Press Play with Madeleine Brand
Can US invest in better infrastructure to protect against fires and floods?
The Caldor Fire has burned more than 200,00 acres in the Sierra Nevada mountains, and 53,000 residents of South Lake Tahoe have evacuated. Hurricane Ida in Louisiana is leaving residents without electricity for weeks.
By Madeleine Brand • • 50m ListenThe Caldor Fire has burned more than 200,00 acres in the Sierra Nevada mountains, and 53,000 residents of South Lake Tahoe have evacuated. Hurricane Ida in Louisiana is leaving residents without electricity for weeks.
“What we're realizing with every passing day is how expensive it is to not act on the climate crisis,” says Leah Stokes, energy policy researcher at UC Santa Barbara. “Look at what's happening with entire towns burning down across the West Coast. Look what's happening with these hurricanes wiping out power lines for weeks on end.”
She adds, “And when we think about something like the infrastructure bill in Congress, it's really an investment in stability. We have to be acting on climate change in order to be saving money at the end of the day.”
Press Play also looks at the strict Texas abortion law that the Supreme Court allowed to stand, the massive role of women in the history of surfing, and the U.S. government’s investigation into broken McFlurry machines at McDonald’s.
In this episode
5 storiesCaldor Fire becomes a federal emergency. Firefighters and residents feel psychological, physical, financial strain
"There's already a kind of a burnout factor. I mean, six of the seven largest fires in California history have all burned within the last 11 months. … That's putting a huge impact financially, physically, psychologically on certainly the community, but these firefighters who are on the frontline," says NPR's Eric Westervelt.
Read the story8 minAmid wildfires in CA and Hurricane Ida in LA, it’s expensive to not act on climate crisis, says researcher
“What we're realizing with every passing day is how expensive it is to not act on the climate crisis,” says Leah Stokes, energy policy researcher at UC Santa Barbara. “Look at what's happening with entire towns burning down across the West Coast. Look what's happening with these hurricanes wiping out power lines for weeks on end.”
Read the story11 minTexas law bans nearly all abortions there, Supreme Court lets it stand. What happened?
The Supreme Court on Wednesday night explained why it decided not to block a Texas law banning abortions at around six weeks from going into effect.
Read the story10 minWomen have conquered surfing since 1600s, from Polynesian princesses to world record holder Maya Gabiera
A new book explores the history of women’s surfing from the 1600s to today. It’s called “Women on Waves: A Cultural History of Surfing: From Ancient Goddesses and Hawaiian Queens to Malibu Movie Stars and Millenial Champions.”
Read the story14 minWhy is McDonald’s McFlurry machine always broken? US government investigates
If you walk into a McDonald’s, the ice cream machine is probably broken. That happens so often that it’s approached meme status — fodder for late night hosts, conspiracy theories, and catchy TikTok songs.
Read the story7 min
