Maui wildfires deadliest in US in 100+ years: The Rundown Aug. 14, 2023

AS THE DEATH TOLL CONTINUES TO RISE, THE MAUI WILDFIRES REACH A GRIM MILESTONE.
AND —
CAMERAS CAPTURE A SCARE IN THE SKIES WHEN A PLANE CRASHES DURING AN AIR SHOW.
THIS IS STRAIGHT-ARROW NEWS.
BRINGING YOU UNBIASED, STRAIGHT FACTS.
TODAY IS MONDAY — AUGUST 14TH.
THANKS FOR JOINING US.
I’M KARAH RUCKER.
THE WILDFIRES ON THE HAWAIIAN ISLAND OF MAUI ARE NOW THE DEADLIEST THE U.S. HAS SEEN IN MORE THAN 100 YEARS.
THE DEATH TOLL HAS INCREASED DAILY SINCE THE FLAMES FIRST BROKE OUT NEARLY A WEEK AGO — AT LEAST 96 PEOPLE HAVE DIED.
HUNDREDS OF PEOPLE ARE STILL UNACCOUNTED FOR.
NEARLY THREE-THOUSAND STRUCTURES WERE DESTROYED AS THE STRENGTH OF THE WILDFIRES WAS TOO MUCH TO WITHSTAND —
THE BLAZE TRAVELING AS FAST AS **ONE MILE PER MINUTE** AT ITS PEAK.
NOT ONLY ARE THE WILDFIRES THE DEADLIEST IN THE U.S. IN MORE THAN A CENTURY —
BUT THE FIRES ARE NOW HAWAII’S “LARGEST NATURAL DISASTER” EVER.
THE RECOVERY EFFORTS ARE EXPECTED TO EXCEED SIX **BILLION DOLLARS —
BUT FOR NOW — THE ISLAND’S FOCUS IS ON THE IRREPLACEABLE LOSSES —
THE DEATH TOLL IS EXPECTED TO CONTINUE TO GO UP —
AS SEARCH AND RESCUE TEAMS ARE GOING DOOR-TO-DOOR STILL SEARCHING FOR HUNDREDS OF MISSING PEOPLE.
RESIDENTS ON SOME PORTIONS OF THE ISLAND SAY THERE WERE NO EVACUATION WARNINGS UNTIL IT WAS TOO LATE.
AN INVESTIGATION LED BY THE STATE’S ATTORNEY GENERAL IS NOW UNDERWAY —
LOOKING INTO THE RESPONSE EFFORTS OF LOCAL OFFICIALS.

THIS MORNING THE RUSSIA RUBLE HAS HIT A 17-MONTH LOW AGAINST THE U.S. DOLLAR AS THE WAR IN UKRAINE PRESSES ON.
THE RUBLE — NOW WEAKENED PAST 100 RUBLES TO THE DOLLAR — HAS LOST NEARLY 40% OF ITS VALUE THIS YEAR.
THE BANK OF RUSSIA HAS BLAMED THESE DEVELOPMENTS ON THE COUNTRY’S SHRINKING BALANCE OF TRADE.
THIS NEWS COMES AFTER A RUSSIA WARSHIP FIRED WARNING SHOTS AT A CARGO VESSEL IN THE BLACK SEA ON SUNDAY – THE FIRST TIME THE COUNTRY HAS FIRED ON A MERCHANT SHIP BEYOND UKRAINE SINCE EXITING THE U.N.-BROKERED GRAIN DEAL IN JULY.
RUSSIA’S MINISTRY OF DEFENSE SAYS THE SHOTS WERE FIRED TO FORCE THE PALAU-FLAGGED SHIP TO STOP AFTER NOT RESPONDING INITIALLY FOR AN INSPECTION.
ONE UKRANIAN OFFICIAL CALLED IT – QUOTE – “A CLEAR VIOLATION OF INTERNATIONAL LAW.”
THIS MORNING, THE UKRAINE AIR FORCE SAYS RUSSIA LAUNCHED MISSILES AND IRANIAN-MADE DRONES AT ODESSA OVERNIGHT.
ON SUNDAY, SEVEN PEOPLE INCLUDING A 23-DAY-OLD BABY GIRL WERE KILLED IN RUSSIA SHELLING IN UKRAINE’S SOUTHERN KHERSON REGION.
RUSSIA HAS ALSO ANNOUNCED THIS MORNING IT WILL BE EQUIPPING ITS NEW NUCLEAR SUBMARINES WITH HYPERSONIC ZIRCON MISSILES. EARLIER THIS YEAR RUSSIA PRESIDENT VLADIMIR PUTIN SAID THAT THE COUNTRY WOULD START SUPPLIES OF THESE MISSILES AS PART OF RUSSIA’S EFFORTS TO BOOST ITS NUCLEAR FORCES.
GO TO S-A-N-DOT-COM FOR OUR REPORTER RYAN ROBERTSON’S CONTINUING COVERAGE OF THE RUSSIA-UKRAINE WAR.

IN A LATE SUNDAY COURT FILING, LAWYERS FOR HUNTER BIDEN SAID THAT THE JUSTICE DEPARTMENT HAS BACKED OUT ON THE PLEA DEAL THAT WOULD HAVE RESOLVED THE TAX AND GUN CHARGES AGAINST HIM.
IN THE FILING, HUNTER BIDEN’S TEAM SAID PROSECUTORS HAD PROPOSED AND LARGELY DICTATED THE LANGUAGE IN THE PLEA DEAL.
AT A HEARING LAST MONTH, HUNTER BIDEN HAD EXPECTED TO PLEAD GUILTY TO MISDEAMEANOR TAX CHARGES AS PART OF THE AGREEMENT BUT PLEADED NOT GUILTY INSTEAD AFTER THE JUDGE RAISED QUESTIONS ABOUT THE DEALS CONCERNING UNPAID TAXES AND GUN POSSESION CHARGES.
DELAWARE FEDERAL PROSECUTORS HAVE SAID THAT THE PRESIDENT’S SON MAY BE HEADED FOR A CRIMINAL TRIAL AFTER THE PLEA NEGOTATION BROKE DOWN.
ON FRIDAY, U.S. ATTORNEY GENERAL MERRICK GARLAND NAMED DELAWARE U.S. ATTORNEY DAVID WEISS A SPECIAL COUNSEL IN THE INVESTIGATION —
WEISS HAS BEEN INVESTIGATING THE HUNTER BIDEN CASE SINCE 2019.
OUR POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT RAY BOGAN LOOKED INTO WHY THE APPOINTMENT IS SEEN AS CONTROVERSIAL.
YOU CAN FIND HIS REPORT NOW ON S-A-N-DOT-COM.

DURING AN AIR SHOW OVER MICHIGAN —
A PLANE UNEXPECTEDLY WENT DOWN.
TWO PILOTS WERE ABLE TO EJECT FROM THE AIRCRAFT BY PARACHUTE —
AS THE MID-FLIGHT TROUBLES WERE CAUGHT ON CAMERA BY PEOPLE ATTENDING THE EVENT.
THANKFULLY THE PILOTS WERE ABLE TO SAFELY LAND IN A LAKE —
AND AS FOR THE NOW UNMANNED AIRCRAFT HEADED STRAIGHT FOR THE GROUND —
IT CRASHED AT A NEARBY APARTMENT COMPLEX —
WHERE MIRACULOUSLY — NO INJURIES WERE REPORTED.
THE AIRCRAFT WAS A RUSSIAN FIGHTER JET ON DISPLAY AT THE “THUNDER OVER MICHIGAN” AIR SHOW.
THE F-A-A IS CURRENTLY INVESTIGATING THE CAUSE OF THE CRASH.

SAM BANKMAN-FRIED WILL NO LONGER BE COZIED UP ON HOUSE ARREST.
THE FOUNDER OF THE NOW-BANKRUPT CRYPTO-EXCHANGE COMPANY “F-T-X” IS NOW HEADED TO JAIL — WHERE HE IS SET TO REMAIN UNTIL HIS CRIMINAL TRIAL BEGINS OCTOBER SECOND.
A JUDGE **REVOKED HIS BAIL AFTER CLAIMING BANKMAN-FRIED ATTEMPTED TO “TAMPER WITH WITNESSES” AT LEAST TWICE.
SINCE HIS ARREST IN DECEMBER — HE’S BEEN OUT ON A 250 MILLION DOLLAR BAIL — STAYING AT HIS PARENT’S HOUSE IN CALIFORNIA.

FINALLY THIS MORNING, THE FIGHT WITH MUCH HYPE —
MIGHT HAVE JUST BEEN A “HYPOTHETICAL” ALL ALONG.
THE FACE-OFF BETWEEN MARK ZUCKERBERG AND ELON MUSK —
WHICH HAS BEEN HIGHLY TEASED SINCE JUNE —
COULD BE JUST A PIPE DREAM —
AFTER ZUCKERBERG ACCUSED MUSK OF NOT AGREEING TO A DAY AND TIME TO FIGHT.
ZUCKERBERG SAYS MUSK “ISN’T SERIOUS” AND ITS “TIME TO MOVE ON.”
IT’S QUITE THE SHIFT AFTER MUSK WROTE ON HIS SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORM “X” ON FRIDAY THAT THE CAGE FIGHT WOULD TAKE PLACE —
LIVESTREAMED ON X WITH ALL PROCEEDS GOING TOWARD CHARITIES.
TWO VERY DIFFERENT TONES — AS ONE PARTY TO THE FIGHT SAYS THE ANTICIPATION — IS OVER.
THOSE ARE YOUR TOP STORIES THIS MONDAY MORNING.
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UNBIASED. STRAIGHT FACTS. THAT’S STRAIGHT ARROW NEWS.
WE’LL SEE YOU BACK HERE TOMORROW.
UNTIL THEN I’M KARAH RUCKER.
HAVE A GREAT DAY.