News
At Least 36 Killed On Maui As Fires Burn Through Hawaii And Thousands Race To Escape
(WAILUKU, Hawaii) – Thousands of Hawaii residents rushed to flee their homes on Maui as fires raged across the island, destroying parts of a centuries-old village and killing at least 36 people in one of the deadliest wildfires in recent years in the United States.
The fire caught the island off guard, leaving burned-out automobiles on once-busy streets and burning piles of wreckage where historic buildings once stood in Lahaina Town, which dates back to the 1700s and has long been a popular tourist destination. Crews battled fires in multiple locations across the island on Wednesday, forcing several people and children to flee into the ocean.
According to a statement issued late Wednesday by Maui County, at least 36 individuals have perished, with no other details available. Officials had stated that 271 structures had been damaged or destroyed, and dozens of people had been hurt. The Camp Fire in California in 2018 killed at least 85 people and nearly destroyed the town of Paradise.
With the fires still burning and teams reaching out to explore scorched regions, officials cautioned that the death toll in Hawaii might grow.
On Tuesday afternoon, Kamuela Kawaakoa and Iiulia Yasso of Lahaina reported a terrifying escape beneath smoke-filled skies. After a short sprint to the grocery for water, the couple and their 6-year-old son returned to their flat with enough time to change clothes and flee as the bushes around them caught fire.
“We barely made it out,” Kawaakoa said at an evacuation center on Wednesday, still unclear if their flat was still intact.
Thousands of Hawaii residents rushed to flee their homes on Maui as fires raged across the island.
As the family escaped, a senior center across the street caught fire. They contacted 911 but had no idea if the people had escaped. Downed electricity poles and others fleeing in cars impeded their progress as they drove away. “It was so hard to just sit there and watch my town burn to ashes and not be able to do anything,” said Kawaakoa, 34.
Tourists were urged to avoid the area while the flames raged, and approximately 11,000 people flew out of Maui on Wednesday, with at least another 1,500 scheduled to leave on Thursday, according to Ed Sniffen, state transportation director. Officials in Honolulu prepared the Hawaii Convention Centre to house thousands of displaced people.
Maui County Mayor Richard Bissen Jr. states that the island has “been tested like never before in our lifetime.”
“We are grieving with each other during this inconsolable time,” he added in an audio recording. “In the days ahead, we will be stronger as a’kaiaulu,’ or community, as we rebuild with resilience and aloha.”
Strong gusts from Hurricane Dora, passing far to the south, fanned the fires. It’s the latest in a string of calamities triggered by harsh weather this summer worldwide. According to experts, climate change is increasing the risk of such disasters.
Thousands of Hawaii residents rushed to flee their homes on Maui as fires raged across the island.
The fires in Hawaii are not like those in the Western United States. They typically start in extensive grasslands on the drier portions of the islands and are much smaller than mainland fires. In 2021, a big fire on the Big Island destroyed homes and drove people to flee. The Big Island is also experiencing fires, according to Mayor Mitch Roth. However, there have been no reports of injuries or destroyed properties.
Pilots could see the full extent of the wreckage as the winds eased on Maui on Wednesday. Aerial footage from Lahaina showed hundreds of homes and businesses destroyed, including those on Front Street, where tourists used to congregate to shop and dine. Smoking rubble mounds were piled high along the waterfront, boats in the harbor were burnt, and grey smoke lingered over the leafless carcasses of charred trees.
“It’s frightening. “I’ve been flying here for 52 years, and I’ve never seen anything like it,” said Richard Olsten, a tour business helicopter pilot. “We both had tears in our eyes.”Search-and-rescue teams are dispersed throughout the destroyed areas in the hopes of locating survivors, according to Adam Weintraub, communication director for the Hawaii Emergency Management Agency, on ABC’s “Good Morning America.”
Concerned about future casualties, Weintraub stated, “These were large and fast-moving fires, and it’s only recently that we’ve started to get our arms around them and contain them.” So, we’re praying for the best but bracing for the worse.”
Around 14,500 Maui customers were without electricity early Wednesday. Many people could not contact relatives and family living near the flames due to a lack of mobile service and phone connections in some locations. Some were using social media to send messages.
Tiare Lawrence was desperately attempting to contact her siblings, who live near the Lahaina petrol station that erupted.
“There’s no service, so we can’t reach anyone,” she explained from Pukalani, Maui.
The Hawaii State Department of Defense’s Maj. Gen. Kenneth Hara told reporters Wednesday night that officials were working to restore communications, provide water, and add law enforcement troops. According to him, National Guard helicopters splashed 150,000 gallons of water on the Maui fires.
Thousands of Hawaii residents rushed to flee their homes on Maui as fires raged across the island.
The Coast Guard rescued 14 individuals, including two children, who plunged into the water to escape the flames and smoke.
Officials said three persons with significant burns were hospitalized and evacuated to Oahu.
At a news conference Wednesday morning, Maui County Mayor Bissen said investigators had not yet begun investigating the direct cause of the fires, but officials did point to a mix of dry conditions, low humidity, and high winds.
Mauro Farinelli of Lahaina said the winds began to blow fiercely on Tuesday, and a fire started on a hillside.
“It just ripped through everything with amazing speed,” he recalled, adding that it felt “like a blowtorch.”
Farinelli said the winds were so fierce that they blew his garage door off its hinges, trapping his car inside. So a buddy took him, his wife Judit, and their dog Susi to an evacuation shelter. He had no idea what had become of their house.
“We’re hoping for the best,” he said, “but we’re pretty sure it’s gone.”
President Joe Biden directed that all federal assets be available to respond. He stated that the Hawaii National Guard had dispatched helicopters to assist with fire suppression and search-and-rescue activities.
Thousands of Hawaii residents rushed to flee their homes on Maui as fires raged across the island.
“Our hearts go out to those who have lost their homes, businesses, and communities,” Biden said.
Governor Josh Green cut his trip short and intended to return Wednesday evening. In his absence, interim Gov. Sylvia Luke declared an emergency and advised tourists to avoid the area.
Alan Dicker, who runs a poster gallery and three properties in Lahaina, lamented the town’s and his losses.
“The central two blocks are the economic heart of this island, and I don’t know what’s left,” he explained. “Everything significant I owned burned down today.”
SOURCE – (AP)
News
The Federal Reserve Was Sued By Big Banks Over Annual Stress Tests.
(VOR News) – A number of financial firms and industry associations have taken legal action against the Federal Reserve of the United States in reaction to the annual stress tests that are administered to banks.
In addition to the American Bankers Association, the Ohio Bankers League, the Ohio Chamber of Commerce, and the United States Chamber of Commerce, the Bank Policy Institute, which is a group that represents large financial institutions such as JPMorgan, Citigroup, and Goldman Sachs, is joining the other organizations in filing the lawsuit.
The plaintiffs have said that the purpose of the action is to “resolve longstanding legal violations by subjecting the stress test process to public input as required by federal law.”
The Federal Reserve litigation aims to achieve this goal.
Despite the fact that the organizations have said that they do not have a negative stance on stress testing, they are of the opinion that the method that is now being utilized is insufficient and “produces vacillating and unexplained requirements and restrictions on bank capital.”
It is standard procedure for the Federal Reserve to carry out a stress test on an annual basis. This test ensures that financial institutions have adequate reserves to cover the risk of bad loans and establishes the maximum amount of share repurchases and dividends that can be distributed.
After the market closed on Monday, the Federal Reserve issued a statement indicating that it is considering adjustments to the stress tests applied to banks.
Additionally, the Federal Reserve will seek public feedback on “significant changes to improve the transparency of its bank stress tests and to reduce the volatility of resulting capital buffer requirements.”
This information was included in the announcement. As a result of “the evolving legal landscape,” the Federal Reserve claimed that it had made the choice to modify the tests. This statement was made in reference to the changes that have taken place in administrative laws over the course of the past several years.
There were no particular modifications that were described in this paper that were provided to the framework of the yearly stress testing before it was implemented. There is a likelihood that the revisions will be regarded as a win by the major banks; yet, it is possible that those modifications will be too little, too late.
Furthermore, it is possible that the revisions will not go far enough to satisfy the concerns of the banks regarding onerous capital requirements. This is a possibility.
The Federal Reserve says the changes will not materially affect capital requirements.
It was stated in a statement that was issued by Greg Baer, the Chief Executive Officer of the Bank of the Philippines, that “The Board’s announcement today is a first step towards transparency and accountability.”
Baer expressed his support for the Federal Reserve’s action. The statement issued by Baer, on the other hand, was a veiled allusion to additional actions. He stated, “We are reviewing it closely and considering additional options to ensure timely reforms that are both good law and good policy.”
The British Bankers Association (BPI) and the American Bankers Association (ABA) are two examples of organizations that have voiced their concerns in the past about the stress test procedure.
The aforementioned organizations have argued that the process is not transparent and has resulted in increasing capital rules, which have a detrimental effect on the lending practices of banks and the expansion of the economy.
The groups claimed in July that the Federal Reserve had broken the Administrative Procedure Act by not asking for public comment on its stress scenarios and by maintaining strict confidentiality about supervising models. Both of these acts were claimed to have happened.
SOURCE: CNBC
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American Airlines Has Canceled All Domestic Flights Due to a Technical Issue.
Joe Biden Commutes Sentences For 37 Of The 40 Federal Death Row Prisoners.
News
American Airlines Has Canceled All Domestic Flights Due to a Technical Issue.
(VOR News) – Due to technical difficulties, American Airlines (AA) was forced to cancel all of its flights departing from the United States on Tuesday morning.
This decision was reached as a result of information that was provided by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
American Airlines’ findings were based on FAA data.
The airline is currently dealing with a lot of problems as a consequence of a considerable number of customers claiming that their planes have returned to gates after being stopped on runways at a number of different airports.
A decision has been reached by American Airlines to cancel each and every flight that was planned to fly in the United States prior to the implementation of cancellation.
The following is a comment that American Airlines provided in a post that was published on X, which was formerly known as Twitter. Take the following example:
“Our team is working to resolve a technical issue.” Despite the fact that they have not been able to provide an estimated time for the problem to be resolved, the organization has emphasized that they are making every effort to restart operations as quickly as possible.
There have been a number of aircraft throughout the United States that have been grounded as a result of the grounding. Travelers have taken to social media to vent their frustration with the delays and the lack of definite dates for their flights. A great number of flights have been canceled as a direct consequence of the grounding.
In spite of the fact that its technical staff is currently working to solve the system issues, American Airlines continues to handle customer complaints on social media channels.
During the time that they are striving to restart regular operations, the airline is advising passengers who have been affected to return to the airport. Regarding the nature of the technology challenges and the extent of those concerns, there is still a large amount of uncertainty.
There are thousands of customers on American Airlines’ domestic network who are experiencing major implications as a result of this circumstance that is becoming progressively dire.
During the time that they are working to fix the broad system breakdown, the airline is successfully leveraging social media to maintain communication with customer service representatives. As a consequence of this, the airline is able to maintain communication with its passengers.
American Airlines lists other similar examples:
There was a technical problem that happened on Monday at Alaska Airlines (AS), and it had an effect on the entire system. The disruption was directly responsible for the downtime of the company’s website, and as a consequence of the outage, the operations of the aircraft were adjusted.
In an effort to enhance their capacity to retain control over the flow of aircraft, the airline temporarily suspended flights at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport for a period of forty minutes. They adopted this course of action in order to enhance their ability to maintain control.
Due to a technical fault, consumers were unable to book tickets through the contact centers, mobile app, or website of the airline. As a consequence of this, the airline encountered considerable delays in providing satisfactory service to its passengers.
Southwest Airlines (WN) was forced to cancel every flight that was set to depart from various locations across the country earlier this year as a result of a different occurrence that occurred the previous year.
In response to Southwest’s request, the Federal Aviation Administration issued the order to terminate the flight’s operations on the ground. It was necessary to take this action in order to address the difficulties that were brought about by the existing technical impediments.
Southwest Airlines has had more than 1,500 American Airlines flight delays as of late morning Eastern Time, as indicated by the data that was given by Flight Aware. In the United States, this single factor was responsible for more than half of all the delays that were experienced by airplanes.
Please do not forget to stay in touch with us at all times. It is imperative that you follow us on social media in order to guarantee that you are constantly up to date with the most recent information by following us.
SOURCE: AI
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Joe Biden Commutes Sentences For 37 Of The 40 Federal Death Row Prisoners.
The IRS Will Give a Million People Up To $1,400. Their Identity—And Why Now?
News
Joe Biden Commutes Sentences For 37 Of The 40 Federal Death Row Prisoners.
(VOR News) – Joe Biden commuted 37 of 40 federal death row inmates to life without parole. Trump reinstated federal executions after 17 years, according to supporters.
Biden: “Let there be no doubt: I denounce these murderers, mourn their victims, and empathize with all the families who have endured profound and irreparable loss.”
My morals and experiences as a public defender, Senate Judiciary Committee chairman, vice president, and president led me to abolish the federal death penalty. I will not allow another administration to violate my ethics.
The president commuted record-high death sentences. Former New Orleans police officer Len Davis was pardoned for running a cocaine protection racket and murdering Kim Groves after she filed a brutality complaint.
In 2022, three killers freed Davis after 28 years in prison.
Groves’ son, Corey, hailed Joe Biden’s commutation of Davis’ death sentence in a brief interview on Monday, saying he wanted the former police officer to serve decades.
“I desire Len to awaken on his 95th birthday still confronted with concrete and barbed wire,” said Groves, who received $1.5 million from the New Orleans city government and family in 2018 for his mother’s death. The president’s actions are worse than death, so I don’t care.
Holder altered his death sentence by murdering a security guard during a dual-participant bank heist. Prosecutors assert that Holder may not have discharged the lethal shot.
Daryl Lawrence was hanged for murdering Bryan Hurst, a Columbus cop. Former officer Donnie Oliverio remarked, “The President acted in accordance with our beliefs and values.” “Executing the individual who murdered my police partner and closest friend would not have afforded me any solace.”
All federal death row inmates save Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, who bombed the Boston Marathon in 2013, Dylann Roof, who killed nine Black churchgoers in Charleston, South Carolina, in 2015, and Robert Bowers, who slaughtered 11 Jews in a Pittsburgh synagogue in 2018, are eligible for clem
Death Penalty Information Center executive director Robin Maher told The Guardian that 38% of the 40 federal execution detainees are Black. About 25% of the offenders were under 21.
Bryan Stevenson, founder and executive director of the non-profit Equal Justice Initiative, said: “Today signifies a crucial juncture in abolishing America’s tragic and flawed application of the death penalty.
Joe Biden claims the death penalty doesn’t improve public safety.
Son of Martin Luther King Jr.: “This is a historic day.” Reflecting the death penalty’s racially biased origins and unfairness, Joe Biden commuted these sentences, unlike any other president.
Biden has trouble with this. He supported a 1994 criminal measure introducing 60 death penalty charges as a senator. He said, “I am the individual who incorporated these capital punishments into this legislation.” The death penalty led to enormous incarceration, especially of Black men.
Presidential candidate Joe Biden promised to end federal capital punishment in 2020. He criticized unfair convictions and court racism.
The Biden administration stopped federal executions properly. The president has been requesting to commute federal death sentences in recent weeks. Corrections officials, CEOs, Black clergy, Catholics, civil and human rights advocates, prosecutors, former judges, and victim families wrote to him. Pope Francis publicly pushed President Joe Biden to pardon US death suspects.
Joe Biden’s decision will prevent future administrations from executing people.
Trump executed more federal convicts than the previous ten. The Republican administration executed Daniel Lewis Lee after 17 years and six others from July 16–September 24, 2020.
Two Democrats who supported bicameral federal death penalty ban legislation praised Monday’s announcement.
Senate Judiciary Committee head and majority whip Dick Durbin said, “I have consistently supported the elimination of the federal death penalty and commend President Joe Biden for this act of justice and mercy, as well as for his leadership.”
Massachusetts Representative Ayanna Pressley termed Joe Biden decision a “historic and groundbreaking act of compassion that will save lives, rectify profound racial disparities in our criminal justice system, and convey a potent message regarding redemption, decency, and humanity
The White House claims Biden has granted more commutations than his first-term predecessors. He set a record by pardoning 1,500 inmates and promising community safety for one day this month.
The first president to pardon marijuana users and LGBTQ+ service troops for sexual orientation-related offenses was Joe Biden.
The president pardoned his son Hunter for federal weapons and tax charges that might have led him to prison earlier this month, triggering a political storm. Biden denied pardon twice before leaving office on January 20.
SOURCE: TG
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