FEMA moved quickly to help Texas. These other states are still waiting.
'This is the fastest that I'm aware of any administration responding so swiftly, so collaboratively, so coordinated,' Abbott said.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
6 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Smithsonian removes references to Trump's impeachments from exhibit
The Smithsonian's National Museum of American History removed references to President Donald Trump's two impeachment proceedings from an exhibit on the "Limits of Presidential Power," a Smithsonian spokesperson confirmed to ABC News. The spokesperson said a future exhibit will include all presidential impeachments. The museum decided to "restore" the section of a permanent exhibition to its "2008 appearance" because various topics had not been updated since that year and therefore they removed references to Trump, the Smithsonian spokesperson told ABC News on Thursday. Trump is the only U.S. president to have been impeached twice. "In reviewing our legacy content recently, it became clear that the 'Limits of Presidential Power' section in The American Presidency: A Glorious Burden exhibition needed to be addressed. The section of this exhibition covers Congress, The Supreme Court, Impeachment, and Public Opinion," the spokesperson said. MORE: Artist Amy Sherald cancels Smithsonian exhibit, citing 'culture of censorship' The exhibit now only includes references to the impeachment proceedings against Presidents Andrew Johnson in 1868, Richard Nixon in 1973 and Bill Clinton in 1998. Nixon is the only U.S. president to resign following the commencement of impeachment proceedings. While serving as the 45th President of the United States, Trump was first impeached twice by Congress during his first term – with the first proceeding beginning on Dec. 18, 2019 on charges of abuse of power and obstruction in connection with an alleged quid pro quo call with the Ukrainian president. Trump was acquitted when the trial concluded in the Senate on Feb. 5, 2020. Following the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, Trump was impeached for a second time on Jan. 13, 2021, on the charge of incitement of insurrection, but was again acquitted on Feb. 13, 2021, days after he left office after losing the 2020 election to President Joe Biden. Trump denied all wrongdoing in both of his impeachment cases. Following Trump's first impeachment proceeding, the Smithsonian released a statement on Jan. 21, 2020, about the collection of objects regarding Trump's impeachment. The statement said that as the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History "actively engages," with history, curators are following Trump's impeachment trial and will determine "which objects best represent these historic events for inclusion in the national collection." The Smithsonian spokesperson on Thursday said the museum "installed a temporary label on content concerning the impeachments of Donald J. Trump" in Sept. 2021, which was "intended to be a short-term measure to address current events at the time, however, the label remained in place until July 2025." "A large permanent gallery like The American Presidency that opened in 2000, requires a significant amount of time and funding to update and renew. A future and updated exhibit will include all impeachments," the spokesperson added, in explaining the removal of Trump references. An online description of the exhibit of the Smithsonian's website still referenced Trump's two impeachments as of Friday morning. The removal of references of Trump's impeachments was first reported by The Washington Post on Thursday. The report cited "a person familiar with the exhibit plans, who was not authorized to discuss them publicly," who told the Post that "the change came about as part of a content review that the Smithsonian agreed to undertake following pressure from the White House to remove an art museum director." Asked by ABC News about this claim, the Smithsonian spokesperson did not immediately comment. Museums and parks must remove some items related to race and gender: Executive order The Smithsonian affirmed its autonomy from outside influences in a June 9 statement after President Trump announced that he fired National Portrait Gallery head Kim Sajet for allegedly being a "highly partisan person." Sajet resigned on June 13, a Smithsonian spokesperson confirmed to ABC News. "Throughout its history, the Smithsonian has been governed and administered by a Board of Regents and a Secretary. The board is entrusted with the governance and independence of the Institution, and the board appoints a Secretary to manage the Institution. All personnel decisions are made by and subject to the direction of the Secretary, with oversight by the Board. Lonnie G. Bunch, the Secretary, has the support of the Board of Regents in his authority and management of the Smithsonian," the statement said. "The Board of Regents is committed to ensuring that the Smithsonian is a beacon of scholarship free from political or partisan influence, and we recognize that our institution can and must do more to further these foundational values," the Smithsonian added. Trump signed an executive order in March placing Vice President J.D. Vance in charge of supervising efforts to "remove improper ideology" from all areas of the Smithsonian and targeted funding for programs that advance "divisive narratives" and "improper ideology." The order -- called "Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History" -- directed Vance and Interior Department Secretary Doug Burgum to restore federal parks, monuments, memorials and statues "that have been improperly removed or changed in the last five years to perpetuate a false revision of history or improperly minimize or disparage certain historical figures or events."
Yahoo
6 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Ghislaine Maxwell moved to a minimum-security prison camp, authorities say
Jeffrey Epstein's former girlfriend Ghislaine Maxwell has been moved to a minimum-security prison camp in Texas, officials have said. is serving a 20-year sentence after being convicted of helping traffic and sexually abuse underage girls in 2021. She was being held at a low-security prison in Tallahassee, Florida, that housed men and women. The federal Bureau of Prisons said on Friday that Maxwell has been transferred to a prison camp in Bryan, Texas, but did not explain the circumstances. Her lawyer confirmed the move but also declined to discuss the reasons for it. The Texas camp houses solely female prisoners, the majority of whom are serving time for nonviolent offences and white-collar crimes, Sky's US partner NBC News reports. Minimum-security federal prison camps house inmates considered to be the lowest security risk and some facilities do not even have fences. A senior administration official told NBC: "Any false assertion this individual was given preferential treatment is absurd. "Prisoners are routinely moved in some instances due to significant safety and danger concerns." Maxwell has received renewed attention in recent weeks, after the US Justice Department said it would not be releasing the so-called 'Epstein files'. The department said a review of the Epstein case had found "no incriminating 'client list'" and "no credible evidence" the jailed financier - who killed himself in prison in 2019 - had blackmailed famous men. Read more: Officials from the Trump administration have since tried to cast themselves as promoting transparency in the case. Last month, they lodged a request to unseal grand jury transcripts - - and Maxwell was last week by Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche. Epstein survivor's family criticises move Maxwell's move to a lower security facility has been criticised by the family of Epstein abuse survivor Virginia Giuffre, who , and accusers Annie and Maria Farmer. They said in a statement: "It is with horror and outrage that we object to the preferential treatment convicted sex trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell has received. "Ghislaine Maxwell is a sexual predator who physically assaulted minor children on multiple occasions, and she should never be shown any leniency. "Yet, without any notification to the Maxwell victims, the government overnight has moved Maxwell to a minimum security luxury prison in Texas." The statement concluded: "This move smacks of a cover up. The victims deserve better."
Yahoo
6 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Kugler to step down from Fed board on Aug. 8, allowing Trump to fill her seat early
Federal Reserve Governor Adriana Kugler said Friday she will resign from the Federal Reserve Board of Governors effective Aug. 8, meaning President Trump could have a replacement in her seat earlier than expected. The term of Kugler, who was appointed by President Biden, was due to expire on Jan. 31. "It has been an honor of a lifetime to serve on the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System,' Kugler wrote in a resignation letter to Fed Chair Jerome Powell. 'I am especially honored to have served during a critical time in achieving our dual mandate of bringing down prices and keeping a strong and resilient labor market.' Kugler was not present at this week's meeting of the Fed's Federal Open Market Committee, due to what was described by the Fed as "personal matter." The Fed voted at that meeting to keep rates unchanged and two Fed governors dissented from that decision — the first time that has happened since 1993. Kugler, who has served as a Fed governor since Sept. 13, 2023, also submitted her letter of resignation to Trump. She will return to Georgetown University as a professor this fall. 'I appreciate Dr. Kugler's service on the Board and wish her very well in her future endeavors,' said Powell. 'She brought impressive experience and academic insights to her work on the Board.' Trump and the White House have been considering candidates to replace Powell as chair once the chairman's term ends next May, and one of those names could be appointed to fill Kugler's seat as a prelude to becoming chair. The people that have Trump have considered include National Economic Council Director Kevin Hassett, former Fed governor Kevin Warsh and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent. One sitting Fed governor, Fed governor Christopher Waller, is also considered among the possible choices to replace Powell eventually. Bessent, who is leading the search for Powell's replacement, has already sketched out a scenario where the White House appoints someone to fill Kugler's seat and that person can then be in the running to succeed Powell next May. The White House also hopes that Powell decides to leave the Fed Board of Governors when his chairmanship is up, which would open up a second seat that Trump can fill. Powell has not yet said whether he intends to do that; his term as a Fed governor is up not up until 2028. The opportunity for the White House to fill Kugler's seat earlier than expected comes as Trump applies pressure on Powell and the Fed board to lower rates by as many as 3 percentage points. Trump said in a social media post Friday that the Federal Reserve Board should 'ASSUME CONTROL." The president urged the Fed board, which Powell chairs, to "DO WHAT EVERYONE KNOWS HAS TO BE DONE' if Powell won't support lower interest rates. Waller and Michelle Bowman, the two Fed governors who argued for a quarter percentage point rate reduction at the Fed's last meeting on Wednesday, explained Friday in statements why they broke with Powell. Both cited worries about the labor market as a reason to start cutting again. 'I believe that the wait and see approach is overly cautious, and, in my opinion, does not properly balance the risks to the outlook and could lead to policy falling behind the curve,' Waller said in his statement. The statements from Waller and Bowman came just 30 minutes before July's jobs report released Friday morning, which showed the US economy added fewer jobs than expected last month. Traders raised their odds of a rate cut at the Fed's September meeting to 80% following the release of that weaker-than-expected labor reading, after lowering them below 40% on Thursday. Trump seemed to praise the Fed governors after their statements were released, adding in a separate Truth Social post: 'STRONG DISSENTS ON FED BOARD. IT WILL ONLY GET STRONGER!' There are seven seats on the Fed Board of Governors and all seven hold spots on the FOMC, the powerful body that decides whether rates go up or down. Another five spots on the FOMC are held on a rotating basis by regional Fed presidents who are based around the country. Whoever is US president gets to nominate all Fed governors, who then need Senate approval to be confirmed, and serve 14-year terms while the regional Fed presidents are picked by banks in their districts. Trump spent much of Friday criticizing Powell on social media, even mentioning him in a post about firing the commissioner of the Bureau of Labor Statistics following a weak July jobs report. 'Jerome 'Too Late' Powell should also be put 'out to pasture,'' Trump said. Click here for in-depth analysis of the latest stock market news and events moving stock prices
