Bob King

I mean, even Brownie went to Louisiana after Katrina.

FEMA leader is a no-show after deadly Texas flooding David Richardson hasn't made public appearances, statements or social media postings since last week's flood. Former FEMA officials say that's concerning.

As FEMA responds to the deadly flooding in Texas, one key resource is missing: the FEMA leader. David Richardson, the agency's acting administrator, has not been to the site of one of the deadliest floods in the U.S. in the past 25 years. www.politico.com/news/2025/07...

JUST IN: The Trump administration is suing to overturn CA state laws intended to prevent cruelty against egg-laying chickens.

The administration says these laws have driven up egg prices and are preempted by a 1970 federal law. storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...

The Streisand Effect strikes again.

Why do you hate the earth, Tony?

Congratulations! This is also great news for the Times and its readers.

Kilmar Abrego Garcia’s return ‘wasn’t my decision,’ Trump says In an interview with NBC News, Trump downplayed his role in securing Abrego Garcia’s return to the U.S., where he’ll face federal charges.

You know they run a big operation.

www.politico.com/news/2025/06...

DOGE is dead. Project 2025 is still in charge.

www.politico.com/news/2025/06...

The Pentagon Disinformation That Fueled America’s UFO Mythology U.S. military fabricated evidence of alien technology and allowed rumors to fester to cover up real secret-weapons programs

This is just what the extraterrestrials want you to believe, of course. #TheTruthIsOutThere

www.wsj.com/politics/nat...

The Vatican’s Taiwan brush-off Decoding transatlantic relations with Beijing. By PHELIM KINE Send tips here | Tweet @PhelimKine | Bluesky @phelimkine.bsky.social | Subscribe for free | View in your browser Hi, China Watchers. &n…

Today's @politico China Watcher: @Pontifex cold shoulder to Taiwan! Beijing's Golden Dome problem! Rubio on Chinese foreign aid! Chagos Islands vs Beijing! www.politico.eu/newsletter/c...

So ... agree to disagree?

'You've wasted your entire five minutes': EPA chief, Democrats spar at hearing Lee Zeldin's exchanges with Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) and others were some of the most hostile of his four budget hearings in recent weeks.

Trump's EPA chief to Senate Democrats: "We’re not going to waste dollars just because you insist on EPA lighting taxpayer dollars on fire."

Democratic Sen. Adam Schiff to Trump's EPA chief: "You could give a rat’s ass about how much cancer your agency causes."

www.politico.com/live-updates...

Lest we forget:

thebaffler.com/salvos/harsh...

Chicago Sun-Times prints summer reading list full of fake books Reading list in advertorial supplement contains 66% made up books by real authors.

Somehow this still feels less embarrassing and hilarious than the human-generated but no less fake grunge "lexicon" that the New York Times published in 1992.

arstechnica.com/ai/2025/05/c...

China's head start on clean energy is shaping the debate on the Republicans' megabill Efforts to preserve Biden-era tax breaks for green technology are running into an administration focused on fossil fuels — and unwilling to play on what it sees as Beijing's turf.

“China would be the biggest winner but not the only winner. … The rest of the world wins,” Sahay said. It’s “basically the IRA in reverse.

🔌💡

www.politico.com/news/2025/05...

ICYMI: How to confront China on clean energy is coloring Republicans’ effort to pass their and Trump’s agenda.

"Journalism Wins" is not a headline I was expecting to see today.

Cf. AI?

"In 1999, the US coal industry claimed that information technology would need half the nation’s electricity by 2020, so a strong economy required far more coal-fired power stations. Such claims were spectacularly wrong... Hundreds of unneeded power plants were built, hurting investors."

I didn't realize today would be Schadenfreude Monday.

‘I alone will speak on behalf of FEMA,’ new agency chief tells staff FEMA acting Administrator David Richardson said he would make all decisions himself, potentially slowing the disbursement of disaster aid.

"I’m not going to start out by saying I’m honored to serve," FEMA's new acting director tells his staff after replacing the person Trump fired Thursday. "I’m here to do a job."

www.politico.com/news/2025/05...

FEMA chief is fired Federal Emergency Management Agency acting Administrator Cameron Hamilton told people he was terminated Thursday.

Exclusive: FEMA chief is fired, leaving the nation’s disaster agency without a top official three weeks before the start of the Atlantic hurricane season.

Congress counters Trump with massive FEMA restructuring plan Republicans and Democrats are trying to give Congress a voice in the future of the disaster agency.

Big scoop from Thomas Frank: "Congress counters Trump with massive FEMA restructuring plan ... in an effort to head off President Donald Trump’s threats to shrink or abolish the agency."

www.politico.com/news/2025/05...

"Trump’s Justice Department is trying to jail a guy for trespassing on federal property in order to mount an illegal protest — a nonviolent version of what the president pardoned 1,500 people for doing."

And you'll never guess who the prosecutor is.

www.politico.com/news/magazin...

'How come I can’t breathe?': Musk's data company draws a backlash in Memphis The company’s turbines — enough to power 280,000 homes — run without emission controls in an area that leads Tennessee in asthma hospitalizations.

Elon Musk’s AI company is belching smog-forming pollution into an area of Memphis that already leads Tennessee in asthma hospitalizations.

xAI has become one of the county’s largest emitters of smog-producing nitrogen oxides.

And of course, EPA's future size and ability to carry out its mission depend to a large extent on how much its budget and staffing are cut at the direction of Musk's DOGE.

This is yet another entanglement between Musk's business interests and the government he's helping Trump run: EPA is in charge of enforcing the Clean Air Act, but under Trump its top priorities include making the US "the artificial intelligence capital of the world."

Elon Musk’s xAI in Memphis: 35 gas turbines, no air pollution permits The company’s turbines — enough to power 280,000 homes — run without emission controls in an area that leads Tennessee in asthma hospitalizations.

‘How come I can’t breathe?' Elon Musk's AI company chose Memphis for a huge new data center, powered by 35 gas turbines that enviros call a major producer of smog-forming pollution.

It has no federal air permits.

By @arielwittenberg.bsky.social

www.politico.com/news/2025/05...

Trump officials pressure world’s top energy agency to drop climate mission U.S. and European officials are sparring in meetings of the International Energy Agency, which helps guide global investments and policies.

Trump administration officials are attempting to block the world’s most important energy research agency from producing data that the US government argues favors renewable power over fossil fuels.

Which polluted Florida waters are getting worse? Find out here A Times investigation found hundreds of waterways have shown rising contamination over 25 years.

A @tampabaytimes.bsky.social investigation found hundreds of #Florida waterways have shown rising contamination over the past 25 years. Here's where to find them. www.tampabay.com/investigatio...

Trump must reinstate Associated Press to White House press pool, judge rules “The Constitution requires no less,” the judge said.

A federal judge has ordered Trump to reinstate the AP to the White House press pool: “The Constitution requires no less."