LA is going through one of the most destructive natural disasters in its history. So naturally there is a lot of nonsense online about the secret purpose of the blazes. To discuss, we talk to journalist and climate refugee Mike Rothschild. The author of Jewish Space Lasers is one of many people who lost their homes to the Eaton fire. We chat about what it’s like to evacuate in order to escape a fast-spreading fire, climate change, and some of the more popular ways that online conspiracists are speculating about the causes of the conflagration.

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Editing by Corey Klotz. Theme by Nick Sena. Additional music by Pontus Berghe. Theme Vocals by THEY/LIVE (https://instagram.com/theyylivve / https://sptfy.com/QrDm). Cover Art by Pedro Correa: (https://pedrocorrea.com)

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Mike Rothschild

https://themikerothschild.com/

Jewish Space Lasers: The Rothschild and 200 Years of Conspiracy Theories

https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/733925/jewish-space-lasers-by-mike-rothschild/

The Storm Is Upon Us: How QAnon Became A Movement, Cult, and Conspiracy of Everything

https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/676746/the-storm-is-upon-us-by-mike-rothschild/

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Sources

How Did the Los Angeles Wildfires Get So Out of Control

https://www.newyorker.com/news/q-and-a/how-did-the-los-angeles-fires-get-so-out-of-control

Southern California’s ‘rainy’ season is lacking one major thing

https://ktla.com/news/local-news/extremely-dry-rain-season-reaching-record-levels-in-southern-california/

Hydroclimate volatility on a warming Earth

https://www.nature.com/articles/s43017-024-00624-z

What We Know About What Led to the L.A. Wildfires

https://www.factcheck.org/2025/01/what-we-know-about-what-led-to-the-l-a-wildfires/

This Is Where the Palisades Fire Started

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/01/13/us/palisades-fire-cause-ignition-point-site.html

Trump makes misguided accusations about California water management amid wildfires

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/trump-makes-misguided-accusations-california-water-management-wildfire-rcna187219