Hope you’re having a good Tuesday morning.

It’s a history-making day for Oliver Anthony and his “Rich Men North of Richmond.” But first, we go to Maui.

850 Still Missing … How Many Are Children?

850 people are still missing from the wildfires in Maui. How many are children? Maui’s mayor is refusing to say. Cut short a press conference when asked.

Clarification:

Obviously families have reported who is missing. That means authorities know the numbers, the names, and the ages of the dead.

There's a reason they are not telling you what they know. https://t.co/BIMNdchipj

— Scott Adams (@ScottAdamsSays) August 21, 2023

We pray the 850 are somehow safe. But we must brace for an unfathomable tragedy. August 8, the day fires swept Lahaina, was the first day back to school for kids. High winds forced schools to close. Children were sent home with school authorities having no idea an inferno was set to ravage the historic town.

Pray also for the search and recovery teams as they continue their heartbreaking task.

Joe Biden got a helicopter tour of the devastation before meeting with locals impacted by the tragedy. He opened by talking about the death of his first wife and young daughter.   

As Daily Signal reports, locals haven’t been too happy with Joe Biden’s response. His “no comment” when asked about the fires after a day sunning himself on his Delaware beach did not sit well. (Indifference? White House says he didn’t hear the question. I’m tempted to suggest he didn’t comprehend the question.)

"Any comment on the rising death toll in Maui?"

BIDEN: "No. No comment." pic.twitter.com/oORpRuLUpz

— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) August 14, 2023

Republican Debate Round-Up

Donald Trump officially announced he’s not going to be at the first GOP Debate tomorrow night in Milwaukee. Too bad for him since he won’t get to hang with our friend Bunni Pounds. Bunni will be there, and will share her in-person observations.

In fact, we’ll be doing a special debate video round-up on The Stream at 11 a.m. Eastern, 8 Pacific Thursday morning. More details to come.

In the meantime, Bunni offers up an excellent debate primer and advice on how Christians should approach the primary process. “The Upcoming Debates and Primaries: How Should We Process It All?”

So who made the cut? As of 6 p.m. Eastern, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, former Vice President Mike Pence, tech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott, North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum and former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson.

The DeSantis campaign doubled down on its spin on DeSantis’ “listless vessels” insult Monday, widely interpreted to be directed at Trump supporters. “Donald Trump and some congressional endorsers are ‘listless vessels,’” a DeSantis campaign rep told The New York Post Monday. “Why? Because Trump and DC insiders feel he is entitled to your vote.” DeSantis also targeted the others in the race, saying “of anybody on that stage,” he’s the only one whose “sole purpose” is “running to be the 47^th president.” “I’m not running to be vice president. I’m not running to be in the cabinet and I’m not running to be a contributor on cable news.”

Meanwhile, Trump’s bond in the Georgia Election case was set at $200,000. He’s also prohibited from “intimidating” witnesses and co-defendants by speaking out on social media, or even sharing information about the case to co-defendants, unless through attorneys. How long before someone claims they felt “intimidated” by some comment Trump makes on social media or that he was “sharing information” at a rally? 

Chicago Solution to Gun Violence: Ask Gangs to Restrict Their Gang-Banging to Between 9 P.M. and A.M

A Chicago alderwoman is suggesting a new way to fight the city’s abominable murder rate. Ask gangs to not shoot anybody until after 9 p.m.

Maria Hadden pushed the proposal put forward by a community group Native Sons called “The People’s Ordinance.” They suggest pitching to gangs the idea of limiting their gang-banging to between 9 p.m. and 9 a.m.  Native Sons co-founder Tatiana Atkins explains the concept is to reduce the risk for people “not engaged in high-risk activities,” especially children.

“We have to start somewhere,” Atkins said, according to CWBChicago.

Last weekend, 23 people were shot, and four killed, on Chicago streets.

Oliver Anthony Makes History With “Rich Men North of Richmond” Debuting at the Top of the Billboard 100

The viral working man’s anthem “Rich Men North off Richmond” has debuted at number one on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart, and has carved a piece of music history for singer-songwriter Oliver Anthony. According to Billboard, Anthony is the first artist in chart history to debut at number one with no previous chart history. Only 69 other artists have ever debuted a song at number one.

The man is humble. Anthony told Billboard, “The hopelessness and frustration of our times resonate in the response to this song. The song itself is not anything special, but the people who have supported it are incredible and deserve to be heard.”

So are you, man.

Since his song burst on the scene less than two weeks ago, Anthony has received massive recording offers. He turned them down, saying in a Facebook post, “I’m sitting in such a weird place in my life right now. I never wanted to be a full time musician, much less sit at the top of the iTunes charts. People in the music industry give me blank stares when I brush off 8 million dollar offers. I don’t want 6 tour buses, 15 tractor trailers and a jet. I don’t want to play stadium shows, I don’t want to be in the spotlight.”

Too late, says a music-loving nation. 

Along The Stream

Mark Judge goes to the movies … and wishes for the days when people knew how to act while watching them. “From Passion of the Christ to Barbie: When Did People Stop Behaving Themselves in Movie Theaters?”

 

Al Perrotta is the Managing Editor of The Stream, chief barista for The Brew and co-author, with John Zmirak, of The Politically Incorrect Guide to Immigration. You can follow him at @StreamingAl at GETTR, Gab, Parler, and now at TRUTH Social.