Friday, August 11, 2023

8/11 WAKE-UP CALL: 'Paradise Lost' Fire Deaths Surge To 55


Maui's wildfires have killed at least 55 people, a toll expected to rise, and unleashed destruction on the resort town of Lahaina that will take many years and billions of dollars to rebuild, Hawaiian officials said on Thursday. 


Governor Josh Green said the inferno that reduced much of Lahaina to smoldering ruins was the worst natural disaster in the state's history, turning thousands of people homeless and leveling as many as 1,000 buildings. "It's going to take many years to rebuild Lahaina," Green said told a news conference, as officials began to map out a plan to shelter the newly homeless in hotels and tourist rental properties. "It will be a new Lahaina that Maui builds in its own image with its own values," Green said of the city that draws 2 million tourists each year, or about 80% of the island's visitors.

The fast-moving inferno, which started on Tuesday, spread from the brush outside of town and ravaged the historic city of Lahaina that was once the capital of the Hawaiian Kingdom.


Daily Mail Composite 8/11/23
➤CELEBS ARE PROPERTRY OWNERS: Oprah owns nearly 2,000 acres of land on Maui and has spent the last 15 years living on the island part-time. It's unclear if her home or land was damaged. She is yet to make a statement. Bezos' fiancée Lauren Sanchez posted on Instagram that the fires were 'breaking her heart', but he is yet to offer a statement. With a net worth of $162billion, he is the third richest man in the world. Bezos owns a $78million property on Maui's southwest shore. A source close to the couple tells DailyMail.com they are 'devastated' by the disaster. 'They have been on the phone with locals and local officials since yesterday. They will be making donations to help the community,' they said.


➤TRUMP TRIAL COULD START JAN 2: Special counsel Jack Smith recommended that Donald Trump stand trial in Washington on Jan. 2, 2024, on charges stemming from alleged efforts to change the 2020 presidential election result. Iowa’s caucuses, when the first votes in the Republican presidential primary will be cast, are Jan. 15. The former president’s lawyers are likely to propose a later date tomorrow. Meanwhile, Trump pleaded not guilty to additional charges in the classified-documents case in Florida. Prosecutors allege he and aides sought to have Mar-a-Lago surveillance footage deleted so it couldn’t be turned over to a grand jury. When the indictment was filed, a Trump spokesman called it an “illegal witch hunt” and the Justice Department’s “continued desperate and failing attempt” to harass the former president.

➤COVID-19 INFECTIONS IN THE U-S ARE ON THE RISE:  A new Omicron subvariant, EG.5, has been reported in at least 51 countries since Monday, according to the WHO, which classified it as a variant of interest. There are no signs the subvariant, unofficially dubbed “Eris,” is more severe than other Omicron offshoots, the WHO said. EG.5 is projected to represent roughly 17% of U.S. cases as of Aug. 5, making it the most prevalent version of the virus in the U.S., according to the CDC. Covid remains a nuisance for many and a serious risk for some even though it is far less disruptive than it used to be.

➤WARNING TO OTHERS? TRUMP SUPPORTER KILLED IN FBI RAID: Neighbors described the man shot in an FBI raid on his home in Utah after he made threats to assassinate the president as a “decent guy” who cared for his blind son but was the “type to sleep with a gun under his pillow”. Craig Robertson, 75, allegedly pointed a gun at law enforcement during the incident Wednesday which led to what locals described as a ‘hail of bullets’ at the home in Provo. Robertson was then dragged out of the house and bled out on the sidewalk outside his home covered under a sheet, according to local reports. “I just can’t believe that this man warranted that kind of response,” Travis Clark, who lived on the same street as Robertson, told the Deseret News.

Others were shocked by the huge police response to the home of the 300-pound Air Force veteran turned carpenter, who walked around with a cane as he was barely mobile, according to people who knew him. “That was them serving the warrant but in the most spectacular way. It just seems like a tremendously unnecessary display of force.” A federal complaint detailed threats made against Biden and other senior Democrats, including Kamala Harris, New York Attorney General Letitia James, US Attorney General Merrick Garland and California Gov. Gavin Newsom, among others.

The family of Craig Robertson called his death in Provo on Wednesday 'senseless' in a heartbreaking new statement. In the statement, Robertson is referred to as a churchgoing father and brother who made children's toys as a hobby using his woodworking skills. His family called his death 'senseless.' 'The Craig Robertson we knew was a kind and generous person who was always willing to assist another in need, even when advanced age, limited mobility and other physical challenges made it more difficult and painful for him to do so,' the release read in part.

➤BIDEN WANTS $20B MORE FOR UKRAINE: President Biden on Thursday asked Congress to approve $20.6 billion in additional funding for Ukraine, as that country’s military struggles to achieve a decisive victory in its counteroffensive against Russia. In a letter to lawmakers, the White House Office of Management and Budget asked for $13 billion in new military aid and $8.5 billion in additional economic, humanitarian and security assistance for Ukraine and other countries affected by the war. The funding request also includes other forms of assistance for Ukraine. The White House also is seeking more than $12 billion for disaster relief and other emergency domestic funds, including hurricanes, as well as tens of millions of dollars to boost pay for firefighters on the front lines of the wildfires that have hit many parts of the country. In total, Biden is asking Congress for about $40 billion in new spending.

➤IRAN RELEASES 4 AMERICANS FROM PRISON: They are under house arrest, following a monthslong diplomatic push by the Biden administration, the White House and an attorney for the families said. A fifth American, already under house arrest, is set to leave Iran in the coming weeks with the other four. The five releases came with the understanding that in return, five Iranian prisoners held in the U.S. would be freed and billions of dollars in frozen revenue from energy sales would be released, U.S. and Iranian officials said. Intense discussions are continuing regarding timing, according to a person familiar with the negotiations.

➤PRICE PRESSURES EASE: Price pressures continued cooling last month, fresh inflation figures showed, likely deterring the Federal Reserve from raising interest rates at its September meeting. The consumer-price index, a measure of goods and services prices across the economy, rose a mild 0.2% in July, the same as in June, the Labor Department said Thursday. Core prices, which exclude volatile food and energy categories, also increased just 0.2% in both months, extending a broader slowdown in price pressures. The figures led to 3.2% annual inflation in July, up from 3% in June. Annual core inflation ticked down to 4.7% in July from June’s 4.8%.

✞‘KING OF THE HILL’ VOICE ACTOR JOHNNY HARDWICK DIES AT 64: People reports that Johnny Hardwick, the actor who played Dale Gribble on the animated series King of the Hill, died on Tuesday (August 8th) at the age of 64. The Austin Police Department told the outlet that Hardwick’s body was found after "APD officers responded to a Check Welfare Urgent call." The APD added, "This is not being investigated as a homicide. The cause of death will be determined by the Medical Examiner’s Office." Hardwick won an Emmy in 1999 for his role on King of the Hill, a show that ran for 13 seasons from 1997 to 2010. In January of this year, Hulu announced plans to reboot the series in which Hardwick was set to reprise his role.

📺THE 2023 EMMY AWARDS ARE OFFICIALLY RESCHEDULED FOR JANUARY: The 2023 Emmy Awards will take place next year on Martin Luther King Jr. Day (January 15th). The three-hour program will air live on Fox from the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles. The awards show has been rescheduled from its September 18th air date due to the ongoing WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes. A host is expected to be named after the SAG-AFTRA strike ends.

⚾MLB EXTRA REST COMING FOR LORENZEN:  Philadelphia Phillies starting pitcher Michael Lorenzen will get some extra rest after pushing himself beyond his usual limits while throwing a no-hitter. The 31-year-old Phillies right-hander threw a career-high 124 pitches in his no-no against the Washington Nationals on Wednesday night. Lorenzen was making his first home start for Philadelphia, which acquired the All-Star in a trade with Detroit. Lorenzen is not set pitch again until August 18 in Washington. Philadelphia has been going with a six-man rotation to reduce starters' workload, and they also have two days off next week.


⚾MLB SCORES: 

  • Phillies 6 Nationals 2
  • Cardinals 5 Rays 2
  • Orioles 5 Astros 4
  • Pirates 7 Braves 5
  • Guardians 4 Blue Jays 3
  • Tigers 3 Twins 0
  • Red Sox 2 Royals 0
  • Dodgers 2 Rockies 1

🏈MORE IOWA PLAYERS CHARGED IN GAMBLING PROBE: Eight more Iowa and Iowa State football players were charged yesterday in connection with the state’s continuing investigation into betting, according to The Des Moines Register. Four players who started with the Iowa State Cyclones last season were charged with tampering with records, as were four current or former members of the University of Iowa’s Hawkeyes. The Iowa Division of Criminal Investigations is looking into allegations that a number of players were betting on NCAA football games, basketball games, or both. The records-tampering allegation appears to be related to using a pseudonym to open an online betting account.
  • Any of them found to have placed bets on their own teams face a permanent loss of eligibility to play in the NCAA. Some seven other current and former Iowa and Iowa State players were charged previously.


🏀MERRY CHRISTMAS FROM THE NBA: It feels a little early for this, but the NBA has just released its schedule for the opening days of the 2023-2024 basketball season, the Christmas Eve and Christmas Day games,. And here they are:
  • On December 24th, the Los Angeles Lakers will play the Denver Nuggets, and the Golden State Warriors will play the Phoenix Suns.
  • On December 25th, there are five games: the Milwaukee Bucks vs. the New York Knicks; the Philadelphia 76ers versus the Miami Heat; the Boston Celtics versus the Los Angeles Lakers; the Dallas Mavericks versus the Phoenix Suns, and the Golden State Warriors versus the Denver Nuggets.

➤NOAA UPS STORM FORECAST: The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration on Thursday increased its forecast for this year’s Atlantic hurricane season to “above normal” from its previous estimate of a “near-normal” season. This year’s hurricane season, which typically runs from June to the end of November, has been difficult to predict, climate scientists said. The El Niño climate pattern traditionally helps temper the Atlantic hurricane season. This year, that’s counteracted by elevated water temperatures in the Atlantic Ocean that can fuel hurricanes.  “The ongoing El Niño potentially competing with local conditions in the Atlantic increased the uncertainty in the outlook,” said Matthew Rosencrans, the lead hurricane forecaster for NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center.

NOAA said Thursday that it now expects 14 to 21 named storms this year, of which six to 11 will become hurricanes, which have winds of 74 miles an hour or higher. Two to five storms are expected to be major hurricanes, meaning winds above 111 mph.  NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center on Thursday calculated a 60% chance of an above-normal season and a 25% chance of a “near-normal” season. 


 

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