The Fourth Disaster Begins at the Dawn of the Millennium

in Los Angeles.

As night fell, the climax of the power crisis had passed. Los Angeles had survived the crisis earlier than any other city, and the lights in the city center were still bright. Underwood sat in a comfortable leather chair, his fingers gently stroking the letter paper, as if he could feel the emotion behind every word in this way.

The first letter came from Henderson, his economics professor at Stanford University. In the letter, Professor Henderson described in detail the troubles that the power crisis had brought to Stanford University. Frequent power outages prevented the laboratories from operating normally, and important research projects were forced to be interrupted. The library also shortened its opening hours because it could not guarantee a stable power supply, which seriously affected students' learning.

And the situation in the laboratory seems to be even worse. Henderson said in the letter: "A friend of mine, who works in molecular and cell biology, is looking for backup power to keep the freezers and incubators running, but he can't find any. In desperation, they found several trucks with freezers to protect the experimental results. He told me that the research in the laboratory cost millions of dollars and decades of work by researchers, and its significance is irreplaceable."

Putting down Professor Henderson's letter, Underwood reached for another letter. This letter was from his college classmate Thompson, who is now an executive of a well-known technology company in Silicon Valley. Thompson's letter began by directly expressing his dissatisfaction: "Underwood, I really wish our company was also in Los Angeles! This damn power outage is almost driving me crazy!"

In the letter, Thompson described in detail the losses that the power crisis had brought to his company. Servers were damaged due to frequent power outages, resulting in data loss; employees were unable to work normally, and production efficiency dropped significantly; some important projects were at risk of delay, and important customers might be lost. What frustrated Thompson the most was that the new products that his company had originally planned to launch this year might have to be delayed, which would have a serious impact on the company's market competitiveness.

Putting down Thompson's letter, Underwood's eyes were attracted by another letter, which was full of typos. He immediately recognized that it was from the owner of the barbecue restaurant he often went to in college. The owner wrote, "Underwood, do you remember the Friday night when our store was always crowded with students? Now, we have to close before the sun goes down."

The next letter came from Tom, the manager who taught Underwood how to manage a food company where he interned while studying at Stanford University: "Underwood, you can't imagine how much trouble this crisis has brought us. Our refrigeration equipment has failed due to frequent power outages, causing a large amount of food to spoil. Last month alone, we lost millions of dollars worth of products."

In addition to these letters sent by friends, Underwood also received emails from other strangers.

Ji Tianping and the players have set up a "mayor work" team, which sorts out and categorizes all the emails and work documents received every day. Those that are purely gossipy and irrelevant are put in one category; those that reflect daily life and ordinary problems and daily work are put in one category, and those that reflect urgent and serious problems and major work arrangements of the municipal government are put in another category. Generally speaking, Underwood will personally decide on the last category; the emails that reflect ordinary and daily problems and daily work are directly solved by the players, and the solutions are attached to the back of the email, so that Underwood only needs to quickly browse through them; the first category is for Underwood to read when he has time.

Recently, Underwood has found that he has received more and more emails from outside Los Angeles, which is very strange because generally speaking, citizens would send suggestions to their local mayor when they have any problems. Why would they send emails to other mayors? Underwood has many friends outside Los Angeles, but not that many, and it is not likely that the number has suddenly increased recently.

So, Underwood, who was originally relatively free, started to work overtime to read emails, and then he saw a series of stories that made him feel deeply moved.

An elderly man in Sacramento died of heatstroke in the scorching heat because he could not afford the high electricity bill. When his neighbors found him, he was lying in a room without air conditioning, with unpaid electricity bills scattered around him; a small bakery in San Francisco was forced to close due to frequent power outages. The owner was a single mother who lost her only source of income and could no longer support her three children; a hospital in San Diego suffered a power outage during an important operation. Although there was a backup generator, the time wasted in the switching process caused the patient to lose his life...

This made Underwood sigh: "This is simply naked robbery and murder. If we can't tame these unscrupulous capitals..."

At this moment, Underwood's study door was knocked open, and Ji Tianping walked in. He glanced at the box of letters piled in the corner, and then looked at the letters on the desk that had been read. "Wei, Chief Lin, you are really fast, you can read ten lines at a glance..."

"It makes me dizzy. If you ask me, you need to grow up quickly. You need to be able to shoulder the responsibility and make decisions on some things. Otherwise, I will be exhausted to death... By the way, why did you come here suddenly?"

"Chief Lin, it's like this. We have recently noticed some situations. The California Republican Party and quite a few people who are dissatisfied with Davis are colluding to launch a recall campaign against California Governor Gray Davis. Judging from Davis' current performance, it is estimated that this will succeed..."

"California is the Democratic Party's stronghold, and the Democratic Party will not give up," said Underwood.

"Yes, but the Democrats have messed up this time. If Davis is removed from office, will the Democrats have any decent candidates to compete with the Republicans?"

Chapter 238: Give Governor Davis a Little "Support"

On an ordinary day, the ringing of the phone on the desk broke the silence in the room. Underwood put down the documents in his hand and reached out to press the hands-free button of the phone.

"Hello, this is Underwood."

"Underwood, this is McAuliffe." An anxious voice came from the other end of the line, and Underwood immediately recognized it as the voice of the chairman of the Democratic National Convention. This man had been the co-chairman of Clinton's re-election campaign, and the two had met in Washington.

Underwood leaned back in his chair and asked in a relaxed tone, "McAuliffe, it's good to hear your voice. What's going on?"

"Underwood, we're in trouble in California. Big trouble." "What kind of trouble?"

"Republicans are collecting signatures across the state to recall Governor Gray Davis, and this is much worse than we thought."

"What is the specific situation?"

McAuliffe sighed and continued: "According to our information, the Republicans have collected hundreds of thousands of signatures in just a few weeks. If this momentum continues, they are likely to gather enough signatures within the specified time to initiate a formal recall vote."

"We have to stop this. What is Governor Davis doing now? What is his plan?"

"He is trying his best to cope with it, but the pressure he faces is huge. The power crisis has made him lose face. If he relies on himself alone, there is a high probability that he will be removed from office."

"McAuliffe, what do you want me to do? I think that's why you called me..."

McAuliffe's tone became earnest: "Underwood, we certainly need your help, and your help is crucial. You are the mayor of Los Angeles, the leader of the largest city in California. You have a high reputation in the Democratic Party and California, and you are also very popular among voters. We hope that you can publicly support Governor Davis and help him through this difficult time."

Underwood paused and said, "I understand, and I will do whatever I can to help Governor Davis. But I need more information, and we need to develop a detailed plan."

McAuliffe breathed a sigh of relief, his tone full of gratitude: "Thank you, Underwood. I knew we could count on you. We'll need your help organizing some public events, giving speeches in support of Governor Davis, and possibly some fundraising activities."

"No problem, I'll find a time."

"Thank you, Underwood. The Democratic Party will always remember your contribution. I will have Davis' team contact you as soon as possible to discuss the details. Please keep in touch."

"Of course, I'm always at your service."

After the call, Underwood stood up from his chair, looked at the scenery outside the window, and then looked at the other people standing in the room behind him. Ji Tianping and other "Mayor Group" players gathered in Underwood's office and listened to the entire conversation between Underwood and McAuliffe.

"Warriors! You all heard that the Democrats are asking us for help," Underwood joked. "Davis and McAuliffe are really optimists. They actually think that they can get me to help with just a few words. They are either arrogant or have no basic understanding of politics. Since he asked us for help, let's give him some support!"

As a "political star", Underwood "supports" the Democratic Party on various occasions as the Democratic Party wishes.

In the formal studio, in front of the camera lens and lights; facing the host's question: "Mayor Underwood, there have been growing calls for the recall of Governor Davis. As an important member of the Democratic Party, what do you think of this situation?"

Underwood gave a thoughtful look and then responded: "This is a complicated question. First of all, I would like to say that Governor Davis has been working hard to try to solve the many challenges facing our state. We should not ignore his efforts. However, we must also admit that California is indeed facing some serious problems at the moment. You know, sometimes a person may be too focused on certain issues and ignore other aspects. It's not that he is doing a bad job, but that the responsibilities of the position of governor are too heavy and complicated."

He added: "It just speaks to the difficulty of the governor's job, and maybe we need to rethink how we can better support our governors, or how we can reform our state government structures to be more effective in meeting these challenges."

The host immediately followed up with: "It sounds like you're saying that our state government system might need some changes?"

"I think that at all times, we should be open and critical of our government system. If the existing system cannot effectively solve the problem, then we have a responsibility to think about how to improve it. This is not directed at any individual, but for the well-being of the entire state of California. For example, in the case of the power crisis, I think we need to re-examine the structure of our energy market. These are issues that require careful consideration by the governor and the entire government team. In any case, we should put the interests of California first. I believe Governor Davis thinks so too. We need to unite and face these challenges together. But at the same time, we should not avoid problems or ignore the voices of the people."

When being interviewed by reporters on the street, Underwood would speak well of Davis as much as possible, such as publicly praising Governor Davis' leadership style:

"Governor Davis is an extremely meticulous leader. During this crisis, he spent a lot of time carefully studying every report and weighing every decision. Sometimes, he even spent months to make the best decision. This attention to detail is very rare and valuable in political leadership. Once the plan was determined, Governor Davis showed his extraordinary determination. He bravely promoted his own unique solution regardless of expert advice. This courage is undoubtedly admirable."

Or to understand Governor Davis's approach:

"Governor Davis has a unique approach to crisis communication. He chooses to disclose as little information as possible to the public to avoid causing panic. This consideration of protecting public sentiment reflects his thoughtfulness as a leader."

Or when Davis was criticized by various Republicans, Underwood still defended Davis in front of the camera:

"We can't blame Governor Davis. In such a complex situation, anyone could make some imperfect decisions. For example, he did not respond to warnings about price manipulation by energy companies in a timely manner, or underestimated the severity of the problem in the early stages of the crisis. After all, who could have predicted that the situation would deteriorate so quickly?"

"Governor Davis is facing an unprecedented challenge. If he appears to be a little weak in negotiations with power companies or hesitant in formulating long-term energy policy, we should all express our understanding. It is extremely difficult to maintain clear thinking and decisive action under such great pressure."

"We should be considerate of Governor Davis. He can be forgiven for not fully utilizing the resources and power of the state government in the early stages of the crisis, or for not being forceful in communicating with the federal government. After all, no one can be fully prepared for a crisis like this. Of course, we have to acknowledge that California did suffer heavy losses in a severe power crisis, and such a crisis undoubtedly requires strong leadership to resolve. Most importantly, we must learn from the past and prepare for the future."

Chapter 239 Davis is incompetent, it seems I must leave the mountain (━)

An open-air plaza in Santa Clara County was crowded with people and noisy. A signature rally organized by the Republican Party was being held here to recall the current Democratic Governor of California Gray Davis.

The square was crowded with people holding placards. Slogans such as "Save California, recall Davis", "We want light, not darkness", and "Electricity bills are not ATMs" were heard one after another. A temporary stage was built in the center of the square, with a striking banner hanging on it: "Sign for the future of California, recall Davis!" Dozens of long tables were placed around the stage, with signature forms and leaflets neatly placed on the tables. Volunteers were busy shuttling between them, explaining the reasons and process of the recall to passers-by.

On one side of the stage, a tall, muscular man was being interviewed by the media. He was one of the main Republican organizers of the rally, and Hollywood screen star Arnold Schwarzenegger. He criticized Davis in front of the media: "The current governor of California is the most failed, clumsy, and fraudulent politician. No one is more failed than the current governor Davis. This is exactly why he should step down!"

Reporters rushed to ask questions, and flash cameras went off and on. Schwarzenegger was not in a hurry and calmly answered various sharp questions.

There were also many reporters at the place where signatures were collected. They pointed their cameras at everyone who might bring up topics. A middle-aged man in a suit squeezed through the crowd and came to the signature table. He picked up a pen, hesitated for a moment, and then solemnly signed his name on the petition. The reporter next to him immediately asked the camera to follow, and then asked curiously: "Sir, why did you decide to support the recall of Governor Davis?"

The middle-aged man smiled bitterly and said, "I'm a small business owner. In the past, my biggest worry was how to expand my business. But for the past year, I've been worried every day whether the monthly electricity bill will put my business into bankruptcy immediately." He shook his head and continued, "You know, the electricity bill I received last month was higher than my son's college tuition! I think our governor may have misunderstood the 'California Dream' as the 'California Nightmare.'"

This remark resonated with the people around. An old lady wearing glasses interrupted and said, "That's right! We don't dare to turn on the lights at night. My husband said that we should learn from fireflies and light up ourselves." Her words made the people around laugh, but there was a hint of helplessness in her laughter.

"Recently, more people have come to sign autographs than before, which is different from what we expected..."

"We expected the number of people to decrease, but who knew it would increase... But this is also a good change. By the way, has anyone investigated these phenomena? What impact did those who signed later suffer?"

"Of course, we have investigated and found that many people are influenced by TV and the Internet, and some are influenced by those viral jokes..."

"joke?"

Schwarzenegger was puzzled. He was familiar with Hollywood's use of film and television entertainment to influence people's thoughts, but what kind of content could be produced on the website to achieve this? Also, what kind of jokes could go viral and influence ordinary people to sign and agree to recall Davis. Then, Schwarzenegger came to a computer and searched the keyword "California" on the website. The first one that popped up was a website called "California Unity".

"This is a website created by the Democrats, and it seems to have the support of Underwood, who has become very famous recently..."

"Oh, him. He is not famous recently, but he has always been famous."

Schwarzenegger still has some concerns about this person who follows a similar path as himself. Both of them follow the path of action stars and play tough guy roles. But the difference is that Underwood has won the support of capital forces and seems to have a set of administrative teams available, while he... If he does not have the support of political tycoons (his wife is from the Kennedy family), he is just a political novice. To some extent, Schwarzenegger is quite envious of his "colleague". After all, at this moment, Underwood has made a name for himself in the political arena.

Then, when Schwarzenegger clicked on the website and continued reading, a wonderful feeling came over him.

"Hmm? The content of this website........"

The website actively publishes some news about Davis. For example, today's top news is: "Governor Davis announced a new employment plan today, hoping to help solve our state's 9.3% unemployment rate."

Whenever there is a new incident related to Davis, "California Solidarity" always responds immediately to express support for Davis. However, these quick responses often lack detailed information and seem so empty and pale that they make people feel perfunctory.

At the same time, there are some rumor clarification content on the website. For example, a post claims that during the California power crisis, the xx region lost more than 10 billion US dollars. Then the post pointed out that after factual verification, it was confirmed that the actual local loss was about 5000 million US dollars, and the previous figure was a rumor; another post claimed that Davis colluded with energy companies, causing California electricity prices to soar, damaging the interests of millions of households, and then the post pointed out that after factual verification, his office’s communication with energy companies was "normal business dealings" and there was no illegal behavior.

After browsing the web, Schwarzenegger became interested in those so-called jokes again. No one seemed to know where those jokes came from, but they were suddenly spread on a large scale on the Internet and offline because they were really funny, and then they made Californians who had actually experienced the California power crisis very upset.

For example:

Someone asked: Why did Californians start learning the language of fireflies? Answer: Because they think it may be the most reliable way to light the future. Question: How do Californians celebrate Valentine's Day? Answer: Sit opposite each other, admire each other's faces illuminated by candlelight, and then calculate the electricity bill together. Question: Why has California become a paradise for astronomers? Answer: Because frequent large-scale power outages create perfect conditions for stargazing.

Someone asked: How would Governor Davis solve the power crisis? Answer: Convert all government buildings into gyms and let civil servants pedal to generate electricity. Or all official documents must be written in luminous ink to save office electricity.

There's a new California invention: "The electric bill blanket (which keeps you warm and reminds you why you're so cold)."

There is also an emerging industry in California: hand-cranked generator manufacturing, whose slogan is "Returning electricity to the people."

And California's new slogan: "Save electricity to the fullest, pay your monthly salary."

These jokes are just basic operations of players, but Schwarzenegger, who has just entered the 21st century, still can't imagine how so many brain-opening jokes can emerge in a short period of time. However, no matter where this joke comes from, it is a good thing for the Republican Party to get more Californians to sign to support the recall of Davis.

Chapter 240 Davis is incompetent, it seems I must leave (Part 2)

Young people in the 21st century may seldom watch TV, but for those who have just entered the 21st century, they are still "couch potatoes" in front of the TV screen, spending a lot of time watching TV every day.

When night falls, in every corner of the city, in the living rooms of countless families, the blue light of the TV flickers. At this moment, a family of four has just finished dinner, and the parents and two children are sitting on the sofa, focusing their eyes on the TV screen. An elderly couple next door are also sitting in their comfortable recliners watching TV. In an apartment building in the city center, a young working woman is working on her computer while watching the TV news with her peripheral vision. In the suburbs at the other end, a young man who just got off work is eating a pizza takeaway while turning on the TV.

There was a special TV show on television, and Underwood appeared on it.

"My fellow citizens, tonight, I hope to be able to enter each of your homes through this TV program. Imagine that I am sitting in your living room, or you are in the kitchen preparing dinner, or you are relaxing in your bedroom. No matter where you are, I hope this conversation can be as relaxed as a conversation between family members.............Only a few people understand the ins and outs of this power crisis, and most people have no clear concept of it.

First, I want to talk to you about the root cause of this crisis. Many of you may be asking: Why did this happen? Why did our prosperous California, the center of technological innovation, fall into such a predicament? In fact, this problem did not form overnight. Just like a small problem that was ignored for a long time, it eventually evolved into a big crisis. Let's review what happened in the past few years.

Remember how proud we were to talk about California's economic boom a decade ago? Our tech industry was booming and our population was growing rapidly. But at the same time, we overlooked an important fact: as our economy grew, our demand for electricity was also growing rapidly. Imagine what would happen if you suddenly had a few more people in your home, but the size of your refrigerator didn't change? That's right, you wouldn't have enough food soon. Our power system is facing a similar problem. Our economy and population are growing, but our power generation capacity is not increasing accordingly.

However, what really triggered this crisis was the mistakes we made in the reform of the electricity market. Some companies, represented by Enron, took advantage of policy loopholes and their dominant position in the energy market to manipulate electricity prices through various complex means. They artificially created power shortages, hoarded power resources, and raised prices at critical moments. This behavior not only violated market rules, but also seriously damaged the public interest. When we turned on the light switch and found it was pitch black; when patients in the hospital missed the chance to be rescued because of the power outage; when our companies suffered losses due to the power outage, we all felt the seriousness of this crisis.

But, citizens, we are not helpless. In fact, we have taken a series of measures in the city of Los Angeles, which makes us much better than other places. Remember a few years ago, when Los Angeles wanted to upgrade our electric grid on a large scale, some people said it was a waste of taxpayers' money. But now, it is precisely because of these investments that our electric grid is more reliable than other places. We have worked with the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power to replace old equipment and increase the capacity of transmission lines. It's like a comprehensive physical examination and maintenance of our power system, making it better able to cope with the current challenges.

We also did something that may have seemed conservative at the time, but now turns out to be very wise. We signed a long-term fixed-price power supply contract with an energy supplier. It's like we locked in the electricity price in advance, and even though wholesale electricity prices are soaring now, we can still provide relatively stable and affordable electricity to citizens.

It is precisely because of these measures that our power supply in Los Angeles remains relatively stable even when there are large-scale power outages in surrounding areas. Our electricity price increase is also much lower than in other parts of California. I know that even so, the increase in electricity bills still brings a burden to many families. But believe me, without these measures, the situation would be much worse.

The Los Angeles City Government and I will continue to promote energy security in Los Angeles, and I would like to share with you our future plans.

We will continue to increase investment in power infrastructure and further upgrade our power system. This includes building new clean energy power stations, enhancing inter-regional power transmission capabilities, and promoting new technologies such as smart meters; we will vigorously promote energy-saving measures, provide energy-saving renovation subsidies for households and businesses, and encourage the use of high-efficiency and energy-saving appliances; we will strengthen cooperation with neighboring regions. The power system is interconnected, and our security is inseparable from the stability of the entire region. This is like neighbors helping each other and overcoming difficulties together.

Finally, I will continue to urge state and federal governments to correct existing unreasonable policies and establish a more fair, transparent and efficient electricity market.

At this point, I want to especially thank all the employees working in the power system. It is because of your hard work that we can maintain a stable power supply during this crisis. You are the real city heroes and deserve the respect and gratitude of all of us.

I also want to express my deepest sympathy to those of you who have suffered during this crisis. While our city is doing well overall, I know there are still some families and businesses that have been impacted. I want to assure you that we are doing everything we can to help you through this difficult time. We have set up a dedicated assistance fund to provide financial support to affected families and small businesses. If you are experiencing hardship, please do not hesitate to contact our community service center for help.

May our Los Angeles always be brightly lit, full of hope and vitality. Thank you all, and wish you all good night. I also wish our Los Angeles good night. "

To help Davis, Clinton sent his wife Hillary to California to provide assistance to Davis.

The room was filled with the aroma of coffee and snacks. The TV on the wall just finished playing Underwood's special program. This was the special segment of the day. The other Democrats in the room didn't understand why Hillary had dragged everyone to watch this TV program. They didn't understand until they finished watching it.

"Shouldn't we continue to tinker with Davis's plan? We can consider filing a lawsuit to challenge the constitutionality of the recall process, emphasizing that the recall will cost a huge amount of public funds (estimated at $6500 million) and is irresponsible in a time of financial difficulties for the state; and also to win the support of traditional Democratic supporters such as labor unions and minority groups."

At this moment, Davis is also trying to remedy his precarious career. At first, Davis and the California Democrats did not think that collecting signatures to recall him would succeed. After realizing that the signatures were so powerful, they hurried to make up for it. However, they still took the old path, relying on legal challenges to prevent the recall instead of directly seeking voter support; they also failed to put forward convincing reform plans to restore public confidence; in their propaganda, they still overemphasized the irrationality of the recall instead of their own political achievements and vision.

While Hillary and the others were watching TV, Davis was giving a speech at the University of California. Prior to this, he had given many speeches to persuade those undecided voters, saying that if a Republican took over the position, a series of problems including the environment and education would become worse. Davis also said that if he was removed from office this time, its significance would be "not limited to the scope of California". In fact, it was a desperate political grab by the Republicans, which could be seen from the impeachment of former President Clinton.

Davis repeatedly said during his speech: "Right now, what's going on here is that the Republicans are trying very hard to 'steal the election,' but these Republicans and their collaborators cannot win."

Davis also refused to accept public criticism for his inaction during the power crisis, instead defending himself by saying he was simply following through on a flawed energy regulation signed by the previous governor, Republican Pete Wilson.

However, Davis' answer obviously did not satisfy Californians. An angry Californian asked in front of the camera: "Then I would like to ask Mr. Gray Davis: Are the two million people who signed the petition also their accomplices? Are they also in collusion with the Republicans?"

In the room where Hillary and a group of Democrats were staying, everyone was silent for a while. At some point, someone in the room suddenly said:

"Davis hopes he can get by in this position without facing any criticism. He hopes to appear to be determined and knowledgeable about the problems facing California, but the reason he is being opposed now is that he does not have enough understanding of his own problems and those of California."

It seems that Davis has no chance of winning. He has always been considered to lack personal charm, and has the impression of being weak and indecisive. He has obvious shortcomings in communicating with the public. The California Democratic Party has also neglected the construction of grassroots organizations. The reality is that the relationship between the California Democratic Party and traditional allies such as labor unions and environmental organizations is already alienated enough, resulting in a lack of effective mobilization network in times of crisis...

"Gentlemen, we can't put all our bets on Davis. There has to be an alternative."

Chapter 241 Davis is incompetent, it seems I must leave (Part 3)

Golden sunlight falls on a magnificent manor on the outskirts of Los Angeles. Inside the manor, the neatly manicured lawn is dotted with colorful flowers. Far away from the hustle and bustle of the city, it has become an ideal place for California Democratic Party leaders to hold secret gatherings. Mayor Underwood walks slowly on the gravel path of the manor, with an easy pace. In the main building of the manor, each room is filled with low-pitched discussions. Underwood stopped in one of the rooms for a moment, knocked on the door and walked in. Several senior members of the party who are known for their outspokenness gathered inside. When they saw Underwood coming in, they immediately stopped talking and showed expectant expressions on their faces.

Underwood walked into the room and continued to discuss the topic they had just discussed with several people in the room. Davis's bleak personal image was completely unable to compete with the outstanding image of his biggest rival Schwarzenegger;

Davis lost too many points during the power crisis. During the power crisis, Davis was weak and incompetent in the face of large companies like Enron. He used public funds from the state treasury to purchase those sky-high electricity prices, spending more than billions of dollars, causing California's fiscal deficit to expand rapidly. In order to make up for the fiscal deficit, the Davis government had to increase taxes, including increasing vehicle registration fees. This is equivalent to cutting the flesh of ordinary people to feed large companies like Enron, and the people will of course be dissatisfied.

Underwood interjected: "We must face these challenges and do everything we can to save the situation. Turning a blind eye to the situation will only make it worse."