Wild fires, Russian hackers and the arrival of e-scooters, this week

Ross Reynolds reviews the week's news with tech reporter for the New York Times Karen Weise, journalist with The C is for Crank, Erica C Barnett, and publisher of The Washington State Wire, DJ Wilson.

Unprecedented fires have raged across the West Coast all week. Fire conditions in Washington remained critical due to high temperatures and low humidity. What are Seattle's plans to help keep residents safe from smoke or potential fires?

Plus, preparation for virtual public school began in Seattle this week. Full remote instruction is scheduled to begin Monday and that's how it will be for the immediate future. How should families prepare for virtual schooling?

Also, the number of daily U.S. deaths from the coronavirus is declining again after peaking in early August. But cooler weather will come and scientists warn deaths could rise with people staying indoors more often and sharing the same air. What can we do to keep that number low?

And Merrick Bobb, the man overseeing an 8 year old consent decree between the Justice Department and Seattle over unconstitutional use of force by Seattle Police resigned this week. Bobb has been monitoring Seattle Police compliance with the consent decree for 7 years. How will this change the SPD, and discussions around defunding or reallocating money from the department?

Additionally, Microsoft warns that Russian, Chinese and Iranian hackers are all targeting the 2020 presidential election. What can we do to prevent the spread of misinformation and fake news?

Finally, this week journalist Bob Woodward revealed that President Trump knew in February that the coronavirus was deadly. In his upcoming book on Trump, “Rage,” the president is quoted saying the virus was highly contagious and “deadly stuff” at a time he was publicly dismissing it as no worse than the flu. Is it ethical as a journalist to withhold information like that?