SPACE/COSMOLOGY

Another setback for Elon Musk's SpaceX after mishap with NASA rescue mission

Tom Carter
Updated Wed, October 2, 2024



SpaceX launched its mission to rescue two Starliner astronauts — but it didn't go according to plan.


The company's Falcon 9 rocket has been grounded after a booster landed in the wrong place.


It's the third time in three months that the Falcon 9 has been grounded.

SpaceX's workhorse rocket has been grounded for the third time in three months after malfunctioning during a mission to rescue two astronauts stuck in space.

The Crew-9 mission successfully reached the International Space Station on Sunday as it prepares to bring home the astronauts left stranded by Boeing's Starliner — but the launch didn't go entirely to plan.

In a post on X on Sunday, SpaceX wrote that its Falcon 9 rocket's second-stage booster experienced an "off-nominal deorbit burn" that caused it to land outside the targeted area.

SpaceX said it would resume launches once it had got to the bottom of the issue, with the Federal Aviation Administration requesting an investigation. The regulator said no public injuries or property damage had occurred because of the landing.

It's the third time SpaceX's reusable rocket has been grounded in the past three months.

The Falcon 9 was grounded in July after a mishap with the booster caused a batch of Starlink satellites to burn up in orbit. This was the company's first mission failure in more than seven years.

The rocket was also briefly grounded by the FAA in August after failing an attempt to land back on Earth.

The issues have come as SpaceX and Musk clash with the FAA over the regulator's investigations into the company and the pace at which it's green-lighting rocket launches.

SpaceX slammed the FAA in September after the fifth launch of its Starship rocket was delayed by two months, with Elon Musk saying humanity would "never get to Mars if this continues."

Musk also accused the regulator of playing favorites, arguing it should punish Boeing over the issues with its Starliner spacecraft rather than fine SpaceX for "trivia."

The Crew-9 mission traveled to the space station half-empty as it prepared to bring home the two astronauts left stranded there by Boeing's Starliner.

The NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams were due to return home aboard Starliner several months ago, but glitches with Boeing's spacecraft on its maiden crewed flight led NASA to decide to send it home empty.

SpaceX stepped in and is now set to bring the two astronauts back to Earth aboard the Crew Dragon spacecraft in February at the earliest.

SpaceX won its contract to supply the space station at the same time as Boeing but has raced ahead of its rival in the space race.

Musk has frequently taunted Boeing over the issues with the aerospace giant's space program, saying the company has too many "non-technical managers."

SpaceX didn't respond to a request for comment sent outside normal working hours.

Business Insider

The FAA Grounds SpaceX's Rockets for a Third Time After Mysterious Anomaly

Victor Tangermann

FUTURISM
Tue, October 1, 2024



Off Target

The US Federal Aviation Administration has grounded all of SpaceX's workhorse Falcon 9 rockets for the third time in just three months.

An upper stage encountered a mysterious problem after dropping off two astronauts at the International Space Station over the weekend as part of its Crew-9 mission.

According to a statement posted by SpaceX, the rocket "experienced an off-nominal deorbit burn," causing it to splash down in the Pacific Ocean just east of New Zealand, which was "outside of the targeted area" approved by the FAA.

Even before the FAA announced that it had launched its own investigation, SpaceX had already made the decision to halt all future launches.

"We will resume launching after we better understand root cause," the Elon Musk-led company wrote in its statement.
Falcon Misfortune

It's the third time since July that the FAA has grounded all Falcon 9 launches.

"The FAA is aware an anomaly occurred during the SpaceX NASA Crew-9 mission that launched from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida on September 28," the regulator noted in a statement.

"The incident involved the Falcon 9 second stage landing outside of the designated hazard area," the statement reads. "No public injuries or public property damage have been reported. The FAA is requiring an investigation."

In July, a Falcon 9 rocket exploded after launching a batch of Starlink internet satellites, leading to the FAA grounding the rockets for several weeks.

Then in August, the regulator grounded them once more after a Falcon 9 first-stage booster, which unlike the upper stage is reusable, caught fire and toppled over while attempting to land on a floating barge.

It's unclear how long the FAA's latest investigation will take or whether the space company will have to take any corrective actions.

The next Falcon 9 launch is tentatively slated for just nine days from now to launch NASA's massive Europa Clipper probe.

But given the current animosities between the two — just last week, Musk called for the FAA's chief to resign over an ongoing dispute — the latest incident will likely test the relationship even further.

More on the incident: SpaceX Mission Runs Into Mysterious Problem After Dropping Off Astronauts

'I think it was hard not to watch that rocket lift off without thinking, that's my rocket and that's my crew.' How the NASA astronauts bumped from SpaceX's Crew-9 watched their ride launch without them

Elizabeth Howell

SPACE.COM
Wed, October 2, 2024 

The SpaceX Crew-9 astronauts before two people were removed from the flight. From left: Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov and NASA astronauts Nick Hague, Zena Cardman and Stephanie Wilson. | Credit: SpaceX

Two astronauts who were supposed to be in space right now say they are still glad to be part of the ground team.

Until recently, NASA astronauts Zena Cardman and Stephanie Wilson were assigned to SpaceX's Crew-9 mission. But their Crew Dragon spacecraft left without them on Saturday (Sept. 28) after their seats had to be reassigned in August to bring home two other NASA astronauts currently living on the International Space Station (ISS).

"I think it was hard not to watch that rocket lift off without thinking, 'That's my rocket and that's my crew,'" Cardman said during the launch broadcast on NASA+, formerly NASA Television, of the Crew-9 astronauts who did leave Earth: NASA's Nick Hague and Aleksandr Gorbunov of the Russian space agency Roscosmos.

"It makes me feel very connected to this mission," Cardman added.

Wilson, speaking during the same broadcast, emphasized that astronauts are always working for the same team no matter if they are in space or on the ground. "We, of course, want to be together," she said of Crew-9. "We have built friendship and camaraderie … but I'm very excited for them [Hague and Gorbunov], looking forward to hearing their stories from space."

Related: SpaceX's Crew-9 Dragon spacecraft arrives at ISS to help bring Starliner astronauts home (video)

Crew Dragon went to space with two mass simulators in Cardman's and Wilson's former seats. When Crew-9 wraps up in February 2025, NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams will occupy those spots. Williams and Wilson were left without their expected ride home after their Boeing Starliner spacecraft returned to Earth autonomously on Sept. 7.

— SpaceX moving Crew Dragon splashdowns to West Coast after multiple space debris incidents

— NASA cuts 2 astronauts from SpaceX Crew-9 mission to make room for Boeing Starliner crew

— SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket failure forces NASA to evaluate astronaut launch schedule for ISS

Starliner launched to space without major incident, but docking with the ISS on June 6 was problematic. Issues with the propulsion system on Starliner delayed the spacecraft's arrival to the ISS during its first-ever mission with astronauts. Two months of troubleshooting followed, but NASA said the risk remained too high to bring Starliner home with the crew. So Crew-9 was modified to accommodate Williams and Wilmore on the return trip.

Cardman praised NASA for taking the time to "prioritize the safety of the crew," even though Starliner's uncrewed return to Earth was deemed safe enough, after the fact, to have brought home the NASA pair. As for Williams' and Wilmore's unexpected ISS extension from a few days to eight months: "Butch and Suni are professionals who are well prepared. They are previous flyers who have spent time on the space station before, so they're doing great work on board."

Wilson and Cardman remain eligible for future NASA spaceflights.

Charted: How SpaceX hit the world record for rocket launches

Anthony Cuthbertson
Wed, October 2, 2024 

A screenshot from a Starship rocket test on 3 March, 2021, in Boca Chica, Texas. The next-generation rocket is currently grounded until November 2024 while it awaits regulatory approval (SpaceX)


SpaceX is one lift-off away from breaking its own record for the number of orbital rocket launches in a single year – however two of its rockets are currently grounded.

The launch from Cape Canaveral Space Center in Florida of a Crew Dragon spacecraft atop a Falcon 9 rocket on Saturday equaled the previous milestone of 96 launches set in 2023.

The latest launch is part of a rescue mission to return two astronauts stranded aboard the ISS, however the Falcon 9’s second stage encountered a problem when returning to Earth.


There were no injuries or property damage, though the rocket landed outside of the designated hazard area set out by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).

SpaceX decided to pause launches of its Falcon 9 rocket – which have performed more than 90 per cent of all orbital launches this year – until it better understood the cause of the “off-nominal deorbit burn” last weekend.

The FAA confirmed that it was awaiting the results of the investigation before space flights can resume.

Among the missions currently on hold include Nasa’s Europa Clipper mission, as well as launches to deliver SpaceX’s Starlink internet satellites into low-Earth orbit.

The US regulator has also postponed the next orbital flight test of SpaceX’s Starship rocket, despite Elon Musk claiming that the world’s biggest rocket has been ready to launch since August.

The SpaceX boss accused the FAA of “regulatory overreach”, however a spokesperson for the regulator responded to the criticism by claiming that SpaceX changed the profile of the next Starship mission to include new variables that require new safety and environmental reviews.

“SpaceX chose to modify both for its proposed Starship Flight 5 launch which triggered a more in-depth review,” a spokesperson for the FAA told The Independent. “In addition, SpaceX submitted new information in mid-August detailing how the environmental impact of Flight 5 will cover a larger area than previously reviewed.”

One of the updated mission objectives requiring review is an attempt to catch a Super Heavy booster with a “chopsticks” system built into the same launchpad that the rocket will lift off from. The FAA said a conclusion to its review would not be completed until late November at the earliest.

consoler-in-chief.

Harris consoles those devastated by Helene in Georgia — a contrast with Trump's visit

Megan Messerly
Wed, October 2, 2024 a


Kamala Harris, surveying the wreckage of Hurricane Helene in a swing state on Wednesday, offered a glimpse of how she might fulfill the role of consoler-in-chief.

Against a backdrop of felled trees in Augusta, Georgia, the vice president telegraphed solidarity as she spoke about the assistance the administration is providing to communities devastated by the severe weather that tore through the southeastern United States last weekend. She thanked local emergency responders for stepping up, even as their homes and communities have been destroyed.

The Democratic nominee's approach offered a stark contrast to the overtly political posture Donald Trump took during his visit to Valdosta, Georgia earlier this week, when he accused President Joe Biden and his administration for failing to deliver the aid needed by the community. It's a sentiment even the state's Republican governor did not share, and during her visit on Wednesday, Harris praised Gov. Brian Kemp for his leadership.


“We are here for the long haul,” Harris promised those who had gathered in Augusta’s Meadowbrook neighborhood. “There's a lot of work that's going to need to happen over the coming days, weeks, and months, and the coordination that we have dedicated ourselves to will be long-lasting to get families, to get residents, to get neighborhoods back up and running.”

Her remarks, which did not mention Trump, followed a briefing from local officials at the Augusta Emergency Operations Center. She also met with affected families and business owners and visited a distribution center where she handed out food. The Augusta events were coordinated through the White House, not her campaign.

The storm has offered an opportunity for both candidates to demonstrate their leadership chops to voters a little more than a month out from Election Day. Trump took a different tack when he deviated from his prepared remarks on Monday, suggesting that Biden was “sleeping,” criticizing Harris for attending fundraisers in California and a rally in Las Vegas during the early storm recovery efforts and calling her running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, “Tampon Tim.” He also repeated a false claim that Biden hadn’t spoken with Kemp — even though the governor himself said that he had and that he appreciated the federal disaster assistance.

It mirrored the posture Trump often took during his presidency and has taken as a candidate: using the spotlight to criticize his opponents rather than turn the public attention on the communities affected by a disaster. In a Truth Social post on Monday, Trump again tried to politicize this latest disaster by falsely claiming that the Biden administration and North Carolina Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper were “going out of their way not to help people in Republican areas.”

Harris, meanwhile, scuttled several informal campaign events in Las Vegas earlier this week to return to Washington for a briefing at FEMA’s headquarters. And her campaign on Wednesday sent out a fundraising email directing supporters to contribute to the disaster relief effort.

The vice president has said she plans to visit North Carolina, a state deeply affected by flooding, mudslides and other devastation from the storm, in the coming days — as soon as she can do so without impacting disaster response operations — but spoke with Asheville Mayor Esther Manheimer on Tuesday, according to the White House. Biden was in the Carolinas on Wednesday to survey the hurricane damage, taking a helicopter tour of hard-hit Western North Carolina.

Trump is scheduled to attend a Friday evening rally in Fayetteville, North Carolina. It’s unclear whether he also plans to visit areas affected by the storm as part of that trip.

CLIMATE CRISIS IS CAPITALI$T CRISIS

Mayorkas warns FEMA doesn't have enough funding to last through hurricane season

KEVIN FREKING and COLLEEN LONG
Wed, October 2, 2024


Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas speaks Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2024, during a briefing at the White House in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Federal Emergency Management Agency can meet immediate needs but does not have enough funding to make it through the hurricane season, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas told reporters Wednesday.

The agency is being stretched as it works with states to assess damage from Hurricane Helene and delivers meals, water, generators and other critical supplies. The storm struck Florida last week, then plowed through several states in the Southeast, flooding towns and killing more than 160 people.

Mayorkas was not specific about how much additional money the agency may need, but his remarks on Air Force One underscored concerns voiced by President Joe Biden and some lawmakers earlier this week that Congress may need to pass a supplemental spending bill this fall to help states with recovery efforts.


“We are meeting the immediate needs with the money that we have. We are expecting another hurricane hitting," Mayorkas said. “FEMA does not have the funds to make it through the season."

Hurricane season runs June 1 to Nov. 30, but most hurricanes typically occur in September and October.

Congress recently replenished a key source of FEMA's response efforts, providing $20 billion for the agency's disaster relief fund as part of a short-term government spending bill to fund the government through Dec. 20. The bill also gave FEMA flexibility to draw on the money more quickly as needed.

Both chambers of Congress are scheduled, however, to be in their home states and districts until after the election, as lawmakers focus on campaigning.

House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., gave no hint he was considering changing that schedule during a speech Tuesday. He said that Congress just provided FEMA with the funds it needs to respond and that lawmakers would make sure those resources are appropriately allocated.

A bipartisan group of Senators from affected states wrote their leadership this week saying it’s clear Congress must act to meet constituents’ needs. They said that may even require Congress to come back in October, ahead of the election.

Mayorkas made his comments as Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris fanned out across the Southeast to witness the damage from the hurricane and seek to demonstrate commitment and competence in helping devastated communities. Biden is heading to North and South Carolina, while Harris is going to Georgia.

More than 150,000 households have registered for assistance with FEMA, and that number is expected to rise rapidly in the coming days, said Frank Matranga, an agency representative.

The devastation was especially severe in the Blue Ridge Mountains, where at least 57 people died in and around Asheville, North Carolina, a tourism haven known for its art galleries, breweries and outdoor activities.

“Communities were wiped off the map,” North Carolina’s governor, Roy Cooper, said at a news conference Tuesday.

DISASTER  CAPITALI$M

Price-gouging complaints about the cost of fuel, water, and hotels are surging in states hit by Hurricane Helene

Joshua Nelken-Zitser,Grace Eliza Goodwin

Business Insider
Wed, October 2, 2024 

Hurricane Helene has caused price-gouging complaints to surge in southeastern states.


Price gouging involves hiking prices excessively on essential goods, often during emergencies.


South Carolina and North Carolina saw a rise in complaints, mostly about hotels and fuel.

As Hurricane Helene wreaked havoc across southeastern US states, complaints of price gouging have surged.

Price gouging is when businesses hike prices on goods or services to excessive levels, often during emergencies, like a natural disaster, taking advantage of high demand and limited supply.

Business Insider contacted the states worst hit by the hurricane — North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Tennessee, and Virginia — and found that several of them were either inundated with complaints of price gouging or had to issue warnings against it.

In South Carolina, which had about 36 storm-related deaths, the Attorney General's office told BI it had documented at least 142 price-gouging complaints since the start of Hurricane Helene.

"Of these, most of the complaints are about hotels, gasoline, gas cans, generators, ice, and eggs," said Robert Kittle, communications director for South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson, in an email.

Kittle said in an email that he couldn't name specific businesses accused of price gouging.

But Kittle said the office has gotten reports of stores that have been putting out cases of bottled water for sale, but ringing up customers for each bottle individually, totaling $60.

"When the customers complained, the stores refused to refund their money," Kittle said in an email.

He added that more complaints were expected, noting that they still had 246 voicemails and emails to review.

However, Kittle said not all of the complaints would warrant further investigation or meet the legal definition of price gouging under the state's law.

Wilson, the AG, announced on Thursday that the state's price-gouging law was in effect.

The announcement said that while the state could expect normal price fluctuations, which are legal, it also anticipated "businesses and individuals looking to unfairly take advantage of the situation," which would violate the law.

Kittle said that most of the complaints were coming from upstate South Carolina.

In neighboring North Carolina, which experienced the highest death toll of about 56, there were also dozens of price-gouging complaints.

A spokesperson for the North Carolina Attorney General's Office said the state's Department of Justice had received 64 complaints alleging price gouging in western North Carolina.

Most complaints were about hotel rates as well as grocery and fuel prices, which they said the AG's office was investigating.

In a statement provided to BI, North Carolina Attorney General Josh Stein said: "North Carolina has an anti-price gouging law to make sure that no bad actors try to take advantage of people's desperation."

"My team and I aggressively enforce that law and won't let them," he added.

Stein noted that more complaints might emerge as residents in western North Carolina, heavily impacted by Hurricane Helene, could be facing difficulties connecting to phones or the internet.

Florida, which had about 14 storm-related deaths, also received multiple complaints, though the state did not specify how many.

Kylie Mason, communications director for Attorney General Ashley Moody, told BI they had received complaints "mostly about fuel and water."

On Monday, Moody issued a warning urging Floridians to be "vigilant" for price gouging.

The warning urged anybody suspicious of price gouging on storm-essential items to report it, noting that violators are subject to civil penalties of $1,000 per violation.

The attorneys general of Tennessee, which had about eight deaths connected to Hurricane Helene, and Georgia, with about 25, did not immediately respond to BI's request for data. But both states have issued warnings on price gouging.

Georgia's Attorney General's Consumer Protection Division warned that "although competition and demand drive prices in our free-market economy," Georgia law prohibits businesses from "taking advantage of the situation" during a state of emergency.

It said price increases are only allowed if they reflect legitimate cost increases in stock, transportation, or the retailer's typical markup from the 10 days before the emergency.

Similarly, Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti condemned price gouging in a statement on Tuesday, urging victims to contact the Tennessee Division of Consumer Affairs.

"Price gouging and scamming vulnerable people after disasters is not only repulsive, it's illegal," he said.

In Virginia, which had about two storm-related deaths, there were no complaints of price gouging at the time of reporting.

"While it is still early, we do not have any reports yet," said Shaun Kenney, director of communications for Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares, in an email Tuesday.

Kenney added: "The Virginia Attorney General's Office is doing everything we can to inform the public and make them aware of both their rights and the pathways available to move forward on any complaints or concerns."

The issue of price gouging has become a political hot topic in the presidential election cycle, with Vice President Kamala Harris pledging to stop it in the food and grocery industries if she is elected president.

Harris said she plans to pursue the first federal ban on price gouging in response to painful inflation in recent years — a plan that has received mixed reviews from economists.

This is how to identify price gouging after Helene in SC and how to report it

Patrick McCreless
Wed, October 2, 2024 




Have you seen higher prices for gas or other products in South Carolina since Helene hit?

If so, is any of that price gouging?

Governor Henry McMaster declared a State of Emergency for South Carolina on Sept. 25 in preparation for the storm that resulted in 31 deaths, knocked out power to hundreds of thousands of residents, flooded many homes and downed countless trees and limbs in the state. South Carolina’s prohibition against price gouging will be underway as long as the State of Emergency is in effect.

But just because you see a product or service that’s more expensive than usual, that doesn’t mean it’s price gouging. Here’s what to know.
What is price gouging in SC?

Businesses and industries heavily impacted by storms like Helene may need to raise prices to resupply. Those businesses should disclose the increases so consumers can make informed decisions.

However, under State law (SC §39-5-145), price gouging is “a general prohibition of unconscionable prices during times of disaster.” Price gouging is a misdemeanor and can be punishable by a $1,000 fine and or 30 days in jail.

“We can expect normal price increases, and those are not considered price gouging under our law. But we may see businesses and individuals looking to unfairly take advantage of the situation through price gouging of food, gasoline, lodging, and other commodities as defined by the statute. By our law, that’s a criminal violation and an unfair trade practice,” S.C. Attorney General Alan Wilson said in a recent press release.
How to report price gouging in SC

If you believe a business is price gouging, here are the steps to take:

Note the time, address, place and name of the business.


Write down the price you paid.


Note any prices nearby and get the same information on those gas stations or businesses.


Take pictures that show the business, along with the price.


Provide your name and contact information.


Email the examples and documentation of price gouging to pricegouging@scag.gov. You can also provide that information at https://www.scag.gov/price-gouging/.


If you don’t have access to email or the website, call 803-737-3953 and leave a message if you have witnessed price gouging. Include details listed above.
How to avoid price gouging

Here are tips to take to avoid price gouging, according to S.C. Department of Consumer Affairs.

Buy essential items like food, water and fuel before you need them. When it comes to bad weather like a hurricane, you usually have some warning to make a last-minute trip to the store.


Research products and service you anticipate needing. While prices may go up a bit because of supply and demand, a large jump from the estimate/quote you initially receive will give you evidence of price gouging. Make sure to have the phone numbers of several companies so that when you need their service — like for flood damage repair — you can compare prices and find the best deal.

Broken power lines caused deadly Maui wildfire, new report shows

BURY THEM!

KIARA ALFONSECA and LEAH SARNOFF

ABC
Wed, October 2, 2024 

Broken power lines caused deadly Maui wildfire, new report shows

A report has found that broken power lines caused the deadly August 2023 wildfire in Maui.

The wildfire on the Hawaiian Island killed 102 people and destroyed more than 2,200 structures, causing more than $5 billion in damages.

The nearly 300-page report released Wednesday comes from the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), which worked with local officials like the County of Maui Department of Fire and Public Safety to determine the cause.

The fire was initially blamed on the combination of high winds and dry weather. However, the investigation found that the widespread destruction was caused by a single fire that started by the "undetected re-energization of broken utility lines, which caused sparks that ignited unmaintained vegetation," Maui Fire Chief Bradford Ventura said during a press conference Wednesday.

The investigation found no definitive conclusion with how the ignition started, Ventura said, but noted that the report found the fire cause to be accidental.

"The origin of the fire was the overgrown vegetation at and surrounding utility pole 25 off of Lahainaluna Road," according to the report. "The cause of the fire was the re-energization of broken utility lines which caused the ejection of molten metallic material (sparks) to fall to the base of pole 25, igniting the unmaintained vegetation below."

The investigation also ruled out the possibility that there had been two separate fires. "This, in fact, was one fire," Ventura said.


PHOTO: Maui Mayor Richard Bissen stands before the Kuhinia Maui Paddle Out remembrance event honoring Lahaina wildfire victims on Aug. 8, 2024 in Lahaina, Hawaii. (Mario Tama/Getty Images, FILE)

The wildfire was the fifth deadliest in U.S. history and the worst natural disaster in Hawaii's history, according to the U.S. Fire Administration. It sparked several other investigations centered on police response and the response from state and Maui county agencies.

In the days before the Aug. 8 wildfire, the Hawaii Emergency Management Agency issued a red flag warning of "gusty winds and dry fuels" creating a risk of "extreme fire."

PHOTO: An aerial image taken on Aug. 10, 2023 shows a person walking down Front Street past destroyed buildings burned to the ground in Lahaina in the aftermath of wildfires in western Maui, Hawaii. (Patrick T. Fallon/AFP via Getty Images, FILE)

Fingers were pointed between the local agencies and companies connected to the fire. A report from state Attorney General Anne E. Lopez found that there is no evidence that Hawaiian Electric, Hawaii Emergency Management Agency, Maui Fire Department, Maui Police and others had developed plans to deal with such a fire risk.

A preliminary Maui Police Department report in February found that the understaffed police force grappled with communications and equipment issues that hadn't been anticipated. The police investigation didn't address the utility's potential culpability for the fires, the origin of the blazes or the fire crews' response.

PHOTO: In this Aug. 14, 2023 a view of destruction from Hwy 30 days after a fierce wildfire destroyed the town in Lahaina, Maui, Aug. 14, 2023. (Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images, FILE)

MORE: Native Hawaiians fighting to take control of Maui's water rights amid wildfire cleanup

The report found that police went without proper protective gear while juggling frantic traffic evacuations and that emergency dispatch for the island was overwhelmed by a call volume it was unable to handle. It also noted that suspended cables and downed electrical wires were strewn across roadways, cutting off what could have been critical routes for escape.

In August, Hawaii Gov. Josh Green announced a historic $4.037 billion settlement to resolve claims arising from the tragedy. The settlement addresses roughly 450 lawsuits filed by individuals, businesses and insurance companies in both state and federal courts against seven defendants -- state of Hawaii, County of Maui, Hawaiian Electric, Kamehameha Schools, West Maui Land Co., Hawaiian Telcom and Spectrum/Charter Communications.

They say they "undertook significant efforts to find a resolution that addresses the needs and ensures the well-being of plaintiffs, all affected individuals, and their families," according to a press release from Green's office.


Deadly Maui fire erupted from earlier blaze believed to have been extinguished, investigation finds

Associated Press
Wed, October 2, 2024 

The wildfire that killed at least 102 people on Maui last year erupted from an earlier brushfire caused by downed power lines that firefighters believed they had extinguished, officials confirmed, Wednesday as they presented their findings on the cause of the tragedy.

The Aug. 8, 2023, blaze — the deadliest US wildfire in more than a century — was long known to have emerged in the afternoon, in the same area as blaze that began early that morning. Driven by strong, erratic winds, the fire raced through the historic town of Lahaina, destroying thousands of buildings, overcoming people trapped in their cars and forcing some residents to flee into the ocean.

It has been unclear whether the blaze was a rekindling of the morning fire after firefighters spent hours dousing it or a separate one. The answer could prove significant to questions about liability for the destruction, though a tentative $4 billion settlement has been reached.

In presenting their findings, officials with the US Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Maui Fire Department did not address liability, but found that it was a rekindling of the morning fire.

The rekindling was most likely caused by high winds that blew undetected embers into the dry gully, they said.

A Hawaiian Electric power line fell early on the morning of Aug. 8, sparking a fire in overgrown brush near the edge of town. Fire crews responded and stayed for several hours until they believed the fire was extinguished. After they left, flames were spotted again and though firefighters rushed back, they were no match for the wind and flames.

Pictures and crosses are displayed at a public hillside memorial to Lahaina wildfire victims on August 1, 2024 in Lahaina, Hawaii. August 8 marks the one-year anniversary of the Maui wildfires which killed 102 people and devastated the historic community of Lahaina in West Maui. Hawaii Governor Josh Green has announced that parties involved in the wildfire lawsuits against the government and utilities are nearing a settlement of claims which will total about $4 billion. - Mario Tama/Getty ImagesMore

Communication between the police and fire departments was spotty, cellphone networks were down and emergency officials did not activate the emergency sirens that might have warned residents to evacuate. Power lines and poles had fallen in many locations throughout town, and police blocked some roads to protect residents from potentially dangerous power lines. First responders also had trouble getting a firm answer from Hawaiian Electric representatives if the power had been cut to the area.

The blocked roads contributed to gridlock that left fleeing people trapped in their cars as the flames advanced. Others died in their homes or outside as they tried to escape. The death toll surpassed that of the 2018 Camp Fire in northern California, which left 85 dead and destroyed the town of Paradise.

In the months since, thousands of Lahaina residents have sued various parties they believe to be at fault for the fire, including Hawaiian Electric, Maui County and the state of Hawaii. The defendants have often tried to point fingers at each other, with Hawaiian Electric saying the county shouldn’t have left the first fire unattended, and Maui County contending the electric utility failed to take proper care with the power grid. Exactly who was responsible for clearing brush and maintaining area has also been a point of contention among the defendants, along with the utility’s lack of a public safety power shut-off program.

A few days before the one-year anniversary of the wildfires, Hawaii Gov. Josh Green announced a $4 billion settlement. That’s the amount the defendants — including Hawaiian Electric, the state, Maui County, large landowners and others — have agreed to pay to settle claims.

But the deal is tied up in court, awaiting a decision from Hawaii Supreme Court on whether insurance companies can go after the defendants separately to recoup what they’ve paid to policyholders. Lawyers for people seeking compensation fear allowing insurance companies to sue Hawaiian Electric and others will subvert the deal, drain what is available to pay fire victims and lead to prolonged litigation.

Maui community implements changes after deadly wildfire
Gina Mangieri
Wed, October 2, 2024 


HONOLULU (KHON2) — In the wake of the deadliest fire in the U.S. in over a century, officials took steps to prevent future disasters in Maui. Gina Mangieri reported from Lahainaluna Road, where the fire originated.

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Residents were eager to learn what improvements had been made to enhance community safety. The focus was on the electric system; utility poles were replaced and reinforced to better withstand future incidents.

Maui Fire Chief Ventura emphasized the importance of underground utilities but acknowledged the costs involved.

“We’ve been proponents for underground utilities for years, but it’s expensive, and that cost will be passed on to homeowners,” he said.

Hawaiian Electric Company (HECO) expressed regret over its operations contributing to the fire and implemented changes to its protocols, including a power safety shutoff program and measures to prevent automatic re-energization of power lines.

Another key concern highlighted in investigations was the issue of unmaintained brush.

County codes required vegetation to be no more than 18 inches high within 30 feet of a home. Community members, like Shane Treu, who recorded the initial spark of the fire, noted that the area had previously been overgrown, exacerbating the fire risk.

One fire by re-energization caused Lahaina fire: ATF report

Kamehameha Schools, the landowner in the area, improved vegetation management and established larger fire breaks.

Mangieri reached out to Kamehameha Schools to learn more about ongoing efforts.

“We recognize that we can do better. Steadfast in our commitment to be responsible land stewards, we are using all sources of information and guidance to improve our efforts to manage our lands,” said Kamehameha Schools.

However, some residents, including Treu, raised concerns about access to emergency escape routes, noting that locked gates could hinder evacuation efforts.

“I was told to get myself cutters,” Treu said, highlighting the urgency of the situation.

In response, Chief Ventura announced plans for inspectors to assess vegetation management across Maui County before the fire season.

“We plan to identify high-risk areas and notify landowners if vegetation needs to be managed,” he added.

Meanwhile, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) stated that the fire was deemed accidental but refrained from commenting on potential liabilities or criminal implications.

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Mangieri will continue to investigate these concerns, including the use of emergency evacuation routes.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KHON2.

BRAIN INJURIES ARE NOT HEADACHES

Trump’s Ex-Defense Secretary Knocks His Claim That Soldiers’ Injuries Were ‘Headaches’

Jennifer Bendery

INSIDER
Wed, October 2, 2024 

WASHINGTON — Former President Donald Trump’s defense secretary, Mark Esper, on Wednesday pushed back on Trump’s claims that the dozens of U.S. troops who sustained traumatic brain injuries in a 2020 ballistic missile strike in Iran just had “headaches.”

“That’s obviously not accurate,” Esper said flatly in a CNN interview.

The former defense secretary recalled the events of the attack, which took place on Jan. 8, 2020, when Trump was president. At least 109 U.S. soldiers were injured after Iran dropped missiles on the Al-Asad Airbase in Iraq.

“Our troops defended extraordinarily well,” said Esper. “But over time we came to learn, as troops did self-reporting … that we had I think dozens, over 100 cases reported, and several were very serious traumatic brain injuries.”

His comments come a day after Trump scoffed at the idea that any American troops were injured in the 2020 attack. The Republican presidential nominee was asked about it during a campaign event in Wisconsin, in light of Iran launching missiles at Israel earlier Tuesday.

“So, first of all, ‘injured.’ What does injured mean? Injured means, you mean, because they had a headache?” Trump said to a reporter. “Because the bombs never hit the fort.”

After claiming “there was never anybody tougher on Iraq” than him — and mixing up Iraq with Iran — Trump appeared ruffled by the idea that he wasn’t “tough enough” on Iran at the time and boasted that none of Iran’s missiles hit the fort that day.

“They all hit outside, and there was nobody hurt other than the sound was loud, and some people said that hurt, and I accept that,” he added.

Trump similarly dismissed how badly U.S. troops were injured in the weeks after the Jan. 2020 attack, saying the Americans hurt that day “just had headaches.”

A traumatic brain injury, which is caused by an outside force like a powerful bump or blow to the head, is nothing like a regular headache. Some types can lead to short-term problems with brain function, like how a person thinks, acts or communicates. More serious cases can lead to severe disabilities and even death.

Esper said Wednesday that traumatic brain injuries are “a new harm” the U.S. military has come to understand better from the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. He recalled visiting a soldier at a military hospital a couple months after the Iranian attack and listening to his experience, calling it “quite a traumatic night.”

“Large blasts, much like were experienced in the ballistic missile attack in Al-Assad, can create traumatic brain injuries,” he said. “They’re unseen, if you will, casualties of war.”

Trump got it wrong on a past Iranian missile attack and again cast aside the US troop injuries as nothing more than headaches

Chris Panella
Wed, October 2, 2024


Trump recently got the details of a 2020 Iranian missile strike on US forces wrong.


He also again downplayed the resulting traumatic brain injuries of more than 100 US service members.


The former President has repeatedly dismissed the TBIs as "not very serious" or just "headaches."

Following Iran's massive ballistic missile strike on Israel, former President Donald Trump found himself discussing the 2020 Iranian attack on US forces in Iraq. He botched the details and again downplayed the injuries it caused for over 100 US service members.

The former president has repeatedly dismissed the traumatic brain injuries suffered by US forces as "not very serious" and just "headaches," trivializing what can be serious ailments.

During a press conference on Tuesday, the former president and current Republican presidential nominee said that the "bombs never hit the fort," apparently referring to the two Iraqi bases where US troops were stationed at the time.

Trump also dismissed the injuries to US soldiers caused by the attack, asking: "What does injured mean? You mean because they had a headache?" And in response to a question on whether he should have "been tougher on Iran" in the wake of the strike, he said there was "nobody ever tougher on Iraq."

Iran's missiles did, in fact, strike US positions in Iraq. The attack, which was in response to the killing of Iranian Gen. Qasem Soleimani, was the largest ballistic missile attack ever against US forces abroad. There's visual evidence of the destruction.

US soldiers standing at the spot hit by Iranian strikes at Ain al-Asad air base, in Anbar, Iraq.AP Photo/Qassim Abdul-Zahra

Trump's inaccurate comments on the injuries echo his previous stance on the over 100 US service members who were diagnosed with traumatic brain injuries after the attacks.

Not long after the attack, Trump told reporters that he "heard that they had headaches and a couple of other things," but his view was that it wasn't serious.

"I don't consider them very serious injuries relative to other injuries that I've seen," he said.

At the time of the 2020 strike, brain injury experts and former US service members told Business Insider about the injuries, saying that Trump's comments trivialize the severeness of the conditions, which can be slow to appear and can be debilitating.

One former Vermont Army National Guard infantryman who was deployed to Afghanistan in 2009 and suffered a mild TBI in combat told BI that over 10 years later, he still was still waking up with headaches every day, experienced concentration issues, and occasionally had dizzy spells.

Any brain injury, such as a TBI, can leave injured patients with troubling physical, cognitive, emotional, and behavioral issues, some of which may last their entire lives.

Trump's downplaying on the injuries also ran at odds with the Pentagon, which, in January 2020, acknowledged the potential ongoing issues for service members and said it would "monitor them the rest of their lives and continue to provide whatever treatment is necessary."

Some of the US service members affected by the attack were later awarded the Purple Heart for their involvement in the attack, but initially, they were denied. One service member who was affected by the Iranian attack told CBS News a few years ago that he was struggling with vision problems, memory loss, constant headaches, and hearing issues.

Iran's attack on Israel was in response to the killings of a Hezbollah and Hamas leader.REUTERS/Amir Cohen

In response to Trump's comments on Tuesday, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, a National Guard soldier and the present Democratic vice presidential nominee, said during the vice presidential debate with Republican nominee Ohio Sen. JD Vance that Trump "wrote off" the troops' injuries as "headaches."

Trump's comments about the 2020 strike came on the heels of Iran's massive missile strike on Israel, which involved over 180 ballistic missiles. US and Israeli officials said the significant attack was largely intercepted and "ineffective," with Israel vowing to respond.

In response to the attack, Vice President Kamala Harris said that while "we are still assessing the impact," the "initial indications are that Israel, with our assistance, was able to defeat this attack." She said "our joint defenses have been effective."

Trump Mocks 100 U.S. Troops Injured in Iran on His Watch: ‘They Had a Headache’

Charisma Madarang
Tue, October 1, 2024 

ROLLING STONE


Donald Trump once again showed his disdain for United States military personnel during a campaign event in Milwaukee on Tuesday.

When taking questions from reporters during the event, a journalist asked Trump if he thought Israel should retaliate against Iran’s Oct. 1 missile attacks against the nation. The reporter also asked if Trump believed he should have been “tougher on Iran” during his presidency “after they had launched ballistic missiles in 2020 on U.S. forces in Iraq,” which left “more than 100 U.S. soldiers injured.”

The Republican candidate bristled at the idea of taking accountability for the tragic event, and instead mocked U.S. troops. “What does injured mean?” he retorted. “Injured means, you mean, because they had a headache? Because the bombs never hit the fort.”

“There was nobody ever tougher on Iraq,” Trump continued, confusing Iraq for Iran. “When you say not tough, they had no money. They had no money for Hamas. They had no money for Hezbollah. And when we hit them, they hit us. And they called us, and they said, ‘We’re going to shoot at your fort, but we’re not going to hit it.’”

The former president proceeded to insult the journalist, while downplaying the injuries sustained by troops. “If you were a truthful reporter, which you’re not, you would tell the following: None of those very accurate missiles hit our fort,” he said. “They all hit outside, and there was nobody hurt other than the sound was loud and some people said that hurt, and I accept that.”

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz appeared to reference Trump’s comments later on Tuesday night during the vice presidential debate. “When Iranian missiles did fall near U.S. troops and they received traumatic brain injuries, Donald Trump wrote it off as headaches,” he said.

In 2020, the Defense Department confirmed that 109 U.S. service members were diagnosed with traumatic brain injuries after Iran attacked the Ain al-Asad air base in Iraq. At the time, Trump appeared to dismiss the severity of the injuries and said, “I heard that they had headaches and a couple of other things, but I would say, and I can report, it is not very serious.”

Trump’s remarks on Tuesday follow his long history of insulting U.S. military. In August, Trump drew backlash from veterans groups when he said the Presidential Medal of Freedom is better than the Congressional Medal of Honor because the former doesn’t involve sacrifice. The 2024 candidate later doubled down on those comments.

Later that month, when visiting Arlington National Cemetery, Trump treated the burial grounds as a political campaign opportunity despite federal laws expressly barring such behavior. Trump and his campaign staff received widespread criticism “verbal and physical altercation” that reportedly took place during a wreath-laying ceremony when Trump’s staffers tried to enter an area reserved for recently deceased service members. The Army confirmed that someone from Trump’s team “abruptly pushed” a cemetery staffer.

The Republican hopeful attempted to blame the incident on the Gold Star families, not his campaign, who distributed images and videos of him at Arlington National Cemetery.


Trump downplays troop injuries in 2020 missile strike: ‘You mean because they had a headache?’

Brett Samuels

THE HILL
Tue, October 1, 2024 

Former President Trump on Tuesday dismissed injuries sustained by U.S. troops during a 2020 Iranian missile strike on an Iraqi base as he argued he has been tougher than the Biden administration on Tehran.

Trump fielded questions from reporters during a campaign stop in Milwaukee and was asked by one journalist whether he should have responded more strongly to Iran after it launched missiles at U.S. forces stationed at a base in Iraq in 2020, leaving dozens with traumatic brain injuries.

“So first of all, injured. What does injured mean? Injured means — you mean because they had a headache? Because the bombs never hit the fort,” Trump said.

“So just so you understand, there was nobody ever tougher on Iraq,” Trump continued, saying Iraq instead of Iran. “When you say not tough, they had no money. They had no money for Hamas. They had no money for Hezbollah. And when we hit them, they hit us. And they called us, and they said, ‘We’re going to shoot at your fort but we’re not going to hit it.'”

“And if you were a truthful reporter, which you’re not, you would tell the following: None of those very accurate missiles hit our fort,” he added. “They all hit outside, and there was nobody hurt other than the sound was loud and some people said that hurt, and I accept that.”

More than 100 U.S. service members suffered traumatic brain injuries in January 2020 as a result of an Iranian missile strike on an Iraqi base, according to Department of Defense officials.

The missile strike on the Iraqi airbase was in retaliation to Trump ordering the drone strike that killed Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani in early January 2020.

Trump similarly downplayed the injuries at the time, saying he had “heard that they had headaches and a couple of other things.”

The former president spent part of his campaign swing through Wisconsin on Tuesday criticizing the Biden administration’s foreign policy in the wake of Iranian missile attacks against Israel.

Trump, who withdrew from the Iran nuclear deal and reimposed sanctions on Tehran during his first term, told reporters in Milwaukee there was “nobody ever tougher on Iran” than he was.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. 


Trump Shrugs Off U.S. Soldiers’ Traumatic Brain Injuries as ‘Headaches’

William Vaillancourt

 Daily Beast.
Tue, October 1, 2024

YouTube

Donald Trump on Tuesday again downplayed dozens of U.S. soldiers getting traumatic brain injuries from Iranian airstrikes under his watch, telling a reporter dismissively that “they had headaches.”

In Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Trump was asked about the January 2020 airstrikes near U.S. forces in Iraq, in light of how Iran launched a missile attack against Israel earlier Tuesday.

“Do you believe that you should have been tougher on Iran after they had launched ballistic missiles in 2020 in Iraq, leaving more than 100 U.S. soldiers injured?” the reporter asked, referencing Iran’s response to the U.S. drone killing of Iranian Revolutionary Guard Gen. Qassem Soleimani.

“So, first of all. Injured. What does injured mean? Injured means—you mean, because they had a headache? Because the bombs never hit the fort?” he said.

“Just so you understand: There was never anybody tougher on Iraq,” Trump continued, confusing the site of the strikes with the country behind it.

“If you were a truthful reporter, which you’re not, you would tell the following: None of those very accurate missiles hit our fort,” he continued. “They all hit outside, and there was nobody hurt other than the sound was loud and some people said that hurt, and I accept that.”

Trump Demands Biden Remove Ad of Him Calling Dead Soldiers ‘Suckers’ and ‘Losers’

Tuesday wasn’t the first time Trump has minimized those troops’ injuries. A few weeks after the strikes, Trump falsely claimed that “no Americans were harmed.” According to the Defense Department, 109 troops had suffered traumatic brain injuries.

In Tuesday night’s vice presidential debate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz alluded to Trump’s history of shrugging off the fallout from the strikes.


“When Iranian missiles did fall near U.S. troops and they received traumatic brain injuries,” he said, “Donald Trump wrote it off as ‘headaches.’”

Harris Backs Striking Dockworkers, Blasts Trump For Appointing 'Union Busters'

Dave Jamieson
Wed, October 2, 2024 

Vice President Kamala Harris came out in support of the nation’s striking dockworkers Wednesday, casting the work stoppage that shut down ports from Maine to Texas as a fight for “fairness.”

“Foreign-owned shipping companies have made record profits and executive compensation has grown,” the Democratic presidential nominee said in a statement. “The Longshoremen, who play a vital role transporting essential goods across America, deserve a fair share of these record profits.”

Tens of thousands of workers walked off the job Tuesday morning amid a contract dispute with port employers. Their union, the International Longshoremen’s Association, is calling for significant raises and protections against automation in a new six-year deal. A prolonged strike could end up squeezing the economy just as the November election approaches, putting Harris and President Joe Biden’s administration in a tricky spot.

But so far, the White House has resisted calls to intervene in the dispute and force workers back on the job in the name of national security. Biden has said he believes in the collective bargaining process and that the two sides need to sort out their differences at the negotiating table.

Kamala Harris cast this week's port strike as a fight for "fairness." BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI via Getty Images

On Wednesday, Harris used the strike as an opportunity to highlight how she’s different from her GOP opponent, former President Donald Trump, who was hostile to unions throughout his time in the White House.

“Donald Trump … wants to pull us back to a time before workers had the freedom to organize,” she said. “As President, he blocked overtime benefits for millions of workers, he appointed union busters to the NLRB [National Labor Relations Board] - and just recently, he said striking workers should be fired.”

The latter was a reference to a recent chat Trump had on X, formerly Twitter, with his supporter Elon Musk, the social media platform’s owner. The former president praised Musk as the kind of guy who would fire strikers, which is generally illegal. (The two men laughed.)

The Longshoremen, who play a vital role transporting essential goods across America, deserve a fair share of these record profits.

Vice President Kamala Harris

Harris is also correct that, as president, Trump appointed anti-union officials to the NLRB who made it more difficult for workers to organize.

He also watered down a reform by his predecessor, Barack Obama, so that millions fewer workers would have overtime protections when they work more than 40 hours in a week. (If Trump wins in November, he could once again undermine a progressive overtime reform, this time issued by Biden.)

Most major labor unions have endorsed the Harris campaign, with the exception of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, which declined to back either candidate. Multiple labor historians recently told HuffPost that they consider Biden’s administration to be the most pro-union since at least Franklin D. Roosevelt’s, and that Harris could build on Biden’s legacy should she defeat Trump.

Harris backs striking dockworkers, Trump blames labor stoppage on the Biden administration

Nicholas Liu

SALON
Wed, October 2, 2024 


Kamala Harris Mario Tama/Getty Images


Vice President Kamala Harris expressed support for the 47,000 dockworkers striking for better compensation and job security on Tuesday, putting the onus on the shipping industry to prevent a potential economic fallout by satisfying organized labor's demands.

Former President Donald Trump, meanwhile, said that workers should be able to "negotiate" for better wages, but stopped short of endorsing the strike or the International Longshoremen Association (ILA), the dockworkers' union on the East and Gulf Coasts.

"This strike is about fairness,” Harris said in a statement. “The Longshoremen, who play a vital role transporting essential goods across America, deserve a fair share of these record profits.”

The shipping industry recovered from a 2023 slump to record billions of dollars in profits so far this year. Harris also pointed out that, during his presidency, Trump "blocked overtime benefits for millions of workers" and "appointed union-busters" to the National Labor Relations Board. More recently, she noted he "said striking workers should be fired."

For his part, Trump took the opportunity to snipe at Harris, blaming the strike on "inflation brought on by Kamala Harris’ two votes for massive, out-of-control spending," likely referring to the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 and Inflation Reduction Act of 2022, which Harris helped pass with a tie-breaking vote in the Senate. Inflation has steadily declined since passage of the IRA.

After months of stalled negotiations over higher wages and restrictions on automating jobs traditionally held by workers, the ILA went on strike this week, shutting down more than a dozen major ports. Failure for both parties to reach a deal could cause severe delays in the transportation of goods and raise prices.

President Joe Biden could have invoked the 1947 Taft-Hartley Act to suspend the strike for 80 days while negotiations continued. However, he chose to let the strike proceed, saying he wanted to let workers exercise their collective bargaining rights. He and Secretary of Labor Julie Su have called on all parties to return to the negotiating table and give workers the "benefits they deserve."

Kamala Harris joined Biden in backing the dockworkers' strike at major U.S. ports

Story by William Gavin

 • SALON

Workers picket outside of the Red Hook Container Terminal in Brooklyn, New York, on Oct. 1.

Vice President and Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris on Wednesday expressed her support for the tens of thousands of dockworkers on strike for better wages and job security.

“This strike is about fairness,” Harris said in a statement. “The Longshoremen, who play a vital role transporting essential goods across America, deserve a fair share of these record profits.”

The International Longshoremen Association (ILA) went on strike early Tuesday morning after its contract with the group that represents shipping companies, terminal operators, and port associations expired. Some 45,000 workers are on picket lines at more than a dozen major ports that collectively account for about 51% of the nation’s port capacity.

The union is pushing for protection against automation, new technology in terminals, and wage hikes.

Between 2018 and 2024, employees received a $1 per hour increase to their wages, to a maximum of $38 per hour — about $79,000 annually on a 40-hour work week — while new employees started at $20 an hour. The ILA rejected the alliance’s latest offer, which would boost wages by almost 50%, triple employer contributions to retirement plans, and retain the current language around automation.

In a statement Tuesday, the ILA said the offer presented by the United States Maritime Alliance (USMX) ignored that “many” workers start at that $20 hourly wage and that members “endure a grueling six-year wage progression” before they reach the highest wage tier.

“Our members don’t work typical 9-to-5 jobs; they work extraordinary hours, sacrificing time with their families,” the ILA said. “Our position is firm: we believe in the value our incredible rank-and-file members bring to this industry and to our great nation.”

In addition to Harris, the longshoremen have been backed by President Joe Biden and Labor Secretary Julie Su, who called for the parties to get back to the negotiating table and give workers the “benefits they deserve.” Several labor unions — from the Teamsters to the United Auto Workers to the Association of Flight Attendants — have also endorsed the ILA’s strike.

“My Administration will be monitoring for any price gouging activity that benefits foreign ocean carriers, including those on the USMX board,” Biden said Tuesday. Several members of USMX, including Maersk (AMKBY) and Hapag-Lloyd (HPGLY), have plans to implement surcharges related to the strike later this month.

Read More: The U.S. port strike is bad news for farmers, furniture stores — and just about everyone else

The vice president on Wednesday also took aim at her rival, former President Donald Trump, pointing to his recent comments about firing striking workers. The UAW slapped Trump and Tesla (TSLA) CEO Elon Musk with federal labor charges in August after the former president praised Musk’s history of anti-union sentiment, which has affected at least two of his companies.

Most of the U.S.’s major labor unions have endorsed Harris, with the Teamsters union a notable exception, although many locals have since given her their backing. Wednesday, Harris reaffirmed her commitment to passing the pro-labor Protecting the Right to Organize Act.

In his statement Tuesday, Trump claimed the strikes were “only happening” because of inflation, for which he blamed Harris. Although he stopped short of endorsing the ILA, Trump expressed some support for their efforts.

“American workers should be able to negotiate for better wages, especially since the shipping companies are mostly foreign flag vessels, including the largest consortium One,” the former president said.