American Red Cross Stands By Its "Near Flawless" Response

The American Red Cross has called its post-Sandy relief efforts "near flawless." But internal documents and on-the-record accounts from responders paint a different picture of how the renowned charity handled its mission -- casting doubt on whether the Red Cross is ready for the next disaster.

ProPublica's Justin Elliott joins Steve Engelberg on the podcast this week to discuss his latest report on the Red Cross and how it botched several key components of its relief efforts, whether it was wasting massive amounts of food, simply not showing up to areas affected by the storm or, most disturbingly, diverting crucial resources for public relations purposes.

"The Red Cross has denied a lot of elements of our story, but they have never come to us with anything that they say is inaccurate," Elliott says.

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