Beltway Insider: Biden/Visits Florida, DeSantis Skips Tour, Capitol Riot, Nazi Guard Arrested, Bill Richardson, Mohamed Al Fayed

Details: Category: Beltway Insider; Published on Sunday, 03 September 2023 13:28; Written by Janet Walker

President Biden and First Lady, Dr. Jill Biden, traveled to Florida this week, to inspect the damage created by Hurricane Idalia, a category three storm, that created catastrophic damage to the panhandle region where it made landfall.

The President's job approval rating, according to the website fivethirtyeight.com, for the period ending September 3, 2023 decreased by 1.2% to 40.6% of those polled who approve of his effectiveness as President and those who disapprove of his effectiveness increased by 1.1% to 54.6% 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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Biden Visits Hurricane Ravaged Florida

President Biden and First Lady Dr. Jill Biden visited the Panhandle region of Florida this week, after Hurricane Idalia, slammed into the gulf at 125mph, snapping trees, downing powerlines, and causing flooding from storm surge.

Disaster inspection trips by the president are usually an opportunity for the state's government leaders to meet and present the most catastrophic areas in an effort to secure additional FEMA funding for the region.

Florida governor Ron DeSantis who seeks the Republican Party nomination for President to run against Biden, used the trip to highlight his agenda and skipped the tour.

"During his visit, Biden dismissed the idea the governor's absence was a sign that political considerations had impacted the recovery effort. "I'm not disappointed. He may have had other reasons," Biden said, adding that the Federal Emergency Management Administration had coordinated closely with the governor's office before the visit. "But he did help us plan this,"' The Washington Post reported.

With the 2024 political season heating up, and a determined effort to oust Biden, everything is about politics.

DeSantis Skips Meet

Although DeSantis didn't tour the affected areas with Biden, he did post pictures to his social media accounts touring affected areas outside of the Presidential zone.

DeSantis has been overwhelming elected by the people of Florida, and the 29 electoral votes are key for a presidential win, and he expects his state to come through for him, if he is crowned the party's candidate.

"Biden's campaign, which is targeting Florida's 29 electoral votes despite Democrats' struggles there in recent years, has also sought to showcase the president's disaster management and proactive stance on climate change and extreme weather," The Washington Post reported.

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Hurricane Idalia, Follows Maui Wildfire, With Critical Seasons Ahead

The Southern United States is facing a critical Hurricane season, with three months remaining in the traditional 2023 storm season. The Sunshine state has taken a direct hit eight times in the last six years. Hurricane season is a way of life.

The formation of Tropical systems which spawn from the western coast of Africa churn through the warm southern waters, some developing, and others spinning out. Once the storm reaches the warm tropical waters in the Caribbean a hurricane is likely to strike, and for storm watchers the path is either a direct Miami, and Florida Keys hit, a slight curve north moves the storm to the eastern seaboard, or a slight curve south moves into the gulf where the storm can grow to catastrophic strength such as Hurricane Katrina.

As the earth's temperature continues to increase, the southern waters will continue to increase and with that the intensity of Hurricanes will continue to grow in devastation causing catastrophic damage, loss of life, and billions in property damage.

Maui Wildfire Death Toll

Mixed messages are coming out of Maui as government officials are squashing the totals of unaccounted and missing people in the deadliest U.S. wildfire in more than a century.

"Maui authorities are dramatically underplaying the number of people known to have died in the inferno that ripped through Lahaina last week - with locals telling DailyMail.com that the actual death toll is at least 480 and that morgues had run out of body bags," reported The DailyMail.com.

California Wildfire Season

With the unusual amount of rain from Tropical Storm Hilary, California's traditional fire season, which runs from July to October, may be tamed this year as the tinder from dry, hot, heat and the heat dome that sat across the southern United States, may be damped just enough to stop any out-of-control brush fires.

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Capitol Riots Sentencing Harshest to Date

Participants of the January 6 Insurrection and Capitol riots from members of the Oath Keepers, far-right anti-government militia, and Proud Boys, both far-right neo-fascist militants who believe in political violence, and were instrumental in citing violence on January 6, 2021, are continuing to be prosecuted with sentencing becoming more representative of the crimes they committed.

Oath Keepers leader Stewart Rhodes was sentenced earlier this year to 18 years on seditious conspiracy; Ethan Nordean, received 18 years, and an unrepented Dominc Pezzola, received 10 years, Joseph Biggs was sentenced to 17 years and Zachery Rehl, received a 15-year sentence.

Proud Boys chairman Henry "Enrique" Tarrio is to be sentenced this week with prosecutors asking the judge to sentence him to 33 years.

Most of these men were captured as they broadcast their determined effort to stop the certification of President Joe Biden on January 6, 2021, by storming the capitol building, starting fires, destroying property, breaking windows, using bear spray on police, and causing bodily injury, as they tried to murder the D.C. police.

The prosecution needs to continue until each person is held accountable, from the most egregious to the most minor. Maybe the next time a group of seditious insurrectionists decides to move on the capitol the front line of defense will use state-of-art tactics, SWAT tactics or those from past riots and subdue the front line.

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 September 3, 2023, the total of confirmed coronavirus cases worldwide reached 770,085,713 confirmed cases, an increase over the past week of 279,583 cases worldwide. The total worldwide death toll increased by 676 to 6,956,173 deaths. The United States has stopped providing Covid data to the World Health Organization. (Data from The World Health Organization).

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COVID U.S. Totals

As hospitalizations and infection rates continue to rise in the United States, some jurisdictions are suggesting new mask mandates. For the 7-day period ending September 3, 2023, the total hospitalizations resulting from new Covid hospitalizations in the U.S. increased by 15, 256 to 6,272,227 which represents a 18.8% increase. The coronavirus has claimed 1,139,457 total U.S. deaths, an 17.6% increase, adding 855 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.

German, 98, Arrested For his Role as Nazi Guard

A German citizen, whose identity has remained sealed, has been charged for crimes he committed as a guard at Sachsenhausen Prison Camp during World War II. The man will be tried in a juvenile court as he was underage at the time.

German legal teams are determined to bring to justice as many of the remaining Nazi conspirators and collaborators as humanly possible. Over the last two years, prosecutors have moved forward on trying two elderly citizens, a 96-year-old female who served as a typist at Sachsenhausen, who initially escaped authorities, and was later captured, and a 101-year-old man who was sentenced to five years in prison "after being convicted of aiding and abetting."

More than six million Jews were killed during Hitler's reign of terror, also killed were gays, those with learning disabilities, Down's syndrome, physical disabilities, vulnerable populations, political opponents, essentially anyone who did not believe and adhere to the message of the Reich.

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Bill Richardson, Former Governor of New Mexico Dies

Former U.N. Ambassador and two-time New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson died this week at his summer home on Cape Cod, Massachusetts. He was 75.

"Mr. Richardson, a one-time presidential contender and one of the most prominent Latino politicians of his generation, died at the family property in Chatham, Mass., according to a statement released Saturday by the Richardson Center for Global Engagement, an organization he founded in 2011 to promote diplomacy and peacekeeping efforts," reported The Washington Post.

A career politician, Richardson was tapped by then President Clinton to negotiate with the Taliban to turn over Osama bin Laden, three years before the 2001 World Trade Center and Pentagon terror attacks. During his stint as U.N. Ambassador, Richardson travelled the world advocating for the rights of political prisoners and negotiating their release. He was instrumental in the release of WNBA player Brittany Griner.

Harrod's owner Mohamed Al Fayed Dies

Mohamed Al Fayed, owner of famed London Department Store Harrod's, and father to Dodi Fayed, killed along with Princess Diana, in 1997, died this week. He was 95.

"Al Fayed was convinced Dodi and Diana were killed in a conspiracy masterminded by Prince Philip, the husband of Queen Elizabeth II. He maintained the royal family arranged the accident because they did not like Diana dating an Egyptian. Al Fayed claimed that Diana was pregnant and planning to marry Dodi and that the royal family could not countenance the princess marrying a Muslim," reported APnews.com.

Al Fayed maintained his beliefs surrounding Princess Diana's and Dodi Fayed deaths throughout his life. He died August 30, 2023, one day before the 26th anniversary of Dodi Fayed and Princess Diana's death. He was surrounded by his wife, children, and grandchildren.

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