Firefighters continued battling the Woolsey and Hill fires this weekend. We report the latest and get an update on the status of the fires, the most recent evacuation orders and what we can expect in the coming week. We also recap the headlines you might have missed over the weekend and preview the stories we’re watching this week.
After the weekend, we get the latest on Woolsey and Hill fires
Firefighters continued battling the Woolsey and Hill fires this weekend.
As of this morning, the Woolsey fire is at 91,572 acres and about 20 percent contained. Mandatory evacuation orders remain in place for the nearly 170,000 residents whose homes stretch from Malibu to the West Hills. Meanwhile, the Hill Fire is now at 4,531 acres and is nearly 80 percent contained.
The Santa Ana winds have
to blow over the weekend, and are expected to keep blowing into the early evening today. We get the latest.
Guests:
Captain Eric Scott, PIO for the Woolsey fire
Lou La Monte, councilmember, city of Malibu
Week in politics: Recapping the 2018 midterms, political implications for Mueller probe after AG Sessions departure and more
AirTalk’s weekly political roundtable recaps the headlines you might have missed over the weekend and previews some of the big stories we’re watching for in local, state and national politics this week. Here are a few of the stories we’re following:
- Election recap, a check in on undecided national races [Florida governor and senate, Georgia governor, Arizona Senate] as well as recaps of some of the local Congressional districts, both those that have been won and those still undecided
- WSJ op-ed: Tuesday’s biggest loser? Elizabeth Warren
- WSJ op-ed: Hillary Clinton will run in 2020
- Continuing to follow Session’s departure from DOJ and the political implications of that for the Russia probe and Mueller under the new acting AG
- Takeaways from Senate Judiciary Committee report on Kavanaugh allegations
- White House revokes Jim Acosta’s press pass, shares doctored video to justify actions, reactions to the press conference from Thursday, plus general ramping up criticism of reporters
- Trump goes to France for the weekend
Guests:
Ange-Marie Hancock-Alfaro, professor of political science and chair of gender studies at USC; she tweets
Sean T. Walsh, Republican political analyst and partner at Wilson Walsh Consulting in San Francisco; he is a former adviser to California Governors Pete Wilson and Arnold Schwarzenegger and a former White House staffer for Presidents Reagan and H.W. Bush
California wildfires claim more lives, structures: We discuss if this is the new normal
The death toll from the wildfire that incinerated Paradise and surrounding areas climbed to 29 - matching the mark for the deadliest single blaze in California history - as crews continued searching for bodies in the smoldering ruins, with nearly 230 people unaccounted for.
More than 8,000 firefighters in all battled three large wildfires burning across nearly 400 square miles (1,040 square kilometers) in Northern and Southern California, with out-of-state crews continuing to arrive to fight the blaze.
Meanwhile, weather conditions are not helping. Winds are fueling flames, while rains in recent years have been arriving later than usual. Experts say these rain delays can lengthen and intensify the fire season. We discuss if this these wildfire outbreaks are the new normal or are they preventable.
With files from the Associated Press
Guests:
Keith Gilless, professor of forest economics and dean emeritus at the College of Natural Resources at UC Berkeley, his focus includes environmental policy, forestry and wildland fire
Chris Dicus, professor of wildland fire & fuels management at the Department of Natural Resources Management and Environmental Sciences at California Polytechnic State University
Marvel comic book giant Stan Lee has died at age 95
Comic book genius Stan Lee, the architect of the contemporary comic book, has died. He was 95.
The creative dynamo who revolutionized the comics by introducing human frailties in superheroes such as Spider-Man, The Fantastic Four and The Incredible Hulk, was declared dead Monday at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, according to Kirk Schenck, an attorney for Lee's daughter, J.C. Lee.
As the top writer at Marvel Comics and later as its publisher, he revived the industry in the 1960s by offering the costumes and action craved by younger readers while insisting on sophisticated plots, college-level dialogue, satire, science fiction, even philosophy.
Spider-Man, the Hulk and X-Men were among the Lee creations that went on to become stars of blockbuster films.
With AP Files.
Guest:
Mike Roe, arts & entertainment editor for LAist and KPCC