Democratic strategist and former Obama chief of staff Rahm Emanuel once stated that “You never want a serious crisis to go to waste.” That philosophy seemed to be the playbook for the media and pundits immediately after the flood in Texas as many rushed to claim that it was caused by Trump budget cuts to the National Weather Service (NWS). From George Stephanopoulos to Rosie O’Donnell, the hoax was spread that there was an understaffing at the NWS that may have caused these deaths. It did not matter that it was an easy matter to confirm or that the underlying claims of understaffing the NWS team were false.
The weaponization of such tragedies has become commonplace in American politics. Senate Minority Leader Sen. Chuck Schumer has repeated the false claims. Previously, Schumer bizarrely attempted to blame the crash of a Mexican ship in New York and air accidents around the world on Trump cuts.
There are legitimate reasons to question whether cuts to agencies like the NWS might impact key programs, such as weather warning systems. There are also questions about whether long-standing forecast modeling failed to capture the severity of this particularly storm. However, basic honesty and decency would demand a modicum of inquiry before blaming the NWS for a failure that caused mass deaths, including a large number of children.
Indeed, the rush to claim that the tragedy was caused by understaffing can make it more difficult to find any real failures in the system. It is also possible that this was a convergence of weather systems that happened so fast (and late at night) that few citizens could take meaningful action. Some reports indicate that the river rose by 20 feet in only 45 minutes.
Nevertheless, many rushed to take political advantage of the tragedy. Grant Stern, the executive editor of Occupy Democrats wrote on X “It only took 9 days for Trump’s cuts to the [National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration] to kill dozens of children in Texas when Tropical Storm Barry landed this week.”In reality, the NWS had extra personnel working the storm and issued the first warning 12 hours before the flood. Moreover, even assuming that the cuts to the NWS might impact warning systems, they are not even scheduled to take effect until next year. While there were retirements and resignations early in the Trump Administration, there is no evidence that those departures are impacting weather warnings, let alone this emergency. However, the media pounced as the death toll rose.
Even after the Administration refuted the false claims, they were still being promulgated by the press. On ABC’s This Week George Stephanopoulos ominously declared “We’re also learning there were significant staffing shortfalls to the National Weather Services offices in the region.”Whatever “shortfalls” are being reported “in the region”, they did not appear to impact the early warning given 12 hours earlier or the fact that there were extra, not fewer, staffers working the storm.
Again, none of this mattered. Politicians and pundits, such as Hakeem Jeffries and Adam Kinzinger, joined the chorus to suggest that cuts would make this a repeated failure.
Rep. Joaquin Castro (D-Texas) told CNN Sunday the NWS should be investigated. “I don’t think it’s helpful to have missing key personnel from the National Weather Service not in place to help prevent these tragedies.”
As parents mourned dead children, commentators rushed to lay the losses at the feet of the Administration. Ron Filipkowski, the editor-in-chief of MediasTouchNews, wrote “The people in Texas voted for government services controlled by Donald Trump and Greg Abbott. That is exactly what they (sic) getting.”
Rachel Bitecofer, assistant director at Christopher Newport University’s Wason Center for Public Policy declared “What has happened to the girls at Camp Mystic is EXACTLY what one of the country’s best meteorologists, John Morales, warned would happen. Trump’s cuts to the NOAA & NWS have critically impacted storm prediction nationwide.”
Rosie O’Donnell, who famously fled the United States for the safety of Ireland after the election, added to the false narrative:
“What a horror story in Texas. When the president guts all of the early warning systems and the weathering forecast abilities of the government, these are the results that we’re going to start to see on a daily basis.”
There are obvious familiar aspects to the news coverage. It takes very little for the media to seed a false, viral story. It quickly enters the echo chamber and is repeated on countless social media sites. When it is finally debunked, the media just shrugs and walks away.
Whether it was the false story about agents whipping migrants in Texas or the photo op claim in Lafayette Park, false stories were disproven only to have a collective shrug from those who spread them.
Heading into the presidential debate, the White House and the media attacked Fox News and other outlets for “cheap fake” videos designed to make the President look confused and feeble. For months, politicians and pundits insisted that Biden was sharp and commanding in conversations even after Special Counsel Robert Hur cited his decline as a reason for not charging him criminally.
On MSNBC, Joe Scarborough stated “start your tape right now because I’m about to tell you the truth. And F— you if you can’t handle the truth. This version of Biden intellectually, analytically, is the best Biden ever. Not a close second. And I have known him for years…If it weren’t the truth I wouldn’t say it.”
When the truth came out after the election loss, reporters ran around claiming that they were shocked by the fact that Biden was indeed mentally and physically diminished. By that point, it did not matter. Biden was out and the truth could be reported in a slew of belated books and articles.
Yet, some media outlets have refused to acknowledge false stories even after they were debunked. At the Washington Post, columnist Philip Bump previously had a meltdown in an interview when confronted about past false claims. After I wrote a column about the litany of such false claims, the Post surprised many of us by issuing a statement that it stood by all of Bump’s reporting, including false columns on the Lafayette Park protests, Hunter Biden’s laptop, and other stories. That was long after other media debunked the claims, but the Post stood by the false reporting.
Many media outlets pushed such stories because they knew that their readers want the claims to be true — and will not be outraged (or even convinced) when the stories are later debunked. Notably, when the New York Times recently ran a confirmed story that was negative for the Democratic mayoral nominee in New York, liberal readers and pundits were outraged.
Once again, we need to see what went wrong in Texas to try to avoid such tragedies in the future. However, the NWS appears to have done its job with adding extra staff and reportedly issuing the first warnings 12 hours in advance. We need to look at precisely when those warnings were issued during the critical period and what information they conveyed. The hair-triggered response of the media to weaponize the tragedy should also be reviewed. However, it is far more likely that there will be changes to emergency procedures than any serious change to journalistic practices.
Keeping track of matches has never been easier since I started using Sofascorebet Livescore. The platform delivers real-time updates with impressive accuracy, and I love how quickly I can access detailed stats for football, basketball, tennis, and more. It’s not just about scores—it offers team lineups, head-to-head comparisons, and in-game analytics that really help, I also appreciate the clean design and how smoothly it works on mobile. Sofascorebet Livescore has genuinely become my go-to whenever there’s a game on. It’s fast, reliable, and incredibly user-friendly. Highly recommend!
Many people have claimed that this particular flooding event was sparked by private industries weather manipulation
Ya got nuffin on us coppers!
So says the “science”… (Umm, stand six feet apart, wear a mask, don’t go to school or Church… Yeah.). Now, now, a lil bit of Silver Iodide won’t hurt ya’s. Like Bill Gates magic toilet, you can drink from it. It’s good for ya.
“Breaking Down Cloud Seeding Concerns Amid Texas Flood Questions.”
https://www.nbcnews.com/now/video/breaking-down-cloud-seeding-concerns-amid-texas-flood-questions-242827333938
Excerpt:
“Who Are at Risk of Silver Iodide Toxicity?”
“People who are at an increased risk of silver iodide toxicity are listed below:”
“People who work with silver iodide in a laboratory or industrial setting.”
“People such as miners or smelters who are exposed to silver iodide through their occupation.”
“People who live in areas where silver iodide is used for cloud seeding.”
” Infants and young children.”
“Symptoms of silver iodide toxicity can range from mild to severe, including skin irritation, gastrointestinal upset, and respiratory problems. If a person has been exposed to silver iodide, it is important to seek medical attention immediately.”
https://www.icliniq.com/articles/first-aid-and-emergencies/silver-iodide-toxicity
-Oddball
Ruh Roh, The plot thickens!
“Confirmed: CEO of Weather Modification Company Reveals Cloud Seeding Operations Were Conducted in Texas Just Two Days Before Deadly Flood (VIDEO)”
by Anthony Scott Jul. 8, 2025 11:40 am
https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2025/07/confirmed-ceo-weather-modification-company-reveals-cloud-seeding/
-Oddball
…and all of this for the lack of a few NWR SAME HF receivers, which fit snugly on top of one’s bedroom chest of drawers, or RV, or tent (runs on batteries or electric), for a mere $49.99 at Amazon. The alarm can be programmed for whatever alert one is in need of receiving while eliminating those unwanted, (avalanche alert or flash flood, or tornado, National Alert test, etc., you pick it or listen to them all). A cell phone may or may not wake you up, or may or may not be charged, or may or may not receive an alert.
The NWR SAME receiver exists for one purpose only. To warn of emergency weather conditions.
And yes, like our non-existent Civil Defense Program, our obsolete bridges, dams, highways, railroads, airports, shipping ports, electrical grid, urban water and sewage systems, et., al., the NWR SAME system suffers from the same out of date equipment and lack of funding as does our air traffic control systems. But I wouldn’t want to fly with out the out of date air traffic control system so, yes an NWR SAME is as good as it gets for now.
https://midlandusa.com/products/wr-120-weather-radio?srsltid=AfmBOoohX6cSt0XCftBVOjfPAdWb9qRgyKRl_rY1ir_dvvUHqACyssU3
https://www.weather.gov/nwr/usingsame
Legacy media is a 5th column, wholly supporting the agenda of the Left – truth be damned.
I’m sitting here reading these responses. It is interesting watching America disintegrate before my very eyes. Future foes will justify controlling every iota of information in and out due to our inability to agree on anything when the facts are clear: The unfortunate campers were allowed to occupied a flood plain which flooded and destroyed them just as surely this current weaponization of information will eventually destroy us.
Once again, we need to see what went wrong in Texas to try to avoid such tragedies in the future.
These tragedies such as hurricanes, floods, earthquakes, or natural catastrophes are known in the insurance industry as “acts of God” because they are considered uncontrollable by human intervention.
https://www.investopedia.com/terms/a/act-god.asp
Shutting down schools, businesses, an entire nation, under the pretext of mitigating strategies for a benign respiratory virus, are not acts of God but acts of Democrats. Till today Democrats have not apologized nor expressed regret for killing and injuring millions of children, adults, the elderly, for their failed COVID public health strategies. Dems sudden concern for the Texas flood victims is yet another occasion of Democrats using people as talking points for their personal gain: power
Estovir – That is the best comment that I have read in the last year. You absolutely nailed it!
They like the money. Suddenly catapulted to princess.
An excellent analysis of the Texas flood was posted yesterday by Roger Pielkie Jr.
https://rogerpielkejr.substack.com/p/the-texas-flash-floods
From “Axios”:
“The big picture: The storm that’s killed at least 80 people brought federal cuts to NOAA’s NWS under scrutiny after it emerged that two Texas NWS offices were missing key staff at the time, including in San Antonio where a veteran warning coordination meteorologist had taken an early retirement buyout in April.”
Saying that understaffing may have played a role is NOT a “hoax”. The criticism is valid. This isn’t the first flash flood Texas has had.
clown gigi: The crew was OVERSTAFFED (five instead of two). why don’t you keep up with the REAL news instead of Axios, Huffpost, Salon, CNN, MSNBC and your other friends.
Anon 5:35 PM – Your sources of make-believe leftist propaganda are making you look like a fool. There are interviews with the staff members themselves, citing their staffing-numbers as being more than double that of normal conditions, and that they were “prepared.” It doesn’t seem to matter how ridiculous the democrat-MSM “claims” as “news”, they have a cult-like following that slurps it up. How embarrassing for you.
Cuts are not into effect until the next fiscal year begins.
Wrong.
There where two different NWS offices that issued warnings and the Texas Division of Emergency Management and activated state emergency response resources through 10 state agencies as I stated both on Wednesday and Thursday. Does that sound like the actions of incompetent people? They issued the “life threatening flash flooding” warning when it became applicable. It was someone in charge at the Camp Mystic camp who did not heed the warning that so many lives there were lost. As I pointed out, the people at the Mo-Ranch Camp did heed the warnings made by the NWS and the Texas Division of Emergency Management, and moved several hundred campers to higher ground. Two other camps nearby ended their summer sessions on Thursday. A day before the storm.
Someone at Camp Mystic who did not heed the warnings. That is on them. Not the NWS or the Texas Division of Emergency Management. When I hear the NWS warning tones come across the radio, I stop and listen. Then I act accordingly. That is what someone with critical thinking, logic and common sense does.
Are you retarded? The agencies were OVERSTAFFED, not under. So yes, it was a hoax.
Conclusion: don’t live in a flood plain.
media for entertainment purposes only… Trump for clicks
“When the president guts all of the early warning systems and the weathering forecast abilities of the government, these are the results that we’re going to start to see on a daily basis.”
The 2013 Colorado Front Range floods were devastating. Forecasters predicted 1.5-3″ of rain. The storm dumped 12-18” of rain across Boulder County.
Do you also want to blame then-President Obama for those forecasters being off by a factor of 6?
Sam,
Oh! No! Dont bring things like FACTS to the table!! Our leftists friends heads might explode!!
How marvelous!!!
Here are some “facts”:
From “Axios”:
“The big picture: The storm that’s killed at least 80 people brought federal cuts to NOAA’s NWS under scrutiny after it emerged that two Texas NWS offices were missing key staff at the time, including in San Antonio where a veteran warning coordination meteorologist had taken an early retirement buyout in April.”
Is this your ex boyfriend?
“LGBT Democratic Party treasurer Mathew Inman, 39, is arrested on child porn charges”
“A Democratic Party official from Florida was arrested on federal child pornography charges.
Matthew Inman, 39, was charged with transportation of child sex abuse material on January 17, according to the US Attorney’s Office, Middle District of Florida.
Inman served as treasurer for the Orange County Democratic Party and as president of the LGBTQ activist group Rainbow Democrats.
Investigators said Inman had videos on his phone of children being sexually abused and shared them while trying to procure sex from a young boy.
‘Between August and October of 2024, Inman received and saved several videos of child sexual abuse material (CSAM) to his phone. These videos depicted adults sexually assaulting young children,’ the US Attorney’s Office said.
Inman allegedly shared the videos of adults raping young boys with an undercover law enforcement officer he met online while he was visiting Las Vegas in October 2024.
‘During this conversation, Inman expressed interest in meeting and sexually assaulting the purported child. He also sent CSAM videos to the undercover officer,’ said the US Attorney’s Office.
Officials connected the account to Inman and claimed he tried to wipe the videos from his devices while they searched his home.”
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-14330961/lgbt-democratic-treasurer-matthew-inman-arrested-child-porn-charges.html
NWS was overstaffed in Texas on July 4th
AXIOS? really? NWS offices were overstaffed- they gave out warning. Local agencies did not have adequate warning systems. Many campers and others were asleep; they did not see the warnings from NWS. Rain was predicted at 4 to eight inches; while some areas received 18 inches. Many did not know that a 100 year flood would happen.
“. . . brought federal cuts to NOAA’s NWS under scrutiny . . .”
That’s not a fact. That’s an opinion — and a delusional attempt to smuggle in a smear against Trump.
..the fact: missing one staffer due to early retirement is not going to cause 80 deaths from a flash flood.. WE as a Nation are overwhelmed by National Weather websites.. I have 3 on my phone .. Texas knows its own weather patterns make it a flooding magnet.. why aren’t they better prepared locally? I pray the vultures like George Slopadopoulos, Ron Flipthecowski, Philip Bumponalog and the disgusting outlets like MSNBS, Fluffpost, C-an-end get sued out of oblivion for their malicious false story spinning.
Anon – 5:36 PM …… An “ex-employee’s” unvetted comment, and the statement “after it emerged that” somehow qualifies as verified “facts”, you seem to swallow whatever leftist propaganda comes your way. If the “news” source manufactures reliably-leftist lies (Stephanopoulos/CBS/Axios), the conversation is over. https://www.theburningplatform.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/GuoqGNuXIAAxwI8.jpg
OK. I’ll bite. How many staff members were missing at the time? If they were key, how did the warnings go out with more than adequate time to evacuate the camps? What tasks did the missing personnel perform that led to the death of the campers. Finally, how did other camps located in the same region evacuate in time given the failures you imply.
“How many staff members . . .”
Great questions.
Good luck getting straight answers.
It’s a fools game to believe we are stronger than Mother Nature, or the forces of Nature. As someone who has been through scores of hurricanes in the Caribbean and South Florida, and sustained property damage exceeding 7 figures, living near large bodies of water bring risks. Camping by a river brings risks, though I think more in terms of pythons and alligators like in the Everglades, or Grizzly Bears by the Snake River in the Grand Tetons of Wyoming. I lived in Puerto Rico where earthquakes south of the island resulted in Tsunamis. Risks exist in these scenarios
The flooding of the Texas camp was tragic. So are hurricanes, earthquakes, tsunamis, tornados, floodings, and the like. It would be helpful to review the events of the Texas flooding and perhaps make a plan so as to prevent a reoccurrence, much like cities have sirens when tornados appear. Planning is always a good practice where forces of nature may end life. Will Texans be safe in the future, if/when they camp by every possible river bed that exists in Texas from a possible flooding? I have no idea how many miles of rivers exist in Texas but placing sirens on every river bed where someone can camp doesn’t seem practical
*. Hey developed nation 🤪 just use your DEI knowledge of fluid dynamics, Bernoullis principle and engineers and fix the problem for pressure, gravity, velocity, height, …alter the flow, mitigate the flow. Are we really in Bangladesh?
Condolences to all who’ve suffered.
What Axois fails to mention is both the NWS-Austin/San Antonio office and the NWS San Angelo also issued a flood watch for several counties on Wednesday and Thursday. Kerr county was included in that list. The Texas Division of Emergency Management also issued warnings on Wednesday and Thursday. The Texas Division of Emergency Management activated state emergency response resources through 10 state agencies anticipating increased threats of flooding also on Wednesday.
“According to the National Weather Service, heavy rainfall with the potential to cause flash flooding is anticipated across West Texas and the Hill Country beginning tonight and is expected to last a few days. Texans are encouraged to monitor local forecasts and avoid driving or walking into flooded areas,” TDEM said. The next day, it escalated state emergency operations readiness and activated additional resources.
What Axios also fails to mention is the fact Mo-Ranch Camp heard the warnings and moved several hundred campers to higher ground. Two other nearby camps, Camps Rio Vista and Sierra Vista, ended their summer session on Thursday. A day before the storm.
Not sure how “a,” singular, one, “a veteran warning coordination meteorologist” could of done much more than two different NWS offices and the Texas Division of Emergency Management who were not only issuing warnings and the Texas Division of Emergency Management took action could of made. If that is the case, that is a single point of failure on the NWS part. But I do not believe that to be the case.
The real issue that Axois is not addressing is why did Camp Mystic and others NOT heed the many warnings where others did. The, “there was no emergency alert system” is BS. Got the radio on? NWS cuts in with weather warnings. There is a NWS app. There are specific radios, solar, hand crank, and battery operated that will turn on when a warning is issued. Again, why did Camp Mystic and others not heed all the NWS and TDEM warnings when others did? Was it the lacked some kind of emergency alert system? No. Someone made a very bad choice and paid for it. It is terrible.
How would NOAA climate research have prevented this weather event?
They did not anticipate this kind of storm. No one did. Even if they had a thousand meteorologist more than the SOP five would not of mattered. Mother nature bats last.
GET a job and a life GIGI!!
Worldwide: “Disasters – from earthquakes and storms to floods and droughts – kill approximately 40,000 to 50,000 people per year. This is the average over the last few decades.”
Disasters happen and MANY can NOT be predicted!!
As usual, gigi, nobody will bother to read your mindless crap, most of which has undoubtedly been debunked already. No, there is no gotcha moment here, you ghoul. Stop dancing on the bodies of dead children, trying to score a political point. You are a sick and demented person.
*. Decency and honesty PT says? Imported foods are unhealthy. Can you begin to imagine adding lead to imported ground cinnamon to increase its weight? Can you imagine raising shrimp in sewage?
Accusations from Mystal aren’t shocking at all in the 3rd world and you’ve hit the sweet spot. The NWS issued severe warnings. Rosie is loaded with lead.
According to Gallup, you have to go back more than 20 years before the average Republican had any faith, at all, in what US media was telling them. At the same time, Democrats have never doubted US media as being entirely trustworthy.