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UPDATED: Romney Donating Sandy Supplies To GOP Swing States — Not NY

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Editor’s note: 6:55 PM ET  — Ten minutes ago, CNN updated their story, which we quote below, to state that a Red Cross warehouse has decided to accept donations of Romney’s supplies, though it does not indicate where the supplies will be distributed. This is a direct contradiction of Red Cross policies.

We add the additional CNN reporting at the bottom of this story and have left the remainder of this piece intact.

The Romney campaign still is not sending donations of supplies to New York, where New York City and surrounding areas were extremely hard hit.

Mitt Romney is sending the supplies he asked supporters to bring to his “non-political” campaign event today — to which Romney invited NASCAR driver Richard Petty — in the battleground state of Ohio, only to victims of Hurricane Sandy in swing states that the GOP candidate has a chance of winning: Virginia, North Carolina, New Hampshire and Pennsylvania — not the two areas hardest hit by Hurricane Sandy: New Jersey and New York.

READ: Romney Campaigning Off Storm: Holding ‘Relief Event’ With NASCAR’s Petty

The sheer audacity of this is truly staggering.

At least 29 people have now died because of Hurricane Sandy, in the U.S. alone, and almost 100 internationally. Ten of the 29 died in New York City alone.

First, as The New Civil Rights Movement has repeatedly reported, Romney’s urging to supporters to bring supplies, like blankets, water, and canned goods — instead of donating directly to the Red Cross — actually impedes relief efforts. The Red Cross will not even accept hard supplies, as they have no method to properly distribute them, and accepts financial donations only, because it’s easier to manage and less costly.

READ: Romney Attempts To Use Hurricane For Campaign, Impede Emergency Response

“After addressing the crowd briefly, the GOP nominee hopped off a makeshift stage to glad-hand with supporters and collect items as they filed past to donate relief goods like bottled water, canned foods and fleece blankets,” CNN reports:

The campaign announced they would load supplies into a campaign bus for delivery in Virginia, North Carolina, New Hampshire and Pennsylvania – all swing states impacted by the storm.

He did not answer questions from reporters on whether he would eliminate the Federal Emergency Management Agency as president – a topic the storm brought back into the political spotlight from the Republican primaries when Romney said he favored states taking a larger role in disaster relief.

Romney’s “non-political” campaign event, held instead of a publicized, presumptuous “victory rally,” was just a differently-dressed campaign rally.

READ: Mitt Romney: Keeping Federal Disaster Relief Agency Is ‘Immoral’

The sheer audacity of this is truly staggering.

“The event itself was billed as a ‘storm relief’ benefit, and the Romney campaign asked supporters to bring with them food and other goods to donate to victims of the storm,” Adam Peck at Think Progress reports:

But soon, reporters poked holes in the campaign’s explanation for staging the rally. First, the relief event was scheduled for the same time and location as a recently canceled political rally. Then, photos emerged, showing that donors were asked to wait to drop off their goods until Romney arrived to accept them himself, suggesting a photo op not unlike the one his running mate Paul Ryan staged earlier this month in a soup kitchen. And Salon noticed that the targeted recipient of all of the donations — the Red Cross — doesn’t even accept most of what the Romney campaign collected in Ohio.

But just in case there were any lingering questions over the political nature of the relief rally, Romney’s staff left no room for doubt when they aired a biographical video that was part of the Republican National Convention in August (and used by the campaign at political events since).

Peck adds:

Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) condemned Obama in Ohio, while making an appearance on behalf of the candidate at a “storm relief and volunteer appreciation” event. “This president is either engaged in a massive cover-up deceiving the American people or he is so grossly incompetent that he is not qualified to be the commander in chief of our armed forces. It’s either one of them,” McCain told Romney volunteers.

The sheer audacity of this is truly staggering.

 

CNN UPDATE:

Romney’s campaign told reporters that a Red Cross warehouse in New Jersey was accepting the donation, and distributed a statement they attributed to the Red Cross.

“The American Red Cross appreciates the support from the Romney campaign and is working with the campaign to process this donation of supplies,” the statement read. “We are grateful that both the Obama and Romney campaigns have also encouraged the public to send financial donations to the Red Cross. We encourage individuals who want to help to consider making a financial donation or making an appointment to give blood.”

 

Related: 

Trump Using Hurricane Sandy Deaths To Promote $5 Million Obama Challenge

Michael ‘Doing A Heck Of A Job Brownie’ Brown Berates Obama For ‘Jumping On’ Sandy Too Quickly

Chris Christie: President Obama ‘Has Been Great’ And ‘All Over’ Hurricane

https://youtube.com/watch?v=X3fSqSRVMlc%3Fversion%3D3%26hl%3Den_US

Hat-tip: Joey Gillis

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News

Video Shows Freedom 250 Rehearsal Turning ‘Incredibly Dangerous’ as Stage Falls Apart

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July 2, 2026

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A large panel fell seemingly dozens of feet from above onto the stage during a rehearsal for a performance at an event for President Donald Trump’s Freedom 250, according to video posted by attorney Aaron Parnas.

“The stage is falling apart at the rehearsal for Freedom 250’s July 4th celebration,” Parnas wrote.

After the panel fell, someone can be heard on the video saying, “I was waiting for something like that to happen.”

Critics blasted the administration while others issued warnings.

“This is incredibly dangerous stuff,” wrote journalist Ryan Grim. “Trump cutting safety corners with stage building is the kind of thing somebody can genuinely be prosecuted for if someone dies, which is not uncommon if you slap it together like this. This equipment is deadly when falling from those heights.”

“Literally a miracle no one was hurt here,” noted journalist Philip Lewis.

“In all seriousness, that actually looks really dangerous for the performers. It’s scary how unsafe this all seems,” observed journalist Pablo Manríquez.

“The sheer incompetence of this administration is really rather astonishing. Everything these people touch is shoddily done. This era is replete with evidence that experience and professionalism actually matter,” wrote author Jennifer Erin Valent.

“If there was ever a metaphor for how historians will look back at Trump’s presidency at this moment in time, it’s this,” wrote health care consultant and National Organization for Women vice president Melanie D’Arrigo.

“The Freedom 250 rehearsal stage falling apart is the perfect analogy for the Trump administration,” The Lincoln Project commented.

“Glad everyone’s ok — it’s also hard to imagine a better metaphor for the current state of [America] than this,” wrote the progressive media outlet The Tennessee Holler.

“Trump’s state fair is *literally* falling apart,” remarked liberal political commentator Harry Sisson.

One commenter added, “Those performers are incredibly lucky. That falling piece of debris looked heavy, sharp and came down at incredible speed.”

Trump’s Freedom 250 July 4th event is also besieged by a massive heat wave enveloping part of the country.

“U.S. Capitol Police have already restricted Thursday night’s rehearsal for ‘A Capitol Fourth Concert’ to essential personnel, posting on X that they came to the decision after consulting with the Capitol’s Office of the Attending Physician,” The New Republic reported.

“For safety reasons, the public will not be able to attend tonight’s rehearsal concert,” the Capitol Police’s post read. “Everyone is sorry for any inconvenience this may have caused. The National Weather Service is forecasting an extreme heat watch with temperatures exceeding 100 degrees.”

 

 

 

 

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Political Scientist Predicts Deal That Could Throw November Midterms Into Chaos

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July 2, 2026

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Longtime political scientist Dr. Norman Ornstein on Thursday floated a prediction that one political commentator suggested could throw the November 2026 midterms into chaos.

“Something I predicted multiple times is about to come true,” said Ornstein, an emeritus scholar at the American Enterprise Institute (AEI) and contributing editor for The Atlantic.

Ornstein said that President Donald Trump’s acting Attorney General, Todd Blanche, “is going to cut a deal with Maduro to have him falsely claim that Venezuela tilted the 2020 elections. In return, he and his wife are likely to be in the same prison as Ghislaine Maxwell.”

Maduro is Nicolás Maduro, the former president of Venezuela whom the U.S. Army’s Delta Force captured in January. He and his wife, currently imprisoned in Brooklyn, are expected to stand trial on numerous drug-trafficking charges.

Blanche reportedly is behind the controversial move of former Epstein partner Ghislaine Maxwell to a less-restrictive prison.

Political commentator Tara Setmayer, co-founder of The Seneca Project, appeared to agree with Ornstein.

“I’m hearing this Maduro rumor also,” she wrote. “As soon as he was captured, I thought Trump would try this nonsense.”

“Firing [Pam] Bondi, then [Tulsi] Gabbard opened up this scheme with Blanche & [Bill] Pulte as the henchmen,” she explained. Pulte is the acting Director of National Intelligence, who replaced Gabbard.

“I hope this doesn’t happen but it’s more than plausible and would throw the midterms into utter chaos,” Setmayer warned.

Political strategist and California State Senate candidate Christine Pelosi responded to Ornstein, saying, “Co-sign.”

She explained that she had discussed the scenario with journalist April Ryan back in February.

“My personal theory on this is, number one, Donald Trump can’t believe he lost” in 2020, Pelosi told Ryan. “He would like to take every ballot and recount them himself, but he can’t.”

“But I think they seized Georgia [ballots] because he wants to find a way to pardon Maduro,” Pelosi continued. “He wants to find a way for Maduro to admit election fraud in 2020, so he can justify taking over the financial resources of Venezuela. It’s always the money. Yes, it’s the racism. Yes, it’s the xenophobia. Yes, it’s the pulling up the ladder behind it. But ultimately, with Donald Trump, it is follow the money.”

Also responding to Ornstein was investigative journalist Dave Troy, who wrote: “This is insane but totally plausible. We are living in a fact-free world now.”

 

Image via Reuters 

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GOP Melts Down Over Mamdani’s Heat Wave Advice — Trump’s Energy Dept. Says the Same Thing

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2 days ago

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July 2, 2026

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As temperatures in the Big Apple are set to hit triple digits, Republicans are melting down over New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s request that residents in the five boroughs turn their air conditioners to 78 degrees — advice President Donald Trump’s own Department of Energy offers as well, as do some of their own states.

“New York: it’s hot out there, and the power grid is working overtime to keep us cool,” Mayor Mamdani noted on Wednesday, as a multi-day heat wave pushed temperatures to the mid-90s. Temperatures are expected to hit 100 degrees on Thursday for the first time in over a decade.

“Set your AC to 78 degrees, turn off lights/electronics you’re not using, and unplug what you can,” Mamdani asked. “Our City is doing its part too: maintaining the 78 degrees rule in our buildings, dimming/turning off our lights during peak electricity demand, asking private partners to do the same, and powering down non-essential equipment. A stable grid means the AC stays on, and lives are saved. Let’s ease demand — and get through the heat — together.”

That request did not go over well on the right.

“Welcome to socialism, where the government demands you turn your house into a sauna because they can’t plan for the super unpredictable fact that it tends to get hot in the summer,” retorted U.S. Rep. Brandon Gill (R-TX).

“This is what socialism looks like, folks,” added Vivek Ramaswamy, the GOP’s nominee for governor of Ohio. “The right answer isn’t restrictions or mandates. It’s drilling, fracking, coal, & nuclear. That’s how we’ll roll in Ohio.”

“In a first-world country, you could turn on the A/C….” wrote U.S. Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX), only to be met with a community note on the X social media platform, which read: “Ted Cruz’s own state has made the same request on numerous occasions.”

Emmy Award-winning WTTG anchor Jim Lokay also responded to Senator Cruz, writing: “Trump’s own Department of Energy website recommends setting the AC at a range of 75-78 degrees.”

Indeed, on its website, the Department of Energy says: “The Department of Energy (DOE) and ENERGY STAR recommend finding a comfortable indoor temperature during the day and increasing it by 7°F when no one is home. Start with an indoor temperature between 75-78°F during the day.”

Critics slammed some of the Republicans’ responses — especially that of Sen. Cruz.

“You are the absolute LAST person to weigh in, Captain Cancun,” retired intelligence officer Travis Akers wrote.

“Your state’s electrical grid crashes if it gets too hot or cold, so I wouldn’t be throwing stones here,” said Democratic strategist Mike Nellis.

 

Image via Shutterstock

 

 

 

 

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