Guilty verdict in Atatiana Jefferson death, 'Avatar' sequel hits theaters: 5 Things podcast
On today's episode of the 5 Things podcast: Former Texas officer guilty of manslaughter in Atatiana Jefferson's death
A former Forth Worth police officer shot Atatiana Jefferson through a window in her home in 2019. Plus, Paste BN Health Reporter Adrianna Rodriguez has some tips for staying healthy for the holidays, more documents related to JFK's assassination have been released, Washington Post editor and author Amy Argetsinger looks at the decline of the Miss America pageant, and "Avatar: The Way of Water" hits theaters.
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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 Friday, the 16th of December 2022. Today, an officer has been found guilty in the shooting death of Atatiana Jefferson. Plus, how to stay healthy this holiday season, and we look at the decline of the Miss America Pageant.
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A former Texas police officer has been found guilty of manslaughter in the fatal shooting of 28-year-old Atatiana Jefferson in 2019. White former officer Aaron Dean, shot Jefferson, who was Black, through a window in her home while responding to a non-emergency call. She was playing video games with her nephew, who testified that she grabbed a gun after hearing noises outside. The jury deliberated for 13 hours, after six days of testimony and arguments centered on whether Dean saw that Jefferson was armed before he shot her. Dean was charged with murder, but the judge told the jury, which reportedly had no Black jurors, that they could also consider a charge of manslaughter. Dean faces up to 20 years in prison and is scheduled for sentencing later today.
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The holidays are nearly here, meaning time with friends and family and maybe some travel. But with all kinds of contagious illnesses spreading around right now, how do you keep yourself healthy so you don't miss out on time with loved ones? Producer Shannon Rae Green, and Health Reporter Adrianna Rodriguez discuss.
Shannon Rae Green:
I'm joined in the studio by Paste BN Health Reporter Adrianna Rodriguez. Thanks so much for being here.
Adrianna Rodriguez:
Thanks so much for having me.
Shannon Rae Green:
Well, I will tell you that last year I had a not great Christmas.
Adrianna Rodriguez:
Oh, no.
Shannon Rae Green:
I wasn't able to see family because someone was sick. So I hope you can tell me what you're hearing from health experts about what I can do this year to avoid being worried about someone being sick, and avoid sickening other people that I care about. How do we stay safe this holiday when it comes to parties, when it comes to other gatherings?
Adrianna Rodriguez:
Totally. Well, to be fair, and if it makes you feel any better, you were not alone last year. There was a lot of people in that same situation and a lot of people with the same questions this year. The difference from this year and last year though, is that most people have some sort of prior immunity from COVID-19, whether it was a previous infection or whether it's from the vaccine, multiple vaccines, boosters and whatnot. So that's the biggest difference this year versus last year, that health experts say is what's benefiting us this year against COVID.
What is not though, is now this emergence of flu, RSV, colds, that we really didn't see last year or the year before, because we had been stunting that transmission with staying at home and with not going to family gatherings. And so that's also what's a concern this year.
So safety with family gatherings. I know last year we sort of focused a lot on transmission, we focused a lot on numbers. We focused a lot on local health departments, looking at hospitalizations and looking at cases, looking at percent positivity rates. But now with the emergence of home testing, health experts say that's not that reliable anymore. Looking at your local community or looking at whatever community you're going to, those percent positivity rates or those cases aren't going to be as reliable as before because a lot of people are testing at home and not reporting their results.
Right now, they're saying to really focus on mitigation measures that will reduce the risk of transmission, which we've been learning about this entire time during the pandemic. It's your masking, it's your hand-washing, it's your testing. It's making sure you know that you're protecting those who are vulnerable to the severe disease, whether it's the elderly or those who are immunocompromised.
Shannon Rae Green:
Should people who are vulnerable, whether they're younger or older, or whether they have medicine that compromises their immune system that they take, should they spend less time with others this holiday season? What do you think?
Adrianna Rodriguez:
What health experts will not tell me is whether you should stay home or not, unless you are sick. That's like the basic. If you are symptomatic and you're sick, please stay home. Do not infect others. But it's really hard to tell somebody, especially when it's been two years of not being able to see your loved ones, of being able to see the little ones, of grandma and grandpas being able to meet those little ones at some point. It's hard for them to say, "Sorry, you can't come," or "We can't go over there anymore." And so what health experts saying is it's all about mitigating risk. It's if you are willing to take that risk and you feel that it is important to take on that risk to be able to see your loved ones, you can do so and try to do so as safely as possible.
And what that can do, Grandma and Grandpa can wear a mask while they're with them. One way mask use is still protective, wear a mask when you're traveling because there's a lot of people from different households that are going to be in that car. Also, maybe opt for a smaller gathering so it's less households in that one gathering. So instead of having five different households, maybe you'll have three different households in that gathering. And then the most important, which should have been said at the top of this, is get vaccinated. And a lot of people actually are not getting that bivalent booster right now. One, honestly, is because they don't know if they're eligible for it. They don't know that they can go and get it.
Shannon Rae Green:
Adrianna Rodriguez, Paste BN Health Reporter, thank you so much for being on the show today.
Adrianna Rodriguez:
Thank you.
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Taylor Wilson:
President Joe Biden yesterday released once-classified files on JFK's assassination. The National Archives released nearly 13,000 documents this week on top of more than a thousand already released a year ago. For decades, conspiracy theories have surrounded former President John F. Kennedy's death, but new files could bring some clarity.
Politico reports that the main focus of yesterday's document drop is on the CIA's personality file for Lee Harvey Oswald, the man who assassinated Kennedy. It includes information on a trip Oswald made to Mexico. Politico writes that several of the newly declassified documents will refer to activities by undercover CIA operatives in the agency's Mexico City station, who led an aggressive surveillance operation against Oswald when he visited Mexico in September of 1963. Kennedy was killed later that fall in November.
Previously released files show that Oswald made contact in Mexico with Soviet and Cuban spies. Those documents suggested that the CIA mishandled evidence that could have saved Kennedy's life. White House officials have indicated that no conspiracy theories, like a different gunman or a broader conspiracy to kill Kennedy, were released this week. President Joe Biden, though, has ordered a review of the remaining redacted records. Hundreds of documents are still being withheld by the archives.
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Last night, Miss Wisconsin was crowned Miss America, but if you missed it, you aren't the only one, because it wasn't televised. It was only available through an online stream. Producer PJ Elliott spoke to Amy Argetsinger, author of the book There She Was, the Secret History of Miss America, to find out more on the decline of the pageant that once captivated the American television audience.
PJ Elliott:
Amy, thank you so much for joining the podcast.
Amy Argetsinger:
Absolutely.
PJ Elliott:
So this is the 101st Miss America Pageant. I want to talk a little bit about how the event has changed over the years.
Amy Argetsinger:
Well, I mean it started off very inauspiciously. It was just a little publicity stunt, to try to get people in 1921 to come to Atlantic City and keep the summer season going a little bit past Labor Day. And it took off in a big way. It became a runaway hit and it became even bigger when it landed on television in 1954. And for a couple of decades, it was literally one of the biggest shows on TV. It was the Super Bowl, the Academy Awards and Miss America. Some people like to say it was the first reality TV show.
But now it's been through a lot of challenges. The rise of the women's movement really posed a big challenge to the organization. Fifty years ago, they started to ask for the first time, "Is this good for women or are we objectifying women? What are we doing here?" A huge debate erupted over the swimsuit competition, which was one of the biggest draws for the public, but really became very controversial and unsustainable.
It all kind of came to a head though, about five years ago when there was a big leadership upheaval. A decision was made to get rid of the swimsuit competition, led to a huge feud breaking out within the Miss America community and it never really recovered.
PJ Elliott:
You talked about TV there, and this is the first year that it's going to be streamed. What does that say about how we view the pageant now?
Amy Argetsinger:
It says that people have lost interest. It used to be on TV because people wanted to watch it. You had TV networks and sponsors, big corporate sponsors, vying for the right to air Miss America, to have their advertisements with it. It was able to actually deliver on the promise of providing scholarships for its winners. That's all dried up now.
I mean, in some ways it's amazing that it lasted as long as it did. I mean, how often does any TV show last for 10 years even? And this had a good long run on television for more than 60 years. But at the end of the day, Miss America faced too much competition from other shows. It was a big hit in the three channel era.
I really sort of marked the decline, in terms of public interest in it, to around 20 years ago, when you had things like "American Idol," "The Bachelor," shows that in some ways were... they had longer story arcs. "Survivor," viewers could get invested over several months in one contestant or another. There were million dollar prizes at stake. Miss America kind of inspired those shows, but it couldn't keep up in the end.
PJ Elliott:
Winning the pageant carried this stigma in years past and also came with some financial benefits. What about now? Are these contestants getting anything this year?
Amy Argetsinger:
Well, I think that remains to be seen. There's still the promise of a $50,000 scholarship for the winner and smaller scholarships for the runners-up. You keep hearing rumblings though, out of this community though, that some of the women, who have won state scholarships or national scholarships, are having a hard time collecting them. And whether that speaks to the disorganization of this group or a shortfall of money, I have to think money is an issue.
You don't have networks paying millions of dollars for the rights to air this. You don't have Campbell's Soup and Gillette and Oldsmobile signing up to sponsor it. So it always promised to be the largest scholarship provider for women, but at the end of the day, the money isn't coming in.
PJ Elliott:
Amy, it was a pleasure to have you on. I really appreciate your time.
Amy Argetsinger:
My pleasure. Thank you so much.
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Taylor Wilson:
It's been 13 years since "Avatar" wowed audiences with its special effects and became the highest grossing film of all time. Now, its sequel is finally here.
"Avatar: The Way of Water" trailer:
I'm a warrior like you, I'm supposed to fight.
Protect the people.
Taylor Wilson:
"Avatar: The Way of Water," hits theaters today. And while Sigourney Weaver and other cast members are back from the first movie, Kate Winslet makes her debut in the franchise, and a reunion with director James Cameron, who she worked with on "Titanic." Paste BN Entertainment Reporter Patrick Ryan caught up with Kate about working with James again, holding her breath underwater and more.
Patrick Ryan:
You and James Cameron had been trying to figure out a way to work together again after Titanic. So when he first reached out to you about "Avatar," were you immediately on board or were you just like, why are you thinking of me for this?
Kate Winslet:
I was immediately on board, and actually in a funny way, I could understand why he was thinking of me for this. Because over the years, obviously I've changed a lot, he's changed a lot, but also I'm a mother now and he knows who I am as a parent as well as an actor. And he certainly has always known how far I can be pushed and the challenges that I'm happy to meet and also the determination that I have.
It sort of made sense to me why he would consider that I might be interested in Ronal. Because that's who she is, a mother, a leader living with integrity and truth, and also physically very robust and resilient, because "Avatar" is Jim, it's all those incredible actors and this wonderful world they created 13 years ago.
Patrick Ryan:
So I mean, I know you've spoken at length about holding your breath underwater. Have you heard at all from Tom Cruise about breaking his record or what would you say to him about that?
Kate Winslet:
I haven't heard from Tom, poor Tom. I mean, I don't know Tom at all, I've never met him in my life, but I'm sure he's getting very fed up of hearing this story of how I broke his record. Yeah, I loved it though. I mean, I loved breath holding, I loved learning how to do it. I was amazed at how good I was at it.
Patrick Ryan:
And I mean, why do you think it's necessary to actually do all that training and shoot these long sequences underwater? Because with modern visual effects, it seems like something, it might be very easy to cheat, but do you think audiences will see the difference and just how much more realistic that these look?
Kate Winslet:
The reason that you can't avoid the water element is because the body moves completely differently underwater. Hair, for example, hair comes in your face if you have long hair, and the way in which you move your hair out of the way underwater, Jim said that was the one thing that was completely impossible for the technicians to create, with nothing to go on, with no form of reference.
Taylor Wilson:
The sequel is part of plans for five "Avatar" movies in all. You can find more "Avatar" coverage in the entertainment section on USATODAY.com.
And a heads-up, every household in America is eligible for free at-home COVID-19 tests this winter. To order, just head to COVID.gov.
And you can find new episodes of 5 Things every morning, wherever you get your audio. If you have a chance, we ask for a 5-star rating and review. And I'll be back tomorrow with more of 5 Things from Paste BN.