Mohammad Salama, a “courageous journalist,” documented the suffering in Gaza for Al Jazeera. Israel carried out the attack on Nasser Hospital on Monday, killing him. Salman had planned to wed following the war and was engaged.
A rare example of internal dissent at the agency was the letter, which was sent on Monday and signed by 146 unnamed FEMA employees.
The agency’s current leaders, including acting FEMA director David Richardson and the secretary of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), allegedly lack the skills to handle natural disasters and are putting an end to its ability to deal with hurricanes and other emergencies.
The letter notes that “we must warn Congress and the American people of the cascading effects of decisions made by the current administration because of our shared commitment to our country, our oaths of office, and our mission to helping people before, during, and after disasters.”
Noem recently instituted a requirement that requires her office to personally review and approve all contracts and grants over $100,000. The letter states that this condition “reduces FEMA’s authority and capabilities to quickly deliver our mission.”
It also criticizes the agency’s workforce, the agency’s restraining program, and the DHS’s decision to assign some FEMA employees to Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Last month, the Environmental Protection Agency’s 140 employees took administrative leave after signing a similar statement.
The FEMA letter highlights the “inefficiencies, ineffectiveness, and dangers of the processes and decisions put forth by the current administration” in light of the recent flooding in Texas, which resulted in at least 135 fatalities as a result.
Democrats have accused President Donald Trump of politicising a tragedy by denying that cuts to government agencies caused the disaster response.
In order to prevent “next national catastrophe like Hurricane Katrina” and the effective dissolution of FEMA itself, the letter urges Congress to establish an independent cabinet-level agency that is free from DHS interference and to shield employees from politically motivated firings.
The acting FEMA press secretary, Daniel Llargues, stated that the organization is “committed to ensuring FEMA delivers for the American people.” He continued, noting that the Trump administration “has made accountability and reform a priority” and that FEMA has been hampered by bureaucracy and inefficiencies.
DHS did not respond to a request for comment on the criticisms of Noem.
This year, roughly 2, 000 FEMA employees, or a third of its workforce, have been fired, bought out, or taken out of early retirement. Additionally, the Trump administration intends to reduce its emergency management programs by about $1 billion in grant funding.
More than 1, 800 people died in August 2005, when Katrina claimed the lives of more than 1, 800 people along the Gulf Coast, and the protest letter was sent just days before the 20th anniversary of the disaster.
Two months into the US hurricane season, it was also delivered, at a time when Trump had stated he wanted to significantly reduce FEMA’s size and mandate, leaving individual states with much more of the burden of responding to natural disasters.
The current acting administrator, Richardson, is a former US Marine and DHS official without any prior emergency management experience.
Due to an “admin error,” Kilmar Abrego Garcia, who was detained by US immigration authorities in March and who was then improperly deported to a infamous El Salvador prison, is now facing another potential and immediate deportation by the Trump administration.
Last month, the US president made a public admission of “real starvation.”
Many nations, with one notable exception, were outraged by the confirmation that Israel had caused a human catastrophe.
There hasn’t been a word of response from the US State Department or the White House.
How long can the US remain silent while Israel claims to be “an outright lie”?
Is the Israeli military’s extensive assault on Gaza City and the drip-feeding of aid implicitly encouraged by silence?
Mohammed Jamjoom
President of Refugees International is Jeremy Konyndyk.
Secretary-general of the Palestinian National Initiative, Mustafa Barghouti
As the conflict between the government and the head of state deepens and undermines the once ironclad support of its war-torn neighbor, a Polish deputy prime minister said, access for Ukraine to Elon Musk’s satellite internet service Starlink could be slashed as a result of the president’s veto of a refugee aid bill.
In an effort to retaliate against the Russian forces, Poland pays for Ukraine to use Starlink, a crucial internet service provider for the country and its military.
Karol Nawrocki, the president of Poland, vetoed a bill that would provide for Ukrainian refugees’ future access to child benefits and healthcare on Monday.
Krzysztof Gawkowski, the deputy prime minister and head of digital affairs, claimed that Starlink’s agreement also provided the legal foundation for its operation in Ukraine.
He wrote on X that “Starlink internet is no longer available to Ukraine as it goes to war.”
The veto was criticized by Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, a centrist. However, his government is unable to obtain the necessary two-thirds of the parliament.
“Especially not innocent children, we cannot punish people for losing their jobs,” he said. Agnieszka Dziemianowicz-Bak, the minister of labor, wrote on X, “This is the ABC of human decency.”
Gawkowski argued that Ukraine’s use of Starlink was threatened by Nawrocki’s veto.
“We want to keep paying for Ukraine’s internet through satellite. Unfortunately, the president’s disastrous choice has added a lot of complexity, and we will need to let our partners know when this support will end, he told the PAP news agency.
However, a spokesperson for Nawrocki confirmed to Reuters that a basis for Starlink’s payment could still be reinstated if a bill introduced by the president is approved by parliament by the end of the month.
Around one million refugees have settled in Poland’s neighbor since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022. They are mostly children and women.
Poland is a significant transit point for Western aid and a key supporter of Ukraine, but attitudes toward Ukrainians have changed.
Nawrocki, a steadfast nationalist, had promised to reduce Ukrainians’ social security benefits in the run-up to his June 1 election victory.
Nawrocki, who took office this month, told reporters on Monday, “I will not change my mind, and I think this aid should only be available to Ukrainians who are committed to working in Poland.”
Nawrocki added that, unlike now, Ukrainians who do not work in Poland should not be able to receive free medical care.
He said, “This places us in a situation where Polish citizens are treated less favorably than our Ukrainian guests.”
According to Gawkowski, Poland purchased and subscribed to Starlink systems for Ukraine between 2022 and 2024 for a total of 77 million euros ($90 million).
Ukrainians in Poland will be considered for the potential effects of the move, according to a Ukrainian diplomatic source who told Reuters.
If their children attend Polish schools, they are currently eligible for the monthly family benefit of 800 zlotys ($218) per child. Germany and other EU nations have recently made proposals to reduce benefits.
Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada, a former kingpin of Mexico, has admitted guilt to the charges of his decades-long involvement in the violent and infamous Sinaloa cartel and its role in the US’s drug influx, including cocaine, heroin, and fentanyl.
Zambada, the alleged co-founder of Mexico’s Sinaloa cartel, admitted guilt on Monday in federal court in Brooklyn, New York, to charges of racketeering and running a persistent criminal organization that prosecutors claimed was responsible for the import and distribution of sizable quantities of drugs.
His decades-long leadership of the Sinaloa cartel, along with Colorado’s maximum security prisoner Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman, who is currently serving a life sentence, contributed to those accusations.
After the US Justice Department announced this month that it would not seek the death penalty for him or for Rafael Caro Quintero, another septuagenarian alleged Mexican drug lord facing US charges, Zambada agreed to enter a guilty plea.
Through a Spanish-language interpreter, he said, “I recognize the serious harm that illegal drugs have caused to the people of the United States and Mexico.” I apologize for everything and accept accountability for my actions.
Zambada pleaded guilty, describing the scope of the Sinaloa operation as well as the undercover agents who established relationships with Colombian cocaine producers and oversaw the smuggling of the drug across the US and the importation of the drug by boat and plane. border with Mexico
He also acknowledged that employees of him paid bribes to Mexican military and police officers “so they could operate freely,” dating back to when the cartel was just beginning to exist.
After the plane they were traveling touched down in New Mexico and landed alongside Joaquin Guzman Lopez, one of Joaquin Guzman’s sons, in July 2024, Zambada was detained. The Guzman family lawyer has refuted the claim that Zambada’s lawyer claimed Guzman Lopez kidnapped her.
Guzman Lopez has entered a not-guilty plea to charges of trafficking in marijuana in the US. If found guilty, US prosecutors have stated that they will not seek his death.
In response to US President Donald Trump’s increasing pressure on Mexico to dismantle the country’s powerful drug organizations, Mexico sent more than 20 suspected cartel members to the US this month. Mexico has claimed that the US Justice Department has given it assurances against seeking the death penalty.