[[link removed]]

TIDBITS- JULY 10-READERS COMMENTS: BIG DEATH BILL; DOGE CUTS
WARNINGS, TEXAS APPROVES CAMP MYSTIC DISASTER PLAN TWO DAYS BEFORE
FLOOD, DHS NOW CANCELS EXTREME WARNING GRANTS – MORE DISASTERS TO
COME; ZOHRAN MAMDANI; NEW GAZA FLOTILLA HANDALA LAUNCHES  
[[link removed]]


 

July 10, 2025
xxxxxx

*
[[link removed]]
*
[[link removed]]
*
*
[[link removed]]

_ Readers Comments: Big Death Bill; DOGE Cuts Warnings, Texas
Approves Camp Mystic disaster plan two days before flood, DHS Now
Cancels Extreme Warning Grants - More Disasters to Come; Zohran
Mamdani; New Gaza Flotilla Handala Launches next week; more _

Tidbits - Reader Comments, Resources, Announcements, Shorts, AND
Cartoons - July 10, 2025, xxxxxx

 

* BIG BAD TERRIFYING DEBT BILL  --  CARTOON BY CHRISTOPHER WEYANT
* THEY’RE FEEDING US TO THE RICH.  --  CARTOON BY BENJAMIN
SLYNGSTAD
* RE: THE REPUBLICANS’ DRACONIAN BUDGET BILL IS NOW A REALITY
 (DANIEL MILLSTONE)
* FLOODING MEMORIAL  --  CARTOON BY NICK ANDERSON
* DUE TO THE RISING COSTS OF MEDICAL TESTS …  --  MEME
* RE: DONALD TRUMP'S UFC STUNT IS MORE THAN A CIRCUS.  (CAP'N
STEVE)
* RE: ZOHRAN MAMDANI’S ELECTRIFYING UPSET IN NYC:#RANKTHESLATE –
“DON’T RANK CUOMO”  (LEWIS GRUPPER)
* RE: IF YOU LIKE ZOHRAN MAMDANI, YOU’RE GOING TO LOVE HIS DAD
 (MARK C. ROSENZWEIG)
* POLITICAL PRISONER  --  CARTOON AND COMMENTARY BY ROB ROGERS
* EPSTEIN CLIENT LIST  --  CARTOON AND COMMENTARY BY CLAY JONES
* RE: SUNDAY SCIENCE: DID BABY TALK GIVE RISE TO LANGUAGE?  (KAREN
LEE WALD)
* RE: AMERICA GOES FULL-TILT SATIRE AS TRUMP ANNOUNCES HE'S HOLDING
UFC FIGHTS AT THE WHITE HOUSE NOW  (KOOHAN)
* RE: JAMES GUNN SAYS ‘SUPERMAN’ IS ABOUT AN ‘IMMIGRANT THAT
CAME FROM OTHER PLACES’ AND HOW WE’VE ‘LOST’ THE VALUE OF
‘BASIC HUMAN KINDNESS’: ‘YES, IT’S ABOUT POLITICS’  (MIMI)
* RE: 'THE HOUSE I LIVE IN' | PAUL ROBESON  (LEONARD J. LEHRMAN)
* ‘THAT’S OUTRAGEOUS!’ WEEK 5: UNION ORGANIZING  --  MOCK
DEBATE PROPOSED BY TIM SHEARD, ILLUSTRATIONS BY RYN GARGULINSKI

.

RESOURCES:

* PODCAST: JAMES MUMM, STEPHANIE LUCE, AND BILL FLETCHER ON KNOWING
YOUR TARGET, LEARNING FROM SUCCESSFUL FAILURES, AND BUILDING A UNITED
FRONT  (TRAINING CHANGE)

 

* SUMMER SALE! 40% OFF ALL HAYMARKET BOOKS!

.ANNOUNCEMENTS:

* ON JULY 13, 2025 OUR BOAT 'HANDALA' WILL DEPART FROM SIRACUSA,
ITALY TO BREAK ISRAEL’S ILLEGAL BLOCKADE  (FREEDOM FLOTILLA
COALITION)

.

SHORTS:

* TEXAS INSPECTORS APPROVED CAMP MYSTIC’S DISASTER PLAN 2 DAYS
BEFORE DEADLY FLOOD, RECORDS SHOW  (ASSOCIATED PRESS)

 

* DHS CANCELS EXTREME WEATHER COMMS GRANT WHILE BODIES STILL BEING
RECOVERED IN TEXAS  (JOSH MARSHALL / TALKING POINTS MEMO)

.

.
 

BIG BAD TERRIFYING DEBT BILL  --  CARTOON BY CHRISTOPHER WEYANT

Christopher Weyant
June 29, 2025

    

 

THEY’RE FEEDING US TO THE RICH.  --  CARTOON BY BENJAMIN SLYNGSTAD

 

 

Benjamin Slyngstad
July 3, 2025
slyngstad_cartoons
[[link removed]]

 

RE: THE REPUBLICANS’ DRACONIAN BUDGET BILL IS NOW A REALITY
 

How can we pin the Trump-GOP steal on every single GOP office holder
in the land? How can we defeat every GOP dog catcher and tax assessor?
The budget adopted is appalling as Heidi Shierholtz of the Economic
Policy Institute [[link removed]] explains
here. Thanks to xxxxxx
[[link removed]]
for the link.

Daniel Millstone
Post on Facebook

 

FLOODING MEMORIAL  --  CARTOON BY NICK ANDERSON

 

Nick Anderson
July 8, 2025
Pen Strokes [[link removed]]

 

DUE TO THE RISING COSTS OF MEDICAL TESTS …  --  MEME

 

 

RE: DONALD TRUMP'S UFC STUNT IS MORE THAN A CIRCUS. 
 

The left has done somewhat similar physical activities in the past and
present. In 1853 Milwaukee started the Turners, which still combines
social activism with fitness.

In the 70s we had baseball at the Kern Park "un-American league", so
called because all the teams, from the co-ops to the gay team (called
The switch Hitters), to the socialist team (the Suds city socialists,
with the fist logo holding a mug of beer instead of a rose), were
definitely  working to change the status quo. While not blood sports,
it still was good to get together...

Cap'n Steve

 

RE: ZOHRAN MAMDANI’S ELECTRIFYING UPSET IN NYC:#RANKTHESLATE –
“DON’T RANK CUOMO”
 

Thank you NY WFP for the work you did in helping Zohran Mamdani win
the Democratic Party primary for NYC Mayor.

But I want to put what you did in context.

Zohran Mamdani's Campaign had 60,000 volunteers and knocked 1.4
million doors

Lewis Grupper

 

RE: IF YOU LIKE ZOHRAN MAMDANI, YOU’RE GOING TO LOVE HIS DAD
 

_"Mamdani Sr brought to the analysis, not just of post-apartheid South
Africa but of the postcolonial state in general: that justice cannot
end with liberal representation or recognition of harms. It must
continue into the realm of redistribution. It must look at how society
divides those who belong from those who don’t – not just through
overt political violence, but through economic structures that appear
neutral, legal, even benevolent."_

Mark C. Rosenzweig
Posted on xxxxxx's Facebook page
[[link removed]]

 

POLITICAL PRISONER  --  CARTOON AND COMMENTARY BY ROB ROGERS

 

 

_Many Republicans morally opposed the cruel and oppressive "Big
Beautiful Bill" ... but when push came to shove, they all toed the
line._

Rob Rogers
July 4, 2025
[link removed]

 

EPSTEIN CLIENT LIST  --  CARTOON AND COMMENTARY BY CLAY JONES
 

DON'T WRITE CHECKS YOU CAN'T CASH
 

 

Today, the Justice Department posted a memo saying there is no
evidence that the late pedophile and Trump party buddy Jeffrey Epstein
was murdered or that he kept anything amounting to a much-anticipated
“client list.” A DOJ spokesgoon told CNN that the department does
not plan to release any new documents on the matter.

If you’re not surprised that there’s not a list of Epstein’s
clients, that’s probably because you know New York City’s medical
examiner had ruled Epstein’s death (hanging himself in jail) a
suicide. The attorney general in Trump’s first term, Bill Barr, said
the same thing, despite his suspicions of something more sinister. A
Justice Department Inspector General report also pushed back on the
idea that the death was anything but a suicide, while criticizing
staff failures for allowing it to happen.

The Miami Herald’s Julie K. Brown, one of the best-sourced reporters
on the Epstein case, reported earlier this year, “Those who have
worked with the FBI on the case for decades say there is no evidence
Epstein kept a ledger or a list of clients who were involved with his
sex trafficking operation.”

But the problem for Trump 2.0 is that the regime promised to expose
everything upon taking power, even promising to produce Epstein’s
“client list.” Even an insider in Trump’s DOJ said there was a
“client list.” Now, who in the Justice Department would jump the
gun so badly when there’s not a client list? Who, who I ask? Who?
Who? Who? Oh, it was the Attorney General, Pam Barbie Bondi. That’s
who.

Remember, Bondi was Florida’s Attorney General who was going to
investigate Trump University’s fraud in that state, but pulled the
investigation after being paid off by Trump, who funneled it through
his fake charity, the Trump Foundation. Later, she defended Trump in
his impeachment trials, and was his second choice to be his AG after
Matt Gaetz.

Imagine being the second choice after Matt Gaetz. If I were the second
choice to Matt Giggity Gaetz, I’d probably hang myself.

But anywhosies, Bondi never promised to release a list, but she
claimed it existed. And the stuff she did release months ago, was shit
we already knew. It was like when Elon released the Twitter Files that
had nothing on them.

Back in February, a month into this horrifying racist fascist regime,
Bondi was asked by John Roberts on Fox News if the DOJ would release a
“list of Jeffrey Epstein’s clients.” He asked, “Will that
really happen?”

Bondi said, “It’s sitting on my desk right now to review. That’s
been a directive by President Trump. I’m reviewing that.”

Uh, so how was this imaginary list sitting on Bondi’s desk at that
exact moment when it never existed?

Today, White House SpokesBarbie Karoline Leavitt claimed that Bondi
wasn’t referring to an Epstein Client list, saying, “She was
saying the entirety of all of the paperwork – all of the paper in
relation to Jeffrey Epstein’s crimes. That’s what the attorney
general was referring to, and I’ll let her speak for that.”

That’s a good call, SpokesBarbie, because it’s never a good idea
to speak for liars, you know…such as yourself. Bondi explicitly
referred to having Epstein’s client list on her desk. It was NOT an
insinuation. Some Americans know how to comprehend.

Last March, again on Fox News because it’s the only place they feel
safe to go because there are never follow-up questions, host Mark
Levin suggested that Democratic-leaning officials in New York City
might be withholding information because they “don’t like the
names on the list” and that they were “trying to protect a lot of
names and individuals.”

Did Bondi reply with, “They’re not withholding information about
the list because there isn’t a list.”? No. She replied, “I think
it’s very interesting that they withheld that from us.”

Republicans and MAGAts are seriously upset about this, because they
still believe, without evidence, there’s an Epstein client list just
like they still believe the 2020 election was stolen, there’s a deep
state, There are Jewish space lasers, Hillary Clinton sex-trafficked
babies out of the basement of a Washington DC pizza joint that
doesn’t have a basement, that vaccines contain tracking chips, that
the government is controlling the weather with chemtrails while also
putting toxins in the water that make frogs gay, and that there’s
incriminating evidence on Hunter’s laptop.

MAGAts HATE having their conspiracy theories debunked, especially by
another MAGAt. That never happens, right?

Right-wing filmmaker and Heritage Foundation Visiting Fellow Robby
Starbuck tweeted, “If Jeffrey Epstein had no clients list, didn’t
have elites raping girls on his island and hadn’t taken part in any
blackmail schemes… Then… Why’d he kill himself? It doesn’t
pass the smell test.” Dude, Trump’s cologne doesn’t pass the
smell test.

I don’t think Epstein killed himself because of a client list, but
because he was going to spend the rest of his life in prison.

Elon Musk, who claimed that not only is there an Epstein client list,
but that Trump’s name is on it, posted a meme of the DOJ as clowns.
Other far-right MAGA goons were screaming for Bondi to be fired, one
said she’s “keeping the tens of thousands of child porn videos for
herself,” and Laura Loomer has tweeted about 80 times on this, with
one saying, “If she doesn’t get fired over this Epstein memo,
people are going to be so black pilled.”

Wow! Being blackpilled sounds horrible, whatever that is.

Last May, Bondi also said publicly, “There are tens of thousands of
videos of Epstein with children or child porn, and there are hundreds
of victims.” But even Kash Patel, the bug-eyed psychotic MAGAt
running the FBI, walked that one back during an interview with Joe
Rogan, which must have really disappointed that conspiracy theorist.

If Bondi can finally admit that there’s not an Epstein client list,
maybe she can finally confess that the 2020 election wasn’t stolen,
and Joe Biden won.

That one would guarantee her firing.

Clay Jones
July 7, 2025
Claytoonz [[link removed]]

 

RE: SUNDAY SCIENCE: DID BABY TALK GIVE RISE TO LANGUAGE? 
 

Isn't that kind of like the chicken and the egg?  Do we know whether
adults who talk to babies had parents or other adults talk to them
when THEY were babies? How far back do we go???

Karen Lee Wald

 

RE: AMERICA GOES FULL-TILT SATIRE AS TRUMP ANNOUNCES HE'S HOLDING UFC
FIGHTS AT THE WHITE HOUSE NOW 

(posting on xxxxxx Culture
[[link removed]])
 

Teddy Roosevelt, another racist bastard, did it too.

Presidential Shenanigans: Theodore Roosevelt's White House Wrestling
Match [[link removed]]

Koohan

 

RE: JAMES GUNN SAYS ‘SUPERMAN’ IS ABOUT AN ‘IMMIGRANT THAT CAME
FROM OTHER PLACES’ AND HOW WE’VE ‘LOST’ THE VALUE OF ‘BASIC
HUMAN KINDNESS’: ‘YES, IT’S ABOUT POLITICS’

(posting on xxxxxx Culture
[[link removed]])
 

The story of Superman is more than just an immigration story. It's a
refugee story. Superman was the late 1930s creation of two Jewish
American teenagers. His origin story is that his desperate parents,
hoping he might survive, rocketed him off their exploding planet into
the unknown — very much like the desperate Jewish parents in Germany
and Austria who sent their children away on Kinsdertransports to
escape the Nazis. Like so many other immigrants, Superman brought
vitally needed skills to his new home.

Mimi

 

RE: 'THE HOUSE I LIVE IN' | PAUL ROBESON

(posted in Friday Nite Videos
[[link removed]])
 

Here is a video of "The House I Live In
[[link removed]]," sung as part of an
Earl Robinson Medley by The Metropolitan Philharmonic Chorus,
 commemorating his centennial at Local 802 in NY City, hosted by The
National Committee to Re-Open the Rosenberg Case, June 17, 2010: The
arrangement is mine, and is available to choruses that can read music
[[link removed]]:

Leonard J. Lehrman
[email protected] 

 

‘THAT’S OUTRAGEOUS!’ WEEK 5: UNION ORGANIZING  --  MOCK DEBATE
PROPOSED BY TIM SHEARD, ILLUSTRATIONS BY RYN GARGULINSKI

 

In case you missed ‘em here’re weeks 1,
[[link removed]] 2
[[link removed]], 3
[[link removed]], and 4
[[link removed]] of ‘That’s
Outrageous!”

 

PODCAST: JAMES MUMM, STEPHANIE LUCE, AND BILL FLETCHER ON KNOWING YOUR
TARGET, LEARNING FROM SUCCESSFUL FAILURES, AND BUILDING A UNITED FRONT
 (TRAINING CHANGE)

 

This episode
[[link removed]] is
part one of a two-part special episode from the Craft of Campaigns
Podcast. You can listen to them here in any order
[[link removed]].
Unlike their standard episodes that _zoom in_ on one particular
campaign, in this two-part series they are _zooming out_ around
broader strategy themes. To help us zoom out, they invited five
insightful thought leaders, who each recently wrote vital resources
for campaign organizers, to talk with the podcast host Andrew.

In part one, Andrew Willis Garcés talks with three guests
[[link removed]].
First JAMES MUMM grounds us in ‘what is organizing’ anyway, the
importance of thinking like a target in power analysis, and why
campaigns must contest for mainstream values, pulling from his
co-written report _The Antidote To Authoritarianism
[[link removed]]. _Then
we hear from STEPHANIE LUCE about her co-written book, _Practical
Radicals [[link removed]], _how
campaigns relate to her Seven Strategies framework, and learning from
“successful failures.” Finally, BILL FLETCHER differentiates
between ‘campaigns’ and ‘movements’ and makes the case for
broad united fronts, from his article in Convergence Magazine
[[link removed]],
“Campaigns and Movements: How Are They Connected, How Do They
Differ?”

In part two of two (coming soon), Andrew talks with two guests.
First LAUREN JACOBS of _Power Switch Action_ highlights the role
of corporate targeting campaigns in resisting authoritarianism,
pulling from her co-written article _Reining in Amazon to Build Up
People-Powered Democracy
[[link removed]]_ in _The
Forge_. Then, we hear from HARMONY GOLDBERG of _Grassroots Power
Project_, about interventions from her co-authored guide _Governing
Power
[[link removed]]_.
Beyond cutting issues for easy wins given a terrain of power, she
invites campaigners to orient toward the long term project of winning
durable governing power, to transform the terrain of power itself. The
episode touches themes of effective allies, building enforcement into
demands, narrative struggle, and the importance of base building
fundamentals.

If you like what you hear, I encourage you to join me in following
the Craft of Campaigns Podcast
[[link removed]] on
whatever platform you prefer.

 

SUMMER SALE! 40% OFF ALL HAYMARKET BOOKS!

 

All over the world, millions of people are struggling for freedom,
dignity, and self-determination—whether fighting to transform their
neighborhoods and workplaces or organizing to overthrow global systems
of capitalism and colonialism.

IN SUPPORT OF COUNTLESS MOVEMENTS IN MOTION, WE’RE GLAD TO OFFER 40%
OFF ALL HAYMARKET BOOKS FOR THE REST OF THE SUMMER—AN INVITATION TO
ANYONE LOOKING TO RE-COMMIT TO POLITICAL EDUCATION AS PART OF THE
STRUGGLE FOR LIBERATION.
 

_Free shipping on orders over $25 / £20 for readers in the US
and UK._

40% Off ALL Haymarket Books...
[[link removed]]

[link removed]-…
[[link removed]]

HERE ARE SOME RECENT AND RECOMMENDED READS TO GET YOU STARTED. Get a
free Ebook (where available) and free shipping on orders over $25 /
£20 inside the US and UK.  

AND, DON’T FORGET, YOU CAN STILL DOWNLOAD FOUR FREE EBOOKS FOR A
FREE PALESTINE
[[link removed]]!

HAYMARKET BOOKS [[link removed]]

 

ON JULY 13, 2025 OUR BOAT 'HANDALA' WILL DEPART FROM SIRACUSA, ITALY
TO BREAK ISRAEL’S ILLEGAL BLOCKADE  (FREEDOM FLOTILLA COALITION)
 

This mission is for the children of Gaza.

Just weeks ago, Israeli forces illegally seized our boat 'Madleen' and
abducted 12 unarmed civilians aboard her in international waters.

Since March, more than 6,572 Palestinians have been killed, over
23,000 injured, and hundreds shot while waiting for food. The children
of Gaza now face famine, disease, and trauma few of us can imagine.

We are not governments. We are people taking action where institutions
have failed. We are not backing down.

#FreedomFlotilla #WeWillSail #AllEyesonDeck  #BreakTheSiege #Handala

Freedom Flotilla Coalition
[[link removed]]  

 

TEXAS INSPECTORS APPROVED CAMP MYSTIC’S DISASTER PLAN 2 DAYS BEFORE
DEADLY FLOOD, RECORDS SHOW
 

By Jim Mustian, Christopher L. Keller And Ryan J. Foley
July 8, 2025
Associated Press
[[link removed]]

Texas inspectors signed off on Camp Mystic’s emergency planning just
two days before catastrophic flooding
[[link removed]] killed
more than two dozen people at the all-girls Christian summer camp,
most of them children.

The Department of State Health Services released records Tuesday
showing the camp complied with a host of state regulations regarding
“procedures to be implemented in case of a disaster.” Among them:
instructing campers what to do if they need to evacuate and assigning
specific duties to each staff member and counselor.

Five years of inspection reports released to The Associated Press do
not offer any details of those plans at Mystic, raising new questions
about the camp’s preparedness ahead of the torrential July 4
rainfall in flood-prone Texas Hill Country.

The National Weather Service had issued a flood watch for the area
July 3 at 1:18 p.m. That danger prompted at least one of the roughly
18 camps along the Guadalupe River
[[link removed]] to
move dozens of campers to higher ground.

The uncertainty about what happened at Mystic comes as local officials
have repeatedly dodged questions
[[link removed]] about
who was monitoring the weather and what measures were taken ahead of
the flooding.

Tragedy falls on the historic camp

Camp Mystic, established in 1926, did not evacuate and was especially
hit hard when the river rose from 14 feet (4.2 meters) to 29.5 feet (9
meters) within 60 minutes in the early morning hours. Flooding on that
stretch of the Guadalupe starts at about 10 feet (3 meters).

A wall of water overwhelmed people in cabins, tents and trailers along
the river’s edge. Some survivors were found clinging to trees.

At least 27 campers and counselors died during the floods, and
officials said Tuesday that five campers and one counselor have still
not been found. Among the dead was Richard “Dick” Eastland, the
camp’s beloved director described by campers as a father figure.

Charlotte Lauten, 19, spent nine summers at Camp Mystic, mostly
recently in 2023. She said she didn’t recall ever receiving
instructions as a camper on what do in the case of a weather
emergency.

“I do know that the counselors go through orientation training for a
week before camp starts,” she said. “They do brief them on all
those types of things.”

One thing that likely hindered the girls’ ability to escape was how
dark it would have been, Lauten said. Campers don’t have access to
their phones while at camp, she said, adding they wouldn’t have cell
service anyway because of the remote location.

“This is the middle of nowhere and they didn’t have power,” she
said. “It would have been pitch black, like could not see 5 feet in
front of you type of darkness. I’ve never seen stars like there
because there’s just no light.”

Inspections found no issues

The state inspected Camp Mystic on July 2, the same day the Texas
Division of Emergency Management activated emergency response
resources ahead of the anticipated flooding.

The inspection found no deficiencies or violations at the camp in a
long list of health and safety criteria. The camp had 557 campers and
more than 100 staffers at the time between its Guadalupe and Cypress
Lake locations.

The disaster plans are required to be posted in all camp buildings but
aren’t filed with the state, said Lara Anton, a spokesperson for the
Texas Department of State Health Services.

“We do not have them,” Anton said in an email. “You’d have to
get it from the camp.”

Camp Mystic did not respond to requests for comment on its emergency
plan. In a statement on its website, the camp said it has been “in
communication with local and state authorities who are tirelessly
deploying extensive resources to search for our missing girls.”

Camps are responsible for developing their own emergency plan.
Inspectors evaluate the plans to ensure they meet several state
requirements, including procedures for evacuation.

“The inspector checked that they had plans posted for those elements
in every building,” Anton said, “and that they had trained staff
and volunteers on what to do.”

Camp Mystic is licensed by the state and a member of the Camping
Association for Mutual Progress, which says its goal is to “raise
health and safety standards” for summer camps. Leaders of that
association didn’t return messages.

The American Camp Association said Tuesday that Camp Mystic is not
accredited with that organization, whose standards focus on safety and
risk management. Spokesperson Lauren McMillin declined to say whether
the camp previously had been accredited with the association, which
describes itself as “the only nationwide accrediting organization
for all year-round and summer camps.”

Read more here
[[link removed]] 

 

DHS CANCELS EXTREME WEATHER COMMS GRANT WHILE BODIES STILL BEING
RECOVERED IN TEXAS
 

Josh Marshall

July 10, 2025
Talking Points Memo
[[link removed]]
Search and rescue crews work to search a vehicles and debris along
the Guadalupe River in Kerrville, TX, July 7, 2025.  (Photo: Jason
Fochtman/Houston Chronicle  //  Talking Points Memo)
As more than a hundred fatalities have been confirmed in Texas flash
floods and some 170 remain missing, Department of Homeland Security
Secretary Kristi Noem has both denied that DOGE cuts to the National
Weather Service played a role in the tragedy and also focused on the
importance of timely and effective communications about extreme
weather events, which she says wasn’t up to par. Coverage of the
Texas flash flood calamity has made clear that it’s not just the
work of forecasters that is critical. You can have a timely and
accurate forecast but it does little good if it isn’t effectively
communicated to local authorities in the effected areas. That “last
mile” communication is critical and it seems like there were
breakdowns on that front both with county officials and possibly on
the National Weather Service side, where a senior position in charge
of liaising with local officials was vacant at the time of the floods.
But even as the rescue workers were searching for bodies in Texas on
Tuesday, DHS canceled a $3 million grant aimed at ensuring precisely
those kinds of “last mile” communications.

The grant was to something called New York’s Mesonet, and the story
goes back a decade, to a series of extreme weather events which caused
billions of dollars of damage and led to the loss of at least 60 lives
in New York state. New York’s Mesonet is a series of towers around
the state to collect accurate and localized data.

Two years ago, DHS awarded a $3 million grant for something called the
“Empower Project,” which planned to leverage New York’s Mesonet
data to “build a next-generation scalable decision-support tool
suite for the emergency management enterprise.” What Empower was
meant to do was coordinate disaster response in extreme weather events
and specifically make sure there was effective “last mile”
communications between forecasters, state disaster officials and local
officials on the ground in specific areas. In other words, it aimed at
improving precisely the kind of “last mile” coordination and
communication that fell short in Texas. If locals officials aren’t
notified effectively and on time, it doesn’t matter how great the
data collection towers are.

As the Empower website puts it [[link removed]],
“By integrating advanced analytics, real-time localized high
resolution Mesonet-based weather data, critical infrastructure
‘lifelines,’ social vulnerability data, and novel visualization
capabilities, the Empower tool will provide a rapid assessment of
changing weather conditions and their potential impacts on communities
and critical infrastructure.”

But on Tuesday the grant recipients at State University of New York,
Albany were notified by DHS in a form dated July 8th that the entire
grant was being terminated “for convenience of the Government.”
The order, signed by DHS contracting officer John Whipple, instructed
researchers to immediately cease work on the project.

The Albany Times Union reported earlier this morning
[[link removed]] that
Sen. Chuck Schumer has written a letter to Noem asking her to
reconsider the decision.

* Reader Comments
[[link removed]]
* Trump Budget
[[link removed]]
* Big Death Bill
[[link removed]]
* Big Bad Bill
[[link removed]]
* Trump 2.0
[[link removed]]
* Donald Trump
[[link removed]]
* Texas flooding
[[link removed]]
* river flooding
[[link removed]]
* weather
[[link removed]]
* Climate Change
[[link removed]]
* Climate Crisis
[[link removed]]
* extreme weather events
[[link removed]]
* DOGE
[[link removed]]
* DHS
[[link removed]]
* National Weather Service
[[link removed]]
* NWS
[[link removed]]
* Camp Mystic
[[link removed]]
* texas
[[link removed]]
* Zohran Mamdani
[[link removed]]
* New York City
[[link removed]]
* Democratic Party
[[link removed]]
* Electoral Politics
[[link removed]]
* left political strategy
[[link removed]]
* Jeffrey Epstein
[[link removed]]
* Pam Bondi
[[link removed]]
* DOJ
[[link removed]]
* Superman
[[link removed]]
* united front
[[link removed]]
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[[link removed]]
* Handala
[[link removed]]
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[[link removed]]
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[[link removed]]
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[[link removed]]
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[[link removed]]
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*
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