How activists are reigniting the voting rights fight, Super Bowl is set: 5 Things podcast
On today's episode of the 5 Things podcast: How activists are reigniting the voting rights fight
National correspondent Deborah Barfield Berry reports. Plus, recovery continues after severe snow storms on the East Coast, Des Moines Register chief politics reporter Brianne Pfannenstiel stops by to look ahead to the Iowa caucuses, a former Kansas resident is charged with joining the Islamic State and the Super Bowl matchup is set.
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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 Monday, the 31st of January 2022. Today, the voting rights fight continues. Plus, more from the aftermath of weekend snowstorms in the Northeast and more.
Here are some of the top headlines:
- The United Nations Security Council will meet today for the first time on Russia's troop buildup and threatening actions against Ukraine. Russia, Ukraine, and the United States are all expected to square off in public during the meetings.
- At least nine people are dead after a devastating car crash in Las Vegas. Young children are among those dead.
- And North Korea confirmed earlier today that it test launched a ballistic missile capable of reaching the US territory of Guam. It's the country's most significant weapon launch in years.
Civil rights activists are reigniting the fight to press Congress on voting rights legislation. That includes returning to the site where the late Congressman John Lewis led a historic march for voting rights more than 50 years ago. National Correspondent Deborah Barfield-Berry has more.
Deborah Barfield-Berry:
Well, for months, many of the civil rights veterans, voting rights activists and civil rights activists, have been on the ground doing everything from rallies and marches and hunger strikes and calling senators. And they still continue to do that. But what they're planning to do now, is kind of ramp it up a little bit and add a few other tactics and strategies. And some of them are actually looking at some of the places that were symbolic in the civil rights fight and the civil rights movement, and kind of revisiting those places, or using the anniversaries of some key moments to ramp up their effort, whether that be a rally or march.
One of the upcoming actions that activists are very excited about or very passionate about is going back to Selma. And that is where representing the late Congressman John Lewis and other activists were brutally beaten when they tried to cross the bridge on their march to Montgomery. Every year Congressman Lewis, and we've talked to him, meaning USA [TODAY], they have talked to him several times when he's made this pilgrimage. Would go back there because he wanted people to remember how important it was for them to remember what happened there and why it was important to march for voting rights. A few months later, the 1965 Voting Rights Act was signed into law.
Some of the voting rights activists are arguing that some of the laws that are being adopted, that have been adopted, and some of them there are even on the table now, could suppress voters. Particularly if we're looking at reducing early voting hours, especially when it comes to Sundays, when many black voters, or voters of color, tend to go vote after church. Souls to the polls, one strategy. Some are arguing that there are. some of the laws will reduce the number of ballots, dropp-in ballots, boxes in some communities, particularly communities of color. A lot of communities of color turned to that last year, especially in the pandemic, as one way to vote. So they argued that could also suppress some voters. Voter ID requirements. They've long argued that tighter restrictions on that disproportionately impact people of color. So those laws, and again, those provisions, those requirements, already in place in some places. And again, some legislatures literally have more on the books now.
Taylor Wilson:
You can find Deborah's full story, in today's episode description.
Crews will continue to work to clean up snow, up and down the east coast today, the region was slammed on Saturday by a nor'easter that brought blizzard conditions to many areas, especially Eastern New England. And hit particularly hard was Massachusetts where tens of thousands of homes were still without power yesterday and Boston tied its record for biggest single day snowfall with 23.6 inches, Dominic Torre is a snow dump truck driver who was out on the Boston streets over the weekend.
Dominic Torre:
We were overdue, I think we had... didn't have one of these blizzards for a long time, 2015, maybe. So they say, it's pretty heavy. Lot of snow, a lot of snow, lot of trips, a lot of snow loads, and it ain't over yet, it ain't done yet.
Taylor Wilson:
Farther south, parts of New York City saw more than a foot of snow. And at least three people are dead on Long Island after shoveling snow. All in all, the storms stretched from Maine to the Carolinas, and the cold went even farther. In Tallahassee, Florida the temperature dipped below 20 degrees for the first time in more than 10 years.
National Democrats are already taking aim at Iowa's caucuses, as discussions have begun over the 2024 calendar. Producer PJ Elliott spoke with Des Moines Register Chief Politics Reporter, Brianne Pfannenstiel as the DNC considers changes to the presidential nominating process.
Brianne Pfannenstiel:
Well, to kind of understand where we're at today, you have to flash back to what happened in February of 2020 when Iowa held democratic caucuses that year. If you remember, everything really kind of melted down that night after a ton of buildup. The Democratic party was unable to report out accurate results in a timely manner. The AP was never actually able to call a winner in this race, which is really kind of a meltdown of the whole process and of what this is designed to do, to produce a winner of the Iowa caucuses, so that they can move on in the nominating process.
And so after that happened, it really reignited calls to rethink the way that we nominate presidents in the way that states kind of go in the order, and whether caucuses are even a good idea. So fast forward to this meeting of the DNC this week, the DNC's Rules and Bylaws committee, which comes up with any changes or adjustments to the way that we move through the presidential nominating process. And Democrats really started to lay their cards on the table to say, "You know what, we don't necessarily think Iowa deserves this coveted status. We don't think caucuses necessarily should be allowed and maybe it's time to rethink entire process." And so that's really where we're at, as the beginning of these conversations.
PJ Elliott:
So what would be the alternative? If they to took away Iowa as the first caucus, what would be the backup plan for the Democrats?
Brianne Pfannenstiel:
That's a great question. And honestly, this is one of the things that has kept Iowa first for so long, is that nobody has a great replacement idea, right? There's no great alternative that solves all of these problems, because for all of the problems of Iowa, it still has some really great things going for it. It's a small state, it's a cheap media market. You don't need millions of dollars to come here and compete. It is a rural working class electorate, which Democrats do need to win over in a general election. And so they're kind of balancing all these ideas, but I think some of the things that we've heard floated, are maybe consolidating so that all four of the early carve out states, Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada, and South Carolina, all go on the same day, rather than giving Iowa all of the glory.
It might mean moving Iowa back into the pack and letting somebody like South Carolina go first, that has a more diverse electorate. It might mean stripping Iowa of its caucuses, switching it to a normal primary and allowing it to stay first or among the early states. So I think all of these things are kind of in the mix.
I'll add in that right now we're talking specifically about Democrats in Iowa, we're already seeing Republicans travel to the state ahead of the 2024 caucuses. Republicans do plan to move ahead with first in the nation caucuses, in 2024. So we're seeing people like Mike Pompeo, Tom Cotton, all of these people kind of starting to arrive in Iowa, already on the Republican side
Taylor Wilson:
For more check out desmoinesregister.com.
A former Kansas resident is due in court today after being charged with joining the Islamic State. 42-year-old Allison Fluke-Ekren is charged with leading an all female battalion of the IS and with providing material support to a terrorist organization. The criminal complaint was filed under seal in 2019, but it was made public over the weekend when she was brought back to the US to face charges. Prosecutors say Fluke-Ekren wanted to recruit operatives to attack a college campus in the US, and possibly a shopping mall.
Super Bowl 56, is set. And it's not exactly who everyone expected, in yesterday's AFC Championship Game, the new kids on the block, the Cincinnati Bengals led by second year quarterback, Joe Burrow, took down the Super Bowl champs of two years ago, the Kansas City Chiefs, 27 to 24 in overtime after trailing by 18 at one point. Then in the NFC Championship Game, the Los Angeles Rams came back from a 10 point deficit to beat the San Francisco 49ers, 20 to 17. USA Today Sports, Mackenzie Salmon has more on that game and an early look ahead to the Super Bowl, in two weeks time.
Mackenzie Salmon:
The NFC Belongs to the Los Angeles Rams. The Stafford deal was worth it. Odell was worth it. Von Miller was worth it. Who needs draft picks when you're hosting a Super Bowl, but truthfully it was Aaron Donald and Cooper Kupp, the two homegrown heroes, who made the key plays down the stretch. You can question Sean McVay's tactics, and you can poke fun at how it felt like a Niners home game, but you can't question this team's talent and ability to meet expectations. We often see so many dream teams fall apart, this one hasn't.
As for the Niners, this may be the end of the Jimmy G era. And if it is, he will be remembered as a quarterback who always folded in crunch time. Fair enough. Deebo is a transcendent talent, Kittle and Bosa are superstars. But the future of this team hangs in the balance of one question, is Trey Lance for real or not? And you won't know that until you throw them in the fire. San Fran's title window is either closing shut, or just opening, time will tell. After 282 games we have two teams left standing for Super Bowl 56, the Cincinnati Bengals versus the Los Angeles Rams, just like we all predicted, right? A team no one thought would be here versus a team that better be here. Cinderella versus Hollywood, Kupp and Odell versus Chase and Higgins. Matthew Stafford versus Joey B. Expect fireworks, expect points, and if this season has taught us anything, expect the unexpected.
Taylor Wilson:
The Rams will become the second team, after last years Tampa Bay Buccaneers, to play in the Super Bowl in their own stadium. The betting line has opened with the Rams as four point favorites. Kickoff is set for February 13th at 6:30 PM Eastern, 3:30 Pacific.
And you can find 5 Things seven mornings a week wherever you get your audio. Thanks so much to PJ Elliot for his great work on the show, and I'm back tomorrow with more of 5 Things from Paste BN,