What A Day - Fire, Wind & Fire

Episode Date: September 14, 2020

Wildfires raged on over the weekend in the West, with millions of acres burned, thousands displaced, and dozens of lives lost. Aside from fighting climate change, one of the most effective ways to manage these fires is regular controlled burns, which is something indigenous tribes were doing for centuries. Two meat processing facilities were fined a measly total of $29,000 after government regulators at OSHA determined that the plants didn’t do enough to protect workers. OSHA has gotten almost 10,000 Covid-related workplace safety requests so far, and these are the only two companies that have been cited and fined. And in headlines: controversies surrounding Disney’s “Mulan,” Israel imposes a second nation-wide lockdown, and Mike Bloomberg pledges to donate 100 million to Joe Biden’s Florida campaign.Show links:"They Know How To Prevent Forest Fires. Why Won't Anybody Listen?" https://www.propublica.org/article/they-know-how-to-prevent-megafires-why-wont-anybody-listen"To Manage Wildfire, California Looks To What Tribes Have Known All Along" https://www.npr.org/2020/08/24/899422710/to-manage-wildfire-california-looks-to-what-tribes-have-known-all-along

it's monday september 14th i'm keela hughes and i'm gideon resnick and this is what a day which you can also call the masked speaker yeah we're not doing character masks like they do on the masked singer though it's mostly just solid colors like you know a friendly light blue or something um speak for yourself i'm dressed head to toe as a giant bee. Okay, well, we talked about this. On today's show, it has been six months since a national emergency was declared for the pandemic. So we will look at where things stand now, then some headlines. But first, the latest guy drove 600 miles up and down the state. I never escaped the smoke. We have thousands of people who have lost their homes.

I could never have envisioned this. That was Oregon Senator Jeff Merkley speaking yesterday on the impact of the fires in his home state. And that's where we're going to start today. The West Coast wildfires have been raging on, which my lungs and eyes can attest is not great. But beyond my own rough go of it, there's more to cover. At the time of recording, at least 25 people have died in the fires, with the death toll expected to rise. The air pollution has been so bad that it temporarily broke the systems that monitor air quality in Washington state. More than 3 million acres in California, 1 million in Oregon, and 600,000 in Washington have been burned. Thousands have been displaced. And while Democrats have been quick to point to climate change as a

reason for the spread and size of the fires, although some of the top Democrats have been slower on the Green New Deal uptake, Donald Trump is content to hardly mention it. Though he has a trip scheduled to California today, Biden is also set to speak on this today. Yeah, making it very clear this and other elections are climate elections. And the situation is ongoing with the National Weather Service warning that a windy and dry forecast could undo a lot of the progress that's been made to contain these fires. But again, everything is changing quite quickly. But let's talk about Trump for a second here. When he has talked about the wildfires, he's largely focused on, quote,

forest management. Specifically, he's been saying that we should rake the floor of the forest last year and in 2018. But raking aside, the idea that more needs to be done to clear dry brush, what do we make of that? Yeah, so it's definitely a factor. We're going to get into it way more in a moment. But first and foremost, there's just no getting around that these fires are tied to climate change. Like we talked about last week, the climate in the West is getting hotter and drier, and that's leading to more fuel for these fires to burn and spread. But given our new climate, there's more we could be doing to mitigate the danger. So I first want to say that indigenous tribes had a system that worked

forever. And so just know that the science is supporting traditional methods of survival here. It's not the other way around. But one of the most effective solutions to these fires is actually more fires. Annual controlled burns of the underbrush in California and Western states promotes new plant growth and clears out the dead, dry plants that easily ignite. The government made cultural burning ceremonies illegal because, of course, criminalizing what we don't understand is always step one. And they've taken other steps to suppress fires for decades, which ironically just make the fires worse. That's right. And there's a really great piece on this in ProPublica by journalist Elizabeth Weil, where she talks about how states in the West have had a kind of warlike model to suppress the fires as much as possible. Yeah. And she also talks about why

controlled burns are so helpful, along with some of the financial reasons they aren't happening. Before humans, millions of acres of land would burn each year, but in California between 1999 and 2017, that number dropped to an annual 13,000 acres. There are now efforts to do more controlled burning, but there's a huge backlog of land. With controlled burns, you create a sort of checkerboard of pre-burned areas that can then dampen a wildfire from spreading, which again is an idea taken from native tribes and not the only benefit of the burns. In a few areas of California, the Forest Service is forming partnerships with tribal leaders to help correct years of mismanagement. We've put a link in our show notes where you can read more about that along with the ProPublica story. That's right. And on to the next topic. It is

not your imagination, folks. Sunday marked six whole months since President Trump declared a national emergency in response to the coronavirus pandemic on March 13th. It was this unbelievably eerie week when the breadth of the crisis started to reveal itself in big ways and small, and I'm sure everyone remembers where they were. So, for instance, we can recall that Tom Hanks revealed he had COVID-19 that week, and six months later, he's back in Australia working on the Elvis biopic that he had been working on then. Someone else is playing Elvis, by the way. I just want to note that. Okay, cool. Remember when the NBA ground to an abrupt halt? Well, six months later, we are closing in on

conference finals taking place in a bubble in Orlando. It is kind of like a wormhole. Yeah. And remember when Trump said he wanted to reopen the economy by Easter? Well, six months later, we are still dealing with the failure of this administration to handle the crisis. So let's take a moment to take stock of where things stand with the virus. Yeah, so there have been almost 200,000 deaths in the United States, which is the most in a single country worldwide, and in the top 10 per capita. At least 30 million people are out of work and prospects for another round of federal aid before the election seem to dwindle by the day. And in terms of cases right now at this very moment, we're doing better than parts of July and August when new daily cases were hitting around 60 to 70,000. But that new version of

better is not great with a recent average of between 30 to 40,000 new confirmed cases per day. And every couple of months as the virus has appeared contained in certain regions of the country, another region emerges as a trouble spot. And so that newest concern is the Midwest and the Great Plains area. Places like the Dakotas, Iowa, Kansas, and Missouri have all seen recent upticks, according to tracking and reporting from The New York Times. And that is driven in part by colleges and universities in the region having a lot of cases. And so far, thankfully, hospitalizations have not jumped up significantly along with those cases. But in some of these states, a college outbreak has a major effect on the broader community given the relatively smaller population. So as we fully exit the

summer in the coming weeks, I think a couple of the major lingering questions are what happens when more people might gather inside in chillier weather, and how schools and colleges continue to play into all of this. But at a baseline six months later, the virus is still not under control. Yeah, not even a little. So speaking of the Midwest and Plain States, and specifically the Dakotas, we saw some outbreaks there in meat processing facilities earlier this year. In the last few days, a couple of plants were fined over unsafe work conditions. It was a total of $29,000 between the two plants, which is nothing. So what's going on?

Yeah, truly nothing. The two plants are Smithfield Foods in South Dakota and a JBS plant in Colorado. And according to the Washington Post, over a thousand people at the South Dakota plant have tested positive and four have died over the course of the pandemic. And so a couple of months ago, we talked to one of the workers from that plant, Sandra Siebert, and she told us at the time that going to work felt like going to war. Just to put the fine that was placed in context, Smithfield made $14 billion in revenue and JBS made over $51 billion last year. So yes, this is not a lot of money to have to pay out. The penalty stems from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, or OSHA, and they

determined that the plants did not do enough to protect workers, though the plants were only cited for three violations. And since early March, OSHA has gotten almost 10,000 COVID-related workplace safety requests, and these are the only two companies so far that have resulted in a citation and a fine. And so now OSHA says that the fines they leveled are the maximum amount allowed, but critics are also worried about the fact that there were more citations that were given here. And on the money front, the Washington Post also talked to Siebert, who said, quote, they make that kind of money in a half hour less. Wow. One other storyline that we've been following over these past months is the development of vaccines.

There was a pretty big story last week about AstraZeneca halting their clinical trials after reports of an adverse reaction. Before we get into what's next, let's quickly go over how this information even came out. Yeah, so this is one of the vaccine frontrunners that's made by AstraZeneca in Oxford. It is currently in phase three clinical trials. And we learned over the last few days from the news outlet Stat that a female participant in the UK had what seemed to be a pretty serious neurological symptoms, which of course put a pause on the trial. And so according to Stat, the details of this were disclosed in a call between the CEO of the company and private investors, during which he also said that there was a previous pause where an individual was subsequently diagnosed with multiple sclerosis,

which did not have to do with the vaccine or the trial. So a couple takeaways. First, people have said that the company and others involved in vaccine development should be more transparent about potential issues that arise and the process overall because of just how important these vaccines are to the world. And second, experts have emphasized that it's normal for trials to pause while issues are investigated. In fact, that's what you would want to see if a trial is being held responsibly. All right. And the newest update on this story is that AstraZeneca has resumed its trial in the UK. Presumably, that means they reviewed that adverse reaction and they're confident to move forward.

But the trials in the United States were reportedly still on hold as of Saturday. Yeah, that's right. And that's another piece of information that we don't know a ton about. So definitely need more transparency going forward. But just to summarize where we stand with the timeline and why this is all so important right now. AstraZeneca, Pfizer and Moderna are among the potentially promising vaccines and ones in late stage clinical trials in the US. And we've also been led to believe that some may be ready as soon as the end of this year for certain people. So one, the AstraZeneca trial pause could slow things down. Two, Trump is clearly

playing politics with all of it, wanting it for himself, really, by the election. And three, Pfizer recently sought to increase the size of their trial from 30,000 to 44,000 participants, which could make things take longer there too. It's often the case that the finer points of the trials aren't publicized until they're done. But there is a lot at stake here, which is why experts have been saying more transparency would be better. So tons on the line. We will keep following it. But that is the latest for now. It's Monday WOD Squad. And for today'sp Check, we are back on our candy news beat. So the company that makes Peeps announced yesterday that due to production limitations brought on by COVID,

they'll be forgoing most seasonal Peeps this year. That means Halloween Peeps, which look like ghosts and pumpkins, and Christmas Peeps, which look like trees and snowmen, will not make it to shelves, so the company can focus on the classic birds and bunnies for next year's Easter. So Giddy, I want you to be honest. Does this news affect your lifestyle? I am distraught as all hell.

No, I don't. When was the last time you ate a peep? Like, I feel like the only time people have peeps as an item is to put them in the microwave and like watch the ducks and birds or whatever. They're ducks, right? Explode. I mean, yeah, there's some kind of bird.

This is not a thing. Are we consuming this on Halloween? Are we going to a person's cauldron that they're leaving on their front porch and being like, here's a loose Halloween peep. Time for me to eat this or give to my child. Right. I mean, especially in a world where you need to wash your hands all the time. I don't see me touching loose peeps that other people may have grazed on their, you know, journey to the Reese's pumpkin,

which is really what I want anyway. Right, exactly. I mean, this is like, this seems like it's really news for for peep heads, you know, like true, honest to God, like I'm getting a packet eating it for for myself. So for sure. Same question for you, then Akilah, like, are you disturbed by this news? You know, I'm, I'm not disturbed. I think that anyone who would risk, uh, getting anything on Halloween, including candy from strangers, uh, is braver than I am. So personally I got, I got nothing. I got no skin in this game. All right. Uh, as far as peeps go, I do feel like this is just, you know, classic brands trying to make themselves relevant in a holiday where they are not. And I just I don't think that I know anyone who has been waiting patiently for peeps at

Halloween. And I'm sure that those same peeps from Easter are still fine. Like they marshmallows last a long time. So I don't know whether to gear up. It's not like they're ever going to be out of peeps. Right. My brand strategy would be like re-up the ones that are still on the shelves. We're good to go.

Right. Just reshape them. Well, just like that, we have checked our Timps. They are cool like peeps at normal times of the year. Stay safe and we'll be back with another Timp Check tomorrow. Let's wrap up with some headlines. Headlines. Disney's live action Mulan opened in China this weekend, bringing in a disappointing $23 million.

So the movie has been the subject of controversy since its release, with many objecting to Disney's decision to film parts of it in Xinjiang. That is the region that is home to Muslim Uyghurs, more than one million of whom the Chinese government has detained in so-called re-education camps because it considers their religion a, quote, ideological illness. Disney thanked eight government entities based in xinjiang in their credits including a public safety bureau that maintains the concentration camps jesus that led to calls for boycotts which in turn led the chinese government to implement a media blackout on mulan coverage in the days leading up to its debut

just one minute of the footage disney filmed in xinjiang ended up in the final cut but their willingness to overlook the atrocities there basically tanked their movie. Yeah, well, you know, you'll have to learn. Israel will become one of the first countries to impose a second nationwide lockdown due to the pandemic. The lockdown is slated to last three weeks and will restrict residents from going more than 500 meters from their homes. Schools will also be closed and gatherings will be limited to 10 people indoors or 20 people outdoors. Four months ago, Israel emerged from its first lockdown, which critics say was too soon and contributed to a rise in cases over the summer months. Israel now has one of the worst per capita infection rates in the world.

Lockdown will go into effect on Friday, which also happens to be the eve of Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, and will extend through Yom Kippur. Following the announcement, an ultra-Orthodox member of Netanyahu's cabinet resigned, saying that officials delayed the lockdown so that it would limit people's ability to gather for the holidays instead of taking these measures earlier. Israel's virus czar says the holiday timing will do less economic damage and prevent large family gatherings that could spread the virus. Look, this year you can throw the breadcrumbs into the sink or the tub, but not in a public body of water. Those are the rules. And I didn't make them. After college parties contributed to 342 coronavirus cases, local officials have asked

students at Michigan State University to self-quarantine, or as the students call it, have quieter parties. Most MSU classes are online, but many students still travel to campus because they were locked into apartment leases or just didn't want to do freshman year from their mom's house. At University of Michigan, one student went viral on Friday for a video showing off a barren apartment he was forced to move into after testing positive for COVID, which he said didn't even have bedsheets. The university challenged the video, saying it doesn't require students to use quarantine housing and that the video didn't accurately portray the accommodations. So we can argue all day whether this guy's college put him in jail for being sick, but there's one thing we can agree on. If you are at college right now, you should get a free year after you graduate to just sit in a messy common room, play Super Smash Brothers and say deep stuff about philosophy and Fight Club. A million percent. After talking a big

game back in the spring, former New York City mayor and internet comedy pioneer Mike Bloomberg is putting his money where his mouth is and has pledged to donate $100 million to Joe Biden's campaign in Florida. Bloomberg spent more than $900 million on his own failed presidential run and said he'd keep spending to defeat Donald Trump. He has, but nothing of this scale so far. Florida is a crucial state in the 2020 election with 29 electoral votes that could carry either candidate to victory. And right now it's considered a toss up. The bulk of Bloomberg's investments will go to TV and digital advertising. And during his presidential campaign, you could catch about 100 Mike 2020 ads per episode of Law & Order.

So we're hoping for those numbers. There's 50 days until the election. So we encourage any left leaning billionaires to turn TV in Florida into one big movie about Joe Biden. An action epic about fighting corn pop. There you go. And those are the headlines. Quick recommendation before we go. Our friends at the Sports and Scandal Pod Hall of Shame just released a great new episode about one of the most notorious scandals in football history, the New England Patriots' Spygate. They look at why the world sees the New England Patriots as dirty cheats.

Sorry to our bosses, John and Tommy, and explore the integrity of America's favorite love-to-hate team. So definitely give that a listen and subscribe to Hall of Shame wherever you get your podcasts. That's all for today. If you like the show, make sure you subscribe, leave a review, meet us on the quad to talk about Fight Club

and tell your friends to listen. And if you're into reading and not just press releases from peeps like me, Wednesday is also a nightly newsletter. Check it out and subscribe at cricket.com slash subscribe.

I'm Akilah Hughes. I'm Gideon Resnick. And stay strong, college students. I'm sorry about the bed sheets, but I hope you get well soon. Yeah, you can still watch Inception and talk about the hidden meaning. What a Day is a Crooked Media production. It's recorded and mixed by Charlotte Landis.

Sonia Tun is our assistant producer. Our head writer is John Milstein, and our senior producer is Katie Long. Our theme music is by Colin Gilliard and Kashaka. tried to shove something into the back of a car or onto a train or something in the past, then you understand why it is better to skip the big box stores and head to fastgrowingtrees.com. It is the world's largest online nursery. No more waiting in lines, messy cars, digging through a lackluster selection, getting on the A train to the C with a Douglas fir in your hands. Just go to fastgrowingtrees.com and choose from thousands of varieties of trees, shrubs, and plants expertly curated to thrive in your area

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