Ross: Who really controls the weather in America?
Sep 10, 2019, 8:04 AM | Updated: 10:26 am
U.S. President Donald Trump references a map of Hurricane Dorian at the White House September 04, 2019. The map appears to have been altered by a black marker to extend the hurricane's range to include Alabama. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
(Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
I haven’t made a single snarky remark about President Trump’s warning that Hurricane Dorian would hit Alabama. Because it’s obvious what happened. In his haste to show he was in control, he used old information without checking. It happens.
But having to be publicly corrected by government forecasters made him mad. And so he tried to cover for himself and the Emperor just got nakeder and nakeder and people started laughing.
Hey climate, I think we are getting the message
Well now there’s real trouble. Because the New York Times is reporting that secretary of commerce Wilbur Ross actually threatened to fire the political appointees running the weather office – unless they kept their forecasters in step with the president.
Which, reportedly, has those forecasters livid, because it would mean United States government was prepared to punish professional forecasters for wanting to be accurate. By the way, a Washington Post reporter went to Mobile to double-check, and he reports the Alabama beaches are warm and sunny, and “it may take me another week here to finish my story…”
Trump’s idea to nuke a hurricane is nothing new
Anyway, if I was one of those forecasters, I might just get together with my colleagues and politely inform the Commerce Secretary that for the next big storm, we’ll be sending the data directly to the Oval Office so the president can choose the preferred storm track – being that he’s already the expert on climate change – and then there won’t be any question who’s in control.
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Tune in to KIRO Newsradio weekdays at 5am for Dave Ross on Seattle's Morning News.
