Yahoo Movies Gabby Petito funeral, Team USA wins Ryder Cup, Hurricane Sam strengthens: 5 Things podcast
On today's episode of the 5 Things podcast: The House will vote on the infrastructure bill while lawmakers are also scrambling to avoid a government shutdown. Plus, at least 3 people are dead after an Amtrak train derailment, Hurricane Sam keeps swirling powerfully in the Atlantic, Gabby Petito is laid to rest and Team USA wins the Ryder Cup.
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 27th of September 2021. Today, the House nears closer to an infrastructure vote. Plus, the latest from a deadly train derailment in Montana and more.
Taylor Wilson:
Here are some of the top headlines.
Germany's center-left Social Democrats have won the national election, narrowly beating out Chancellor Angela Merkel's center-right Union bloc, but they only got about a quarter of the vote and will now need to form a coalition government with other parties.
A magnitude 5.8 earthquake has hit the Greek island of Crete and at least one person was killed.
And there are five undefeated teams left in the NFL with a game to go in week three. The Cardinals, Rams, Panthers, Raiders, and Broncos are all still perfect.
Taylor Wilson:
The House will begin debate today on a $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill. The package is aimed at modernizing the country's transportation and public works systems. And it's been pushed by some lawmakers on the left to be tied into also passing a broader $3.5 trillion bill to fund President Joe Biden's domestic agenda. But some moderate Democrats convinced Speaker Nancy Pelosi to bring the infrastructure bill to a vote to avoid it become entangled up in the broader legislation. Still some lawmakers have said they won't vote on it until Congress advances that larger so-called reconciliation bill. Pelosi still thinks the $1.2 trillion bill will pass, but has delayed it until Thursday. The Senate already approved it on an overwhelming bipartisan vote. So House approval would send it to President Biden for his signature. The $1.2 trillion bill focuses on a wide range of infrastructure from roads and bridges to broadband internet and electric vehicles. Biden has pushed the legislation as something that will change America.
Joe Biden:
Now we're poised once again, and I mean this in a literal sense, to make the same kind of historic investments that have so often made possible, made it possible for America to build the future and allow us to outcompete the rest of the world. From building the Erie Canal in the early 1800s, a bipartisan effort, to Transcontinental Railroad, to construction that was constructed during the Civil War; to Dwight Eisenhower's Interstate Highway System in 1950s. The investments that literally connected our entire nation and fundamentally changed the pattern of life in America. To the public investments that took us to the Moon, and the discovery of lifesaving medicines and vaccines, and gave us the Internet. America has often had the greatest prosperity and made the most progress when we invest in America itself.
Taylor Wilson:
Biden and Democrats continue negotiations on the separate $3.5 trillion package, which would strengthen social safety nets and include climate programs among others, but Democrats Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema continue to demand a smaller price tag. Meanwhile, there's a looming possible government shutdown on October 1st, that's Friday, if Congress does not pass an appropriations bill this week.
Taylor Wilson:
A train derailed over the weekend in Montana, killing at least three people. The Amtrak Empire Builder departed Chicago and was on its way to Seattle when it derailed on Saturday near Joplin, Montana, a tiny town of about 200 people, less than a hundred miles from the Canada border. The train had 141 passengers with 17 crew members. And an Amtrak spokesperson said eight of the train's 10 cars went off the tracks. In addition to those killed, at least seven people were hospitalized. The crash came in a very rural area and local community members moved quickly to help survivors, including setting up a health center at a local school. The National Transportation Safety Board is now investigating the crash. One couple on board said the train trip was already a rough ride before the crash happened, but it's not clear exactly what they meant.
Taylor Wilson:
Hurricane Sam is now a powerful Category 4 storm and keeps rolling west through the Atlantic, but it's still not expected to make US landfall for now. AccuWeather Meteorologist Mark Mancuso has the latest on Sam and what comes next.
Mark Mancuso:
And we're still following Sam and Sam is a small hurricane, but it's intense. Hurricane force winds only extend 15 miles out from the center. Tropical storm force winds only 60 miles out from the center, but this is on its way to becoming a major hurricane. But the good news is it will be steered safely away from the Leeward Islands. But it should remain an intense hurricane next couple of days at the present time, but it's not a threat to the East Coast of the US. And as we head farther north, a very weak system here, Teresa, barely a tropical storm that should be fading away. And looking ahead, well, we're still keeping an eye on these waves coming out across the Atlantic, plenty of time to watch those, and across the North Central Atlantic, really not too concerned about any features here. And as we head into the month of October, the climatology shifts to the west, but we still have that secondary peak of tropical activity in the month of October or on October the 16th.
Taylor Wilson:
A dip in the jet stream would steer Sam away from the US, but if that stream dips further west, then there's still room for Sam to get close to the US by the weekend. That same scenario steered Superstorm Sandy into the East Coast nine years ago causing nearly 300 deaths.
Taylor Wilson:
Gabby Petito has been laid to rest. Friends and family said goodbye at a Long Island New York funeral yesterday remembering the 22-year-old whose body was found in Wyoming last week before a coroner initially called her death a homicide. Some like her cousin, Linda Letre, were struggling to make sense of the tragedy.
Linda Letre:
I can't imagine how a human can do something like this. I really, it's beyond belief to me.
Taylor Wilson:
It's not entirely clear what happened to Gabby. Something investigators are still trying to figure out. But what we do know is she went on a cross-country trip with her fiancé, Brian Laundrie. He then returned to Florida without her before also disappearing. The FBI issued a federal arrest warrant for him last week.
Taylor Wilson:
The United States are Ryder Cup champions. Team USA demolished Europe 19 to 9 in the match play tournament over the weekend. It's just the fourth time in the last 13 Ryders that the US has beaten the Europeans. The team needed just three and a half out of 12 points yesterday to clinch the win. And they got singles victories from Patrick Cantlay, Scottie Scheffler, and Bryson DeChambeau. Collin Morikawa then ultimately sank a clutch birdie putt at the 17th hole to earn a half point in his match that ended in a tie, allowing the Americans to clench with still seven matches to go. The US have now won two of the last three Ryder Cups after Europe won three in a row from 2010 to 2014.
Taylor Wilson:
Thanks for listening to 5 Things. You can find us wherever you're listening right now seven days a week. Thanks as always to Shannon Green and Claire Thornton for their great work on the show. And I'll be back tomorrow right here with another edition of 5 Things from the USA TODAY Network.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Gabby Petito laid to rest, Ryder Cup blowout, Hurricane Sam: 5 Things podcast
