Ida floods Northeast, Biden launches effort in response to Texas abortion law: 5 Things podcast
On today's episode of the 5 Things podcast: Ida floods the Northeast; New Jersey and New York City have been hit particularly hard. Plus, President Joe Biden says he's launching a government effort to respond to the Texas abortion law, a former Georgia prosecutor has been indicted for allegedly shielding the men who killed Ahmaud Arbery, 'Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings' hits theaters and new music from Drake is here.
Hit play on the player above to hear the podcast and follow along with the transcript below. This transcript was automatically generated, and then edited for clarity in its current form. There may be some differences between the audio and the text.
Taylor Wilson:
Good morning, I'm Taylor Wilson. And this is 5 Things you need to know Friday, the 3rd of September, 2021. Today, dozens of people are dead after flooding from Ida in the Northeast. Plus, a former Georgia prosecutor has been indicted for allegedly shielding the men who killed Ahmaud Arbery and more.
Taylor Wilson:
Here are some of the top headlines.
- Promising weather is on the way near Lake Tahoe as firefighters continue to work to contain the dangerous Caldor fire. The blaze has burned through more than 328 square miles over three weeks and forced tens of thousands of people to evacuate.
- General Motors is temporarily stopping production at nearly all North American assembly plants. The move comes as the pandemic is affecting supply chains, including production of semiconductor chips overseas.
- And the US men's national soccer team was held to a nil nil draw against El Salvador on Thursday night and their start to a world cup qualifying. The team will next play Canada on Sunday in Nashville.
Taylor Wilson:
The death toll has risen to 46 in the Northeast. Ida, once a category four hurricane on the Gulf Coast slammed the region Thursday with heavy rains and flooding more than a thousand miles from where it initially made landfall in Louisiana on Sunday. And at least nine deaths were reported across Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama. The New York City tri-state area has gotten particularly slammed this week. New Jersey governor Phil Murphy confirmed 23 deaths in his state saying the majority were people who got caught in their vehicles by flooding. In New York City, at least 13 people died. Their streets turned to rivers and the subway system was so badly flooded that all service was suspended. Water damage across the city's five boroughs was severe and many residents were trapped at home as floodwaters quickly rushed in. Queens resident Mike Ferraro told the AP how he survived.
Mike Ferraro:
So we ended up trying to get out the front door and the water started coming in more. We try to shut it from the front, couldn't get out, we're going to keep it shut. So we came back inside and shut the door from there. At that point, we were just like, we're still trapped. Luckily, the bars in the back windows are off. So we hopped out the window, went upstairs to my house and at that point we were like, we have to try and move it again, move all the cars. By the time I came back, I couldn't get back onto this block. It was like already. When we came out to moving in, it was like maybe up to my chest. And after that, it was just a madhouse. When I came back onto the block, I was holding onto the top of the fence for dear life just to like actually come back here safely.
Taylor Wilson:
Regionally, there were also flood related deaths in Pennsylvania, Connecticut, and Maryland. And Amtrak's suspended old train service between Boston and Washington for Thursday morning. Some politicians are using this week's weather event as a rallying cry for action against climate change. That includes President Joe Biden.
Joe Biden:
Tens of thousands of people have been had to evacuate their homes. The fire is threatening close to 35,000 structures. Past few days of Hurricane Ida and the wildfires in the West and the unprecedented flash floods in New York and New Jersey is yet another reminder that these extreme storms and the climate crisis are here. We need to do we must better prepared. We need to act.
Taylor Wilson:
Scientists say climate change increases the frequency of extreme weather events. That includes hurricanes and also the droughts and heat waves that create wildfire conditions. US weather officials said July 2021 was the hottest month ever recorded in the country. And Ida was the fifth most powerful storm to hit the US when it made landfall on the Gulf Coast. More than a million homes and businesses are still without power in that region and president Joe Biden will visit New Orleans on Friday to survey the damage.
Taylor Wilson:
President Biden said Thursday he would launch a whole government effort to respond to the Supreme Court decision that failed to block a Texas abortion ban. The law is the country's strictest new abortion law, banning abortions when a fetal heartbeat is detected, usually at around six weeks. The law has no exceptions for rape or incest, but allows the procedure for medical emergencies. Abortion clinics in the state said they would honor the law now giving pregnant Texans few options. Since most don't know they are pregnant until they miss a period after four weeks, those with irregular periods might not know they're pregnant until it's illegal to have an abortion. President Biden said, he's looking to the Department of Health and Human Dervices and the Department of Justice to "see what steps the federal government can take to ensure that women in Texas have access to safe and legal abortions." But there are not many options at the federal level.
Taylor Wilson:
Abortion medications can be accessed remotely from telehealth providers in most states, but Texas and 18 other states require those meds be accessed only during in-person clinic visits. Anti-abortion groups on Thursday hailed the decision with the head of the National Right to Life saying it spares babies lives. But abortion rights advocates are slamming the law saying it especially impacts lower income communities. They've also criticized a part of the law that allows private citizens to sue providers or individuals who help carry out abortions after six weeks. The Texas law is part of a broader push by Republicans nationwide to impose new abortion restrictions. At least 12 other states have enacted bans early in pregnancy, but all have been blocked from going into effect. Separately, the Supreme Court is planning to tackle the issue again, later this fall. Justices will hear a case involving the state of Mississippi, which is asking to enforce an abortion ban after 15 weeks instead of the 22 or 24 weeks that many states restrict.
Taylor Wilson:
A former Georgia prosecutor has been indicted on misconduct charges. She allegedly used her position to shield the men who chased and killed the Ahmaud Arbery last year. A Georgia grand jury indicted former Brunswick Judicial Circuit District Attorney Jackie Johnson on charges of violating her oath of office and hindering a law enforcement officer. Arbery, a Black 25-year-old was killed after a white father and son Greg and Travis McMichael armed themselves and pursued him. They saw him running in their coastal Georgia neighborhood and said they believed he was a burglar.
Taylor Wilson:
Police did not charge any of them immediately after the shooting and they remained free for more than two months until the Georgia Bureau of Investigation took on the case. They, along with another neighbor, Roddie Bryan were then charged with murder in May of last year and will face trial this fall. Greg McMichael had worked as an investigator in Johnson's office and left her a cell phone message after the shooting. The indictment says Johnson showed favor toward him during the investigation and even interfered with police officers at the scene. Johnson said she did nothing wrong because she recused herself from the case and recommended an outside prosecutor who later found no charges were warranted. Johnson went on to lose reelection last year and blame the controversy over Arbery's death for her defeat.
Taylor Wilson:
Shang-Chi is here.
Trailer audio:
Straight out my life, the 10 rings gave our family power. If you want them to be yours one day, you have to show me you're strong enough to carry them.
Taylor Wilson:
Marvel's Long awaited 'Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings' hits theaters Friday. The film puts martial arts and Asian-inspired fantasy elements on display, all while being part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. It stars Simu Liu, who is also known for his work on the show Kim's Convenience. Shang-Chi follows him and his friend Katie played by Awkwafina who go from San Francisco hotel valets to global heroes. They work to prevent the latest plots created by his father who uses 10 ancient rings as the leader of a shadowy terrorist organization. Liu got the role after tweeting at Marvel to consider him. He told USA Today about his shoot your shot moment.
Simu Liu:
I had literally read an article that the movie had been fast tracked, and I had like 500 followers at that point. Like nobody was going to listen to me. I just tweeted it out into the ether because I love superhero movies and I always kind of dreamt of myself as a superhero in my wildest dreams. I don't know, people will tweet anything, right? So I it's great that I'm getting all the credit now retroactively for getting it right, but I'm sure there are thousands of tweets that if you go back far enough of me not getting it right or predicting the future totally incorrectly.
Taylor Wilson:
Liu as the franchise's first lead Asian superhero. The film marks the second of the Marvel Cinematic Universe's so-called phase four, following Black Widow earlier this summer.
Taylor Wilson:
Get ready for new music from Drake. He's dropping his sixth studio album Certified Lover Boy on Friday. Earlier this week, a day after his rival Kanye West delayed Donda, hit streaming, Drake announced his own album would follow. The past few days, he's promoted the album by buying up billboards in cities around the country, including some teases about who might feature on the record. In New York City, a billboard read "The goat is on CLB." While another in Texas said, "Hey Houston, the hometown hero is on CLB." New music Friday will also bring a remix of Lady Gaga's 2020 album Dawn of Chromatica. Guest artists on that include Charlie XCX, Rina Sawayama and Bree Runway.
Taylor Wilson:
Thanks for listening to 5 Things. You can find us wherever you're listening right now and then we ask for a rating and review, if you have a chance. Thanks as always to Shannon Green and Claire Thornton for their great work on the show. 5 Things is part of the Paste BN Network.