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Former U.S. President and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks during a campaign rally in Windham, NH.
Hard Numbers: Trump’s bond, Saudis target Ethiopian migrants, missing in Maui, Ecuadorians’ pro-Amazon vote
200,000: Former President Donald Trump's bond in Georgia has been set at $200,000 ahead of a Friday deadline to turn himself in. As part of his release conditions, Trump, who is reportedly set to surrender for processing on Thursday, is banned from using social media to intimidate witnesses.
750,000: Saudi border guards have reportedly opened fire and launched explosives at Ethiopian migrants fleeing their country’s civil war in recent years, killing hundreds as they tried crossing into Saudi Arabia from Yemen, according to a new Human Rights Watch report. Some 750,000 Ethiopians now live in Saudi Arabia, the majority of them unauthorized.
850: That’s the number of missing people in Maui, Hawaii, following last week’s devastating wildfires. While 850 is far lower than the earlier estimates, which were closer to 2,000, officials are asking locals to give DNA samples to help with the sluggish victim recovery effort.
59: Ecuadorian voters failed to deliver a decisive win to any of the country’s presidential candidates on Sunday, paving the way for a runoff vote in October. But there was a clear win for the Amazon with 59% voting in favor of a referendum to reject all oil exploration in Yasuni National Park.
A makeshift memorial hangs on a tree overlooking burned houses and buildings in Lahaina, Maui.
Hard Numbers: Maui tourism, fighting in Ethiopia, China’s missing data, Burundi’s missing handball players
80: In disaster-struck Maui, mixed feelings now dominate public opinion. Many traumatized residents are angry that tourists keep coming to the island even as cleanup from the deadly wildfires continues. Yet, according to Maui’s Economic Development Board, “approximately 80% of every dollar [of revenue in the area] is generated directly or indirectly by the visitor industry,” providing an economic lifeline that’s sorely needed.
26: Fighting in Ethiopia’s Amhara region, which was placed under a state of emergency on Aug. 4, claimed more victims on Sunday when a suspected drone strike killed at least 26 people. Ethiopia’s army is fighting a paramilitary force known as Fano in the region.
???: In June, China’s youth unemployment rate reached an alarming 21.3%. In July, for the first time since China began publishing this statistic in 2018, the number was excluded from official reports. This comes as China is edging towards deflation, in large part due to waning demand at home.
10: A group of 10 teenage handball players from Burundi have gone missing before a world championship match in Croatia. Media reports have speculated the players may have planned an escape to seek asylum in the EU.A view of the damage caused by wildfires in Lahaina, Maui, Hawaii.
Maui fires fan political flames
With 96 people confirmed dead, more than a thousand still unaccounted for, and an estimated $5.6 billion in rebuilding costs, last week’s Maui wildfires are shaping up to be one of the US’ most devastating natural disasters. The catastrophe may also set the scene for nasty political battles in the run-up to the 2024 presidential election.
Over the weekend, Republican US Rep. Lauren Boebert questioned why President Joe Biden remained on vacation in Delaware, railing on X, formerly known as Twitter, that "There is a total crisis in Maui. 3,000 destroyed homes. 80 people dead. Where's Joe Biden? On vacation of course. There is no bottom for this president.”
The post immediately garnered both bouquets and brickbats. Some equated Biden’s absence with President George W. Bush’s delay in visiting New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina hit there in 2005. Others commented that “the last thing the rescue effort needs is a presidential entourage.” Meanwhile, Democratic Hawaii Gov. Josh Green praised Biden for approving the state’s request for a disaster declaration on Friday.
But the most significant impact may be on public support for Biden’s green energy policies and the fight against climate change. Boebert’s attack came after Biden noted that she, "along with every other Republican,” voted against the Inflation Reduction Act, which Biden recently credited for creating 850 clean energy jobs in Boebert’s own district, in Pueblo, Colo.
Far from being Biden’s Katrina, Maui may drive home the point that Americans ignore climate change at their peril. While Republicans like Florida Gov. and presidential candidate Ron de Santis busy themselves with removing the subject from school curricula, Democrats may simply point to images of a torched Lahaina as evidence that the country cannot wait to take the threat seriously – while claiming that they are the only party that does.An aerial view of a wildfire in Kihei, Maui County, Hawaii.
Maui fires kill at least 36 people
Hawaii’s wildfires have claimed at least 36 lives. The historic, western coast town of Lahaina has been ripped apart, with 271 buildings destroyed by the blazes. Relatives of people living in the region are worried about missing family members, and thousands remain without power.
The fires broke out Tuesday afternoon, whipping through the island “like a blow torch,” fueled by dry conditions and accelerated by strong winds from Hurricane Dora passing to the south.
Hawaii Gov. Josh Green says much of Lahaina “has been destroyed and hundreds of local families have been displaced.” Flights were only able to resume yesterday when the winds eased enough to allow for safe passage. Multiple people on the island jumped into the ocean to escape the flames and smoke.
Meanwhile, the fires are still burning on Maui and on Hawaii's Big Island. The US military has sent in helicopters to assist with firefighting and search and rescue missions. Meanwhile, the Maui Fire Department has requested 20 firefighters be sent in from elsewhere in Hawaii.