Biden warns hurricane-relief funding needed soon as he calls on Congress to ‘step up’
CNN
President Joe Biden and other leaders are warning that Congress will soon need to pass additional funding to fill the federal government’s rapidly dwindling disaster-relief coffers after two major hurricanes slammed into the southeastern US.
President Joe Biden and other leaders are warning that Congress will soon need to pass additional funding to fill the federal government’s rapidly dwindling disaster-relief coffers after two major hurricanes slammed into the Southeastern US. While officials have stressed that the federal government has enough funds to address immediate needs that have risen from hurricanes Milton and Helene, the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s disaster relief fund has been dwindling quickly as the agency has had to address two devastating hurricanes in quick succession — on top of what has been a historically extreme year for weather events across the country. Biden is planning to visit Florida on Sunday to see areas affected by Milton. The president on Friday said he hasn’t spoke with House Speaker Mike Johnson, but wants to — adding the Republican leader needs to “step up” to start the process to get relief funding passed, “particularly for small businesses.” The Small Business Administration oversees a loan program for homeowners and small businesses recovering from disasters, providing between $100,000 and $2 million to rebuild destroyed or damaged property. Biden wrote to congressional leaders last week that that program “will run out of funding in a matter of weeks and well before the Congress is planning to reconvene.” “We’re going to be going to the Congress. We’re going to need a lot of help. Going to need a lot more money as we identify specifically how much is needed. So I’m just telling everybody now — I don’t want to hear that this is going to be the end of it,” Biden said Friday, noting that experts estimate that “damage is around $50 billion from Hurricane Milton alone.” But neither Johnson nor Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer has made any indication they plan to call back members, who are on recess until after the November election.
Elon Musk’s SpaceX is now providing free internet access via its Starlink satellite service to users in Iran as the country’s regime continues its bloody crackdown on anti-government protests, according to a tech expert in touch with Iranian Starlink users.
The aircraft used in the US military’s first strike on an alleged drug boat in the Caribbean, a strike which has drawn intense scrutiny and resulted in numerous Congressional briefings, was painted as a civilian aircraft and was part of a closely guarded classified program, sources familiar with the program told CNN. Its use “immediately drew scrutiny and real concerns” from lawmakers, one of the sources familiar said, and legislators began asking questions about the aircraft during briefings in September.
DOJ pleads with lawyers to get through ‘grind’ of Epstein files as criticism of redactions continues
“It is a grind,” the head of the Justice Department’s criminal division said in an email. “While we certainly encourage aggressive overachievers, we need reviewers to hit the 1,000-page mark each day.”
A new classified legal opinion produced by the Justice Department argues that President Donald Trump was not limited by domestic law when approving the US operation to capture Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro because of his constitutional authority as commander-in-chief and that he is not constrained by international law when it comes to carrying out law enforcement operations overseas, according to sources who have read the memo.
President Donald Trump is working to tighten his grip on his party this week as he faces an unusual threat from Congress: an embarrassing rebuke of his military actions overseas.
Bill and Hillary Clinton refused to appear on Capitol Hill Tuesday to testify in Congress’ Jeffrey Epstein probe in the face of threats from the House Oversight Committee to hold them in contempt.
Former teacher Arnulfo Reyes was questioned repeatedly in court Tuesday about how doors were left open at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, before a gunman entered in May 2022 and killed 21 children and teachers.
The Trump administration does not know the whereabouts of 137 Venezuelans it unlawfully deported last year, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said, adding that attempting to offer them due process would impact US foreign policy interests in the country.
Around 1,000 additional US Customs and Border Protection agents are expected to deploy to Minneapolis, Minnesota, according to two federal law enforcement sources. Follow for live updates.
President Donald Trump’s efforts to leverage the Justice Department for political purposes and to exact retribution against his perceived foes haven’t suffered from a series of setbacks.
Minnesota and Illinois separately filed lawsuits Monday against the Trump administration, arguing the president’s immigration crackdown is terrorizing their communities and violating the Constitution.
Former Navy sailor sentenced to 16 years for selling information about ships to Chinese intelligence
A former US Navy sailor convicted of selling technical and operating manuals for ships and operating systems to an intelligence officer working for China was sentenced Monday to more than 16 years in prison, prosecutors said.
The Defense Department has spent more than a year testing a device purchased in an undercover operation that some investigators think could be the cause of a series of mysterious ailments impacting spies, diplomats and troops that are colloquially known as Havana Syndrome, according to four sources briefed on the matter.