Dear Friends,

JEFFREY WEISS AND KATHLEEN MCQUILLEN JOIN ED THIS WEEK:

(02:01) Lies swirl in the wake of Hurricane Helene;
(19:03) We’re heading toward a regional war in the Middle East;
(37:14) Russia’s drastic nuclear policy upgrade;
(54:02) Paraquat and Parkinson’s, with Kathy Byrnes Fallon.

Jillian Speece in front of the Moxy Hotel, one of the few places in Asheville, NC, with internet service after Hurricane Helene.

I’m appalled when partisans use a disaster like Hurricane Helene for political gain. Perhaps not surprisingly, the worst lies are coming from Donald Trump.

Here’s a CBS clip of Trump claiming FEMA is diverting disaster relief money to help illegal immigrants. Two lies in one sentence: (1) non citizens can’t vote, and (2) no money was “stolen” from FEMA.

FEMA is run under the Dept of Homeland Security, which operates a bunch of programs, including “Shelter and Services,” which provides support to non-citizens awaiting their day in court. A hundred years ago, my Irish grandparents would have appreciated such a program.

Here’s Trump lying again, in a Facebook clip where he claims Biden isn’t helping Georgia recover from hurricane damage. That lie is followed by Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp, a Republican, matter-of-factly stating the exact opposite.

Trump also claimed, without a shred of evidence, that the Biden administration was favoring “blue” areas over “red” areas.

Sadly, as with his lie about Haitians eating people’s cats and dogs, Trump’s hurricane-relief rants have consequences in real life. FEMA director, Deanne Criswell, said, “It’s demoralizing to all of the first responders that have been out there in their communities helping people.” Check out her interview on ABC This Week.

Jillian and Nathaniel visited Old Europe, a cafe in Asheville that was giving away water and food to anyone in need after the hurricane.

The lies are being crafted and spewed by a handful of miscreants, amplified by (and often originating from) Miscreant in Chief, Donald Trump. Fortunately, this isn’t how most Americans respond to others in the wake of a disaster.

In my personal experience of helping with recovery from Des Moines’ flood of 1993, everyone pulled together. We had no potable water for three weeks, and one of my assignments was to monitor water stations. My partner in that effort was Councilman George Flagg, a Republican who I disagreed with on many, perhaps most, issues. Didn’t matter. We worked together.

Here’s an encouraging video from Jillian Speece & Nathaniel Paul Hoff. They’re musicians and filmmakers with a band called The Bergamot. They were stranded in Asheville during Hurricane Helene. Jillian says, “It’s amazing when there’s an emergency. It doesn’t matter whether you’re a Republican or a Democrat or if you’re an independent.  People all around us right now, they’re all going to other cars being like, are you ok? Do you need anything? Hey, I’ve got carrots. I’ve got water.”

Ok, so I love that Jillian says, “I’ve got carrots.” That’s usually the first thing I think about after a bad storm. “Hey! Where are the freaking carrots?”

But seriously, Jillian and Nathaniel’s report is such a refreshing contrast to the ugly politicized pandering of Donald Trump. Trump and others who take advantage of vulnerable people impacted by a disaster oughta be ashamed of themselves — and ignored.

As of today, the death toll from Helene stands at over 230. Let’s hope Hurricane Milton is less deadly. And let’s hope that people don’t fall for politically motivated hype from Trump or anyone else.

Thanks for reading, listening, and taking action. — Ed Fallon

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