Gary Indiana Becomes Trump's Katrina

BUT THE MEDIA DOESN'T CARE

By Mildred Robertson

Gary Indiana, a predominantly Black community where roughly a third of residents live below the poverty line, is struggling back from an unprecedented storm on August 11 that left many without power or resources. The storm is reminiscent of Katrina in New Orleans in 2005 where a lackluster federal response left thousands of New Orleanians struggling to survive. While Gary residents don't have to contend with the prolonged flooding experienced by New Orleans residents, the lack of access to life's necessities post-disaster are similar. 

Unfortunately, the vivid pictures of flooding that dominated the airwaves during the Katrina disaster have not occurred during the Gary, Indiana storm. Apparently, downed trees and damaged power lines are not as gripping or captivating for the media, as the heart-wrenching photos that came out of New Orleans. But the pain of the Indiana residents is just as real. 

The August 11 storms brought winds up to 99 mph to Northwest Indiana, downing trees and power lines and initially leaving more than half of Gary without electricity. Some residents entered a third week without power, creating the urgent need for food, laundry, showers, phone charging, and other basic services.

NIPSCO, one of Indiana's largest natural gas and electric companies, says it has experienced about 374,500 customer outages since Aug. 11.  The prolonged power outage affected more than 38,300 homes and businesses in Gary and government response has been slow.  Power restoration for remaining customers was expected by midnight on August 25, 2026.

The lengthy restoration has fueled questions about NIPSCO's response and the resilience of Gary's power grid, especially as neighboring communities recovered. While Gary struggled, residents in nearby Indiana received a better response rate to the disaster. ComEd restored nearly all customers across the state line within days.

 As of Monday morning, about 3,878 customers remained without power because of the storms. While Gary has received federal help through FEMA's emergency declaration, direct assistance to residents; food, supplies, cooling and other necessities is largely coming from charities and local and state efforts.  The August 15 emergency declaration allows FEMA to support state and local emergency protective measures, but it does not automatically provide individual assistance directly to households.

Gary Mayor Eddie Melton met with U.S. Senator Jim Banks to discuss federal disaster assistance and recovery needs. Melton also spoke with President Trump and urged swift federal action for Gary residents and neighborhoods.

While the disparity in restoration of services is troublesome, Gary apparently experienced more severe weather than Indiana. The National Weather Service says the storm intensified as it moved into Northwest Indiana, with a 99-mph gust recorded at Gary/Chicago International Airport, a speed that falls within the range of Category 2 hurricane winds.

Gary residents have called out state leaders, including Gov. Mike Braun, who said over the weekend that it was unacceptable that NIPSCO was taking so long to restore power while Illinois communities across the border had already been restored.

This is bigger than a power outage in Gary, Indiana," Bernice King, civil rights organizer and daughter of Martin Luther King Jr, said on social media. "It is part of a pattern. Black communities have too often been expected to endure conditions that would be treated as intolerable somewhere else."

Nonprofits, businesses, volunteers, and public figures have stepped up to fill the void, providing meals, supplies, funding, and other aid to affected residents. Raydia Martin, assistant director of the Flourish Community Hub at Flourish Church in Gary, said volunteers and community groups have been an important part of the response. The Chicago Bears announced a $200,000 storm relief donation, split evenly between Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Chicago and Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Gary. World Central Kitchen distributed about 4,000 meals in Gary and nearby Lake Ridge with help from local volunteers.

As the city struggles to get back on its feet, the nation should examine partisan politics in federal services. On August 20, Indiana submitted a major disaster request seeking additional individual and public assistance, including possible FEMA support for households affected by this disaster. Gov. Mike Braun petitioned the federal government for assistance in 54 counties after the severe storm decimated the state's power system. President Trump approved the request for 21 counties,  less than half that number.  

Eligible residents in the designated counties can apply for grants of up to $5,000 to help cover immediate needs such as clothing and uninsured medical devices. Those affected should document damages and expenses and follow updates from the Indiana Department of Residents to find more information through the Indiana Department of Homeland Security.

Recovery and Cleanup

·   The American Red Cross offers disaster recovery resources on shelter, cleanup, and flood recovery. Call 1-800-733-2767 for assistance.  Keep photos and videos of storm damage and save receipts for repairs, temporary housing, replacement items, and other disaster-related expenses. Residents who were affected should continue saving documentation, monitoring official updates, and using available state and nonprofit recovery resources as they await further federal assistance. 

 

Low Global Approval of Trump, and Yet...

Public opinion on Donald Trump's standing on the world stage is dismissal. A multinational Pew Research Center report indicates that only 23% of adults across 36 countries worldwide express confidence in Trump to make good policy decisions on world affairs. His "America First" policies have strained relations with established Western allies, resulting in what appears to be an "America Alone" reality. 

While diplomatic tensions are high and traditional partnerships are strained, there seems to be inadequate pushback both domestically and internationally to curb this out-of-control despot as he wrecks havoc on the social and political stage both here and around the world.

Some of his most unconventional and disruptive policies include threatening sweeping tariffs on our closest allies like Canada and Mexico, threatening to annex Greenland and Canada, declaring international waterways as under U.S. control, undermining NATO and pulling the U.S. from multilateral pacts such as the Paris Climate Agreement. He also has suggested that the U.S. should control the Strait of Hormuz and charge for use of the vital shipping lane. He radically cut or froze international development funding, including global health initiatives. 

He has used the influence and might of the most powerful nation on this planet to play petty games, and one-up world leaders. His policies have denied food to starving people in Ethiopia while food rots in African harbours. He has disrupted the flow of lifesaving malaria prevention efforts and HIV/AIDS drug programs. He has rolled back the clock on climate change, erasing the positive strides of the Biden administration in the Paris Agreement on climate change. 

His positions on Ukraine, Gaza and Panama are haphazard. They are based on whim, rather than actual facts, planning and expertise. All of these policies have negatively impacted the world economy and threatened social stability worldwide. 

Nevertheless, world leaders still bow at his feet, strategizing about how to interact without triggering him. It is unbelievable to me that the entire WORLD seems to allow this toddler to throw tantrums as the world order devolves into a quagmire of his creation. 

Who will stop him? Clearly the American voter has not, up to this point, been able to do so. Perhaps November will show us a different America. Perhaps, in November, voters will stop looking for the PERFECT solution and pursue an ACHIEVABLE solution. Perhaps in November America will give the world something new to work with...a way to repair the damage inflicted by this toddler-king who still has not made it out of his diaper. 

Trump Accounts Closed Due To Money-Laundering Probe

 By Mildred Robertson

Capital One Bank closed roughly 385 accounts linked to President Donald Trump and the Trump Organization in 2021 after identifying characteristics associated with potential money-laundering risk under its Anti-Money Laundering (AML) policies.

Trump went to court, alleging that Capital One unlawfully denied the organization financial services for political reasons following the January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol. The Trump Organization accused the bank of political discrimination, arguing that the decision reflected the shifting political climate after the attack.

A motion filed by Capital One in a Florida federal court refutes that claim, stating that the decision followed several months of internal review by its Financial Crimes Compliance Team. The court filing over this past weekend requested that the lawsuit be dismissed, stating that “The closures were the result of months of analysis and careful review by Capital One’s AML team in accordance with bank policies and regulatory guidance.” 

According to Capital One, AML is an internal financial crimes and risk-compliance unit that investigates suspicious transactions, screens customer accounts against global watchlists, and ensures adherence to federal bank regulations. AML cited patterns in the flagged Trump accounts that were consistent with those identified through federal banking guidance as suspect.  

It is reported that Capital One had been fined $390 million by federal regulators just months before closing Trump’s accounts, due to lax anti-money laundering practices, which caused a heightened internal scrutiny of compliance issues. While Capital One did not actually accuse the Trump organization of illegal money laundering, it states that the accounts were closed based upon standard regulatory practices. The bank says that it never publicly disclosed why the accounts were closed and that the organization was given several months to move funds elsewhere.

It will be left up to the court to decided whether the "debanking" of Trumps accounts is anti-money laundering enforcement as stated by the bank, or is political discrimination. This litigation does, however, open the possibility that sensitive financial information related to the Trump accounts may become a matter of public record; an occurrence likely not considered by the Trump organization when bringing this suit.