Workers seek more fulfilling jobs, historic partial lunar eclipse: 5 Things podcast
On today's episode of the 5 Things podcast: Workers seek more fulfilling jobs, better work-life balance amid COVID-19
Economic opportunity reporter Charisse Jones talks about the shift for a majority of the U.S. workforce. Plus, a man charged with murdering Ahmaud Arbery takes the stand, White House reporter Matt Brown reports on Rep. Paul Gosar's censure, 2 men are expected to be cleared in the assassination of Malcolm X and get ready for the longest partial lunar eclipse in nearly 600 years.
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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 Thursday, the 18th of November 2021.
Today, how many workers are changing how they look at work-life balance amid the pandemic. Plus a man charged in the murder of Ahmaud Arbery takes the stand and more.
Here are some of the top headlines.
- The jury in the Kyle Rittenhouse murder trial will deliberate for a third day today. His defense attorneys yesterday asked for a mistrial after prosecutors conceded they'd sent a lower quality copy of a potentially crucial video to the defense.
- The World Health Organization says that coronavirus deaths in Europe rose 5% last week. That makes it the only region in the world where COVID deaths increased.
- And rapper Young Dolph is dead, after being shot at a Memphis bakery. He was 36.
The COVID-19 pandemic has forced people around the world to reflect on how exactly they want to live their lives. That's especially true in the workplace. And a new poll finds that a majority of workers in the US have gone through a career awakening over the past year and a half. Economic opportunity reporter, Charisse Jones, explains.
Charisse Jones:
The pandemic has really caused a lot of workers to reevaluate their lives and the role that work plays in their life. And so, in that sense, many are wanting to maintain the boundaries that they had during the pandemic, during the heights of the pandemic, where they were able to carve out more time for their families. They're pursuing new jobs, new careers that kind of blend their passion with their skillset.
A lot of folks started side hustles during the pandemic because they lost their jobs and they needed income, or simply because they were at home, they were isolated and they needed something to do. And even though they're back to work or they're working outside the home again, they're maintaining those side hustles. And so, you're just really finding a lot of people who are reevaluating what they find fulfilling and trying to hold onto that, or create a new normal after going through this incredibly traumatic unprecedented period.
There was an interesting LinkedIn poll that found that six in 10 workers had what they call the "great career awakening." And that took many forms. It's wanting to finally pursue that promotion that they've been thinking about, but they never went after. It's redefining what success means to them. It's setting these boundaries in their lives so that they, when they're off work, they're really off work and they can focus on their families.
Taylor Wilson:
You can get more from Charisse on Twitter @CharisseJones.
One of the three men charged with murder in the death of Ahmaud Arbery took the stand yesterday. Travis McMichael, a white man, said he shot Arbery, a black man, in Brunswick, Georgia on February 23rd, 2020. His lawyers say he had probable cause to suspect Arbery was a burglar, and also said that Arbery was attacking him. That's despite video of him, his father Gregory, and another neighbor, Roddie Bryan, chasing Arbery down.
Travis McMichael:
I get to the front of the truck, and by the time I get to the front of the truck, he is at the front corner panel on the right hand side. And he turns and is on me, is on me. I mean, in a flash, I mean immediately on me.
Defense Attorney
What are you doing then?
Travis McMichael:
He grabs the shotgun and I believe I was struck on that first instance that we made contact.
Defense Attorney:
What were you thinking at that moment?
Travis McMichael:
I was thinking of my son. It sounds weird, but that was the first thing that hit me.
Defense Attorney:
What did you do?
Travis McMichael:
I shot him.
Taylor Wilson:
Travis McMichael was a witness for the defense and the prosecution opened its cross-examination by emphasizing that McMichael made assumptions based on incomplete information.
Meanwhile, neighbor Roddie Bryan's lawyer used yesterday's time in court to separate his client from the McMichaels, saying he did not intend to harm Arbery. It was Bryan's video chasing Arbery down that went viral months after the shooting, sparking arrests and protests for justice.
The House has voted to censure Congressman Paul Gosar for posting a violent video depicting attacks on President Joe Biden and Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.
Nancy Pelosi:
By its adoption of the House Resolution 789, the House has resolved that Representative Paul Gosar of Arizona be censured. That Representative Paul Gosar forthwith present himself in the well of the House for the pronouncement of censure. That Representative Paul Gosar be censured with the public reading of this resolution by the Speaker. And that Representative Paul Gosar be and is hereby removed from the Committee on Natural Resources and the Committee on Oversight and Reform.
Taylor Wilson:
That's House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. But what exactly does the censure mean? White House reporter, Matt Brown, is here to break it down.
Matt Brown:
So the video really outraged many Democrats who saw it as just absolutely beyond the pale for American politics, especially in an era where you're seeing increased calls for political violence, and in some cases, actual political violence. Republicans strenuously pushed back and said that Democrats were giving a double standard saying that there were many comments from Democratic lawmakers that hadn't gone as necessarily punished. This is the strongest punishment that the House can dole out short of expelling a member from the body altogether.
Gosar now loses his committee assignments, which means that he can't help craft legislation and is locked out of key hearings. For instance, he used to serve on the House Oversight Committee, which means that key parts of government oversight, he's no longer able to influence or oversee.
Democrats see Gosar's comments in the broader context of American politics. They're saying that it's not just about Gosar's particular video, but that in the broader situation that we're seeing in this country with hyper polarization and calls of dehumanization on both sides of the aisle, this sets an example and a precedent that it's okay to call for political violence against your political opponents. And Democrats don't see that as something that's acceptable in the halls of Congress.
Republicans are saying that one, Democrats are taking this entirely out of proportion, but that more importantly, this is going to set up its own type of precedent that the majority in Congress is able to strip a minority of their committee assignments, is able to say what behavior is and isn't acceptable. And they're promising - House minority leader, Kevin McCarthy said - that should they take back power in 2022 or thereafter, they are going to strip representatives - for instance, like Maxine Waters or Ilhan Omar or Hakeem Jeffries - of their committee assignments over comments that Republicans claim were inflammatory in their own way.
Taylor Wilson:
Gosar released an open letter apologizing to his colleagues for the video, but not to Congresswoman Ocasio-Cortez. He said his staff released the video and that nothing hateful was intended by the imagery.
Two of the three men convicted in the 1965 assassination of Malcolm X are expected to be cleared today, after more than half a century. Muhammad Aziz and the late Khalil Islam are set to have their convictions vacated. A third man convicted in the killing said he was one of the gunman, but that neither Aziz nor Islam were involved. Exonerations come after a 22-month investigation found that prosecutors, the FBI, and the New York police department withheld key evidence in the case, according to the New York Times. The Manhattan district attorney's office announced the joint investigation in February 2020 after a Netflix series explored the assassination called Who Killed Malcolm X? He was killed in Manhattan's Audubon Ballroom on February 21st, 1965 by gunmen who opened fire during a speaking engagement. He was 39.
The longest partial lunar eclipse of this century, and in 580 years, will be visible tonight. A lunar eclipse happens when the sun, earth and full moon form a near perfect lineup in space. NASA says this eclipse will last about three and a half hours, and if you're in the Eastern US, you can catch the eclipse a little after 2:00 a.m., reaching its maximum height around 4:00 in the morning. And out west, that means it starts at 11:00 p.m. Pacific time with a peak around 1:00 a.m. And unlike solar eclipses, you don't need any special glasses to see the partial lunar eclipse. Just wake up or stay up.
Thanks for listening to 5 Things. You can find us seven mornings a week, wherever you're listening right now. And if you're on Apple Podcast, we ask for a five star rating and review if you get a chance. Thanks to P.J. Elliott for his great work on the show. And I'm back tomorrow with more of 5 Things from Paste BN.