AirTalk gets the latest from Northern California as wildfires continue to burn for a third day, leaving 17 dead and scorching more than 100,000 acres. We also explore crazy or unlikely start-up ideas after reports that Amazon is in talks to deliver packages inside your home while you are gone; where do you stand on NFL commissioner’s anthem demands?; and more.
‘Zero percent contained’: Latest on Sonoma and Napa fires
As wildfires continue to burn into their third day in Northern California, consistent high winds continue to create trouble for fire crews battling the flames that have overtaken some parts of the Golden State’s famed wine country north of San Francisco, reducing entire subdivisions and neighborhoods to ash, burning over 100,000 acres, displacing thousands, and killing at least 17 people.
Fire officials are trying to get ahead of the wildfires during the day on Wednesday with weather forecasts of strong winds overnight and heading into Thursday morning that could spread cinders. Evacuations continue across the affected counties.
Larry checks in with CAL FIRE and reporters covering this developing story in NorCal to hear the challenges firefighters are facing and the human impact of the fires.
Guests:
Jonathan Cox, battalion chief at State of California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection; he is also a public information officer with CAL FIRE's Communications Office; he tweets
Randi Rossmann, staff reporter at Santa Rosa’s Press Democrat who has been following the story; she tweets
Sean Scully, editor at Napa Valley Register who’s been following the story; he tweets
Where do you stand on NFL commissioner’s anthem demands?
On Tuesday, commissioner of the National Football League Roger Goodell wrote a letter to all 32 football teams saying he thought NFL players should stand for the anthem.
“The current dispute over the National Anthem is threatening to erode the unifying power of our game, and is now dividing us, and our players, from many fans across the country…Like many of our fans, we believe that everyone should stand for the National Anthem,” wrote Goodell, in a letter obtained by ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
Goodell also said he was working on a plan that would promote the work of players on social issues. This plan, as well as whether there will be an NFL rule change requiring players to stand for the national anthem, are to be discussed at the previously scheduled meeting next Tuesday.
Should there be a rule requiring NFL players to stand during the anthem? What compromise should the League propose to satisfy players and viewers? Will this allow us to move past a symbolic rift into more meaningful conversation or is this a bellwether for further divisions within the NFL?
Guests:
Mike Tanier, NFL National Lead Writer for Bleacher Report; he tweets
N. Jeremi Duru, a professor at American University who teaches sports law, civil procedure, and employment discrimination; author of “Sports Law and Regulation: Cases and Materials” (Wolters Kluwer Legal & Regulatory, 2013)
Jeffrey Hirsch, associate dean for strategy and distinguished professor of law at the University of North Carolina School of Law; he is also a contributing editor of the Workplace Prof Blog
Fans mourn as US men’s soccer suffers worst loss in decades
With an eighth consecutive World Cup in sight, the U.S. has now been sacked from the qualifiers. Embarrassingly.
Last night’s play-by-play against Trinidad and Tobago ended in a crushing 2-1 defeat, just one point shy of getting the draw needed to advance forward.
It’s no secret that American soccer players struggle in a two-class system, with top salaries and attention having gone to foreign players for decades. But what cost the U.S. World Cup entry for the first time since 1986? We check in with two sports journalists to give us the breakdown of what happened, and what this means for the future of stateside football.
Guests:
Avi Creditor, soccer editor for SportsIllustrated.com; he tweets @AviCreditor
Jeré Longman, sports writer who covers international sports for New York Times; he reports mostly on Olympic sports and soccer; he’s been following the story
So, did Catalonia actually declare independence or not?
Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy said today that Spain could limit or rescind Catalan autonomy if the region moves forward with its proposed secession.
The prime minister’s remarks marked the first time that Rajoy has hinted at enforcing a section of the Spanish Constitution that allows the government to assert control over its regions.
The response came after Catalan president Carles Puigdemont’s announcement yesterday that he will proceed with Catalan independence following the disputed secession referendum Catalonia held on Oct. 1. During this speech, Puigdemont also added that independence would be suspended for several weeks in order to facilitate negotiations with Spain, sparking much confusion as to whether the region is seceding at all.
Joining Larry to discuss the situation in Catalonia is the New York Times’ Patrick Kingsley.
With files from the Associated Press
Guest:
Patrick Kingsley, international correspondent for the New York Times
What? Really? Amazon wants to deliver packages to your car’s trunk
File this idea under the category of “what could possibly go wrong." Amazon is apparently in talks with a startup to deliver packages to the trunk of your car and the inside of your home – while you are not there.
Amazon, of course, also floated the idea of using drones to deliver packages. The company tested the concept last year, which was met with obvious challenges.
The world of tech is about taking seemingly unfathomable ideas and making them indispensable to everyday life. Amazon, after all, has revolutionized commerce. But the line between innovation and dumb is fine. Remember the spectacular rise and fall of Juicero, the $400 internet-connected juicer?
What are some of the dumbest tech ideas you have heard? What seemingly dumb tech ideas that have actually succeeded?
Guest:
Edmund Lee, managing editor of Recode, a technology media news site; he tweets @edmundlee