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Monday, October 3, 2022

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Hurricane Ian’s Death Toll Reaches 77, Causes $100 Billion in Damage

Just the News: The death toll in Florida late Saturday afternoon as a result of Hurricane Ian reached 77 – over twice the number reported earlier in the day. Roughly 1,000 people so far have been rescued from flooded areas along Florida’s western coast. The South Carolina beach community of Pawleys Island was among the hardest hit by Ian in that state. The Pawleys pier was one of at least four along South Carolina’s coast to be destroyed during Ian’s winds and rain (Just the News). Global News: Hurricane Ian has likely caused “well over $100 billion” in damage, including $63 billion in privately insured losses, according to the disaster modeling firm Karen Clark & Co., which regularly issues flash catastrophe estimates. If those numbers are borne out, that would make Ian at least the fourth costliest hurricane in U.S. history (Global News). Townhall: Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-Fla) and First Lady Casey DeSantis are praising the help his state has received following the devastating aftermath of Hurricane Ian. In just 48 hours, the state of Florida raised more than $20 million to go toward its Florida Disaster Fund (Townhall).

VP Harris Claims Humanitarian Aid for Florida Will be Handed Out “Based on Equity”

Fox News: Twitter hammered Vice President Kamala Harris for a recent speech in which she described that federal Hurricane Ian relief would be based on “equity” and prioritize people in “communities of color.” Speaking to actress Priyanka Chopra Jonas at the Democratic National Committee’s Women’s Leadership Forum on Friday, Harris claimed that people of color and low-income communities are most affected by natural disasters such as Hurricane Ian. Because of this, Harris described how federal relief should be given “based on equity” (Fox News). Governor DeSantis’ rapid response director Christina Pushaw: This is false. @VP’s rhetoric is causing undue panic and must be clarified. FEMA Individual Assistance is already available to all Floridians impacted by Hurricane Ian, regardless of race or background (Twitter). Elon Musk: Should be according to greatest need, not race or anything else (Twitter). National Review: In a separate tweet, Pushaw pressed Harris to “correct what she said” (National Review).

Markets Plummeted for Third Straight Quarter

Forbes: Markets sank Friday to close a historically bad month and quarter, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average closing 22% below its January 5 peak, as investors continue to fret over tighter monetary policy and set the stage for the Dow’s worst year-to-date performance since 2008… Stocks remain on pace for one of their worst years, with the Dow, S&P and Nasdaq down 21%, 25% and 33% year-to-date, respectively — none of the indices have ended the year down more than 10% since 2008 (Forbes). Wall Street Journal: With the central bank signaling it is committed to bring inflation under control, investors have grown fearful that its campaign of rate increases will meaningfully slow the economy. All three indexes fell for a third consecutive quarter. For the S&P 500 and Nasdaq, it was the longest quarterly losing streak since streaks ending in March 2009, according to Dow Jones Market Data (Wall Street Journal).

Ukraine Applies for Fast-Track NATO Membership

Reuters: President Volodymyr Zelenskiy announced a surprise bid for fast-track membership of the NATO military alliance on Friday and ruled out talks with President Vladimir Putin, striking back at Moscow after it said it had annexed four Ukrainian regions. Zelenskiy signed the NATO application papers in an online video clearly intended as a forceful rebuttal to the Kremlin after Putin held a ceremony in Moscow to proclaim the four partially occupied regions as annexed Russian land (Reuters). Politico: But there wasn’t any indication that Ukraine’s request would advance its membership hopes, which have been in limbo for years. The prospect of Ukraine joining NATO has long fueled frustration for Moscow, which regularly rails against the military alliance’s eastward expansion in recent decades (Politico).

Speaker Pelosi Claims Illegal Immigrants Are Needed in Florida to “Pick the Crops”

New York Post: House Speaker Nancy Pelosi caused outrage Friday when she attempted to justify waves of illegal migration to the US by claiming Florida farmers needed the new arrivals to “pick the crops down there.” The California Democrat made the stunning remarks during a news conference at which she agreed that US has a responsibility to secure the border, but should also “recognize the importance of newcomers to our nation” (New York Post). RNC Research: PELOSI: “We have a shortage of workers in our country, and you see even in Florida, some of the farmers and the growers are saying, ‘Why are you shipping these immigrants up north? We need them to pick the crops down here'” (Twitter). Fox News: Pelosi’s remarks come as the U.S. remains in the throes of a historic border crisis which has seen more than 2.1 million migrant encounters this fiscal year, and more than 200,000 migrant encounters in August alone (Fox News).

Georgia Judge Rules Voter ID Laws are Legal

Just the News: A federal judge ruled Friday that Georgia’s election integrity practices requiring voter ID and citizenship checks are legal and constitutional, rejecting arguments of racism and voter suppression from the state’s Democrat nominee for governor, Stacey Abrams, just weeks before Election Day. U.S. District Judge Steve C. Jones, an Obama appointee, issued the ruling, after a lengthy trial, handing a major victory to Gov. Brian Kemp and Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger (Just the News). National Review: The lawsuit was filed by Fair Fight Action and Care in Action and initially sought a massive overhaul of the state’s election system. By the time the case went to trial earlier this year, the suit focused on several specific election processes, including the state’s “exact match” policy for voter-registration applications. The groups argued that those attempting to register to vote have run into problems if information on applications doesn’t exactly match that in driver’s-license or Social Security databases or if new U.S. citizens’ information hasn’t been updated in the driver’s-license database (National Review).

Russian Soldiers Retreat from Lyman After Being Encircled by Ukrainian Forces

News9: After being encircled by Ukrainian forces, Russia pulled troops out Saturday from an eastern Ukrainian city that it had been using as a front-line hub. It was the latest victory for the Ukrainian counteroffensive that has humiliated and angered the Kremlin. The fighting comes at a pivotal moment in Russian President Vladimir Putin’s war. Facing Ukrainian gains on the battlefield — which he frames as a U.S.-orchestrated effort to destroy Russia — Putin this week heightened his threats of nuclear force and used his most aggressive, anti-Western rhetoric to date (News9). Financial Times: Losing Lyman, a key staging ground for Moscow’s campaign in the northern Donetsk region, is a blow to the Russian president, who claimed the area and three other Ukrainian provinces as Russian territory on Friday. Its capture is crucial for Ukraine’s counter-offensive, which has swept from west to east with the aim of cutting the north-south supply lines that sustain Russia’s campaign in the Donbas region, which is comprised of Donetsk and neighboring Luhansk (Financial Times).

Gas Prices Surge in California

CBS: Gas prices have hit record highs in Southern California. The average price for a gallon of gas in Los Angeles County was $6.46. Orange County went down a cent to $6.42 per gallon. The average price in Ventura County was $6.40 per gallon and, in the Inland Empire, it was $6.32 per gallon. As compared to the national average of $3.79 per gallon, California was experiencing at least a $2.58 price difference per gallon (CBS). Wall Street Journal: California gas prices have long been higher than the national average owing to hefty fuel taxes and climate regulations, but the difference now is the largest in at least two decades. Taxes add about 66 cents to the price of a gallon, about twice as much on average as other states. California’s cap-and-trade program and low-carbon fuel standard add roughly another 46 cents a gallon. These climate regulations are causing refineries to shut down or convert to producing biofuels that are more profitable because of rich government subsidies. California lost 12% of refining capacity between 2017 and 2021 and is set to lose another 8% by the end of next year. Yet refineries outside of the state can’t produce its supposedly greener fuel blend (Wall Street Journal). Lanhee Chen: Gas prices in CA have spiked 70 cents a gallon in the last week, yet the Sacramento insiders have no interest in providing transparency on how gas tax revenues are used. As Controller, I will audit gas tax revenues and make sure taxpayers learn where their money is being spent (Twitter).

Nine NATO Leaders Issue Statement Denouncing Russia’s Annexation of Ukraine

Associated Press: The heads of nine European NATO members on Sunday issued a joint statement backing a path to membership for Ukraine in the U.S.-led security alliance, and calling on all 30 NATO nations to ramp up military aid for Kyiv. The nine NATO countries in Central and Eastern Europe fearful that Russia could target them next if it isn’t stopped in Ukraine urged a response to the annexation (Associated Press). Politico: The nine leaders demanded that “Russia immediately withdraw from all occupied territories” and encouraged “all allies to substantially increase their military aid to Ukraine,” according to the statement. The signatories also wrote that they “firmly stand behind” a NATO decision in 2008 over Ukraine’s future membership to the alliance. At the time, NATO allies pledged that Ukraine would eventually become a member. But as that process stalled over the years, it seemed increasingly unlikely that Ukraine’s bid would become a reality (Politico).

10.

Protests in Iran Enter Third Week as Government Intensifies Confrontations

Reuters: Protesters rallied across Iran and strikes were reported throughout the country’s Kurdish region on Saturday as demonstrations ignited by the death of a woman in police custody entered their third week. The protests, sparked by the death of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old from Iranian Kurdistan, have spiraled into the biggest show of opposition to Iran’s clerical authorities since 2019, with dozens killed in unrest across the country (Reuters). Washington Examiner: Iran’s clerical regime could face intensified international sanctions pressure over its violent response to the protests against Mahsa Amini’s recent death in police custody. Iranian officials have ordered security forces to “severely confront” the protesters, according to an Amnesty International report that cited leaked government documents, leading to a wave of violence that reportedly has left dozens dead. Their apparent brutality represents an attempt to grapple with a nationwide uproar that stands as the second major protest this year and the fifth outcry since 2017 (Washington Examiner).

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