Aug 30, 2017

No mercy: Harvey sets rainfall records, makes landfall again

David J. Phillip / AP

Coming crisis ... Houstonians with no flood insurance: "When Harvey struck Houston there were far fewer homes and other properties in the area with flood insurance than just five years ago ... The sharp drop means many residents fleeing Harvey's floodwaters have no financial backup to fix up their homes." (AP)

Gauges have shown 52 inches and 49 inches of rain: "If either of these are confirmed, it would be the heaviest storm-total rainfall from any tropical cyclone in the continental U.S. in records dating to 1950, topping the 48-inch storm total in Medina, Texas, from Tropical Storm Amelia in 1978." (Weather Channel)
Harvey made landfall again this morning, this time in Louisiana: "Periods of torrential rain will continue over parts of Texas and Louisiana the next several days, worsening flooding in some areas." (Weather Channel)
Latest stats: "The ... most powerful hurricane to hit Texas in more than 50 years has killed at least 17 people, forced tens of thousands of people to leave deluged homes and caused damage estimated at tens of billions of dollars, making it one of the costliest U.S. natural disasters." (Reuters)
N.Y. Times Quote of the Day — Miriam Camero, a caseworker in Houston for an immigrant legal-aid group, on the added uncertainty many undocumented people are facing in the Harvey chaos: "Most of our clients have ankle monitors, and we don't know how these devices will withstand being underwater."
Houston Chronicle banner: "EPIC FLOODING SHOWS NO MERCY." (Read the digital paper free.)

Go deeper

Orion Rummler

Updated 1 hour ago - Politics & Policy

George Floyd protests: Unrest continues for 6th night across U.S.

A protest near the White House on Sunday night. Photo: Alex Wong/Getty Images

Most external lights at the White House were turned off late Sunday as the D.C. National Guard was deployed and authorities fired tear gas at hundreds of protesters nearby, per the New York Times.

What's happening: It's one of several tense, late-night standoffs between law enforcement and demonstrators in the United States.

Go deeper (2 min. read)

Sara Fischer

Updated 6 hours ago - Politics & Policy

Journalists get caught in the crosshairs as protests unfold

A man waves a Black Lives Matter flag atop the CNN logo outside the CNN Center during a protest in response to the police killing of George Floyd, Atlanta, Georgia, May 29. Photo: Elijah Nouvelage/Getty Images

Dozens of journalists across the country tweeted videos Saturday night of themselves and their crews getting arrested, being shot at by police with rubber bullets, targeted with tear gas by authorities or assaulted by protesters.

Driving the news: The violence got so bad over the weekend that on Sunday the Cleveland police said the media was not allowed downtown unless "they are inside their place of business" — drawing ire from news outlets around the country, who argued that such access is a critical part of adequately covering protests.

Go deeper (2 min. read)

Jonathan Swan

9 hours ago - Politics & Policy

Inside Trump's antifa tweet

President Trump at Cape Canaveral on May 30. Photo: Paul Hennessy/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images

As recently as Saturday night, senior administration officials told me that the designation of a violent cohort of far-left activists, antifa, as a terrorist organization was not being seriously discussed at the White House. But that was Saturday.

Behind the scenes: The situation changed dramatically a few hours later, after prominent conservative allies of the president, such as his friend media commentator Dan Bongino, publicly urged a tough response against people associated with antifa (short for "anti-fascist").

Go deeper (1 min. read)