Your weekend must reads🗞️
☀️Welcome to The Short List weekend edition, where we highlight some of the best stories this week from Paste BN. I'm John Riley, newsletter editor, and today our thoughts and prayers are with the people of Hawaii in the wake of the devastating wildfires on Maui.
Search and rescue continues in wake of deadly Maui fires
🔵Hawaii is still reeling from one of the worst natural disasters in its history − a horrific wildfire on Maui that left dozens dead and hundreds more missing. More than 1,700 structures were destroyed, and the historic town of Lahaina was leveled. As widespread power and cellular outages complicate evacuation and rescue efforts, questions about Hawaii's emergency warning system are being raised.
- How did the fires start?: A combination of factors fueled disaster
- Images of destruction: Aerial before-and-after photos reveal vast damage
- Are humans to blame?: Development on Maui made disaster worse
Trump is using a First Amendment defense. Will it work?
⚖️Donald Trump's attorneys argued the former president is protected by the First Amendment's guarantees of free speech for all Americans when it comes to the latest indictment charging him with an attempt to steal the 2020 election. However, legal experts say the claim may not hold up in court. "Many forms of expression can become unlawful if undertaken for corrupt purposes," said constitutional law expert David Super. Read more
- Who is John Eastman?: What to know about ex-Trump lawyer who says he could face charges
- Death threats, extremists ... and worry: Why Trump's looming Georgia indictment is different
COVID rates are climbing, but it's not time to panic
⚕️Even though COVID-19 rates are ticking upward, the U.S. is unlikely to experience the kind of widespread infections and hospitalizations seen over the last three summers, experts said. While COVID-19 will probably never completely disappear, vaccines, antivirals, prevention tools and improved care have transformed an urgent crisis into a manageable disease. Read more
- What to know about Eris: New variant spreading in US and UK
👇Keep reading! There are more great stories below. See you next week!