McMahon Ed Secretary, FEMA Chief Testifies, X-odus Fuels Bluesky, Gaza Sniper Drones

Summary

Up First from NPR – November 20, 2024: Detailed Episode Summary

NPR’s "Up First" delivers a comprehensive overview of the day’s top stories, blending incisive reporting with insightful analysis. In the November 20, 2024 episode titled "McMahon Ed Secretary, FEMA Chief Testifies, X-odus Fuels Bluesky, Gaza Sniper Drones," host Emi Martinez guides listeners through four major topics: President-elect Donald Trump’s nomination of Linda McMahon as Education Secretary, scrutiny of FEMA’s disaster aid distribution, a significant user migration from X (formerly Twitter) to the emerging platform Bluesky, and alarming reports of sniper drones in Gaza. This summary delves into each segment, highlighting key discussions, notable quotes, and the overarching implications of these developments.

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1. Linda McMahon Nominated as Education Secretary

Overview: President-elect Donald Trump has nominated Linda McMahon, co-founder of WWE, to lead the U.S. Department of Education. This move has stirred debate given McMahon’s limited experience in education and the contentious political landscape surrounding the department’s future.

Key Points:

• Background of Linda McMahon: McMahon previously served as the head of the Small Business Administration during Trump’s first term but lacks substantial credentials in education. Her career is primarily rooted in business, notably as a WWE co-founder and former CEO.

• Political Implications: Conservatives have long advocated for the dissolution of the Department of Education, aligning with Trump’s broader agenda on school choice and reducing federal oversight in education.

• Potential Challenges: Experts express skepticism about McMahon’s ability to navigate the political hurdles required to potentially dismantle the department, emphasizing that such an action would necessitate significant Congressional support.

Notable Quotes:

• Debbie Elliott (NPR Expert): “[...] Linda McMahon is a very successful, no-nonsense businesswoman who has a ton of experience dealing with some pretty big personalities.” (01:13)

• Trump’s Statement on McMahon: “I expect her to be a champion for school choice...” (03:27)

Implications: McMahon’s appointment underscores Trump’s commitment to altering the education landscape, particularly in promoting school choice. However, the feasibility of closing the Department of Education remains uncertain, hinging on congressional acquiescence and McMahon’s ability to effectively advocate for her agenda within a complex political environment.

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2. FEMA Chief Faces Congressional Scrutiny

Overview: The Biden administration is advocating for nearly $100 billion in additional funds to bolster disaster recovery efforts amidst a year marked by severe hurricanes, flash floods, and wildfires. Concurrently, FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell is under intense scrutiny from Congress over allegations of political bias in disaster aid distribution.

Key Points:

• Allegations Against FEMA: Republicans accuse FEMA of engaging in partisan discrimination, specifically targeting homes bearing Trump campaign signs with delayed or denied aid.

• Specific Incidents:

  • A FEMA supervisor in Lake Placid, Florida, was terminated for directing aid workers to bypass homes displaying Trump signs following Hurricane Milton (05:19).
  • Additional reports suggest similar discriminatory practices in Georgia, though these remain unverified by NPR.

• FEMA’s Response: Criswell vehemently denies systemic bias, asserting that the actions of a single employee do not reflect the agency’s broader mission. She has called for independent investigations to ascertain the extent of these incidents.

• Broader Impact: These accusations may jeopardize future FEMA funding and undermine public trust in disaster response, especially among supporters who feel marginalized.

Notable Quotes:

• House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer: “[This incident] amounts to the weaponization of government.” (06:40)

• FEMA Chief Deanne Criswell: “This type of behavior and action will not be tolerated at FEMA, and we will hold all people accountable if they violate our standards of conduct.” (07:33)

Implications: The controversy surrounding FEMA’s aid distribution practices highlights the politicization of disaster response mechanisms. Should these allegations hold merit, it could lead to significant reforms within FEMA and affect its operational funding. Additionally, public perception of FEMA’s impartiality is at stake, potentially influencing the agency’s effectiveness in future disaster scenarios.

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3. Mass Exodus from X Fuels Rise of Bluesky

Overview: Following the 2024 election, over 100,000 users have migrated from X (formerly Twitter) to Bluesky, a newer social media platform seeking to establish itself as a viable alternative. This shift, termed the “X-odus,” raises questions about the sustainability and future trajectory of social media ecosystems.

Key Points:

• Reasons for Leaving X:

  • Post-election, X saw a surge in pro-Trump content, exacerbated by Elon Musk’s algorithm adjustments that highlighted his own posts.
  • Users desiring a more balanced or different content environment have found the atmosphere on X increasingly polarized and saturated with specific political narratives.

• Introduction to Bluesky:

  • Features: Bluesky offers a customizable user experience, allowing individuals to build their own feeds or select from over 50,000 predefined feeds catering to diverse interests, from casual topics like pets to specialized content like sports.
  • Philosophy: The platform emphasizes user control and minimal interference from centralized algorithms, aiming to empower users to curate their social media interactions.

• Challenges Facing Bluesky:

  • User Base: Despite rapid growth claims of a million new users daily, Bluesky’s total of 20 million users remains modest compared to established platforms like Threads and X.
  • Monetization: Bluesky has eschewed traditional revenue models such as advertisements and data monetization. Its reliance on investor funding and potential shift to a subscription-based model poses sustainability questions.

Notable Quotes:

• Jay Graber (Bluesky CEO): “This is a choose your own adventure quality of the app really puts the power in the hands of the average user.” (10:32)

• Bluesky Vision Statement: “We wanted to build social that’s built by the people for the people.” (11:12)

Implications: Bluesky’s emergence as a potential alternative to traditional social media platforms represents a significant shift towards user-centric design and autonomy. However, its long-term viability is contingent upon its ability to scale, secure sustainable revenue streams, and differentiate itself sufficiently in a competitive market dominated by giants like Meta and X.

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4. Gaza’s Rising Use of Sniper Drones

Overview: NPR has uncovered disturbing reports of new sniper drone technology being employed by the Israeli military in Gaza. These devices, equipped with remote-controlled rifles, have been implicated in the targeted killing of civilians, including children, raising profound ethical and humanitarian concerns.

Key Points:

• Technology Description:

  • These drones resemble standard quadcopters but are equipped with rifle barrels and stabilization systems to compensate for recoil during firing.
  • Manufactured primarily by Israeli companies with military ties, this technology has been available on the market for several years.

• Eyewitness Accounts:

  • Adib Shakfa’s Story: In May, Shakfa witnessed a drone fatally shoot his 32-year-old son and two rescuers during a routine walk in Gaza (13:22).
  • Medical Perspectives: Dr. Mimi Syed, an emergency trauma doctor in Gaza, has reported an influx of patients with single gunshot wounds to the head, consistently attributing these injuries to drone attacks (15:04).

• Israeli Military’s Position: The Israeli Defense Ministry has not confirmed the use of sniper drones in these incidents and has dismissed allegations of civilian targeting as “unfounded and baseless” (15:51).

• NPR’s Investigation: Efforts to obtain official acknowledgment or denial from the Israeli military were unsuccessful, reinforcing the difficulty in verifying these claims amidst active conflict.

Notable Quotes:

• Dr. Mimi Syed: “[...] every time someone would come in, they would be brought by family, but it was routine practice to ask what happened.” (15:39)

• Israeli Military Statement: “Any suggestion that Israel intends to harm civilians is unfounded and baseless.” (16:19)

Implications: The reported deployment of sniper drones in Gaza signifies a troubling advancement in warfare technology with potentially dire implications for civilian safety and international humanitarian law. These allegations, if substantiated, could exacerbate tensions, prompt calls for technological disarmament, and influence future diplomatic and military strategies in the region.

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Conclusion

The November 20, 2024 episode of "Up First from NPR" navigates through complex and pressing issues shaping the socio-political and technological landscape. From high-stakes political appointments and contested government agencies to shifts in social media dynamics and the harrowing realities of conflict zones, the episode encapsulates the multifaceted challenges and transformations of our time. Through meticulous reporting and diverse perspectives, NPR offers listeners a nuanced understanding of these critical developments.

Notable Episode Contributors:

• Corey Turner
• Debbie Elliott
• Bobby Allen
• Kat Lansdorf

Production Credits: Edited by Russell Lewis, Cara Platoni, Nicole Cohen, Mohammed El Bardici, and Ali Schweitzer. Produced by Ziad Butch, Nia Dumas, and Milton Guevara, with engineering support from Carly Strange and technical direction by Zach Coleman.

For more in-depth stories and analyses, consider subscribing to NPR’s offerings and support your local NPR station at donate.npr.org.

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Timestamps Reference

1. Linda McMahon Nomination:

   • Introduction: 00:02 - 03:27
   • Expert Insights: 01:13

2. FEMA Scrutiny:

   • Overview and Accusations: 04:50 - 07:53

3. Exodus to Bluesky:

   • User Migration Details: 09:12 - 12:47

4. Gaza Sniper Drones:

   • Eyewitness Accounts and Investigation: 13:22 - 16:19

Transcript

[Michelle Martin]

President elect Donald Trump picks the co founder of the WWE to run the Department of education.

[Martinez]

Linda McMahon ran the small Business Administration during Trump's first term, but has little experience in education. And it's a department that many conservatives want to shut down.

[Michelle Martin]

I'm Michelle Martin. That's a Martinez. And this is up first from NPR News. FEMA is under fire. Some Republicans accuse the agency of playing politics with disaster aid.

[Martinez]

FEMA essentially treats the homes of President Trump's supporters as if they were homes of people with vicious dogs.

[Michelle Martin]

Could this jeopardize future funding for disaster relief?

[Martinez]

And a large number of people have left the social media platform X since Donald Trump won the election. And now a smaller platform called bluesky is seeing a surge in users. Can it become the next Twitter?

[Corey Turner]

Stay with us.

[Martinez]

We've got all the news you need to start your day. President elect Donald Trump's cabinet nominations continue to roll in. And we got one more late yesterday.

[Michelle Martin]

Trump has tapped Linda McMahon to run the US Department of Education. And that's an agency that conservatives have wanted to shut down for years. She is probably best known as a co founder of the wwe, the professional wrestling company.

[Martinez]

For more on this, we're joined by NPR's Corey Turner. So, Corey, tell us about Linda McMahon.

[Debbie Elliott]

Yeah, she is a surprise insofar as there were a handful of education candidates out there with real conservative credentials and McMahon is not one of them. She is co founder and former CEO of World Wrestling Entertainment, better known as wwe. As you said, she's been friends with Donald Trump for many years, going back to those early wrestling days. She's also twice run as Republican for a U.S. senate seat in Connecticut, but she lost both times. During Trump's first term, he picked McMahon to run the Small Business Administration. In fact, when she spoke at the RNC before this past election, she talked mostly about taxes and tariffs.

[Martinez]

President Trump is a job creator and the best friend American workers have ever.

[Bobby Allen]

Had in the White House.

[Debbie Elliott]

You know, I think it's clear President Elect Trump really trusts Linda McMahon. She has also been co chairing his transition team.

[Martinez]

So she is on tap to be his education secretary. What experience does Linda McMahon have in education or education policy?

[Debbie Elliott]

Yeah, not a lot. That's obvious. She did serve briefly on the Connecticut State Board of Education. In fact, I found her testimony after she was nominated. She told the committee she had gone to college with plans to become a teacher. She also mentioned several initiatives that she had pushed while she was running wwe, including a program to encourage kids to read. But she resigned from the State board after about a year to mount her first Senate bid. More recently, she has chaired the board for the America First Policy Institute, which supports school choice across the country. And that includes letting parents spend public dollars in private schools. But it's hard to know how involved she was in that part of their pretty broad portfolio. What is clear is that she is a very successful, no nonsense businesswoman who has a ton of experience dealing with some pretty big personalities.

[Martinez]

Yeah, that she does. Which m come in handy if she's confirmed. So then let's talk about Trump's big promise to close the Education Department. How is she going to do that?

[Debbie Elliott]

Yeah, look, a bipartisan group of experts have told me over the past week, closing the department is one wrestling match that McMahon probably cannot win or really any secretary. And that's because the department was created by Congress and only Congress can abolish it. And doing that will require 60 votes in the Senate to overcome the filibuster. But here's the thing. In, in Trump's statement announcing McMahon's nomination, he said he expects her to be a champion for school choice, and it would be hard for her to do that without an Education Department. Trump's first education secretary, Betsy DeVos, was also an outspoken advocate for school choice. She kind of struggled to get much done nationally, and that's because school choice policies tend to happen at the state level and they vary pretty wildly. One thing McMahon could try to do is use the department to incentivize more states and communities to embrace some kind of school choice. Republicans in the Senate have also been pushing this new tax credit that would fund scholarships to students to help pay for private school tuition. But again, a, it's, it's early and it is hard to know how feasible these ideas will be even with Republicans controlling Congress.

[Martinez]

NPR's Cory Turner. Thanks, Corey.

[Debbie Elliott]

You're welcome.

[Martinez]

The Biden administration wants more money for disaster recovery, but the agency that responds to natural disasters, fema, is fending off attacks in Congress.

[Michelle Martin]

Yes, the administration is seeking nearly $100 billion in additional funds after this year's onslaught of hurricanes, flash floods and wildfires. Meanwhile, FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell spent Tuesday on Capitol Hill. She had to defend against accusations that the agency responded slowly to dis and discriminated against some hurricane victims for political reasons.

[Martinez]

NPR's Debbie Elliott is covering the story. Debbie Criswell testified before two House committees. So what did members of Congress press her on?

[Bobby Allen]

Well, specifically, this was about FEMA's response to hurricanes Helene and Milton, catastrophic storms. You'll remember that struck the Southeast in late September and then early October, back to back. More than 200 people were killed and the storms caused billions of dollars in damage. But there's one particular incident that prom this scrutiny. A now fired FEMA supervisor directed workers who were doing door to door canvassing in Lake Placid, Florida, to skip over houses that had Trump campaign signs in the aftermath of Hurricane Milton. Now that former crew lead is what she was. Marnie Washington has since claimed she was following standard protocol to avoid hostility in the field, something workers did face after disinformation spread in the wake of Hurricane Helene. So the focus of these hearings is whether there's a wider cultural problem at fema. Here's House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, a Republican from Kentucky.

[Martinez]

This same employee alleged on TV that.

[Kat Lansdorf]

This was not an isolated event and.

[Martinez]

That FEMA essentially treats the homes of President Trump supporters as if they were homes of people with vicious dogs.

[Kat Lansdorf]

This is unacceptable.

[Martinez]

Americans demand accountability.

[Bobby Allen]

He says this incident amounts to the weaponization of government. Comer also entered into the record another reported incident of a household in Georgia being told by a FEMA contractor that they should remove any Trump campaign material. Now that's something NPR has not verified.

[Martinez]

So how did the FEMA chief respond?

[Bobby Allen]

In both the House Oversight Committee and then earlier before the Transportation and Infrastructure Panel, Dan Criswell repeatedly denied any wider issue in the way that FEMA doles out disaster aid. She says Marnie Washington's instruction to disaster assistance teams to avoid homes, quote, advertising Trump was reprehensible and at odds with the agency's mission. Here's part of her testimony before the House Oversight Committee.

[Corey Turner]

This type of behavior and action will not be tolerated at fema, and we.

[Bobby Allen]

Will hold all people accountable if they.

[Corey Turner]

Violate our standards of conduct. I do not believe that this employee's actions are indicative of any widespread cultural problems at fema.

[Bobby Allen]

Now, Democrats on the panel, like ranking member Jamie Raskin of Maryland, tried to point out that President Elect Trump and his allies had pushed conspiracy theories about the hurricane response.

[Debbie Elliott]

FEMA aid workers have been forced to.

[Kat Lansdorf]

Work under a cloud of propaganda and lies concocted to erode public trust in female.

[Debbie Elliott]

Because of this disinformation, many victims of.

[Martinez]

Hurricanes have rejected federal assistance and others.

[Debbie Elliott]

Have even harassed and threatened FEMA workers.

[Martinez]

So we know one FEMA supervisor has been fired for ordering workers to skip over homes with Trump signs. Could there maybe be more fallout from this incident?

[Bobby Allen]

Well, that's a good question. Criswell says an internal investigation is underway and she's also asked for an independent probe by the inspector general for the Department of Homeland Security to determine whether this was an isolated incident or whether others at the agency are also at fault. In the meantime, she says They've identified about 20 homes that were skipped over and have since sent workers to help them register for aid, if they qualify. We should also note that CRIS was also named in a federal discrimination lawsuit that was filed by Florida's attorney general.

[Martinez]

That's NPR's Debbie Elliott. Debbie, thanks.

[Bobby Allen]

You're welcome.

[Martinez]

It's become known as the Exodus. Since Donald Trump won the election, at least 100,000 people have left X, the social media site owned by Elon Musk.

[Michelle Martin]

Musk, of course, was a vocal Trump surrogate and a major donor, and now one of Trump's key advisors. And lately, X has become overrun with posts about Musk and Trump. Many looking for an alternative have turned to a site called Blue Sky.

[Martinez]

We're joined by NPR tech correspondent Bobby Allen to hear all about it. So we know by now that Elon Musk has made many changes at the site formerly known as Twitter. But why are so many people leaving now?

[Kat Lansdorf]

Yeah, you know, the election might have something to do with it. Right after Trump won, many on X noted an uptick in pro Trump content leading up to the election. Musk tinkered with the algorithm to give his own posts a boost. And Musk was posting a lot about Trump. But to those who are, you know, not fans of Trump, X became too flooded with Trump backers. There, you know, have always been conservatives on the app, back when it was Twitter. But users said this time around, it just stopped being a mix of views and just started being posts about Trump and posts about Musk. For some people, that was a turnoff. So they went to Blue Sky.

[Martinez]

Yeah. And I'll admit it, when I first heard about it, Bobby, I wanted to call it blueski. But I know it is Blue Sky. I know it is Blue Sky. Very chipper name. And I'll admit when I log onto it, Bobby, it kind of looks like X. So what's different?

[Kat Lansdorf]

It does. It looks a lot like X. When you log on, there's a feed of text posts from people you follow. So the look and feel remind you of X Twitter. But the difference is BlueSky users have more choice about what they see and who they talk to. If you don't like what you see on the app, you can actually build your own feed or search a database of feeds. There are more than 50,000 to choose from, say a feed full of cat and dog photos or a feed full of news only about the Los Angeles Lakers. Whatever you want. I Talked to the CEO of BlueSky, her name is Jay Graber. And she says this choose your own adventure quality of the app really puts the power in the hands of the average user.

[Corey Turner]

My concern with the Internet is it's.

[Bobby Allen]

Just become too controlled by a few.

[Corey Turner]

Powerful interests and people don't have enough ability to control their own fate. And so we wanted to build social that's built by the people for the people.

[Martinez]

Right, by the people, for the people. So how many people have actually gone to Blue sky so far?

[Kat Lansdorf]

Yeah, well so far it's pretty tiny. Graver says since the election they've added a million people a day, which is a remarkable number. But overall they have about 20 million users, which is quite small compared to to Meta's X competitor Threads, which has hundreds of millions and X itself which also has hundreds of millions. But Blue Sky A is really where all the energy is right now. I mean, celebrities, politicians, influencers, you name it, are opening accounts on bluesky. It is too early to say that it is the new Twitter, but bluesky fans are sure hoping so.

[Martinez]

So then what, if anything, is standing in the way of bluesky becoming the new Twitter?

[Kat Lansdorf]

Well, right now their staff and infrastructure are just quite limited and they will need money to support growing and they haven't shared a long term business plan. They have said that BlueSky will never display advertisements, that it won't harvest users data. Those two are usually how social media companies make money. But Blue Sky's not going to do either. Right now Blue sky is just operating off of investor money. And when I talked to Graeber, she told me that they hope to do a subscription model to generate some revenue. But as it stands a that is the big question facing the future of Blue Sky. How in the world will it ever make money?

[Martinez]

That's NPR's Bobby Allen. Bobby, thanks.

[Kat Lansdorf]

Thanks A.

[Martinez]

Eyewitnesses tell NPR that the Israeli military is using a new type of drone in its war against Hamas in Gaza. A sniper drone. For months, NPR has collected more than a dozen accounts from people who have seen these sniper drones being used in Gaza. And many say they have seen them used to shoot and sometimes kill civilians. For more on this, we're joined by NPR's Cat Lansdorf. Cat, so why did you start looking into this?

[Corey Turner]

Yeah, well, I first heard about these drones this summer. We interviewed a man named Adib Shakfa who was in Gaza. He was telling us about an Incident at the end of May when he was walking on a quiet day with his 32 year old son and a small drone appeared and shot his son in the head. He told us two men rushed in to help his son and the drone shot them too. One of those men was killed along with Shakfa's son. You know, we know that drones are used in Gaza for surveillance and even to drop bombs, bombs by the Israeli military. But when I first heard this, my editor and I had this moment, like, wait, a drone shot them? We thought maybe we didn't understand correctly, so I started looking into it.

[Martinez]

So what did you find?

[Corey Turner]

So I pretty quickly figured out that this technology does exist. It's been on the market for several years and there are a few different companies making it. Many of them are based in Israel or have ties to Israel or the Israeli military. And just so you can picture it, you know, these are small drones with multiple rotors on the top. They kind of look like the drones that anyone could buy at like an electronics store, but a little bit bigger. And then they've got a camera attached to them so that whoever's operating the drone can see what's in front of them in front of the drone. And then there's a long rifle barrel attached. And that gun can be fired remotely. And the drone is designed to compensate for the recoil of the weapon while it's hovering. I should say that NPR repeatedly asked the Israeli military if it was using this sniper drone technology in Gaza. It didn't respond to our question, but it's very common that a military won't disclose what weapons they're using, especially in active warfare. And like I said, several of the companies we found have ties to Israel. And the Israeli Defense Ministry has touted the technology in the past.

[Martinez]

What did you hear from people in Gaza about how this sniper drone is being used?

[Corey Turner]

Well, we heard a lot of pretty disturbing stories. You know, that these drones appear quickly and quietly, that they come in after airstrikes and shoot people trying to pull people out of the rubble. They come near hospitals, they come to camps of displaced people. And many people told us stories about them being used to shoot civilians, sometimes children. I talked with Dr. Mimi Syed. She's an American emergency trauma doctor who worked in Gaza recently. And she told me that she would see multiple patients a day, many in pediatrics with single gunshot wounds to the head. Every time someone would come in, they.

[Kat Lansdorf]

Would be brought by family, but it.

[Corey Turner]

Was my routine practice to ask what happened.

[Martinez]

And every time it would be a drone quadcopter shot, quadcopter or drone shot?

[Corey Turner]

So she said she saw this day after day, people coming in from different parts of Gaza and talking about a quadcopter drone shooting from different incidents. You know, people in Gaza talk about these drones all the time. We started noticing it after interview after interview, and it seems like they become really, really common. We asked the Israeli military about several of the individual incidents we heard about, including the first one I told you about. It said it was unaware of the incidents and said that any suggestion that Israel intends to harm civilians is, quote, unfounded and baseless.

[Debbie Elliott]

All right.

[Martinez]

That's NPR's Kat Lansdorf. Kat, thank you very much.

[Corey Turner]

Thank you.

[Martinez]

And that's up first for Wednesday, November 20th. I'm Emi Martinez.

[Michelle Martin]

And I'm Michelle Martin. Your next listen is Consider this from npr. Here at up first, we give you the three big stories of the day. Our CONSIDER this colleagues take a different approach. They dive into a single news story and what it means to you in just 15 minutes. Listen now on the NPR app or wherever you get your podcast.

[Martinez]

Today's episode of up first was edited by Russell Lewis, Cara Platoni, Nicole Cohen, Mohammed El Bardici and Ali Schweitzer. It was produced by Ziad Butch, Nia Dumas and Milton Guevara. We get engineering support from Carly Strange, and our technical director is Zach Coleman. Join us again tomorrow.