Amy Martinez

Earlier this week, an LA Fire spokesperson underlined a reality of fighting wildfires. As long as winds are blowing through dry parts of Southern California, there's very little fire crews can do.

And that is where NPR's Greg Allen has been reporting. Greg, you spent the day yesterday talking to people in Altadena. What are they telling you?

A woman in Altadena, California spent the night in her car after wildfires destroyed her house. It's burned down. It's not livable. Who could live here like this? Why did fire crews run out of water and how much difference did it make? I'm A. Martinez. That is Steve Inskeep. And this is Up First from NPR News. President-elect Trump will be sentenced today in a Manhattan criminal court.

Now, we've heard that at least 20 people have been arrested for looting. Did you hear about that from people in Altadena?

He was convicted for falsifying business records, hiding payments to an adult film star. The Supreme Court declined to interfere. after the judge said Trump would likely face no punishment anyway. So how does a felony conviction affect a second term?

All right, now here's the kind of ugly part of this, in that politics have injected their way into this story. President-elect Trump has criticized California Governor Gavin Newsom, saying that he should have done more to get water flowing to help put out the fires. What's the response been to that in Los Angeles?

That's NPR's Greg Allen in Los Angeles. Greg, thanks.

The Supreme Court declined to block Trump's sentencing after a judge said the president-elect was unlikely to face punishment or even have to attend in person. He will, though, come away with a criminal record, though he can pursue an appeal.

They'll be facing off against the Justice Department over whether a law banning the China-based viral video app will take effect in a few days.

And I'm Amy Martinez. You can listen to this podcast sponsor-free while financially supporting public media with Up First Plus. Learn more at plus.npr.org. That's plus.npr.org.