And officials fear the actual death toll may be far higher. We will go to maui for the latest and then speak to the climate scientist michael mann. We simply would not be seeing this in the absence of human caused warming, in the absence of the Climate Crisis, the warming of the planet from the burning of fossil fuels. Amy and then to ecuador, where the country is still in shock after the assassination of president ial hopeful Fernando Villavicencio. This is a political crime, the character of terrorism. Amy we will speak to the ecuadoran economist andres arauz who is running for Vice President of ecuador in sundays elections, which are scheduled to proceed as planned. All that and more, coming up. Welcome to democracy now , democracynow. Org, the war and peace report. Im amy goodman. In hawaii, the death toll from the maui wildfire has reached 96 and continues to rise, making it the deadliest u. S. Wildfire in a century. Family Resource Centers have been set up to help survivors desperately trying to locate their missing loved ones. This is a maui resident who said this weekend nine of his relatives are still missing. I cannot describe what im feeling right now. I cannot describe the feelings. Amy the blaze decimated the Historic Town of lahaina as it spread at a rate of one mile a minute, propelled by wind gusts from Hurricane Dora of up to 81 miles per hour. A lawsuit filed against Hawaiian Electric industries alleges electrified power lines blown over by the high winds helped the wildfire spread at a such a rapid pace and that the company should have deenergized their power lines after a high wind alert. We will have more after headlines. In niger, the ruling military junta said they will prosecute deposed president Mohamed Bazoum for high treason following his ouster last month in the july 26 coup. The u. S. Warned last week of the deteriorating health of bazoum and two of his family members that have been held in the president ial palace in niamey with dwindling supplies of food and no electricity. Meanwhile, nigerian islamic scholars say nigers coup leaders are open to meeting with ecowas in hopes of coming to a diplomatic resolution after the west african bloc last week said it had activated a Standby Force for possible military intervention. Over the weekend, a delegation of the Nigerien Military traveled to guinea where they met with mamady doumbouya, who is the interim president of guinea after leading a military coup in october 2021. He expressed solidarity with nigers coup. As far as the republic of guinea is concerned, we are pan african. When our people have problems, we are always there and we will always be there and that is what happened with my brothers in mali, working a come and niger. Amy procoup nigeriens have continued to take to the streets against any outside military action. On friday, they rallied outside the french army base in the capital niamey. Six Asylum Seekers have died after a boat carrying dozens of migrants to the u. K. Sank in the english channel. Several people are still missing, while 55 people were rescued in efforts largely led by french coastal authorities. The mayor of the port city of calais criticize british officials. We are systematically being fooled by the british government. When are we going to put our fist on the table . When are we going to threaten them with action so they can put an end to it . Calais is not the border of england. They do not want to do that dirty work. Amy this comes as to refugees have died after another boat capsized off the coast of tunisia. Here in the United States, a threeyearold toddler has died while on a migrant bus that was on the way to chicago from texas. The childs death is the first reported by texas authorities since republican Governor Greg Abbott began busing thousands of Asylum Seekers to democratled cities last year, including chicago and new york. Cbs news reported the child is from venezuela. Taiwans Vice President william lai defiantly declared taiwan will not back down to chinese threats as he visited the u. S. In what has been billed as a transit stop on his way to paraguays president ial inauguration this week. China vowed to take forceful and resolute measures in response to his stop in the u. S. , which beijing considers a challenge to its sovereignty over the territory. He is a frontrunner in taiwans junior president ial elections. He spoke during a lunch with supporters in new york city sunday. Peace and security in the Taiwan Strait is not only taiwans problem, but rather an International Issue that concerns all the countries of the world will stop when taiwan is safe, the world is safe. When there is peace in the Taiwan Strait, there will be peace in the world. Amy in the occupied west bank, mourners marched in a funeral procession friday for 23yearold mahmoud jarrad, who was shot dead during an israeli raid in the tulkarm refugee camp. At least eight others were injured. This is mahmoud jarrads mother. He was ambitious like other youngsters. What youngsters one, do have a home, to marry. Everything disappeared. Amy a group of over 1500 academics from around the world, including israel and the u. S. , signed a statement condemning israels regime of apartheid against palestinians. They write there cannot be democracy for jews in israel as long as palestinians live under a regime of apartheid. In other news from the region, palestinian officials, including president mahmoud abbas, welcomed their first Saudi Arabian ambassador. Nayef alsudairi will serve as envoy to palestine and consul general in jerusalem. This comes as the u. S. Has been pushing for the normalization of relations between saudi arabia and israel. Jordan enacted what has been described by Rights Groups as a draconian cybercrime law. The legislation, which will go into effect in a month, includes fines and even prison for posting content deemed to be immoral, insulting religion, or undermining national unity. It also punishes people who publish names or pictures of Police Officers and bans certain measures that protect a users identity. A Statement Issued by over a dozen Rights Groups, including him in rights watch, said including human rights watch, said vague provisions open the door for jordans executive branch to punish individuals for exercising their right to freedom of expression, forcing the judges to convict citizens in most cases. The u. N. Said friday it has completed the transfer of more than 1 Million Barrels of oil from a decaying supertanker off yemens red sea coast. This is a major disaster averted. It was a ticking time bomb and could have destroyed hundreds of thousands of livelihoods. It could have affected the shipping of the red sea for the suez canal, could have destroyed fisheries for a quarter of a century. Amy in pakistan, anwar ulhaq kakar, a senator from balochistan province, has been named as caretaker Prime Minister ahead of elections which are supposed to take place within 90 days following the dissolution of the National Assembly last week. But it is unclear if pakistan will be ready for elections by november after the outgoing government of Shehbaz Sharif approved a new census, which the Election Commission will now have to rush to translate into new boundaries. Observers are warning a delay in elections could hand more power to the military, which already exerts significant power in pakistani politics. Former Prime Minister imran khan, who has accused the military of going after him, is imprisoned and barred from running for office on corruption charges that he has denied. In argentina, voters cast their ballots in a crowded primary sunday. Farright populist javier milei emerged as the surprising lead, receiving the largest number of votes, about 30 . The 52yearold is an admirer of former u. S. President trump who has vowed to shore up argentinas bank opposes sex , education, and wants to facilitate the purchasing of guns and is a Climate Crisis 10 naira. Milei has served in argentinas Congress Since 2021. He addressed supporters sunday. We are facing the end of the caste model which says where there is a need, a right is born. Forget someone has to pay for that right, whose ultimate manifestation is aberration social justice. Amy argentinas current president Alberto Fernandez is not seeking reelection as the country faces a worsening economic crisis with soaring inflation. The general election is scheduled for october. In ecuador, president ial candidates participated in a debate sunday night where they vowed to address violence and Security Issues following the assassination of president ial hopeful Fernando Villavicencio last week. An empty podium stood in his place with candidates holding a moment of silence before starting the debate. The build Political Party has opted for journalist Christian Zurita to replace villavicencio as president ial candidate, reversing its previous decision to go for villavicencios Vice President ial nominee andrea gonzalez. The election is scheduled for this sunday, august 20. Meanwhile, ecuadorian ecuadoran authorities have transferred a powerful gang leader, accused of threatening villavicencio before the candidate was killed, to a maximum security prison. Some 4000 soldiers and police were deployed to help relocate Adolfo Macias from a low security jail. This comes as villavicencios widow blamed the state for her husbands murder. They did not protect him as they should have protected him. This state is directly responsible for the murder of my husband Fernando Villavicencio. The state still has to give many answers about what happened. His personal guards did not do their job. I do not want to think they sold my husband to be murdered in this way. Amy after headlines, we will go to ecuador to speak with a Vice President ial candidate. Back in the United States, Kansas Police raided local newspaper the Marion County record and the home of its publisher and coowner joan meyer friday, seizing computers and other materials. One day later, on saturday, the 98yearold joan meyer died. The paper blaming the Police Action which it said stressed beyond her limits. The raid reportedly stemmed from a dispute between the newspaper and a local Restaurant Owner who accused the Marion County record of illegally obtaining information about a drunk driving incident. But it appears the newspaper had also been actively investigating the Marion Police chief gideon cody after Sexual Misconduct charges at a previous job in kansas city. Details about that investigation were on a computer seized in the raid. Now over 30 news organizations and press groups have published an open letter to marions police chief blasting the raid, writing newsroom searches and seizures are among the most intrusive actions Law Enforcement can take with respect to the free press, and the most potentially suppressive of free speech. The Group Reporters Without Borders said the seizure may violate federal law. A federal judge in new york ordered Sam Bankmanfried to jail after revoking bail for the disgraced founder of collapsed Cryptocurrency Exchange ftx. He had been under house arrest at his parents home in palo alto, california, while awaiting his october trial on fraud and Money Laundering charges. The judge said bankmanfried twice tried to interfere with witnesses in his case, including giving reporters documents. Bankmanfried is accused of using deposits in ftx for real estate purchases, political and charitable donations. Attorney general Merrick Garland named david weiss, the federal prosecutor investigating hunter biden, to special counsel. Prosecutors said they could not come to a new plea deal to settle tax and gun charges against the president s son after a judge rejected a previous deal last month. The latest twist significantly increases the chance of hunter biden going on trial as President Biden campaigns for reelection. In georgia, Fulton CountyDistrict Attorney fani willis has called former georgia lt. Governor geoff duncan and journalist george chidi to testify tuesday before the grand jury investigating Donald Trumps efforts to overturn georgias 2020 election. He is believed to have stumbled upon a meeting of trump supporting fake collectors at Georgia State capitol. He was thrown out of the meeting. A fourth indictment against former President Trump and his coconspirators is widely expected from georgia this week. With possibly as many as 12 people indicted. And in other news from georgia, activists campaigning to get a public referendum on cop city has gotten 80,000 signatures, surpassing the minimum number needed to get the measure on the november ballot. The vote to stop cop city has set a stretch goal of 100,000 signatures before it submits the petition next monday. And those are some of the headlines. This is democracy now , democracynow. Org, the war and peace report. When we come back, we go to maui where the death toll from the devastating fires have climbed to 96 with a number expected to be far higher in the deadliest wildfire in over a century in the United States. Stay with us. [music break] amy expert in a dying field by the beths. This is democracy now , democracynow. Org, the war and peace report. Im amy goodman. The death toll from the maui wildfires has reached nearly 100 and is expected to continue to climb far higher in what is now the deadliest wildfire in the United States in a century. It is clear that the fire is hawaiis worst natural disaster. The blaze decimated the Historic Town of lahaina, which once served as the capital of the Hawaiian Kingdom as it spread at a rate of a mile per minute, propelled by wind gusts from Hurricane Dora hundreds of miles away. A lawsuit filed against the utility Hawaiian Electric alleges electrified powerlines blown over by the high winds helped the wildfire spread at such a rapid pace and that the company should have deenergize these powerlines after a high wind alert. This is a survivor of the fire named akanesi vaa describing how her family got stuck in traffic while trying to escape the ferocious flames. She was with her husband and three kids aged 15, 13, and 9. They recorded part of their experience on a cell phone as the blue skies around them turned gray and then black. This is where we were at before we faced decisions that is my husband and the passenger seat. He keeps getting in and out to put out small fires that were starting. Just from our parking stall to the entrance of our apartment complex, it went from blue skies to gray to black. Always seen was embers from fire we had no idea was going on. There was no sirens. Nothing. It was just heartbreaking seeing our community, my neighbors, lots of elderly people trying to make it down the stairs just to get into their car. Out of nowhere, this fire jumped from the parking structure over to a tree and then onto electricals. By then we were right next to the electricals and as a mom, 70 things are going through my mind. Cars are panicking. I have it on video. My son was individual like, mom, it is hot. Instantly im telling my husband, i need to reverse. We need to get out and run. Everything is coming so quickly. You could feel the heat sitting in our car. Out of nowhere, i hear banging on the window. I looked to my left and im literally right next to this car where this grandmother is yelling for help and she is saying, please tell me, have a baby. At that time i am like, what do i do . Of course i jump out and i tell my husband, you tended to the grandma and i am running to the baby. I open up the back and the baby is on her side right behind her. I reach over and grab the baby. She was about two and a half, three years old. I grabbed her. She sitting on a blanket. I wrapped her in the blanket and i told my kids, ryan. Dont turn around and look for me. My nineyearold just kept telling me, i cant. Please, mom. The car we save the baby from, we took out running this way. Ran out this way. I get to the corner and there is a fence. My husband and the neighbor bent it to get everybody to safety. We were behind the wall. We run to the corner and meet up with a few pets, our neighbors. There are about a good nine of us. We noticed we are at a deadend. We are at a dead end and were just standing there. We have our backs to this building. We are looking at each other we are like, my son was like, oh, mom, is this it . What do you tell your kids . I told my kids come if it is, thank you, god, for my family. Lahaina is home. So many times i tell myself, i need to get off this rock. The moment i am in the air i am homesick. Being on the others out of the island, i am grateful. I am thankful my brother and his wife opened their home to us, but just being here on this side of the island, i am still homesick. My heart is in lahaina. I will always have a place in my heart for lahaina. Amy she escape the fire in lahaina with her husband and three kids, 15, 13, and 9. This weekend, relatives of the missing frantically searched for any sign that their loved ones may still be alive. Maui county mayor Richard Bissen described the scene in lahaina in an interview with abc news on sunday. The closest thing i can compare to is perhaps a war zone where made a bomb went off. Cars were in the street, doors opened. Melted to the ground. Most structures no longer exist for blocks and blocks. I am familiar what it looked like growing up here in maui, especially with my mom working for one of the restaurants for 17 years. It doesnt resemble anything that looks like when i was growing up. Amy meanwhile, many residents are asking why hawaiis outdoor siren Warning System with about 80 alarms on the island of maui alone did not get activated to warn residents about the fire. Hawaii Emergency ManagementAgency Spokesperson told cnn nobody at the state and nobody at the county attempted to activate those sirens based on our records. It was largely a function of how fast the flames were moving. They were trying to coordinate response on the ground. Hawaii officials released a report last year that ranked which natural disasters residents would most likely be threatened by and the list included tsunamis, earthquakes, and volcanic eruptions. The risk of wildfires to human life was listed as low. This is this is democratic u. S. Senator mazie hirono from hawaii speaking sunday. I am not going to make any excuses for this tragedy, but the general has launched a review of what happened with the sirens and some of the other actions that were taken. So that is happening. There will be time enough i would say for those kinds of reviews and investigations. Amy she was speaking on cnn. For more we go to maui to speak with kaleikoa kaeo, professor of hawaiian studies at the university of hawaii maui college. We welcome you to democracy now we were also going to be joined by another guest but her uncle just died in the hospital. Which is an indication of the number of people right now the number is at 96 but, professor, how much larger based on your information knowing friends, family, neighbors do you think this number is going to go . Aloha. To answer your question, unfortunately, i myself, what i witnessed and i myself in understanding and talking with others intimate with the situation, as i was told by a highranking county official, they hope and they dont expect it to reach as high as 400 to 500 but they would not be surprised. I know that sounds outrageous and high, but we do know hundreds of residents and visitors are still unaccounted for. Although we are slowly reaching 100, there are still many, many cars, burned out cars and structures and homes and buildings that have yet to really be surveyed and looked at. Amy professor, can you talk about the fact there were no warning sirens . And you have got this lawsuit now against the electric company, the idea though it is not exactly clear what happened that it is these power lines going down and the intense wind that sparked fires. Can you talk about the lack of preparedness . In one way, it is lack of preparedness. The intensity of the wind. People might not recognize on maui, four major fires happening at that time. Lahaina being just one of them. There have been fires in the past pretty close to her most of the damage occurred. It is very true. I know for fact talking with people i know who were startled by the heat and wind and were very afraid and were hunkered down in their apartments at the time, in the heart of lahaina. It was only because of already feeling the heat approaching the building that at the very last moments, i personally know a story of a family come a woman with children who barely escaped and really because she had a fourwheeldrive truck and was able to climb over certain parts of the streets and navigate away and barely got out of there alive. When she left the apartment, behind her she saw in witnessed the destruction and burning of the building and cars and people behind her. She herself said there was no warning sign, no warning sounds. No one had come around. It was just basically their own instinct. And because i feeling the heat coming with the wind. It wasnt just the power of the wind but the heat that made them fear for their lives that in the last moments, because of sheer luck she was able to escape. I can say specifically the following morning, i was able to go by boat and walk right into the major area that had been destroyed. What i saw was many dozens and dozens of telephone polls on the ground, lines that were still burning. You can still see the sparkings and so forth right on the street. Many of the homes and buildings were destroyed to ashes. You could really see the intensity of the fire and the wind from the accounts ive heard, from the people i spoke to. They said charcoal itself was blowing. There were many people who were trapped in their cars while contemplating should they try to escape and run to the strong burning wind or stay in their car. Because of the actual heat of the fire, the wind. Many were unable to escape from the roads because of those powerlines because of the strong winds. It prevented many people from escaping. Income professor, you teach hawaiian studies amy professor, you teach hawaiian studies at the university of hawaii maui college. Give us a brief history, how hawaii became a part of the United States and what its relationship is with the mainland. What should we understand about the historic nature of lahaina . The media talks about the tourist destination, but theres a reason for that. Because it is so historic. Lahaina has some of the most beautiful beaches in the world. It is on the leeward side of the mountains. It is very warm. It is also a place of lots of water. Historically, it was the capital in ancient times of the island of maui where the seat of government would be held. Many of the highest ranking, the chief held court in lahaina. In the center, the highestranking chief would be housed. Lahaina was seen as the breadbasket of maui, a Central Place of the island. In more modern history, lahaina specifically was the capital of the kingdom of hawaii and that is because it is protected and sheltered waters from the ocean. It is during the Hawaiian Kingdom period that lahaina started playing an Important Role for trade where ships from all of the world would dock. Lahaina became the place, kind of like the crossroads of the pacific of ships. Just to add come the royal socalled family being raised in lahaina in the early 1800s. Later on in 1829, the declaration of rights alibi 1840 come the first hawaii and constitution, was written in lahaina. People recognize the first socalled school, 1821, considered the Oldest School west of the socalled rockies. For a long period up to the mid1850s, hawaii was seen as the main capital. Period of growth, economic growth, there is a huge transformation for agriculture and because of large mass of water, the major area lahaina means water. Today, most of the water no longer exists through streams which have been diverted, the transformation of the environment from traditional native plants and socalled forest which has replaced by sugar and now, and firstly, replaced by very wealthy built in these areas. It is a transformation where lahaina was important agriculture, trade center and then became a large sugar plantation area. In the 1960s, began the transformation of lahaina to a resort area. Yet the vestiges of this old stent of a sea town being slowly replaced with what becomes commercialized tourist site right down the line of a major resort. Economy, the population, and the landscape was transformed to meet the needs of masters in. I think that is also one of the issues you will find if you look deep enough, which cause major transformation of the land itself, therefore, you compound that with the issues you have with Global Warming and so forth and extreme wind and heat in the drying up of the land itself which helped to spark really became the tender for this matchbox that made it explode like a bomb in lahaina. Unfortunately and horrifically, the people have lived this are suffering because of the consequences that have been imposed from outside forces. Amy in moment, were going to stick with a worldrenowned climate scientist michael mann. But i want to ask you, professor, about the mutual aid on the ground. I also want to ask you about the demographics of maui in terms of native hawaiians, if you could talk about that. And then what kind of help is most needed at this point . Right now, theres a very slow process getting aid. Probably the last 24 hours i would think yet much of this applies and aid needed has trickled in into the lahaina area. It is still very dangerous because of the fires. Fortunately, because of the work of the community i had to really praise the community, hawaiian and not hawaiian. They have all chipped in and worked hard to show love for our place by participating really providing supplies. I was warmed i think government failed in providing the necessities of protection and safety and health for people. Our people stepped up. I was able to his opaque bringing in supplies i was able to participate by bringing in supplies. Hopefully, this continues, whether it is medical concerns or providing bringing in people. Whether we have the poisons were ash. You might find remnants of paint and lead. Amy we just have 30 seconds but are you concerned and the rebuilding process of native hawaiians being pushed out . My big concern has been that at the forefront is the native hawaiian population, the families from lahaina should be at the forefront of developing, managing, and planning not just what is going on now but in the revitalization of lahaina to ensure that native hawaiian populations continues to exist and it doesnt come replaced. Hopefully were able to push Political Support to ensure Community Leaders of lahaina help to define what is best in the future. Amy kaleikoa kaeo, thank you for being with us, professor of hawaiian studies at the university of hawaii maui college. Speaking to us on maui. Coming up, we will speak to climate scientist michael mann and then to ecuador. Stay with us. [music break] amy adios a mi memoria by maria usbeck. Later in the show, we will go to ecuador for an update on the assassination of the president ial hopeful Fernando Villavicencio. But first, this is democracy now i am amy goodman. We look at the fires in hawaii have killed at least 100 people and likely far more were made worse by the Climate Crisis, which has led to a rise in temperatures at the same time hawaii is facing a drought. This was amplified by Hurricane Dora tuesday when it passed south of hawaii, hundreds of miles away, as a category 4 storm, quickly spread the fire. Climate change is also linked to stronger hurricanes. Last week, the scientist michael mann wrote on social media michael mann joins us now president ial distinguished , professor director of the penn center for science, sustainability the media at the university of pennsylvania. His upcoming book is our fragile moment how lessons from earths past can help us survive the Climate Crisis. Welcome back to democracy now , professor. If you can start off by making that link as many say, no, this is about the weather, nothing to do the Climate Crisis. Teach. It is good to be with you, although it seems we never have good news to talk about and the stories that we have heard reported here are just so harrowing. This is the Climate Crisis. It is here and now. It is impacting us to date in profound ways. This is just the latest example. There is clearly a climate component to what has happened here, a Climate Change component. Those winds are governed by differences in pressure, surface pressure. Hurricane is a lowpressure system. In the subtropics, have high pressures. The difference between them, the gradient has recall it, in pressure between the high and the lows, what determines the strength of those winds. We have higher and higher pressure over time in this region of the World Associated with the changing atmospheric circulation associated with Climate Change. Highpressure to the north stop we had a storm, a rapidly intensified storm and Climate Change courage is that that gave us that lowpressure to the south. The difference in pressure gave us the huge winds and interact with an epic drought which is part of the climate story as well. As we see more more highpressure in the summer over this region of the planet, we see less rainfall. Higher temperatures mean more of february should of what soil moisture there is. So we see this epic drought. The winds did provide a spark, the down power lines provided the spark, but would allow these to spread so quickly, the huge amount of fuel there was in the form of dry materials, the tinderbox conditions that are there today all of those things have been impacted by Climate Change. We cant tell the story without talking about the Climate Crisis. I want to turn right now to President Biden. Last week during an interview with the Weather Channel meteorologist Stephanie Abrams asked President Biden to talk about a Climate Emergency. President biden said he had practically declared a Climate Emergency. You called Climate Change a code red for humanity. The World Health Organization said it will cause an additional port of a Million Deaths a year starting in 2030. Are you prepared to declare a National Emergency with respect to Climate Change . Pres. Biden ive already done that. We can serve more land, joined the paris climate accord, past 368 billiondollar Climate Control facility. We are moving. It is the existential threat to humanity. So you have already declared that National Emergency . Pres. Biden practically speaking. Amy can you explain what it would mean effect Climate Emergency were declared in this country . Theres a little bit of word evasion there i suppose in President Bidens response. What that means specifically declaring a National Emergency is you can bring funds i to bear on the problem. It is something the chief executive authority. I imagine the president is a bit averse to declaring a National Emergency because we have seen, for example, donald trump try to use that as a pretext for building his were the southern border. I think there is some there is some concern about how that can be abused. The Climate Crisis is this continually evolving and worsening crisis, so declaring it as an emergency sort of sounds like youre talking about an acute problem. Like we can just bring a whole bunch of resources to bears all the problem and we are done. That is not what is going on here. We have to continue to provide more and more resources to bring to bear. We need policies that will get us off fossil fuels as quickly as possible. The president is right, Inflation Reduction Act he signed into law last year does get us somewhere down the road but it doesnt go far enough. The president is somewhat limited right now by split congress. Republicans who oppose everything he tries to do and he is encountering resistance with the conservative court system now. So when he tries to block pipelines through executive authority, the court system is rejecting those attempts. What it comes down to is us. We have to turn out in droves, those who care about the Climate Crisis have to turn out in droves at the next election and elect climatefor politicians. We will not see the progress we need without massive policy support, without overwhelming majorities in the senate and congress and a president who will all Work Together to solve what is the defining crisis of our time, the Climate Crisis. Amy michael mann, i hope we will be coming back to you soon, president ial distinguished professor director of the penn center for science, sustainability the media at the university of pennsylvania. Author of the forthcoming book our fragile moment how lessons from earths past can help us survive the Climate Crisis. This is democracy now , democracynow. Org, the war and peace report. Im amy goodman. We ended today show in ecuador to look at last weeks assassination of president ial hopeful Fernando Villavicencio who was shot dead at a Campaign Rally on wednesday. He was shot in the head three times. He was running on a platform opposing corruption and organized crime and his death can just 10 days before ecuadors general election, which is scheduled to proceed on sunday as planned. Authorities have arrested six people in connection with the murder. One suspect was killed. Officials said all of the suspects in custody are colombian and alleged members of a Drug Trafficking group. Over the weekend, villavicencio party tapped journalist Christian Zurita to replace him, reversing an earlier decision to go with running mate under gonzales because they were concerned since she was on his vp candidate, she might be disqualified in running for president. Christian zurita spoke sunday. Fernandos ideas and our government planner totally intact and were going to fulfill them. Together with him, we created this antiterrorism plan, this antimafia plan to protect ecuador. Amy sunday night, there was a debate where they vowed to address violence in the Security Issues. An empty podium stood in villavicencios place. They observed a moment of silence. This is the president ial front runner luisa gonzalez. We already did it once. Amy that was ecuadors president ial front runner luisa gonzalez. We go now to ecuador where were joined by her running mate, economist and former president ial candidate andres arauz. He served as director of you can go to democracynow. Org to sarah interviews with correa. Thank you for being with us. Can you start up a responding to the assassination of villavicencio . Thank you. Good morning. We are extremely concerned about the assassination of Fernando Villavicencio. It is a direct attack on ecuador s democracy and cannot remain in impunity. We are extremely we suspect there is a direct link between the current government. There is wide enough evidence, ample evidence that shows there have been clear omissions and responsibilities in the Security Team directed by the National Police that was supposed to protect them. There is even evidence of negligence, in this case, and it is extremely worrisome because it is an attack on democracy, an attack on all of us, all ecuadorians. We are precisely in this election, a snap election because of gulliermo lassos links to narco trafficking. There are links that show him to the mafia. For the first time in ecuador, have led this country into being completely polluted with narco trafficking organizations in the highest levels of government. Amy a week before his murder, the slain president ial candidate had accused Adolfo Macias of threatening him and his campaign team. He is in prison. This weekend, authorities went to the prison and moved him to a high security prison. Can you talk about the significance of this . Yes. It is a move that has been widely expected, something that Ecuadorian Society has been pressuring for a long time. But the lasso government has been quite reticent from doing that because those suspected links with this organization, with the criminal organization. Just a couple of then mayor of one of the biggest cities in ecuador, this character was giving a press conference from within the jail, from within prison, escorted by Police Intelligence officer. So it really is worrisome. We see there are clear links between the current government and these mafia organizations. In 2020 one, accused the Ecuadoran Police been filled with narco generals. I virtually come our prosecutors often in the ecuadorian government have not gone forward with the investigation since then. We also think the government has primary responsibility in this murder because of specific statements from villavicencios widow, from his sister, and now his former political mate from his Political Party specifically captain ortega who has said characters have close links to the intelligence establishment in ecuador and are now trying to persecute him for disagreeing in the replacement of Fernando Villavicencio. Amy i want to go to the widow of the assassinated president ial candidate veronica sarauz. They do not protect him as they should have protected him. The state was in charge of fernandos security. The state is responsible directed for the murder of my husband Fernando Villavicencio. The state still has to giving answers about what happened. His personal guards did not do their job. I do not want to think they sold my husband to be murder in this infamous way. Amy andres arauz, you are making very significant accusations talking about the president lasso being connected to narco traffickers. I want to ask if you could further elaborate on that . Also talk about president lasso recently securing over 24 million gun cartridges, now declaring a state of emergency announcing an immediate mobilization of the armed forces. Do you think these measures will be efficient of securing addressing the security . Something your connecting him directly to . Lasso has been completely negligent in terms of the Security Policy and ecuador. He is always reacting to problems on the ground. He basically dismantled the security ministry, coordination that ceased to exist. Unfortunately, lasso has been linked by the Police Intelligence to mafia organizations, including through his brotherinlaw with the current president in ecuador, we have had recently these amazingly incredible murders, for example, a man who was linked to lassos brotherinlaw and the albanian mafia. This person was a key witness in lassos impeachment process. He was found assassinated only a a few blocks away from lassos beach in a province in ecuador. So far, people in the establishment media and the government have stopped talking about him and we think this type of behavior is similar to what happened now with Fernando Villavicencio. It is extremely worrisome. We are in these snap elections precisely because lasso was linked to narco trafficking organizations and his vital position he decided to basically close parliament and call for these snap elections. We are in this process specifically because of his links to the narco trafficking organizations. We think we need an investigation. We need immediate support from around the world. We need the International Community to put their eyes on what is happening in ecuador. We know lasso tried to postpone or suspend elections. We need to take care of our democracy. We are really in a moment of great despair in ecuador and we have had a crisis recently because of this as a nation and we need to go forward with these elections to seek finally truth, to seek reconciliation, to seek justice in ecuador. Amy are you concerned about speaking out so directly against the president . Also, what will happen to him after he leaves the presidency . Do you think he should be charged, that he should be put on trial . Of course im concerned. This is not the first time i have been outspoken about gulliermo lasso. I was one of the prime people accused him of having offshore resources hidden in tax havens and trusts. And the Pandora Papers came out and they showed i was right about these accusations. I was also earlier this year, i accused lasso directly of creating an offshore bank in panama for Money Laundering purposes, to hide money from trafficking organizations and also from tax evasion. I was threatened by president lasso himself, saying he would sue me for defamation and other causes. I said, bring it on, that way i can prove i was right. He has not done it since but he is also gone to colombia to pressure the colombian prosecutor general to accuse me of unfounded links and accuse the attorney general come of the prosecutor general of colombia for that. So i have been in this place before and im sure what im doing, just like the Pandora Papers proved me right, i know in this case the links are very serious. Sufficient for anyone interested in what is going on in ecuador to ask the question, who killed . We will have then clear actors a few killed Fernando Villavicencio. Amy andres arauz, thank you for having with this ecuadorian , politician and economist running for Vice President of ecuador along with president ial candidate luisa gonzalez. She is the only woman running for president in the 2023 ecuador election. In 2021, andres arauz ran for president and lost against gulliermo lasso. Democracy now is looking for feedback from people who appreciate the closed of fire has broken up in the neighborhood and help is on the way. But these are not your ordinary firefighters. They are all volunteers living in the area