This may be one of the most important incidents from the Trump presidency. Trump's directions to his staff to pressure a federal scientific agency like NOAA to conform its weather forecasts to pronouncements made by him is unlike anything we have seen from a president in history. This incident alone should give a prospective independent voter pause to reelect such a person.
33
This should have been much ado about nothing.
Early on, there was some thought about Dorian moving west and possibly affecting Alabama. If Trump would get off Twitter, none of the current hullabaloo would have happened. I'm sure all presidents sometime misunderstand information they have been given, or do not have the latest version of that information. But if they do not go public about everything no one is the wiser and we do not waste a lot of time arguing and investigating.
The other part of the problem is Trump himself. He seems pathologically unable to admit that he is mistaken about anything. Instead of simply acknowledging that he was working with early information, he insisted in showing an obviously altered weather map and then - whether at his direction or on their own - his appointees created a clumsy "fig leaf" for his misstatements.
As a result, we have ended up with yet another example of heavy-handed intervention by his loyal cabinet in the operations of an important government agency. This will now lead to hearings and investigations and more time wasted that could (and should) be spent on addressing the serious issues facing our country.
Sad!
11
My guess is he wanted to direct some of the Fema money to his friends in Alabama.
7
Mr Ross and Dr Jacobs - once scientists, now toadies who must lose their positions.
6
So why did the hurricane not actually hit Alabama? Because Trump fired it. What a guy!
6
There are times when Trump is honest, like when he say he'd keep his businesses while playing president. It would be simpler if that wasn't so. Even so, truth is exceptional; lies are default.
1
It always comes down to this:
Science, reason, humility in the face of reality, and contemplative introspection versus everything else - irrationality, ignorance, selfishness, arrogance, false comforts, greed, anger, hatred.
Trump is the perfect personification of the latter.
This is an existential war within the human psyche that has raged since the dawn of our species. Now it is up to those of us who stand for the former to rise up and resist!
10
Perhaps this is all to cover up the fact that Trump's NOAA missed predicting, and therefore preparing, the Bahamas for Dorian's impacts? Had the Bahamas been warned in time, evacuations and central sheltering could have averted many of the human casualties, at least. Solution? Distract to Alabama and hype it up so no one asks why Trump's NOAA missed Bahamas. And the media and Congress are still chasing this red herring.
3
Trump: "Look, I know 2 + 2 really is four but I need you to justify me by saying that it's five and make it really believable. Because I'm always right." NOAA: "And we get to keep our jobs?" Trump: "We'll see what happens...."
5
Did Trump see the Fox News video of all the damage in Alabama? Has he dispatched a FEMA team to assess the damage? How much federal disaster aid will residents receive? If I spend a couple of weeks in Gulf Shores or Mobile helping with the clean up, can I deduct my expenses as a charitable contribution?
4
Read Eric Larson's 'Isaac's Storm' for an example of the disastrous results that can follow political manipulations of information about weather events.
7
418 days, people, until election day 2020. Request your vacation day (Nov 3), hire the babysitter, confirm your polling place - NOW - then put your voting plan into action.
Let nothing get in the way of exercising one of the most powerful tools for shaping government that you have as a US citizen!
23
By the same token, Trump could declare AR-15s non-lethal.
13
Mr Trump is a very stable scientific genius. But we knew that before, so the real question is why so many the US public goes along with him.
(Hint: 42 percent of Americans think the Earth is less than 10 000 years old.)
22
The forecast is that the entire country is at risk from a giant, slow moving power in the wrong hands.
22
Every airline in the US uses NOAA charts for respective flights weather analysis prior to departure.
I can see the headlines now.."Trump to verify all weather analysis at US airline dispatch centers " says it will save very huge money.
God please help us.
12
Trump has our Secret Service to protect him from us. Who do WE have to protect us from him? He's a loose cannon who has no boundaries. I thought this couldn't happen here.
24
This could all have been avoided but Trump is not a big enough man to ever admit he misspoke, or tweeted. Now, as he continued to lie and get his administration involved, it has snowballed into a big mess for him and those who chose to do his bidding. I only hope it's enough to get him out of office. Doubt it but hope springs eternal.
7
And if we were talking about, say, an infectious disease...how far would Trump go in pressuring scientists to bend to his will, and how many might suffer as a result?
11
The Trump has no clothes, if he says so. Defy belief in his powers, and he will send( not a pox), but a category 5 hurricane to your door.
5
Finally, a president with sense: yes folks the earth is flat, nothing in the universe is older than 4000 years, the earth is at the center of the universe, disease is caused by vapors in the air, climate will always be benign, and everything on the earth was made for man (not woman) to use as it is his will. This is so comforting.
13
Praise the Lloyd.
4
You get a liar as president...this is what you get.
14
Next time, just ask the hurricane itself where he wants to go.
6
The administration needs to hire a whole new range of highly qualified scientific experts standing at the ready to validate whatever random nonsense claims the Donald spews forth. Don't worry, there are millions upon millions who are standing at the ready to claim there is no risk to denial of reality. They even may be ready to happily deny the reality of the consequences going forward. Is this is the route to the ditch? No, it will MAGA!
4
Fact: President Trump is a liar. This simple fact is dawning on America. NOAA and Mick Mulvaney blew this on to the front page. The President has been a liar for a long time. A senior official of the Koch administration, a Deputy Mayor assigned to deal with Mr. Trump and others, reported as the campaign of 2016 began, “Trump lies all the time. He never stops lying.” I met that official in 1944 at Collegiate School in first grade. He does not lie. His initials are PJS. He founded his own firm after years as a general partner of Lehman. He served as an undersecretary of the Treasury under Carter, as I recall. It’s time for that man to speak. It’s time for all that knew Trump to speak. Let’s see his hidden transcripts at prep school and college. We are dealing with a seriously disturbed pathological liar that breaks the law and obliges government staff, elected and appointed, to lie. Lie to the FBI, you commit a felony. Why was President Trump not allowed to testify in person? Simple. He cannot tell the truth. Think about that. We have a president that cannot consistently be truthful. Speaker Pelosi. It’s time.
22
The difference between the actions of officials who ignored Trump's outrageous demands in the early days of the administration (as documented in the Mueller Report) and the enabling sycophants who comprise his staff and some cabinet positions today is striking. I think Trump is much happier when his every wish turns into action, but the outcomes were better when administration officials blocked potentially illegal actions.
3
Of all the transgressions of Trump’s political life, of all the ways that our institutions have been warped to fit his perverted world view, at this point it’s time to just leave it up to the historians to make secret records so that a hundred years from now those who are still literate might read “The fall of the American Republic” and wonder who ______ is and why his name must still be silenced.
It’s not like anyone is going to do anything about it now, except wring their hands, fill their coffers and prey they don’t fall victim themselves.
5
What Orwell described in "1984" has come to pass.
13
"Everybody talks about it, no one does a thing about it. About what? The weather." I was reminded of this old jingle upon reading this article. Apparently the don (aka The Weatherman) has decided he can actually change what may happen, is happening, or will happen. He's the greatest!
4
Almost makes you lose faith in this administration.
7
The Donald Trump Weather Agency is like all of his businesses - a dishonest endeavor resulting in failure. Only this time Drump created a storm which clouded, fogged in and snowed America.
But the storm is temporary...so Dr. Neil Jacobs will be booted from NOAA in a short time. Then what can he possibly do to restore his damaged reputation? Will he ever be able to wipe the brown off his nose? Will a change of pants hide the boot print on his backside? Will anyone in the scientific community look upon him with respect?
Who hires lackeys of Donald Trump? Especially those who endeavored to bend science on behalf of a charlatan president? Only companies which care not for their own credibility.
9
This has to be the dumbest moment in presidential politics since GWB waited until after invading Iraq to get schooled in sectarian conflict.
5
Trump forgot to tell us he graduated top of his class in Wharton's meteorology program.
12
Trump: “I could stand in the middle of 5th Avenue and shoot people and I wouldn’t lose voters.” A rare true statement from Trump.
8
Trump makes a minor mistake, situation gets clarified by weather people, Trump insists that according to days old weather maps he wasn't mistaken.
Really? This is like a man who, rather than engaging in the simple act of brushing the lint off his suit with a lint brush takes out a full page ad in the New York Times proclaiming that he never allows lint balls to accumulate on his suit and further, that in fact he is fully credentialed by the Madame Bovary School of Lint Removal.
It's like when the chocolate chip cookies are all eaten and the 4-year-old looks you deadpan with chocolate breath and tells you "I didn't do it." It's not about the cookies, it's about who has the power to define reality.
15
Pursuing this story is a Jerry Seinfeld routine "something about nothing".
2
So now, in addition to a Genius, foreign policy expert, PhD in Economics, Constitucional Lawyer and Scientist we also have a Master in Meteorology as President.
All in One!!!
How lucky can we get?
6
I love this , Trump seems to be indeed a very stable genius. he has the NYT writinng an article about it and 2240 commentators jumping up and down in outrage , it's better than any sitcom currently on TV.
My advice for the NYT , stick with anti Trump rhetoric , the readers you have left appreciate it , I especially liked "airplanes attacked the world trade center om 9/11" that was truly exceptional.
1
It blows my mind that something this silly gets this much coverage. What doesn't get any news coverage is the previous President stating that there are 57 states or even more recently Joe Biden's bloody eye. So slanted.
2
Well maybe because they aren’t in bed with the Russians, being “played” by the North Koreans, in a trade war with the Chinese, enabling white nationalists, threatening weather forecasters who base their conclusions on current data and not arrogance... Shall I go on?
8
I knew Trump was an extremely bad choice for president and therefore did not cast my vote for him in 2016. I was wrong, he is even worse than I thought he would be. The President is responsible for the safety of all American citizens, to falsely claim his outdated view of potential storm path of hurricane Dorian is not only trite and stupid, it is criminal. It brings to mind a quote regarding a young Donald Trump, from one of his former college professors, "Dumbest student I ever had."
Blue wave 2020 !
14
The president forcing a federal agency to lie to the American people to match his lies draws the line in the sand. Enough. He needs to be removed from office at once.
12
Trump doesn't want any "fake news". Actually, he doesn't want any news. Everything is to be censored except for his pronouncements.
5
Amazing to see the nonsensical comments Trump's apologists use in their pointless efforts to defend him. They sincerely believe that our weather forecasts were the result of a globalist conspiracy. Yet Alabama remains untouched by the hurricane. Did the globalists steer the hurricane away from Alabama?
9
Most telling is the way Trump immediately cries,"Fake news"
Some how, ~40% of the people keep believing this.
4
“I have been treated very unfairly by the weather,” Trump said. “The weather is a horrible person.” Trump pronounced “total victory” over the weather, which he called “the enemy of the people.”
8
Trump Intervened to ‘Clarify’ Forecast?
Trump’s a Fiend
Should Be Screened
Quarantined
I’m Horrified
Mystified
Mortified
He’s Glorified
So Undignified
The Man Is
Certified
I’ll Hold Fast
Until It’s
Broadcast
He’s No Longer President
At Last!
What a Blast!
My Happiness Is
Unsurpassed
Not Pacified
He Justified
He’s Falsified
An Alibi
5
Wilbur Ross (not the Sharpiest knife in the drawer) appears closer to being the next cabinet member on the chopping block.
As for Mulvaney, I guess it depends on what the definition of “clarify” is. Not the best fixer.
4
If the Democrats in congress do their job and pursue this, it seems likely that Mulvaney and/or Ross will attempt to take the bullet for their boss and say they unilaterally gave the orders (more likely Mulvaney). If he does, he needs to go to jail. There are laws already on the books. He doesn't have executive privilege and the Democrats need to back their bark with some bite.
5
Galileo facing the Inquisition (and being educated on how thumbscrews work): “On second thought I have to say that the earth actually IS flat!”
3
Mulvaney should just put up a new sign in the White house break room,
"Rule # 1. The boss is always right.
Rule # 2, If the boss is wrong, see rule # 1"
The White house is being run like a pizzeria anyway. and everyone knows it.
Blue wave 2020 !
6
A constant source of embarrassment.
3
The Trump White House invests its efforts and resources, not to get things right or to tackle complex issues, but to sooth the fragile ego of a man who lies constantly and disregards the facts he dislikes as fake news. They would go to any lenghts to achieve this travesty which many of us call corruption. Plain and simple.
10
Donnie's in the basement mixing up the medicine, I'm on the pavement, thinkin about the government . . .
4
Why is this news? Haven't you all come to realize that we are in the Age of Trump? Where / when the weather is what Trump says it is?
Macbeth in the White House. His witches called the future in the first words of that play. Shakespeare nailed it.
President Trump threatens our weathermen. The Acting Chief of Staff plays along rather than get fired. The obsequious Commerce Secretary, a semi senile billionaire grifter from the junk bond world offers to enforce, fire the truth tellers.
1620 Massachusetts religious leaders of the Salem Witch Trials ordered death to mothers and all just played along.
Gen. Mad Dog Mattis blinks and vanishes. Aurelius by his bedside.
It’s the Hurricane now, tomorrow is another matter.
The 25th amendment would be too easy. Pence is robotic. Mitch is getting rich in China.
Trump is getting richer and emoluments do not matter.
The House is floating of Denial.
Speaker Pelosi is visiting the moors of Macbeth, following the three witches.
Hurricane Sandy by James Douglas Bandler. Read to the end please. The lede is fiction by a Pulitzer. Vermont is watching an epidemic of suicidal behavior. Fake News by the best. And he says he loves me.
Love Is Not Enough by Bruno Bettelheim.
The Other Directed of The Lonely Crowd, by David Riesman, Nathan Glazer, Reuel Denny...
3
And millions of Americans will vote for him, no matter what.
The world should boycott the US till this POTUS is gone.
2
Of course Trump is "at odds with scientists" - he's a republican!
9
The president will not allow any dissent from his opinions. Any one who does not worship him will be fired. Aides must feel silly when they have to lie for him, even when they know he is lying. I guess having a job working in the WH is more important than telling the truth.
It is obvious that he lied about this and then got caught. This is his MO. He says something outrageous; basically trolls the media. The media responds with outrage and he still has 40- 45% support. His supporters laugh at those of us who care about our standing in the world.
There will be a time when we find out which "senior administration official" provided this information. Meanwhile, the president can deny that he pressured individuals to correct the narrative and support the president, even when they know he is lying.
It is frustrating, because the administration "sources" will not provide the information if they know they will be identified. I know this is how business is done in the media, but when will we find out who is telling the truth about this lying president?
This is NOT a "hoax" or "fake news." But it is preventing us from addressing other issues of great importance. When we are talking about the "weather forecaster in chief," we are not discussing sensible gun laws.
His new conferences are a joke. He refuses to answer questions and always changes the subject to bash his predecessors or those citizens who dare to disagree with him.
4
There is very little difference between this, and his denial of climate change. Once he takes a position he will never change it (unless the NRA tells him to).
8
Why should NOAA employees believe anything Jacobs says now? He has shown by his actions that he is a political hack. If he had any principles, he would have resigned. He should have been shouted down at the conference. All of these people need to go - Jacobs, old man Ross, Mulvaney and Trump.
8
Paul Krugman reported that the Trump administration was using government agencies to make life difficult for Anyone But Trump voters.
This reminds me of Nixon’s enemy list and his using the IRS to harass people.
The fact that few commenters feel safe using their real name is a scary comment on our paranoid times.
8
It's sad that the news media has had to spend so much time reporting on this while the lives of so many people in the Bahamas will never be the same...let's not forget our fellow citizens in Puerto Rico whose lives have not fully recovered from the affects of Maria 2 years ago.
4
And now we have an entire act 2 to Trump the musical, opening on Broadway in 2021. It will include songs such as 'Whether the weather' and 'Alabama Sharpie'
2
To "Clarify" forecast or to force them to LIE about it, the same way Trump does lie about everything. Under Trump, we are the Banana Republic.
2
Mr. Trump knows how to manipulate is an accurate response by me.
None of the Trump aides--not Ross, not Mulvaney, certainly not Trump himself---have ever been involved in preparing for an evacuation or a shelter in place for a hurricane. They have "people" to do that for them. They don't do any of the work of preparing or cleaning up from severe storms.
Those of us who live with the threat of hurricanes, who actually understand the economic importance to our cities and counties and states of a misleading hurricane forecast are furious that the people who do not live with these threats are defending Trump. In addition to the cost of an evacuation for no reason other than Trump's ego, lives of vulnerable people are at risk.
Changing a hurricane forecast with a storm the size and intensity of Dorian is criminal. Had the NOAA office in Alabama not reassured the people who needed to prepare to evacuate or to shelter in place, voters in Alabama could have followed the advice of a man who denies science and cuts the budget of a critical agency for millions of people because it does not affect him. People whose budgets are limited would have spent money on supplies; people who need access to electricity for the machines which keep them alive would have prepared to go to shelters. Shelter volunteers would have prepared hundreds of unnecessary shelters. Appointments and events would have been cancelled.
Trump is unfit to be president. He is a foolish man who thinks only of himself.
10
When searching for Western Region weather on NOAA this site To all our valued website customers,
Found this message yesterday evening when I was checking NOAA for Western Regional weather:
" On Saturday (9/7/2019) the database at the Western Region Headquarters suffered a failure. This affected all NWS Western Region office's ability to display current observations that are normally displayed with the weather forecast information.
Our national website support team is working to restore the display of the current observations. We do not have an estimated date of restoration at this time has been disabled."
Co-incidence? Hackers? Retaliation?
3
@Melissa Duffy It is Thursday and the database is still in failure mode. That is six days of a database failure of our National Weather Service Western Region. This should be of concern to all Americans.
3
If President Obama had done anything like this only once, every Republican member of congress would have wanted him drawn and quartered. Trump's psychological disorder is a basic principle of right-wing politics.
6
"After The [New York] Times disclosed Mr. Mulvaney’s role on Wednesday, The Washington Post reported that he was acting at Mr. Trump’s direction, which the senior official confirmed to The Times. "
That's some excellent tag team by the fourth estate. Well done.
5
Yet another example for when the history of this administration is written, that the signs of mental deterioration & fatigue of the president were unmistakable. And another example of the Republican leadership who remained silent; placing self above the safety of the country.
7
While it's true Trump administration is 'at odds with scientists' on pretty much everything, wouldn't it be more accurate to write, 'at odds with facts', again'?
3
Can someone please post dated original, unaltered NOAA weather maps showing when Alabama was included in possibly being affected by the hurricane and when it was removed. It seems like a simple enough thing for those with the proper resources.
Even though these recent events further prove that Trump has no critical thinking skills, many people still believe Trump’s declaration that climate change is a hoax. I’m baffled as to why anyone would believe a self serving know nothing two bit politician over Nobel laureate scientists. This Trump era really exposes American unexceptionalism.
5
This is just one example of how this man is destroying American institutions and democracy from the inside out. Russia knew exactly what it was doing when they interfered in our Presidential elections.
3
Here's another fresh piece of news that, in my opinion, Americans need to know in order to remember those whom Trump loves so much.
(http://www.kasparov.ru/material.php?id=5D79E3ABD07B5)
Police conduct more than 100 searches at the same time at Alexey Navalny's headquarters across the country.
“Everywhere, the main goal is to seize all the equipment to the maximum. After the searches, they are taken away for interrogations to the Investigative Committee.
In addition to these searches at the Headquarters Offices, searches are conducted at private apartments of citizens, А.Navalny’s supporters
People come home in the middle of the night, wake up, interrogate, threaten, take computers and information disks.
Only German fascists did something like this in 1941-1945
1
That is just great. Imagine someone would have predicted this 3 or 4 years ago,- that the supposedly greatest nation on earth was busy for days discussing another insane statement by its President- about the weather - and that scientists would be reprimanded for reporting the truth?! And all just to cover up this narcissist’s lies.
Can it get any worse?
6
What will it take to convince Trump's supporters that he is unfit? Apparently nothing. So, we cover this nonsensical behavior ad nauseum. Meanwhile, how far down the scroll are the articles about rescue and recovery in the Bahamas? Stop showing Trump's stupid Sharpie map. Show more of the flattened Abacos. If a toddler was having a "watch me" fit in the middle of a house fire wouldn't the adults recognize it for what it is, pick them up and get them out?
3
These clowns are not only incompetent, they are getting more brazen and dangerous by the day. No rational person can reasonably support this administration. You have to be nuts to think any of their behavior is ok.
2
He has the Codes. Brain on fire, he rules in rage. His Evangelicals say he is send by God. Fear him. Fear his Base. Fear all TrumpNation. -- Heart of America.
2
Being a brown noser became a key qualification for being part of this administration. To some it comes naturally.
1
Who is going to stand up to Trump?
What empty shells and evil shells the people in Trump's administration are. All rotten. All disgusting.
3
Just when you think the stupidity and decline of normal for the POTUS couldn’t get worse. A stupid act now is a dire state for our country.
3
It's simple: When we have a leader who feels entitled to and insists upon his own facts, we have an autocrat. This is a test of the resilience of our form of government.
2
As a PhD, Dr. Jacob should have lived up to the integrity conferred by that title and refused the order, and offered to resign. It only shows the caliber of the people appointed by this administration; ones that lack integrity both scientifically and personally.
4
Trump knows more than the forecasters. He intuitively understands the Coriolis behavior of a rotating object on a rotating sphere, which itself is rotating in a larger orbit around the sun while undergoing nightly temperature changes. He needs no computer to predict when it will suddenly turn to the right as it moves to higher latitudes on the sphere.
2
Jacobs should have had the courage to resign, but like most trumpsters courage is apparently something he is not familiar with. He should receive the contempt of every scientist, and be ostracized from the scientific community.
1
Meanwhile in actually important news (that’s not getting its proper air time due to the ‘Aretha if distraction’ we so often face), has anyone heard that McConnell refuses to bring several bills to the floor to protect our voting systems in 2020 from hackers?
That news seemed to come and go but it’s the one that should be raging on like a storm!
5
“[It is] no longer just a question of a president unwilling to admit a mistake but now a White House seemingly willing to pressure scientists to validate it.”
Direct pressure was placed upon these professionals from Trump’s flunkies, preventing them from doing their job properly and serving the public good. If they can behave like this, JUST to save the President’s face, can you imagine how they will behave when something serious is at stake?
2
I'm sitting here in Illinois, with a tornado warning, sirens going off incessantly, and now flash flood warnings. How on earth can the NWS or NOAA ever be trusted again after rushing to protect little
Donnie with the magic Sharpie?
I guess I'm not actually having rain, thunder and lightning going on right now.
Putting my aluminum foil back on now, and closing my eyes to the reality of what is going on outside of my windows.
3
I think trump confused Alabama with the Bahamas. After all,
the letter ``a'' is the only vowel in each word; it appears 3 times in each; the letters ``b'' and ``m'' appear in both words. There is general agreement among psychologists that trump is suffering cognitive decline. This is apparent to the casual observer too. He often has trouble finding the right word: ``oranges'' or ``origins'', for example. The current imbroglio is a result of trump's wish to conceal his cognitive decline.
6
Trump could have shrugged his shoulders on Sunday morning after seeing the updated forecast and said, "Oops, my bad," and the story would have evaporated in a microsecond. He chose to carry on and enlist the support of his Cabinet to lie for him and protect his ego by threatening others in NOAA to change their evidence. This should surprise nobody anymore about the lengths Trump will go to shape reality. There's already enough in the 'obstruction of justice' section in the Mueller Report that foreshadows more of the same in the future of his presidency. He just expanded the obstruction section to include 'Obstruction of Science'. A non-response from the leadership of the House and Senate makes Congress look weak. Apparently, there is no abuse of presidential power that can't be ignored. The stature of America as a world leader will continue to fall with every episode like this one.
2
This is American politics the exact same as it has been since the revolution. How many times did the US government lie about treaties with native Americans? Documented facts prove it occurred.
It is not only time for the current president to admit to fabrication for political manipulation but also time for the entire nation to own up to the absolute atrocities perpetrated on Native and African Americans.
One Very dark side of America is that it is based on fabrication. The trail of tears occurred as a result of the Supreme Court overruling congress to allow Georgia law rule over the Cherokee Nation. Had that not occurred we would have sovereign Native Nations within the United States. These people believed in living in harmony with nature.
Native Europeans, now Americans, have altered the environment to the point of actually causing the storms they fabricate forecasts for even more distinctiveness.
In my opinion It is time for a woman to lead our country with compassion and I Support Warren.
3
What if the Gov. of AL took Trump's declaration as seriously as he seems to have meant it? What if he deployed the National Guard, forcibly evacuated the people (both rich and poor) and shut down all the businesses, roads, airports,... and ordered everyone to "hunker down" as Dorian made up his mind on who to strike?
I see Trumps problem as one of being angered that he was not the center of attention while Dorian was churning up chaos and destruction (after all that is Trump's mandate) and capturing the news cycle that Trump believes is his exclusive domain.
2
There is something so pathological in this event that it is hard to comprehend. The fact that the POTUS could not simply say the usual political "I misspoke" or even "I must have heard them wrong" or (maybe even more palatable to this man) "They must have misspoke" and drop it is astounding.
1
I would not have known about the president's original "tweet" had it not been for the media ramping up the story over and over again. As far as saftey goes, people generally look direct to weather forecasters and NOAA and NOT the POTUS for weather reports. So - please - stop following the lead of the narcissist in chief by perpetuating his incidental musings on a social media platform. Let him tweet to his hearts content. Ignore him!
I saw this kind of behavior by a central government, once before, when I lived abroad. Any temperature above 40 degrees Celcius was considered too hot to work: It would be an automatic holiday. But there were productivity demands and quotas to be met. Consequently, the temperature forecasts were not published in July and August, and my thermometer was confiscated at the border. Where did I live? The People's Republic of China.
65
Excellent comparison
2
How many times can we be fooled by a crying wolf?
16
Now public servants lie to the public under an existential threat from this megalomaniacal president. We have crossed the Rubicon. Democracy is doomed. The dystopic picture Trump painted in his inauguration speech is now everyday reality. And yesterday North Carolina elected Trump’s stooge. It’s ‘Invasion of the Body Snatchers.’
36
If a paranoia takes the helm of state affairs for long enough then wreckage would be just around corner. There may not be enough time left to avoid it.
5
America survived the McCarthy era which accused enemies of being communist, America will survive Trump.
Dr. Jacobs, as a Trump political appointee, already had diminished scientific credibility. Now he has about the same amount as Spicey. Perhaps he will next join Dancing with the Stars.
20
Photo op gone bad. That’s what the fake Trump forecast appears to me. His sudden interest in the weather was probably peaked by a worry that Mar a Lago might be damaged by Dorian so was at the ready to declare emergency funds to be released to assist him personally. Alabama was just a distraction. He should just focus on his star wars dream force.
10
It appears that Trump's statement that he could "shoot someone on Fifth Avenue and not lose a voter" seems to be tested here. It's illegal for someone to change the forecast of NOAA. With Wilbur Ross forcing people (kind of like witness tampering) to disavow NOAA's Dorian forecast--much like Trump did with his sharpie--both he and Trump are now subjects of a Federal crime. Let's just see how far that goes with his base 'base'.
19
If one were reading this accurate account of what happened, but did not know context, it easily reads as a parody of government, or a Saturday Night Live skit.
Sadly, it is our American truth today. Not only do we have a president so weak, so insecure, that he doubles down on a mistake that could easily been explained away. But about one third of Americans support this demented egomaniacal bully, no matter how much he lies, cheats and undermines those who might be skilled at what they do, like weather scientists.
Politicizing the weather is serious “1984” and “Animal Farm” territory. Time to escort the deluded bully off our national stage.
45
My heart sinks as I read articles that describe our Government daily descent into an abyss of demagoguery, articles that showcase the administration penchant to harass and harm the needy and and the helpless, articles that tell us all the lies of this mendacious administration.
21
The earth is flat, and the sun and all the cosmos revolve around it.
If you value your job.
26
Trump reminds me of Emperor Caligula. If I could draw, I would make a cartoon of him throwing spears at the hurricane and castigating Neptune for the fake weather.
Even worse: his fake denunciations of REAL climate change, because of which our children will suffer.
19
More criminal acts and lies to erode everything we care about and hold dear.
He is a criminal plain & simple & we must turn out in the greatest numbers possible to send them all packing. There is no other option - Trump & his supporters must go.
11
How many wonder if dyslexia combined with poor listening skills caused Trump to confuse The Bahamas, which he was told were in grave danger, with Alabama, which may have been mentioned but was never in danger?
Besides the stubborn arrogance of his refusing to admit his mistake and the scariness of a suckup govt, I shudder at the thought of him in charge of nuclear weapons and getting the wrong end of the stick. I suppose it’s a deterrent in its way. Just like no one wants to mess with N Korea.
12
@What time is it?
Wow — I hadn’t heard this explanation, but it makes a lot of sense. It’s very possible he simply conflated Bahamas and Alabama; after all, they have a lot of the same letters.
You know who else bullied the media and public information officers to only tell the public what they want the public to hear?
4
We are now a banana republic. There is no rule of law. There are no objective facts. Reality is whatever Trump and the GOP want it to be.
20
Begin impeachment NOW, or you are going to lose your democracy and your country.
This whole Trump fiasco has gone far enough .People should be out in the streets demonstrating for an end to this man's trashing of the USA.
20
@Hochelaga I ask, why are Americans not demonstrating against trump. They must be complacent.
1
No sane person lies about the weather! Let this nightmare end soon!
12
Maybe Trump can make southern California less attractive for homeless people if he can order the National Weather Service to block the sun from shining on homeless camps or maybe black out the sun on a weather map with a sharpie.
If I ended up homeless in pretty much any of the northern or midwestern States, I'd beg, borrow or steal enough for a bus ticket to someplace relatively warm and dry. I would prefer to tan rather than rust.
1
I just checked Trump campaign website -they're selling sharpie marker with Trumps name for $15! kid you not!!
Tuesday, discovered that thousands are being skimmed from our treasury on military orders for flights and layovers into the Turnbull resort in Scotland.
Monday, announcement that world leaders will hold the next C7 at Dorale resort in Miami.
Barr schedules an upcoming lavish party at Trumps hotel in DC....
.....this is just the stealing and grift going on this week.
21
@Henry - is this in addition to the Trump campaign's selling Red plastic straws?
1
I am truly embarrassed by this move by Trump. It is the stuff of tin pot dictators, and is making us the laughing stock of educated people everywhere in the world. My friends in Europe think it is hilarious and say he is more of a buffoon than Berlusconi. I agree. But because of the power of the USA, he is a dangerous buffoon. Mulvaney is nothing but a fool.
16
On even the slowest of news days now I cannot imagine we can get through another 490-something days unscathed as a country with this guy Trump at the helm.
The leadership of the party that Trump has helped strip of all principle and respect for the Constitutional separation of powers are unforgivably remiss in not taking him in hand.
Trump clearly has no care for the spirit of our rule of law, norms and traditions of the presidency, much less any concerns about the appearance of impropriety. Now he abuses his power by destroying the credibility of staffers in a government agency, to save face behind a stupid mistake he will not just admit and then move on from.
Remarkable that the GOP still shrugs all this stuff off as "Trump being Trump." Will they then view his behavior as precedent or rise up in horror when a successor President claims the right to behave with similar lack of restraint?
11
Trump, Mulvaney and Ross are members of the Flat Earth Society who believe that all branches of science are a Deep State conspiracy. I applaud them for making us all realize their total lack of knowledge in this area. We are still waiting to find out what these three do know about, other than their grifting.
14
“ . . . leading toa public rebuke of forecasters.” Which then led to a public rebuke BY forecasters of their immediate superiors in general and the trump administration specifically. Come on, New York Times, you’re better than this. At a national convention of forecaster just this week, the weather folks were furious at trump’s Sharpie-drawn map. As they should be. Report that.
3
If only a Sharpie pen could change the 2016 election results...
16
How dare Mulvaney stand before T. Jefferson after such an egoist-supportive move!
And, how dare Trump be within 1,000 feet of anything representing Jefferson. Jefferson can see from his grave the damage being done to the republic.
2
One way to address this madness is to have the left-leaning mainstream media laugh at Trump’s stupidity live on air.
Imagine Don Lemon reporting about Sharpiegate and laughing wholeheartedly while pointing at the edited map.
Trump will explode.
9
@Opinioned!
I wholeheartedly agree! Facts are useless, reality too malleable with Trumpies, so the
arrow in our quiver that will shoot straight and make Trump and his woebegone minions
shake with rage is humor. The
whole world should laugh AT
them. Every day. Point and laugh.
9
First off Don Lemon did, second off “mainstream,” and, “left-leaning,” don’t go together. Unless you’re to the right of Ghenghis Khan.
1
When Trump talks about hurricanes and tornados, his quotes will henceforth be known as an "Act of God".
Insurance companies use that term when describing significant losses caused by the weather.
He didn't even have to admit his error, just ignore it . . . because the next act in the circus of the Trump Admin is "coming right up" and we would have all moved on to his next travesty/calamity/violation of separation of power or rule of law.
I do think I prefer the clowns.
2
In all fairness, there is a threat to Alabama. That threat is Donald Trump.
12
This is yet another example of an individual who, believing himself omnipotent and a "stable genius", can simply declare reality to be as he understands it or, even more troubling, as he wants it to be, factual or not is irrelevant. It reminds one of the W Bush aide who ceremonially declared that we, the citizens, live in the reality that they, the administration, create. When governments start speaking in such absolutist terms, it's time to head for the mountains, comrades.
What is also clear from this latest jaw-dropping inanity, when one is so emotionally out-of-control as this person, they insist that everything be as they so declare. Proof yet again how unfit this individual is for the tasks required of him. Our legislatures need to take a serious pause and consider their obligations to welfare of the country over and above what is truly their petty infighting and partisan bickering.
8
Let's all just ignore the fact that actually there was a forecast that included Alabama and that Trump was right and people attacking him should apologize. See Hurricane Advisories #15 through #41.
1
There were initial storm tracks that included the eastern edge of Alabama as an outlier possibility, yes. And several days after that got revised out of existence, Trump started up.
Stop, okay?
21
His information was outdated, and he was not right, because the hurricane never even touched Alabama. NOAA wanted to keep people from panicking. This is why you should not communicate on official matters via Twitter, whenever the notion takes you. If he had consulted with anyone before making an official statement, he wouldn't have made the mistake in the first place.
1
Plus this new storm Hernandez has Alabama in its crosshairs, so I’m sure Trump will tell us he was a few days ahead of the weathermen, as usual.
Am I the only person who was the tiniest bit impressed that he actually knew where Alabama was on the map?
8
But why can't he just laugh it off and simply say he mis-spoke? We would've spent 5 minutes on it if he had, instead of days and days of he said, she said and press coverage.
2
@JN
Sociopaths aren't kmown for their sense of humor.
Especially when its self-directed.
8
A tiny, tiny, tiny little man with even tinier enablers.
18
It's not just Trump. It is all the other fully grown children who are making a big deal out of this story.
I have had it up to here with the gotcha journalism that the Times has practiced since at least November 18, 2016. You have never forgiven him for beating you and so you have turned your newspaper into the Democrats' attack poodle.
Look, so Trump's information was 3 days out of date and he misstated the probability (Fact Check). When a man ad libs like Trump, then he's bound to stumble -- and maybe him more than others -- but how many children died because of his malapropism? How many jobs were lost? How big a hit did GDP take?
Haven't you got better things to do than skulk in the weeds waiting for Trump to misspeak?
3
And if Trump had said, Sorry, I was using old info, let's focus on the people who were affected, that would have been the end of it. But he had to upend the government to "prove" he wasn't wrong. His initial misstatement isn't the story-- it's his bizarre unwillingness to just let it go.
39
@TS
No I won't play your game. Stop making America petty again.
3
And your solution is to ignore Trump’s malapropism, misdeeds and bullying of anyone who disagrees with him? You want reporters burying their heads in the sand? If Obama had done 1/1000th of what this guy is doing you’d screaming to the high heavens. And we all know the reason why. Sad.
31
Pretty sad that people have to lose their jobs and lie to save face for some chump TV hack.
17
I can hear the marbles in his hand, Trump playing Humphrey Bogart, playing that of paranoid Captain Queeg. Missing strawberries, severed tow line, the insistence that he wasn’t wrong, the blaming of the crew, and everybody on board knows the truth: the captain is unstable.
15
@Geoff Spelman
You nailed it!
7
Acting Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney has sold his soul. Seems like all staff Trump touches are turned to lie. It’s time, Speaker Pelosi.
The pathology and ignorance and outright lies of this president require action by the House. In a parliamentary form, a vote of confidence would be called. In our very different constitutional form the House of Representatives must start impeachment proceedings. If the Judiciary committee draws up a bill of impeachment, the House will bring it to the Floor. If the bill passes, the House will bring it to the Senate where the Chief Justice will take up his role and sit and the Senate will vote. If 2/3 of the senate vote to impeach, the House will be upheld. If less than 2/3 vote for, the president will survive as Andrew Johnson dud following Lincoln’s presidency. Given the president’s behavior, the House has no choice. The disgrace is so penetrating. Our nation is shamed by the president. The congress will be judged now. All know what is needed. If the congress wants this president in office, it’s time to change this congress. History will judge us. If we do not act, our democracy may not survive. I never thought I’d write these words. Richard Nixon should have been prosecuted. I say exactly the same for Donald Trump. Once he leaves office, or even before in Albany, the president should be held to account. Monkeying with NOAA is a criminal event. Speaker Pelosi, time to act. To delay is to enable a criminal in the White House. Please act.
14
"critics accused his administration of politicizing the weather." It sounds like a Monty Python sketch. This administrati8onh gets more ridiculous by the hour.
6
"The Emperor's New Clothes" come to life.
5
A fine and prison sentence of 90 days for Trump sounds pretty good.
6
get on the NOAA Instagram and twitter pages and tell them they are frauds. this is OUR government and it should work for us not trumpo's baby ego
3
Trump Inc. — The emperor has chosen thumbs down on weather!
Somewhere in a basement office...
Government employee #1: “Should we let him know the sky is falling?”
Gvt. Emp. 2: (to the whole office) “We got a thinker here!”
3
Rather than merely deplore the Administration’s actions, members of Congress should take appropriate *action*. They should pass a law that makes it illegal to fire leaders of technically based agencies like NOAA, NWS, NIST, etc. for any reason than documented gross malfeasance or misfeasance.
4
Today is the 18th year since our country was terrorized in New York and Donald Trump is discussing more nonsense about weather in Alabama.
You have got to be kidding! Shame, shame! Grow up Mr. Trump!
14
As the president has denied being involved in any of these shenanigans, none of his underlings can fall back on a claim of "executive privilege" to avoid testifying before Congress.
What a deeply embarrassing state we have come to. Shame on every one of the enablers.
5
What I love soooo much is that no one is protesting in the streets or throwing tomatoes at the White House. While this sordid affair is awful for all the obvious reasons, in daily life, nobody cares. Everyone knows this is what passes for insanity in the Trump administration, and we're not fazed by it because Trump really does not matter to the vast population of Americans, and when he's gone, he will be the world's biggest nobody.
8
Trump appears to have a pattern of stirring up controversy over important, but arguably trivial, abuses of power whenever something much more controversial and significant is happening in the background. The coinciding false weather forecast/map and unsuccessful meeting with the Taliban is just the latest example. I'm not sure I would give Trump enough credit to assume it is orchestrated, but his behavior certainly distracts from paying too much attention to any individual issue.
6
Russia tried to influence our elections. But so has our Republican party for years with voter suppression and gerrymandering. GOP lies try to justify this.
Now GOP's revered leader Trump throws out lies to the public that are blatant, obvious manipulations---crazy even--- and then threatens govt agencies to not contradict him?
Add to that---our worse threat to public safety of American citizens isn't foreignors, but domestic white nationalist racists, with legal easy access to weapons of war. The long-term lies by the GOP has enabled this----pretending that our 2nd Amendment means guns for all everywhere.
The GOP lies have set the stage for public danger for all of us, by protecting not American citizens whose votes they ask for, but protecting the high profit gun makers as financial supporters of their party.
4
Hopefully, this SHAMEFUL act of DISTORTING the TRUTH will awaken America to the great THREAT that donald trump poses to this country.
Our Congress NEEDS to counter every one of Trump’s lies.
THANK YOU to the New York Times and ALL the other newspapers and the journalists who are daily EXPOSING the nefarious deeds of this evil Anti-TRUTH “president”.
6
Is there a branch of this so called government that is non political? Last year, trump interfered and falsified the number of jobs that was created, this year, he decided to become a meteorologist and falsely the path of hurricane without giving a thought to how financially, and emotionally damaging that could have been for people of Alabama. Doesn’t he have anything to do, like run the country?
3
I'll predict that the House investigation will go nowhere. At best it'll come up with a condemnation of trump and his lickspittles which will be ignored. trump will fashion a stream of malformed tweets insulting the members of the committee. That'll be the end of it.
There is nothing so trivial among American institutions that trump won't try to degrade and debase it. He'll probably demand that his bedbug-ridden properties be featured on US postage stamps.
3
Here's a theory (admittedly joining a few dots with a rather blunt Sharpie): a) Trump has, and has had since his schooldays, mild dyslexia, evidenced by his well-documented aversion to reading. b) When he was of school age, dyslexia was not widely understood or diagnosed, and many kids of his generation with dyslexia were simply labelled "stupid" by teachers and classmates. c) A a result, Trump has developed an extreme sensitivity to being seen as stupid, and goes to extraordinary lengths to convince others (but mainly, himself), that he isn't. d) Evidenced also by the fact that he almost always labels his detractors "low IQ"/"not smart" etc. (E.g., Bolton in last 24 hours.) e) Sharpie-gate!
10
“Let it goooooo! Let it goooooo
Can't hold it back anymore
Let it go, let it go
Turn away and slam the door”
Seems like the lunatics are running the asylum.
The president is a pathological liar. To keep their jobs, each political appointee from the acting chief of staff to the people in NOAA, the nation’s sacred weather department... all must perpetuate the lies of this nut job in the White House...
At what point will Speaker Pelosi act? Who cares if Leader McConnell wrecks the senate.
The people have a right to know. Will the House act to get rid of this man.. or will they worry about political reality in the equally screwed up Senate?
Speaker Pelosi, time to act.
4
"It was a fake story." So were the Emperor's new clothes.
2
When will we stop giving credibility to anything Trump says and being surprised by his most recent, but almost daily, lying and behavior as he demonstrated in this Weathergate.
The man must not be taken seriously about any thing that comes out of his mouth.
Stand up folks and ignore this character's words and go about blocking, investigating and holding him accountable.
But also focus on winning the election with our candidate, but having said that, it's possible even Pat Paulson would win a Pres. election against him.
3
Barking mad.
11
I can see Trump a few years down the road blubbering in a cloud of confusion and dementia about Alabama. I was right about Alabama. They were all out to get me. Alabama, blubber, blubber.....
13
Too bad Trump did not immediately give shout out to the folks in Birmingham to thank them for having corrected his slip. It is the media's fascination with and pouncing on any slip combined with Trump's adamant stubbornness in ever admitting one that transformed a non-issue into a serious problem.
2
1/2 normal and psychologically well-adjusted humans would have reacted in this way?
, did I say Alabama was in Hurricane Dorian path? Oh, I didn't realize I did that. it was reported to me so it's not my fault. I'll make sure it doesn't happen again.
1
Why do we waste money on agencies like NOAA working to predict the weather when we can just depend on Trump, who is more accurate, since anything he says or tweets is automatically true?
2
It is important that the public realize that what comes out in the news is just the tip of the iceberg. For every event we know, there may be many other abuse of power we don't know about. This can't be good for this country.
9
I hope we won't have to try to live through another 4 years of this toxic stuff. That would be 4 years on top of the 495 days left in this presidential cycle and that seems like an eternity. It would be nice to someday be able to sleep all night again.
6
On C'mon, what's the fuss about?
We already know that, Rex Tillerson's assessment notwithstanding, the President is a genius--- rarely wrong on anything.
It all started so innocently early last week, when an aide answered Trump's question about where the hurricane was then presently located.
"All of Bahama," the aide answered, whereupon our genius promptly coached himself, "Wow, already in Alabama."
Then the twitter-storm took hold, battering the Eastern Seaboard with intensifying tumult, until Mulvaney and Ross joined in.
Time for hearing aids, I'd say.
4
Sadly, Dr. Jacobs does not appear to be an individual with any sort of spine. His academic qualifications and previous employment would suggest he would not have any difficulty getting work if he stood up to the Whitehouse and challenged them to sack him. He chose not to support his staff and appears to have thought only of himself. Not a good look for such a well respected organisation as NOAA.
2
Look at all of us, thousands of commenters out of millions more who share our distress, disgust. Concerned, cogent people. I keep thinking we could turn this around. Of course I will vote/volunteer again to get out the vote, keep donating small sums, keep calling and writing my representatives. But with every day’s news I feel more helpless and enraged - how can this be happening? Why are we letting it happen? And through it all, the planet burns. It’s a waking nightmare.
10
The possibility that the Trump Circus has reached the tipping point because of a $1 black marker is too delicious to contemplate.
7
Trump admit his mistakes? That will be the day! The storm has now blown out to sea. Too bad Trump couldn't just let it go.
5
Who cares what science says? Or what ANY scientific opinions or facts say? As long as the "infallible" words of "the Leader" aren't contradicted, right?
The new "Doctrine of Trumpal Infallibility"!
2
What should have been another trivial story about President Trump's penchant for spouting things as facts that have no relationship to the actual truth, now becomes more interesting. Why? Because it reveals that Mick Mulvaney's judgment is poor at best; to not simply walk from this piddly problem and instead become a henchman for Trump shows a supreme lack of common sense.
No one is surprised that Wilbur Ross would do any idiotic thing the president asked and then subsequently lie about it. However, the revelation of how deep the vile tentacles of Trump's corrupt motives were allowed to penetrate into our government agencies is shocking and thoroughly disheartening. I do think this event tells us that we need to keep a very, very, very close eye on our most dishonest president, as well as every single one of his aides.
9
First of all, any normal person would just say, "Sorry folks, I misspoke when I said Alabama would be hit by the hurricane." But someone with narcissistic personality disorder would do whatever they could do to deny they made a mistake, including get their chief of staff to compromise the credibility of a government agency. It is very ironic that the person who penned the phrase "fake news" is the biggest contributor to fake news. Moving forward, ANY presidential candidate MUST undergo a thorough psychiatric evaluation by a non partisan physician. I feel like America has been hijacked by a lunatic with zero ethics.
5
With dt's deep respect for science how will space force work out?
4
Hopefully, this SHAMEFUL act of DISTORTING the TRUTH will awaken America to the great THREAT that donald trump poses to this country.
Our Congress NEEDS to counter every one of Trump’s lies.
THANK YOU to the New York Times and ALL the other newspapers and the journalists who are daily EXPOSING the neferious deeds of this evil Anti-TRUTH “president”.
2
Are we ready to admit yet, that it’s time to March on Washington and throw these folks in jail, by might?
4
Basically,Trump had/and still has no idea where Alabama is located! Next question, what states border Alabama?
4
More and more, we now find Trump's cronies involved in actions that endanger -- and may even kill -- Americans. And to what end? It is good to see Congress (Senate excluded -- cowards all!) waking up, but how many will die, whether from fake NOAA data, or orders to leave the US and face death for medical reasons?
Go, New York Times! Keep digging! Expose all of these people and follow them till the ends of their wicked careers - in prison!
3
Can I get Donald for my local tv news weatherman?
2
Just one more instance of the lengths trump will go to, to cover up and defend his ignorance and lies. Small t for a reason.
2
We’re in the Banana Republic territory. When the president is a petulant 8 yo, there’s no saving face. No wonder China is winning the race.
3
What a joke! We have become a laughing stock, as our petulant president insists on winning an argument that is beyond belief, and frankly, not worth the fuss he is devoting to it. Does anyone care anymore? Trump misspoke, and then blew his opportunity to humbly admit that he misspoke. Instead, he has compounded the lies needed to make this silly story believable, and he has provided late night comics with endless punch lines and "visuals." Can anyone see a Sharpie as "just a pen" anymore ? As I said earlier, what a joke!
2
Simply, Trump and his swamp were all caught lying big time. Right in the open for all to see. Confirming the 10 counts of corruption in Mueller Report. And no one in power seems to care.
25
Didn't Trump once say, as a young man, that he was such a good liar, and took immense pride in this egregious trait, that he could tell someone that is was raining when the sky is blue? Or something to that effect? It's what he does. It's how he was raised. It's the lack of values. And as people should point out, it's also pure carelessness and outright stupidity. Trump has used his lies his whole life to cover up the fact that he's inherently an unintelligent person. And completely unfit to be president. It's downright disgusting and scary. And if someone doesn't figure out how to point out how this "emperor has no clothes," then he will continue to get away with it. And we will all suffer.
13
What's interesting here is that the deceit is so transparent. Anybody can check the history of the forecasts, the NOAA's own forecasts are available on their website and the prediction of countless hurricane models are available in online videos. There's no hiding the facts, yet somehow black is white and Trump is always right.
7
Is the Southeast (Ala) in dangered due to Dorian’s exodus?
Such a small, pitiful man. He has no idea that this only makes him look weak, desperate, and stupid, not strong, powerful and intelligent as he thinks it does. Looks like dementia is inexorably taking over his mind.
16
What a criminal who should be criminally liable. But that's in the real world only.
3
WOW - talk about Trump Derangement Syndrome. CNN had reports showing Alabama was in the path of the hurricane. Can't believe the delusion of American Citizens that hate their President just because their candidate lost. Only fools claim Trump had them "clarify a forecast" when proof he didn't is on CNN
2
WOW indeed..: I have no idea about CNN, should I have to be able to assess the facts readily avaible on NOAA for example, or for that matter even the maps presented by a clueless trump??
I am not american, Hillary was not my candidate yet what exactly is not to hate about trump?
He is all a human being should not be, I will not list it, if you can't see it yourself by now it is clear we would be both wasting our time.
7
link?
1
Not that it will sink in to those who believe what you do, but the point is that Trump was referencing OUTDATED (old) forecasts, which means everything when people need to know what actions to take - or NOT take, in this case for those in Alabama. No derangement here. Officials just had to try to calm people who would wrongly honk the storm was headed their way due to Trump’s foolish and ill-timed tweet.
5
It is supreme silliness that pervades the Trump administration, enforced by the legislators from the bench at the Supreme Court, and ignored by the Democratic legislators who were elected to Congress to address the problem.
It's a bad situation. So sad to see.
1
I guess if Trump says the moon is made of cheese, NASA will have to doctor the photos of Neil Armstrong.
20
This is another example of Trump being a fake president and of another Trump lackey (Jacobs) being a spineless sycophant untethered from any sense of principal or public responsibility.
12
The literal war on science ...
14
I will tolerate no opposition. We recognize only subordination – authority downwards and responsibility upwards.
2
I have to be outdoors most of the day tomorrow. Better check with Trump before I choose weather-appropriate clothing!
5
When I was a kid Radio Free Europe broadcast what was really happening to iron curtain countries. Sounds like in the age of Trump it will have to redirect its signal so we in USA can get accurate local weather forecasts
7
Absolutely nothing that comes out of this White House should be believed. The cult of Trump is getting worse by the day. Some say that we are becoming a banana republic, but the situation is much more dangerous than some silly Woody Allen fantasy. In a White House where truth is not truth and alternative facts reign we are not safe. One can only imagine what kind of depravity goes on behind closed doors in this White House. With an obviously mentally unstable grifter and morally bankrupt president at the helm surrounded by yes man lackeys like Mick Mulvaney, we are all in increasingly grave danger. The biggest threat that we face resides at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.
22
If trump and his minions spent the time they currently use for lying to all Americans and everybody in the world to do something constructive instead, just imagine all the good that could be accomplished.
This is a real shame and we all suffer as a result.
Consequences can be positive sometimes. Time can’t be recovered. What a waste.
10
This Mick Mulvaney is as big a terror as Trump. Now they’re telling scientists they have to back up Trump’s idiocies?
8
What’s the point of complaining? Our whole government—this administration—has become detached from reality. There are no longer sane arguments to bring. We are enthralled with this president as a rodent is before the cobra strikes. It is probably too late to stop his re-election and avoid the massive injuries soon to befall this country. And as a country, we deserve what we get at the hands of this president and his so-called administration.
Our very lives are now in the hands of idiots. Make no mistake!
6
Everyone makes mistakes, People who are successful admit their mistakes and learn from them. Trump never admits his mistakes and is thus incapable of learning from. This has lead to his string of bankrupt or failing businesses, and is now sabotaging our country. If this wasn't bad enough, the culture of never admitting a mistake or bad policy decision is pervasive in the government. For example, ICE's policy of deporting sick children was clearly an unpopular error, but rather than admitting it and revamping their policy. They are continuing to bull ahead in this misguided move.
11
This is how 1000-year dark ages start.
11
And so, ignorance prevails as decreed by the masses.
3
I think Trump possibly read the right forecast but misread "Bahama" as "Alabama". Yes Bahamas was going to get hit hard.
11
Trump is in need of an "adviser" to provide arguments like that one.
2
This man and his alternate reality, has created another dimension where all stupidity is possibly. How’s is possibly that a bunch of idiots simply because they want to support an imbecile, can distort reality? And irrefutable acts of nature are... some people are losing their jobs simply because the idiots in charge are protecting the biggest entitled ignorant seating in the White House.
13
Why, I ask myself. Who does this, and why?
11
It’s so hard to cancel the NYTimes. I’ve read it every morning for 10 years. Addicted and unable to stop what I know is not good for me.
But each day it’s headlines and stories are an agenda that drag me.
Friends have said just quit too.
I think I will.
1
@Bob Moser I canceled for several years because I got fed up finally with the clear agenda here also, but came back to participate in social media. Very few moderates like myself left though.
As an example of the bias, in this case they chose not to show official NWS forecast maps like James Carter's link below. Was this because it would have supported that Trump was right?
Why was that not in the article? At least though they let the real data get published in social media.
It’s sad to see real live human beings stick up for Trump’s knowledge, accuracy and honesty.
4
please do provide the link here again, you got me curious as I am yet to see any map which would contradict the world wide reporting on this needlessly stupid and 1000th scandal.. and yes I did search.
I want to care but I just can’t. I feel like I am watching my drunk uncles argue.
10
Who can witness these empty-souled, fawning, toady, minion hangers-on and fail to be genuinely disgusted?
23
The fact that this doesn't surprise me shows how corrupted the separation of powers in democracy has become.
6
The press needs to hound Mick and Wilbur and Trump out of existence. They have engaged in a direct attack on truth.
Trump is entirely insane as is the whole Republican Party. The press should never talk to them about anything else other than this idiotic triviality.
The sight of Trump and Mulvaney and Ross is so odd, they look like what they are. That there are any Trump supporters at all is a testament to the absurd evil of these men.
20
What is just as dystopian as Trump's war on information? It's the willingness by his minions to do his dirty work, to castigate themselves in order to win his praise and then defend their positions even after they've been thrown under the proverbial bus by their boss. On the one hand it's fascinating theatre, on the other, it's like watching a once strong body turn into a withering corpse. By the time the crows come to pick away what's left, the only remains will be the skeleton of what once was a great experiement in self-rule.
17
I just checked Fox News web site, they are not covering this at all. State TV.
13
Interesting about Fox. I read that Limbaugh is excoriating Trump for inviting the Taliban to Camp David, especially on 9/11. Trump is in a world of hurt if the right wing outlets turn on him.
3
It is not surprising that the Fake President had one of his Fake Cabinet members reprimand Real scientists who take their jobs Really seriously when they disagreed about something Real that the Fake President knows nothing about. Thank you to the Real journalists at a Real newspaper who have reported on Real news notwithstanding the attacks of the Fake President.
21
Dear New York Times reader: may we be perfectly honest with each other and..after all, why shouldn't we be? How much tolerance must we extend towards dishonest leaders? Now, contrast the deceivers with Thomas Jefferson, one of our first American meteorologists. Jefferson recorded daily weather records at his residence for over fifty years. He studied his scientific data in the service of trying to find patterns in American climate. He studied data collected from his weather instruments throughout his adult life.
Currently, Thomas Jefferson via White House portraiture, now casts his gaze over the shoulder of Mulvaney, an on-the-record falsifier of meteorology. Regarding scientific integrity, the toxic output from the White House is essentially worthless.
16
@Richard Are Trump haters so dishonest that they cannot admit that they are wrong on this given the clear official forecast from NWS showed Alabama in danger? See James Carter's link below.
1
Exactly! No need for fake news science! Whatever flows from Trump’s mouth becomes instantly true. Trump haters, the anti-fascists, can’t accept this absolute truth.
1
@Dan: Trump tweeted that Alabama was in danger on September 1...the storm was NO danger to Alabama by this time, yes, early on there was a slight chance for tropical storm force winds, but that had changed by September 1. Trump had backed out of a trip to Poland ostensibly to 'monitor the storm' & it's apparent that he didn't. That he (and his followers) can't admit the slightest error, this is what's made this story 'news'. All the lies that have now occurred to cover up an error made due to inattention...by an inattentive, self-centered man....THAT's the story.
11
Unbelievable!! Trump is a National Security Risk!! How can Mulvaney and Ross live with themselves!! Vote him out!!
13
@Vhannem1, That If He Is Approved, MAYBE
LOL...He IS a a national security risk! But so are all those who cover for him. Living with yourself requires a moral compass...ethics.
5
Lying to the general public and forcing government employees to back up the lie. Which part of the presidential oath of office does that fall under - is it considered preserving, protecting, or defending the Constitution of the United States of America?
I’m guessing it’s that little known 4th role vis-a-vis the Constitution: “destroying”
11
@David 'Lying to the general public and forcing government employees to back up the lie' involves two things. First, a narcissistic president, and second no government employee backbone.
3
The question I have is why didn’t Trump’s infamous twitter mention the impending strike on the two Bahama islands that got devastated by the storm. It’s fair to think there would be American citizens who needed his warning on those islands, and the Sharpie bump map clearly shows the storm heading straight for those islands. The people who briefed Trump about the storm path had to have told him the Bahamas were in peril.
The only scenario I can imagine that makes any sense is that when they said “Bahama” he heard “Alabama”. And the rest is history.
11
@Bahama=Alabama? I think it's entirely possible he mistook 'Bahamas' for 'Alabama'. And then raged from there.
3
I think he heard Bahamas and thought two things: not us, black. No worries.
1
Stormy weather, no?
5
We have come back around to locking up Galileo for speaking the truth.
19
@Joe Barnett And Galileo was started out in the priesthood.
Mulvaney is just plain, straight up evil. He has no redeeming qualities. He would take candy from a baby. He would run over a blind person in a crosswalk. He would steal change from the collection plate (assuming he didn't burst into flames once he stepped foot into a church).
He would do the things he does, even without the current occupant of the White House giving him the charge to do so.
Mulvaney is evil just for the sake of being evil. He's the perfect toady.
23
Vote blue no matter who. If not; 4 more years of insanity
20
This incident just underscores the fact that our fake President is an insecure buffoon who simply makes things up to serve his idiosyncratic purposes. He wisely surrounds himself with people willing to support his grandiose little fantasies. Science and truth be damned.
17
@Joe B. They're not 'idiosyncratic purposes'. He's a narcissist. That's not idiosyncratic. It's a well documented personality disorder. 'Idiosyncrisies' are quirks or peculiarities. That is not what Trump is exhibiting. What he has is a bonfide disorder which is extremely difficult to combat. He just needs to be voted out and hope that he doesn't do damage in the process.
3
Bunch of bad actors; all of them
11
Why even other reporting this. If Trump said the storm could reach Texas so what.
2
What’s pathetic is that he can’t let it go. Also scary since he’s president.
17
But Trump wants to fire the people who said not to worry. Kind of kooky for a president, don’t you think.
8
I had a look carefully at the NOAA link they referenced to show that it could reach Alabama, it was the 58 mph winds view, not the 74 mph hurricane force. The only band is a 5% likelihood that these sub-tropical storm winds would reach 10 miles or so into the very bottom corner of Alabama.
#RealTalk (not that truth matters anymore)
https://www.nhc.noaa.gov/archive/2019/DORIAN_graphics.php?product=wind_probs_50_F120
5
@James Carter Yes, Trump was right - these are tropical force winds and life threatening is you look up what that means. Here is Fortune article that also shows that Homeland Security is the agency that gave Trump the briefing on Sunday when he tweeted based upon this fact that National Weather Service forecasts had Alabama in danger with tropical force winds.
Much ado from the Trump hating hordes about nothing, as Trump was actually right.
https://fortune.com/2019/09/06/trump-hurricane-alabama
@James Carter Not to mention talked about the weather being worse than anticipated. By who? By Trump's imaginative mind.
And given there was only that one weather model mentioning Alabama, Trump's claim about a previous anticipation about Hurricane Dorian was nonsense, too.
11
@Dave Wyman That one model is the official NWS forecast. These models get updated on an hourly basis and at the the time that Trump had tweeted - the pattern clearly shows Alabama in danger.
Face the fact that Trump was right.
Trump is just trying to secure a spot as a weatherman on Saturday Night Live or The Onion when he loses the election in 2020. In the future, hurricanes will be named Hillary, Hillary 1, Hillary 2, etc.
10
Mick a profoundly crooked "public servant" , a founder of the Freedom Caucus. He should go, now. He'a an actor, right?
11
If this isn't the action of a self-obsessed narcissist, then what is?
7
Thanks to Trump, Mulvaney, Ross and the GOP for bringing home George Orwell's observation in 1984: “And if all others accepted the lie which the Party imposed—if all records told the same tale—then the lie passed into history and became truth. ‘Who controls the past’ ran the Party slogan, ‘controls the future: who controls the present controls the past.'”
10
I look at Mulvaney's face in the picture to the story and this dead-serious violent gaze scares and angers me. We need normal people working in an administration.
17
You actually have to feel a bit sorry for those guys and gals in the WH. The #1 priority in their job descriptions is "never let the boss appear stupid", which is about as easy as "never let the sun shine".
19
I’m waiting for him to order the tide not to come in
12
Science has has always been the enemy of authoritarians who create their own reality to hold power. Science deals with facts and evidence, found by unbiased observation and experiment.
But also, as Churchill once said --there's such a thing as 'perverted science' ---which in the hands of a dictator--- can lead us into a 'new dark age.'
13
What will it take to dislodge of us of this cancer?
13
Of course trump told mulvaney to handle it. Of course mulvaney told wilbur ross to handle it. So the corrupt sycophants do the insane king's bidding and everyone don't know nothin about nothin. Like all dictators, king don has got to be right or people get fired. Is this who you want leading the country? He's destroying America, "death by a thousand cuts" and moronic decisions that he reverses. Wake up America, the king is crazy, the GOP Congress is corrupt, if you are blind to this, you will cause the Death to our Democracy. The time for nice words is long over. Vote Democratic until the king & the corrupt congress are removed. The insanity of sharpie gate should be sufficient evidence of his mental incompetence & cause for impeachment.
17
I find the photo totally repulsive---Mulvaney posed under a portrait of Thomas Jefferson, a revered Founding Father of the USA.
The dignified pose of Jefferson, remembered fondly as a great statesman and author of our independence, is sullied by the presence of Mulvaney ordering an ignominious character assassination of hard-working scientists who keep Americans safe and informed in the face of natural disasters.
18
The normal thing for a president to do in this situation surely is to receive up to date advice and to only make statements based on the known facts. To assist the president achieve this clear outcome he should be speaking to an official prepared statement from which he should not deviate.
If by chance he made an error in the delivery of this statement he should correct himself at the earliest opportunity.
But this would all apply to a president whose actions are not influenced by personality disorder.
15
Mark Twain quipped - everyone talks about the weather, but no one does anything about it. I’m glad Trump is politicizing the weather. Democratic weather is always better than Republican weather.
10
Doesn’t Trump and Wilbur Ross have more important things to do???
4
@Sherarae
Its safer for us this way.
1
Mick Muvaney is consummate at defeating a sense of conscience in any arena he enters. I loathe him and I loathe Steven Miller. I make no apologies.
25
I would not be upset about a mistake.
I am upset that Trump doesn't know the difference between fact and fiction.
He is, to put it bluntly, the single most narcissistic ego-maniac POTUS ever and is a total embarrassment to our nation.
26
I can not believe that this childishness is being perpetrated by adults who are supposed to have the best interest of citizens in mind. Every action from this Administration reeks of incompetence and petty self dealing. Obviously, the man at the top has serious emotional problems, and this is frightening considering his unchecked authority. Mind-boggling!
10
Mulvaney looks like he was made from one of Wilbur Ross’s ribs.
18
Captain Qweeg is arguing with the scientists about the weather … not good
9
Fake science.
1
In the course of everyday life.. People who display signs of delusional behaviour. Whose reality is one that is not consistent with the majority of sane and healthy people,
would be committed under the Mental Health Act in order to protect them as well as society at large.
It appears that the majority of people are not in a panic at what is unfolding before our eyes on a daily basis.
It is astonishing that this display of alarming behaviour is permitted to play itself out with very little action , if only to save the country from further descent into a dystopia of catastrophic proportion.
15
I think Trump repudiates. dismisses, and denies science is because he knows without any doubt that people who spent their lives in pursuit of science are smarter than he is. It kills him and pains him to acknowledge that there are people in the world smarter than he is. I imagine that he's not very far from proclaiming that he "knows more than the scientists'.
7
I want an accountable government and not a Trump casino.
11
@Kyle
It's Trump's Reality Show. We just live in it.
4
What did Bannon repeat to all that would listen ? We're going to DISMANTLE the United States. It's happening people; impeach, indict, incarcerate....and throw away the key. Preferably Guantanamo.
15
To disparage somebody we used to say, "He'd lie about the weather." Guess what? He lies about the weather!
18
This is what happens in:
Banana Republics
Fascist States
Communist States
Authoritarian States
And moronic minds
If the gray matter can even be found
Not sad, absolutely pathetic.
14
Weathergate.
6
The man is insane.
FYI, people die trying to evacuate, especially with short notice.
This is criminal conduct and should be treated as such.
13
Lying about the weather may seem relatively inconsequential, but like the boy who cried wolf, it is now the case that we can hardly believe anything that the government tells us. Particularly since Donald Trump insists on being the primary conduit for information.
George Orwell weeps for our nation.
8
Last that I checked Homeland Security is not part of Commerce and they also backed up President Trump's story. Tropical force winds are very dangerous and life threatening and they were forecast by National Weather Service even one day after Trump originally tweeted on Sunday.
Are you now going to ask that Head of Homeland Security resign because they backed up Trump?
Please face the fact that Trump was right - Alabama was in danger.
See Fortune story.
https://fortune.com/2019/09/06/trump-hurricane-alabama
1
@Dan If he was right, why did he make an issue out of it? The man is sick and needs to go.
10
You completely miss the point. It no longer is about whether Trump was right or wrong, but about the fact that he essentially ordered an agency to change it's expert opinion in order to prevent him from being embarrassed. A mature adult would have let it go a long time ago. Trump's character is fatally flawed.
18
You are wrong. Alabama was never in danger. The map that showed a smidgen of Alabama in the cone of probability was so early in the projections as to be practically useless. By the time Trump tweeted his "forecast" the projections showed that Dorian would go nowhere near Alabama. Tump caused Alabama residents go into panic mode thinking that they were in the path of the hurricane when in fact Dorian was projected to go up the east coast at the time of Trumps tweet.
14
When will this end.
8
What gives me hope about this story is no one wanted to signed the false statement issued supporting the lie told by Trump.
3
Last that I checked Homeland Security is not part of Commerce and they also backed up President Trump's story. Tropical force winds are very dangerous and life threatening and they were forecast by National Weather Service even one day after Trump originally treated on Sunday.
Are you now going to ask that Head of Homeland Security resign because they backed up Trump?
Please face the fact that Trump was right - Alabama was in danger.
See Forbes story.
https://fortune.com/2019/09/06/trump-hurricane-alabama
Alabama was never in danger.
3
@Dan
When you read the entire Forbes article you cannot
honestly assert that "trump was right-Alabama was in danger". The reason for this has to do with the evolution of the projected tracking at the time trump interjected his heads up to Alabama.
The Forbes article you cite explicitly says this:
While forecasts days ago predicted the hurricane might hit Alabama, the Weather Service forecasts at the time of Trump's tweet indicated that the storm would not hit the state at all because it was heading north instead of west.
What you resist acknowledging is that the assertion by trump was not based upon a CURRENT model (or consensus of models at that later time). It was a cherry picked OLDER model, computed several days earlier, but which he insisted (in his initial heads up to Alabama tweet) was AS relevant as the current models were.
Trump would have been correct if his tweet had been
contemporaneous with the earlier models. The fact that it was not appears to be unequivocal, and therefore renders your argument and main assertion incorrect.
What is it about this that you don't agree with?
And how do you feel about trump's refusal to accept the
models' conclusions from the IPCC simulations of
what we ought to expect if current co2 emissions
are not significantly reduced soon? Do you not
see that the same cherry picking methodology is
used to justify conclusions that are not consistent with
what the overwhelming number of models predict?
8
We now live in the United States of Alice and Wonderland, the Grand Old USofA&W.
A President who doesn't read books, is unwilling to learn new ideas or perspectives as they might benefit the American public, and who has lied thousands of times in public, is instructing our taxpayer-funded scientific agencies to make statements that are difficult to defend scientifically, and irrelevant to the purpose of our tax monies' goals, to protect his delicate ego.
Throw the bum out.
5
That, in itself, is an impeachable offense. That whole administration should be handcuffed, fingerprinted, and barred from public service. We have a domestic terrorist in the WH, plan and simple. The act of editing the weather map is a criminal offense. Where is the rule of law?
7
So many Trump stooges will eventually wind up in prison. Can't wait.
6
The cowardly liar Donald Trump couldn't admit his mistake, so he had his goons go after the scientific, truth based National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association (I'm certain Trump doesn't know what the title means) to make them support his lies. Of course two of the worst, corrupt toads, Mulvaney and Ross, step up to do the coward Trump's malicious mission. Predictably, they all deny it. Only the "best" people. Remember "Be Best"
8
All I can say is that if you are experiencing any level of outrage, disgust, fatigue, or fear in response to the latest from the circus at the White House, please vote for whichever candidate the Dems decide on when they whittle down their field of 10,000.
And in the run up to that, remember that another term for this bunch will equal a large shot of steroids for an already out-of-control administration. So, in the run-up to the nomination and election, don't fuss too much (no Chicago '68 please); and remember, the revolution is happening as we read about the craziness du jour, so we're all set on revolutions for now.
15
Modern Republicans, Mick Mulvaney being a prime example, are thugs, just thugs. Unrepentant, unmitigated, unreconstituted thugs. They're not fit for polite society, much less interacting with scientists.
The barbarians aren't at the gate. They're in the Oval Office and sleeping in the Lincoln Bedroom.
Our nation may recover somewhat, some day, with time, but it will never be the same.
11
Are we in kindergarten here? Omg, unreal.
4
Mulvaney and Ross must resign.
6
Ridiculously erroneous statements from our would be dictator. Potentially lethal. Laying his foundation to roll back all scientific planning to curb global warming. The black oil of corruption just oozes from his lying mouth and the greedy palms of the 1 percent. Democracy dies in silence.
10
I was only following orders!!!!!!!!
Didn't I hear this at the Nuremberg trials?
9
Remember when Obama insisted there were in fact 57 states, and ordered his subordinates to falsify maps and alter historical accounts to make it so?
I don't.
15
How many times, and in how many different ways can one articulate that Trump has melignant naracistic tendencies, and perhaps other clinically-based mental impairment, his actions are not within a range of what is considered normal.
10
How about book burnings since truth is irrelevant and only the Emperor's ego matters?
We could burn all the science books first because the Dark Ages were much better times. Trump could pay kids $1 for each science book they bring to the WH.
7
Books and science - bad
Guns - good
Yet another example of the slime our country is having to drink, smell air thru, have poured in our ears, watch as it covers innocent people (all over the world)...
YET one man alone cannot have this much power. Trump is enabled, supported, nursed & carried by a gang of greedy, heartless cretins (most of whom, considered themselves Republicans, Christians, etc etc) How to start healing? Get this dangerous maniac/wanna-be- dictator out of office. Elect Democrats for the Senate; hold onto the seats in the House. -- For this gang to have another 4 years? My God.
9
This lot, the president and his administrative minions, do not believe in government institutions. They have been on a campaign, since day one, to undermine the good work of our agencies. This is just the latest example of the trump train's ignorance and deviousness.
6
Our country with Trump as president is in shambles. Of more concern is not Trump himself; it is the collaborators and weak people who support him. Where is their self-respect and allegiance to their fellow citizens? Trump's behavior has revealed (as Updike wrote about another topic: 'lifted the veil') a deep weakness in our civilization as people are not willing to stand up for the truth. All civic duty has been lost, in a really short period of time. Just think if this continues.
6
There is a word for government dissemination of false information to prop up a tyrant: propaganda. We see it in China, Russia, and other countries controlled by despots. I never in my life expected to see it here. What's next?
11
Choose your own weather, from The New Yorker, March 12, 2017: https://fineartamerica.com/featured/that-was-brad-with-the-democratic-weather-now-david-sipress.html
1
If Trump’s philosophy is correct, then experts in all fields should never be allowed to contradict any governor, any mayor, any senator, any member of Congress, or any other kind of political leader.
2
In administrations conceivably, one step removed [from this?], dictators have people shot for contradicting or embarrassing the head of state.
5
If this were the Obama administration, the calls for an investigation would be deafening.
4
Is there any amount of ridiculousness that this want to be dictator can do that would convince the trumpkin minions that he is unfit.
Sad.
5
The thing that's most incredible about this whole episode is that Trump failed to exploit either one of those escape hatches that he has proved so adept with after other idiotic mistakes: namely, blaming it on others. Or simply denying that it ever took place!
6
“Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold;”
“...Where have you gone, Joe DiMaggio?”
Alabama will receive Federal disaster relief funds to aid on yhe recover from hurricane Dorian.
3
I don’t see the problem here. They should forecast the weather but make sure it doesn’t contradict the latest drivel from the Twitter-in-Chief.
6
@JB
You are being sarcastic, right?
4
Maybe the crudeness of what was drawn in Sharpie was a cry for help from an adult scientist in the proverbial room? And nobody has helped so far...
4
@Susan
I like how Trump does not know how the "Sharpie Line" or curve got on the map.
Like someone sneaked into the Oval Office and made the Black Mark without Trump seeing him or her?
Trump seems to feel "Black Marks Matter".
With Nixon, it was "The Smoking Gun"
With Trump, we have "The Smoking Sharpie"!
3
Once upon a time it was deadly dangerous to tell the truth...... It was "Back in the USSR" A tremendous achievment for Trumpism: soon it will stand the comparison with Stalinism ! It has already a DOJ ready for the Washington trials with Barr featuring a state prosecutor and now an official science which never failed '. Hurrah and longlife to our very stable genius:The little father of the people of America
3
Trump does not forgive and forget. Soon, he will take his pound of flesh from NOAA for contradicting him.
11
Dr. Neil Jacobs has irreparably tarnished his reputation as a scientist, a shamelessloathsome sycophant, forsaking the high principles of his profession in exchange for the fleeting blessing of our incessantly-lying, egoistic commander in chief.
11
Why should we be surprised, trump does not believe in science and hates anyone that disagrees with him about anything. The man is a lunatic on the loose and should be locked up for obstruction of society.
10
Science is a sneaky Democratic Party trick.
-- Trump, Pence, Mulvaney & their gang. (Translated from their original version: "...a sneaky Democrat Party trick."
3
Congress, develop a spine! Why is everyone afraid to confront this demented president and his fragile ego? Can his threats and tirades be THAT bad? If so, televise them, show who he really is, and let's be rid of him!
9
Congress needs him to rubber stamp all of their very sneaky bills and fill up the Federal Court system with Republican Judges. Also, so far they are afraid of their seats. One tweet from Trump couldn’t doom anyone’s Senate career. When he falls out of power for whatever reason, they’ll all claim that they never liked him.
1
One central behavior of a person with Narcissistic Personality Disorder NPD is that they are never wrong. A person such as Trump with a malignant version of this malady who has 500 plus Naval ships and more than a thousand nuclear warheads deployable at his whim is a clear danger to himself and others and should be restrained. Period. The Dems failure to impeach is unconscionable. It's because they know the Republican-controlled Senate would vote down that idea which they, the Democrats, fear, would then hurt their own re-election chances. So my vote is for term limits.
10
It's much worse than this. Read Michael Lewis' book called The Coming Storm. NOAA is not performing for the public, it's performing for Trump and his political appointees.
6
The truth is a rare commodity today. It seems to be replaced by what someone happens to think at the time for another reason altogether. if this gets to be a real trend we won't know whether we are right side up or upside down, like Alice's Looking Glass, we will all be set adrift on our own thoughts, not knowing what is reality and what is spin. Not having any ground to stand on and not any security to ground us, we will be adrift in our own imaginings. It is only a brief step from there to insanity. Maybe this is the way we all lose our collective mind.
7
Circular firing squad with Trump in the middle and they still can’t get him to tell the truth.
9
And before it's over Mulvaney will either be Chairman of the Fed or a Supreme Court Justice.
Kakistocracy.
11
Trump's request for clarification is nothing compared to Mulvaney's request for disavowal, but why is Trump asking NOAA to clarify their forecast of one week ago ? Wasn't that forecast clear enough to him ? pardon me ... to Him ?
A more important question that nobody has asked is why was Trump so worried about Alabama being hit by Dorian but was not worried about Florida and, then, Georgia ? Alabama was third in Dorian's path and hurricanes lose strength on land. Seems like an obvious question to me ...
5
Staff doesn't seem in agreement on the weather.
"But sun it is not, when you say it is not;
And the moon changes even as your mind.
What you will have it nam'd, even that it is,
And so it shall be so ..."
This latest mess is just another example of the damage service to the fragile ego of this very weak president inflicts on this country every day. Nothing is beneath this man in his quest to appear glorious.
Almost three years in and Trump, his handlers and enablers have managed to ruined his international credibility and the respect once held for the United States. He has shown himself to the world as capricious, untrustworthy, ignorant and lawless. Over and over he has demonstrated that he has no interest in the American people, or in any people, other than his “base”.
Trump can’t stop campaigning, can’t keep his mouth shut, won’t stop fighting, won’t stop tweeting. He diminishes the United States every day, creates nothing but chaos, frightens and exhausts huge swaths of the public. Endlessly analysis pf him has yielded nothing new. He has accomplished virtually nothing but damage. He is what he is. The man behind the curtain is a fraud, a bully. He is the fake.
Enough already!
Where is our courage, grit, determination, our pride as American patriots? We do better as sports fans. Is there no handy tool in our democracy that can be used to stop this train wreck? Or is that too much to hope for?
9
Isn't abuse of executive power an impeachable offense?
11
Sure hope the earth is still flat so I can push the stuff off the edge.
8
We are inching ever closer to a dictatorship.
15
The provocation is evolving, soon preachers will be telling their flocks that it was our chosen one who single handedly prevented this wretched vile murderous act of nature from destroying the entire state of Alabama. Praise the Lord (Donald)
5
This is all part of Trumps plan to delegitimize the election results if he loses. And Mik, Barr, Pence and the rest of the Yrump minions will fall in line do whatever is required to keep him in power.
5
I came from a time when you put your head out the window to see what kind of day it was going to be. It's become very complicated today, with all these forecasters wanting to be on the money, to tell us what kind of day it will be.
At least they chose a metaphorically appropriate hill to die on. As we've long known, Trump can't even be trusted to tell the truth about the weather.
8
NOAA now has all the credibility of the DOJ.
9
"How can I help it? How can I help but see what is in front of my eyes? Two and two are four."
"Sometimes, Winston. Sometimes they are five. Sometimes they are three. Sometimes they are all of them at once. You must try harder. It is not easy to become sane.”
This was once thought to be something that could not happen here. Not any more. Now we are on the threshold of it becoming a reality here.
We have the conservatives and their handmaidens in the Republican Party to thank for that. Don't tell me I'm exaggerating when I say that the Republicans and conservatives will destroy this country if they can.
16
No, it’s no exaggeration. They don’t favor the overall good. They seek to enrich and empower only themselves. Xenophobia, homophobia, sexism and racism are a big part of who they are. And we are stuck with them.
4
All buffoonery aside, do these people currently at the highest levels of our government really buy into the idea that all their games of illusion and persuasion are actually credible? The majority of Americans see through these ludicrous attempts at manipulating the truth in order to serve a wannabe king with an iron Sharpie at his side. And since the back stories of these staged debacles are invariably leaked, identifying the mastermind behind the crimes, as well as his underlings, is a given. Yet the pitching of the propaganda seems to go on in perpetuity. Until these criminals are held accountable, we will be forced to witness more and more of the felonious policies and morally bankrupt words of this disgusting excuse for an administration.
12
The simplest and clearest way to clarify what exactly happened would be for the Times to publish the sequence of time stamped forecasts, which would inform everyone what trump might or might not have seen in detail, and when. At present it is impossible (for me at least) to figure out from the numerous stories at what time trump tweeted and upon which explicit forecasts his tweet was based.
Both the time difference and the variety of
forecasts that were produced at the same time (i.e. the possible trajectories with differing probabilities) are important to understand what the basis was for him to tweet that "Alabama will "most likely" be hit (much) harder than ..."
It is entirely possible that what he did was take one of the
modeled trajectories that indicated crossover to Gulf of Mexico and decided to amplify that as "big news from big boss", while completely ignoring what the likelihood would be of that relative to what all the other models were predicting
at that same time.
If so, his faulty "reasoning" would be consistent with his
complete disregard of what the vast majority of the IPCC climate models predict. He, like every other denialist,
cherry picks his evidence to suit his agenda. In one the agenda is to cry wolf. In the other it justifies snoozing at the
wheel.
You can't really reason with such manipulative fools. You can only try your best to keep them far away from executive power.
It is not clear that enough people grasp this basic point.
1
Ask the Native Americans how trustworthy and honest the United States government is.
None of this is really new. We have lied, cheated, and stole since before 1619.
I guess the chickens are coming home to roost.
7
The seriousness of this outrageous attempt to lye to the people cannot be understated. Bringing fear and chaos to Alabama is insane coming from the highest office in the country. To make things worse to threaten scientists with their employment for not going along with the lie.
Dr. Jacobs should be fired for not standing up for science and his staff that corrected the Trump's lie. Instead criticizing the Alabama staff for speaking in terms of absolute rather than calling the president on something he knows nothing about. is. At so many levels its wrong but why do we continue to find this amazing.
Are the Democrats asleep or hibernating for the next decade? If Obama did 1/100th of the stuff this lying president does the republicans would not stay quiet. Wake up democrats and restore sanity to this country.
3
I suppose the broadcast where Trump circles Alabama and claims the storm is heading there was all doctored and phony "fake news".
1
WH trying to make a distinction between "clarifying" and "disavowing" the NOAA forecast -- what a joke. This makes the US look like a banana republic.
5
Do Republicans worship Trump or Jesus in their lavish megachurches now? Seriously, the whole party is treating him like a God.
4
Emperor Trump can’t be wrong — just ask Emperor Trump!
Emperor Trump is infallible.
Emperor Trump is an insane megalomaniac sociopath.
As my only demonstration, march, and protest sign simply says on one side:
DUMP
EMPEROR
TRUMP
and on the other side under an image of ‘our’ American flag:
“We can’t be an EMPIRE”
7
And doesn't Mulvaney look like another nasty, tantrum-throwing infant dressed up to look like a man?
7
@Lisa
Mulvaney is doing a Tea Party number on the federal government and budget. Don't let this fiasco cause you to underestimate him. He's effective and dangerous. He lets Trump be Trump and lets Jarvanka have free rein. Meanwhile, he's using his perch in the West Wing to quietly implement conservative policies that he favors.
2
Yet another display of the narcissistic personality disorder of the current POTUS . . .
8
Donald Trump is the narcissistic sociopath-in-chief, and Mick Mulvaney has become the enabler-in-chief. These are examples of the worst in human nature, and yet these men are managing the administration of the President. We are lost.....
8
I notice all the time that imprecise language from questioners allows denials from "the guilty" and so lets them off the hook. Of course "disavow" is different from "clarify" or "clean this up" or whatever it was.
This is simple stuff and the people trying to keep this slippery administration honest need to do better.
2
Falsification of data is a firing offense for scientists in most institutions. However, it seems in NOAA it's now a requirement of the job.
12
How long are we, the US citizens and tax payers for our federal agencies, going to tolerate a TV guy who only wants to look good?
6
all persons involved in this attack on our Weather Service should resign immediately and apologize to the Wether Service and the american people. of course, i doubt the any of these persons have the character to attempt to set things straight.
5
When Trump is caught lying, a frequent occurrence no surprise, he always comes back to denial, doubling down, blaming the "fake news media" and calling the current, self-created debacle a "hoax." What the real problem is, honestly and unfortunately, there is a "fake president" is serving in a "fake presidency."
8
If there is one place in this country that produces FAKE NEWS, it's the white house.
They've been doing it for the last 32 months and will continue to do it until that fool gets beat in the 2020 election.
5
That this man is a clear and present danger to this nation is becoming clearer daily.
7
Knowing what trump is like, I do think it could have been handled differently. Just say that was one model and it appears that track has shifted and be done with it. NOAA would have made their point, and none of this would have escalated to the point of a House inquiry. People need to stop before they respond to this arrogant cretin and think first about how to handle him. Until either the House or the electorate does their jobs, this is the way it is. Of course, that's wrong, but what isn't these days?
1
A very hard time for Americans.
Do you honour the system of governance that you have?
Trump also pressed the Vatican to 'clarify" his comment that he was "the Chosen One." While the Vatican has remained silent on this issue (the Cardinals have been warned not to "contradict" the president or lose their place in line for the Papacy), the White House denied it all, calling it "Fake news from the failing New York Times!" Trump did not say he was "the chosen one," as reported, said a spokesman who declined to give his name, but "the frozen one!" as he had just returned from Greenland. But, Mr Trump added, "If others see me as the Chosen One it certainly does not surprise me!"
4
Can the Trump Administration get any more bizarre?
6
And he makes it look so effortless too.
So how's that EIS for drilling in the Arctic Refuge coming, BLM? Whoa, no significant impacts you say? Très crédible!
2
This boils down to a man who thinks science is like gym class. He knows more because he heard it from another irrational person.
3
If the media like the NYT continues pushing this story, they will be surprised once again come November 2020, but this time there won’t be any excuses to look elsewhere...
At the time when Trump warned Alabama, home of some of his most loyal supporters, the route of Dorian was not clearly decided. One prediction had the hurricane crossing over the state of Florida and into the Gulf of Mexico where it could have intensified putting the state of Alabama as well as the entire Gulf Coast at risk. All of the other predictions had the hurricane skirting up along the coast. So Trump was not entirely wrong. Had Obama, or heaven forbid, Hillary Clinton, had made such a claim, the mistake would have been ignored. Such is the bias of the Left. Thank you.
4
This comment may have seemed objective had the first sentence not emphasized party affiliation in Alabama. It’s totally true, though: I doubt he would have warned a left-leaning state at all.
16
He WAS wrong. He used outdated information which could have resulted in evacuations and/or panic. Please go back and look at the timeline. I don't have time to do the work for you, but the information is there if you want facts and not political propaganda.
49
Is that why the people in Alabama whose job it is to track and study the weather contradicted his erroneous statement within minutes? Because of "left bias"?
52
This is just the latest attempt by the current occupant of the White House to see if he can get away with bending credibility to meet his objectives. It summons to the mind how close we are to Orwellian dystopia. We cannot be this gullible, though trump would like to believe we are. The weather should be a non-ideological concern, it is what it is! No amount of trying should be able to bend facts from a straight line into a curve of remote possibility. Those whose jobs should be in jeopardy are the political wonks who have tried to force this issue into political gain. Wilbur Ross, Mik Mulvaney, and political appointees within NOAA ought to be held to account, as well as the trump himself. The safety and planning that comes with the changing weather must not be compromised to assuage the hurt feelings of any one, president or not. Trump’s failure to admit mistakes must not be allowed to be the issue here. He won’t be president forever, thank god.
1078
@Joyce Morris/mjm6064 "He won’t be president forever," but let's hope it won't be too late to reverse the damage he is doing.
53
@Joyce Morris/mjm6064
"ought to be held to account" Sure but when was the last time Americans took to the streets to demand a concession with results?
Americans unfortunately feign anger, barely vote and are reluctant to hold the wealthy & powerful to account, primarily because Americans think revering the wealthy with tax cuts and loose regulations is their path to wealth.
49
@Joyce Morris/mjm6064 What do you think his objectives are? Trump is a narcissist. In spades. His 'objectives' are very short term: not to be embarrassed, to appear presidential, to be 'successful', to be loved, to have good photo-ops, and most of all, not to lose. This is not a person who has any long term goals. Even for himself. He's minute-to-minute. There is no strategy, no concern for the country (it's too big), no real concern for his family...it's ALL about him.
58
I oppose President Trump and virtually everything that he stands for and has done as POTUS. However, this is an absolute waste of time to continue with this story. DT is a juvenile when he doesn't get his way - any reasonable person knows that to be the truth. The press bears some responsibility in making this a much bigger issue than it needs to be. Enough.
1
@Brian Well he ain't letting it go. Reporting that shows the pressuring of the NOAA is exactly what one would expect.
I think the picture of Trump with the sharpie-altered map will hurt him.
BTW most juveniles would realize that drawing a line on a map wouldn't work. I'm thinking most seven year olds would get that. Not sure about four year olds.
13
Next; Now right wing media has to call out NOAA as the liberal, U.S.-hating lefties they are. They are part of the deep state cabal looking to undermine Trump and our democracy. Heavy lifting, but they will do the job.
35
US citizens: you can have the lot of them impeached and/or indicted, or acquiesce in the knowledge that the US has become a banana republic.
Do something!
2363
He has good reason for concern.
140
we're not a banana republic, but a gone Banana's republic.
32
@Koenraad. What do you suggest? Congress is trying, albeit slowly because trump and his minions are disregarding subpoenas! We have a lot of ill informed, non thinkers in this country...we can only hope the 2020 election will oust this sickening regime.
43
Invariably, DJT and his administration's gaslighting make matters worse attract a majority of the attention. In this case, several Bahamian islands were destroyed and yet DJT's stupidity and M Mulvaney and W Ross threats becomes the primary story.
4
I have never seen repeated situations where a President can be repeatedly wrong and then attacks innocent public employees and the public at large because he is himself is wrong. The expectation that public employees must lie and disregard the truth and the fact that they did their job correctly, and deceive the public to keep their job.
9
What's really disappointing is how NOAA decided to bow down to the pressure considering what Trump did shows that he can't even read those maps correctly so he really doesn't know what they mean! As a very good written NYT article clarified (two weeks ago I believe) is that on these maps the head of the cone gets bigger because it outlines a prediction into the possible path in the future. The more into the future, the bigger the uncertainty and hence the bigger the area that might or might not be affected. So for Trump to add a narrow appendix to the cone to include a little part of Alabama is just a sign of complete ignorance.
9
Wow. Bad enough that 45 can't admit that he made a statement bad on old intel, but he's so insecure he's got to demand that the NOAA 'clarify' their accurate tweet. WE are the laughing stock of the world.
11
This is such an odd administration. It is like some sort of dystopian novel unfolding in real life.
5
Come on people!
Why should we care what Trump and the politicians say and change their minds on a whim?
Isn't it We The People who put them in office?
2
This all comes about because:
1. Trump and his Commerce Secretary (Ross) do not have the foggiest idea of the elemental concepts of science (especially probabilities) and, perhaps, even what science is all about.
2. Trump and Ross are exclusively denizens of a business world with only one dimension: a number line that runs between profit and loss. Throughout their lives, claims and perceptions are only measured against their effectiveness to produce sales. The reality, or material truth behind those claims and perceptions is irrelevant. Truth seems to be as invisible to them as, say, neutrinos are to the rest of us. This cognitive state is in direct opposition to science.
4
White House Bullies (senryu/haiku quintet) "NOAA throws Weather - Service under the bus to - cover up Trump's lie"; "Trump doesn't read so - he confused the Bahamas - with Alabama"; "Trump's magic sharpie - draws an alternate, twisted, - fake reality"; "How do we know - when Trump is lying? - When his lips are moving."; "Trump's Alabama - meltdown proves that he's unfit - to be President"
7
Constant, endless lies from this corrupt administration. Trump is the swamp.
10
How much time and effort has been spent on this?
What has been the cost of our President's hissy fit in punishing those that dared correct him and generating material to support his gaffe?
5
This sets it in stone. Nothing coming out of DC can be trusted to be objective and without political spin. Job reports, housing starts, poverty levels, numbers on infant mortality; they are all suspect.
Might as well invest in a Magic 8-Ball.
9
Let’s not forget that the President wanted to appoint Joel Myers, of the private company, AccuWeather, and a long-time Trump ally, to head the government weather service. I wouldn’t discount the possibility of someone contending that our government-run weather service "got Alabama wrong," and that we would be "better off" if the government put weather forecasting in the hands of a private party like AccuWeather.
2
Dr. Jacobs abandoned his duty when he allowed or wrote the statement released to pamper Trump. I am interested in knowing what kept him from emphatically telling Mr. Ross "No."
In my mind his duty was to the truth, science, and the citizens. Why not reveal the pressure being brought to bear?
Is his job more important than making sure people trust the agency to give them the truth in situations that can become life and death? Absolutely not!
8
Now I can empathize more with people who live in banana republics. In the 2016 election the Democrats did not understand that the American public, particularly in rural areas, wanted a dictator but Trump understood that. And Trump's actions like the one involving NOAA explain why his approval rating remains so high with Republicans who got their dictator. All of Congress has not yet fallen in line as the Democrats are trying gamely to hold on to democracy and NOAA has also been among the holdouts. If NOAA follows the EPA and other agencies into submission that will be a big win for Trump and the millions of Americans who voted for a dictatorship.
5
To be an honest Republican, as this world goes, is to be one Republican picked out of ten-thousand.
3
The emperor has no clothes.
5
This is yet another reminder of how sick the trump administration is.. How did a factual weather report become political?! Why must this administration demand an apology and require NOAA to change their forecast so trump looks intelligent? What is happening to our democracy?!
5
My Sharpie will be used very boldly to vote this guy and his administration out of office.
7
if this wasn't so dangerous ,it would be comical. the the longer and louder he denies it, the more obvious his incompetence and lies become. president pennywise should leave national security to those who actually know what they are talking about before someone actually gets killed because of it.
3
Good 'ole Mick is - at heart - an Accountant that ran the OMB (budgeting for the Executive branch) in the Republican's favor. Is recent actions puts All Accountants to shame - including us CPAs. We stand for integrity. Mick has none of that.
3
When will this national nightmare end?
8
NASA may be forced to admit that the world is flat...
6
It's just wrong.
2
"Mr. Mulvaney was interested in having the record corrected because, in his view, the Birmingham forecasters had gone too far"
Yes, NOAA meteorologists should defer to White House soothsaying and outright fabrication of weather forecasts to the very big brain [also described as "genius"] now occupying the FOX television lounge on the second floor or the West Wing. And NWS forecasters should be ashamed. They have PhDs whereas their meteorological superior has a B.A. In something or other.
Therefore, NOAA/NWS/USGS/SCS/USFS/BLM/etc. please defer to science analysis emanating form the Oval Office. Brilliant prodigy must have its way.
- White House Ministry of Information
18
This matter is another sad demonstration of the fragile yet mean personality of this President. He is incapable of admitting he made an unimportant mistake. Instead he is infuriated and gets his sycophant Mulvaney , who incidentally has a strong resemblance to Joseph Goebbels, to seek retribution by contacting Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross to threaten NOAA to fix this aspersion on Trumps omnipotence~~ Trump and his regime are petty, vengeful and disgusting. The man and his lackeys have no honor and no moral fiber.
24
I would resign if forced to issue such a statemt
Dr Jacobs should resign
27
If we weren't officially a banana republic before, we must qualify now!
19
How does this guy even get one vote ever again after the crude Sharpie attempt at deception. For someone who has so much practice lying and deceiving he is not very good at it.
I don't mind being hoodwinked; but I am insulted by the obviousness of it and the incompetence. What is he a 4 year old telling a fib to mummy?
22
It would portend justice if the judge that signed the paperwork for the unindicted coconspirator did so with a red sharpie.
2
This is what dictatorship looks like. Whatever the Dear Leader says is obviously the truth; science, history and common sense are meaningless. Good luck to us, America.
17
It is the flunkies like Ross, Mulvaney and Jacobs who make Trump's behaviour possible. How is this behaviour different than what you see in communist countries and dictatorships?
21
One year ago: (Turn on computer) (Click on WaPo link) (Read headline) (Rant and rave about the maniac in the White House)
Today: (Turn on computer) (Click on WaPo link) (Read headline) (Sigh) (Slowly shake head) (Turn off computer) (Walk away)
9
He does after all "follow his own advice" in foreign affairs, race relations, trade policy, finance, he must be correct in science, too.
7
As a friend of mine said over bridge last night, Trump has corrupted everything -- even the weather reports. Where does this gross egomania end? And why does the larger public not wake up to how venal it is ?
20
@Piri Halasz Actually the larger public have woken up but it's his petty base that keeps this charade going.
3
Pretty unbelievable. That black marker bubble on the forecast should definitely never be forgotten. Truly a real life sitcom. Would be funny if it weren’t real life.
10
NOAA predicts toupee shifting winds in the MidAtlantic tomorrow. Mulvaney, step on it!
8
Many people argue that this has been going on too long and the press has made too much of this. To the contrary, this incident is a perfect example of the banana republic that this administration aspires to. A dictator can never be contradicted on facts that he alone knows and controls. So threaten the truth tellers into submission or off with their heads. No one can contradict El Jeffe.
13
"Mick Mulvaney, the acting White House chief of staff, told Wilbur Ross, the commerce secretary, to have the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration publicly disavow the forecasters’ position that Alabama was not at risk."
When did Wilbur Ross or Mick Mulvaney or Donald Trump earn a degree in meteorology? Who are they to tell NOAA that they are right and NOAA is wrong? They are purposely creating a hostile work environment. That is against our labor laws. I realize that the Trump administration no longer cares about reality but I wonder what they would think if reality started to bite them back.
It's impossible to believe anything that any person associated with Trump or the GOP says. McConnell refuses to act like a senator and lead. Trump has to be right even when he isn't. The yes-men surrounding him threaten those who disagree based upon their own knowledge and experience, and the rest of us living with this idiocy are forced to wonder how much longer we have to deal with it.
Trump cannot control the weather. He could learn to control his statements and his tweets. He cannot control other leaders by threatening them the way he does. There's a reason we have ambassadors, a State Department, a diplomatic core. It's the same reason we have the Fed, and other agencies that used to be staffed with experts at the highest levels: for the advice they could offer to a president who is not expected to know everything.
9/11/2019 6:34pm first submit
13
The big deal was made by trump, who could have just said he was in error.
13
Mulvaney moving the goalposts so Trump just might have a chance to get the ball over: "The president was right to suggest there had been forecasts showing possible impact on Alabama." That's not what Trump suggested. He said suggested that earlier forecasts (which may have implied some possible impact on Alabama) had been revised upward and now indicated that Alabama might be hit "(much) harder than anticipated."
9
Maybe this desire to align the facts with Trump’s tweets also applies to economic data which frequently now must be corrected later after initial, more rosy numbers were provided?
12
"...but the senior administration official said Mr. Mulvaney was interested in having the record corrected because, in his view, the Birmingham forecasters had gone too far and the president was right..."
No--"Mr. Mulvaney was interested in having the record ALTERED," is what the authors should have stated.
There was nothing whatsoever to correct. At the time of Trump's post, there was absolutely no reason to believe Alabama would be affected in any dramatic way at all, yet Trump sounded the false alarm, an action that would get the average school age kid suspended, but instead sent Trump's "yes-men" scrambling to do anything they can to back up the lie.
Trump and friends are not interested in science, truth or safety. Rather, they are working to destroy our most trusted institutions and do away with any form of oversight so they can carry on with their lies and propaganda for their own personal gain.
14
Looks like the Weather Service and NOAA employees that are NOT political employees need to start an alternative communication site like NPS employees nd other agency employees did to relay factual information, not politized information.
5
Climate scientists talk about the difference between the weather (a short-term single event) and the climate (a long-term trend in global conditions.) A single weather event does not in itself signal climate change, but can point to a dangerous trend. This situation reminds me of that: Trump manipulated a single weather forecast but it points to a pattern of interference with critical scientific testimony regarding the truth and urgency of climate change.
6
@Yogi Very apt analogy.
1
“And if all others accepted the lie which the Party imposed—if all records told the same tale—then the lie passed into history and became truth. 'Who controls the past' ran the Party slogan, 'controls the future: who controls the present controls the past.”
George Orwell, 1984
39
We don’t need a weatherman to know which way the wind blows.
B. Dylan
21
@db2 Yes, we remember that too, but what does it have to do with this story?
Look out, kid, it's something you did; God knows when, but you're doing it again!
4
@db2
Dylan Thomas?
Better duck down the alleyway. Trump insists that there are $11 bills, but you've only got 10.
Don't follow leaders like Trump because he thinks the phones tapped anyway and is hardly ever thinking' about the government
Get sick, get well but don't get sick because Trump has no health plan- not even something very good (no details). Better not join the army if you fail because Trump will not look after you later because he is too busy tweeting.
Don't want to be a bum, you better chew gum and walk at the same time as you try to choose one of scores of scandals to impeach him with. With this president you can't avoid the scandals- there are too many of them.
9
Have we come to a time in our history when if our “leader” says the sky is green we accept it as truth? And do we then punish people of science who insist the sky is blue?
18
@Anne G
I’m going with green, I’m over this blue stuff now.
2
It's amazing how many Trump supporters miss the point. Willful ignorance? That's where my money is.
16
@Max Deitenbeck
No... your tax money is with Trump himself.
Donald is a category 5 deadly-force hurricane of its own. It has the right to determine its own path of destruction, and if it passes through Alabama, so be it.
9
Suppose it had been election day in an area critical to the result. Do we now have to worry about the weather forecast that eminates from one man's cell phone?
9
This is a dangerous slippery slope right here.
9
So what would happen if next November NOAA issues a blizzard forecast for the mid west and any state that either might flip from trump to the democratic candidate which kept thousands of people at home because they were told that the roads were dangerous? Would we just have to accept the results?
12
At the very, very least - Trump said he canceled his visit to Poland to monitor the hurricane conditions. By saying, on Sept. 1, that Alabama would likely be hit harder than anticipated shows that he wasn't paying attention to updated forecasts and storm models. So just what was he doing with his time? Not what he said he would do. We all know the story goes much deeper, just wondering how DJT rationalizes his dereliction of duty yet again.Maybe he was taking a virtual tour of the Tallahassee Trail?
19
This has some very heavy implications!
Bottom line to me: I will question any/all information provided by the Trump administration no matter how "reputable" the agency providing the information is refuted to be.
The professionals at the NWS were threatened for immediately correcting incorrect information tweeted by the POTUS. The information was time sensitive and even if there were previous storm tracks into AL the information was just flat wrong when it was tweeted. The NWS was acting in the best interest of the people of AL to send out that tweet!
How many government reports providing information (jobs, economy, GDP, crime, immigration, health, etc.) have been changed because they would disagree with a Trump tweet? Unlike the weather professionals at the NWS, how many agency employees have been intimidated into changing the reports to match the tweet? In many cases there are no "second sources" for government agency provided information.
15
@John Shepherd rePuted, John, rePuted. We keep telling you that.
2
My best friend lived in East Germany at the time of Chernobyl and she remembers seeing on TV a graphic of the radioactive cloud over a map of Europe that somehow left East Germany singularly clear of radiation. Trump's foray into weather forecasting is on par with the East German establishment.
19
"The President's mistaken assertion"? The inaccurate storm track projections DID originate in the NOAA, not the oval office, after all. This tempest is indeed in a teapot.
2
Yes, weather forecasters did mention a bit of eastern Alabama might be affected but that was amended to exclude Alabama days before President Trump tweeted his warning. So what was he doing in the meantime that he did not see that correction? Obviously he was not monitoring the weather forecasts which was his stated purpose for not taking that planned trip to Poland.
8
The “assertion” originated 5 days before the most current prediction. The president bungled the prediction by not using the most up to date prediction. Then, instead of admitting an error, proceeded to make a tempest from a teapot and politicizing the weather via sharpie and whinging to his sycophants. I’m not sure if you are defending the President or not but most of us want accurate and non-political emergency information.
7
So how is the public supposed to know if any of the other cabinet members are willing to give out falsified reports on the orders of the WH in order to please Donald Trump and help his electability? What about the treasury report? the jobs report? the state department foreign relations report? the agricultural report? the food safety report? US trade report? financial report?
17
We already know that EPA research and reports are edited or not reported at all.
2
@Debbie We're not supposed to know, Debbie. That's the shame of it.
4
Trump know more about ISIS and offence and defense than the generals, more about courts and renewable energy than any human being on Earth, and more about politicians, money and technology than anybody. He knows more about Cory Booker than Cory knows about himself. Nobody knows more about trade, the US government system, and debt than he does. Nobody understands the horrors of nuclear than he does. Nobody in the history of this country has ever known so much about infrastructure as Donald Trump. In the history of the world, nobody has ever know more about taxes. (All paraphrased from actual Trump statements.)
And clearly, nobody knows more about the weather than the Great Donald Trump.
10
That resolute , impenetrable, fortress of a mug on Mick Mulvaney in the accompanying photo is very telling. As with William Barr, Stephen Miller , Mike Pence and a host of others willing to do Her Trump's bidding at all costs , the truth that we as a nation once believed in , no matter how often curtailed in previous administrations ,is getting nailed and sealed shut at such a rapid pace that the often quoted , ultimate axiom from the New Testament, "The truth shall set you free" could have absolutely no meaning for near future generations of U.S. citizens.
6
This is like 1984: Newspeak, Thoughtspeak. What's next? Will the division of Commerce Dept. that tracks economic growth be told to juice up the GDP data to improve Trump's chances of reelection? They did this in Argentina. Even better, have the Census Bureau reduce the number of people of color, so as to MAWA.
7
The real story is Trump’s profoundly degraded and rapidly deteriorating mental state, which he displayed again today on camera, making clear he doesn’t realize Melanie’s son is also his son.
Of course, given the intellectual capacity of the supporters Trump and the Republicans attract, I doubt they noticed. He only needs to be a half step ahead of them, and he is.
7
For further clarity on why trump acts this way, read The NYT article: "The Real Donald Trump Is a Character on TV" by James Poniewozik on 9/6/19. It was the best explanation I have heard on the craziness of trump. James holds the media accountable for much of the problem of trump continuing to act like he is still on his TV reality show, The Apprentice. I can't understand why the powers that be don't invoke the 25th Amendment. He is clearly unfit to lead.
9
Wilbur Ross in Greece, isn't that where he presided over a deal with a Russian businessman with ties to Vladimir Putin while serving in his previous role as vice-chairman of the Bank of Cyprus.
The transaction raises questions about Ross’s tenure at the Cypriot bank and his ties to politically connected Russian oligarchs. Was he on official business in Cyprus? Did he visit the bank, this is all too much.
9
Frightening, that saving Trump's face is more important than facts. America's dismissal of expertise will bring ruin.
8
Maybe the NYT's has the resources to see if this behavior has an economic benefit to the dt insiders? Every TWTR remark about the economy sends the markets running so if dt were to alert his insiders to go long or short, they could make millions over-night. It would not surprise me in the least.
7
And yet look what happened in NC’s 9th district. Just incredible.
I have absolutely no faith that blue will win in November 2020.
4
"... according to the three individuals, who requested anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the episode." For the good of the country, please come forward. How much more can we put up with before our country is forever lost?
3
And yet, Republicans keep getting elected.
Nothing about American politics surprises me anymore.
6
Trump's daily influence on our society prior to the Presidency was not an issue. He was mostly just ignored for the fool he was making of himself.
However, given the POTUS soap box, he is a clear danger to the country and the world. He is legitimized by the presidency and his attacks and continued influence throwing conspiracy theories and lies are what has turned into the biggest threat our country has seen. Yes, I include WWII in this statement.
He must be removed at all costs.
6
I can think of no better example of why I believe Ronald Reagan was the worst president America ever had and why I see the survival of America as a long shot at best.
The deep state that was the federal government was pragmatic. It is a world of data and science and experts who interpret facts and look to science for the least onerous outcomes to complex problems.
Climate science is 200 years old. In Canada's deep state climate change denial belongs to the flat Earthers, and those still looking for Noah's Ark.
When asked for the 10,000th time why I don't believe I answered; It is because I can't.
I asked whether Noah's mole rats were still alive.
We all know Trump is not up to the task of making America again the America with an eye to a better future.
I am tired of saying Roosevelt's New Deal was a good thing but Roosevelt's America was White, Protestant and tribal. It is 2019 and to survive America must recognize that America is not only white, Protestant, Catholic and Jewish it can only survive by being inclusive.
I live in Quebec where I know politics often trump truth and sometimes history wasn't real history. I live in Quebec not just because my great grandparents found refuge. I live in Quebec because I know our deep state needs facts. In the 21st century we need facts more than dogma. I just want to make people understand my belief in peer reviewed science more certain than a belief in Abracadabra or Voodoo.
This story shows a country worse than incompetent.
3
This is not complicated. A would be dictator is in the White House and there are people who are willing to help him carry out any wish he expresses. The question is “Will the United States allow that to continue?”
6
Is there any justice left in the world? I’m starting to wonder in the deepest, darkest way. When a hurricane fired up to do so much harm gains a shadow of lies by a sitting president and then those lies are amplified by said bizarre regime that happens to be the United States of America, where do we go from there?
5
The lair of the United States of America is now a weatherman.
Word on the street he cannot even read or take a briefing.
He is not the sharpest Sharpie in the drawer.
Sad.
8
Oh and by the way...A picture/photo is worth a thousand or so words...you gotta love the irony. President George Washington, the man who wouldn't or couldn't tell a lie, stares down at a the "acting" White House chief of staff. Every picture tells a story, don't it?
20
This ham-handed fiasco orchestrated by Ross and Mulvaney in the service of Trump is so amateurish, it would make even "Baghdad Bob" blush.
15
Mulvaney: "Wilbur, the NOAA must tell the people that the president is wearing clothes."
Ross: "Gotcha Mike, the president is fully clothed."
Mulvaney: "Thanks Wilbur"
Ross: "Any time."
17
Donald Trump has decreed that henceforth, during his presidential tenure, the Sun shall set in the East each day at Noon, and the United States shall be in darkness until the Sun rises in the West at Midnight. Enabling legislation for this decree has been sent to Vladimir Putin to obtain his assent; upon his approval this New Law of Celestial Order will be forwarded to Comrade Mitch for pro forma processing in the Senate.
The governmental troika of Russian apparatchiks—Acting President Trump, Comrade Mitch and the head of the Russian Empire, President Putin—have by fiat determined the the House of Representatives, because it is controlled by Enemies of the Trump American Family Oligarchy, will not be entitled to review, comment or vote on this legislation.
Citizens are required to adapt to this law; no one is exempt from the demands of the New World Order. NOAA will issue regulations to ensure the smooth functioning of the law’s provisions.
4
I have to pinch myself to make sure this article is about reality, and not a piece of satirical fiction about a land of fools.
12
Mrs. Mulvaney called again to apologize for her son. She thought he would turn out a lot better.
11
And who told Mulvaney to do that I wonder?
8
Mick Mulvaney, the "acting White House chief of staff" and the rest of the reality TV version of the White House -Trump Edition have to go. Cancel the series in 2020 please.
10
Who wants to take bets on how long it will be until someone puts out an official statement announcing that Dorian actually DID hit Alabama just as our Meteorogist in Chief foresaw?
6
The problem is that not enough grown ups will say "No" to Trump.
A NOAA official need not resign when she or he refuses to issue weather falsehoods. If s/he says, "No," and everyone in the chain-of-command says, "No," there will nothing Trump can do, except say, "You're fired," and watch while nothing happens.
Imagine Trump, all by himself, trying to get an official to leave an office when no one will execute a stupid (and potentially dangerous) order from the president.
Trump has only as much power as his enablers allow him to have. Let us hope for a big voter turnout and many fewer than the 60-odd million enablers from the last election.
11
Where is the House on this matter?
3
Anybody seen "The Caine Mutiny"?
7
I'm really surprised Dr. Jacobs would cave like that.
8
He’s a political appointee
1
This is a situation humoring someone out of control..Are those around him so afraid he will throw an infantile tantrum if he doesn't have his way that they will lie to the detriment of the country? The scariest part of his sickness is that he doesn't realize how ill he appears and that he doesn't care that everyone sees it. Those who do his bidding are shameful.
Who knows what extreme measures he is capable of to prop up his shaky ego.
7
My senator, Rafael Cruz, said Domocrats are over reacting to Trump. Rafael, who is a Republican, could care less about what trump does as long as trump is happy. What is a sane person who lives in Texas do?! Let me know....I need some advice...
4
This is pure Orwell. This article leaves little doubt that Mulvaney/Ross got Dr. Jacobs not only to revise NOAA's position on the actual weather predictions, but then to go out and publicly deny that there was any political interference when _we all know there was interference_.
That kind of double-think was common in the Soviet Union in 1930s -- in fact, it's been the hallmark of all fascist governments.
7
Bormann & Goebbels propaganda machine 1930s to 1945; George Orwell's "1984" written in 1949...feels like it is happening today. 1935 Lewis wrote "It Can't Happen Here" about a (Democrat substitute trump) business man becoming president then taking control of US with militia & yes men as a dictator. He controlled media, radio, etc.
Of course, we can always hope that this nightmare we are living will end the same way as "It Can't Happen Here" with dictator overthrown..."the regime begins to buckle under the pressure of supporting the ever-growing Army and MM, as well as due to economic mismanagement and graft. By early 1939, Windrip has become increasingly paranoid and power-hungry, and rebellions have begun in in the Midwest. Sarason (president's secretary), becoming frustrated with Windrip, takes power in a bloodless coup." (It Can't Happen Here" by Sinclair Lewis, 1935)
3
Have these people no shame?
11
No, they do not.
4
@Timothy
Nope, Everyone in Trump’s sphere—no shame, no shame at all.
4
First the hurricane was predicted to hit Oceania. Then reports indicated that it would be Eurasia. One more factoid to flush down the Winstonian memory hole called Trump's Twitter feed--which, unfortunately, acts as THE dictionary for millions of Americans.
6
Just another normal day in Orwellian America.
5
This is truly the era of "the madness of king donald". Really?! I don't like what the weather people have to say, so let's threaten them? A descent into madness & fascism. Let's gaslight the weather service & anyone else who disagrees with us.
13
Make the presidency serious again, 2020
7
How did we elect a fascist leader in the land of the free, the home of the brave?
We did it to ourselves by not looking out for each other. I learned this from talking to the kids of Republicans. The two kids I know aren’t old enough to vote but their opinion is that their families didn’t vote for Hillary because she was no different from Obama and would continue the wars in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Syria. Obama might not have started these wars, but he was the first President to have continuous wars for all 8 years of tenure.
Our troops are brave, but it’s at the cost of not being able to say that enough is enough. So instead of talking about their most important issue, the cost of a forever war, we get to hear complaints about Obamacare or abortion.
This is the price of toxic masculinity.
Anyone who wants to win in 2020 needs to be talking about the cost of our wars.
Good luck to all of us.
5
The Trump administration owes an apology to the Earth's professional satirists for whom parody has now been rendered obsolete. There is simply no way for creators of fiction to equal, let alone top, the real life absurdities manifested on a weekly basis by our unhinged president and his shameless enablers.
9
Gives a new meaning to the term "high pressure system."
7
I suspect that Mick Mulvaney and Wilber Ross will be the next two GOP government staffers... to be ejected by Donald.
He wants to be alone anyway in the White House.
4
A conversation in the oval office:
Trump: Look it's snowing outside!!
NOAA: Sir, It is not.
Trump: I said It's snowing right now
NOAA: YES, sir! How could we have made such a mistake?
SMH
7
If another recent president had abused power in this manner we would be talking impeachment. Because Trump has lowered the bar slowly with his lies, crimes, insults, ignorance and terrible decisions we are treating this as just another story. What a sad state of affairs.
13
Deeply corrupt right to the top. Sad.
9
How can we not be concerned about our country when the fools working under dapper don have to continuously stroke his ego by telling others to back up his many lies, even when they themselves no there lies. I understand that not even today could #45 stop texting insults/nonsense/and more lies before appearing at the Pentagon to speak about what happened 18 years ago, but mostly invoked himself, more me me me. 2020 can't get here fast enough.
5
I hope Jacobs, Mulvaney and Ross pay the ultimate and predictable price for lying for Trump.
Spineless creatures such as these will see once again that alignment with Trump has no final reward.
8
There is no way of stopping lawlessness and lies flowing out from the government spigots. When a president like George W. Bush could lie to the whole world in order to invade and destroyed Iraq with no consequence. What do you expect of Trump Inc., all special interest lobbyists appointees, billionaires appointees, who have been swarming, pouring money buying power, and bending our three branches of government institution to their own liking would do?
What the Times expects readers to do? Being well informed to make an intelligent decision in a voting booth? Wait and see attitude won't bring us anywhere, but back to a square one and let Trump win in 2020.
3
Nice picture of Jefferson overlooking this travesty in democracy. What a horror show. Vote him out!
6
What is sad is they don't care. Other Republicans don't care. They have a base that does not care.
They are have a TV Network that for the most part does not care.
This is by far the worst Administration in history. All they do is lie.
The Republican Party is dead in the water.
9
This episode is a fine example of why Trump so richly deserves the title, President Gaslight. Tell a lie loud enough and long enough, misdirect insistently and dishonestly enough, and maybe you can twist Reality into your alternate, fake reality. With sycophants like Grifter Ross and Slimey Mulvaney as enforcers, your chances might improve. In the long run, however, Evidence, Science and Truth will inevitably prevail.
8
He thinks the earth is flat and the moon made of green cheese. So much for science
3
Man, we just continue to descend further and further into the muck.
5
"President Trump is genuinely interested in improving weather forecasts." What??? Improve them how? With a sharpie? With a tweet?
9
Isn’t this what Kim Jong Un does? Is this what the Donald is learning from his love affair? Or is this what his financial books look like? Either way there’s a lot of trouble in River City!
8
A couple of thoughts: Concerning the altered weather map, (which the Times continues to make itself look silly by referring to it as an "alleged" altered map), there are only two possible take-aways. Either Thrump himself drew the addition, or one of his courtiers altered the map with his knowledge, which makes him unfit in every moral and etrhical way to be President, as if we didn't already know that. Or, Thrump did not get that the map had been clumsily altered, which certainly makes him too stupid to be President.
Also, to those of you who continue to denigrate the response to his, and his administration's wiggle-wiggle; close your eyes and imagine for a second that Thrump had, in his self-absorbed freedom from reality, gone the opposite way and decided, based upon whatever it is that makes him certain that he knows better than everyone else, that the storm was not going to hit No. Carolina. Why not. It doesn't really stretch credulity any more than dozens of others of his fabrications. Would it still be a petty matter, or a horrific event?
4
1984 is alive and well.
9
My choice would be to NEVER believe anything #PresidentPAB, Mulvaney or Ross say.
6
"[Dr. Jacobs] also said he still had faith in the Birmingham office."
That's a pretty redeemable position, considering they were right the entire time.
(And as someone who spends a lot of time tracking hurricanes using the NHC website, that map didn't "appear" to be altered, it WAS altered, and anyone who's ever looked at a hurricane forecast knows that).
9
What absolutely is amazing to me is the number of "died in the wool" Trumpoids who simply brush off all of this madness as "Fake News" and the media distorting the facts against their boy.
What I tell those folks is that if you no longer can discern integrity of leadership with the barrage of lies we see day after day from this crowd, then you have passed up your right to have my and other clear thinking individual's respect.
You are subscribing to his lise, racism, sexism, bias towards the wealthy and outright disgusting behavior and we should dis-associate ourselves from them.
14
Yet another story about the hurricane tweets, while the tweet with the classified satellite photo of Iran fades from memory (except the memories of those who will now try to reverse engineer the US intelligence technology it revealed).
6
Trump’s antics have provided plenty of laughter and head scratches during his presidency. But this latest one isn’t funny. It’s hard for sensible citizens to wrap their heads around what Trump hoped to gain by acting like the Forecaster in Chief. He deliberately spread false weather information about Hurricane Dorian hitting Alabama when no forecasting organizations predicted a cone of uncertainty that included Alabama.
After several years of the Trump presidency it is clear that he either has an oversized ego or a mental health issue. Something’s wrong with the guy. But publishing his own brand of « fake news » carries the potential for serious consequences. Suppose this un-truth resulted in Alabama residents spending money needlessly to prepare for a hurricane that meteorologists never predicted would reach their state. Suppose the Alabama National Guard was activated and Guardsmen lost wages because of Trump’s antics.
After federal employees corrected Trump, probably thinking it was a simple mistake, Trump wanted these employees disciplined and silenced. Wow. What president ever behaved this way before? This really is something that begs us to sit up straight and think about.
Words and Actions have Consequences. That absolutely must apply to the Commander-in-Chief.
I’ve never supported impeaching Trump. That would be ugly and far too political. I’ve always wanted Trump defeated in an election. Yet this latest episode in the White House concerns me.
12
What Dr Jacobs should have done was publicly support the Birmingham's office, cite scientific integrity and the public good and then quit instead of capitulating to the reckless, feckless and thin skinned Trump. He could have also pointed out the gravity of ignoring climate change which is creating bigger and fiercer hurricanes.
7
'rump reflects his base. this is how around 35-40% of American voters think... Authority holds society together not truth or knowledge.
8
As if we all don't know what's going on behind the mad man's curtain. And I mean mad, as in crazy.
7
If President Trump were to announce that 2 plus 2 is three, would the National Science Foundation back him up?
10
Another day and another set of lies, intimidation, threats and war of science by this White House. Glad to see Trump has "all the best people". Its exhausting and depressing.
11
Is it any wonder that so many believe absolutely nothing that comes from the federal government? When even something such as a weather forecast becomes politicized, then nothing left holds credibility.
Please, now more than ever, throw the bums out!
8
If Dr. Jacobs had an ounce of self-respect he would have refused the threat from Wilbur the Senile and resigned. Rather, he acted like all Trump toadies and did his bidding and gave him praise and adulation. Courage has left Washington.
9
The bigger picture here is that POTUS made a mistake and cannot own up to it! How hard is it to say, “I misspoke when I included Alabama in my earlier statement. I’m happy to say they are not at risk. Now we can do use our attention on the Carolinas”
That is the problem!
12
How long before none of the statistics out of this hellish administration will be trusted?
What are the REAL employment numbers for August?
9
The names Alabama and Bahamas both have many A's, a B, and a M. Bet he simply initially confused the two places. Time to go.
9
Trump like most in his government does not care that mobilization kills. When he moves troops around as a stunt, people get killed. When he tells people that a hurricane is coming to their state, people get killed. Anything that involves people and vehicles and people and combustibles and electricity kills, even if it was all a hoax. That is all apart from the fact that denying people basic environmental information is an attack on their wellbeing and their freedoms. This whole gang is deeply corrupt in a way that was unimaginable four years ago. This is an emergency.
12
Dr. Jacobs should have called Mulvaney and Ross on their threat to fire NOAA appointees and refused to retract or contradict the Birmingham office's correction of Trump's tweet. Had the White House fired the NOAA appointees in retaliation, it would have revealed unequivocally Trump's bullying and malfeasance. There would have been a firestorm in response to such firings. NOAA needs a leader with real integrity and the guts to stand up to Trump, Mulvaney and Ross.
14
The key here is that NOAA made the statement to "calm fears in support of public safety.” It was not to show up Trump.
7
Thank goodness "the swamp" in Washington is large enough to have faceless, honest bureaucrats leak the truth about this outrage to the press.
9
Ross and others should be brought up on charges of conspiracy to commit fraud and possibly other wrong doing. Thinking and actions like his, if allowed to go unpunished, will lead to further attempts to outright mislead the people of our great nation and lead to totally avoidable harm, even death. I mean, what's next -- Bumbling Trump stating that a Tornado or Fire Storm is NOT approaching an area, and then to save Trump's exquisitely fragile ego, his lackeys coerce meteorologists and emergency responders into towing Trump's fallacious line by withholding appropriate warnings and orders and rescues?
12
Just what we need: Henry IX.
3
Lock him up. This is WAY more important than one NWS forecast. This is high-octane, "1984"-style criminality.
12
When are those mental institutions going to expand? I think #45 may need to be committed soon.
9
Watching the Trump White House operate is like watching a Marx Bros. film, or maybe the Keystone Cops, because the parody of actual government is so spot on. The question is, will Individual 1 be able to clang and bonk his way through the 2020 election and get another 4 years on Pennsylvania Ave, or can we perhaps give him 4 years in a less savory institution?
14
Russia has interfered in, and influenced, our elections. But when our government threatens scientists, telling them to lie for political reasons, and particularly to not contradict our president even when he is wrong, we have a new Russian influence on our country: Joseph Stalin.
13
Hey folks,
If tRump so petty about being contradicted, just wonder how he will react to being defeated by a Democrat.
My money is on discrediting the election results and instituting Martial Law.
By the time the courts rule, he will have installed himself as Emperor.
9
Shouldn't there be just a little bit of sympathy and assistance being offered to the Bahamians that were devastated by Dorian. Aren't they neighbors?
8
Since when is it a crime to make a mistake, admit it and move on?
Since when did lies become the truth and the truth becomes lies?
Since when did breaking the law while holding high office become acceptable behavior?
Since when did our leaders who were sworn to defend our country commit treason by inviting our formidable sworn enemies to meddle in our elections?
We all know when.
And we all know when it must end.
Vote.
10
How ANY sane, rational adult American could possibly still support this administration is not understandable. This is not a matter of conservative -vs- "lib" or Democrat -vs- Republican. This is now a matter of having a healthy sense of adult reasoning and maturity.
14
Sane, well-informed,rational and principled vs whatever this is
1
The fact that Trump lies about EVERYTHING and then when caught he threatens other government officials to lie as well to cover his lies is beyond insanity.
He needs to be removed from office by any legal means necessary.
9
This is sad that no one in government, and there are three branches, is capable of saying to Trump you were wrong. Roberts, McConnell, Pelosi? Really, a few pointed words could end this. It's time to put an end to this nonsense and move on. BTW, I gave up on the White House a long time ago.
5
Dr. Jacobs's speech yesterday was very telling. He assumed that staff's primary concern was keeping their jobs, rather than maintaining the scientific integrity of their organization. That this was his own priority was clearly shown by his willingness to cave to the White House's demands. So he still has his job, and will go down in history as the director who sold out NOAA.
24
A lie that is reenforced by another lie and then still another lie. That’s where at the end of the line, the pawn-end, Mr Jacobs, who holds a doctoral degree in environmental science, is as he joined the club of the disgraced. Once a scientist intentionally lies that person’s through as a scientist. Who would, after the fact of scandalous falsification of data, ever believe him/ her? The day of reckoning for Jacobs has come, and now he has to live with his ignoble choice. And, really, for what? To get Trump off the hook? As for Trump and Mulvaney: true to form in the quest for dominating power, certainly not public service.
19
When Trump first learned that the next hurricane would start with the letter D he really wanted it to be called Donald. Bolton thought it was a great idea since it would reinforce how powerful the name is. But Miller advised him against it since it would be detrimental to have his name associated with a real, and not fake, emergency and a real, and not fake, invasion. Trump took Miller’s advise and fired Bolton. But when you think about it the entire country has been pummeled by the disastrous hurricane-like catastrophe of his Presidency.
10
This is a distraction from Trump from the real issue: economy and possible recession because of trade war.
6
And, from Republicans, we continue to hear nothing. Even the faux moderates like Collins and Romney. I'm struggling to come up with one other moment in US history when a major political party, to a person, was as morally and ethically bankrupt as the Republican party is today.
31
And yet Mr. Trump's approval rating among Republicans is 90%.
Half of the country approves of all this corruption. I can't imagine this scenario in any country where with so much information freely available people still don't understand what is going on. Or perhaps they do understand and they judge it to be a good thing.
I am crying, the beloved country.
20
Question: How do political appointees who have principles survive in the Trump administration?
Answer: They don’t.
10
Is there any truth to the rumor on social media that President Trump is going to take requests for sunny days with low humidity for weddings, graduation parties, golf-outings (his own, especially) and vacations? I understand that Trump will fix the weather for individual days, but not for longer than a week.
8
How embarrassing to know that the world is watching our government agencies putting science under placating a giant baby. Maybe we should just let Trump make all forecasts.
9
Jacobs should have offered to resign on the spot when threatened by Ross. That's what a person of integrity would have done.
16
He works for Trump. What else does anyone expect. It's the way things are done in the Republican Swamp. The other day somebody said to me 'Trump was not a Republican.' Staggered, I tried to stay calm. So I guess Mulvaney isn't a Republican either... Strange new country, this new America.
7
Dr Jacobs sounds like an honest man. Therefore, his days at Commerce are probably numbered.
4
Science is knowledge.
When elected representatives deny science they are no longer worthy of representing the American people.
Threatening weather scientists. Purging environmental scientists. Relocating offices of scientists in an effort to force them to quit. The examples are many. This could be fatal to our democracy.
This is very troubling and dangerous.
17
I wonder how Trump would react if Fox news began promoting the flat earth theory. Could we expect a map of the Earth with a sharpie drawn line showing "the EDGE", and NASA scientists being rebuked for contradicting the President by saying it's a spheroid.
7
Nothing is trivial to Trump. He takes everything personally. So he made a mistake about where the tornado might hit. He misread (if he reads at all) the report on the hurricane from the national weather service. No big deal. Except to Trump everything is a big deal. And it is another example of his narcissistic personality disorder. And he has dragged in his staff to defend his mistake and act as if it wasn't a mistake at all.
By taking action here, Mulvaney is destroying any integrity he may have had before he took this job. One staff member after another's reputations are being destroyed by toadying to this manchild occupying the White House. It's sad for them, but it is a disaster for our country.
48
@John Woods their integrity was out the window the moment they accepted an appointment from Trumpet.
3
@John Woods - Hahaha, Mulvaney has NEVER had any integrity. There is overwhelming evidence to make that abundantly clear.
5
@John Woods
Mulvaney never had any ”integrity” to destroy so its all good.
4
hard to believe. in any other administration this would be enough to have people's heads roll in shame. not now. all this because this truly petty little man wasn't man enough to say "sorry i have made a mistake". i feel for him, and for his coterie of compulsive helpers. eventually someone will say enough.
35
So what is equal to shooting someone on 5th avenue? Please, the world awaits. I bet people in Russia can't believe how far they country has fallen. Trump surrounded by people that don't believe in Govt. Trump is the chosen one. He chose himself.
19
And don’t forget Putin. Putin knew he could manipulate Donald.
1
What part of impeachment does Mitch McConnell not understand?
39
@farhorizons
You honestly believe Mitch doesn't understand?
This is going exactly as he hoped it would.
@farhorizons: His cushy salary and benefits depend on him not understanding it...
If they lie about imminent hazardous weather, can anyone believe they have convictions about anything, fetuses, deficits, "Christian values", immigration, bathrooms or guns except as fodder to exploit in campaigns to delude their naive and gullible base?
33
Does a "stable genius" spend A WEEK trying publicly to insist that his erroneous warning of Hurricane Dorian's threat to Alabama was correct, then attempting to belabor the meteorological professionals whose forecast WAS correct? Is this a man with both oars in the water? I ask you.
46
What I can’t understand is why everyone is so afraid of trump’s anger. “The President was furious” that Birmingham corrected him with accurate information to quell public confusion.
Well, so what? Let him be furious.
It’s truly puzzling how the otherwise sane men and women around him scramble to pacify him when he has an idiotic temper tantrum.
Is his fury so awful to behold? What does he have on them? Who cares if he has a bruised-ego hissy fit?
Why cannot one human in the White House say, “Actually, sir, you misspoke. It was a minor error, but the NWS has corrected it, so let’s just acknowledge we mistakenly included ALA in our statement, thank the weather service for their professionalism, and move on to more important things.”
Can no one say that?
Kellyanne?
Anyone?
73
The Emporer’s new clothes - a timeless fable rings true.
The flattering toads around the power never fail to engage their shameless actions in pleasing their superior however ridiculous they are.
26
On the lighter side it is just pure amusement, on the more serious side we are looking inside of the mind of a sick person.
26
I cannot find the (printable) words to express my horror and disgust for the entire trump administration. Trump and all the republicans are traitors not only to the country but also to the entire world. Trump will not experience the "Rapture" he is doing his best to bring about. please feel free to tell him I said so.
22
A photo of Mulvaney standing in front of a portrait of Thomas Jefferson. What an insult to the founders of this country! They would hang their heads in sorrow if they could see what we have become.
34
did he tell Wilbur to say the moon is made of cheese, too? what a group!
17
Trump gives science a little kick, all his followers laugh.
13