PARADISE LOST: The death toll has risen to 55 in Maui’s Lahaina wildfire, making it the second deadliest wildfire in US history, topped only by a California fire that killed 85 in 2018.

  This morning there’s controversy over lack of warning about the fire. Some survivors say the flames had reached them before there was an alert.

  By some estimates as much as 80 percent of the town is damaged or destroyed. The historic Pioneer Hotel is gone and so is the library. The United Methodist Church burned to its foundation. Homes and businesses burned to the ground while cars burned in the streets. A recently opened affordable housing complex with 85 units was destroyed.

  For many people, both their homes and their jobs are gone. 

  Yachts and boats burned and exploded at their docks. Ferry service was suspended because the skippers don’t know where all the sunken boats are.   The giant 150-year-old banyan tree in the center of town that covers a city block is reported to be singed yet still standing. But a forester with the University of Hawaii tells the NY Times he looked at photos and is discouraged about the tree’s chances of survival.  

ECON 101: The Consumer Price Index climbed 3.2 percent in the year through July, a slight uptick from the previous month, but still a sign that inflation is cooling. It was the first acceleration in 13 months following a 3 percent reading in June.

  Prices for travel and used cars are cooling. Gasoline prices are up, but that’s summer.

SWAP MEET: The US and Iran have reached an agreement for Iran to exchange five imprisoned Iranian American dual citizens for access to about $6 billion in Iranian oil revenue. The deal is reported to have come after two years of quiet negotiations.

  Two of the prisoners were arrested on what the US says are unjustified charges of spying. As a signal of good will, Iran has released the five prisoners to house arrest. Negotiations for full release are still described as “delicate.”

THE COMMON MAN: Democratic members of Congress once again are calling for the resignation of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas following a new ProPublica report revealing that he has accepted even more unreported luxury vacations, travel, and evening sporting tickets paid for by billionaires than previously known. 

  “No government official, elected or unelected, could ethically or legally accept gifts of that scale, Democratic rep. Rep. Ted Lieu of California said on Twitter/X. “He should resign immediately.”

  Thomas has not responded to the new report. In response to an earlier report, he said no one ever told him he needed to report these kinds of gifts, let alone reject them. ProPublica quotes ethics and legal experts saying Thomas may have broken the law.

  ProPublica reported that rich swells have given Thomas at least 38 destination vacations, 26 private jet flights, and tickets to box seats at sports events.

  Thomas has presented himself over the years as a man who likes to travel in his motor home and enjoy the company of people in trailer parks. Even his purchase of the motor home was aided by a rich friend.

BITTER PILL: The Supreme Court yesterday held up the proposed bankruptcy plan for Purdue Pharma that would allocate billions of dollars for fighting the nation’s opioid addiction crisis while shielding the family that owns the company from future lawsuits.

  The court granted the Justice Department’s request to temporarily block the plan. The DOJ is challenging whether Sackler family members, who did not personally file for bankruptcy, can avoid being sued for their part in fueling the nation’s opioid crisis. The court agreed to consider whether US bankruptcy code authorizes such agreements. 

ORANGE ALERT: The prosecutors in the Donald Trump election interference case have proposed an aggressive schedule, asking for the trial to open on January 2^nd.

  Also yesterday, Donald Trump and his body man, Walt Nauta, pleaded not guilty to additional criminal charges in the case accusing the former president of illegally holding and mishandling national security documents after leaving office and conspiring to obstruct the government’s efforts to retrieve them.

  The additional charges are part of an updated indictment accusing Trump of conspiring to delete possibly incriminating security footage at his Mar-a-Lago residence.

  The NY Times reports that the political committees and the super PAC backing Trump spent $27 million in legal fees and other investigation-related expenses in the first six months of this year.

  Earlier this week, Trump refused to sign a pledge to support the ultimate Republican nominee for president if it’s not him.  “Why would I sign a pledge?” he said in an interview with the conservative outlet Newsmax.  “There are people on there that I wouldn’t have.”

THE SPIN RACK: The Biden administration is going to spend $1.2 billion to help build the nation’s first two commercial-scale plants designed to vacuum carbon dioxide pollution from the atmosphere, which, if it works, could be a breakthrough against global warming. Then again, as some critics say, it could be boondoggle. — In a major consolidation in the luxury fashion business, Tapestry, the company that owns Coach and Kate Spade, announced that it has bought Capri Holdings, the parent of Versace and Michael Kors, for about $8.5 billion in cash. Combined, it becomes a $12 billion annual business. 

BELOW THE FOLD: It’s a mystery rap. Teenage rapper Lil Tay, an internet sensation whose real name is Claire Hope, says she’s alive after an internet posting that said she had died. The 14-year-old became famous online in 2018 with videos cursing and trash-talking other online celebrities, even kicking a car.

  An unattributed message posted on Instagram and since removed, said the rapper’s brother 21-year-old Jason Tian had also died. “During this time of immense sorrow, we kindly ask for privacy as we grieve this overwhelming loss,” it said. 

  Now the rapper says she’s alive and kicking like she is in her videos.

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