PBS News Weekend: Texas Floods, Argentina's 'Dirty War', and Social Media Hippo

Texas Flash Floods and FEMA's Flood Maps

• ⚠️ Texas flash floods on July 4th resulted in at least 129 deaths and over 100 people still missing.
• 🔍 An analysis by NPR and PBS Frontline revealed that FEMA's flood maps significantly underreported the flood risk at Camp Mystic, where many died.
• 🗺️ Private companies' maps showed a higher risk, indicating that FEMA's backward-looking approach, lack of mandate for mapping rainfall or climate predictions, and insufficient funding contribute to the discrepancy.
• 🏠 Camp Mystic successfully appealed to have buildings removed from floodplain maps 15 years ago, circumventing requirements for flood-resistant construction, despite remaining in a dangerous area.
• 📉 This issue is widespread, with 98% of those affected by Hurricane Helene in North Carolina not being on FEMA's flood maps, impacting insurance and building requirements.

Challenges in Addressing Flood Risk

• 🏛️ Congress needs to fund FEMA for updated mapping, but faces pushback from politicians concerned about increased flood insurance rates and lobbying from homebuilder and realtor groups who prioritize affordability.
• 📉 Cuts to FEMA under the Trump administration are hindering its ability to update maps and insist on resilient building, with a potential rollback of flood-resistant construction requirements.

Argentina's 'Dirty War' and Human Rights Concerns

• ⚖️ Argentina, a global beacon for memory, truth, and justice, has over 1200 convictions for crimes against humanity from its 1976-1983 military dictatorship, during which an estimated 30,000 were disappeared.
• 👶 The regime appropriated over 400 babies born in clandestine detention centers, who are now being reunited with their families through organizations like the Grandmothers of Plaza de Mayo.
• 📉 Concerns are rising that President Javier Milei's government, focused on drastic state downsizing and economic reform, is dismantling key institutions involved in investigating past human rights abuses.
• 🚫 The Special Investigations Unit, National Genetic Data bank, and document analysis teams have faced budget cuts or closure, and memory sites are reducing operations.
• 🗣️ Both Milei and his vice president have questioned the number of victims and accused victim groups of manipulating memory for political gain.

NIH Funding Cuts and Sickle Cell Research

• 💰 Over $1 billion in NIH grants have been cut this year, including a $750,000 sickle cell disease research grant for Dr. Charity Oyedeji at Duke University.
• 🩸 Sickle cell disease predominantly affects Black people in the U.S., and Dr. Oyedeji's research focused on tailored exercise programs for older adults with the condition.
• 🚫 The grant termination notice cited