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Aug 31, 2017

08/31/2017: Power’s out

A refrigerated storage container at the Arkema chemical plant in Crosby, Texas, exploded this morning. Well, the sheriff calls it a chemical reaction indirectly caused by flooding, which killed the power and backup power that was keeping the container cool. At any rate, it was bad, and eight more could go off. We’ll start today’s show by looking at the electrical grid: a piece of critical infrastructure that’s very vulnerable to storms like Harvey. Then: We talked yesterday about the White House’s tax plan, which, right now, doesn’t exist. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin talked about it on CNBC today, and we’ll break down his remarks. What you need to know about Obama’s Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, or DACA, before Trump potentially overturns it.

A flooded street is seen after the area was inundated with flooding from Hurricane Harvey on August 31, 2017 in Port Arthur, Texas. 
A flooded street is seen after the area was inundated with flooding from Hurricane Harvey on August 31, 2017 in Port Arthur, Texas. 
Joe Raedle/Getty Images

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A refrigerated storage container at the Arkema chemical plant in Crosby, Texas, exploded this morning. Well, the sheriff calls it a chemical reaction indirectly caused by flooding, which killed the power and backup power that was keeping the container cool. At any rate, it was bad, and eight more could go off. We’ll start today’s show by looking at the electrical grid: a piece of critical infrastructure that’s very vulnerable to storms like Harvey. Then: We talked yesterday about the White House’s tax plan, which, right now, doesn’t exist. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin talked about it on CNBC today, and we’ll break down his remarks. What you need to know about Obama’s Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, or DACA, before Trump potentially overturns it.