News Wrap: Confirmed death toll from Maui wildfires climbs to 99

Read the Full Transcript

• Geoff Bennett:

  In the day's other headlines, the property manager at former President Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate pleaded not guilty to four criminal charges in the classified documents case.

  Carlos De Oliveira arrived at a federal court in Fort Pierce, Florida. The special counsel has accused him and Mr. Trump of conspiring to hide security footage from investigators.

  The confirmed death toll from the wildfires on Maui has now climbed to 99. So far, crews have searched about a quarter of the disaster zone in Lahaina. Officials fear more bodies are among the untouched piles of ash. Meantime, long lines of cars formed outside Lahaina as residents tried to return home, many contemplating their uncertain futures.

• Jannifer Williams, Maui Resident:

  It's our home. We have lived here 30 years. Our kids were born here. It's — we just don't know the next steps.

• Pila Taufa, Lahaina Native:

  We're camping it out over here, like, just waiting for them to give us the OK to go back in and help clean up, just do whatever we can.

• Geoff Bennet:

  President Biden said he plans to travel to Hawaii to survey the Maui recovery efforts. While in Milwaukee today, the president assured the island's residents that more help is on the way.

  Joe Biden, President of the United States: We're working with the state to make sure survivors that have lost their homes have a place to call home until we can rebuild. We are also surging federal personnel to the state to help the brave firefighters and first responders, many of whom lost their own homes, their properties while they're out busting their neck to save other people.

• Geoff Bennett:

  The fires are still blazing on parts of Maui. Authorities have yet to determine what caused them.

  Russian authorities are investigating a massive explosion at a gas station overnight that killed 35 people. It happened after a fire started in a car repair shop in the southern Dagestan region. Emergency crews responded quickly to fight the blazes. The regional governor arrived on the scene to survey damage.

• Gov. Sergei Malikov, Dagestan, Russia (through interpreter):

  A tragedy happened tonight. It's linked to an explosion, the cause and details of which are being determined. Cisterns at a nearby gas station were detonated. The site where we are now is the epicenter of the tragedy.

• Geoff Bennet:

  It was Russia's deadliest explosion in more than a year. A criminal investigation is now under way.

  Russian missiles battered communities across Ukraine today, killing civilians and damaging infrastructure there. Ukrainian forces said they intercepted 16 of the 28 missiles. One of the hardest-hit areas was the western region of Lviv. Local authorities said nearly 120 residential buildings were damaged, along with a kindergarten playground.

• Iryna Tur, Lviv Resident (through interpreter):

  It was very scary. When we crouched, my whole life past in front of my eyes as one moment. I thank God that we are alive, because the rocket fell just behind the garage.

• Geoff Bennett:

  Meantime, there were more signs today that sanctions put in place during the Ukraine war are weakening the Russian economy. The Russian Central Bank issued a major interest rate hike after the country's currency, the ruble, reached its lowest value since the start of the war.

  In Libya, a militia commander was released by a rival faction today after his detention sparked a day of clashes in the capital that killed four people. Shaky video captured smoke rising over the Tripoli skyline. The violence trapped residents in their homes and diverted inbound flights. It was the worst fighting the capital has seen this year.

  North Korea is commenting for the first time about an American soldier who entered the country last month. The government says Travis King admitted to illegally entering its territory while on a civilian tour of the heavily fortified border between North and South Korea. The North Koreans say he confessed to harboring ill feelings against the U.S. Army and wanted to seek refuge there or a third country. The U.S. State Department has yet to comment.

  The mother of a 6-year-old who shot his teacher in Newport News, Virginia, pleaded guilty to felony child neglect. The first grader used his mother's handgun to shoot his teacher in a classroom full of students back in January. His mother, Deja Taylor, was seen leaving court today. Prosecutors agreed to not seek a sentence longer than six months as part of a plea deal.

  And stocks tumbled on Wall Street today, breaking a three-day winning streak. The Dow Jones industrial average plunged 361 points to close at 34946. The Nasdaq fell 157 points. The S&P 500 slipped 52.