To the Point
Wildfires Rage across the West
The US government will pay most of the cost of fighting major blazes in five western states. Critics say that why local governments allow developments too close to forests.
By Warren Olney • • 51m ListenPresident Obama calls the Waldo Fire in Colorado Springs a "major disaster," while blazes rage in four other states as well. The federal government will pay for most of the fire-fighting. Critics say that's one reason local governments allow housing developments too close to forests that are increasingly likely to burn. Also, Mexico's election results, and different futures for the Affordable Care Act in Texas and California.
Banner image: The Hot Shot firefighter crew from Vandenberg Air Force Base, California, cut a tree while cutting and clearing a fire line in the Mount St. Francis area of Colorado Springs, Colorado, June 28, 2012, while helping to battle several fires in Waldo Canyon. Photo courtesy of DVIDSHUB
In this episode
3 storiesMexican Election Results
As widely predicted, Enrique Peña Nieto of the PRI has been declared the winner of Mexico's presidential election. As he did six years ago, Andrés Manuel López Obrador of the PRD has refused to concede. Tracy Wilkinson is in Mexico City for the Los Angeles Times .
Read the story8 minForest Fires and Federal Money
The worst fire in Colorado history is only halfway contained, and in the suburbs of Colorado Springs, residents and former residents are discovering what happens when a forest fire comes to town. Some cars are nothing but charred metal and some homes are burned to the ground, while, in the same neighborhood, other houses have not been touched.
Read the story36 minElection-Year Politics and the Supreme Court
Our featured reporters on 'Red State-Blue State' every Monday come from Texas and California. When it comes to last week's Supreme Court decision on the Affordable Care Act, no two states could better dramatize the different reactions of Republicans and Democrats. Wayne Slater is senior political reporter for the Dallas Morning News .
Read the story7 min
