Latest news with #federalresponse
Washington Post
5 days ago
- Politics
- Washington Post
When FEMA's response to extreme weather is the disaster
Sarah Labowitz is a senior fellow in the Sustainability, Climate and Geopolitics Program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. At a July 12 news conference about the federal response to the devastating floods in Texas, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi L. Noem said, 'What you saw from our response in Texas is going to be a lot of how President Trump envisions what FEMA would look like in the future.'
Bloomberg
11-07-2025
- Politics
- Bloomberg
Bloomberg Balance of Power: Trump Tours Texas
Watch Joe and Kailey LIVE every day on YouTube: President Donald Trump in Texas on Friday viewed firsthand the devastation left by extreme flooding that killed at least 120 people and left scores still missing in the state's Hill Country region, seeking to reassure residents of the federal response to the disaster. The president met with local officials and emergency workers in hard-hit Kerr County, where he received a briefing, accompanied on his visit by first lady Melania Trump and Texas Governor Greg Abbott. Trump surveyed the damage in a helicopter flight and then was shown what appeared to be a map of the flood-damaged area. The scale of the destruction was evident — with Trump and the first lady standing in front of an overturned tractor trailer and amid downed trees, a testament to the force of the deadly, ravaging floodwaters which tore through the community. On this edition of Balance of Power, Joe and Kailey speak with: Julie Fine, Bloomberg Texas bureau chief Rep. Gwen Moore, Democrat Representing Wisconsin's 4th District Wendy Edelberg, senior fellow in economic studies at Brookings Institution, former chief economist at the Congressional Budget Office Jason Bailey, Bloomberg Opinion guest columnist, film critic and historian Rick Davis, Partner at Stonecourt Capital and Bloomberg Politics Contributor & & Jeanne Sheehan Zaino, Senior Democracy Fellow with the Center for the Study of the Presidency & Congress and Bloomberg Politics Contributor
Bloomberg
11-07-2025
- Politics
- Bloomberg
Trump Sees Devastation From Texas Floods in Visit to State
President Donald Trump in Texas on Friday viewed firsthand the devastation left by extreme flooding that killed at least 120 people and left scores still missing in the state's Hill Country region, seeking to reassure residents of the federal response to the disaster. The president met with local officials and emergency workers in hard-hit Kerr County, where he received a briefing, accompanied on his visit by first lady Melania Trump and Texas Governor Greg Abbott. Trump surveyed the damage in a helicopter flight and then was shown what appeared to be a map of the flood-damaged area.
Yahoo
21-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
VP Vance says US troops still 'necessary' in Los Angeles
US Vice President JD Vance said on Friday that the thousands of troops deployed to Los Angeles this month were still needed despite a week of relative calm in the protest-hit city. President Donald Trump has sent roughly 4,000 National Guard members and 700 Marines, purportedly to protect federal property and personnel, after demonstrations over immigration raids. "Unfortunately, the soldiers and Marines are still very much a necessary part of what's going on here because they're worried that it's going to flare back up," Vance told reporters in Los Angeles. He was speaking the day after an appeals court ruled that Trump could continue to control the California National Guard, which would normally fall under Governor Gavin Newsom's authority. California officials have heavily criticized Trump over his use of the military, saying it escalated protests that local law enforcement could have handled. The demonstrations were largely peaceful and mostly contained to a small part of Los Angeles, the second-largest US city, although there were instances of violence and vandalism. "If you let violent rioters burn Great American Cities to the ground, then, of course, we're going to send federal law enforcement in to protect the people the president was elected to protect," Vance said, adding that Trump would deploy them again if needed. The Republican further accused Newsom -- a possible contender for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2028 -- and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass of encouraging protesters. Newsom and Bass have both condemned rioting and violence towards law enforcement while accusing the Trump administration of manufacturing a crisis in the city. Bass hit back at Vance during a news conference on Friday, accusing him of openly lying and saying that local law enforcement agencies handled crowd control. "How dare you say that city officials encourage violence. We kept the peace. You know that the federal officials that were here protected a federal building -- they were not involved in crowd control," she said. Bass said that even when there was vandalism, at its height "you are talking about a couple of hundred people who are not necessarily associated with any of the peaceful protests." "Los Angeles is a city that is 500 square miles and any of the disruption that took place took place at about 2 square miles in our city," she said, accusing Vance of adding to "provocation" and sowing "division." - 'Jose Padilla' - Many in Los Angeles are angry about immigration raids carried out as part of Trump's ambition to deport vast numbers of undocumented migrants around the country. Outrage at the use of masked, armed immigration agents also sparked protests in other cities, including San Francisco, New York, Chicago and San Antonio, Texas. Tensions spiked when California Senator Alex Padilla, a Democrat, was handcuffed and forcibly removed last week when attempting to ask Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem questions during her news conference. Vance misnamed the senator when referring to the incident, saying: "I was hoping Jose Padilla would be here to ask a question but unfortunately I guess he decided not to show up because there wasn't a theater." Bass reacted to the comment with outrage. "How dare you disrespect him and call him Jose. But I guess he just looked like anybody to you," she said. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer had said Padilla's treatment "reeks of totalitarianism," while the White House claimed -- despite video evidence to the contrary -- that Padilla had "lunged toward Secretary Noem." bjt-rfo/dhc/pbt
Arab News
21-06-2025
- Politics
- Arab News
VP Vance says US troops still ‘necessary' in Los Angeles
LOS ANGELES: US Vice President JD Vance said on Friday that the thousands of troops deployed to Los Angeles this month were still needed despite a week of relative calm in the protest-hit city. President Donald Trump has sent roughly 4,000 National Guard members and 700 Marines, purportedly to protect federal property and personnel, after demonstrations over immigration raids. 'Unfortunately, the soldiers and Marines are still very much a necessary part of what's going on here because they're worried that it's going to flare back up,' Vance told reporters in Los Angeles. He was speaking the day after an appeals court ruled that Trump could continue to control the California National Guard, which would normally fall under Governor Gavin Newsom's authority. California officials have heavily criticized Trump over his use of the military, saying it escalated protests that local law enforcement could have handled. The demonstrations were largely peaceful and mostly contained to a small part of Los Angeles, the second-largest US city, although there were instances of violence and vandalism. 'If you let violent rioters burn Great American Cities to the ground, then, of course, we're going to send federal law enforcement in to protect the people the president was elected to protect,' Vance said, adding that Trump would deploy them again if needed. The Republican further accused Newsom — a possible contender for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2028 — and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass of encouraging protesters. Newsom and Bass have both condemned rioting and violence toward law enforcement while accusing the Trump administration of manufacturing a crisis in the city. Bass hit back at Vance during a news conference on Friday, accusing him of openly lying and saying that local law enforcement agencies handled crowd control. 'How dare you say that city officials encourage violence. We kept the peace. You know that the federal officials that were here protected a federal building — they were not involved in crowd control,' she said. Bass said that even when there was vandalism, at its height 'you are talking about a couple of hundred people who are not necessarily associated with any of the peaceful protests.' 'Los Angeles is a city that is 500 square miles and any of the disruption that took place took place at about 2 square miles in our city,' she said, accusing Vance of adding to 'provocation' and sowing 'division.' Many in Los Angeles are angry about immigration raids carried out as part of Trump's ambition to deport vast numbers of undocumented migrants around the country. Outrage at the use of masked, armed immigration agents also sparked protests in other cities, including San Francisco, New York, Chicago and San Antonio, Texas. Tensions spiked when California Senator Alex Padilla, a Democrat, was handcuffed and forcibly removed last week when attempting to ask Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem questions during her news conference. Vance misnamed the senator when referring to the incident, saying: 'I was hoping Jose Padilla would be here to ask a question but unfortunately I guess he decided not to show up because there wasn't a theater.' Bass reacted to the comment with outrage. 'How dare you disrespect him and call him Jose. But I guess he just looked like anybody to you,' she said. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer had said Padilla's treatment 'reeks of totalitarianism,' while the White House claimed — despite video evidence to the contrary — that Padilla had 'lunged toward Secretary Noem.'
