PRESENTED BY THE MAJESTIC DUDDON, OVER SMOOTH FLAT SANDS
On Wednesday, acting Federal Emergency Management Administration head Cam Hamilton testified before Congress that he did “not believe it is in the best interest the American people to eliminate the Federal Emergency Management Agency,” despite Trump’s stated desire to kill off FEMA.
So the next day, Hamilton was fired, escorted out of FEMA headquarters, and replaced with an even less qualified Trump yes-man, David “Vigo” Richardson. A former Marine and military contractor who served in the first Trump regime, Richardson lacks a demonstrated ability in and knowledge of emergency management, despite the statutory requirement that the FEMA Administrator have a demonstrated ability in and knowledge of emergency management.
But he does have the key qualification of being a complete asshole. In a “bizarre” meeting with staff on Friday, Richardson said, “I, and I alone in FEMA, speak for FEMA.” He went on:
“Obfuscation, delay, undermining. If you're one of those 20% of people and you think those tactics and techniques are going to help you, they will not, because I will run right over you. Don't get in my way ... I know all the tricks.”
Will be fun watching him trying to bully a hurricane into turning around.
David the Carpathian
On Bluesky, climate scientist Bob Kopp compiled a list of some of the Trump coup’s illegal attacks on climate science:
April 8: Cancellation of $4 million of NOAA cooperative agreement funding for Princeton for promoting “exaggerated and implausible climate threats” and “climate anxiety”
May 2: White House releases budget which aggressively slashes climate science and renewable energy funding, calling it the “Green New Scam”
Thanks to the American Geophysical Union for fighting back—and winning.
Help the Computing Research Association to tell Congress to save the National Science Foundation.
What are we missing? Put it in the comments!
Everywhere in America, people dedicated to service, to nurturing their community and caring for the planet have been DOGEd. Jillian Magtoto tells the story of how the annihilation of AmeriCorps is killing California conservation efforts, one unplanted white oak at a time.
On April 25th, California Volunteers, which administers most of the state’s AmeriCorps funding, told GrizzlyCorps that its grants were gone. Across the Bay Area, DOGE cuts of about $11 million affected 28 programs and 304 locations. GrizzlyCorps fellows were told to stop working immediately, three months early.
The Texas Senate passed a bill requiring solar plants to provide power at night.
Ezra Klein’s got it wrong—Colorado’s housing “abundance” efforts are backed by environmental groups and nixed by Republicans and business.
Warren Buffett’s successor Greg Abel got his start selling clean energy. Now he defends coal.
Pope Francis’s successor Pope Leo XIV got his start ministering to the poor in Peru. Now he defends the earth.
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