Latest news with #HoustonChronicle
Yahoo
19 hours ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Trump pushes Texas to redraw congressional map to favor GOP
President Trump is pushing Texas to redraw its congressional map to favor Republicans - a plan Beto O'Rouke is warning could backfire on the GOP nationally. NBC News' Ryan Chandler reports from Dallas on Governor Abbott's special legislative session. Houston Chronicle Political Reporter Jeremy Wallace and Brendan Buck, former Aide to Speakers Paul Ryan and John Boehner, join Chris Jansing to share their political analysis.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Noem takes heat on Texas amid doubts over FEMA flood response
Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem is under fire amid reports of a botched disaster response effort in Texas, one that the editorial board of the state's biggest newspaper is comparing to the debacle that followed Hurricane Katrina. 'Heck of a job, Secretary Noem,' the Houston Chronicle's editorial board wrote Monday, riffing on former President George W. Bush's notorious praise of then-Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Director Michael Brown as New Orleans flooded. The editors joined Democratic members of Congress — including Sens. Ruben Gallego (Ariz.), Chris Murphy (Conn.) and Ed Markey (Mass.), as well as Texas Reps. Greg Casar and Jasmine Crockett — in calling for investigations into Noem's handling of FEMA, an agency both she and President Trump have previously talked about closing, amid reports of poor response times and local volunteers filling in for federal responders. On Tuesday, Markey called for Noem's resignation, describing her handling of the floods as 'an absolute disgrace.' In a video posted to the social platform X, Murphy said FEMA had begun to look like 'a PR agency for the secretary of Homeland Security, not an actual disaster response agency.' Rafael Lemaitre, FEMA director of public affairs under former President Obama, said Trump and Noem's vision for FEMA — one where it exists mostly to back up state responses — is largely already reality. The Trump administration, he said, 'is in denial about the role of FEMA, the improvements that FEMA has made since Hurricane Katrina — not only in its ability to respond better to disasters but to help communities prepare for them in an era of increased severity and frequency in disasters.' Since the reforms after hurricanes Rita and Katrina, FEMA has functioned as a support service for local officials, who must request its aid and run the disaster response themselves. 'If there ever was a federal agency built not to tell states how to handle things but to support them when needed, it's FEMA, which only kicks in when a state's capacity is exceeded, whether in response, recovery, mitigation, or preparedness,' Lemaitre said. 'Governors, red or blue, are in charge. They ask for what they need, and we provide it.' He argued that the administration is undoing the post-Katrina reforms, starting with its new head, David Richardson, who is under fire for his failure to make any public statements or appearances for more than a week after the floods. Richardson, who runs FEMA part-time, is the first agency head since Brown without any background in disaster response. Under the post-Katrina law requiring FEMA heads to have at least five years of disaster management experience, he would be disqualified — but as an acting head, he's exempt. On Wednesday, at the inaugural Hill Nation Summit in Washington, Noem told NewsNation's Blake Burman that Trump's 'vision for FEMA is that we would empower states to be able to respond to their constituents much more than what FEMA has done in the past.' 'In Texas,' she told Burman, the agency 'cut through the bureaucratic red tape and the rules and regulations that were left over from the Biden administration so that we immediately predeployed millions of dollars to Texas so that they could run their response.' Over the weekend, Noem attacked the press reports of a poor response in Texas, insisting on 'Fox and Friends' that the reporting of FEMA delays are 'fake news' and 'absolute trash.' She told NBC News that 'it's discouraging that during this time, when we have such a loss of life, and so many people's lives have turned upside down, that people are playing politics with this, because the response time was immediate.' Pressed on reports of low response rates at FEMA hotlines, Noem said she didn't believe the numbers and challenged anonymous sources to come forward. In a statement to The Hill, Assistant Homeland Security Secretary Tricia McLaughlin decried reporting that the agency had been slow to deploy teams as 'lies' and 'an unapparelled display of activist journalism.' 'Within moments of the flooding in Texas, DHS [Department of Homeland Security] assets, including the U.S. Coast Guard, tactical Border Patrol units and FEMA personnel surged into unprecedented action alongside Texas first responders,' McLaughlin said. 'By Tuesday, FEMA had deployed 311 staffers, providing support and shelter for hundreds of people,' she added. McLaughlin argued calls to dismantle the agency had been metaphorical. Under the new administration, she said, 'It's no secret that FEMA, as it is today, will no longer exist.' In what has now become a mantra of Noem's tenure, she added that the agency 'is shifting from bloated, DC-centric dead weight to a lean, deployable disaster force that empowers state actors to provide relief.' That message has also been embraced by Trump's Republican allies in Texas. In a press conference Monday, Gov. Greg Abbott (R) agreed with the administration that FEMA needed to be 'what I call rightsized, so that it would be more nimble, quicker in response — understanding it's the locals that know what's best in responding to a disaster.' But this description of the future course of the agency looks a lot like how it has traditionally looked, former disaster management professionals have told The Hill. 'They try to equate FEMA with red tape, but that's a red herring, because that's not how the disaster response system has been set up, particularly since Katrina,' Lemaitre said. FEMA has lost 25 percent of staff since Trump took office, cuts worsened after the floods when hundreds of call center contractors were let go, according to The New York Times. That followed reporting from CNN that Noem waited 72 hours to send FEMA disaster response teams to Kerr County — because under her leadership, the agency has to get her approval for every expenditure of more than $100,000. In a statement, a DHS spokesperson called CNN's reporting 'absolute hogwash.' Given the funds that FEMA works with and the size of Noem's purview at the department, the reported delays are 'really, really upsetting,' said Candace Valenzuela, who ran the Department of Housing and Urban Development for the region that includes Texas under former President Biden. 'It just reeks of looking at things granularly, and not understanding that this is a massive country, and doing it at that level just does not work — or wanting to pick winners and losers,' Valenzuela said. One impact of Noem's new mandate seems to be fewer federal personnel on the ground than in past disasters. In far western Travis County, where devastating floods killed more than a dozen people, even the county's chief executive isn't clear what role FEMA is playing. While Judge Andy Brown declared a local disaster in the county the day of the floods, Trump didn't approve it until nearly a week later, and, as of Tuesday, Brown had seen just one uniformed FEMA official on the ground. 'As far as I know, they have not set up that station where people can walk in, ask questions to FEMA and apply for things,' he told The Hill. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Houston Chronicle Uses 4 Sarcastic Words To Shred Kristi Noem's Flood Response
The Houston Chronicle rebuked Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem's response to the recent deadly floods in Texas. It published an editorial Monday which was sarcastically titled, 'Heck of a job, Secretary Noem.' The newspaper's editorial board drew a stark contrast between grassroots fundraising efforts by Texans and what it described as an apparent lack of urgency in Washington to assist with the recovery. While 'Texans are stepping up to do what we can to help our neighbors in need,' the editorial said, 'some officials in Washington are more focused on saving cash.' The board condemned reports that cuts to the Federal Emergency Management Agency's budget left some flood victims unable to get through on emergency lines. 'Leaving disaster victims on hold isn't governmental efficiency,' the Chronicle wrote. 'It's heartless. Read the full editorial and analysis here. Related... GOP Rep's Response To Trump's Slam Of 'Weaklings' Base Is Just… Wow Fox News Star Stuns With Unreal Take On 'Nazis' And 'The Blacks' OOPS! Trump Taunts AOC And Crockett, Then Undermines Himself In Next Breath
Daily Mirror
6 days ago
- Daily Mirror
Killer inmates on America's harshest death row get rare privileges and incredible new perk
The program allows the selected prisoners to spend several hours a day outside their cells and allows them to enjoy communal meals, TV time, prayer circles and - for the first time in decades - direct human contact Some of America's death row inmates are getting a rare set of privileges which inmates say have "given guys hope". Death row in Texas is considered one of the harshest in the nation. For decades inmates were subject to extreme isolation with many spending up to 22-hours a day in their cramped cells. But day-to-day life looks very differrent for some lucky inmates. A prison program is granting some of Texas' most hardened criminals 'recreational time' for limited time periods each day. However, the rare set of privileges is only being offered to a select group of well-behaved prisoners on death row. The program allows the selected prisoners to spend several hours a day outside their cells. The allowances include communal meals, TV time, prayer circles and - for the first time in decades - direct human contact. Rodolfo 'Rudy' Alvarez Medrano, 45, is a death row inmate at Allan B. Polunsky Unit in West Livingston who has been chosen for the new program. He has been allowd out of solitary confinement and for the first time in two decades, he was allowed out of his death row cell without handcuffs. He told the Houston Chronicle: "All of these changes have given guys hope." He explained how before the 'life-altering' new program, he was in isolation at least 22 hours a day. Death row was in the Huntsville Unit from 1928 to 1999 but since a daring death row escape in 1998 prompted prison officials to move death row to a newer prison in Livingston in 1999. The Polunsky Unit houses death row inmates separately in single-person cells, with each cell having a window. Death row inmates are also recreated individually. Inmates on death row receive a regular diet, and have access to reading, writing, and legal materials. Depending upon their custody level, some death row inmates may have a radio. Inmates on death row do not have regular TDCJ-ID numbers; they have special death row numbers. Following the attempted escape, restraints were tightened and inmates were thrown into solitary, lost their prison jobs and their access to rehabilitative programs was eliminated, reports MailOnline. The pilot recreation program was launched under former warden Daniel Dickerson, as he believed offering basic privileges to well-behaved inmates would improve conditions for both prisoners and staff working there. He said: "It's definitely helped give them something to look forward to. All it takes is one bad event, and that could shut it down for a long time. And they understand that because they've been behind those doors for so long - they know what they have to lose probably more than anybody else." It seems the program is a huge success so far as in the 18 months since it began, officials say there have been no fights, no drug seizures, and no incidents requiring disciplinary action. Elsewhere across America many prisons are struggling with contraband and violence. It has also had a huge impact on staff, who have reported fewer mental health breakdowns and better working conditions.
Daily Mail
6 days ago
- Daily Mail
America's harshest death row grants killer inmates incredible new perk
A prison program is granting Texas ' most hardened criminals 'recreational time' for limited time periods each day. Death row inmates are being offered a rare set of privileges, allowing a select group of well-behaved prisoners to spend several hours a day outside their cells. The program's allowances includes communal meals, TV time, prayer circles and - for the first time in decades - direct human contact. The change marks a sharp departure from decades of extreme isolation that made Texas' death row one of the harshest in the nation. Rodolfo 'Rudy' Alvarez Medrano was one of about a dozen men allowed out of solitary confinement. For the first time in 20 years, he was allowed to step out of his death row cell at the the Allan B. Polunsky Unit in West Livingston without handcuffs. Before the 'life-altering' new program, Medrano, 45, had lived in isolation at least 22 hours a day, he told the Houston Chronicle. 'All of these changes have given guys hope,' he revealed. The program, offered at the Allan B. Polunsky Unit in West Livingston, provides a rare set of privileges including communal meals, TV time, prayer circles and - for the first time in decades - direct human contact The 'all-day isolation' has been the norm in the Lone Star State ever since a daring death row escape in 1998 prompted prison officials to move death row to a newer prison in Livingston. Following the attempted escape, restraints were tightened and inmates were thrown into solitary, lost their prison jobs and their access to rehabilitative programs was eliminated. Then just 26 years old, Medrano was sentenced to death in 2005 under the state's controversial 'law of parties' - a controversial Texas law that holds everyone involved in a crime equally responsible for its outcome - for supplying weapons used in a deadly robbery. Following his sentence - like the roughly 150 other men on death row at Polunsky - he lived alone in a small cell with no physical contact and little opportunity for rehabilitation. 'I would rather be in a barn with farm animals than the way it was here,' Medrano said. 'It was just dark.' The pilot recreation program was launched under former warden Daniel Dickerson, who believed offering basic privileges to well-behaved inmates could improve conditions for both prisoners and staff. 'It's definitely helped give them something to look forward to,' Dickerson said. 'All it takes is one bad event, and that could shut it down for a long time. And they understand that.' In the 18 months since the program began, officials say there have been no fights, no drug seizures, and no incidents requiring disciplinary action - an impressive record in a prison system struggling elsewhere with contraband and violence. Since its rollout staff have also reported fewer mental health breakdowns and better working conditions. 'Would you rather work with people who are treating you with respect, or who are yelling and screaming at you every time you walk in?' Amanda Hernandez, a spokesperson for the Texas Department of Criminal Justice, said. 'It's a no-brainer.' Prisoners in the program can now spend time in a shared dayroom without shackles, talk face-to-face instead of through vents, and even join hands for daily prayer. On Sundays the small group even joins together for church services, while some play board games and others clean the common area or watch TV together. For many, it's their first experience of social interaction in decades. The shift follows a broader national trend away from automatic solitary confinement for death row inmates. Over the past decade, states including Louisiana, Pennsylvania, Arizona, and South Carolina have loosened death row restrictions. California is also reportedly dismantling death row entirely, integrating prisoners into the general population. Meanwhile, in Texas, lawsuits and mounting public pressure are forcing state officials to revisit the long-standing isolation regime. A federal lawsuit filed in early 2023 by four Texas death row inmates alleges unconstitutional conditions, citing mold, insect infestation and decades of isolation. Attorneys argue that long-term solitary confinement exacerbates mental illness and violates international human rights standards. 'There's a reason that even short periods of solitary confinement are considered torture under international human rights conventions,' Catherine Bratic, one of the plaintiffs' attorneys, told the Houston Chronicle. Research shows long-term isolation increases the risks of paranoia, memory loss, and psychosis, the Chronicle reported. One study cited by University of California psychology professor Craig Haney found that inmates held in extreme isolation have a higher risk of suicide and premature death. Now, inmates say the new privileges have had a visible impact on mental health. 'It made me feel a little bit human again after all these years,' death row inmate Robert Roberson, said. But the program's future is uncertain. A second group recreation pod opened briefly earlier this year, only to be shut down without explanation. The department confirmed it intends to move forward, but gave no timeline. For now, Medrano remains one of the few prisoners experiencing a version of community inside one of the country's most isolated prison systems. These days, when he steps out of his cell, his hands are usually full - carrying a Bible, hymn sheets, or snacks for the group. 'It's definitely helped give them something to look forward to,' Dickerson said. 'All it takes is one bad event, and that could shut it down for a long time. And they understand that because they've been behind those doors for so long - they know what they have to lose probably more than anybody else.'
