(C) Daily Kos This story was originally published by Daily Kos and is unaltered. . . . . . . . . . . The lies are getting worse [1] ['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.'] Date: 2024-10-04 I didn’t think it was possible, but trump/maga-world may have found a new low. Today, they’re pushing an entirely fabricated lie about FEMA, Helene relief and (of course) immigrants. Leon is pushing it hard: nitter.poast.org/… (NOT a link to Xitter) Robert Kessler has a good takedown: wapo.st/… (no paywall) Even though Trump was once president, he still appears to have little clue about the appropriations process. What’s even richer is that when he was president, he did exactly what he claims Biden did — take money from FEMA’s disaster fund to fund migrant programs at the southern border. The projection never ceases to amaze. Trump has a habit of assuming other politicians act in the same way as he would. So we wondered why he would accuse Biden of raiding the FEMA disaster fund to handle undocumented migrants. It turns out that’s because he did this! In 2019, the Trump administration, in the middle of hurricane season, told Congress that it was taking $271 million from DHS programs, including $155 million from the disaster fund, to pay for immigration detention space and temporary hearing locations for asylum seekers who have been forced to wait in Mexico. WaPo also has this running as their top story as of Friday afternoon: wapo.st/… (no paywall) As Trump makes false claims about hurricane relief, White House calls it ‘poison’ A White House memo criticized Republicans’ claims that hurricane money was spent to house illegal immigrants, which it described as “bald-faced lies.” Harris does not disburse FEMA funding as vice president. The claim about using disaster relief funding to house immigrants is false, and FEMA has the funds needed to respond to Helene, Bates said in the White House memo. The agency has processed $45 million in direct assistance to people affected by Helene so far, the White House said. “No disaster relief funding at all was used to support migrants housing and services,” the memo states. “None. At. All. WaPo doing a decent job of calling a lie a lie, even if they still prefer “falsehood”. This week, Trump falsely claimed that President Joe Biden had not spoken to Kemp about the disaster. The governor has expressed gratitude for the Biden administration’s response to the storm while also asking for more aid. Trump also claimed on his Truth Social platform that North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper (D) was withholding aid from areas where Republicans live. Cooper spokesman Fred Port said the governor is “very concerned about the impacts of misinformation,” adding: “This is a situation where we need a high degree of coordination and people working together. Confusion can be harmful.” As dangerous as “eating dogs and cats” was, it was so over-the-top insane that it backfired on them. The Big Lie of 2020 was deranged enough to turn lots of people away. But something about this particular lie infuriates me. The fact that someone just flat out invented a story out of thin air and now idiots like leon latch on and spread it so earnestly is beyond sociopathic. This is really insidious stuff, and it’s scary there isn’t more pushback. People will believe this shit if not countered. I bolded that last quote because I’m becoming more convinced by the day that far right fascist disinformation is the #1 problem facing humanity and that drastic action needs to be taken to combat this alternate universe of propaganda the right has created. When I say #1 problem, I mean it. More pressing than climate change. The Climate crisis can’t be addressed if half the population still believes it’s a hoax or thinks it’s overblown. It sure as hell won’t be addressed if trump is elected. I don’t know how we solve this problem. No government can fix it. The Biden administration tried to do something about it and immediately encountered a shitstorm of blowback from the right. We need a worldwide coalition of volunteers dedicated to countering mis/disinfo wherever it pops up online. We need to destroy the talk radio monopoly. We need year round outreach to people, not just when there’s an election. We need to figure out how to teach critical thinking skills, logical fallacies, psychology of cults, digital literacy. This problem tears at the fabric of society and it’s going to be with us long after election day. [END] --- [1] Url: https://www.dailykos.com/story/2024/10/4/2274773/-The-lies-are-getting-worse Published and (C) by Daily Kos Content appears here under this condition or license: Site content may be used for any purpose without permission unless otherwise specified. via Magical.Fish Gopher News Feeds: gopher://magical.fish/1/feeds/news/dailykos/