Looks like the news of the Tarawa landings is not yet public.
There is a one day delay on the story. Don't know if that is because of the fog of war or they are stalling because of the heavy casualties.
No, not yet. I think there was apprehension whether or not the landings would succeed. This was the first amphibious operation on a contested atoll more or less outside of our air umbrella. While it was within range of the bombers from Ellice, it was outside of land-based fighter range.
On the other hand, Hanson Baldwin again writes a prescient article. My respect for his abilities is growing. De Seversky, on the other hand, writes fiction.