(The Guardian) As Florida begins to assess the damage wrought overnight by Hurricane Milton, youth climate activists are calling for a presidential town hall focused on the federal response to the extreme weather events.
Activists with the youth-led Sunrise Movement are asking cable networks to hold a town hall in North Carolina, where hundreds of people were killed this month by Hurricane Helene. They propose 17 October, the day early voting begins in the battleground southern state.
“Media networks need to do their jobs and host a Hurricane Town Hall,” said Shiva Rajbhandari, a 20-year-old North Carolina student. “In just the last two weeks, millions of people have been affected and thousands have lost their homes, loved ones and livelihoods. I’m sick of seeing death count headlines and pretending like this is just an act of God. The climate crisis is here, it’s caused by big oil, and the American people deserve to know what our future President will do to keep us safe and hold the fossil fuel industry accountable for its crimes against humanity.”
They are pitching the town hall as a way to address rampant misinformation that has flourished in the aftermath of the disasters. Donald Trump has amplified falsehoods that the Biden administration misdirected Fema funds to house undocumented migrants and that only people who lost their homes were eligible for $750 federal payments.
A town hall is unlikely at this stage – Trump has rebuffed calls for a second debate. His running mate JD Vance is in North Carolina today, and Kamala Harris will return to the state this weekend.
www.theguardian.com
Activists with the youth-led Sunrise Movement are asking cable networks to hold a town hall in North Carolina, where hundreds of people were killed this month by Hurricane Helene. They propose 17 October, the day early voting begins in the battleground southern state.
“Media networks need to do their jobs and host a Hurricane Town Hall,” said Shiva Rajbhandari, a 20-year-old North Carolina student. “In just the last two weeks, millions of people have been affected and thousands have lost their homes, loved ones and livelihoods. I’m sick of seeing death count headlines and pretending like this is just an act of God. The climate crisis is here, it’s caused by big oil, and the American people deserve to know what our future President will do to keep us safe and hold the fossil fuel industry accountable for its crimes against humanity.”
They are pitching the town hall as a way to address rampant misinformation that has flourished in the aftermath of the disasters. Donald Trump has amplified falsehoods that the Biden administration misdirected Fema funds to house undocumented migrants and that only people who lost their homes were eligible for $750 federal payments.
A town hall is unlikely at this stage – Trump has rebuffed calls for a second debate. His running mate JD Vance is in North Carolina today, and Kamala Harris will return to the state this weekend.
Fema chief warns ‘dangerous’ Trump falsehoods hampering Helene response
Misinformation spread by Trump, his supporters and others about the hurricane has shrouded recovery efforts
www.theguardian.com
