Monday morning news: August 6, 2018

Carr Fire: another killed as fire grows » President Trump has declared a major emergency in California and has ordered that federal funds be made available to the state. That as fire crews continue to battle devastating wildfires.

In Northern California, the so-called Carr Fire claimed another victim. A spokesman for Pacific Gas and Electric said an employee suffered fatal injuries in a vehicle-related accident Saturday on the western edge of the fire.

Jairus Ayeta was part of a crew working in “dangerous terrain” to restore power. That marks the seventh death related to the Carr Fire.

Armies of firefighters and fleets of aircraft continue battling the blaze, which was more than 40 percent contained on Sunday. Cal Fire Battalion Chief Russ Fowler explains that wind remains one of the greatest challenges.

FOWLER: Every ember lights a spot fire. It’s a 100 percent probability of ignition, so that’s creating huge issues for us because if you get a hundred embers that land in a particular area, they all start a fire, and they start a new head fire on us literally in that particular location, and it runs at us, and it sometimes runs us out of locations. 

Officials say a flat tire caused the deadly fire when the rim of the wheel scraped the asphalt creating sparks.  The Carr Fire is now one of the of most destructive in the state’s history.

Plane crash kills 20 in Swiss mountains » Investigators are trying to determine what caused a deadly plane crash in Switzerland over the weekend. A vintage propeller plane plunged into a mountain near the resort town of Films in the country’s southeast.

The crash killed all 20 people on board as they returned from a two-day trip to southern Switzerland.

The JU-52 plane, operated by small Swiss company JU-Air, went down Saturday night. Officials said they expect a complex investigation given that the 79-year-old plane did not have black boxes.

Indonesia quake » AUDIO: Earthquake sound

A powerful earthquake rattling buildings on the tourist island of Lombok Sunday. The 7.0 magnitude quake killed at least 39 people, while injuring many more.

The latest quake, which triggered a brief tsunami warning, damaged buildings as far away as Bali, including an airport terminal, where ceiling panels shook loose.

The island was already reeling from a 6.4 magnitude quake that struck just one week earlier, killing 16 people.

Indonesia is prone to earthquakes due to its location on the Pacific’s so called “Ring of Fire,” an arc of volcanoes and fault lines in the Pacific Basin. In December 2004, a massive 9.1 earthquake off Sumatra island triggered a tsunami that killed more than 200-thousand people in a dozen countries.

Venezuelan president accuses right wing of assassination attempt » Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro said authorities in his country have identified the parties behind what he’s calling an assassination attempt.

Maduro says on Saturday, drones armed with explosives detonated near him during a speech in Caracas.

MADURO (translator): Without a doubt we have revealed the situation in record time. This was an attempt to kill me. Today they attempted to assassinate me, and I have no doubt that everything points to the right. 

He blamed far-right wing factions working in collaboration with conspirators in Bogatá and Miami.

But U.S. National Security Advisor John Bolton called any suggestion of U.S. involvement absurd.

BOLTON: I can say unequivocally there is no U.S. government involvement in this at all. 

Colombian officials said the same.

Maduro was unharmed in the explosion, but seven people suffered injuries, according to Information Minister Jorge Rodríguez.

Authorities said they have arrested six people suspected in connection with the blast. Opposition leaders warn Maduro may use the incident to further suppress critics of his government amid a crippling economic crisis.

Judge reaffirms ruling on DACA program » The Trump administration now has 17 days to appeal a Friday district court ruling that the DACA program must resume. That’s the program that shields young immigrants brought into the country illegally from deportation. Judge John D. Bates reaffirmed his earlier ruling that administration must allow renewal requests and once again accept new applications for DACA. Two nationwide injunctions earlier this year applied only to renewal requests.

I’m Kent Covington. Up next on Legal Docket: what it means when Supreme Court  justices dissent or concur. Plus, Andrée Seu Peterson on stepping out of one’s comfort zone. This is The World and Everything in It.

(AP Photo/Noah Berger, File) Firefighter Scott Brown sprays water on a backfire while battling the Carr Fire in Redding, Calif., on Saturday, July 28, 2018. 

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