The Reality of Fighting Wildfires

Coming up on today’s show:

• As more than a dozen wildfires burn in California, entire neighborhoods have been reduced to piles of ash, and smoke exposure is becoming an issue. For the latest on the blazes in the Golden State, The Takeaway turns to Paul Duncan, a division chief for CalFire currently working in Mendocino County, and Dr. Zab Mosenifar, a pulmonologist and executive vice chair of the Department of Medicine at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center.

• It’s been 22 days since Hurricane Maria made landfall in Puerto Rico, and life on the island is still grim. Only about 10 percent of the island has power, and access to food is still an issue. On Twitter this morning, President Trump criticized Puerto Rico for its financial crisis, saying that the U.S. government “cannot keep FEMA, the military, and first responders on the island forever. Richard Wolffe, a columnist for The Guardian U.S. on the ground in San Juan, discusses the crisis. 

• Today, President Trump may announce a plan to decertify the Iran nuclear deal. The move would force Congress to act within 60 days. For a look at what’s at stake, The Takeaway turns to Ariane Tabatabai,aresearch fellow at Harvard University’s Belfer Center and senior associate at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.

• Two years ago, The Takeaway brought you the story of Alex Diaz, a high school dropout, former gang member, and convicted felon who was trying to get the equivalent of a high school diploma. With help from the Boston non-profit College Bound Dorchester, Diaz’s dreams of going to college are coming true. Elizabeth Ross, a producer for The Takeaway based at Boston public radio station WGBH, brings us the story.

• The female incarceration rate in Oklahoma is nearly double the national rate. Public Radio International and the Center for Investigative Reporting analyzed data from the state to understand why the rate has been so high for over two decades — a time when a number of states are implementing criminal justice reform. Allison Herrera, a reporter for PRI, explains. 

• Author Valeria Luiselli recently returned from Mexico after the nation was hit with devastating earthquakes. Today on The Takeaway, she argues that earthquakes are an important force in the country — like a destructive, but unifying catalyst for change. 

This episode is hosted by Todd Zwillich.