07/15/2025
So proud to have selected you as one of our top alumni ! Go Cowboy! Good job Marissa! Cowboy up!
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Reporter Marissa Armas exemplified the highest standards of journalism when she courageously questioned President Trump during a press conference in Kerrville, Texas last Friday about the devastating Central Texas floods that claimed at least 120 lives, including dozens of children. As a CBS News Texas journalist, Armas asked the essential question that families of victims desperately wanted answered: "Several families we have heard from are obviously upset because they say that those warnings, those alerts didn't go out in time, and they also say that people could have been saved. What do you say to those families?" Armas' question wasn't politically motivated; she had been reporting on the ground all week since the disastrous floods and was voicing a question she had heard countless times from devastated community members seeking accountability about a warning system that many believe failed them.
The response she received was shocking but revealing: "Only a bad person would ask a question like that, to be honest with you. I don't know who you are, but only a very evil person would ask a question like that." Instead of addressing the substance of her question about whether warnings were sufficient, Trump shifted the focus to attacking the messenger -- a tactic he frequently uses to avoid accountability -- before pivoting to vague platitudes about "heroism" and "incredible" work. This incident follows Trump's established pattern of vilifying journalists who ask challenging questions. According to the Committee to Protect Journalists, Trump has repeatedly called the press "fake news," "the enemy of the people," "dishonest," "corrupt," "low life reporters," "bad people," "human scum" and "some of the worst human beings you'll ever meet."
Female journalists in particular have faced Trump's wrath: telling PBS's Yamiche Alcindor to "be nice" and calling her question "nasty"; informing CBS's Weijia Jiang she should be "ashamed" for asking about medical supplies; abruptly ending press conferences when challenged by CNN's Kaitlan Collins. This isn't merely emotional volatility -- it's a calculated authoritarian tactic designed, as veteran journalist Marvin Kalb described in his book "Enemy of the People," to "delegitimize the work of the press as 'fake news' and create confusion in the public mind about what's real and what isn't." When powerful figures attempt to classify legitimate journalistic inquiry as immoral or malicious, they're working to dismantle one of democracy's essential safeguards, making Armas's professional composure all the more commendable.
While the Trump administration tries to deflect responsibility by claiming that legitimate questions about disaster response are "playing politics" or dismissing documented facts as "false reporting, fake news" as Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem did, the reality is that their policy changes have made the country more vulnerable to disasters like the Central Texas floods. The administration has revoked $3.6 billion in FEMA grants that communities would have used to prepare for extreme weather events, eliminated or frozen funding for flood-prone home elevation programs, and cut critical staffing at both FEMA and the National Weather Service.
Nearly 600 Weather Service positions have been eliminated, leaving dozens of forecast offices without experienced leadership, while FEMA has lost about 25% of its full-time staff, including 20% of disaster coordinating officers. These cuts, combined with plans to close key research laboratories and reduce river gauge monitoring capabilities, have systematically dismantled the infrastructure designed to protect Americans from increasingly frequent climate-driven disasters.
Noem's reckless decision to require her personal approval for all FEMA contracts exceeding $100,000 directly contributed to a catastrophic breakdown in disaster response. Her bureaucratic micromanagement led to critical call center contracts lapsing without timely renewal, as hundreds of contractors were laid off on July 5 while floodwaters were still receding. The consequences were devastating: FEMA's call center answer rate plummeted from 99.7% on July 5 to just 36% on July 6, and further collapsed to a mere 16% on July 7 -- leaving over 13,000 desperate calls from flood victims unanswered in a single day.
This self-inflicted administrative bottleneck extended beyond communications to actual rescue operations, as Noem's approval requirements delayed the deployment of Urban Search and Rescue teams and aerial imaging for days after the disaster struck. While she dismissed these reports as "fake news," the documented evidence reveals how her bureaucratic obstacles and weak leadership abandoned survivors at their most vulnerable moment.
When government leaders dismantle vital safety systems, attack those who question them, and then hide behind cries of "fake news" to evade responsibility for the deadly consequences of their actions, journalists like Marissa Armas become our essential line of defense. Her willingness to stand firm against intimidation while seeking answers for grieving families embodies the crucial role of the press in protecting democracy and, ultimately, saving lives. In a time when truth itself is under assault, rigorous, fearless journalism stands as our last, best defense against both tyranny and tragedy.
To stand with journalists in the U.S. and around the world in the face of growing attacks on press freedom, you can support the critical work of the Committee to Protect Journalists at https://cpj.org/
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For a selection of powerful books for tweens and teens about the experience of girls living under real-life authoritarian regimes without the freedom of the press, visit our blog post "The Fragility of Freedom: Mighty Girl Books About Life Under Authoritarianism" at https://www.amightygirl.com/blog?p=32426
For children's books about trailblazing female journalists, we recommend “She Persisted: Nellie Bly” for ages 6 to 9 (https://www.amightygirl.com/she-persisted-nellie-bly), "Nellie Bly and Investigative Journalism for Kids" for 8 and up (https://www.amightygirl.com/nellie-bly-investigative), and "Ida M. Tarbell: The Woman Who Challenged Big Business -- And Won" for ages 12 and up (https://www.amightygirl.com/ida-m-tarbell)
For fictional stories starring Mighty Girl reporters, check out "Hilde Cracks the Case: Hero Dog!" for ages 6 to 8 (https://www.amightygirl.com/hero-dog), "The Newspaper Club" for ages 8 to 12 (https://www.amightygirl.com/the-newspaper-club), and "Revenge of the Red Club" for ages 10 to 13 (https://www.amightygirl.com/revenge-of-the-red-club)
For adults interested in learning more about pioneering women in journalism, we recommend "Sensational: The Hidden History of America's 'Girl Stunt Reporters' (https://www.amightygirl.com/sensational) and "You Don't Belong Here: How Three Women Rewrote the Story of War" (https://www.amightygirl.com/you-don-t-belong-here)
For books for children and teens that celebrate the even-handedness that exemplifies the integrity of professional journalists, visit our "Fairness & Justice" book section at http://amgrl.co/2BbcRG0
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To read more about Trump's gutting of weather science and the country's emergency response capabilities in The New York Times, visit https://www.nytimes.com/2025/07/13/climate/floods-trump-cuts-disaster-preparedness-fema.html?unlocked_article_code=1.WU8.3Z93._atG9k7T69Xp&smid=url-share
To read about the bureaucratic roadblocks Kristi Noem put in place that delayed critical aid, visit https://www.cnn.com/2025/07/09/politics/fema-texas-flood-noem
To read more about Marissa Armas' exchange with Trump, visit https://www.cbsnews.com/texas/news/president-trump-answers-questions-about-warnings-before-central-texas-floods/
