Trump Admin Makes Shock Admission on Texas Disaster

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2:20Ben Meiselas:This is just horrific stuff, folks. The Trump regime just held a press conference in Texas. They had Kristi Noem, the Secretary for Homeland Security, hold this press conference regarding the catastrophic storm that led to flash floodings in Kerr County. The current death toll is 32 individuals, including 14 children, and there are still people who are missing. The death toll may indeed get higher. So Kristi Noem was holding this press conference and she was asked a question about why the National Weather Service was not pinging people's phones as they expected and whether there was a failure in the federal government's responsibility to keep the people of Texas safe.

3:05Ben Meiselas:Now, Kristi Noem responds by saying that the technology needed to be upgraded, and she seems to be blaming former President Biden. Also, in this disastrous press conference, she almost seems to be blaming Texas and saying that Texas should be taking the lead here in emergency response, where this would be one of the prime activities that FEMA, where the federal government would indeed be taking the lead, And the federal government in normal situations would be pre-positioning their own emergency responders with state responders. And the feds would be leading the effort. We have this on videotape so you can see the receipts that we have.

3:47Ben Meiselas:But let's just go through some of the facts one by one. I want to show you this disastrous press conference, but we need to be able to fact check everything appropriately so you understand. So as Dan Coe, who was in the Biden administration, writes, The National Weather Service, NWS, is under NOAA, N-O-A-A, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The Trump regime proposed cutting 25 % of the NOAA budget, about$1.6 billion, including labs that support NWS. Trump lost 600 NWS officials, National Weather Service officials, due to layoffs and retirements. Remember when Doge was doing that?

4:29Ben Meiselas:And then just a few days ago, Kristi Noem was bragging about stealing money from FEMA to fund Alligator Alcatraz. Here's Kristi Noem's post. Alligator Alcatraz will be funded largely by FEMA's Shelter and Services Program, which the Biden administration used as a piggy bank to spend hundreds of millions of American taxpayer dollars to house illegal aliens, including the Roosevelt Hotel that served Tren de Agua. I mean, that's not true, but she did steal money from FEMA to fund alligator Alcatraz. And as I said, we know that that death toll is rising now. This is quite the admission from Kristi Noem, the Secretary of Homeland Security.

5:11Ben Meiselas:Same excuse that Sean Duffy, Secretary of Transportation, used to try to avoid blame for the FAA shortages. So just so you can make sure you can hear it, the reporter says, why was the National Weather Service not pinging their phones before seven? Was it a fundamental failure of the federal government's responsibility to keep us safe? And then Kristi Noem says, well, Trump is upgrading the technology. And then she claims that the bad technology seems to have played a role in this. And then she blames former President Biden. Watch this for yourself. Let's play it. Why was the National Service not peeing their phones before 7 o 'clock the day of the 4th of July?

5:52We need a federal people who can't stop making reports. I got an update at 7 o 'clock, the first way off I heard. And I've heard updates throughout the week, but not before 7 o 'clock in the morning. Wasn't that a fundamental failure of the federal government's responsibility to be able to say? Well, you know, my background is before I was in the secretary position here into the Trump administration, I was governor of South Dakota and served in Congress for eight years before I was governor. And so I will tell you that for decades, for years, Everybody knows that the weather is extremely difficult to predict, but also that the National Weather Service over the years at times has done well.

6:31And at times we have all wanted more time and more warning and more alerts and more notification. That is something and one of the reasons that when President Trump took office that he said he wanted to fix and is currently upgrading the technology. and the National Weather Service has indicated that with that and NOAA that we needed to renew this ancient system that has been left in place with the federal government for many, many years, and that is the reforms that are ongoing there. The timeline that I have, I don't oversee the National Weather Service, that's not under my department, but the timeline that I did receive from them was that the notifications started to look at its expansion for its limited flood impact area that started on July 3rd at 1.18 p.m.

7:15The flood watch was issued. Although it was moderate, it wasn't to the extremes that it was, that when the system came over the area that it stalled, it was much more water, much like I think we experienced during Harvey, the same type of system that was unpredictable in the way that it reacted and the way that it stopped right here and dumped unprecedented amounts of rain that caused a flooding event like this. They continued to elevate and up their notifications. When your notification hit your phone, sir, I'm sorry, I can't speak to when that is, but I do carry your concerns back to the federal government and to President Trump, and we will do all we can to fix those kinds of things that may have felt like a failure to you and to your community members.

7:59But we know that everybody wants more warning time, and that's why we're working to upgrade the technologies that have been neglected by far too long to make sure that families have as much advance notice as possible.

8:11Ben Meiselas:Now, in this next clip, Kristi Noem seems to try to shift the blame as well to Texas and seem like Texas is the one running the show here. She goes, I do know that the state of Texas is amazing in how it responds to disasters. That may or may not be true. We know that actually Greg Abbott has not responded well to disasters at all, as we've seen before. But this would be something where the feds would pre-position emergency responders and the feds would be taking the lead, not ceding authority to a state like Texas of something of this magnitude or any state at all. This would be something that FEMA would be leading.

8:49Ben Meiselas:But we know that Kristi Noem wants to abolish FEMA and Trump wants to abolish FEMA. And they've been gutting these agencies. We've been you know they've been gutting these agencies. Here's what she says here. Play this clip. I do know that the state of Texas is amazing in how it responds to disasters. Not every state is like that. Many states do not do what the people of Texas do. And you are an example to the nation of getting through these difficult times, but also know that you're not alone, that you have the entire country's hearts and are with you and are walking alongside you. And at the department, we will continue to bring more resources.

9:31We just at the request of a previous conversation less than an hour ago in visiting with him and with the governor requested more fixed wing aircraft from Coast Guard to come and help us.

9:41Ben Meiselas:And then the way she describes even FEMA's role, she goes, FEMA is standing at an enhanced level right now. They're plugged into the state operations center. Really, this should be a joint task force where FEMA in many ways is taking the lead. But she's saying we're plugged in because I think she recognizes that a lot of the response has not been done the right way and is not being handled well. So I think she's trying to shift responsibility to Texas here. And so I think we're going to see that develop here. Play this clip. What can be utilized? And of course, FEMA is standing at an enhanced level right now, which means that they are plugged in to the state operations center.

10:22We are engaged. And then as this response goes forward, that their role will continue to be filled, as it always is in these situations, and will be timely and responsive as to what the governor requests.

10:33Ben Meiselas:And over here, she tries to describe what she believes FEMA's role to be in this horrific flash flood disaster from the Guadalupe River. And she goes, the role of the state is to run and manage that emergency, but the federal government needs to be here for extra resources. Again, that fundamentally is misstating what FEMA is. It's not the role of the state to be the ones who are kind of leading something of this magnitude. I mean, could you imagine in the hurricanes if it was left to just the state to do? No. FEMA should be there. It should be a joint task force. And if anything, this should be where the feds are running the show and bringing to bear the federal resources.

11:14Ben Meiselas:Here, play this clip. And this tragic situation is something that is unprecedented. We recognize that at the federal level. We also recognize that when something like this happens to a community, happens to a state, that the best responders are those locally because it's your family members. It's your community members that are being impacted, and you can respond quickly. And the role of the state is to run and manage that emergency, but the federal government needs to be here for the support and extra resources on the ground as well. And that is what we are doing and what President Trump has dedicated to continue to do.

11:49Ben Meiselas:Now, just so I can fact check what Kristi Noem said, and you can hear for yourself, we have her on camera multiple times talking about abolishing FEMA, getting rid of FEMA. And also they fired the former head of FEMA, the interim head of FEMA, who was a MAGA guy who replaced the other head of FEMA, an ultra MAGA guy they fired. His name was Cameron Hamilton, I believe. And the reason that they fired him was because he said that FEMA should still exist. I'll show you clips on that in a moment. But here, Trump Secretary of Homeland Security, Christine Ohm, advocated earlier last month for abolishing FEMA.

12:26Ben Meiselas:Here it is right here. We all know from the past that FEMA has failed thousands, if not millions of people. And President Trump does not want to see that continue into the future. So this agency fundamentally needs to go away as it exists. Here she is on March 24th, 2025, saying that FEMA will be eliminated. Play the clip. And we're going to eliminate FEMA. So we've got a lot to do, but it's all good and we're working hard and we're going to make sure that we're continuing to do exactly what you promised. Now, here she is testifying before Congress, where she talks about eliminating FEMA and getting rid of FEMA.

13:00Ben Meiselas:Just so you have all these data points. Play this clip. Well, thank you for your question and the discussion on this topic today. President Trump has been very clear since the beginning that he believes that FEMA and its response in many, many circumstances has failed the American people and that FEMA as it exists today should be eliminated and empowering states to respond to disasters with federal government. Now, we show you a lot of the disastrous press conferences that happen at the White House, because I want to build a body of evidence and receipts when things like this happen, so you can see for yourself.

13:33Ben Meiselas:So one such disastrous press conference, Donald Trump's chief propagandist, Caroline Leavitt, was asked about why Cameron Hamilton, the ultra-MAGA former head of FEMA, was fired from his job. And she said because he had a position that was different from the regime's position on FEMA. Watch this. Let's play. Could you explain why the FEMA administrator was removed from his position this week? This is a personnel matter in regards to the Department of Homeland Security. But my understanding is that this individual testified saying something that was contrary to what the president believes in the goals of this administration in regards to FEMA policy.

14:13And so, of course, we want to make sure that people in every position are advancing the administration's goals. But as for specifics, I defer you to the Department of Homeland Security. We leave it up to our great cabinet secretaries when it comes to personnel matters.

14:24Ben Meiselas:Okay. Well, now let me show you what Cameron Hamilton actually testified to, so you know what she's referring to. He simply said that FEMA should exist. And then he was fired within hours of the testimony I'm about to show you by Kristi Noem. So here's ultra MAGA Cameron Hamilton, former head of FEMA. He gets fired right after saying this. Kristi Noem calls him in and says, how dare you say that FEMA should exist? Play this clip. Yesterday, the secretary testified, Secretary Noem testified. Quite honestly, I found her responses confusing and inadequate. In response to my question, asking her about whether or not this administration seeks to eliminate FEMA, this was her response.

15:04And I quote, President Trump has been very clear since the beginning that he believes that FEMA and its response in many, many circumstances has failed the American people. and that FEMA as it exists today should be eliminated and empowering states to respond to disasters with federal government support. A clear answer. Does this administration seek to eliminate FEMA? And do you support eliminating FEMA? Mr. Chairman, would you like me to answer the question? Please.

15:40Ben Meiselas:I'm not going to let you off. Please. No, I completely understand. As the senior advisor to the president on disasters and emergency management and to the secretary of Homeland Security, I do not believe it is in the best interest of the American people to eliminate the federal emergency management agency. Having said that, I'm not in a position to make decisions and impact outcomes on whether or not a determination such as consequential as that should be made. That is a conversation that should be had between the president of the United States and this governing body. on identifying the exact ways and methodologies in which what is prudent for federal investment and what is not.

16:18Ben Meiselas:All right. Now, let me show you what the Texas state officials have been saying, blasting the feds, blasting the National Weather Service for a faulty forecast in the deadly flood disaster from the Guadalupe River in Kerr County and Kerrville. So here's what the Texas state officials are saying. So you can hear for yourself. Forecast that we received on Wednesday from the National Weather Service predicted three to six inches of rain in the Concho Valley and four to eight inches of rain in the hill country. We worked with our own meteorologist to fine-tune that weather statement and as many of you know and many of you in broadcast journalism and meteorology, you can go back and look at your own forecast and the amount of rain that fell in this specific location was never in any of those forecasts.

17:02This rain event sat on top of that and dumped more rain than what was forecasted on both of those forks. When we got the report, It was about seven feet or so on the South Fork. And within a matter of minutes, it was up to 29 feet. And all of that converged at the Guadalupe. And that's where we saw those very quick rise and flood. But listen, everybody got the forecast from the National Weather Service, right? You all got it. You're all in media. You got that forecast. It did not predict the amount of rain that we saw.

17:31Ben Meiselas:OK, now here is Kerr County Judge Rob Kelly. Here's what he has to say. Play this clip. Judge, one of these camps evacuated. yesterday. Texas Department of Emergency Management put out an all call and said there's going to be a problem. We knew there was going to be a problem. Why weren't these camps evacuated? I can't answer that. I don't know. Well, you're the judge. I mean, you're the top official here in this county. Why can't you answer that? There are kids missing. These camps were in harm's way. We knew this flood was coming. We didn't know this flood was coming. Rest assured, no one knew this kind of flood was coming.

18:09We have floods all the time. This is the most dangerous river valley in the United States. And we deal with floods on a regular basis. When it rains, we get water. We had no reason to believe that this was going to be anything like what's happened here.

18:22Ben Meiselas:Now, do you see just what a total mess this is? Everyone's blaming everybody, who's accountable, who's running the show. This is what happens when you destroy destroy government from within and you get rid of the experts. Look, my heart goes out to anybody in Texas who's been impacted by this. All of the people in Kerr County, you also deserve so much better than what's currently happening right now is people have ripped apart government and ripped apart services and it's not functioning. And by the way, here's John Morales, NBC Miami, top meteorologist there, beloved in the community. This was him about a month ago or so.

19:04Ben Meiselas:He's in Florida, but he talks about how the NOAA, National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration, being cut, which houses NWS, the National Weather Service, would impact his ability to forecast accurately. Here play this clip. As you've grown accustomed to my presentations over my 34 years in South Florida newscasts, confidently, I went on TV and I told you, it's going to turn. You don't need to worry. It is going to turn. And I am here to tell you that I'm not sure I can do that this year because of the cuts, the gutting, the sledgehammer attack on science in general, And I could talk about that for a long, long time and how that is affecting the U.S.

19:55leadership in science over many years and how we're losing that leadership. And this is a multigenerational impact on science in this country. All right. But specifically, let's talk about the federal government cuts to the National Weather Service and to NOAA. Did you know that Central and South Florida National Weather Service offices are currently basically 20 to 40 percent understaffed from Tampa to Key West, including the Miami office, 20 to 40 percent understaffed. Now, this type of staffing shortage is having impacts across the nation because there's been a nearly 20 percent reduction in weather balloon releases launches that carry those radio signs.

20:36And what we're starting to see is that the quality of the forecast is becoming degraded. There's also a chance because of some of these cuts that no hurricane hunter aircraft will not be able to fly this year. And with less reconnaissance missions, we may be flying blind and we may not exactly know how strong a hurricane is before it reaches the coastline. Like happened a couple of years ago in Hurricane Otis in Acapulco, Mexico. So I was asked to talk about this today. I'm glad I was. I just want you to know that what you need to do is call your representatives and make sure that these cuts are stopped.

21:13Ben Meiselas:And here's the former NOAA administrator, Rick Spinrad, warning the Trump administration's plan to slash the agency would cut the ability to improve forecasts. Here, play this clip. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, better known as NOAA, is facing significant budget cuts. A memo obtained by CBS News finds the agency's 2026 budget may be slashed by more than one and a half billion dollars compared to this year's budget levels. NOAA's research functions would be, according to this memo, the hardest hit. Now, it's important to note that President Trump has not yet approved this budget cut, but the OMB director has.

21:54And that makes it very real, very real indeed. Former NOAA Administrator Rick Spinrad joins me now. Rick, thanks for joining us on such short notice. What impact would this have if it were to happen? Yeah, thanks for having me, Major, and thanks for paying attention to this important story. The impact would be across the nation, across sectors. It would affect just about every American, almost every industry and every community. These misguided cuts are really basically saying, especially when you cut research out of the formula, that what we've got right now in terms of our ability to predict these devastating weather events, climate change impacts, that that's good enough.

22:32We don't need to make any improvements, and that will cause serious problems. Because, as I understand it, if you stop measuring, that doesn't mean you stop experiencing the effects of climate change-driven weather patterns. You're just not understanding what's going on or what may happen in the future. Exactly. I'd love to sit here and tell you, Major, that we know everything about how tornadoes form, how hurricanes form, how tsunamis form. But the fact is we need to continue doing research so that we can improve those forecasts. With people dying, 400 people dying from hurricanes in the southeast last year, are we really prepared to say, yeah, that's OK.

23:15We don't need to make any improvements. So when you cut the research, you cut the ability to improve the forecasts and the predictions.