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☆ Group of Democrats call on Blinken to provide answers on bypassing Congress to approve arms sales to Israel
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-30 | by ( Jennifer Hansler | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

CNN —A group of 19 predominantly Democratic lawmakers is calling on Secretary of State Antony Blinken to provide answers about why he bypassed Congress last month to approve arms sales to Israel. The top US diplomat made two emergency determinations in December to immediately approve the transfer hundreds of millions of dollars in military equipment to Israel. In their letter, the lawmakers noted the rarity of administrations using emergency declarations to immediately approve arms sales without congressional approval. “Use of a national emergency waiver does not exempt the U.S. government from assessing whether arms sales are consistent with” those standards, they wrote. I would say that the process that the secretary followed and the process that we follow here at the State Department is the process that the law actually prescribed,” Miller said at a State Department briefing.

Persons: Antony Blinken, Blinken, Joe Biden, Independent Sen, Bernie Sanders, Democratic Sens, Elizabeth Warren, Jeff Merkley, Peter Welch, James McGovern, Earl Blumenauer, Joaquin Castro, Judy Chu, Raúl, Pramila Jayapal, Barbara Lee, Betty McCollum, Chellie Pingree, Mark Pocan, Delia Ramirez, Jan Schakowsky, Jill Tokuda, Maxine Waters, Eleanor Holmes Norton, Leahy, credibly, “ Israel, ”, ’, “, Matt Miller, ” Miller Organizations: CNN, UN, Independent, Democratic, State Department, Leahy, ”, Department Locations: Israel, Gaza, Hamas

☆ For Hawaii’s Governor, a Balancing Act With No Margin for Error
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-21 | by ( Shawn Hubler | More About Shawn Hubler | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

At the Capitol, Mr. Green was neither part of his party’s progressive wing nor a player in the mainstream party apparatus, Professor Moore said. After focusing on homelessness and public health as a legislator, Mr. Green ran for lieutenant governor in 2018 and won again. When Covid hit in 2020, David Ige, who was then the governor, informally made Mr. Green the administration’s pandemic point man. But their relationship was not always harmonious, and the early call on the cruise lines fed perceptions that Mr. Green was prematurely campaigning to succeed Mr. Ige, who was prevented by term limits from running for re-election in 2022. A year later, Mr. Green defeated six other Democrats in the primary and won the general election easily.

Persons: Green, Moore, Jill Tokuda, Covid, David Organizations: Capitol, Congress

☆ Biden Visits Hawaii Biden Heads to Maui to See Wildfire Devastation
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-21 | by ( Peter Baker | Zolan Kanno-Youngs | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +6 min

Terri Thomas’s family has been waiting for days. “It’s tragic — this hopeless feeling,” said Ms. Thomas’s niece, Terra Thomas, who lives in North Carolina. Spotty-to-nonexistent phone reception, especially in the immediate aftermath, made it hard for survivors to contact loved ones. Chief John Pelletier of the Maui Police Department urged people searching for loved ones to take a DNA test that could help identify their remains. Once the couple was able to inform loved ones they were safe, the social media attention proved helpful.

Persons: Terri Thomas’s, Thomas, Thomas’s, “, ”, Terra Thomas, Jill Tokuda, “ It’s, Noelle Manriquez, John Pelletier of, Pelletier, ” Terra Thomas, Terri Thomas, Harry, Toni Troupe, Toni, Max Whittaker, ” Emily Cochrane Organizations: Democrat, Maui Police Department, ”, The New York Times, huskies, Credit, Facebook Locations: Lahaina, Hawaii, North Carolina, Maui, Congress, West Maui, State, Napili, Honokowai, Ohio, Midwest, Bali

As of Saturday, officials had confirmed the identities of only two victims and had barely started searching the disaster zone with canine teams. “It’s going to make identification and notification really difficult,” she said, adding that “it’s painful just to think about that.”For days now, families have struggled to learn the status of loved ones in West Maui. Spotty-to-nonexistent phone reception, especially in the immediate aftermath, made it hard for survivors to contact loved ones. That time, she said, was “very hard, very stressful.”Others have had heard nothing. Chief John Pelletier of the Maui Police Department urged people searching for loved ones to take a DNA test that could help identify their remains.

Persons: ”, Jill Tokuda, “ It’s, Noelle Manriquez, John Pelletier of Organizations: Democrat, Maui Police Department Locations: Maui, Congress, West Maui, Lahaina

Those winds also battered power lines on the island, and dramatic videos show lines swaying and being toppled in the gusts. Now, some locals are casting blame on Hawaiian Electric, the state’s biggest utility, for not shutting off power to high-risk areas – and claiming that its power lines could have sparked the deadly fire. State officials were well aware of the danger posed by downed power lines during hurricanes. A 2021 state report noted that “downed power lines” and “residential and wildland fires” were hazards related to hurricanes. Maui Mayor Richard Bissen said Thursday that power lines that were “still energized” had fallen on the roads.

Persons: Shane Treu, Treu, ” Treu, kindling, Lisa Treu, –, ”, “, Hurricane Dora, “ inexcusably, Jim Kelly, ” Kelly, Kelly, Richard Bissen, Yuri Iwamura, hydrants –, Cole Millington, Millington, Bradford Ventura, Adam Weintraub, ” Weintraub, Jill Tokuda, Keahi Ho, John Stufflebean, Josh Green, Anne Lopez, ” Green, “ It’s, Dora, Abby Frazier, Dora inched, Josh Stanbro Organizations: CNN, Hawaii Army National Guard, Hawaii National Guard, Reuters, Electric, National Weather Service, Hawaiian Electric Company, Public Utilities Commission, Hawaii Wildfire Management Organization, Maui, Volunteers, Getty, Facebook, Bradford, Hawaii Emergency Management Agency, Democrat, New York Times, Maui County Department of Water Supply, Times, Government, Hawaii Gov, Clark University Locations: Mauna, Lahaina, Maui, Hawaii, County, California, Paradise, West Maui, Maalaea, AFP, “, Maui County, United States, Massachusetts

☆ Hawaii's emergency siren warning system was silent during Maui wildfires
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-12 | by ( Ray Sanchez | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +18 min

Hawaii residents have long been accustomed to the monthly tests of the outdoor siren warning system. “Maui County faced a challenging, rapidly changing situation, and I think they did everything possible to save lives. Period.’Video Ad Feedback Video shows family's terrifying escape from Maui wildfires 01:18 - Source: CNNThe fire spread with such speed that many people left their homes immediately with little notice from authorities, Maui County Fire Chief Brad Ventura said. Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources/AP Burnt boats sit in waters off of Lahaina, Hawaii, on Friday. Phonoxaylinkham, his wife, and their five children were caught in the Lahaina wildfires and survived by exiting their car and spending four hours in the ocean as the west Maui wildfires raged around them.

Persons: Cole Millington, ” Millington, ”, Millington, …, –, Adam Weintraub, ” Weintraub, Weintraub, “, Allen Vu, Vu, Anne Lopez, Jill Tokuda, Karl Kim, Brad Ventura, ” Ventura, John Pelletier, Josh Green, Clay Trauernicht, Wedelin, Lee, Matthew Thayer, Patrick Fallon, Justin Sullivan, Rick Bowmer, Mike Blake, Zoltan Balogh, Zeran Harris, Robert Gauthier, Mengshin Lin, Evelio Contreras, CNN Vixay Phonxaylinkham, Lana, Phonoxaylinkham, Marco Garcia, Claire Rush, Myrna Ah Hee, Sui, Ty O'Neil, Ku'u Kauanoe, ZUMA, Patrick T, Fallon, Dustin Johnson, Lane, ” Kim, Brock Long, ‘, Rachel Zimmerman Organizations: CNN, Lahaina, Hawaii Emergency Management Agency, CNN Hawaii, National Disaster Preparedness Training Center, University of Hawaii, Maui County Fire, Maui County Police, Gov, Communication, National Weather Service, “, Maui Fire Department, Facebook, Firefighter, Fire Department, Maui News, AP Pacific Whale Foundation, Getty, Hawaii Department of Land, Natural Resources, Reuters, . Hawaii Department of Land, Los Angeles Times, AP, Washington Post, Kahului, Technologies, AP Hawaii Army National Guard, Hawaii National Guard, Reuters Residents, ZUMA Passengers, Federal Emergency Management Agency Locations: Lahaina . Millington, Maui, “, Hawaii, Lahaina, Millington, Maui County, Manoa, Honolulu, Olinda, Kula, Hanamu, Piʻiholo, Lahaina Bypass, Church, Lahaina Hongwanji, Lahaina , Hawaii, Maalaea, West Maui, AFP, Wailuku, Upcountry, Waiola, Kula , Hawaii, Kahului, California, Las Vegas, Kihei

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