Beltway Insider: Biden/Maui Fires, Trump Indicted Again, 9/11 Plea Deal, SoCal Tropical Storm

Details: Category: Beltway Insider; Published on Sunday, 20 August 2023 11:46; Written by Janet Walker

The Biden Administration has announced a comprehensive FEMA package to assist residents of Maui in recovery after the devastating fires killed 114, damaged or destroyed 5,000 structures and burned 80% of the historic town of Lahaina, Hawaii.

The President's job approval rating, according to the website fivethirtyeight.com, for the period ending August 20, 2023 increased by 1.2% to 41.2% of those polled who approve of his effectiveness as President and those who disapprove of his effectiveness decreased by 1.1% to 53.9% of those polled who disapprove of his effectiveness. A slight 3% of the population polled have no opinion. Ratings are calculated weekly.

Beltway Insider: Biden/Immediate Hawaiian Aid, Maui Fires, DeSantis, Ohio Message

Biden Plans to Visit Maui

President Biden and First Lady Dr. Jill Biden are expected to visit the fire ravaged island of Maui on Monday, August 21, according to the White House calendar, and has continued to monitor the unfolding situation.

Biden has issued a whole-of-government response to the shocking and catastrophic destruction left in the wake of the Lahaina Wildfire, which has decimated the historic town, and killed 114, with the expected death toll to increase as at least 1,000 residents remain unaccounted for with 78% of the burn zone searched.

Biden's initial response to the extent of the tragedy has come under scrutiny, which is not uncommon, especially for residents who are in the middle of the devastation or have experienced the worst of our nation's FEMA failures, most notably Hurricane Katrina.

Douglas Brinkley, a presidential historian, and author of a book about the government's handling of Hurricane Katrina explained "Just like there's a 72-hour window in rescue and relief, there is also a window when a president can be the great grief counselor in chief. And Biden's usually good at this … But for some reason he seemed slow off the mark," reported The Washington Post.

Being empathetic and moving too soon to overburden state responses, which could in the event of a wildfire put additional lives at risk is a balancing act. Addressing the nation, could have been constructed as empty words when action was needed,

Following an initial assessment, the White House increased the federal funding of eligible expenses to 100% coverage of all debris removal and protective measures.

Maui Wildfire Aftermath - Death Toll Continues to Rise

According to a FEMA graphic posted in MauiNow.com, created by the Pacific Disaster Center, created on August 12, 2023, "the Lahaina Fire resulted in an estimated total of 2,719 structures exposed; 2,207 structures damaged or destroyed; and 2,170 acres burned. 86% of buildings exposed to the fire were classified as residential. . ..In Kula, 544 structures were exposed, 678 acres burned, and the estimated cost to rebuild is $434 million."

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Further assessment of the Lahaina Wildfire, which was by far the most devastating, has been estimated to have burned nearly 5,000 structures, 2,170 acres, 80% of the historic seaside community, and caused an estimated $5.52billion in damages.

After one week, the loss of life continued to balloon and currently the news remains grim for many residents. Initially the number of residents who were unaccounted for had been as high as 2000, however as cell phone service and internet service has been restored, families have reconnected, and the number has fallen and hovers near 1000 still declared missing.

"Arriving at an accurate count in a mass casualty disaster, particularly one as sprawling and destructive as a wildfire, can take months or even years, researchers and forensic anthropologists say — and that's if the recovery and identification of all victims can be realized at all," NBCnews.com reported.

For up to date news on services - Maui Now has provided a complete list of services sites including medical services, water, shelter, missing loved ones, family members or pets access this link for full detailed services. Follow this link.

Trump Indicated Again

Former President Donald Trump has been indicated (again) this week by the Fulton County, Georgia, Prosecutor Fani Willis, along with 19 named co-conspirators in a massive racketeering case alleging he attempted to subvert the 2020 election results.

"Willis's ambitious decision to use Georgia's expansive RICO statute — a law historically employed to prosecute mobsters — to charge Trump with leading a vast criminal enterprise to steal the 2020 election could allow her to target many more of those involved in the alleged conspiracy beyond Trump, potentially transforming the way political wrongdoing is punished," The Washington Post reported.

Willis's indictment, which some would argue is by the far the most expansive, and also allows for a story of greed, dirty tricks, hostile business maneuvers, and entitlement, to be presented to a jury in an historically African-American community, where a jury, who after four separate indictment in multiple states, has already come to believe some level of validity, as the year over year pattern proves guilt.

Four Hours at The Capitol Review – Unfiltered Front-Line Account of January 6 Siege

The First Amendment allows for protected and unprotected speech. A history or pattern of violence can preclude the protection of inflammatory speech just as yelling "Fire" in a theater is unprotected, and the most common example of unprotected speech.

With the advent of social media, and the former president and his co-conspirators, determined effort to stoke the January 6 uprising by provoking his social media followers, not simply on the day of the event, but from November 7, 2020, until January 6, and using provocative and seditious language, even in micro messaging, character limiting, terms can be clearly defined an inflammatory, and clearly propagating false statements to incite voters who believed and more invested in his secondary "stop the steal" campaign.

Also charged under the 91-page indictment are former New York City Mayor, Federal Prosecutor and Trump Loyalist, Rudy Giuliani, has been charged with 13 counts, Ray Stallings Smith III, charged with 12 counts, Robert David Cheeley, 10 counts.

A detailed version of the charges that include Violation of the Georgia Rico (Racketeer Influenced and corruption Organizations) Act, Solicitation of Violation of Oath by Public Officer, Impersonating a Public officer, Forgery, Conspiracy to Commit Computer Theft, is available from The New York Times and can be accessed here.

To unpack the damage the Trump Administration, the dirty tricks, disinformation campaign, and hostile takeover, inflicted on democracy must be exposed and stopped. This type of snatch and grab politics, contributes to a trickle-down effect of treasonous and disloyal actions by those who serve at the pleasure of the people and who are entrusted by the people to govern, which then further creates infidelities and disloyalties by those who are obligated to abide by the professional oath required by law governing the profession of choice.

Willis's has announced her expectation is for the trial to move ahead by February 2024, which seems unrealistic given the scope of the defendants, and the amount of pre-trial motions which will undoubtedly be filed.

Coronavirus Totals

Mandates have been altered or lifted in most urban areas with limited exceptions, and the population is encouraged to maintain personal protective practices. Masks are optional and tolerated. Vaccines and boosters are still considered the most effective agents against contracting the Coronavirus.

For the week ending August 20, 2023, the total of confirmed coronavirus cases worldwide reached 769,774,646 confirmed cases, an increase over the past week of 404,823 cases worldwide. The total worldwide death toll increased by 805 to 6,955,141 deaths. (Data from The World Health Organization).

COVID U.S. Totals

Infections rates in the United States are also on the rise. For the 7-day period ending August 20, 2023, the total hospitalizations resulting from new Covid hospitalizations in the U.S. increased by 10,320 to 6,244,216 which represents a 14.3% increase. The coronavirus has claimed 1,137,742 total U.S. deaths, an 8.3% increase, adding 685 deaths, over the past week. (Data from CDC).

Pentagon's Diary Gets Personal

Protecting for gain of function knowledge only aides those who initiated the constitutional violations. It does nothing to combat homegrown terrorism or narcissistic, above the law, belief. The best obtainable version of the truth.

9/11 Plea Deal for Terror Mastermind

For the survivors of those murdered on September 11, 2001, in the attacks at The World Trade Center, Shanksville, PA and The Pentagon, the idea that the government would offer them a please deal is a slap in the face to the families and survivors who live each day with the memories, injuries, and PTSD from 9/11.

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"The Pentagon sent a letter this week to families of 9/11 victims revealing plea deals are being considered in which the five men, including suspected mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, would "accept criminal responsibility for their actions and plead guilty....in exchange for not receiving the death penalty," CBSNews.com reported.

The plea deal, which had been revealed one year ago, September 11, 2022, when it was confirmed that the possibility of a plea deal was in the works which would, in exchange for admission of guilt take the death penalty off the table and allow for Guantanamo Bay to remain open.

With words like "good faith negotiations" being tossed around, soils the memories of those murdered on 9/11.

Failure to demand the death penalty sends the wrong message, it will allow for terrorists to remain alive, and active, utilize the lenient and compassionate prison system to send messages and inflame followers to build a jihad against the United States and European allies. This simply sets a dangerous precedent.

Those attempting to negotiate should watch the television coverage of that day, not one location but all four, innocent civilians jumping from the World Trade Center towers, calls of desperation for help that will never arrive, passengers rising up where government let them down, don't do it again. Talk to survivors who through no fault of their own now battle the devasting effect of cancers, diseases, and irreparable and devastating loss. Never in American history would the United States negotiate with terrorists, and they should not start now.

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SoCal Tropical Storm Warning

Hurricane Hilary, now a category 1 storm with sustained winds of 90 mph, which is expected to impact the Southern California coastline on Sunday, August 20, 2023, into Monday, August 21, with heavy rains and high winds, has already made landfall over the northern Baja, California, peninsula lashing the region with high winds, pelting rain and flooding.

In a precautionary move, the U.S. Navy is moving their fleet out of the San Diego Bay to avoid damage. The tropical storm warning issued for southern California is the first of its kind in 84 years, upwards of 100million residents along the storms path could experience the damaging effects.

Weather forecasters expect rainfall to drench the cone region with many areas receiving a two-year rainfall over a 24-hour period and with that dangerous mudslides should be expected, the desert region has little vegetation, and scorched earth from past wildfire devastation, increases the potential for flash floods.

For many along the Atlantic coast who are accustomed to Hurricanes, the advice they give is batten down the hatches, tape windows, and sit through it, make sure all devices are charged, and of course don't drive through standing water.

For more information on President Joe Biden w ww.whitehouse.gov.