Hurricane Ian: Florida sheriff grandstands while his deputies threaten to arrest volunteers for trying to help – National & International News – WED 5Oct2022

Grandstanding sheriff threatens to arrest volunteers trying to help Ian victims. Mar-a-Lago case: 11th Circuit fast tracks DOJ special master appeal. OPEC+ cuts oil production, may lead to higher gas prices.

NATIONAL NEWS

Florida sheriff grandstands while his deputies threaten to arrest volunteers trying to help Ian victims

President Biden and First Lady Jill Biden are in Lee County, FL, today surveying the damage in Ft. Myers, one of the communities hardest hit by Hurricane Ian. No doubt during their visit they will encounter Lee County’s Sheriff, Carmine Marceno. Marceno has been much in the public eye since the disaster occurred. For example, he’s taken great pains to publicize his arrests of alleged looters.

Deputies working for the self-titled “Law and Order Sheriff” have also threatened to arrest experienced volunteers attempting rescue and supply missions to devastated Pine Island. Along with the more affluent Sanibel Island, Pine Island suffered extensive damage. Unlike Sanibel, it hasn’t been getting much help, according to locals. Pine Islanders Jennifer and Kevin Russell have been trying in vain to get cooperation from the Lee Co. Sheriff’s Department to help stranded friends and neighbors, including elderly people.

The Russells say that although local and federal agencies have visited the island, they’ve rebuffed requests to check on loved ones. Worst yet, they’re turning away people that are coming to help. “Every time we had some Navy guys calling us, military, guys that are trained to do this, [volunteers] on boats who know the local waters … we’ve had reports of Lee County Sheriff’s Office turning people back,” Kevin Russell said. “The county is saying they are not doing that, but when officials lie, we have a major problem”. 

Sheriff’s Deputies threaten Cajun Navy Volunteers

The United Cajun Navy (UCN), a coalition of volunteers that has helped rescue and supply efforts in previous disasters, says the Lee County Sheriff’s Office has turned back their mission to Pine Island and even threatened them with arrest. UCN’s director Jennifer Leatherman-Toby says Lee County authorities have turned back her crews more than a dozen times in the last two days.

Leatherman-Toby has headed operations in several states and says this is a first for her. “We have very skilled special ops teams, horseback teams, we have the best of the best SAR (Search and Rescue) teams on the ground,” said Leatherman-Toby. “This is what we do. We should be able to work with the local law enforcement and local government like we have in Alabama, Louisiana, Houston”. Leatherman-Toby says her attempts to establish a working relationship with Lee County officials have been unsuccessful. 

Leatherman-Toby worries the LCSO’s unwillingness to allow aid to Pine Island could have deadly consequences. “A lot of these people could be hurt, starving, dehydrated,” said Leatherman-Toby. “We found a few [seniors] completely delirious, wandering the streets. That’s our biggest concern: people that are trapped inside their houses, scared to leave. Hiding”.

Meanwhile, just today on his YouTube page, Sheriff Marceno released this video (1 min. 23 sec) of himself touring Pine Island

With dramatic music, Marceno boards a National Guard Chinook helicopter. Cut to one of his deputies driving one of Sheriff Marceno’s shiny Sheriff’s Department vehicles on board. Then Marceno drives around the island, getting B-roll of himself talking to residents and shaking hands. It looks more like footage for a future political ad than a rescue mission. He’s also managed to squeeze in an appearance on Fox News to defend the county’s delay in issuing mandatory evacuation orders.

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Mar-a-Lago case: 11th Circuit fast tracks DOJ appeal on special master ruling

The 11th Circuit Court of Appeals in Atlanta has approved the Justice Department’s request for an expedited hearing on its challenge to a lower court ruling appointing a special master to oversee the Mar-a-Lago documents case. The announcement comes one day after former President Trump asked the Supreme Court to rule on one part of that ruling.

DOJ wants the 11th Circuit to reverse a ruling by Judge Aileen Cannon (a Trump appointee) decreeing that Trump could have an outside expert (or special master) review the documents seized by the FBI from his Mar-a-Lago home on August 8. In a previous ruling, the 11th Circuit reversed Cannon’s ruling requiring the special master to review the classified documents in the case. In that decision, the 11th Circuit judges hinted they would be willing to hear the DOJ out on a wider appeal of Cannon’s special master appointment.

If the 11th Circuit overrules Cannon’s special master ruling, it would be a major blow to Trump. His legal team’s strategy so far revolves around drawing out court proceedings to delay the DOJ investigation as long as possible. Should 11th Circuit rule against him, it wouldn’t be surprising if Trump attempted to appeal that decision to the Supreme Court as well.

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INTERNATIONAL NEWS

OPEC+ cuts oil production, may lead to higher gas prices

OPEC +, a cartel of oil producing countries, decided to cut production of oil by 2 million barrels per day to boost prices. The cuts will be effective starting in November. Later, OPEC leaders clarified said that the actual cut would be about 1.1 million barrels per day. This is to account for recent production shortfalls in member countries.

The group, led by Saudi Arabia, justified the decrease in production in view of rising interest rates in Western countries. Western governments, including the US, have accused Saudi Arabia of colluding with Russia, also a member of OPEC+. Saudi leadership has so far refused to condemn Russia’s actions in Ukraine. Some have read today’s cuts as an attempt to bolster Russia’s oil revenues amid international sanctions and plans by the EU to cap prices on oil from Russia. The bloc agreed on the caps following Vladimir Putin’s annexation of Ukrainian territories. 

President Biden said he was “disappointed” with the group’s “short-sighted” decision. He also said he was considering further releases from the US Strategic Oil Reserves to offset the supply shortfall.

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