Tricky storm politics

Plus: Oath Keepers on trial and a long-awaited White House hunger conference [View this email online]( [NPR Politics]( October 1, 2022 This week, we looked at how storms are testing political leaders, the White House's hunger conference and the most high-profile trial stemming from the Capitol riot. Plus, NP-aRt. --------------------------------------------------------------- The Big Picture: Tricky storm politics Carlos Osorio for NPR The remnants of Hurricane Ian will continue to be felt this weekend and in coming days up and down the East Coast. These storms, which happen every year and have been made worse by climate change, are testing politicians and local leaders. “In some ways, these events cut through a lot of the silliness of politics and get to the seriousness of politics,” said Andrew Reeves, a professor at Washington University in St. Louis, where he studies, among other things, storm politics. Storms and natural disasters have always presented challenges for presidents and local leaders. If handled well, they can cement their images as leaders of their communities, looking competent and trusted to help constituents get what they need. If mishandled, they can be major albatrosses that mar their legacies. This storm comes just weeks before Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, someone believed to have presidential aspirations, stands for reelection. So the stakes for the people of Florida – and DeSantis – couldn’t be higher. It can be impossible to judge how a leader is handling a storm in its immediate aftermath. That judgment really comes with the answers to key questions facing any recovery: How quick and efficient are rescue efforts? When does power get restored? Are people able to get food and clean water? When are roads repaired and bridges reconnected? When are people able to get back into their homes? When can communities rebuild? And where does the money come from? “These are often sort of pop quizzes in leadership,” Reeves said. “This particular pop quiz happens to be close to a midterm election. … We’re almost in October here. And so this event is going to be different.” — [Domenico Montanaro]( NPR’s senior political editor/correspondent [Read More]( --------------------------------------------------------------- Newsletter continues after sponsor message --------------------------------------------------------------- ICYMI: Top Stories Evan Vucci/AP Government shutdown averted: With 11 hours to spare, the [House and Senate both passed a short-term government funding bill]( to avert a possible shutdown. The bill will keep the federal government funded through mid-December. White House hunger conference: President Biden pushed for Congress to permanently extend the child tax credit, raise the minimum wage and expand nutrition assistance programs to help reduce hunger rates in his remarks to the second-ever conference on food insecurity and diet-related diseases. [Here’s a rundown of what happened at the summit.]( Oath Keepers trial: [The most high-profile trial stemming from the January 6 insurrection]( at the U.S. Capitol began this week. Stewart Rhodes, the founder of the far-right Oath Keepers group, and four other people associated with the militia are facing charges of seditious conspiracy and other charges resulting from the attack. Student loan relief: In a remarkable reversal that will affect the fortunes of millions of student loan borrowers, [the Department of Education quietly changed its rules on who is eligible for President Biden's comprehensive student debt relief program](. The new change disqualifies borrowers who have privately-held FFEL and Perkins loans. Jan. 6 committee latest: [Ginni Thomas, a longtime GOP activist and wife of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, testified before the House select committee]( investigating the January 6 insurrection this week. She left the session more than four hours after her appearance began, and declined to comment to reporters. — [Brandon Carter]( NPR Politics social media producer --------------------------------------------------------------- Become a NPR Politics+ Subscriber Hey y'all. Want to show your support for our podcast and even listen to sponsor-free episodes? Try subscribing to The NPR Politics Podcast+ and get your political insights, news and analysis without the distraction. Learn more at [plus.npr.org/politics]( or at the link below. [Subscribe Today]( The Shot: Artifical Intelligence…Art? Image generated by DALL-E/OpenAI An artificial intelligence tool called DALL-E that's stunned users with its ability to render text into realistic images is now available to the public. OpenAI, the Silicon Valley research lab behind the program, announced Wednesday it has dropped the waitlist to use the program. We at NPR wasted no time in testing out the now-public program. Putting our own public radio spin on the generated art, [we offer you a sampling of works dreamt up by NPR journalists]( including the above, which was generated from the phrase "Digital art of Nina Totenberg slam dunking a basketball in space.” — [Brandon Carter]( NPR Politics social media producer --------------------------------------------------------------- Listen to your local NPR station. Visit NPR.org to find your local station stream. [Listen Live]( [Facebook]( [Instagram]( [Twitter]( What do you think of today's email? 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