By: Brian Evans
There are moments in the life of a nation when words fail — when sorrow is so deep and tragedy so overwhelming that all politics should fall silent. The recent flooding in Kerr County, Texas, was one such moment. At least 51 lives have been lost, including 14 precious young girls attending Camp Mystic, a Christian summer camp where families sent their daughters to grow in faith and friendship. Many more — over two dozen, mostly children — remain missing, their families left in unspeakable agony, clinging to hope that dwindles with each passing hour.
It is hard to put into words the heartbreak of losing a child. Parents who dropped their daughters off for what was meant to be a joyful summer experience are now planning funerals instead. Sisters, brothers, grandparents, and friends are waking up each day wondering how to live in a world that suddenly feels broken. In the face of such devastation, Americans have rallied with prayer, support, and service. The U.S. Coast Guard and Texas first responders have already saved more than 850 lives, working tirelessly around the clock. President Donald Trump acted swiftly by signing a Major Disaster Declaration to provide immediate aid and resources to families in need.
But not everyone showed such compassion.
Just days after this horrific disaster, ABC News anchor George Stephanopoulos used his national platform — not to mourn, not to comfort, not to report the facts — but to launch a baseless political attack. On his Sunday morning program, with families still searching rivers and shelters for their missing children, Stephanopoulos falsely claimed that staffing shortfalls at the National Weather Service, allegedly caused by the Trump administration, contributed to the tragedy.
It was a lie — one easily disproven. In reality, there were no staffing shortfalls. Extra meteorologists were on duty, fully anticipating the storms. Even Wired Magazine, no friend of President Trump, confirmed that the National Weather Service was fully staffed and operational. White House Deputy Press Secretary Abigail Jackson called out the blatant falsehood, stating plainly: “This is absolute fake news and even Wired knows it.”
How can anyone, especially someone with the reach and influence of a national news anchor, exploit the deaths of children to push a political narrative? How low has the media sunk, that even the fresh grief of parents is not enough to temper their obsessive hatred for one man?
This is not just irresponsible journalism — it is inhuman. It is grotesque. And it is part of a long and shameful pattern. ABC and Stephanopoulos were already ordered to pay $16 million in damages for a prior smear campaign against President Trump. But even that staggering legal defeat has not stopped them from peddling more lies, even as families are still waiting to recover the bodies of their loved ones.
There was a time when even bitter rivals could pause their agendas during national tragedies. There was a time when the media saw its duty as reporting the truth and comforting the afflicted. But today, the establishment media too often sees suffering as an opportunity, not a solemn responsibility.
To politicize a flood that killed children in their sleep is to abandon every standard of decency. It dishonors the memory of the victims. It retraumatizes grieving parents. And it shows just how broken and corrupted so much of the media has become.
If another lawsuit is needed to hold them accountable, then so be it. But no court ruling can undo the damage done to public trust, or the pain inflicted on those already hurting. We should not have to say this, but here it is: the deaths of American children are not a talking point.
Let the names of those lost be remembered not as pawns in a media war, but as the innocent souls they were — daughters, sons, neighbors, friends. May their families find peace. And may our nation have the courage to stand not just with them in their grief, but against those who would dare use that grief for political gain.
Sources:
The Gateway Pundit:
https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2025/07/george-stephanopoulos-gets-caught-smearing-president-trump-massive/
Wired Magazine: “NOAA Staffing and Storm Tracking in Texas”
FEMA: Major Disaster Declaration —
U.S. Coast Guard Operations Report, July 2025
ABC Defamation Lawsuit ($16M) —
Confirmed Deaths: 51
Children Lost: 14 (Camp Mystic attendees)
Still Missing: Over two dozen — most are children
May we never become so numb, so politically poisoned, that we lose our capacity for empathy. And may we never forget that even amidst tragedy, truth matters — perhaps now more than ever. Now is a time to join together and pray for the victims and their families, not attempt to exploit them!
Brian Evans for Joplin 