About this episode
Three wildfires are still burning in the Los Angeles area and the death toll has risen to 24 as the LA mayor says 'urgent preparations' being made for strong winds. With nearly 100,000 people under evacuation orders and thousands of properties damaged or destroyed, does the US need to rethink the way it builds its homes? And, President Donald Trump was sentenced on Friday to an "unconditional discharge" in his hush-money criminal trial, meaning he will face no prison time, probation or fine. He will enter the White House next week as the first convicted felon in office, but does his lack of punishment set a precedent for those convicted of similar crimes? The Americast team once again join Matt Chorley on 5 Live to answer your questions... HOSTS: * Justin Webb, Radio 4 presenter * Sarah Smith, North America Editor * Matt Chorley, 5 Live presenter GET IN TOUCH: * Join our online community: https://discord.gg/qSrxqNcmRB * Send us a message or voice note via WhatsApp to +44 330 123 9480 * Email Americast@bbc.co.uk * Or use #Americast This episode was made by George Dabby with Catherine Fusillo. The series producer is Purvee Pattni. The senior news editor is Sam Bonham. If you want to be notified every time we publish a new episode, please subscribe to us on BBC Sounds by hitting the subscribe button on the app. You can now listen to Americast on a smart speaker. If you want to listen, just say "Ask BBC Sounds to play Americast”. It works on most smart speakers. US Election Unspun: Sign up for Anthony’s BBC newsletter: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-68093155 Americast is part of the BBC News Podcasts family of podcasts. The team that makes Americast also makes lots of other podcasts, including The Global Story, The Today Podcast, and of course Newscast and Ukrainecast. If you enjoy Americast (and if you're reading this then you hopefully do), then we think that you will enjoy some of our other pods too. See links below. The Global Story: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/brand/w13xtvsd The Today Podcast: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/brand/p0gg4k6r Newscast: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/series/p05299nl Ukrainecast: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/brand/p0bqztzm