Yahoo Movies Mixing and matching booster shots, infrastructure bill scaled back: 5 Things podcast
On today's episode of the 5 Things podcast: A report says the FDA may greenlight mixing and matching booster shots. A panel's decision could come this week. Plus, a general strike continues in Haiti calling for more security after the latest high profile kidnapping, negotiations continue in Congress on President Joe Biden's social spending, Netflix employees plan a walkout over Dave Chappelle's transphobic jokes and stargazers can catch a glimpse of the Orionids meteor shower.
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, Wednesday the 20th of October, 2021. Today, a possible greenlight for mixing and matching different COVID-19 vaccines, plus looking for answers in Haiti as Christian missionaries there remain kidnapped and more.
Taylor Wilson:
Here are some of the top headlines.
The gunman who killed 14 students and three staff members at a Parkland Florida high school in 2018 is expected to plead guilty to their murders today. Nicholas Cruz would next try to avoid the death penalty.
The world needs to cut by more than half its production of coal, oil, and gas over the next decade for any chance at keeping global warming from reaching dangerous levels. That's according to a study from the UN environment program out today.
And scientists have temporarily attached a pig's kidney to a human body and watched it begin to work. The move marks a major breakthrough toward one day using animal organs for life-saving transplants.
Taylor Wilson:
The Food and Drug Administration may as early as today, give a green light to administering COVID-19 booster shots using different vaccines from recipients original doses. That's according to a New York Times report and would fill requests from state health officials who have been looking for increased flexibility in giving vaccines. Last week, an expert panel that advises the FDA recommended booster shots for both the Johnson and Johnson and Moderna vaccines, and Pfizer boosters were authorized for certain people last month. As for mixing and matching vaccine shots, some studies have found benefits, but there's still not a uniform consensus about the practice yet.
Taylor Wilson:
Meanwhile, there's promising news about vaccine effectiveness among adolescents. The Pfizer vaccine is currently the only one authorized for people aged 12 to 18 and a new CDC analysis out yesterday found that from June 1st to September 30th, even as the Delta variant surged, the Pfizer shots were 93% effective at keeping that age group out of the hospital with COVID-19. At 19 pediatric hospitals in 16 states during that time, 97% of the adolescents hospitalized with COVID were unvaccinated. 43% were admitted into intensive care, and two of the 179 hospitalized died. Out of the six fully vaccinated youths who were hospitalized. None went to the ICU and none died.
Taylor Wilson:
The report may help boost the number of children aged five to 11 who get vaccinated once the vaccine is authorized for that age group in the next few weeks. Moderna has also requested authorization for its vaccine among adolescents, but has not yet received it, and Johnson and Johnson is still testing its vaccine on teenagers.
Taylor Wilson:
Strikes continue in Haiti against violence and lawlessness as a rise in kidnappings has slammed the country. The latest involves a US-based Christian missionary group, 17 people, including five children were kidnapped outside the capital of Port-au-Prince last weekend by the 700 Mawozo Gang. Haitian officials say that negotiations with the gang are ongoing and yesterday they demanded $17 million for the missionaries release, a $1 million price tag for each person. They're currently being held in a safe house and one of the kids is as young as eight months old. Both the FBI and U.S. Embassy continued to work with Haitian police and are in contact with the kidnappers, though the official US line appears to be that they don't negotiate with criminals of this kind. White House Press Secretary, Jen Psaki.
Jen Psaki:
That remains our policy, and I can't get into too many details operationally here because that has never been in the interest of bringing people home who are being held for ransom. What I can reiterate is that the FBI is a part of a coordinated US government effort to get the US citizens involved to safety, also that the US embassy in Port-au-Prince is coordinating with local authorities and providing assistance to the families to resolve the situation. I'd also note that we've had a travel advisory for Haiti, which is at a level four, conveying do not travel due to kidnapping, crime, civil unrest, and of course COVID-19. But kidnapping is widespread and victims regularly include US citizens. We know these groups target US citizens who they assume have the resources and finances to pay ransoms, even if that is not the case,
Taylor Wilson:
A general strike continues in Haiti this week, including parts organized by taxi drivers who say people increasingly stay home because of safety concerns further slamming what's already considered the poorest economy in the Western hemisphere.
Taylor Wilson:
Talks continue on Capitol Hill surrounding president Joe Biden's social spending bill. Biden says the price tag will now be between $1.9 and $2.2 trillion, a significant drop from his original $3.5 trillion proposal to try and lower more moderate Democrats. But Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal, Chair of the House Progressive Caucus, says that her wing of the party is also making progress in talks. She said there was a productive meeting yesterday between Biden and nine members of the left-leaning caucus for more than two hours, but there still may be stiff opposition in the Senate. Biden also met yesterday with moderate senators Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema who remain holdouts. Biden needs all 50 Senate Democrats on board but both those senators have balked at price tag numbers and Manchin says his limit is $1.5 trillion.
Taylor Wilson:
Biden in social safety net agenda looks to transform the economy with higher taxes on high income earners and corporations to pay for free community college, universal pre-kindergarten, subsidized childcare, national paid leave, and other priorities, including climate initiatives. As Biden and moderate Democrats continue to try and push the price tag down by cutting some of these programs, progressives are hoping to keep most of the package, but possibly shorten the length of spending instead of cutting programs altogether. House progressives have said they will not take up the $1 trillion Biden-led infrastructure bill that passed the Senate in August, unless this broader package advances.
Taylor Wilson:
Employees at Netflix are planning a virtual walkout today over comedian Dave Chappelle's recent stand-up special on the site. In the special called The Closer, Chappelle made transphobic comments and realigned himself with people who believe that one's sex at birth can not be changed. The content has made waves on social media with many offended by his rhetoric and others applauding the comedians attempt to push at boundaries. The company's co-CEO and Head of Content, Ted Sarandos, admitted this week that he screwed up his response to staff members who were in pain, but he stood by the special itself saying that Chappelle was making jokes and not hate speech. He added that he did not feel the content needed a disclaimer. Still some trans employees at the company have expressed concern that Chappelle's remarks can lead to violence against marginalized communities.
Taylor Wilson:
As for today's walkout, an organizer, Ashley Marie Preston, wrote that the goal is to "use this moment to shift the social ecology around what Netflix leadership deems ethical entertainment, while establishing policies and guidelines that protect employees and consumers alike." An in-person rally is also scheduled for outside Netflix's building on Sunset Boulevard in Los Angeles. Others participating in the walkout have said that pulling the special is not at issue, but instead they want a content warning in front of media that contains transphobia.
Taylor Wilson:
Well, star gazers who head outside tonight through dawn tomorrow will get to see the peak of the Orionids. The meteor shower is usually considered the best of the year. They happen when the earth passes through the debris of the famous Haley's Comet and meteorites themselves are parts of comets that leave a glowing trail as they burn up in the atmosphere. This year, the meteors have to compete with a full moon, so not all of them will be visible, but you should still be able to see a few. Some tips, you can use a lawn chair and blanket so you don't have to crane your neck, and plan to spend at least an hour outside.
Taylor Wilson:
Thanks for listening to 5 Things. You can find us wherever you're listening right now, including Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Thanks as always to Shannon Green and Claire Thornton for their great work on the show. 5 Things is part of the USA Today Network.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Booster shots, infrastructure bill, Netflix walkout: 5 Things podcast
