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A28 u.s. news
Diamars 9 augustus 2022

Biden joins governor to survey flood damage in Kentucky

(AP) — President Joe And six months to the day,
Biden and first lady Jill we’re not just up, we’re not
Biden arrived in Kentucky just standing on our feet, we
on Monday to meet with are moving forward.”
families and view damage
from storms that have re- Now more disasters are test-
sulted in the worst flood- ing the state. Beshear has
ing in Kentucky’s history. been to eastern Kentucky as
many times as weather per-
At least 37 people have died mitted since the flooding be-
since last month’s deluge, gan. He’s had daily news con-
which dropped 8 to 10 1/2 ferences stretching an hour
inches of rain in only 48 to provide details including
hours. The National Weath- a full range of assistance for
er Service said Sunday that victims. Much like after the
flooding remains a threat, tornadoes, Beshear opened
warning of more thunder- relief funds going directly to
storms through Thursday. people in the beleaguered re-
gions.
The Bidens were greeted
warmly by Gov. Andy Bes- A Democrat, Beshear nar-
hear and his wife, Britainy, rowly defeated a Republi-
when they arrived in eastern can incumbent in 2019, and
Kentucky. They immedi- press secretary Karine Jean- help them out.” gent need to invest in making he’s seeking a second term in
ately drove to see devastation Pierre. our communities more resil- 2023.
from the storms in Breathitt Biden has expanded federal ient to it,” she said.
County, stopping at the site Monday’s visit is Biden’s sec- disaster assistance to Ken- Polling has consistently
of where a school bus, carried ond to the state since taking tucky, ensuring the federal The flooding came just one shown him with strong ap-
by floodwaters, was crashed office last year. He previously government will cover the month after Beshear visited proval ratings from Kentuck-
into partially-collapsed build- visited in December after full cost of debris removal Mayfield to celebrate the ians. But several prominent
ing. tornadoes whipped through and other emergency mea- completion of the first hous- Republicans have entered the
Kentucky, killing 77 people sures. es to be fully constructed governor’s race, taking turns
Later they were set to attend a and leaving a trail of destruc- since a tornado nearly wiped pounding the governor for
briefing on the flooding’s im- tion. Jean-Pierre said the Federal out the town. Three families his aggressive pandemic re-
pact with first responders and Emergency Management were handed keys to their sponse and trying to tie him
recovery specialists at Marie “I wish I could tell you why Agency has provided more new homes that day, and to Biden and rising inflation.
Roberts Elementary School we keep getting hit here in than $3.1 million in relief the governor in his remarks
in Lost Creek and to tour Kentucky,” Beshear said re- funds, and hundreds of res- hearkened back to a visit he Beshear comments frequent-
another hard-hit community cently. “I wish I could tell cue personnel have been de- had made in the immediate ly about the toll surging in-
in the state and meet directly you why areas where people ployed to help. aftermath. flation is taking in eating at
with those affected. may not have much continue Kentuckians’ budgets. He
to get hit and lose everything. “The floods in Kentucky and “I pledged on that day that avoids blaming Biden, in-
“They will receive an up- I can’t give you the why, but I extreme weather all around while we had been knocked stead pointing to the Russian
date on the disaster response, know what we do in response the country are yet another down, we were not knocked invasion of Ukraine and sup-
thank those on the front lines to it. And the answer is every- reminder of the intensifying out,” Beshear said. “That we ply chain bottlenecks as con-
and share in the communi- thing we can. These are our and accelerating impacts of would get back up again and tributors to rising consumer
ty’s grief,” said White House people. Let’s make sure we climate change and the ur- we would move forward. costs.

Researchers ask Census to stop controversial privacy method

(AP) - Prominent demog- data infrastructure. seats each state gets, as well as employment. A panel of three federal judg-
raphers are asking the U.S. redrawing political districts es last year refused to stop the
Census Bureau to aban- The Census Bureau em- in a once-a-decade process The privacy protection meth- Census Bureau from using
don a controversial meth- braced using differential pri- known as redistricting. ods “are inappropriate for the the algorithms after their use
od for protecting survey vacy algorithms for the first critically important data sets, was challenged in a lawsuit
and census participants’ time with the release last year The demographers and oth- which are fundamental to by the state of Alabama.
confidentiality, saying it is of the first round of 2020 er researchers ask in a letter American democracy and to
jeopardizing the usability census data. Those numbers to Census Bureau Director equity in redistricting, fund Census consultant Terri Ann
of numbers that are the were used for determining Robert Santos that the agen- allocation and planning for Lowenthal said the letter re-
foundation of the nation’s how many congressional cy drop future plans to use government services of all flects “the significant unease
the algorithms on two other kind,” the letter said. about the continued useful-
important data releases — ness of Census Bureau data
annual population estimates The Census Bureau has said in light of new efforts to
and the American Commu- that the differential privacy protect confidentiality in the
nity Survey figures. The an- algorithms are needed since, modern world.”
nual population estimates are without them, the growth of
used in the distribution of easily available third-party “The concerns get to the
$1.5 trillion in federal fund- data combined with mod- heart of the bureau’s mission,
ing each year. The American ern computing could allow so I’m sure agency leadership
Community Survey provides hackers to piece together the will take them seriously and,
the most comprehensive identities of participants in hopefully, find acceptable so-
data on how people in the its censuses and surveys in lutions based on meaningful
U.S. live by asking questions violation of the law. Previous stakeholder engagement,”
about commuting times, in- methods of protection are no said Lowenthal, a former
ternet access, family life, in- longer effective, according to congressional staffer who
come, education levels, dis- the statistical agency. specializes in census issues.
abilities, military service and