Matt Gagnon criticizes the federal response to the Texas floods, blaming bureaucratic obstacles and the Trump administration’s policies. He highlights that FEMA now requires Homeland Security Christy Noem’s approval for contracts over $100,000, delaying disaster response. This rule stripped FEMA of autonomy, causing delays in deploying Urban Search and Rescue teams. Gagnon argues that FEMA’s inefficiencies are systemic, spanning multiple administrations, and not solely due to the Trump administration’s plans to dismantle FEMA. He suggests that local responses, like Texas’s immediate action, might be more effective than the federal bureaucracy.
They gathered at the Washington National Cathedral on Thursday — former presidents, vice presidents, sworn political foes and newfound friends — in a show of respect and remembrance for Dick Cheney, the consequential and polarizing vice president who became an acidic scold of President Donald Trump.
Melania Trump and Usha Vance took their first trip together, spending time in North Carolina on Wednesday with service members and their families to show appreciation for their service and sacrifice as the holidays approach.
Members of the Sackler family who own OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma must pay billions of dollars to settle a flood of lawsuits over the harms of opioids, in a new deal formally approved by a federal bankruptcy judge on Tuesday.
The House voted overwhelmingly in favor of a bill Tuesday to force the Justice Department to publicly release its files on the convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, a remarkable display of approval for an effort that had struggled for months to overcome opposition from President Donald Trump and Republican leadership.
