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Thursday 19 May 2022
New ‘disinformation’ board paused amid free speech questions

Continued from Front neys general, led by Jason
Miyares of Virginia, threat-
Federal and state agen- ened Mayorkas with legal
cies treat disinformation as action over the board “un-
a national security threat. less you turn back now and
In a statement announc- disband this Orwellian Dis-
ing its launch, DHS said information Governance
the new initiative would Board immediately,” Mi-
coordinate efforts around yares said in a statement.
threats of Russian disinfor- Reception online and
mation campaigns aimed across conservative tele-
at the U.S. and false claims vision shows to the board
that encourage migrants was even worse.
to travel to the U.S.-Mexico The phrase “Ministry of
border. But the new board Truth” — a reference to
was hampered from the George Orwell’s “1984” —
start by questions about its trended on Twitter in dis-
purpose, funding and work cussions about the board.
with an uneven rollout that Conservative pundits and
further confused its mis- social media users pushed
sion. Mayorkas struggled conspiracy theories and
to answer questions about falsehoods around its pur-
the board’s work in front of pose, with some falsely
lawmakers on Capitol Hill Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas, speaks during a Senate Appropriations - claiming the board was
earlier this month. Subcommittee on Homeland Security, Wednesday, May 4, 2022, on Capitol Hill in Washington. quickly developed by
Mayorkas made the deci- Associated Press DHS in response to billion-
sion to pause the board in aire Elon Musk’s quest to
response to the cumula- designed to ensure we ful- ing it as an internal working the Department of Home- buy Twitter. Others put out
tive negative reaction and fill our mission to protect group intended to study land Security’s priorities are false claims that Jankowicz
growing concerns that it the homeland, while pro- definitions of disinformation severely misplaced,” wrote planned to edit the tweets
was distracting from the tecting core Constitutional across the department. Reps. Mike Turner of Ohio of everyday Twitter users.
department’s other work rights.” White House press But opponents remained and John Katko of New “It’s been really mischar-
on disinformation, accord- secretary Karine Jean- unconvinced about the York, who previously said acterized from the begin-
ing to two department of- Pierre noted the board had board’s work and purpose. DHS had not disclosed in- ning,” said Cindy Otis, a dis-
ficials who spoke on condi- never met and neither the The top Republicans on formation to them about information researcher and
tion of anonymity to discuss department nor Jankowicz the House intelligence and the program. former CIA analyst.
internal deliberations. had any power to censor homeland security com- Sen. Mitt Romney, a Utah Experts on disinformation
“The Board has been or remove content labeled mittees issued a joint state- Republican, told Mayorkas warned the controversy
grossly and intentionally as disinformation. ment Wednesday calling the board was a “terrible around the board could
mischaracterized: it was DHS officials had tried to the board “a political tool idea” that “communicates hurt existing efforts to iden-
never about censorship quell concerns about how to be wielded by the party to the world that we’re go- tify and stop the spread of
or policing speech in any the board would impact in control.” ing to be spreading propa- false narratives about elec-
manner,” the department issues of free speech and “This board was only suc- ganda in our own country.” tions and hot-button issues
said in a statement. “It was online privacy by describ- cessful in reinforcing that Twenty Republican attor- in American society.q

Biden warns of ‘another tough

hurricane season’ this year

“We know hurricanes are One of the planes is used ing that climate change
coming our way. They to fly through and above has become “everybody’s
grow more extreme every the storms, capturing data crisis” and represents a
season,” Biden said before that allow meteorologists “code red” danger.
a briefing from top federal to produce more accurate “The threat is here. It is not
officials, including Federal forecasts. getting any better,” Biden
Emergency Management “It is really amazing what said then. “The question is
Agency Administrator you all do to protect us,” can it get worse. We can
Deanne Criswell and Sec- Biden said. stop it from getting worse.”
retary of Housing and Ur- Last year’s worst storm was This year, Colorado State,
ban Development Marcia Hurricane Ida, which result- the University of Arizona
President Joe Biden speaks during a briefing on preparing for
and responding to hurricanes this season at Andrews Air Force Fudge. ed in $75 billion in damage and Accuweather are all
Base, Md., Wednesday May 18, 2022. Biden urged Americans to and 55 deaths. Although forecasting a busier-than-
Associated Press “pay attention to hurricane the initial impact was in Lou- average hurricane season.
warnings and follow the isiana, where the category Kenneth Graham, director
By ZEKE MILLER and CHRIS “another tough hurricane guidance of your local au- four storm made landfall, it of the National Hurricane
MEGERIAN season” this year, and he thorities.” also caused heavy rain and Center, frequently points
Associated Press pledged that his admin- Before his remarks, Biden flooding in the Mid-Atlantic out that the United States
JOINT BASE ANDREWS, Md. istration was prepared to toured a hangar at Joint and Northeast.Biden visited has had more category
(AP) — President Joe Biden respond to the storms and Base Andrews to view air- damaged neighborhoods 4 and 5 hurricanes make
warned Wednesday that help Americans recover craft used to track and re- in New Jersey and New landfall from 2017 to 2021
the country will likely see from them. spond to hurricanes. York after Ida struck, warn- than from 1963 to 2016.q