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Tuesday, August 15, 2023

8/15 WAKE-UP CALL: Trump & 'Associates' Indicted In Georgia

Daily Mail Composite (8/15/23)
Former U.S. President Donald Trump was hit with a fourth set of criminal charges when a Georgia grand jury issued a sweeping indictment accusing him of trying to overturn his 2020 election loss to Democrat Joe Biden. The charges, brought late on Monday by Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis, add to the legal woes facing Trump, the front-runner in the race for the Republican nomination for the 2024 presidential election. The sprawling 98-page indictment listed 19 defendants and 41 criminal counts in all. All of the defendants were charged with racketeering, which is used to target members of organized crime groups and carries a penalty of up to 20 years in prison. Mark Meadows, Trump's former White House chief of staff, and lawyers Rudy Giuliani and John Eastman were among those charged.

"Rather than abide by Georgia's legal process for election challenges, the defendants engaged in a criminal, racketeering enterprise to overturn Georgia's presidential election result," Willis said at a press conference. Trump and the other defendants have until noon EDT on Friday, Aug. 25, to surrender voluntarily, rather than face arrest, Willis said. She said she intends to try all 19 defendants together.

➤MAUI DEATH TOLL EXPECTED TO CLIMB:
Crews are continuing the painstaking search for victims in the rubble. Some survivors believe the official death toll is low, having seen cars full of people overtaken by flames as traffic out of Lahaina came to a standstill in the rush to flee. About 4,500 customers remained without power in Maui County early Monday, according to data from PowerOutage.us, and cellphone carriers AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile said they were working to restore service. Many Maui residents have launched their own relief efforts, shuttling supplies to the fire-devastated region by boat.

The death toll from the Lahaina fire could double or even triple from the current total of 99, according to Hawaii Gov. Josh Green, adding to what is already the deadliest U.S. wildfire in more than a century.In a recorded interview with “CBS Mornings”, Green indicated the number of fatalities is likely to increase considerably. Green later confirmed 99 deaths at a news conference Monday. “We are prepared for many tragic stories,” Green told CBS. “They will find 10 to 20 people per day, probably, until they finish. And it’s probably going to take 10 days. It’s impossible to guess, really.” 

Crews are continuing the painstaking search for victims in the rubble. Some survivors believe the official death toll is low, having seen cars full of people overtaken by flames as traffic out of Lahaina came to a standstill in the rush to flee. About 4,500 customers remained without power in Maui County early Monday, according to data from PowerOutage.us, and cellphone carriers AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile said they were working to restore service. Many Maui residents have launched their own relief efforts, shuttling supplies to the fire-devastated region by boat.


Officials are yet to confirm the precise origins of the fire, or say why the siren system that should have given locals enough time to evacuate failed So far 96 deaths have been confirmed, but officials have only been able to confirm the identities of two of the victims because the others' bodies were so badly burned. One couple has already filed a lawsuit against Hawaiian Electric Industries - which serves 95 percent of Hawaii 's 1.4 million residents .

➤STEVIE NICKS ACCUSED OF BEING TONE DEAF: Stevie Nicks has been slammed for a 'privileged and self-centered' post about the Maui wildfires - which saw the music icon discuss her mansion and ruined family vacation. The Fleetwood Mac musician, 75, sparked fury among fans when she shared a post about the wildfires on Sunday which have destroyed centuries-old Lahaina - as the death toll rose to 96 victims. In the post Nicks detailed how her niece and family had planned a 'much needed' vacation at her home close to Lahaina, but had been forced to flee after the fire started 'a day and a half' into their trip. Nicks - whose home was not damaged in the fires - also revealed how 'the opals on my fingers' come from a store in Lahaina - in an admission which sparked backlash from fans.

Meanwhile, bandmate Mick Fleetwood suffers business loss: The 76-year-old said the natural disaster has left 'complete devastation' in the town of Lahaina as well as destroying his restaurant Fleetwood's On Front Street. Fleetwood, who was in LA visiting family when the fires broke out, immediately chartered a plane and flew back to Hawaii bringing with him relief supplies.

➤PASTOR TALKS DEVASTATING LOSES: Hawaii pastor describes car nearly being swallowed by flames. 'Fox & Friends Weekend' co-host Will Cain speaks with pastor, couple about the devastating losses they have experienced as a result of the Maui wildfires. 

➤RUSSIAN GAS STATION FIRE KILLS 27: A fire at a gas station in the southern Russian region of Dagestan killed at least 27 people including three children, Interfax news agency reported early on Tuesday citing regional emergency medics. The fire started at an auto repair shop on the roadside of a highway in Dagestani capital Makhachkala on Monday night and caused blasts as it spread to a nearby gas station, officials said. Footage posted online showed a one-storey building ablaze,

➤5 IDed IN HOUSE EXPLOSION: Casey Clontz, 38, and his son Keegan, 12, (top right) lived just four houses away from the property which exploded on Saturday in Plum at 10.22am. Authorities confirmed that five people, including a child, died in the incident and two neighboring properties were destroyed. Terrifying footage showed a property on Rustic Ridge Road exploding, causing other properties to go up in flames. A GoFundMe has been set up for the Oravitz family (bottom left) who lived at the destroyed home, though it is unclear if any of them are among the dead. Paying tribute to the father and son, the family said that Casey was a 'loving father, husband and brother', adding Kegan was a 'devoted son, friend and big brother'. Casey leaves behind his wife Jen, and daughter Addie, 10.

➤JUDGE SIDES WITH YOUNG ACTIVISTS IN FIRST-OF-ITS KIND CLIMATE CHANGE TRIAL IN MONTANA: A Montana judge on Monday sided with young environmental activists who said state agencies were violating their constitutional right to a clean and healthful environment by permitting fossil fuel development without considering its effect on the climate. The ruling following a first-of-its- kind trial in the U.S. adds to a small number of legal decisions around the world that have established a government duty to protect citizens from climate change

➤PHILADELPHIA TEEN CHARGED WITH PLANNING NATIONAL TERRORIST ATTACK: Heavily armed law enforcement officers swarmed the Philadelphia home of a teenager who was plotting to launch a national terrorist attack, authorities said. The suspect, an unnamed 17-year-old, was in contact with a global terrorist group affiliated with al Qaeda and had access to a "significant" number of guns and was building bombs, FBI Special Agent in Charge Jacqueline Maguire said during a Monday press conference. The teen, who was arrested Friday, "conducted general research" into potential targets that weren't confined to one location, and they were not just in Philadelphia, she said.

➤TWH ADVISES COLLEGES: The Biden administration issued guidance on how colleges can still consider race in admissions. Officials from the Education and Justice departments said schools can use targeted outreach and recruiting initiatives that consider factors such as race, geography, financial resources and a parent’s education level, so long as targeted groups didn’t receive preference in the admission process itself. They also provided examples of what types of essays would be allowed. The Supreme Court ruled in June that schools can’t consider race as a factor on its own when making admission decisions, but can take into account how race affected the applicant’s life.

⚾MLB MARLINS 5 ASTROS 1: The Miami Marlins appear to be back. For the first half of the season, the Marlins were one of the surprise teams in baseball. Then, Miami lost its first eight games after the All-Star break. On Monday, however, the Marlins beat the Houston Astros 5-1 for their third straight win, their longest winning streak since July 3-5. The teams will play the second game of a three-game set on Tuesday in Miami.

⚾MLB RAYS 10 GIANTS 2: Harold Ramirez, Curtis Mead and Christian Bethancourt had three hits apiece, Tyler Glasnow logged six sharp innings and the Tampa Bay Rays cruised to a 10-2 victory over the host San Francisco Giants on Monday night in the opener of a three-game series. Yandy Diaz, Randy Arozarena and Jose Siri each added two hits for the Rays, who racked up 18 as a team. Osleivis Basabe contributed a two-run single while filling in for Wander Franco, who didn't make Sunday's trip to San Francisco while Major League Baseball investigates a personal matter.

⚾MLB BRAVES 11 YANKEES 3:  The Atlanta Braves will try to keep their high-octane offense rolling when they host the New York Yankees in the second game of a three-game interleague series on Tuesday. The Braves will remain without All-Star second baseman Ozzie Albies, who was placed on the injured list Monday night because of a strained left hamstring. Atlanta won the series opener 11-3 on Monday and has taken four of its past five contests. The Braves have scored at least six runs in a league-best 60 games this season, 50.8 percent of their games. Atlanta's 695 runs are the most in the majors.


⚾MLB SCORES:

  • Mets 7 Pirates 2
  • Cardinals 7 Athletics 5
  • Rangers 12 Angels 0
  • Royals 7 Mariners 6
  • Rockies 6 D-Backs 4
  • Orioles 4 Padres 1

⚾FRANCO DENIES: Tampa Bay Rays All-Star Shortstop Wander Franco has denied that he was dating an underaged girl reportedly in the Dominican Republic. Rumors surfaced on X, the social media platform known as Twitter, when the 22-year-old was held out of Sunday's lineup against the Cleveland Guardians at Tropicana Field. Franco held an Instagram livestream in which he refuted the allegations and accused the public of fabricating stories.

📺SHANNON SHARPE DRAMA: Shannon Sharpe has teased his eagerly-awaited return to television after his tense split with Skip Bayless on 'Undisputed'. Sharpe, a three-time Super Bowl champion, left the FS1 show in June amid widespread reports that he had grown distant and unhappy at working with his co-host Bayless. His next move in sports television has not yet been confirmed but judging by his Twitter activity, it seems to already otherwise be in place.



🏈EX-NFL RB, ARKANSAS STAR ALEX COLLINS DIES AT 28 IN MOTORCYCLE CRASH: Alex Collins, the former Arkansas running back who went on to play five seasons in the NFL, died after he was involved in a motorcycle crash in Lauderdale Lakes, Florida, on Sunday night, the Broward County Sheriff's Office said in a news release. He was 28.



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