Heckuva Job, Take Two

Staff / Truthdig Sep 4, 2008 How would the president rate the government's response to Hurricane Gustav? In a word: "Excellent." Eager to escape the shadow of Katrina, which has come to symbolize the incompetence of his administration, Hurricane George made landfall in Louisiana Wednesday for some hands-on disaster relief. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Hot Wind

Mr. Fish / Truthdig Sep 2, 2008 Dig deeper

Bush Will Skip Convention

Staff / Truthdig Sep 1, 2008 Hurricane Gustav has given the Republicans the excuse they needed to keep the unpopular president out of his party's big party. John McCain will be spared another awkward embrace while George W. Bush is off in Texas pestering survivors. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

New Orleans Mayor Orders Evacuation

Staff / Truthdig Aug 31, 2008 New Orleans residents began fleeing the city this weekend in preparation for Hurricane Gustav to hit the Louisiana coast just three years after Hurricane Katrina devastated the region. New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin underscored the severity of the situation, telling locals they had to evacuate starting at 8 a.m. Sunday but would be wise to start earlier. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Fortune Frowns on McCain

Staff / Truthdig Jul 24, 2008 John McCain had hoped for a photo op atop an oil rig, but he got a hurricane and an oil spill instead. The senator is known for his superstitions, but lately his lucky charms don't seem to be doing the trick. The Washington Post takes a closer look at McCain's week of bad luck and finds there's more to frown about on the horizon. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Jazz Fest ’08: Homecoming on Muddy Ground

Larry Blumenfeld / Truthdig May 27, 2008 It's easy in New Orleans these days to read meaning and purpose into every lyric or song choice -- was Sheryl Crow commenting on the housing crisis by covering "Gimme Shelter," or was she just doing a Stones tune? Also, it's impossible to take in all the music and all the messages emanating from the Jazz Fest's 10 stages. Still, a good deal of what I did catch was timely, topical and worth remembering. Dig deeper ( 14 Min. Read )

Hurricane Ka…Uh…Whatever

Staff / Truthdig Aug 7, 2007 Laura Bush misplaces a "t" in this clip that makes you wonder if she gets her news from bubble gum wrappers. Not to beat up on the first lady, but seriously, if you forget what one of the most talked-about events of the last two years is called, don't just make something up. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Hurricane Season: The Readiness Is All

Chris Mooney / Truthdig Jun 12, 2007 Despite the lessons of Katrina, the U.S. is still incredibly vulnerable this hurricane season and looking toward a future -- and still lacking in vision -- that could spell serious trouble for previously pummeled targets like New Orleans, as well as some unexpected areas of the country. Dig deeper ( 6 Min. Read )

‘Real Time’ Panelists Look at Katrina Aid Debacle

Staff / Truthdig May 7, 2007 Bill Maher assembled a panel, consisting of actors Sean Penn and Gary Shandling and Democratic Leadership Council Chairman Harold Ford Jr., to speculate about the myriad reasons (none of them good) why the U.S. turned down hundreds of millions of dollars in aid offered by other nations after Hurricane Katrina. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

U.S. Missed the Boat on Allies’ Katrina Aid

Staff / Truthdig Apr 29, 2007 In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, the U.S. declined, delayed or didn't collect aid in the form of supplies, manpower and hundreds of millions of dollars from Israel, Canada and Britain. The Washington Post reports that the three countries offered $854 million, of which only $40 million has been used, according to State Department figures. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

One Year Later: The Real State of New Orleans

Staff / Truthdig Aug 29, 2006 President Bush may be giving speeches about how the federal government is standing with the people of the Gulf Coast, but as ThinkProgress points out, the facts speak for themselves: Sixty percent of homes still lack electricity. Less than half of the city?s pre-storm population of 460,000 has returned. Nearly a third of the trash is yet to be picked up. Also, check out this superb Katrina timeline. UPDATE: Watch MSNBC footage of Katrina's devastation. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Jabari Asim: After the Storm

Jabari Asim / Truthdig Aug 28, 2006 New Orleans' sudden death was equivalent to the slow deaths of cities like Philadelphia, Newark and Oakland. So many of the same conditions exist; only the weather is different. Dig deeper ( 3 Min. Read )