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1 Maui Death Toll Rises, Emergency Chief Resigns
The head of the Maui Emergency Management Agency resigned yesterday after a wall of criticism for his decision not to sound the emergency alarm to alert residents to the Lahaina Fire, the deadliest US wildfire in over a century. Maui County officials stated in a news release that Herman Andaya resigned "effective immediately" due to "health reasons." Maui Mayor Richard Bissen said in a statement, "Given the gravity of the crisis we are facing, my team and I will be placing someone in this key position as quickly as possible and I look forward to making that announcement soon,"
2 Hurricane Could Hit Southern California For First Time In Almost A Century
Hurricane Hilary is headed for Southern California, where, if it makes landfall, it’ll be the first one to hit the region since 1939. The storm is forecast to bring flash floods, heavy rainfall, and mudslides. Las Vegas could also see some flash flooding from this extremely rare weather event. Right now, Hilary is listed as a Category 3 hurricane and is getting stronger as it passes through the Pacific Ocean. It’s suspected to reach Category 4 status today as it skims along Baja California. Though Hilary is expected to lose strength as it heads for California, SoCal, and the Southwest could still see a tremendous amount of rain. In fact, some of California’s inland desert could experience their entire annual rainfall in as little as 48 hours. As for what’s causing this wet phenomenon, the ocean water off the coast of Mexico where Hilary is currently picking up steam, is much warmer than it normally is.
3 Now The Arizona Attorney General Is Investigating Trump "Fake Electors"
Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes' office is heading up an ongoing investigation of an alleged attempt of former President Donald Trump to use alternate electors after the 2020 presidential election for his benefit. Arizona is one of seven states that Trump lost in that election. However, his allies allegedly attempted to create a fraudulent slate of electors. Mayes, a Democrat, made her first public comments about the investigation on Wednesday. "We are taking this investigation very seriously, very solemnly," She told the press, adding "we're going to do it on our timetable as justice demands." Last year, Mayes just barely defeated a Republican who denied the 2020 election results. Mayes, however, pledged to investigate the alleged fake elector situation. This investigation piggybacks on Fulton County, Georgia’s racketeering charges against the former president. As we previously reported, A Fulton County Grand Jury returned a 41-count indictment charging former Trump and 18 others with violating the state’s anti-racketeering law along with other charges. Meanwhile, less than two days after the grand jury voted to indict him, his supporters posted the jurors' names and addresses online. This sparked somewhat of a domino effect on Trump supporters who began to redistribute jurors’ personal information across other social media sites.