Biden administrator shaken by chaotic weekend

The Biden administration is struggling to find its footing amid a series of unfortunate events that are testing the often-vacationed president and his vice president, who is currently vying for the top spot in American politics.

Hurricane Helene devastated parts of North Carolina, leaving millions of Americans without power, at least thirty dead, and many more missing. Entire cities have been virtually leveled, and video footage of the storm's aftermath shows homes flooded and highways washed out. Local officials are begging for help and resources; For example, State Representative Neal Collins tweeted: “I currently have two people on oxygen who need generators and one person on dialysis treatment who needs one. Does anyone have electricity willing to borrow their generators? I'll arrange delivery and return.” According to a report by NBC News, the storm has claimed at least 116 lives in the Southeast, a third of which occurred in North Carolina.

Helene was upgraded to a Category 4 storm Thursday evening as it threatened to reach Florida, but President Joe Biden traveled to his vacation home in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, on Friday evening and did not return to the White House until late Sunday evening. Biden denied that more federal funding could be provided to the territory, arguing that they had already approved a “significant amount” that they had “not yet requested.” Asked by a reporter why he was not in Washington commanding the storm response, Biden replied: “I have taken command. I spoke on the phone for at least two hours yesterday and the day before… It’s called a telephone.”

Harris addressed Helene's damage late Sunday during a campaign event in Las Vegas, Nevada, but also did not return to her White House work schedule until Monday. She posted a photo after her rally that showed her sitting on a plane, reportedly taking notes while on the phone with FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell. Some critics claimed the photo was fake, noting that there appeared to be no writing on the paper in front of Harris and that her headphones appeared to be unplugged from her phone.

Biden said he will not visit North Carolina until local officials tell him he can make the trip without affecting recovery efforts, while former President Donald Trump plans to visit Valdosta, Georgia, today.

Meanwhile, the Biden administration is also grappling with another looming disaster: a strike by East Coast longshoremen appears imminent as wage and benefit negotiations between the International Longshoremen's Association union and the companies have stalled. The strike is expected to take place at three dozen ports from Maine to Texas and result in 100,000 shipping containers getting stuck in transit. JPMorgan analysts estimate that the strike could cost the economy up to $5 billion a day and that for every day ports are closed, it will take six days to clear the shipping backlog New York Times Reports.

The supply chain disruption is reminiscent of similar problems in the fall of 2021, when ports had to handle too many containers and ships remained stranded offshore waiting to unload their cargo. Biden claimed to have resolved that crisis a few days before Christmas, while his press secretary Jen Psaki downplayed consumer concerns as a “tragedy of the delayed treadmill.” The impending longshoremen's strike is clearly on Biden's mind. A reporter asked Biden about a different kind of attack (the explosive kind): “Any comments on the attacks in Yemen?” Biden replied: “I have spoken to both sides. You have to settle the strike. “Support collective bargaining efforts. I think they will settle the strike.”

-Amber Duke

On our radar

OFF THE RECORDS Department of Veterans Affairs employees unlawfully accessed the medical records of vice presidential candidates JD Vance and Tim Walz, two sources told CNN. The department is currently investigating the incident and both parties have reportedly been notified of the violation.

CLINTON CHATTER Former Secretary of State and Trump opponent Hillary Clinton warned in an interview on Sunday that there would be an “October surprise” designed to “distort” and “pervert” the Harris campaign. She compared such a scenario to the 2016 Pizzagate rumors that Clinton and her associates were part of an underground child trafficking ring.

ROUTH TAKES A PLEA Ryan Routh pleaded not guilty in federal court on Monday to attempting to assassinate former President Donald Trump. Routh was caught after a Secret Service agent spotted him with a rifle through a chain-link fence at Trump's golf course in West Palm Beach. Routh also allegedly gave an employee a box containing a letter before the attack; The letter promised $150,000 for someone who could “finish the job” and kill Trump.

CAN YOU HEAR ME NOW? Hundreds of thousands of Verizon customers reported nationwide outages Monday morning, with users describing cell phones being locked in “SOS” mode. Verizon confirmed it was working to restore service to its customers, but did not provide a timeline for when network issues would be resolved.

Trump takes aim at Kamala's trans policy

Former President Donald Trump has released a new ad attacking Vice President Kamala Harris for her support of providing free gender reassignment health care to illegal immigrants in U.S. detention centers. Trump made the claim during the presidential debate, was accused of lying by many political commentators, but was confirmed by fact-checkers who pointed to a 2019 video of Harris saying, “Every transgender inmate in the prison system would have access.” ” and an ACLU questionnaire in which Harris affirmed the policy. The Trump campaign uses both pieces of evidence in its ad Bulwark Notes is the first general election advertisement on trans issues.

The ads cost the campaign $2.5 million to air in the seven swing states, and Trump's team arranged for them to run during college and professional football games. Campaign manager Chris LaCivita said: “This has been a defining issue for the new left over the last decade. Now we're going to make sure Harris can insist on it.” A Harris campaign spokesman claims that Harris is not “proposing” or “enforcing” free gender reassignment surgery for immigrants.

–Cockburn

Democratic lawmaker laments strike that killed Hezbollah leader

Rep. Rashida Tlaib expressed political sympathy from the left after a mocking political cartoon showed the congresswoman using an exploding pager to denounce America and Israel after an airstrike eliminated one of the world's most notorious terrorists.

“Our country is funding this bloodbath,” Tlaib tweeted after Israel’s targeted assassination of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah. “Sending more troops and bombs to the region does not contribute to peace. The US government is a conspirator in the war criminal Netanyahu’s genocide plan.”

Tlaib's comments are notable in part because she puts herself in a difficult situation by condemning the attack. Despite some glowing press coverage of Nasrallah, the Hezbollah leader was a brutal terrorist responsible for the deaths of numerous Americans, Israelis and Arabs.

Nasrallah's death followed a wave of targeted attacks against other lower-ranking Hezbollah members. Since the October 7 terrorist attacks in southern Israel, Hezbollah, led by Nasrallah, has fired nearly 10,000 rockets into Israel, displacing around 70,000 people.

Tlaib, a Michigan Democrat, has long used her massive social media platform to spread disinformation — perhaps most notoriously when she makes “false claims.”[ed]”that Israel bombed Al-Ahli al-Arabi Hospital.

What comes next in the region remains uncertain. Recent reports indicate that Israel is about to launch a ground offensive in Lebanon or that the ground offensive has already begun.

–Matthew Foldi