News Wrap: Hundreds remain unaccounted for after Maui wildfires

Geoff Bennett:

Good evening, and welcome to the "NewsHour."

The death toll from the Maui wildfires continues to climb. At least 96 people are now confirmed dead. And officials warn that number may rise further as the rescue effort continues, with just a fraction of the affected area searched so far.

Search and recovery efforts are continuing tonight following the nation's deadliest wildfire in more than a century. As officials survey the devastation, residents continue to look for missing loved ones.

June Lacuesta, Maui Resident:

I would like to find Kihanu (ph) family, Coloma (ph) family and Villegas (ph) families, which is three more — three days now that everybody's looking for them.

Geoff Bennett:

Hundreds of people remain unaccounted for.

FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell spoke to reporters at the White House today.

Deanne Criswell, FEMA Administrator:

We have sent more personnel, as well as more cadaver dogs to come into the area. And they are working in conjunction with the Maui Fire Department and the Sheriff's Office to make sure that we are doing this in a very methodical way, but one that is also very respectful of the community to make sure that we find everybody.

The fire started last Tuesday when strong winds from a distant hurricane gusted across the island. Once the blazes started, they spread quickly, expanding roughly one mile every minute. Flames engulfed the historic town of Lahaina without warning. Some people had to jump into the ocean for safety.

This Maui resident tried to escape by car with her family, but they got stuck in traffic. And she had to make an impossible decision.

Akenesi Vaa, Lahaina Survivor:

So, I look to my left, and I'm literally right next to this car where this grandmother is yelling for help. And she's just telling me: "Please, help me. I have a baby."

And I just — at that time, I'm like, what do I do?

Geoff Bennett:

Her husband helped their kids and the grandmother while she took the baby.

Akenesi Vaa:

I grabbed her. She had — she was sitting on a blanket. I wrapped her with the blanket. And I told my kids: "You guys, run. Don't turn around and look for me."

And my 9-year-old couldn't. She just kept telling me: "Mom, I can't. Please, mom."

Geoff Bennett:

The family, grandmother and baby all made it to safety.

The fires destroyed nearly 3,000 structures, causing an estimated $5.5 billion worth of damage. Now some residents are waiting in long lines to return home. Meantime local officials, as well as the whole at the tourism agency, are strongly discouraging nonessential travel to Maui for the foreseeable future.

In the day's other headlines: Prosecutors in Atlanta Georgia started presenting the findings of their election interference probe to a grand jury.

They argue that former President Trump and his allies tried to illegally overturn the state's 2020 election results. Security was tight outside the Fulton County courthouse as an indictment decision looms. If charged, this would be Mr. Trump's fourth indictment in less than five months.

In Northern India, heavy monsoon rains turned deadly today after a string of floods and landslides killed at least 48 people and trapped many others. Rescuers sifted through the aftermath of a landslide, removing boulders from a steep slope with their bare hands. Meantime, state officials say the floods are showing no signs of easing.

Mukesh Agnihotri, Deputy Chief Minister, Himachal Pradesh, India (through interpreter):

The situation here is bad. There are continuous floods and the rivers are overflowing. There are flash floods, villages are being flooded, and people's homes have been affected.

Geoff Bennett:

Floods are common this time of year in India's Himalayan region. But experts say glacial melt brought on by climate change has made conditions far worse in recent years.

A senior health official in Ethiopia says an airstrike on a bustling town square has killed at least 26 people. The attack happened Sunday in the country's Amhara region. More than 55 people were wounded. It comes as local militia members have been clashing with the Ethiopian army that's trying to disband them.

In Ukraine, three waves of Russian drone and missile strikes rocked the port city of Odesa. Russian forces have targeted the area since the Kremlin backed out of the Black Sea grain deal last month. A supermarket was set on fire in one early morning attack. The Ukrainians said they intercepted 15 drones and eight missiles. By daylight, the extent of the damage became clear.

Mykhailo, Odesa Resident (through interpreter):

There's nothing left inside. Everything was burnt down. Some animal feed was intact. Otherwise, everything is gone. Thank God it wasn't a residential building that was hit. We will restore everything.

Geoff Bennett:

Meantime, the U.S. State Department announced another $200 million in military aid to Ukraine. It will include air defense munitions, artillery rounds and anti-armor capabilities, among other things.

Six white former Mississippi law enforcement officers have pleaded guilty to state charges of a racist assault. In January, they invaded a home, brutally tortured two Black men for hours, and then staged a cover-up that led to false charges. The officers recently admitted their guilt in a related federal civil rights case.

A judge in Montana has ruled that young people have a constitutional right to a clean environment. The lawsuit was filed by 16 plaintiffs ranging in age from 5 to 22, who argued the state's lawmakers weren't doing enough to combat climate change. It's the first youth-led climate case to reach trial in the U.S. and sets a powerful precedent for similar cases to come.

Michael Oher, the former NFL tackle depicted in the book and movie "The Blind Side," filed a petition in Tennessee today alleging he was never actually adopted by the family who took him in. He said they misled him into signing papers, making them his conservatives, and not his adoptive parents. Oher accused them of making millions of dollars off his life story.

On Wall Street, stocks closed higher today. The Dow Jones industrial average gained 26 points to close it 35307. The Nasdaq rose 143 points. The S&P 500 added 25.

And Clarence Avant, the legendary music executive known as the Black Godfather of Entertainment, died Sunday at his home in Los Angeles. Avant helped launch the careers of musicians like Quincy Jones and Bill Withers. He was a power broker in music and also sports and politics. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2021. Clarence Avant was 92 years old.

And still to come on the "NewsHour": Tamara Keith and Amy Walter break down the latest political headlines; a police raid on a small town in Kansas draws widespread condemnation; author Douglas Martin gives his Brief But Spectacular take on paying attention to everyday things; plus much more.