Beltway Insider: Biden/Maui Fires, GOP Debates, Putin Terminates Wagner, MLKs Legacy

Details: Category: Beltway Insider; Published on Sunday, 27 August 2023 13:06; Written by Janet Walker

President Biden addressed the catastrophic and overwhelming destruction of the Maui Wildfires after touring the devastation and meeting those tragically injured and announced his "administration will be there as long as it takes to complete response efforts."

The President's job approval rating, according to the website fivethirtyeight.com, for the period ending August 27, 2023 increased by 0.2% to 41.4% of those polled who approve of his effectiveness as President and those who disapprove of his effectiveness decreased by 0.4% to 53.5% of those polled who disapprove of his effectiveness. A slight 3% of the population polled have no opinion. Ratings are calculated weekly.

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Maui Update

The Biden Administration released a fact sheet and indicated a whole of government response to the unprecedented tragedy which includes assistance to address every need. The fires destroyed more than 2,200 structures, 86% of which were residential. Maui is still experiencing fires, with the Olinda fire: *5% contained; Kula Fire 90% contained; Lahaina fire: 90% contained for a total of 3,453 acres destroyed.

The death toll in the Maui Wildfires has remained at 115, throughout the week, unfortunately multiple lists, from the FBI and other sources place the unaccounted for at 1,100. However, "county officials released a list of 388 people who have been reported as unaccounted for from the Aug. 8 Lahaina wildfire disaster. There will continue to be work done to try to locate those people, but Maui Police Chief John Pelletier said there will ultimately be people "presumed" dead," MauiNews.com reported.

GOP Debate

The 2024 Election season has officially begun as the eight of the GOP hopefuls gathered in Milwaukee to expound of their qualifications and use the platform to reposition themselves in the polls and in the eyes of the American people.

Moderated by Bret Baier and Martha MacCallum, the pair seemed unable to control the group, as decorum no longer exists in the political debate process, the residue of former president Donald Trump's mat slamming mud wrestling take downs of the 2020 presidential race.

However, the hopefuls used the time to present themselves as viable candidates. Of course, the most noted former VP Mike Pence, frontrunner Florida governor Ron DeSantis, former New Jersey and Bridgegate survivor Chris Christie, and former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, Nikki Haley, who surprised many by handily exposed weaknesses in tech CEO Vivek Ramaswamy's foreign policy.

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The second-tier group had a clear winner with North Dakota's Governor, and tech billionaire, Doug Berman able to present himself and his opinions in the 30 seconds allotted. South Carolina Senator Tim Scott, and former Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson.

There were key truths spoken across the board with VP Mike Pence's stating, "Now is not the time for on-the-job training," Pence said. "We don't need to bring in a rookie." [Followed by former Governor Chris Christie who] "cut in during one of Ramaswamy's most biting attacks, [stating] "I've had enough of a guy who stands up here who sounds like ChatGPT," reported PBS.org.

Of course, in the debate the moderators did ask the group their opinion on the 2020 election, hoping to stoke the embers of injustice invoking a pity poor Donald Trump among the stalwarts who gathered during the January 6 insurrection, which this trip down memory lane of the GOP's worst moments in recent history used more than thirty minutes until candidates began stating the obvious, this debate is about January 20, 2025 and the 2024 election.

Delving into the "what if" highway of thought and ideals brought undying support from some candidates with pledges of "until death do we part." The coattails of the indicted former president still seemed to have enough room for those lowest in the polls to hop on hoping for a boost. Those in office or who had held office dedicated themselves to the Constitution of the United States, without wiggle room for "what if."

Post debate poll numbers show some repositing with the biggest boost coming for DeSantis, who presented clear opinion and presented leadership quality, but for a former lawyer a little off his game, jumping 7 percentage points to 21% of Iowa polled voters.

DeSantis still, shockingly, trails, four-time indicted former president Donald Trump, who has continued to hypnotize voters casting a pixie dust spell over them.

According to a Fox News poll "Former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley also saw a large bump in the polls, rising from 3% support to 11% post-debate, while South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott slid from 8% to 7%. Businessman Vivek Ramaswamy saw the largest slide, dropping from 10% support to 7%. Former Vice President Mike Pence remained at 2% in the poll. Both North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum and former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie dropped from 3% to 1% support after the debate. Former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson saw a bump, as well, getting up to 1% support post-debate, up from being below 1% before the debate."

The Fox News broadcast garnered 12.8 million viewers across all devices. The second Republican debate will be held September 27, 2023, at the Ronald Reagan Library in Simi Valley, California.

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Putin Ends Wagner Threat

Russian President Vladimir Putin has once again exposed his determined effort to destroy any challenger to his power with the bombing of former Wagner chief Yevgeniy Prigozhin, who was confirmed to be one of the ten people onboard the ill-fated private plane.

"The founder of the Wagner private mercenary group, Yevgeny Prigozhin, who Russian aviation authorities says was on board a plane that crashed with no survivors, was once close enough to Vladimir Putin to be called his "personal chef" before he led a mutiny that posed the greatest challenge to the president's long rule," CNN.com reported.

Witnesses claim to have heard loud pops before seeing the plane spinning out of control. Other said, one wing had broken off before the catastrophic failure of the craft. The debris field will also provide evidence of the origin of the crash. Although, as Putin is one who effectively cleans up his messes, it's doubtful that a factual and truthful accounting of the crash will ever be made public. Which is true of any dictator, anywhere.

Wagner chief Yevgeniy Prigozhin isn't the first of Putin's adversaries to mysteriously die. Most noted of course, is attorney and former Russian Presidential candidate Alexis Navalny, who was poisoned when Novichok, a deadly WWII nerve agent, was placed in his undergarments. He survived the attack and had since been sentenced to prison.

Before him, Sergei Skripal, a former Russian military officer, and double agent was poisoned in March 2028 in Salisbury, England. Both he and his daughter survived the assassination. However, Dawn Sturgess, an innocent British citizen received the bottle which resembled a perfume vile from a friend. She sprayed her wrists and was dead in 15 minutes. The Russian agents disposed of the spray vile, and it was found.

Two months ago, Prigozhin led an unsuccessful coup attempt against Vladimir Putin. He had gained the support of the people, much like Navalny.

"Back in June, Prigozhin and his Wagner troops seized key military sites and marched toward Moscow, where the Kremlin had deployed heavily armed troops to the streets. But before they could face off, a deal was struck that ended the rebellion and sent Prigozhin and his fighters to neighboring Belarus. It marked the biggest challenge to Russian President Vladimir Putin's rule in 23 years," CNN.com reported.

His effort, which earned the sympathy of the Russian people who were tired of war, tired of economic sanctions, tired of the loss of sons and husbands, from Putin's maniacal land grab, rallied behind Prigozhin.

And in true Putin form, he shook hands with his enemy, made nice for the cameras, and set out to have him killed. And he did.

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 27, 2023, the total of confirmed coronavirus cases worldwide reached 769,806,130 confirmed cases, an increase over the past week of 31,484 cases worldwide. The total worldwide death toll increased by 356 to 6,955,497 deaths. The United States has stopped providing Covid data to the World Health Organization. (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 27, 2023, the total hospitalizations resulting from new Covid hospitalizations in the U.S. increased by 12,755 to 6,256,971 which represents a 21.6% increase. The coronavirus has claimed 1,138,602 total U.S. deaths, an 8.3% increase, adding 860 deaths, over the past week. (Data from CDC).

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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.

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The Gamification of China

China, who is always watching the west, has continued to build into its society a gamification system that rewards citizens, much like a video game, bestowing greater rewards upon citizens as they temper their behaviors, and even the behavior of others within their circle of friends can effect the social trust system.

"The government is beginning to convert that data and surveillance footage into social credit scores, which critics say can be used to penalize those who criticize the Communist Party," reported PBS.org. Which reported further, "And cameras use software that recognize not only faces, but also how people walk, and then can then track their location as they move. That allows cameras to judge behavior. In Shenzhen, cameras watch this intersection. If people jaywalk, they're publicly shamed when their faces are displayed on the screen."

The gamification of China, will allow the government to maintain a constant surveillance on each of the citizens, stopping he potential of criminal activity to develop underground, but also causing violations of privacy rights, a global concern in every nation.

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March on Washington at 60

The March on Washington, in August 1963, was the first time in history a gathering of citizens of all races, genders, religions, and political affiliations, as those were predominately the demographics of the past.

It was at the time, the largest gathering of people to ever convene on the White House Mall, where then President John F. Kennedy, could witness the swelling concern of voters demanding an end to the egregious violation in the south, where images of shocking depravity where nightly broadcast into the homes of Americans. The Jim Crow laws, which created an impossible system of government stopped economic and civil rights of African Americans and threatened to end decades of racial segregation.

Martin Luther King, Jr., "I have a Dream" speech, which is one of the most historical and electrifying speeches of the time, captured a generation's idealism and hope. The hope of Dr. King, which has unfortunately peaked, as modern society has slowly fallen into the "separate but equal" doctrine of the 1896 Plessy vs. Ferguson Supreme Court ruling, unity toward equality is brought on by egregious actions, that flares, and fades, depending on the injustice.

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