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bad hurricane and horrid political seasons converge....

Former President Donald Trump has spent this week criticizing Democrats for their response to Hurricane Helene — going so far as to say party leaders aren’t interested in helping Republicans in the hardest-hit areas of southern Appalachia.

During a visit to Valdosta, Georgia, he claimed without evidence that the Biden administration — and Democratic North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper — were “going out of their way to not help people in Republican areas.”

But Trump has his own record to stand on, Scott Waldman and Thomas Frank report.

A review of Trump’s record by POLITICO’s E&E News and interviews with two former Trump White House officials found that the former president was flagrantly partisan at times in response to disasters. On at least three occasions, they said, he hesitated to give disaster aid to areas he considered politically hostile or ordered special treatment for pro-Trump states.

For example, Trump had initially refused to send aid to Orange County, California, after its 2018 wildfires, according to Mark Harvey, who was Trump’s senior director for resilience policy on the National Security Council staff.

Harvey told E&E News that Trump changed his mind after he found that the heavily damaged area of southern California had more Trump supporters than the entire state of Iowa.

“We went as far as looking up how many votes he got in those impacted areas … to show him these are people who voted for you,” said Harvey, who recently endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris alongside more than 100 other Republican former national security officials.

The exchange — not previously reported — drew responses from President Joe Biden and Democratic California Gov. Gavin Newsom.

“It’s the most basic part of being president, and this guy knows nothing about it,” Biden posted on X, reacting to a tweet about an earlier version of this article.

Newsom piled on, calling the episode “a glimpse into the future if we elect” Trump.

The Trump campaign did not respond to a request seeking comment.

No flood insurance: Few people in western North Carolina have flood insurance, leaving them vulnerable to financial ruin in the wake of disasters such as Helene, Chelsea Harvey and Tom report.

An analysis by E&E News found that just 0.8 percent of the nearly 700,000 households in the North Carolina counties heavily flooded by Helene have flood insurance through the Federal Emergency Management Agency, according to agency records.

The state has also devoted relatively little of its federal funding for disaster protection in its western region. That’s even as areas around Asheville, situated on the southern end of the Blue Ridge Mountains, face extreme flood and landslide risks. As global temperatures rise, stronger hurricanes are making their way further inland, beyond the coasts.

That means disasters such as Helene, previously almost unthinkable, may keep happening in the coming decades.

It’s Thursday — thank you for tuning in to POLITICO’s Power Switch. I’m your host, Joel Kirkland. Power Switch is brought to you by the journalists behind E&E News and POLITICO Energy. Send your tips, comments, questions to [email protected].

Today in POLITICO Energy’s podcast: Zack Colman breaks down the world’s lack of a plan for a second Trump presidency.

https://www.politico.com/newsletters/power-switch/2024/10/03/donald-trump-and-the-politics-of-disaster-00182337

 

SEE ALSO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IVzBmlikXGM

 

YOURDEMOCRACY.NET RECORDS HISTORY AS IT SHOULD BE — NOT AS THE WESTERN MEDIA WRONGLY REPORTS IT.

can read, can't think....

Watch The Moment Kamala’s TELEPROMPTER SHUT OFF!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t_lipYf6eBI

 

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YOURDEMOCRACY.NET RECORDS HISTORY AS IT SHOULD BE — NOT AS THE WESTERN MEDIA WRONGLY REPORTS IT.

surprise....

As Hurricane Helene-related deaths grow and officials in the states of North and South Carolina – reportedly the worst hit – are trying to airdrop supplies, restore power, and clear roads, the administration of US President Joe Biden has put together yet another bulky package of military assistance for Ukraine.

Americans on social media are calling into question how stingy US relief funds for victims of the devastating hurricane Helene are compared with the vast amounts of aid funneled to Ukraine.

The Biden administration unveiled a new $2.4billion aid package for the purchase of new arms for Ukraine last week, as well as $5.55 billion worth of weapons to be drawn from Pentagon stockpiles. Meanwhile, Vice President Kamala Harris announced that victims of Hurricane Helene, which claimed at least 223 lives and wrought devastating destruction since making landfall in Florida on September 26, will get $750 apiece as immediate aid money.

“$2.4B to Ukraine. $750 to the victims of Hurricane Helen $1B+ of FEMA money to illegal aliens No FEMA funds for hurricane survivors,” fumed Michael Seifert, CEO of the digital marketplace PublicSquare.

“How is the US GOVERNMENT running out of money for Hurricane Helene victims?!" another X post said. "They were able to find $63.1 BILLION and counting for Ukraine. FEMA spent over a BILLION on illegal immigrants. THIS IS AN INSULT."

Other netizens found prioritizing foreign aid over American citizens in need “infuriating,” and glaring proof of “how out of touch this administration is.” “We deserve better!” was the underlying motif of the comments.

 

https://sputnikglobe.com/20241005/billions-for-ukraine-pennies-for-americans-netizens-fume-over-stingy-hurricane-relief--1120425152.html

 

THIS COULD BE THE OCTOBER SURPRISE:

 

The US media defines an ‘October surprise’, a term coined by Reagan campaign manager William Casey in 1980, as a game-changing event ahead of Election Day. But can a bombshell really mean victory for one candidate?

 

What are the most famous October surprises?

• Founding Fathers' dirty campaign: The first dates back to aggressive smear campaigns between then-president John Adams and his rival and former vice-president Thomas Jefferson in 1800. Political pamphleteer and journalist James Callender, allegedly hired by Jefferson, launched a print campaign against Adams before the election, tipping the balance.

• Failed hostage deal: Jimmy Carter's failure to strike a hostage deal with Iran cost him re-election in 1980. The release of US hostages taken during the Islamic Revolution of 1979, was one of the pressing national issues during the 1980 election. In 2023, the New York Times and the Intercept alleged that the Reagan campaign manager and later CIA director William Casey, plotted to convince Tehran to not release hostages before the election, depriving Carter of the political capital. The hostages were released on January 20, 1981, just minutes after Ronald Reagan's inauguration.

• Osama bin Laden tape and George W. Bush: Three years after the September 11 attacks, a video message by al-Qaeda* leader Osama bin Laden boosted then-president George W. Bush’s election odds. In a tape broadcast by Al Jazeera on October 29, 2004, bin Laden acknowledged responsibility the 9/11 attack for the first time and threatened the US with new attacks. A poll two days later gave Bush a six-point lead over his Democratic rival John Kerry. The Telegraph reported at the time that the tape may have helped the president win another term as it "sparked a sharp final round of argument over which candidate can best defeat terrorism."

• Access Hollywood Vs. Emailgate: Two October surprises rocked the US in 2016. On October 7, an Access Hollywood tape showing Republican candidate Donald Trump making sexist remarks was leaked, prompting a storm of criticism. But new evidence of Democrat Hillary Clinton’s use of a private server for classified government emails on October 28 eclipsed the Trump tape scandal. "If the election had been on October 27th, I’d be your president," Clinton complained to CNN in 2017.

• The "Laptop from hell": If the story of Hunter Biden's abandoned had not been suppressed, it could have been the October surprise of the 2020 race between his father Joe Biden and Trump. Emails, pictures and video files on Hunter's laptop detailing an influence-peddling scheme was reported by the New York Post in mid-October 2020, but immediately blocked by social media and dismissed by 51 US former intel operatives as "Russian disinformation."

What’s next?• The Hill names five possible events which could play either in Trump or Kamala Harris' favor, including the release of damaging tapes, a hurricane, new assassination attempts, another presidential debate and a major military escalation overseas.

 

https://sputnikglobe.com/20241005/october-surprise-game-changer-to-turn-the-tables-in-us-presidential-race-1120430214.html

 

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YOURDEMOCRACY.NET RECORDS HISTORY AS IT SHOULD BE — NOT AS THE WESTERN MEDIA WRONGLY REPORTS IT.

turbulent political landscape....

In a stunning display of disarray, President Joe Biden faced a raucous press briefing where reporters shouted questions in confusion, leaving him scrambling to respond. As tensions rose, Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre had to step in to assist the President.

Meanwhile, Biden took the opportunity to emphasize that all his policies are also Kamala Harris's, a move that seems to contradict Harris's attempts to distance herself from his administration. Watch as we break down the chaos in the briefing room, the implications for Biden's leadership, and how Kamala Harris is navigating this turbulent political landscape. 

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2fFsXELkdFk

LIVE | Biden Lost in Chaos as Reporters Shout, Kamala Avoids Ties to Policies! | Times Now World

 

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YOURDEMOCRACY.NET RECORDS HISTORY AS IT SHOULD BE — NOT AS THE WESTERN MEDIA WRONGLY REPORTS IT.