Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

Texas News Anchor Slams Noem And Abbott For Using Flood Press Conference To Praise Each Other

screenshot of KSAT ABC 12 news anchors  and Stephania Jimenez

San Antonio news anchor Stephania Jimenez shared her anger after Homeland Security Sec. Kristi Noem, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, and other officials spent nearly 30 minutes praising each other for how they responded to the devastating floods instead of giving vital updates.

KSAT ABC 12 News anchor Stephania Jimenez called out the priorities of federal and state officials during disasters live on air on Saturday.

Jiminez spoke out after a fifth news conference that was supposed to be about the deadly flash flooding west of San Antonio began with yet another mutual admiration society performance by Department of Homeland Security head Kristi Noem, Texas Republican Governor Greg Abbott, and nearly everyone else behind the microphones.


State and federal officials spent the beginning of every news conference effusively thanking and praising each other and MAGA Republican President Donald Trump instead of giving immediate updates on search and rescue efforts, the status of the dead and missing people, or anything about the floods in and around the Texas Hill Country and the Guadalupe River.

Once Noem and Abbott were done gushing over how great they all were, other officials did the same, again delaying disclosing the information that the people affected by the floods needed to hear for almost half an hour.

The fifth time proved to be too much for Jimenez to listen without comment while her co-anchor, Steve Spriester, studiously avoided looking at her or the camera.

You can watch the moment here:


Jiminez said:

“What I was struck by is that we really didn’t get any concrete information until 27 minutes into that news conference where you had the governor speak, you had Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem speak for a while."
"But you know what people are wanting is information."

She added:

"I don’t know what it is about people who run for federal office that whenever disasters like this happen, they take it upon themselves to first list all the names of people they want to thank."
"Um, not what we want to hear right now."

Jimenez wasn't wrong in her assessment, with actual information not coming until 26 minutes and 30 seconds into the fifth press conference that was declared to provide information to the anxious families, friends, and neighbors waiting for news about their loved ones and their community.

No one took questions until after Abbott performed a signing ceremony for a disaster-aid request for Trump, gushed about Trump’s love of Texas, effusively thanked Trump, and asked for prayers repeatedly.

Noem then took her turn thanking Abbott and name-dropping Trump. Texas Republican Senator John Cornyn also took up people's time to thank and praise everyone, followed by other officials taking their turn to fawn over Trump, Abbott and Noem.

Then the press conference actually turned to information people had wanted to hear.

Jimenez shared the sentiments of many of those desperate for news, saying:

"That was a lot longer than it needed to be. If they don’t have the latest information that they can give us, they should have said so."
"My point is that they spent way too long thanking each other. And this is something that is bipartisan. We see it whenever there’s a disaster. Doesn’t matter which President is in office."
"For some reason federal leaders tend to thank each other for a long time before they tell us what we actually need."

The San Antonio news anchor reminded the officials:

"This disaster happened yesterday and what people want is information."
"They can't even tell us right now exactly how many people are missing. We understand why—the 4th of July holiday weekend, there were a lot of people there that are unaccounted for."
"People are on pins and needles waiting."

Jimenez's somewhat uncomfortable looking colleague added:

"I worried we weren't going to get any information at all. [Officials] weren't going to tell us the death toll, how many people are missing, how many kids have been lost."

People agreed that the priority during disasters and their aftermath should be on information, not self-adoration.

HuffPost/Facebook



HuffPost/Facebook


HuffPost/Facebook



HuffPost/Facebook


HuffPost/Facebook



HuffPost/Facebook


HuffPost/Facebook



HuffPost/Facebook


HuffPost/Facebook


@CarolOksanen/X


HuffPost/Facebook


HuffPost/Facebook


HuffPost/Facebook


@KaJo503/X


HuffPost/Facebook


HuffPost/Facebook

As of this writing, the July 4th flash floods in the region have claimed the lives of 104 people, including 84 people in Kerr County alone.

The number of missing continues to change as people take account of their families, friends, and neighbors.

More from Trending

Donald Trump; Playstation 5 logo
Andrew Harnik/Getty Images; Thomas Fuller/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images

Gamers Rage After Sony Raises Price Of Playstation Amid Trump's Tariffs

Gamers are very unhappy after Sony announced a $50 price hike on PS5 gaming consoles due to "a challenging economic environment"—a move that puts them in line with many global businesses impacted by President Donald Trump's tariffs.

In a blog post, Isabelle Tomatis, Sony Interactive Entertainment's Vice President of Global Marketing, said the company has "made the difficult decision to increase the recommended retail price for PlayStation 5 consoles in the U.S. starting on August 21."

Keep ReadingShow less

People In Long-Term Relationships Explain The Things No One Tells You About

None of us can look into the future and scan everything that will ever happen to us, so there's really no telling exactly what will happen at that job, during that vacation, or throughout that relationship.

But at least on the last point, there are some things that tend to come up in long-term relationships and marriages that brand new love birds might not see coming.

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshots from @k_bug68's TikTok video
@k_bug68/TikTok

Grocery Store Employee's Iconically Bad Decorating Job On $30 Cake Has The Internet Cackling

We all make mistakes. Sometimes the best thing we can do is laugh at them.

TikToker @k_bug68 showed herself at the beginning of a TikTok video, appearing clearly amused as she looks down at the camera.

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshots from @zarababyz's TikTok video
@zarababyz/TikTok

Little Girl Goes Viral For Her Adorable Way Of Wearing Her Backpack For First Day Of Preschool

Back-to-school season is in full swing, and everyone's social media feeds are full of cute, smiling faces off to their first day of school, more mature faces off to their last first day before college, and every school year in between.

And let's not forget the accessories, including outfits of the day, backpacks and purses, and more!

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshots from @adayinaeats' TikTok video
@adayinaeats/TikTok

Working Mom Gets Emotional After Realizing She's Missing All Her Baby's Major Milestones

Anyone who has raised children or is regularly around children can attest that they truly do grow up so fast.

That's what makes it so hard for new parents to go back to work after having a baby. It's not necessarily balancing the new responsibilities of parenthood with their preexisting responsibilities as a working adult, in an office and at home. It's the fact that they're going to miss out on some of the first moments and milestones with their children, which they can't ever get back.

Keep ReadingShow less