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Monday, August 14, 2023

8/14 WAKE-UP CALL: Mobile Morgue Set-Up In Maui

A mobile morgue has been brought to Lahaina to cope with an expected influx of bodies, as forensic teams begin going house-to-house searching for victims. Only three percent of the city has been checked so far said John Pelletier, the Maui police chief. Cadaver dogs have been brought in from California and Washington. Buildings which had been searched were marked with an X, and those containing bodies were marked 'H.R.' Locals with missing relatives are being asked to provide a DNA sample. The death toll from the Maui wildfires reached 96 on Sunday as relatives of the missing frantically searched for signs their loved ones may still be alive, while survivors grappled with the scale of the disaster and sought solace at church services.

Firefighters Battle Flare-Ups: Days after the inferno destroyed much of the historic resort town of Lahaina on Tuesday and Wednesday, crews of firefighters were still battling flare-ups, and cadaver dogs were sifting through the town's charred ruins in search of victims. The death toll made the blaze Hawaii's worst natural disaster, surpassing a tsunami that killed 61 people in 1960, a year after Hawaii became a U.S. state. It was also the largest number of deaths from a U.S. wildfire since 1918, when 453 people died in the Cloquet fire in Minnesota and Wisconsin, according to data from the National Fire Protection Association. Many of the survivors took to Sunday church services, including Akanesi Vaa, 38, who said her family got stuck in traffic while trying to escape the flames.

➤TRUMP TROUBLE IN GEORGIA: Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis, who has been probing the former U.S. president’s effort to overturn the 2020 election result in Georgia for two and a half years, is expected to present the case to a grand jury as soon as the coming week. In preparation, the street in front of the courthouse was closed with armed sheriff’s deputies patrolling the area 24/7. Vehicles from several law enforcement agencies lined side streets, while media vans idled next to stacks of bicycle racks used for crowd control. A criminal case against Trump in Atlanta would be a twist because he doesn’t have an obvious connection to the area the way he does in the other places he’s been indicted. Trump has lived and worked in New York, Washington and Florida, where he’s accused of falsifying business records, conspiring to overturn the 2020 election and absconding with classified documents, respectively.

➤BIDENS HUNCKER DOWN: For President Joe Biden, the legal troubles of his son appeared to be going away last month when Hunter Biden's attorneys reached terms with prosecutors to resolve tax evasion and gun charges. Then the deal fell apart. Now, with Attorney General Merrick Garland appointing a special counsel Friday to investigate the criminal case, the legal drama over Hunter Biden is poised to hang over the entirety of Joe Biden's 2024 reelection bid. Not only does the special counsel designation of David Weiss, the U.S. attorney in Delaware who has overseen the case for five years, signal a wider probe, the Justice Department also said in a motion Friday it expects a trial over the charges already filed against Hunter Biden. The motion all but ensures a circus of television cameras outside a federal courthouse following the president's son just as the 2024 campaign will be in full swing. "This is not good for the president," said Richard Painter, a law professor at University of Minnesota who served as chief ethics lawyer for President George W. Bush. 


➤HUNTER'S ATTORNEY CLAIM DOJ RENEGED ON PLEA DEAL: Lawyers for Hunter Biden said in a late Sunday court filing that prosecutors reneged on a plea deal that would have resolved tax and firearms charges against the U.S. president’s son as his father seeks reelection. Delaware federal prosecutors said on Friday that Hunter Biden may be headed for a criminal trial after plea negotiations broke down. U.S. District Judge Maryellen Noreika rejected a proposed plea deal in July, raising concerns over its legality and the scope of immunity it offered Hunter Biden.

➤MOB OF CRIMINALS' STOLE UP TO $100K WORTH OF MERCHANDISE AT LOS ANGELES MALL, POLICE SAY: A “mob of criminals” stole up to $100,000 worth of merchandise from the Westfield Topanga Shopping Center in Los Angeles Saturday afternoon. “Today at around 4 p.m., a mob of criminals stole items from the Topanga Mall with an estimated loss of $60,000 to $100,000,” the Los Angeles Police Department said on social media over the weekend. Multiple individuals wearing black from head to toe could be seen ransacking a store at the mall, carrying duffel bags, purses and other items past the broken glass on the floor, in a video posted by the police department.

➤FORMER SENTOR TO BIDEN 'HANDS OFF MY WIFE':  Former Massachusetts Senator Scott Brown says he once threatened to 'kick the s**t' out of Joe Biden for getting 'handsy' with his TV star wife Gail Huff. Brown, 63, said he had given Biden, 80, a clear warning during his swearing-in ceremony in 2010 with the then Vice President - and recounted the alleged incident on Tom Shattuck's Burn Barrel podcast. 'I told him I'd kick the s*** out (of him). I told him to stop, so yes,' he said on Wednesday. Shattuck had asked if Biden had been getting 'handsy' with Huff, 60, or 'sniffing her hair,' a bizarre behavior the president has repeatedly been accused of. While declining to get into specifics, Brown replied affirmatively about the inappropriate behavior, then said: 'No, no. It's old news, it's old news.'

➤EXPLOSION AT PA HOUSE CAUGHT ON VIDEO: Footage of the explosion circulating online shows a home in Plum, a suburb of Pittsburgh, in what appears to be a fairly sleepy neighborhood, exploding and sending debris flying. Plum Borough Police Chief Lanny Conley said the bodies of four adults and one minor were recovered after the blast shortly before 10:30 a.m. Saturday in the borough. 'This is certainly a sad, sad day and a sad time, for not just the folks in Plum but all the folks in the community and in this region,' said Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald.

🎥JODIE SWEETIN IS ‘DISAPPOINTED’ THAT HER NEW MOVIE WAS SOLD TO CANDACE CAMERON BURE’S NETWORK: Jodie Sweetin revealed in an exclusive statement to People that she was “disappointed” to learn that her upcoming film, Craft Me a Romance, was sold to her Full House costar Candace Cameron Bure’s network, Great American Family. "Sometimes, we, as actors, don't have control over which network buys the projects we are in, nor are we a part of the process in which they get sold," Sweetin said in the statement. "So I was very surprised to learn by reading about it in the press yesterday that the independent film I worked on over a year ago was sold to Great American Family." She added, "I am disappointed, but in keeping with my mission of supporting the LGBTQ+ family, any potential or future money made from this sale will be donated to LGBTQ+ organizations." Bure has faced backlash since telling The Wall Street Journal in November of 2022, "Great American Family will keep traditional marriage at the core."

➤NEW MARS DISCOVERY HAS EXPERTS BELIEVING THERE COULD BE 'LIFE' ON RED PLANET: Alien enthusiasts have a new reason to get excited about potential life on Mars, after scientists found cracked mud on the Red Planet. A recent research paper showed that the conditions that created cracks in the surface of Mars might have been favourable for microscopic life to thrive. While scientists don’t yet know how life on Earth began, a prevalent theory is that repeated cycles of wet and dry conditions might have helped build the complex chemical building blocks needed for microbial life.

➤SEA CREATURE WITH 20 ARMS, STRAWBERRY-LIKE BODY DISCOVERED IN ANTARCTIC OCEAN: In a surprising discovery, a team of scientists from Australia and the United States found a "new, creepy-looking underwater species" after they undertook a series of research expeditions near Antarctica. The new species is being dubbed the Antarctic strawberry feather since it resembles the shape of a strawberry. It has about 20 arms and the creature's colour can range from "purplish" to "dark reddish".

➤WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT EG.5, THE NEW COVID-19 VARIANT NICKNAMED 'ERIS': EG.5, which has unofficially been nicknamed “eris,” is a descendant of the XBB family of omicron subvariants. The U.N. health agency this week designated EG.5 a “variant of interest” after it displayed a steady increase globally. The organization assessed EG.5’s public health risk as “low at the global level,” which is the same designation as the so-called “arcturus” strain. However, WHO warned that “due to its growth advantage and immune escape characteristics, EG.5 may cause a rise in case incidence and become dominant in some countries or even globally.”

⚾MLB INVESTIGATE FRANCO RELATIONSHIP: Major League Baseball is looking into social media posts alleging that Tampa Bay Rays shortstop Wander Franco, 22, has been involved in an inappropriate relationship with a minor. Franco did not play in Sunday's 9-2 loss to Cleveland and the Rays said in a statement they are aware of the posts and that MLB is investigating. MLB said on its website that the viral social media posts allege Franco, 22, has been in an inappropriate relationship with a minor. The Tampa Bay Times also said that the posts made the same allegations. The Rays said in a statement on Sunday night: 'During today's game, we were made aware of the social media posts that are circulating regarding Wander Franco.  'We take the situation seriously and are in close contact with Major League Baseball as it conducts its due diligence.'

MLB MARLINS 8 YANKEES 7: The New York Yankees collapsed to a dreadful 8-7 defeat to the Miami Marlins on Sunday, receiving another major dent to their playoff hopes and igniting fury in the fanbase over the roles of GM Brian Cashman and manager Aaron Boone. The Yankees led 7-3 going into the final inning - and 7-1 in the sixth - but the Marlins tied it against Clay Holmes and won it off Tommy Kahnle. The Yankees are now five games back of the AL's last wild card berth and are on track to miss the playoffs for the first time since 2016. It doesn't get any easier, either. The team head to Atlanta next for a three-game series against the Braves - who have the best record across MLB at present.

⚾MLB ORIOLES 5 MARINEERS 3: Cedric Mullins hit a two-run homer with one out in the 10th inning as Baltimore defeated host Seattle in extra innings for the second straight day . The Mariners' streak of winning six straight series came to an end. Orioles reliever Nick Vespi (1-0) got the victory, and Shintaro Fujinami earned his first major league save. Seattle's Trent Thornton (0-1) took the loss. After Baltimore broke a 2-2 tie in the top of the ninth, the Mariners again knotted the game on Dominic Canzone's solo home run with two outs in the bottom of the inning. The bomb came just after Mullins made a leaping catch in center field to rob Ty France of a homer.


⚾MLB SCORES:

  • Twins 3 Phillies 0
  • Guardians 9 Rays 2
  • Red Sox 6 Tigers 3
  • Nationals 8 Athletics 7
  • Pirates 4 Reds 2
  • Reds 6 Pirates 5
  • Blue Jays 11 Cubs 4
  • Brewers 7 White Sox 3
  • Angels 2 Astros 1
  • Giants 3 Rangers 2
  • Dodgers 8 Rockies 3
  • D-Backs 5 Padres 4
  • Mets 7 Braves 6

⚾LLWS PARADE TODAY: The Little League World Series starts with the Grand Slam Parade today in Williamsport, PA and that’s followed by the opening ceremonies on Aug. 16 and then it will be 38 games over a 12-day period to determine this year’s champion. The tournament wraps up on Aug. 27 with Little League World Series championship game and all games will air on either ABC, ESPN or ESPN2.The 2023 tournament starts on Aug. 16 at 1 p.m. ET with the Europe-Africa Region champion facing the Panama Region champion. That game will be shown on ESPN. The first U.S. bracket game in the LLWS will be game two featuring the Mountain Region winner against the Metro Region champion at 3 p.m. ET. That game will also be on ESPN.

🏈SOURCE: PACKERS TE TYLER DAVIS TEARS ACL IN PRESEASON OPENER: Green Bay Packers tight end Tyler Davis tore an anterior cruciate ligament in Friday night's preseason opener. Davis made two receptions for 9 yards against the Cincinnati Bengals, the first one for a 5-yard score in the second quarter. The injury reportedly occurred on his second reception, when Davis got up limping.

🏈BROWNS LINEBACKER JACOB PHILLIPS TO MISS SEASON WITH TORN PEC: Cleveland Browns reserve linebacker Jacob Phillips suffered a torn pec in Friday's exhibition loss and will miss the season, coach Kevin Stefanski said Saturday. Stefanski said Phillips tore the chest muscle, a former starter who finished last season on injured reserve because of a pectoral injury, tore the muscle in the third quarter of the Browns' 17-15 loss to the Washington Commanders.



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