Latest news with #Massachusetts
CNN
32 minutes ago
- Politics
- CNN
20 states sue FEMA for canceling grant program that guards against natural disasters
Twenty Democratic-led states filed a lawsuit Wednesday against the Federal Emergency Management Agency, challenging the elimination of a long-running grant program that helps communities guard against damage from natural disasters. The lawsuit contends that President Donald Trump's administration acted illegally when it announced in April that it was ending the Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities program. FEMA canceled some projects already in the works and refused to approve new ones despite funding from Congress. 'In the wake of devastating flooding in Texas and other states, it's clear just how critical federal resources are in helping states prepare for and respond to natural disasters,' said Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell of Massachusetts, where the federal lawsuit was filed. 'By abruptly and unlawfully shutting down the BRIC program, this administration is abandoning states and local communities that rely on federal funding to protect their residents and, in the event of disaster, save lives.' FEMA did not immediately respond Wednesday to a request for comment. It said in April that the program was 'wasteful and ineffective' and 'more concerned with political agendas than helping Americans affected by natural disasters.' The program provides grants for a variety of disaster mitigation efforts, including levees to protect against floods, safe rooms to provide shelter from tornadoes, vegetation management to reduce damage from fires and seismic retrofitting to fortify buildings for earthquakes. During his first term, Trump signed a law shoring up funding for disaster risk reduction efforts. The program then got a $1 billion boost from an infrastructure law signed by former President Joe Biden. That law requires FEMA to make available at least $200 million annually for disaster mitigation grants for the 2022-2026 fiscal years, the lawsuit says. The suit claims the Trump administration violated the constitutional separation of powers because Congress had not authorized the program's demise. It also alleges the program's termination was illegal because the decision was made while FEMA was under the leadership of an acting administrator who had not met the requirements to be in charge of the agency. The lawsuit says communities in every state have benefited from federal disaster mitigation grants, which saved lives and spared homes, businesses, hospitals and schools from costly damage. Some communities have already been affected by the decision to end the program. Hillsborough, North Carolina, had been awarded nearly $7 million to relocate a wastewater pumping station out of a flood plain and make other water and sewer system improvements. But that hadn't happened yet when the remnants of Tropical Storm Chantal damaged the pumping station and forced it offline last week. In rural Mount Pleasant, North Carolina, town officials had hoped to use more than $4 million from the BRIC program to improve stormwater drainage and safeguard a vulnerable electric system, thus protecting investments in a historic theater and other businesses. While the community largely supports Trump, assistant town manager Erin Burris said people were blindsided by the lost funding they had spent years pursuing. 'I've had downtown property owners saying, 'What do we do?'' Burris said. 'I've got engineering plans ready to go and I don't have the money to do it.'
CNN
43 minutes ago
- Politics
- CNN
20 states sue FEMA for canceling grant program that guards against natural disasters
Twenty Democratic-led states filed a lawsuit Wednesday against the Federal Emergency Management Agency, challenging the elimination of a long-running grant program that helps communities guard against damage from natural disasters. The lawsuit contends that President Donald Trump's administration acted illegally when it announced in April that it was ending the Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities program. FEMA canceled some projects already in the works and refused to approve new ones despite funding from Congress. 'In the wake of devastating flooding in Texas and other states, it's clear just how critical federal resources are in helping states prepare for and respond to natural disasters,' said Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell of Massachusetts, where the federal lawsuit was filed. 'By abruptly and unlawfully shutting down the BRIC program, this administration is abandoning states and local communities that rely on federal funding to protect their residents and, in the event of disaster, save lives.' FEMA did not immediately respond Wednesday to a request for comment. It said in April that the program was 'wasteful and ineffective' and 'more concerned with political agendas than helping Americans affected by natural disasters.' The program provides grants for a variety of disaster mitigation efforts, including levees to protect against floods, safe rooms to provide shelter from tornadoes, vegetation management to reduce damage from fires and seismic retrofitting to fortify buildings for earthquakes. During his first term, Trump signed a law shoring up funding for disaster risk reduction efforts. The program then got a $1 billion boost from an infrastructure law signed by former President Joe Biden. That law requires FEMA to make available at least $200 million annually for disaster mitigation grants for the 2022-2026 fiscal years, the lawsuit says. The suit claims the Trump administration violated the constitutional separation of powers because Congress had not authorized the program's demise. It also alleges the program's termination was illegal because the decision was made while FEMA was under the leadership of an acting administrator who had not met the requirements to be in charge of the agency. The lawsuit says communities in every state have benefited from federal disaster mitigation grants, which saved lives and spared homes, businesses, hospitals and schools from costly damage. Some communities have already been affected by the decision to end the program. Hillsborough, North Carolina, had been awarded nearly $7 million to relocate a wastewater pumping station out of a flood plain and make other water and sewer system improvements. But that hadn't happened yet when the remnants of Tropical Storm Chantal damaged the pumping station and forced it offline last week. In rural Mount Pleasant, North Carolina, town officials had hoped to use more than $4 million from the BRIC program to improve stormwater drainage and safeguard a vulnerable electric system, thus protecting investments in a historic theater and other businesses. While the community largely supports Trump, assistant town manager Erin Burris said people were blindsided by the lost funding they had spent years pursuing. 'I've had downtown property owners saying, 'What do we do?'' Burris said. 'I've got engineering plans ready to go and I don't have the money to do it.'
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Vehicle break-ins at Medway gym thought to be tied to organized criminal group, police say
Police are reminding residents to lock their doors after multiple vehicles were broken into at a gym in town on Wednesday morning. The break-ins occurred in the parking lot of the Orangetheory in the Medway Commons, where windows were smashed and belongings were taken. According to investigators, this type of crime is consistent with known organized criminal groups who travel across state lines targeting fitness centers and parks. The suspects typically look for purses, wallets, or bags that are left in plain sight. They then quickly use stolen credit cards or cash before the victims realize what has happened. A description of the suspect or suspects involved in the Medway Commons incident was not immediately available. Anyone with information about what happened is asked to contact police. This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available. Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts. Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch Boston 25 News NOW Solve the daily Crossword
Daily Mail
2 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Gwyneth Paltrow and Ben Affleck's romance ended for this reason... despite her 'love' of their sex life
A new Gwyneth Paltrow biography written by Amy Odell gives a clue about why her romance with Ben Affleck ended in 2000. In the forthcoming book Gwyneth: The Biography, it's revealed that the actress, 52, may have been cheated on by the actor, also 52. An excerpt obtained by People reads: 'Their physical chemistry couldn't overcome his self-destructive impulses, which may have even included cheating on her.' According to Odell, after the couple broke up Gwyneth, who was drawn to Ben's intellect, said, 'I love men, even though they're lying, cheating scumbags.' It was written that the Boston, Massachusetts native 'was struggling with alcoholism and a gambling habit,' throughout their relationship. And it was noted by the biographer, 'Her friends had reservations about him, because he didn't always reciprocate her affection. In the forthcoming book Gwyneth: The Biography, it's revealed that the actress, 52, may have been cheated on by the actor, also 52; pictured in 1999 'He at times seemed more interested in playing video games with the guys at his house than being with Gwyneth.' Elsewhere in the coverage of Gwyneth and Ben's romance, Odell penned: 'She spoke openly about how much she enjoyed their sex life. 'She told [makeup artist and her friend Kevyn] Aucoin one day that she loved when Affleck [engaged in a certain sex act].' The exes starred alongside each other in two films during their coupling — 1998's Shakespeare in Love, which earned Paltrow an Oscar, and 2000's rom-com Bounce. According to Entertainment Tonight, the Goop founder told Howard Stern in 2015 that Affleck was not 'in a good place in his life to have a girlfriend' when they were together. She noted at the time: 'I think [my parents Bruce Paltrow and Blythe Danner] appreciated how he's super intelligent and he's really, really talented and so funny, but he was not in a good place in his life to have a girlfriend. 'I think they were OK with the two of us not being together.' According to Odell, after the couple broke up Gwyneth, who was drawn to Ben's intellect, said, 'I love men, even though they're lying, cheating scumbags'; pictured in 1998 More recently, while appearing on a Call Her Daddy podcast episode in 2023, the silver screen siren compared Ben to another famous ex-boyfriend, Brad Pitt, 61. She dated Brad beginning in 1994, and the couple were even engaged. The blonde beauty called off the engagement in 1997 because at age 24, she felt she was too young for marriage. She went on to have a three-year relationship with Ben. Asked who was better in bed, she answered: 'That's really hard. Because Brad was like the major chemistry love of [my] life at the time. And then Ben was like, technically excellent.' As for who was the better kisser, Paltrow insisted that Ben and Brad 'were both good kissers.' However, she said Brad was the 'more romantic' of the two actors while she chose Ben as the one who she was 'more likely to get into an argument with.' Asked who she regarded as the better actor of the two, she said: 'They're both so talented. And Ben is a great writer and director. 'But I guess I would probably have to say acting alone, Brad. Because if you think of all the different roles that he's done.' Paltrow now shares two kids with ex-husband Chris Martin — daughter Apple, 21, and son Moses, 19. She has been married to writer-director Brad Falchuk since 2018.
The Guardian
2 hours ago
- Politics
- The Guardian
Trump administration sued by 20 states for cutting disaster prevention grants
A group of 20 mostly Democratic-led US states filed a lawsuit on Wednesday seeking to block the Trump administration from terminating a multibillion-dollar grant program that funds infrastructure upgrades to protect against natural disasters. The lawsuit filed in Boston federal court claims that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (Fema) lacked the power to cancel the Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities program in April after it was approved and funded by Congress. Fema, part of the US Department of Homeland Security, has come under scrutiny for its response to deadly floods in Texas earlier this month, which has put renewed focus on the administration's moves to shrink or abolish the agency. 'By unilaterally shutting down Fema's flagship pre-disaster mitigation program, Defendants have acted unlawfully and violated core separation of powers principles,' said the states, led by Washington and Massachusetts. Fema and DHS did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The Bric program, created in 2018 as an upgrade of existing grant programs, covers up to 75% of the costs of infrastructure projects, or 90% in rural areas, meant to protect communities from natural disasters. The funding has been used for evacuation shelters, flood walls and improvements to roads and bridges, among other projects. Over the past four years Fema has approved roughly $4.5bn in grants for nearly 2,000 projects, much of which went to coastal states, according to Tuesday's lawsuit. When Fema announced the termination of the program in April, the agency said it had been wasteful, ineffective and politicized. A bipartisan group of lawmakers in May urged Fema to reinstate the grants, saying they were particularly crucial for rural and tribal communities, and to work with Congress to make the program more efficient. The states in their lawsuit say that Congress made mitigating future disasters a core function of Fema, and the US constitution and federal law bar the Trump administration from altering the agency's mission without working with lawmakers. They also claim that Cameron Hamilton, who was the acting director of Fema when the program was terminated, and his successor, David Richardson, were not properly appointed and lacked the authority to cancel it. The states said they would seek a preliminary injunction requiring the program to be reinstated while the case proceeds. The lawsuit is the latest attempt by states to rebuke the Trump administration's approach to disaster funding. Many of the same states sued the administration in May over a policy tying grant funding for emergency preparedness to states' cooperation with federal immigration enforcement. Massachusetts' attorney general, Andrea Campbell, in a statement said the recent flooding in Texas, which caused more than 130 deaths, has made clear how critical federal funding is to helping states prepare for natural disasters. 'By abruptly and unlawfully shutting down the Bric program, this administration is abandoning states and local communities that rely on federal funding to protect their residents and, in the event of disaster, save lives,' said Campbell, a Democrat.
