CNBC)

  • Technology: Unify, an OpenAI Converge accelerator grad, lands $12M for ‘warm outbound’ messages (TechCrunch)

  • Sports: Luis Tiant, beloved Red Sox pitching legend, dies at 83 (ESPN)

BECOME A FLAG BEARER

🎆 Why do we pop fireworks on July 4th when the real spark was lit on July 2nd? Join us on a whirlwind journey through history’s back alleys, where forgotten celebrations and missed opportunities await! Don’t miss out—become a premium subscriber to learn more!

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Right: The ‘Basement Campaign’ Isn’t Going to Cut It, Jim Geraghty, National Review

Right: When Harris Promises Come to Nothing, Byron York, Washington Examiner

Left: America Is So Ready for Harris, Kali Holloway, The New Republic

Left: Saving Wisconsin's Publicly Owned Nursing Homes, Robert Kuttner, American Prospect

Left: Autumn Chill Descends on Harris Campaign, Zak Cheney-Rice, New York Magazine

FEMA

Hurricanes and Headlines Collide

Today’s Top Story: As Florida braces for Hurricane Milton, many communities in the Southeastern United States are still reeling from Hurricane Helene's damage. Some have criticized FEMA’s response, with figures like former president Donald Trump resorting to claiming the government isn’t adequately helping because the affected region is seen as a Republican area.

Reporting from the Right: Trump addresses criticism he's politicizing Hurricane Helene: 'Anything I do, they'll say, oh, it's political' (Fox News)

Reporting from the Left: Misinformation has surged following Hurricane Helene. Here's a fact check. (CBS News)

RIGHT-LEANING SENTIMENT

FEMA is Failing

The Top Argument From The Right: FEMA’s Failure Leaves Hurricane Helene Victims Crying Out For Help, M. D. Kittle, The Federalist: “While the storm packed a crippling punch that nobody could have entirely prepared for, sources on the ground in North Carolina say federal government relief efforts in the small mountain communities have been lacking. ‘There is deep frustration,’ one North Carolina official who works with groups in the Hurricane-battered areas told me. He asked not to be identified because he did not want any criticisms of the Biden-Harris administration to affect relief efforts. ‘It’s definitely not the rosy picture you’re seeing them trying to create.’ President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris dropped into hurricane-ravaged areas this week. Biden took an aerial tour of the destruction in and surrounding Asheville, N.C., and said the federal government has to ‘jump start this recovering process.’ In many cases, sources say, FEMA officials have yet to show up. The absentee president spent last weekend at the beach as the the rains and overflowing rivers deluged Appalachia. … Resources are tight, according to Biden-Harris administration officials. FEMA, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas warned on Thursday, is running out of money.”

Honorable Mention #2: Hurricane Helene reveals a rudderless White House — and an inept Harris’ flaws, Douglas Schoen and Andrew Stein, New York Post.

LEFT-LEANING SENTIMENT

Dangerous Misinformation

The Top Argument From The Left: Right Wing Hurricane Lies Are a Preview of Chaos to Come, Parker Molloy, The New Republic: “Donald Trump lies. He lies a lot. And in the final month of this presidential campaign, he’s only become more prone to making things up for political gain. … Trump has spread baseless claims about the federal response to Helene on social media and in public appearances. Without a shred of evidence, he’s accused the Biden administration and North Carolina’s Democratic Governor Roy Cooper of withholding or diverting relief funds from Republican areas. … Let’s be clear: There’s absolutely no evidence to support these accusations. FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell has refuted these claims, emphasizing the danger they pose. … It’s not just Trump; Elon Musk, the owner of X (formerly Twitter), has also joined the misinformation campaign. Musk claimed that FEMA is ‘actively blocking citizens who try to help,’ again without providing any evidence. … This deluge of misinformation has real-world consequences. When people believe that the government is confiscating supplies or neglecting them based on political affiliation, they may hesitate to seek the help they need.”

FLAG THIS

FEMA Efforts: By the Numbers

As of Sunday, FEMA has provided support to six southeastern states impacted by recent storms, distributing significant resources to aid recovery efforts:

  • Over $137 million in assistance

  • Deployment of 7,000 federal personnel

  • Nearly 15 million meals and 14 million liters of water

  • 157 generators and more than 500,000 tarps

  • 3,000+ North Carolina residents rescued or supported by 1,200 urban search and rescue personnel

  • $100 million allocated to North Carolina for rebuilding roads and bridges damaged by the storm (NPR)

Do you believe that misinformation about federal relief efforts, regardless of the source, harms those affected by Hurricane Helene?

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WATERCOOLER

Hoover Dam, Turtle Conservation, Trippy Honey

On This Day in 1936, harnessing the power of the mighty Colorado River, Hoover Dam begins sending electricity over transmission lines spanning 266 miles of mountains and deserts to run the lights, radios, and stoves of Los Angeles.

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