Monday Briefing: Hawaii death toll rises

By Justin Porter

Good morning. We’re covering the rising death toll in Hawaii’s wildfires, the interim prime minister in Pakistan and the Taiwanese vice president’s visit to the U.S.

Death toll climbs to 93 in Hawaii

The wildfires in Maui, now the deadliest in the U.S. in more than a century, have left many questions about how so many lives were lost and why government aid has still not reached many survivors.

The death toll reached 93 on Saturday night and was expected to climb even further, officials said. About 2,200 structures, around 86 percent of them residential, were destroyed in West Maui, Gov. Josh Green of Hawaii said, and about 1,400 people were in shelters. About 4,500 customers, mostly in Maui, were without electricity in Hawaii early yesterday.

Many survivors in the region were relying on each other in the wake of the disaster. In the town of Honokowai, residents were filling dozens of cans of gas to pass out.

“This is from our own pockets,” one resident said. “Where is the government?”

Green said in a statement that the government had secured 1,000 rooms, with 500 going to families who had been displaced and the other 500 being used for support. In the coming days, the government will secure long-term rentals, paid for by the state, charities and FEMA, for people displaced by the fire, he said.

What’s next: Among the many challenges the authorities face are the search for survivors and the identification of victims. Days after the fires broke out, canine teams have been able to scout only 3 percent of the disaster zone, the authorities said. More federal emergency workers and active-duty military personnel were headed to Maui to help with the search and rescue effort.

Details: Hawaii boasts what it describes as the largest system of outdoor public safety warning sirens in the world. There are 80 of them on Maui, but they weren’t activated, officials confirmed. The governor promised a review.

Background: A report prepared for Maui County in 2020 warned that the western side of the island, where Lahaina is, was at high risk for wildfires.

Pakistan names interim prime minister

The Pakistani government appointed Anwar-ul-Haq Kakar as caretaker prime minister, a move that kicked off preparations for the country’s next general elections. Kakar has close ties to the country’s powerful military, and his appointment sends a clear message: After a year of political turmoil that challenged the authority of military leaders, they have a firm hand on the wheel once more.

The appointment comes amid growing speculation that elections — once expected to happen this fall — will be delayed until 2024. Delaying the elections would benefit the military establishment, analysts say, by giving more time for the country’s heated political climate to cool off.

A Taiwanese presidential contender walks a fine line

Vice President Lai Ching-te of Taiwan rose to prominence as a pugnacious opponent of Beijing’s claims over the island. But now, as a leading candidate in Taiwan’s presidential race, it’s likely that he’ll be more muted during his visit to the U.S., which started on Saturday. Expect restraint, Taiwanese officials and scholars say.

As Lai vies to succeed President Tsai Ing-wen, who has a determinedly buttoned-down manner, he wants to assure Taiwanese voters, and probably Washington, of his steadiness. He has no plans for meetings with prominent members of Congress, but the modest protocol fits with his political goals.

In related coverage: President Biden referred to China as a “ticking time bomb” because of its economic struggles. He has grown increasingly more willing to criticize China even as his administration has sought to ease tensions between the world’s two largest economies.

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THE LATEST NEWS

• Russian shelling killed at least seven people, including a family of four, in the Kherson region of southern Ukraine yesterday morning, officials said.
• Ukraine’s military has made “tactically significant” progress in its counteroffensive, analysts say, making gains that have forced Moscow to divert forces from other parts of the front line.
• Would F-16s have made a significant difference in the counteroffensive? Experts have doubts. Here’s why.

• Climbers ascending K2, the second-highest mountain in the world, are being criticized for continuing to the summit after encountering an injured porter who later died.
• Patrol vessels were pursuing a boat loaded with migrants bound for Spain when it struck rocks off a beach in Senegal’s capital, locals say, leaving at least 16 people dead.
• The Americans who were jailed in Iran had envisioned the prospect of better relations when they were taken. They are set to be released in a prisoner swap, and their ordeal isn’t over yet.
• The transfer of oil from a decaying tanker off the coast of Yemen has been completed, officials said on Friday, averting a catastrophic spill.
• Republican lawmakers in the U.S. have demanded a special counsel investigation of President Biden’s son for months. Now that it’s underway, many are objecting.

• Donald Trump is turning his indictments to his advantage in polling, fund-raising and conservative media.
• Ashura, Shiite Islam’s most sacred ritual, has long symbolized the fight against oppression. This year, Iran’s Ashura chants have been turned against the government.

• The U.S. is quickly pivoting away from fossil fuels and toward wind, solar and other renewable energy, even in areas dominated by the oil and gas industries.
• On Saturday, two witnesses in the 2020 election interference case against Trump in Georgia revealed that they had received notices to appear before the grand jury tomorrow.

This Japanese candy had no taste, by design. Even its name, Flavorless (?) Candy — yes, with a question mark — suggested more of an absence than a presence. Manufactured by Kanro, a major candy company, it was test marketed last fall by Lawson, a convenience store chain in Japan. And then it vanished.

But people in Japan are still talking about it and, in some cases, missing it, giving the product a sort of mystical allure. So what does “nothingness” taste like?

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ARTS AND IDEAS

Rock ’n’ roll, Chinese Communist Party-style

Sometimes, instead of outright erasing something it doesn’t like, China’s government will co-opt it to spread “positive energy.” Here’s how that works, through the lens of music.

Released in 2010, “Kill That One From Shijiazhuang,” by Omnipotent Youth Society, has been widely interpreted as elegizing the pain of modernization. A hardworking man and his family are struggling. A building collapses, and their world comes crashing down. It’s one of China’s most influential indie-rock songs.

Then a local Communist Party group rewrote it. Bleak despair became overflowing optimism as original lyrics such as “living like this for 30 years, until the building collapses,” became “20 years of transformation, this international city is forging ahead.”

The Shijiazhuang government embraced the new version as part of an attempt to brand itself as China’s capital of rock ’n’ roll. But reactions on social media have been decidedly unimpressed: “Somehow this version is even more depressing,” one of the most popular comments read.

RECOMMENDATIONS

Make this raspberry-nectarine icebox cake. It’s a little like tiramisù, but with fresh fruit.

Listen to Olivia Rodrigo’s sassy pop-rock banger and eight other new songs.

Read William Boyd’s latest novel, which follows one man from childhood to death, and the globe-spanning adventures in between.

Play the Spelling Bee. (If you’re stuck, the Bee Buddy can help.) And here’s the Mini Crossword, Wordle and Sudoku.

That’s it for today’s briefing. See you next time. — Justin

Note: Yesterday, an Asia morning briefing from July was accidentally sent out. We regret the error.

P.S. Test your knowledge of history.

We’d like your feedback! Please email thoughts and suggestions to briefing@nytimes.com.

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