Arizona State University
Stephen Pyne is a professor in the School of Life Sciences at Arizona State University, specializing in environmental history and the history of fire. He is the author of many books on wildfires, including Tending Fire: Coping with America's Wildland Fires and Fire in America: A Cultural History of Wildland and Rural Fire. From 1967-1985 he worked as a summer firefighter in the Grand Canyon, Rocky Mountain and Yellowstone National Parks.
High temperatures, high winds fuel fires in southwest states Large wildfires are raging in eight states in the continental western United States. The southwest has seen a prolonged and severe heat wave that has affected that region since the middle of June. Last week, Phoenix registered three record highs, with temperatures in some parts of Nevada and California reaching 120 degrees. Stephen Pyne, a professor in the school of life sciences at Arizona State University, specializing in environmental history and the history of fire itself, says the fires are not in the historic range, but the variety of fires and response to them is remarkable.
Fighting Mega-Fires More than 100 years after the federal government declared war on wildfire, wildfire is winning. The US Forest Service reports there are 40 large fires currently burning, from Florida to California, with 564 contained so far this year. They are "bigger, fiercer and costlier to put out [than they've ever been]… and there is no end in sight." Ten years ago, the National Forest Service spent $307 million on fire suppression. Last year, the bill was $1.37 billion. Private contracting for firefighters and their equipment can turn potential disasters into bonanzas for local communities. Does firefighting itself create future problems? Would preventative management save big money? What are the roles of politics and the media?
Replacing Obamacare: Now you see it… now you don’t As the Senate deliberates replacing Obmacare, health coverage for millions of people is at stake. There've been no public hearings, and a draft measure won't be made public. Is the House version so unpopular that that Senate is hiding a version that looks much the same?
Is the threat from Russia missing from the Russia meddling probe? There's much being made about the Trump administration's possible ties with Russia. But the bottom line is Russia's effort to influence American democracy. Do the President and his aides care enough to take action before voters go back to the polls?
How was the trip? President Trump's travels got less fun as he went from the Middle East to Europe.
Venezuela spirals into economic and political chaos Venezuela, a country whose potential for prosperity is unmatched, finds itself on the verge of civil war. What sustains the repressive government? With time running out, guest host León Krauze looks at what the international community can do to pull the country from the edge of collapse.