logo
episode-header-image
Dec 2021
27m 39s

Best of 2021 | When Your Town Burns Down

Slate Podcasts
About this episode

We’re re-running some of our favorite episodes from the past year. This episode originally aired in August 2021.


Last week, the northern California mountain town of Greenville was wiped out by the Dixie Fire, which lasted for two months and is now the second largest wildfire in California history. As Greenville residents assess the damage to their homes and businesses, is it safe to rebuild? Is it even ethical, when wildfires are expected to only get worse?  


Guest: Margaret Garcia, also known as Meg Upton, reporter at Plumas News. 


If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.


Podcast production by Mary Wilson, Danielle Hewitt, Elena Schwartz, Davis Land, and Carmel Delshad.


Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Up next
Yesterday
What ICE Doesn’t Want You to See
Congress is supposed to have a legal right to tour ICE detention centers and provide oversight on these facilities, where 32 people died in 2025. But this representative’s attempt to tour a facility in her New Jersey district led to her being charged with assaulting a federal off ... Show More
26m 27s
Feb 1
Why Dictators Take Out the Internet
The Iranian government cut off nearly all internet access on January 8 as part of a crackdown on protestors, an example of why authoritarians attempt internet blackouts—and why they don’t always work the way authoritarians want them to.Guest: Steve Feldstein, political scientist ... Show More
27m 2s
Jan 30
SchadenFriday: Greg Bovino, You’re Fired…from Minnesota
In the wake of the killings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti during Trump’s immigration enforcement surge in Minnesota, the closest thing to “accountability” we’ve seen is Border Patrol’s Gregory Bovino being sent back to California. It’s not enough but it’s something.Guest: Rob Gun ... Show More
6m 20s
Recommended Episodes
Dec 2021
What Next | Daily News and Analysis - Best of 2021 | When Your Town Burns Down
We’re re-running some of our favorite episodes from the past year. This episode originally aired in August 2021.Last week, the northern California mountain town of Greenville was wiped out by the Dixie Fire, which lasted for two months and is now the second largest wildfire in Ca ... Show More
27m 39s
Dec 2021
What Next | Daily News and Analysis - Best of 2021 | Will the NFL Finally Support Gay Players?
We’re re-running some of our favorite episodes from the past year. This episode originally aired in June 2021.The Las Vegas Raiders’ defensive end, Carl Nassib, came out in an Instagram post back in June, making him the first openly gay active player in NFL histroy. The league im ... Show More
31m 20s
Nov 2021
What Next | Daily News and Analysis - “I Quit My Job Today”
You’ve likely heard about the great resignation -- this moment when millions of workers across the country have handed in their notice. Sometimes, people left because they were overworked. Sometimes, it’s because they wanted to change paths, or make more money elsewhere. But for ... Show More
33m 7s