The March Toward Fascism Continues; More Details on Another Massive Meat Recall–Coachella Valley Independent’s Indy Digest: Oct. 14, 2024

Indy Digest: Oct. 14, 2024

The march toward fascism continues …

From Rolling Stone:

Many of us think of Coachella and envision solid lineup draws and killer musical performances, but on Saturday a very different headliner took the stage: GOP presidential candidate Donald Trump. And he delivered a buzzkill message for the state, threatening to withhold wildfire aid to California.

He made the threat while delivering a long, meandering diatribe during his rally, where he claimed he’d bring “revitalization of our country” and railed on Governor Gavin Newsom (who he refers to as Newscum) about water conservation. Trump promised he’d somehow change the water issues in California without actually proposing how he’d manage to solve the problem other than to say, “We’re going to take care of your situation, and will force it down his throat. And we’ll say, Gavin, if you don’t do it, we’re not giving any of that fire money that we send you all the time for all the fire, forest fires that you have. It’s not hard to do.”

It’s not the first time Trump publicly pledged to block wildfire aid to California. Last month, he said at a press conference in Los Angeles that he might not give Newsom “money to put out all his fires.” His latest threat to withhold wildfire money for California came just days after Politico reported that, as president, he actually did this. According to the outlet, in 2018, Trump initially deliberately withheld disaster aid for the state following historic, deadly wildfires, because it votes blue. He reportedly only relented after an adviser informed him that Orange County, which was damaged by the wildfires, generally leans Republican.

From NBC News:

Former Republican Rep. Liz Cheney on Sunday issued a series of dire warnings about a potential future Trump administration, telling NBC News’ Meet the Press that people ought to “carefully” consider what another Trump presidency would look like.

“Donald Trump believes he will be immune for anything he does once he’s in office,” Cheney, a fierce Trump critic, told moderator Kristen Welker.

The former Wyoming congresswoman, who has endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris and has campaigned with her, pointed to the Supreme Court’s ruling in July that the former president is immune from criminal prosecution for certain official actions he took while in office as a cause for concern. …

“The people that stopped him from his worst desires last time around won’t serve again,” she added.

Cheney also declined to disagree with remarks from retired Gen. Mark Milley, who was chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff under Trump and President Joe Biden, calling Trump “a fascist to the core” in a forthcoming book by Bob Woodward.

“I have tremendous respect for for Gen. Milley, and I see no reason to disagree with that assessment,” Cheney said.

From The Associated Press:

Federal disaster workers paused and then changed some of their hurricane-recovery efforts in North Carolina, including abandoning door-to-door visits, after receiving threats that they could be targeted by a militia, officials said, as the government response to Helene is targeted by runaway disinformation. … FEMA confirmed in a statement Monday that it adjusted operations. It emphasized that disaster-recovery centers remain open and that FEMA continues “to help the people of North Carolina with their recovery.”

Workers from the agency’s disaster-assistance teams—who help survivors apply for FEMA aid and connect them with additional state and local resources—have stopped going door to door and instead are working from fixed locations while the potential threats are assessed, a person familiar with the matter told The Associated Press. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because they could not publicly discuss details of the operations.

The person stressed that FEMA was making the adjustments “out of an abundance of caution.” …

FEMA has faced rampant disinformation about its response to Helene, which hit Florida on Sept. 26 before heading north and leaving a trail of destruction across six states.

Former President Donald Trump and his allies have seized on the storm’s aftermath to spread false information about the Biden administration’s response in the final weeks before the election. Their debunked claims include false statements that victims can only receive $750 in aid, that emergency response funds were diverted to immigrants, that people accepting federal relief money could see their land seized and that FEMA is halting trucks full of supplies.

Despite all of this … the presidential race is a toss-up. We’re this close, folks.

—Jimmy Boegle

More News

• Gov. Gavin Newsom today signed a bill aimed at curbing gas prices—a piece of legislation he wanted so badly that he called a special session to make it happen. Our partners at Calmatters report: “A bill attempting to remedy California’s ongoing gas price spikes has prevailed despite questions about whether it could jeopardize worker safety. The bill – Assembly Bill X2-1 – would require refineries to keep a to-be-determined minimum amount of gas supply on hand to help smooth out price spikes the state said happen when refineries go down for routine maintenance. … Those representing unionized workers in refineries argue that the legislation would jeopardize worker safety, and if storage requirements are untenable for refiners, closures and large job loss could follow. At issue is a provision in the bill that would give the California Energy Commission the ability to approve scheduled maintenance for refiners. State officials said this is meant to push refiners to be proactive in their maintenance planning, which, paired with higher reserves of gas supply on hand, would tamp down price spikes for Golden State drivers. The state and the bill’s authors said current laws governing worker safety are not affected by the bill.”

• Today’s recall news involves … an update on a huge meat recall announced last week! USA Today says: “A massive meat recall prompted by listeria concerns is affecting products in some of the most popular grocery stores across the U.S., including Walmart, Public, Target, Aldi, Amazon, Trader Joe’s and more. Pre-cooked meat producer BrucePac has released more information about the products impacted by its nearly 10 million-pound recall first announced by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Wednesday. Routine testing found evidence of listeria monocytogenes on BrucePac ready-to-eat poultry, which can cause a listeriosis infection if consumed. … Affected products were shipped to establishments and distributors nationwide, including restaurants and other food institutions, and appear in salads, frozen meals and other pre-packaged foods off different brands sold at a variety of locations. As of Sunday, the USDA has a 326-page document of specific retailers, brands and food items containing the recalled meats.”

• And … a LOT of Hondas! Reuters reports: “Honda Motor said … it is recalling 2 million cars and SUVs in North America over an issue that can make steering more difficult and increase the risk of a crash. The recall by the Japanese automaker includes various 2022 through 2025 model vehicles including some Civic and Civic Type R, CR-V, HR-V and Acura Integra and Integra Type S vehicles. Honda said it has received 10,328 warranty claims related to the issue since 2021. There are 1.7 million U.S. vehicles, 240,000 in Canada and 58,000 in the Mexico covered by the recall. … The steering gearbox assembly may have been manufactured incorrectly, which can cause excessive internal friction and lead to difficulty while steering, abnormal steering noise or increased steering effort.”

• An IV-fluid shortage caused by damage from Hurricane Helene is delaying surgeries and medical procedures. The Washington Post reports: “Hospitals across the United States are reeling from a shortage of IV fluids after Hurricane Helene struck a major manufacturing plant in North Carolina, prompting some to postpone elective surgeries and others to conserve supply by restricting use. The Food and Drug Administration formally declared a shortage for three fluid products Friday, allowing some hospitals and facilities to manufacture their own supply. The FDA last week had allowed shipments of IV fluids from other countries. But complications make it difficult to immediately end the shortage. Compounding facilities that typically don’t manufacture IV fluids need access to sterile water and supplies such as bags to make their own products. The American Hospital Association estimates that less than a fifth of hospitals are able to do so. ‘If you turn off a hospital supply of IV fluids, it’s like turning off the water supply to your house,’ said Chris DeRienzo, the hospital association’s chief physician executive. ‘We need to have a continuous, consistent flow to the hospitals, especially as we are walking into the winter respiratory virus season.’”

• Today is, depending on whom you ask, either Columbus Day or Indigenous Peoples’ Day. A historian, writing for The Conversation, examines how countries in the Americas are pushing back against this colonial legacy: “The U.S. has observed the holiday since 1937, commemorating the explorer’s 1492 arrival in the New World. The second Monday of the month remains a federal holiday, even as many states and cities rename it ‘Indigenous Peoples Day,’ rejecting Christopher Columbus as a symbol of imperialism. Most Latin Americans, meanwhile, know Oct. 12 as ‘Día de la Raza,’ or Day of the Race, which also celebrates Columbus’ arrival in the New World and the tide of Iberian conquistadors that followed. But commemorating the event is all the more charged in these countries, home to the Spanish Empire’s most lucrative territorial assets and sweeping spiritual conquests. Days before taking office in September 2024, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum reiterated her predecessor’s demand that the king of Spain apologize for the genocide and exploitation of the conquest 500 years ago. As a historian of Latin America, I’ve paid attention to the ways calendars signal a nation’s ‘official’ values and how countries wrestle with these holidays’ meanings.”

• And finally … The New York Times reports on a little glitch the BBC Weather app endured last week that brought new meanings to the phrase “extreme weather”: “The forecasts called for 13,000-mile-per-hour winds in Chicago, 832-degree temperatures in Brazil, and slightly higher ones in Kenya. But those predictions, thankfully, were erroneous. They were the result of a glitch on the BBC Weather app that warned Thursday of disaster around the world. The BBC apologized for the mistake, and the forecasts were partially fixed by Thursday evening. The wildly inaccurate predictions were displayed on the BBC’s website and weather app because of incorrect forecast data from a third-party company, DTN, the British public broadcaster said. … Stuart Malcolm of Chichester, a city in southern England, shared a photo of the 16,717 miles per hour wind speeds forecast for Chichester and said that it appeared the city had been relocated ‘to the surface of Neptune!’“

Support the Independent!

Thanks, as always, for reading! Support local, credible news sources please—including the Independent, please. Click the button below to learn more!