Hurricane Harvey already doing damage in Texas
By David Futrelle
News overload! We have a Category 4 hurricane bearing down on the coast of Texas that promises to dump massive quantities of rain as it pushes its way inland. The situation looks dire, and the chances that the Trump administration will be up to the challenge of dealing with it are essentially nil.
Meanwhile, Trump seems to be using the hurricane as cover to announce two, let’s say, controversial acts: the implementation of his straight-up hateful transgender ban, and a pardon of the despicable Joe Arpaio.
Oh, and Sebastian Gorka is OUT of the White House, meaning that the creepy pics of him I posted a week ago WORKED. I guess I’ll have to do Stephen Miller next.
Plus new news on the Russia investigation, and North Korea fires more missiles.
Let’s start with the literal hurricane.
"Rainfall of this magnitude will cause catastrophic and life-threatening flooding." https://t.co/bsXWMJFxP1
— Jamil Smith (@JamilSmith) August 25, 2017
This is scary. I have never seen a rainfall forecast like this in my entire career.
Texas will be recovering from #Harvey for years. https://t.co/2l4agI5WfC— Eric Holthaus (@EricHolthaus) August 25, 2017
Texas mayor: If you're not evacuating before #HurricaneHarvey, write your name and SocSec number on your arm https://t.co/X48bSjYpwD pic.twitter.com/zXKVicrkO7
— Holly O'Reilly (@AynRandPaulRyan) August 26, 2017
National Hurricane Center on the impact of Hurricane Harvey: "Locations may be uninhabitable for weeks or months.” https://t.co/aBPMA4uqr7 pic.twitter.com/0s8BGAyR3i
— CNN (@CNN) August 25, 2017
The last time a category 4 hurricane hit the US, phones looked like this pic.twitter.com/PruzuAehA1
— Justin Miller (@justinjm1) August 25, 2017
As #Harvey Threatens Texas Coast, Immigration Checkpoints May Cost Lives, @reportbywilson at @Rewire_News: https://t.co/kG8HjjzWeC https://t.co/pE4oCbyIYV
— Rewire (@Rewire_News) August 25, 2017
compare obama getting a hurricane briefing last year to trump today pic.twitter.com/kc4gNuUzXq
— Oliver Willis (@owillis) August 25, 2017
Anything to say to the people of Texas?
"Good luck."pic.twitter.com/rDcVcvcWRh
— Holly O'Reilly (@AynRandPaulRyan) August 25, 2017
But wait, there’s more:
Trump pardoned Sheriff Joe Arpaio
No better distraction than a #HurricaneHarvey to cover up a bad decision
This is a travesty of justice pic.twitter.com/qtsUvHtql7
— Red T Raccoon (@RedTRaccoon) August 26, 2017
DOJ had no role in Arpaio pardon per source with knowledge — this did not follow typical Office of Pardon Attorney process
— Laura Jarrett (@LauraAJarrett) August 26, 2017
There's no difference between Trump pardoning Sheriff Joe and telling his supporters he'll pay their legal fees for assaulting people.
— Jared Yates Sexton (@JYSexton) August 26, 2017
FRIDAY DOCUMENT DUMP: Trump Signs Transgender Ban As Hurricane Coverage Dominates All Networks – https://t.co/b7TfvKrilX pic.twitter.com/yZGqOpmPkX
— JoeMyGod (@JoeMyGod) August 25, 2017
Trump's transgender ban is a vicious hate crime on a federal scale. Most Americans are against it.
— Steve Silberman (@stevesilberman) August 25, 2017
Doing a heckuva job, Donnie pic.twitter.com/u9etITxDo6
— David Futrelle (@DavidFutrelle) August 26, 2017
But we’re not done yet!
Another one bites the dust.
❌Gorka
❌Bannon
❌Scaramucci
❌Reince
❌Flynn
❌Spicer
❌Manafort
❌Page
❌Dubke
❌Epshtyn
❌Short
❌Harvey#ImpeachTrump— Scott Dworkin (@funder) August 26, 2017
Woah. IT WORKED. Gorka is OUT! I guess I'll do Stephen Miller next, then work up to Trump. https://t.co/l3tgp9tcKw
— David Futrelle (@DavidFutrelle) August 26, 2017
Gorka resigning in the middle of so much horrible news is like finding a $20 bill on the street before getting hit by a bus.
— Eugene Gu, MD (@eugenegu) August 26, 2017
#BREAKING: Special counsel investigating whether Flynn tried to obtain Clinton emails from Russia: report https://t.co/IAi2hMLNAT pic.twitter.com/w7RIADX87H
— The Hill (@thehill) August 25, 2017
And if that weren’t enough:
UPDATE: North Korea tests 3 short-range missiles. 2 failed in flight, 1 "appears to have blown up almost immediately." – @PacificCommand
— Kevin Baron (@DefenseBaron) August 25, 2017
ahh the familiar trans military ban category 4 hurricane joe arpaio pardon seb gorka resignation north korean missile news cycle
— Gideon Resnick (@GideonResnick) August 26, 2017
A Nazi resigned from the White House staff and it's like the fourth biggest story tonight.
— Paul Musgrave (@profmusgrave) August 26, 2017
Trump administration—I know I don't ever have any Friday night plans, but it would be nice if you didn't just assume
— joel tyler (@joeltyler_) August 26, 2017
"Mr. President, Texas is facing total devastation and North Korea just fired a missile, what do you want to do"
"Let's pardon the racist"
— Ashley Feinberg (@ashleyfeinberg) August 26, 2017
And a sort of kicker: Alt-right organizers in San Francisco have cancelled their original plan for a rally because they didn’t like the restrictions on things that could be used as weapons that the police were imposing on them. So now they’re planning an unsanctioned rally closer to where the counterprotesters will be. Clearly this isn’t about free speech. They want violence, and hope the violence will intimidate the left.
My statement on extremists' decision to cancel permitted rally at Crissy Field and to hold an illegal, volatile rally at Alamo Square. pic.twitter.com/MtN2T2fvDt
— Scott Wiener (@Scott_Wiener) August 25, 2017
These are straight-up Nazi SS tactics.
I think we need a few cute animals right about now.
what kind of turtle is this pic.twitter.com/pAIUBIt0KR
— Dog Posts (@shibesbot) August 25, 2017
—
(@zboah) August 25, 2017
(@zboah) Me waking up late for work like pic.twitter.com/eemeSAttsQ
— So Damn Relatable! (@ReIatable) August 20, 2017
Lazy. pic.twitter.com/fgFBHD4Mvz
— Cats
(@bestcataccount) August 25, 2017
(@bestcataccount) EDIT: Added the stuff on the San Francisco rally.
EDIT 2: Added a few more tweets.