Pro-Trump Mayor disputes FEMA accusations

AI summary

Display highlights

• Knox County Mayor denies false claims about FEMA
• Former President Donald Trump and his allies made the claims
• FEMA denies claims of asking for cash donations and turning away volunteers
• Over 200 people have died due to Hurricane Helene

360 summaryCollapse all

False claims about FEMA's response to Hurricane Helene

• Former President Trump and his allies, including his son and Texas Governor Greg Abbott, made false claims that FEMA is confiscating supplies and that funding was given to undocumented migrants.
• Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene also made false claims that FEMA is blocking help to Helene survivors and using disaster relief funds to house illegals.
• FEMA denied all of these claims and stated that aid is distributed "to survivors regardless of race, color, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, religion, age, disability, English proficiency or economic status."

Source

Newsweek

FEMA's Funding and Budget Issues

• FEMA's Shelter and Services Program, which provides funds to reimburse communities and organizations taking in migrants, is not funded by the agency's Disaster Relief Fund, but by a separate pot of money provided by Congress for Customs and Border Protection.
• Congress recently replenished the Disaster Relief Fund with $20 billion, but declined to approve supplemental money for disaster relief, leaving FEMA with a multi-billion-dollar deficit.
• The Biden administration expressed disappointment that additional disaster funding was not included in the stopgap spending bill, which was approved by the House and Senate shortly before Hurricane Helene made landfall.

Source

Newsweek

False claims of FEMA confiscating supplies and funding undocumented migrants spread by Trump and allies

• Former President Donald Trump and his allies, including his son and Texas Governor Greg Abbott, have made false claims that FEMA is confiscating supplies and that funding was given to undocumented migrants.
• Conspiracy theorist Alex Jones endorsed Trump’s fact-free allegation, claiming that the federal government is purposely blocking rescuers and stealing aid in an attempt to keep deep red areas from voting.
• State-run media and disinformation campaigns run by China and Russia have amplified false and misleading claims about the response to the storm, part of a larger effort to stoke division and distrust among Americans.

Source

HuffPost

Conspiracy theories about weather control technology spread after natural disasters

• Claims of weather control technology have been endorsed by Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga.
• These theories have been linked to recent natural disasters, including the snowstorm in Texas and last year's wildfire in Maui.
• Some of these theories have been tinged with antisemitism.

Source

HuffPost

The spread of conspiracy theories during disasters

• Experts say disasters create perfect conditions for conspiracy theories to spread
• Large numbers of anxious people are eager to find explanations for shocking events
• The Red Cross urged people to consult trustworthy sources of information and to think twice before reposting conspiracy theories

Source

HuffPost

Tunisia's presidential election widely regarded as rigged

Society1 hour ago

France calls for end of weapon deliveries to Israel as offensive continues in Lebanon

Society1 hour ago

The Rock's Possible Return Headlines WWE Bad Blood 2024

Cultural & entertainment8 hours ago