TV Aerials Middlesbrough: Vox Sentences: The California calamity

Monday 28 October 2019

Vox Sentences: The California calamity

Neal Waters/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images

California brush fires keep on burning; Argentines vote in a new president.

Vox Sentences is your daily digest for what’s happening in the world. Sign up for the Vox Sentences newsletter, delivered straight to your inbox Monday through Friday, or view the Vox Sentences archive for past editions.

Fire to the north, fire to the south

Fires are continuing to rage in California: The Getty Fire in west Los Angeles led to thousands of evacuations on Monday, while the Kincade Fire in northern California, driven by high winds, remained barely contained. [Los Angeles Times / Hannah Fry, Brittny Mejia, Matthew Ormseth, Louis Sahagun, Ruben Vives]
As of late Sunday, more than 2 million Californians are without power as energy companies attempt to reduce the chances of sparking additional fires with preventative blackouts, and around 180,000 people were under evacuation orders statewide. [NPR / Laurel Wamsley and Emma Bowman]
The power cuts led hospitals and clinics to make tough choices: What do you do when there isn’t enough power to refrigerate your vaccines and keep electronic medical records online? [The Verge / Nicole Wetsman]
Counting the Getty Fire, the Saddleridge Fire nearby, the Kincade wildfire in Sonoma County, and the Tick Fire in Santa Clarita, fire has engulfed at least 80,400 acres of California. [Vox / Umair Irfan]
Here’s a map from the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection of current major fires ravaging the state. [State of California]
On Sunday, Gov. Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency, emphasizing the danger to the Californian people posed by these fires. “To see them on cots in temporary shelter, it really hits home the human side of this and the enormity of the task,” said Newsom. [LA Times / Anita Chabria, Melody Gutierrez, Maura Dolan, and Joe Mozingo]
Former Gov. Jerry Brown warns that these fires are “only the beginning” of the climate crises America will soon be facing. [Politico / Carla Marinucci]

Argentines bring the center-left back to power

Argentina elected Alberto Fernández to the presidency with 48 percent of the vote. The center-left career politician is set to meet with his predecessor and opponent, right-wing businessman Mauricio Macri, to talk about the transition of power. [Bloomberg / Patrick Gillespie and Jorgelina Do Rosario]
Fernández’s victory was credited to Argentine voters’ preoccupation with the economy. Macri attempted to take up a “zero poverty” initiative during his term, but over the last four years Argentina’s poverty level has risen to 35 percent as he cut subsidies. Now 15 million live in poverty. [BBC]
Former president turned vice president-elect Cristina Fernández de Kirchner helped pull out a victory for Fernández. The pair was seen as the best chance of avoiding a recession despite Kirchner being haunted by corruption allegations. [Miami Herald / Jim Wyss]
Fernández and Kirchner are set to take office on December 10, but the country’s stock market is already on the rise. [CNBC / Sam Meredith]

Miscellaneous

Why we gain an hour this Sunday with daylight saving time. [Vox / Brian Resnick]
Students at the historically black Benedict College in South Carolina were told to stay in their dorms during Trump’s speech on campus. Many went out to protest his presence. [TIME / Madeleine Carlisle]
Kurdish fighting forces agreed to evacuate from the border with Turkey, receiving support from the Syrian regime. [Reuters / Lisa Barrington and Ellen Francis]
Christine Emba of the Washington Post makes a case for why millenials are abstaining from church-going. [Washington Post / Christine Emba]
Chance the Rapper hosted SNL, and it was a special brand of wholesome fun. [The Atlantic / Shirley Li]

Verbatim

“When I go on that stage, there should be no trace of Eva on the stage. That’s my chance to go ... ‘Yes, we might’ve had things we regret or didn’t say things that you wished you did. Yes, you might’ve felt a little insecure. That all needs to away now.’” [Rising star of Hadestown and Yellow Rose Eva Noblezada on the role acting plays in her life]