Latest news with #JohnMorales
Fast Company
6 hours ago
- Climate
- Fast Company
‘Cuts have consequences': A South Florida meteorologist explains Trump's NOAA cuts are degrading weather forecasts
For more than 30 years, meteorologist John Morales has broadcasted weather forecasts to South Floridians, warning the hurricane-prone region about the storms headed toward its coast. But now, Morales's ability to give accurate, quality forecasts to those residents is being hampered because of the recent federal government cuts to science and climate research. The Trump administration has laid off thousands of workers at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association, the agency responsible for the National Weather Service and the National Hurricane center, amid other resources. Already, National Weather Service offices across the country are short staffed, and the department has curtailed its data collection—like launching fewer weather balloons. With fewer staff and data, weather forecasts are becoming less accurate. This means residents won't have the weather information they need about approaching storms like hurricanes. Morales illustrated this point in a recent broadcast on NBC 6 South Florida by looking back at a forecast he did six years ago, concerning Hurricane Dorian, a category 5 storm that decimated the northwest Bahamas. In the clip, he acknowledged that viewers had anxiety because it looked as if the storm was heading straight toward South Florida. But Morales had assured them: 'It's going to turn [away from the coast]. The turn was never forecast to be on Sunday. …The turn will come Monday afternoon, Monday evening into Tuesday.' 'Remember that?' Morales said in the broadcast after the old clip played. He had been right, and, thanks to proper data collection and forecasting, was able to ensure viewers were prepared. 'Confidently I went on TV and told you, it's going to turn, you don't need to worry,' he said. 'I'm here to tell you that I'm not sure I can do that this year, because of the cuts, the gutting, the sledgehammer attack on science in general.' National Weather Service offices across South and Central Florida are already 20-40% understaffed, Morales noted. There's also been a 20% reduction in weather balloon launches, which collect atmospheric data like wind speed, humidity, pressure, and so on. 'And what were starting to see,' Morales continued, 'is that the quality of the forecast is becoming degraded.' Because of federal government cuts, it's likely hurricane hunter aircrafts won't be able to fly this year, he added. Hurricane hunters fly directly into the eye of storms in order to make forecasts even more accurate, thanks to real-time data. 'With less reconnaissance missions,' Morales said, 'we may be flying blind.' That's especially dire considering this year's hurricane season is expected to come with an ' above-average ' number of storms. Last year was an intense hurricane season too, with five billion-dollar events and a total of more than $124 billion in damage. (The Trump administration has since cut NOAA's ability to track the cost of climate change-related weather disasters, so it's not clear if we'll know just how damaging this year's hurricane season ends up being.) For Morales South Florida viewers, all these federal cuts mean they may not know how strong a hurricane is before it reaches the coastline, he added, leaving them unprepared in the face of what could be a disastrous storm season. Morales has been forecasting the weather in South Florida for 34 years, and this isn't the first time he's spoken out about a dire reality. In October 2024, as Hurricane Milton was barreling toward Florida's west coast, Morales got emotional describing the storm's intensity. 'This is just horrific,' he had said then, while also making it clear to his viewers that record-hot seas, fueled by climate change, were driving that escalation. Scientists and meteorologists have been trying to translate the costs of the Trump administration's federal cuts to everyday Americans. Morales's broadcast does so bluntly. When sharing the clip to his Buesky account, Morales captioned it with the quip 'Cuts have consequences, illustrated.' And he ended the television segment with a call to action, as many scientists have been during the Trump administration. 'I just want you to know that what you need to do is call your representatives,' he told viewers, 'and make sure that these cuts are stopped.'
Yahoo
9 hours ago
- Climate
- Yahoo
Meteorologist Warns Trump's Cuts Will Have Consequences on Live TV
A meteorologist at NBC6 in Miami took time from his weather report to call out the 'gutting' federal cuts that have left the National Weather Service understaffed, underinformed, and with a quality of forecast that is considerably lower than it's been in recent years, making it harder to accurately track hurricanes this upcoming season. Veteran meteorologist John Morales opened his segment with a six-year old clip of him accurately reporting on the path of Hurricane Dorian. 'Confidently, I went on TV and I told you, 'It's going to turn. You don't need to worry. It is going to turn,'' he said, referring to the NWS's hurricane prediction ability. 'And I am here to tell you that I am not sure I can do that this year, because of the cuts, the gutting, the sledgehammer attack on science in general.... This is a multigenerational impact on science in this country.' Morales first noted that all central and south Florida NWS sites are around 20 to 40 percent understaffed right now. There has been 'nearly 20 percent reduction in weather balloon releases, launches, that carry those radio signs. And what we're starting to see is that the quality of the forecast is becoming degraded because of some of these cuts,' he added. 'There is also a chance that … NOAA Hurricane Hunter aircraft will not be able to fly this year. And with less reconnaissance missions, we may be flying blind. And we may not exactly know how strong a hurricane is before it reaches the coastline.' DOGE made massive cuts to NWS that caused the agency to lose 600 employees, due to layoffs or early retirement. Multiple local field offices had a vacancy rate of over 20 percent as of March, causing anxiety to rise as we enter hurricane season. The NWS's mission is 'protection of life and property.' The DOGE cuts are stopping them from doing that. More people will be in harm's way with less information because of decisions made by Elon Musk and Donald Trump. This, not efficiency, is the real material impact of DOGE. 'I was asked to talk about this today, I'm glad I was,' Morales concluded, 'I just want you to know that what you need to do is call your representatives, and make sure that these cuts are stopped.'
Yahoo
25-04-2025
- Yahoo
FBI releases internet crime report: Texas ranks No. 2 in number of complaints received
EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) – The FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) released its latest annual report, which suggests that Texas ranked in second place out of all states in the number of complaints received by the public, according to the agency. The agency said the 2024 Internet Crime Report combines information from 859,532 complaints of suspected internet crime and details reported losses exceeding $16 billion — a 33 percent increase in losses from 2023. According to the 2024 report, Texans reported $1.35 billion in losses, a $328 million increase from the prior year. As a group, people 60 and older submitted the second highest number of complaints but suffered the most severe financial losses at $489.7 million. People 40-49 submitted the greatest number of complaints, with the third highest financial loss of $155 million, the agency said. The agency said the top three cybercrimes in Texas, by number of complaints, reported by victims in 2024 were: extortion (7,854), personal data breaches (5,424), and phishing/spoofing (3,987). The top three cybercrimes in Texas reported by financial losses were: investment fraud ($636 million) up from $362 million in 2023; business e-mail compromises ($293.5 million), down from $294.8 million in 2023; and tech support scams ($86.7 million), up from $62.7 million in 2023, the agency said. 'Cyber-crime remains a serious and growing threat to Texans, with victims losing millions of dollars annually,' John Morales, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI El Paso field office, said. 'The FBI is fully committed to identifying and bringing cybercriminals to justice and empowering the public with the critical tools and awareness. One effort is our outreach to West Texas seniors where we engage with groups about current online threats and provide them with security measures they can take to stay ahead of the evolving cyber landscape.' The agency said that to promote public awareness, the IC3 produces an annual report to aggregate and highlight the data provided by the public. The quality of the data is a direct reflection of the information the public provides through the IC3 website. The IC3 standardizes the data by categorizing each complaint and analyzes the data to identify and forecast trends in Internet crime, the agency said. The agency said the annual report helps the FBI develop effective relationships with industry partners and share information for investigative and intelligence purposes for law enforcement and public awareness. The FBI recommends that everyone frequently review consumer and industry alerts published by the IC3. 'If you or your business are a victim of an Internet crime, immediately notify all financial institutions involved in the relevant transactions, submit a complaint to contact your nearest FBI field office, and contact local law enforcement,' read the news release by the FBI. You can learn more about the history of IC3 by listening to this previously released podcast: FBI podcast episode 'Inside the FBI: IC3 Turns 20. The full 2024 internet crime report can be found here Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
15-04-2025
- Yahoo
FBI seeks students for annual Teen Academy
EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) — The FBI El Paso Field Office is looking for teenagers who want to make a difference and learn more about what the law-enforcement agency does. FBI El Paso is looking for high-school students to apply to attend the annual summer Teen Academy here in El Paso. The application, release form and a supporting essay must be received by the El Paso Field Office by 5 p.m. May 16. To attend you must be in ninth through 12th grade, attending an accredited high school (public, private or home school). 'Participating in the FBI El Paso Teen Academy is an exciting and unique opportunity forstudents who are passionate about making a difference in their communities and our nation,'said John Morales, FBI El Paso special agent in charge. 'As the future leaders andchangemakers, today's teens have an amazing, firsthand opportunity to step inside the worldof the FBI and explore how they can be part of something greater — protecting the Americanpeople and upholding the U.S. Constitution. This immersive experience not only introducesstudents to real-world, multi-disciplinary career paths in federal law enforcement, but alsoinspires them to develop leadership, integrity, and a strong sense of civic duty. If you're drivenby purpose bigger than yourself, a burning desire to protect your community and curious abouthow the FBI serves our nation, the Teen Academy is your first step toward an impactful andrewarding future.' The FBI Teen Academy provides an opportunity for high-school students to catch a glimpse behind the scenes of the FBI and give participants a greater understanding of the FBI's mission. The FBI hires from all academic backgrounds, not just criminal justice, the organization said. Submit applications to: FBI_EP_TeenAcademy@ Incomplete and late applications will not be accepted. The FBI will notify students of their application status by email no later than Friday, May 30. Theapplication and more information can be found by clicking here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
01-04-2025
- Yahoo
FBI has trained agents, resources to fight back against crime against children
EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) — The FBI is seeing an increase in cases involving crimes against children both locally here in the El Paso region but nationally as well, said the FBI El Paso's top agent. But the FBI has specially trained agents and resources to fight back against crimes against children, said John Morales, special agent in charge for FBI El Paso. 'Children are our most vulnerable victims,' said Morales during a visit to the KTSM 9 News studio on Monday, March 31. With parents so busy these days with work and children having easy access to social media and gaming platforms, crimes against children 'are a crime of opportunity,' Morales said. 'Unfortunately, there are a lot of opportunities here, nationally and internationally across the world,' he said. April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month and National Child Abuse Prevention Month. Morales visited KTSM to talk about how parents can keep their children safe in this busy world but also how the FBI can help. 'Be present. Be aware,' Morales said. 'It is very easy, as busy as we are coming and going from work, to let an iPad, to let a telephone, to let the TV, be our child's babysitter,' Morales said. Morales said that when he was a kid, his parents were worried about who might come in through a window or door. 'Nowadays, that villain, that individual who wants to do harm, is coming in through your iPhone, is coming in through your iPad or is coming in through your laptop,' he said. 'Wherever your child is sitting, he is exposed to these individuals who are actively looking for an opportunity to exploit and harm our children,' Morales said. The FBI El Paso field office, like all FBI offices around the country, has a special Violent Crimes Against Children program. 'They are dedicated to working day in and day out with our local partners, along with our national and international partners, to safeguard our well-being of our children,' he said. Another resource is the special Rapid Deployment team that can respond to child abductions around the country in less than 24 hours, Morales said. This team has technical resources, uses specialized interviewing techniques and offers an array of victims services. They can help local partners in a child abduction case or assist the FBI in its own investigations. Morales urges people to be aware and report anything suspicious that you see. 'Don't wait, thinking someone else will report it,' he said. 'If you see it, report it.' The FBI has a couple of hotlines — 1-800-THE-LOST and locally, (915) 832-5000 — that you can report child abductions and other suspicious activity. Here is a link to how the FBI responds to violent crimes against children. Here is a link to how the FBI responds to sextortion cases. Sextortion involves children and teens being threatened and coerced into sending explicit images online. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
