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 n