We face austerity, privatisation, and toxic influence. But we are growing, and cannot be beaten
Trump promises to help Texas, but sought disaster aid cuts
Although the US president has praised first-responders to Hurricane Harvey, his budget will cut future federal cash for people to put their lives back together, says MARK GRUENBERG
WHEN it comes to the federal role and federal aid responding to hurricanes and other natural disasters, President Donald Trump says one thing, but his budget — and his chief of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (Fema) — say quite another.
As if that wasn’t enough, there’s another spanner in the works in determining how much money will be available to help future disaster victims: Trump’s Mexican border wall.
With Hurricane Harvey still drowning the Texas Gulf Coast, and threatening Louisiana, too, Trump is praising first responders, Fema and the volunteers who are rushing to aid the tens of thousands of people driven from their homes.
More from this author

The US president has cancelled all federal union contracts as ‘un-American,’ saying ‘It’s our dream to have everyone work in the private sector,’ writes MARK GRUENBERG

California’s real-life water theft makes the classic Jack Nicholson film Chinatown look tame as a billionaire couple diverts resources and the climate crisis worsens the city’s peril, reports MARK GRUENBERG

The ILA’s fight against wage stagnation and job-killing automation is gaining momentum and union solidarity as the Biden administration wisely resists pressure from the bosses to force strikers back to work, writes MARK GRUENBERG

Employees at Texas shelter Pets Alive joined forces with the Machinists union, seeking better conditions for both themselves and the animals they passionately care for, reports MARK GRUENBERG