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Right Wing Embraces ‘Weather Weapon’ Theory
Politicians and right-wing influencers have spread conspiracy theories online suggesting that Hurricane Milton has been geoengineered by nefarious forces, with the end goal of preventing Republicans from voting in the presidential election.
The ‘weather weapon’ theory and others began proliferating when Hurricane Helene made landfall nearly two weeks ago, leaving at least 230 dead. And now, some of these wild narratives are not only reverberating on fringe corners of the internet but also are being spread by major accounts—chief among them, GOP congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia.
Trump Thrusts Hurricane Response Into Center of Campaign
As many across the southeast struggle to dig out from Hurricane Helene and with Florida now bracing for Hurricane Milton, Donald Trump is making the storms a flashpoint in the presidential race.
The former president has seized on the devastation left by Helene to launch a barrage of misinformation — including promoting false claims that FEMA spent disaster relief money on migrants that add to his already inflammatory rhetoric about immigration.
Across visits to storm-torn states and through social media, he has cast Kamala Harris and the Biden administration as absent and incompetent in delivering aid even as members of his own party in affected areas say otherwise.
Trump and Republicans Bet Big on Anti-Trans Ads
With just four weeks until the election, Donald Trump and Republican candidates nationwide are putting transgender issues at the center of their campaigns, tapping into fears about transgender women and girls in sports and about taxpayer-funded gender transitions in prisons.
Since the beginning of August, Republicans have poured more than $65 million into television ads in more than a dozen states on these topics in some of the country’s most competitive races.
They are a sign that Republican strategists believe they have found a potent third leg for their messaging stool in 2024, along with the mainstays of inflation and immigration.
“I had no problem with conservative opinion any more than I do with liberal opinion. But what I do have a problem with is conspiracy and lies. The truth is non-negotiable.” — Chris Wallace, explaining to Mediaite why he left Fox News after nearly two decades.
Trump Secretly Stayed in Touch With Putin
Donald Trump has secretly spoken with President Vladimir Putin of Russia as many as seven times since leaving office, even as he was pressuring Republicans to block military aid to Ukraine to fight Russian invaders, according to a new book by the journalist Bob Woodward.
The book, titled War and scheduled to be published next week, describes a scene in early 2024 at Mar-a-Lago, Mr. Trump’s estate in Florida, when the former president ordered an aide out of his office so he could conduct a phone call with Mr. Putin.
The unidentified aide said the two may have spoken a half-dozen other times as well since Mr. Trump left the White House.”
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John Roberts ‘Shaken’ by Reaction to Immunity Decision
Roberts was shaken by the adverse public reaction to his decision affording Trump substantial immunity from criminal prosecution. His protestations that the case concerned the presidency, not Trump, held little currency.
Cry me a river.
The 9 Elements of a Trump Rally
FEMA Issues Warning on Hurricane Disinformation
The Federal Emergency Management Agency warned Tuesday that falsehoods related to hurricanes are significantly impeding their response efforts, and putting hundreds of thousands of lives at risk as Hurricane Milton barrels toward Florida and others pick up the pieces from Hurricane Helene.
Trump Plans Rallies In Solidly Democratic States
With less than four weeks until Election Day, Trump is scheduled to hold rallies in staunchly Democratic states he has virtually no chance of winning. It’s an unorthodox strategy campaign advisers say is designed to focus on areas where Democratic policies have failed, but it will also keep him away from the small handful of swing states almost certain to determine the election.
Over the next month, Trump has events scheduled in Colorado, California, Illinois and New York. President Joe Biden won those states by an average of 20 points in 2020, with his 13-point Colorado win the closest margin.
Biden Postpones Trip Ahead of Hurricane Milton
President Joe Biden is postponing a planned trip to Germany and Angola to focus on the response to Hurricane Milton, the second major storm in two weeks to impact the US southeast.
CNN Gives Trump Until Thursday to Accept Debate
The window for a final 2024 presidential debate between Donald Trump and Kamala Harris is closing.
CNN has publicly offered to host a debate in Atlanta on October 23. Harris has accepted the invitation and welcomed the chance to debate Trump again, but Trump has rejected her calls.
On Tuesday, CNN stepped up the pressure by writing to both campaigns and setting a Thursday deadline for a formal response.
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