In an effort to connect with current events off the Hill — locally, domestically, and abroad —
The Spectator
will periodically publish a news recap that seeks to inform the Hamilton community on the basics of contemporary issues.
Camp Fire death toll rises to 48
The Butte County Sheriff’s office announced on Nov. 13 that at least 48 people have died in the Camp Fire. The wildfire, which started on Camp Creek Road in Butte County, Northern California on Nov. 8 is the deadliest, most destructive wildfire in California history, burning over 130,000 acres. It is so far only 30 percent contained. At least seven people have been injured, and authorities are continuing their search for more than 200 missing persons. The inferno has ravaged the Northern California town of Paradise, with about 7,700 homes destroyed. Of the 48 dead, seven bodies were found in cars, one was found outside a vehicle, 11 victims were found outside homes, and 29 victims were located inside of homes. The 2018 California wildfire season has been the most destructive season on record so far, with a total of 7,579 fires having destroyed about 1,667,855 acres. The Camp Fire is one of four wildfires ongoing in California. It is the deadliest of the four and is currently only 30 percent contained; the next deadliest is the Woolsey fire in the Los Angeles and Ventura counties, which has killed at least 2 people and is 35 percent contained. The other two fires — the Nurse fire and Hill fire — have not seen any deaths and are 90 percent and 85 percent contained, respectively. Before the Camp Fire, the deadliest single fire on record in the state of California was a 1933 fire in Griffith Park in Los Angeles, which killed 29 people.
U.S. government hardens border in anticipation of migrant caravan
The U.S. government announced on Tuesday that it was working to “harden” the border crossing into the United States from Tijuana, Mexico in order to prepare for the arrival of a “migrant caravan” making its way toward the country. Customs and Border Protection has announced that they are closing four lanes at the San Ysidro and Otay Mesa ports of entry in San Diego, California, stating that these actions were necessary in order “to install and pre-position port hardening infrastructure equipment in preparation for the migrant caravan and the potential safety and security risk that it could cause.” However, 23 lanes will still remain open at the ports of entry. The migrants on the caravan say they are fleeing persecution, poverty, and violence in their home countries and that they feel safer travelling in numbers as they seek new lives and better opportunities in the U.S. or Mexico. Many intend to apply for asylum. U.S. President Donald Trump has ordered the deployment of over 5,000 military troops to the border, citing a “security threat.”
CNN sues Trump administration
CNN filed a lawsuit in Washington, D.C. district court against President Donald Trump and a number of his aides on Nov. 13, seeking the immediate restoration of correspondent Jim Acosta’s White House credentials. The administration stripped Acosta of his Secret Service hard pass — which allows easier access for reporters entering and exiting the White House — after a controversial news conference last week, during which Acosta refused to give up the microphone after the president said he did not want to hear anything more from the reporter. White House press secretary Sarah Sanders has accused Acosta of making improper physical contact with the intern seeking to retake the microphone, though witnesses have backed Acosta’s assertion that he was just trying to keep the mic and that he was not as aggressive as Sanders reported. Sanders also accused Acosta of being unprofessional and trying to dominate the news conference questioning, while Trump has called Acosta a “rude, terrible person.” Sanders dismissed the lawsuit as “just more grandstanding from CNN,” adding that the president “will vigorously defend against this lawsuit.” CNN argues that the White House is trying to silence a reporter and has declared the White House’s actions “unconstitutional, in violation of the First Amendment and the Due Process Clause of the Fifth Amendment.” Additionally they allege that Acosta was given neither warning nor opportunity to repeal the action. The White House Correspondents’ Association has backed the lawsuit, stating that “the president of the United States should not be in the business of arbitrarily picking the men and women who cover him.” Precedent seems to favor CNN; during the Nixon administration in the 1970s, the Secret Service attempted to deny credentials to a reporter because he had been involved in physical altercations, but the action was overruled by the D.C. circuit court.
