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| Trump shows fake hurricane map in apparent bid to validate incorrect tweet | |
| (32 minutes later) | |
| To the annals of American political scandal, we must now add Sharpiegate. | To the annals of American political scandal, we must now add Sharpiegate. |
| Floridians still divided over climate crisis as Dorian rages | Floridians still divided over climate crisis as Dorian rages |
| In the Oval Office at lunchtime on Wednesday, Donald Trump held a briefing on Hurricane Dorian. At one point, the president held up a National Hurricane Center (NHC) map from 29 August, displaying the hurricane’s track and intensity. | In the Oval Office at lunchtime on Wednesday, Donald Trump held a briefing on Hurricane Dorian. At one point, the president held up a National Hurricane Center (NHC) map from 29 August, displaying the hurricane’s track and intensity. |
| Bizarrely, someone had apparently used a Sharpie, a kind of marker pen, to add a black loop falsely extending the hurricane’s path from Florida to Alabama. It was apparently a belated effort to justify Trump’s previous baseless claim that the latter state could be affected. | Bizarrely, someone had apparently used a Sharpie, a kind of marker pen, to add a black loop falsely extending the hurricane’s path from Florida to Alabama. It was apparently a belated effort to justify Trump’s previous baseless claim that the latter state could be affected. |
| The hamfisted, homespun addition triggered uproar on social media and a frenzy of speculation over whether the president himself, or perhaps some lackey eager to impress, was responsible. | The hamfisted, homespun addition triggered uproar on social media and a frenzy of speculation over whether the president himself, or perhaps some lackey eager to impress, was responsible. |
| Altering official government weather forecasts is against the law. | Altering official government weather forecasts is against the law. |
| Trump denied all knowledge. According to the Washington Post, when he was asked about the doctored map later on Wednesday, Trump said his briefings had included a “95% chance probability” that Alabama would be hit. | Trump denied all knowledge. According to the Washington Post, when he was asked about the doctored map later on Wednesday, Trump said his briefings had included a “95% chance probability” that Alabama would be hit. |
| Asked if the chart had been drawn on, he insisted: “I don’t know, I don’t know.” | Asked if the chart had been drawn on, he insisted: “I don’t know, I don’t know.” |
| Over the weekend, as Dorian bore down on and then brutally struck the Bahamas, the president issued a torrent of tweets. One mistakenly warned that Alabama would be impacted, potentially spreading panic. | Over the weekend, as Dorian bore down on and then brutally struck the Bahamas, the president issued a torrent of tweets. One mistakenly warned that Alabama would be impacted, potentially spreading panic. |
| Just 20 minutes later, the National Weather Service in Birmingham, Alabama, tweeted: “Alabama will NOT see any impacts from #Dorian. We repeat, no impacts from Hurricane #Dorian will be felt across Alabama. The system will remain too far east.” | Just 20 minutes later, the National Weather Service in Birmingham, Alabama, tweeted: “Alabama will NOT see any impacts from #Dorian. We repeat, no impacts from Hurricane #Dorian will be felt across Alabama. The system will remain too far east.” |
| But Trump is not one to admit he was wrong, whether over crowd sizes or how much of his border wall has been built. | But Trump is not one to admit he was wrong, whether over crowd sizes or how much of his border wall has been built. |
| In his Oval Office remarks, the president argued that on the “original chart”, Dorian was going to hit Florida directly “and that would have affected a lot of other states”. | In his Oval Office remarks, the president argued that on the “original chart”, Dorian was going to hit Florida directly “and that would have affected a lot of other states”. |
| “But that was the original chart,” he said. | “But that was the original chart,” he said. |
| The original NHC map, showing the probable path of the storm, can still be seen online. | The original NHC map, showing the probable path of the storm, can still be seen online. |
| Some saw the episode as the latest in the Trump administration’s war on reality. Bill Kristol, director of Defending Democracy Together and a conservative critic of Trump, posted sarcastically: “Who among us hasn’t altered a National Hurricane Center forecast with a Sharpie?” | Some saw the episode as the latest in the Trump administration’s war on reality. Bill Kristol, director of Defending Democracy Together and a conservative critic of Trump, posted sarcastically: “Who among us hasn’t altered a National Hurricane Center forecast with a Sharpie?” |
| Hurricane Dorian | Hurricane Dorian |
| Trump administration | Trump administration |
| Natural disasters and extreme weather | Natural disasters and extreme weather |
| US politics | US politics |
| news | news |
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