
Uproar over newspaper's 'disgusting' cartoon mocking Texas flood victims as Trump supporters
The cartoon was created by Adam Zyglis, and is titled 'Swept Away.'
In the image, a man in a MAGA hat holds a 'HELP' sign, and is illustrated drowning in the flood waters.
A road sign that reads ' Texas - Kerr County' floats in the water nearby alongside a car, a house, and multiple trees.
The cartoon is accompanied by a speech bubble, which reads, 'Gov't is the problem, not the solution.'
The artwork has quickly circulated online, and the paper received intense scrutiny for publishing the shocking image.
Michael Kracker, the Chairman of the Erie County Republican Committee, shared the image on his official X account, writing, '@TheBuffaloNews ran a cartoon mocking Texas families who lost loved ones in a tragedy, just because they might've voted Republican.
'Twisted, vile, and shameful. They owe those families an apology and should pull this filth immediately.'
Many flocked to the comments in agreement, with one writing, 'This is disgusting.'
'This is absolutely unacceptable & heartless too !!' another wrote.
'Evil! So much for being a representative of the city of good neighbors peddling such a vile idea!!
'@TheBuffaloNews should not only issue an apology immediately but should issue a check in support of the victims families…' another wrote.
'You don't bring politics into innocent child's deaths. It repulsive,' said a third.
However, some resonated with the cartoonist's message.
Daily Mail reached out to The Buffalo News and Zyglis for comment on the backlash to the cartoon.
The devastating floods ravaged Kerr County, Texas over the July 4 holiday, launching a massive multi-agency search and rescue mission to recover remains and survivors.
As of Wednesday evening, at least 119 people were killed in the travesty and 150 people remain unaccounted-for.
Many of the victims were children, including at least 27 campers who were attending Camp Mystic, an all-girls Christian summer camp right in the path of the floods.
The cabins alongside the Guadalupe River, where many of the youngest campers under the age of 10 were staying, took the brunt of the devastation.
As the massive operation continues to recover those who remain missing, authorities are forced to reckon with why evacuation measures didn't save more lives.
The National Weather Service issued a flash flood warning for the area just after 1 am, but authorities didn't notify residents until hours later.
Kerr County Judge Rob Kelly had claimed after the tragedy that officials 'didn't know this flood was coming.'
'This is the most dangerous river valley in the United States, and we deal with floods on a regular basis – when it rains, we get water.'
'We had no reason to believe this was going to be anything like what has happened here, none whatsoever.'
At a Wednesday morning news briefing, Kerr County Sheriff Larry Leitha said authorities were focused on finding the missing individuals and not investigating the timeline of the flash flood warnings.
'We're not running, we're not going to hide from everything. That's going to be checked into at a later time. I wish I could tell you that time.'
Governor Greg Abbott also pushed aside questions for who was to blame for the mounting death toll, telling reporters on Tuesday, 'Every football team makes mistakes.'
'The losing teams are the ones that try to point out who's to blame. The championship teams are the ones who say, "Don't worry about it, man.
'We got this. We're going to make sure that we go score again and we're going to win this game."'
The governor added that the Texas legislature would meet for a special session to investigate the emergency response to the flooding.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


The Independent
28 minutes ago
- The Independent
Jasmine Crockett unleashes on Ghislaine Maxwell talking to Trump DOJ before Congress: ‘Out of jail for free'
Rep. Jasmime Crockett wants Ghislaine Maxwell — who is serving a 20-year sentence for aiding sex trafficking financier Jeffrey Epstein — to testify before Congress before she speaks under oath to the Trump Justice Department. US Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, President Donald Trump's former personal attorney, will meet with Maxwell on Thursday in Florida, where she is serving out her two-decade sentence for scheming with the late pedophile power-player to sexually exploit and abuse young women and girls. The meeting comes just a day after the House Oversight Committee, on which Crockett sits, voted to subpoena Maxwell. On Wednesday, House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer issued a subpoena and set Maxwell's deposition date for Aug. 11. 'I don't know that we'll get anywhere, but I know if there's anybody that I want to talk to her, it is us — and not the administration — because at least if she comes before the committee, even if it's behind closed doors, it will be bipartisan,' Crockett, a frequent Trump antagonist, told The Independent. 'It won't just be one side able to ask questions, it'd be both sides, whereas the administration, they're a bunch of thugs,' she railed. 'And frankly, if it means that she can engage in a coverup, he'll most likely let her out of jail free. He's let people out of jail for far less.' This comes after the Department of Justice released a two-page memo on July 6 saying that Epstein, the convicted pedophile, had no 'client list' and died of suicide in his New York City jail cell, where he was found hanged by bed sheets. But Crockett, who spoke to The Independent before Comer issued his subpoena, also cautioned that she did not know if they would actually hear testimony from the once high-flying former socialite Maxwell. 'I don't know if she has appeals that are pending, and I'm sure that her attorneys will have some issues, some questions surrounding so it's more complicated than just subpoenaing her,' the Democrat said. 'We can subpoena all we want to. We have had a number of transcribed interviews as well as depositions over the last two weeks, and frankly, a lot of them ended with nothing because people invoked privilege and things like that.' Crockett has become a fundraising dynamo because of her combative style of questioning on the Oversight Committee and her willingness to joust with Republicans in the majority. But she recently lost her bid to replace the late Gerry Connolly (D-VA) as the top Democrat on the committee to Rep. Robert Garcia (D-CA). Garcia told The Independent that subpoenaing Maxwell does not mean the committee trusts her to be truthful. 'She's a documented liar, she's obviously done an enormous amount to harm young girls and and and has an interest, of course, in, in being free,' Garcia said. 'We should still want to have her come testify in front of oversight in the Congress, but, but we should just be very we should understand that this is a very complex witness and someone that has caused great harm and not a good person to a lot of people.' The House of Representatives broke a day early after the House Rules Committee ground itself to a halt because Democrats continued offering amendments to release files related to Epstein. In an attempt to mollify Democrats and some conservatives, Republicans proposed a non-binding House resolution to get the Department of Justice to release files. In addition, Rep. Thomas (R-KY) and Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA) have a discharge petition, which would force a vote and circumvent Speaker Mike Johnson, to release files related to Epstein. Massie, a critic of Trump, accused Johnson of covering for the president. 'He doesn't want a paper-thin sliver of daylight between him and the president, and so that's why he's avoided taking even the symbolic vote on the non-binding resolution,' Massie told The Independent. Trump, a friend of Epstein's for many years before a falling out that appears to have come before it was publicly known the financier was being investigated over his sex trafficking, has criticized his supporters and others for focusing on the Epstein case. He also vehemently denied a story in The Wall Street Journal that he sent Epstein a note for the disgraced financier and predator's 50th birthday party and also filed a $10 billion lawsuit against the newspaper and its owners News Corp and Rupert Murdoch, among others.


The Independent
28 minutes ago
- The Independent
Trump promised to back Detroit automakers - his deal with Japan has them shaking in their boots
General Motors, Ford and Stellantis - the big three U.S. automakers - pushed back against the Trump administration after President Donald Trump announced a trade deal with Japan that would lower tariffs on vehicles made overseas and hurt the American car companies. Earlier this week, the president said he had signed the 'largest' trade deal in history with Japan, which would include a 15 percent tariff on imported cars – significantly lower than the 25 percent tariff on other imported vehicles. Trump announced the 25 percent tariff on cars made overseas earlier this year, and many of Detroit's companies manufacture cars in Mexico and Canada, which would make them subject to the 25 percent tariff. Higher tariffs likely mean higher costs for consumers, which could lead people to turn to the cheaper Japan-made models. 'Any deal that charges a lower tariff for Japanese imports with virtually no U.S. content than the tariff imposed on North American built vehicles with high U.S. content is a bad deal for U.S. industry and U.S. auto workers,' Matt Blunt, the head of the American Automotive Policy Council, which represents the big three Detroit auotmakers, said in a statement. Blunt said American Automakers were still reviewing the terms of the agreement. During the campaign, Trump visited Detroit and touted the American car industry, promising to 'revolutionize' it. However, shortly after taking the White House, he quickly imposed tariffs on all cars made overseas. General Motors warned just this week that it expects a $4 to $5 billion impact from Trump's tariffs. Auto Drive America, a group that represents U.S. operations of foreign vehicle makers, praised the Japan deal while also calling for Trump to reach similar agreements with the European Union, South Korea, Canada and Mexico. 'We share President Trump's vision to make the U.S. the worldwide center of automotive production, and our member companies need stability in order to create an environment where we can maintain our competitive edge both in the U.S. and on the global stage,' Auto Drive America said. While the deal with Japan will impose lower tariffs, Trump said it will also open market access to the U.S. U.S. auto manufacturers have long struggled to infiltrate the Japanese market, in part because smaller cars that drive on the left side of the road are in much more demand – the type that the U.S. does not typically make. Kush Desai, a spokesperson for the White House, said, 'No president has taken a greater interest in restoring the American auto industry's dominance than President Trump, and his Administration is working closely with the auto industry to achieve this goal.' 'President Trump's trade agenda has already secured historic market access to Japan and Indonesia for Made in America cars with more America First trade deals to come,' Desai added. 'The Administration's domestic policy agenda – from rapid deregulation to the pro-growth tax cuts of The One Big Beautiful Bill – will further boost our auto industry's competitiveness on the world stage and Make American Automakers Great Again.' Hoping to stimulate U.S. manufacturing, the president imposed lofty automotive tariffs earlier this year. Automakers initially raised concerns with the 25 percent tariff in addition to other levies such as those on steel and aluminum. After, Trump offered U.S. automakers some relief through a complicated discount program. Two of the big three Detroit automakers appear to have suffered setbacks. General Motors said Tuesday its second-quarter earnings plummeted 35 percent, compared to the same quarter last year. It also reported a $1 billion loss in second-quarter profits. Stellantis, which makes Chryslers, Jeeps, and more, said it expects to see nearly $350 million in losses in the first two quarters of the year, in part due to tariffs. Around 60 percent of car parts are imported, even if the car is finally assembled in the U.S. Every single 2025 model car sold in the U.S. had at least 15 percent of its parts from a country outside of North America. Trump has threatened to hike tariffs on the U.S.'s largest trading partners, Mexico and Canada, to 30 and 35 percent, respectively.


Daily Mail
28 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Jimmy Kimmel reveals blistering reason he wants Trump to compete on Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?
Jimmy Kimmel has revealed the blistering reason he wants Donald Trump to compete on Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? The 57-year-old, who has been serving as host since 2020, told Extra he'd like to see exactly 'how much the genius' really knows. Celebrity contestants get their intelligence tested as they're quizzed on a variety of topics in the hopes of winning $1M for a charity of their choosing. Asked about his dream contestant, Kimmel told the outlet: 'Boy, wound't it be fun to put Donald Trump in that hot seat, see how much that genius knows? 'I would say, "Please, have a seat. I would love to — you know what? Any time you spend on a game show is another hour you're not being president, so I'm in support of that."' Kimmel - a vocal critic of the president - admitted he has a lot of respect for any celebrity who does take part. He added: 'I admire anybody that does sit down and come on the show because they're really risking their reputation.' Kimmel's comments about Trump come after the US President claimed he and Jimmy Fallon could be 'next' to have their shows cancelled after news that the Late Show with Stephen Colbert will end in May 2026. Trump wrote on his own Truth Social platform: 'The word is, and it's a strong word at that, Jimmy Kimmel is NEXT to go in the untalented Late Night Sweepstakes and, shortly thereafter, Fallon will be gone. 'These are people with absolutely NO TALENT, who were paid Millions of Dollars for, in all cases, destroying what used to be GREAT Television. 'It's really good to see them go, and I hope I played a major part in it! (sic)' In response, Kimmel posted on Instagram: 'I'm hearing you're next. Or maybe it's just another wonderful secret.' His contract for Jimmy Kimmel Live! - which airs on ABC - is set to expire in 2026. Meanwhile, Colbert has questioned CBS' statement claiming the decision to end the show was a 'purely a financial decision' move. Celebrity contestants get their intelligence tested as they're quizzed on a variety of topics in the hopes of winning $1M for a charity of their choosing Kimmel's comments about Trump come after the US President claimed he and Jimmy Fallon could be 'next' to have their shows cancelled after news that the Late Show with Stephen Colbert will end in May 2026; Kimmel and Colbert in 2024 He asked: 'How could it be purely be a financial decision if The Late Show is No. 1 in ratings?' The announcement his show was ending came after the network's parent company Paramount Global settled a $16 million lawsuit with Trump after he alleged Kamala Harris' 60 Minutes interview was deceptively edited. On his show, following the settlement, Colbert described the move as a 'big, fat bribe' as Paramount awaits FDA approval for its merger with Skydance.