Morning Wire XX
[0] I escaped with students, but with my apartment building.
[1] And one of them passed away.
[2] I got to us for smoking pollution.
[3] All the cars went floating around us.
[4] Fast -moving wildfires across the island of Maui have killed dozens of people, destroyed the community of Lahaina, and continued to endanger the lives of locals and visitors.
[5] All the places that are tourist areas that are Hawaiian history are gone.
[6] And that can't be replaced.
[7] I'm Daily Wire, editor -in -chief John Bickley, with Georgia Howe.
[8] It's Friday, August 11th, and this is Morning Wire.
[9] The Biden administration reportedly moves to unlock $6 billion in funds to Iran as the two countries negotiate a potential prisoner swap.
[10] What do we know about the deal and what comes next in the negotiations?
[11] And Massachusetts and New York declare states of emergency, as both run out of space to house new migrants.
[12] How severe is the problem and how realistic are the unorganized?
[13] orthodox strategies being suggested.
[14] Thanks for waking up with Morning Wire.
[15] Stay tuned.
[16] We have the news you need to know.
[17] Thousands have been displaced and dozens are dead after a massive wildfire unexpectedly ripped through the Hawaiian island of Maui.
[18] On Thursday, fires were also reported on the Big Island.
[19] Here with more on the deadly blaze and the frantic search for survivors is Daily Wire's senior editor Cabot Phillips.
[20] Cabot, a real tragedy in Hawaii.
[21] What's the latest?
[22] Yeah, this is one of the deadliest.
[23] wildfires to strike the U .S. in the last few decades.
[24] The fire started on Tuesday and ripped through the island, fueled by 80 -mile -per -hour winds from distant Hurricane Dora in the Pacific, while level two drought conditions on large parts of the island further contributed to the ferocity of the blaze.
[25] Those high winds grounded firefighting helicopters and planes, and also knocked out power on Tuesday as the fire worsened, making it difficult for many residents to even learn about the danger coming their way.
[26] As the flames pushed towards the coast, dozens of tourists and residents were left with no option but to jump into the ocean, where they were later rescued by Coast Guard ships in the area.
[27] This woman survived by running out into the waters with others from her apartment.
[28] We were on the rockball for about eight hours or so.
[29] In the water.
[30] In the water.
[31] We started to get hypothermia, and so at some point we had to, we were actually kind of going back and forth between being in the water and trying to cool down from the embers burning off and covered in burns.
[32] My face is covered in burns.
[33] Others attempted to escape by car, driving through smoke -filled streets as buildings all around them were consumed by flames.
[34] In one especially harrowing video posted on social media, a group of men recorded themselves attempting to drive to safety as smoke and flames filled the road around them.
[35] At one point, the video shows a woman laying motionless in the road in front of them.
[36] Just a warning, this audio is very difficult to listen to.
[37] Somebody's down right now.
[38] Somebody's down right here.
[39] Yeah, somebody's down.
[40] Just go, dad.
[41] We cannot do nothing for her.
[42] Oh, my God.
[43] Oh, my God, bro.
[44] Just go.
[45] We cannot do nothing for her.
[46] In another instance, a group of five young people were stranded in their car outside a once -bustling outlet mall.
[47] Text messages show them frantically messaging EMS with their location, telling them, quote, fire is all around us, vision blocked, cannot reach ocean, car is super hot.
[48] Thankfully, they were rescued a half hour later, but dozens of others were never brought to safety.
[49] Here's Maui County Mayor Richard Vison Jr. We are grieving with each other during this inconsolable time.
[50] In the days ahead, we will be stronger as a coyote.
[51] or community as we rebuild with resilience and aloha.
[52] So tell us about the areas that were the hardest hit by this fire.
[53] Yeah, the community of Lahaina bore the brunt of the fire.
[54] Lahaina is the cultural hub of Maui.
[55] It was once the state's capital and the residents of Hawaii's king.
[56] Hundreds of homes and buildings there were destroyed, including a number of historic and cultural sites that had been there for centuries.
[57] Thousands of residents living in Lahaina are currently staying in shelters on the island, while thousands more tourists have been ferried to other islands.
[58] Here's Adam Weintraub, a spokesman for the Hawaii Emergency Management Agency, speaking on ABC.
[59] These were a large and fast -moving fires, and it's only recently that we've started to get our arms around them and contain them.
[60] So we're hoping for the best, but we're prepared for the worst.
[61] By Thursday morning, the fire had been largely contained, leaving rescue crews to search the ashes for survivors.
[62] But those who did survive now face another set of challenges.
[63] Nowey's hospital system is relatively small, and officials say they do not have the resources to treat vast numbers of burn victims, meaning many patients will need to be transported to other islands for emergency treatment.
[64] On Thursday, President Biden signed off on a disaster declaration, offering funding and other help, including helicopters for search and rescue and firefighting operations.
[65] At the moment, officials say they're still not sure exactly how or when the blaze started.
[66] The wildfires on the island are fairly common, starting in dry areas of grassland before being whipped up by winds coming off the wall.
[67] So we'll be keeping an eye on the investigation into the potential cause of the blaze.
[68] Hopefully we'll get some answers in the coming days.
[69] Yeah, a devastating situation and a lot of prayers for all those affected.
[70] Cabot, thanks for reporting.
[71] Any time.
[72] The United States has reportedly negotiated the return of five Americans jailed in Iran.
[73] The prisoners have been released to house arrest as they await next steps.
[74] Daily Wire reporter Tim Pierce is here to discuss the prisoners and what Biden will be giving up in return for their release.
[75] Hi, Tim.
[76] First off, what do we know about these prisoners?
[77] There's five in total, three we know, and two who are staying private.
[78] Four of the prisoners released Thursday from Avine Prison in Tehran.
[79] The prison is notorious for human rights abuses that go on inside, as well as the high number of political prisoners that wind up inside.
[80] The fifth prisoner, an American woman, was apparently already on house rest.
[81] The three prisoners we know are all dual citizens of Iran and the United States.
[82] Siamak Namazi, Ahmad Shahi, Amad Shargi, and Mirai.
[83] Tabaz, who also holds citizenship in the UK.
[84] Namazzi has been held the longest.
[85] He was arrested in October 2015 while on a business trip and charged with working for a hostile government.
[86] Shargi is also a businessman.
[87] He was jailed in 2018 and two years later handed a 10 -year sentence for alleged espionage.
[88] Tabaz is an environmentalist who was also arrested in 2018 and given a 10 -year sentence for supposed spying.
[89] The U .S. maintains that all these arrests are nonsense and that these people are political prisoners.
[90] All right, so all political, according to U .S. officials.
[91] What are we trading to free them?
[92] The Biden administration has apparently agreed to a prisoner swap, so Iran will get back a few of its own, though it's unclear as of yet who that will be.
[93] Iran will also reportedly get access to $6 billion in oil revenue that it's been unable to access because of sanctions.
[94] That money will be moved to a bank in Qatar, and Iran can access it only for humanitarian supplies, such as food and medical equipment.
[95] The deal is supposed to block Iran a known sponsor of terrorism from using the funds for any other purpose.
[96] According to reports, the funds will be held by the Qatari government.
[97] And when Iran makes a request, Qatar will pay the vendor directly from the account and Iran will receive the goods.
[98] But of course, that would just free up funds for Iran to direct that to other unsanctioned efforts.
[99] How long did it take to work this deal out?
[100] Months, at least.
[101] NBC News reported back in February that talks on a deal were taking place quietly behind the scenes and were being mediated by Switzerland.
[102] The Swiss have mediated most talks between the U .S. and Iran since the two countries broke off diplomatic relations over 40 years ago.
[103] In fact, the deal also serves a dual purpose of softening the tension between the U .S. and Iran.
[104] One of President Biden's foreign policy priorities since taking office has been to revive the highly controversial Iran nuclear deal.
[105] Former President Trump killed the deal over concerns that it wasn't strong enough.
[106] Trump officials thought the Iran deal actually made the potential for a nuclear -armed Iran much greater.
[107] Right.
[108] When can we expect these prisoners to be returned.
[109] In the next few weeks, no hard timeline has been set, and there seems to be some hesitation about celebrating too soon.
[110] An attorney for one of the prisoners said that this was only a first step and caution that there are simply no guarantees about what happens from here.
[111] All right, so skepticism there about Iran following through.
[112] What's the response been to this deal so far?
[113] Republicans have been pretty critical of it.
[114] A few have said that assuming Iran is given access to $6 billion, the U .S. has just agreed to pay the largest terrorist ransom ever.
[115] Arkansas Senator Tom Cotton issued a pretty strong statement against the deal.
[116] He said he hoped the Americans arrive safely back in the U .S., but called the agreement with Iran a craven act of appeasement that will only emboldened the Ayatollas to take more hostages and use these ill -gotten gains to attack our troops, fund terrorism, and armed Russia.
[117] Yeah, strong words.
[118] Indeed.
[119] Tim, thanks for joining us.
[120] Thanks for having me. Officials in Massachusetts are asking citizens to consider taking illegal migrants into their homes as the state scrambles to confront a dire shelter shortage.
[121] The plea to residents came just a day after the governor declared a state of emergency over the migrant crisis.
[122] Daily Wire investigative reporter, Maraida Lorty, is here with the details.
[123] So Marade, Massachusetts is asking residents to consider housing migrants in their homes.
[124] Hi, Georgia.
[125] Yes, exactly.
[126] this was Lieutenant Governor Kim Driscoll on Wednesday.
[127] Most importantly, if you have an extra room or suite in your home, please consider hosting a family.
[128] Safe housing and shelter is our most pressing need.
[129] Become a sponsor family.
[130] A day earlier, Massachusetts Governor Mara Healy, a Democrat, declared a state of emergency on the migrant crisis.
[131] She touched on residents potentially stepping up to help during a press conference in Boston on Tuesday.
[132] Healy said the state is calling on everything.
[133] everyone in Massachusetts to come together and ask Bay Staters to help us meet this moment in our state and offer a helping hand.
[134] Now, is there a process in place for people to actually do that?
[135] It's not clear yet how the hosting process would work, whether people would have to apply to host a family or whether the state would compensate hosts.
[136] Now, what led up to this?
[137] We've heard a lot about New York being overwhelmed with migrants.
[138] What's the status in Massachusetts?
[139] It's pretty serious.
[140] Dozens of migrants arrive in the state every day.
[141] about 50 migrant families arrived by plane from other states in the span of 48 hours earlier this week, according to Governor Healey.
[142] Healy said the state is currently housing nearly 20 ,000 people, many of whom are migrants.
[143] More than 5 ,600 families are being sheltered on the state's dime up from 3 ,100 families a year ago.
[144] This is more people than the state has ever served through its emergency assistance program, according to the governor.
[145] Those in need of shelter include babies, young children, and pregnant women.
[146] Many of the migrants are from Haiti and headed to Massachusetts likely because Boston has a large Haitian population.
[147] One interesting point here is that Massachusetts has a 1983 right -to -shelter law on the books that requires the state to immediately house eligible families with children, regardless of shelter availability.
[148] This puts the state in an extremely difficult position.
[149] The law was written long before the migrant crisis and was intended for Massachusetts citizens in crisis, but it doesn't include any language prohibiting non -citizens from taking advantage of, of the generous benefit.
[150] So now that the governor has declared a state of emergency, what does that actually mean?
[151] Well, the state of emergency will expedite the process for creating or renting more migrant housing and allow the National Guard to quickly step in if necessary.
[152] Governor Healy blamed the slow pace of work authorizations, which he said can take months as a big driver of the crisis.
[153] Healy wrote to Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas asking that migrants be clear to work and ask for financial help from the federal government as well.
[154] But this situation has been building for a while.
[155] Earlier this year, migrants in Massachusetts started showing up at emergency rooms because they had nowhere to sleep for the night.
[156] And leading up to the state of emergency declaration, Massachusetts took several other drastic steps to house migrants.
[157] Last year, the state housed migrants in motels, empty college dorms, two new welcome centers, and on Cape Cod's military base, which received the 49 migrants who arrived in Martha's Vineyard from Florida last fall.
[158] Well, and as we've reported before, other states in cities are also buckling under very similar pressure.
[159] What's the latest in New York?
[160] Well, New York City's homeless shelters are bursting at the seams.
[161] There are 55 ,000 migrants currently being housed on the city's dime.
[162] On Monday, Mayor Eric Adams announced a plan to house up to 2 ,000 adult migrants in a tent city on Randall's Island in the East River, saying it has become a Herculane effort to find enough shelter beds every night.
[163] We have to make sure we have a real decompression strategy at the border, and we have to ensure, that we have real immigration reform because it's going to continue.
[164] It's not sustainable.
[165] When you look at 10 ,000 a month, the math just does not add up.
[166] Both Massachusetts and New York have pleaded with the Biden administration for financial help with the migrant crisis.
[167] In the meantime, it'll be interesting to see how these northeastern states adapt to now being border states.
[168] Well, as a Massachusetts native myself, I'm watching this very closely.
[169] Marade, thanks for reporting.
[170] Thanks, Georgia.
[171] Thank you for listening to Morning Wire.
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[175] That's all the time we've got this morning.
[176] Thanks for waking up with us.
[177] We'll be back later this afternoon with more news you need to know.