Yahoo Movies Trump takes the Fifth in NY deposition, gas prices dip below $4 per gallon: 5 Things podcast
On today's episode of the 5 Things podcast: Trump takes the Fifth in NY deposition
The move comes just days after federal authorities searched his Florida home. Justice Department correspondent Kevin Johnson reports. Plus, U.S. gas prices drop below $4 on average, health reporter Adrianna Rodriguez says the flu may come back strong this year, the Perseids meteor shower peaks and MLB returns to the Field of Dreams.
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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 11th of August, 2022. Today Trump pleads the Fifth in a deposition surrounding his organization's finances, plus gas prices drop below $4 a gallon, and more.
Here are some of the top headlines:
Eight Minnesota corrections officers have been awarded nearly $1.5 million in a settlement. The officers, all people of color, said they were barred from interacting with Derek Chauvin, the police officer who killed George Floyd, while Chauvin awaited trial.
More than a thousand firefighters continue to work today to contain a massive wildfire in southwestern France. Authorities said more than 26 square miles have burned since Tuesday.
And North Korean leader Kim Jong-un declared victory over COVID-19 yesterday. He also blamed South Korea for his country's outbreak.
♦
Former President Donald Trump yesterday took part in a deposition under oath as part of the New York Attorney General's investigation into the Trump Organization's finances.
Trump Supporter 1:
We love you.
Trump Supporter 2:
We love you Trump.
Taylor Wilson:
That also comes days after federal authorities searched his Florida home. Justice Department correspondent Kevin Johnson has more with producer PJ Elliot.
Kevin Johnson:
The former president was called for a deposition by the New York Attorney General Letitia James. This was a long delayed deposition that Trump was to give in the civil fraud investigation that James has been leading.
PJ Elliot:
So he pleaded the Fifth on Wednesday at the deposition, but what happens next for the case?
Kevin Johnson:
Well, that's a good question. Trump asserted his Fifth amendment privilege today, ironically he has criticized others who have done that in the past, but now the ball, I guess, is in the Attorney General's court. One of the reasons why Trump would've taken such an action is because the Manhattan District Attorney has been running a parallel criminal investigation into some of the same allegations that the Attorney General is investigating, so in order to protect himself in that criminal investigation, there has been a concern about providing testimony in the civil case that could possibly be used against him.
Taylor Wilson:
For more on what's next for Trump, stay with USATODAY.com.
♦
US gas prices have fallen below $4 a gallon for the first time in months. The average cost of a regular gallon of gasoline as of this morning is $3.99 according to AAA. That's still much more than where prices were last year at $3.18, but it's a major drop from when prices peaked above $5.00 In June. Since that peak the average price dropped at least one cent daily for 38 straight days at one point. A AAA spokesman told USA TODAY that three things have factored into dropping prices, the cost of oil, less demand for gas, and the Biden Administration's release of oil from the petroleum reserve. President Joe Biden last month put lots of blame on oil companies, while also pushing for a shift away from traditional petroleum.
Joe Biden:
In the days and weeks ahead, I'm going to keep doing what I can to bring down the price of gas at the pump, but the real answer is to get to a clean energy economy as soon as possible, turn this into something positive. That means cleaner renewable energy, more affordable electric vehicles, and clean energy manufactured here in the United States. That's how we'll protect the climate and create jobs.
Taylor Wilson:
As for whether prices will continue to drop, there's no clear answer. A number of factors are in play, including the price of oil, demand, the Russian invasion of Ukraine, inflation, and fears of a recession.
♦
After a two year hiatus, the flu might be back this season, and experts say it could be with a vengeance, while also starting earlier than normal. Health reporter Adrianna Rodriguez and PJ Elliott have more
Adrianna Rodriguez:
In the previous two years we reported almost no flu, right? There was almost no flu in circulation because we were in the COVID pandemic, and COVID predominantly took over everything, we were locked down with mitigation measures and wearing a mask and staying home from work and school, and what not. So there was really no chance for the flu to get around. This year, though, we are looking in the Southern Hemisphere, which has their season before the US does, which has its flu season before the US. And what we're seeing in the Southern Hemisphere right now is that there are a lot more cases, a surge in cases of influenza that we haven't seen in two years. It's basically looking like a regular flu season, even more flu cases than when we had seen in 2019 before the pandemic. And so what experts are thinking is that, what they're saying is that this may sound the alarm for what we might expect in the US in terms of flu. We might see flu come back this year, finally.
PJ Elliot:
So who do the experts think will be most affected by this year's flu season?
Adrianna Rodriguez:
Yeah, so usually in a normal flu season we follow a U-shaped curve of who's most susceptible to flu. So on one end of the spectrum it's usually those who are much younger - infants, babies, toddlers - they're more susceptible to the flu because their immune system hasn't really fully developed yet. Then on the other end of the spectrum we have those who are older than 75 and their immune system is tired out, and that's what makes them more susceptible to flu. And so that's who we usually see be more vulnerable to flu in a normal flu season, we'll say before the COVID pandemic. This year, however, in the Southern Hemisphere we're seeing more flu among school-aged children, particularly between five and nine, followed by older children and teens. And so the reason why experts say they might be seeing that more in the Southern Hemisphere, and why we might see that in the US, is because we don't have that natural immunity to influenza that we had in previous years through infection.
PJ Elliot:
So does that make it even more important to get a flu shot this year?
Adrianna Rodriguez:
Experts say that flu shot is very important this year. I mean, obviously in the past two years we had always warned about this twindemic, which never happened. But people were really good about getting their flu shot. This year they expect flu to be back in full force and say that getting the flu shot, because we don't have that innate natural immunity as we usually do in normal flu years, is especially important this year, especially knowing that we could also be expecting an uptick in COVID cases this year during the fall, as we had seen in previous years.
♦
It's time for the best meteor shower of the year, at least according to NASA. The Perseids will peak tonight, the shower happens every year when earth passes through the cloud of debris left by comet Swift-Tuttle. The meteors are actually tiny dust and particles from the tail of the comet as it orbits the sun. You don't need any special equipment to watch, but a full moon tonight, peaking at around 9:30 PM, could spoil some of the spectacle because of its bright light.
♦
Major League Baseball is coming back to the Field of Dreams. The Cincinnati Reds will play the Chicago Cubs tonight at a throwback ballpark in Dyersville, Iowa. The field is a short walk from the cornfield where Kevin Costner, Ray Liotta, and others filmed the 1989 baseball movie.
[Scene from "Field of Dreams"]
Ray Liotta as Shoeless Joe Jackson:
Well, what are you doing on the sidelines here? You came to play ball, didn't you?
Frank Whaley as Archie Graham:
Yes, sir.
Shoeless Joe Jackson:
All right, well go warm up.
Archie Graham:
Yes, sir.
Shoeless Joe Jackson:
Rookies.
James Earl Jones as Terence Mann:
Unbelievable.
Kevin Costner as Ray Kinsella:
It's more than that, it's perfect.
Taylor Wilson:
Tonight's game comes just a few months after Ray Liotta passed away at the age of 67. Each team tonight will wear special uniforms inspired by how the franchises looked in the early 20th century. It's the second time Major League Baseball has brought a game to the Iowa location. The Chicago White Sox beat the New York Yankees the first time out, but the game won't return next year with construction on a youth complex set to begin later this year. You can tune in tonight though at 7:00 PM Eastern time on Fox. And you can go back and watch Field of Dreams on Peacock.
And you can find 5 Things every day of the year right here, wherever you're listening right now. If you have a chance, please drop us a rating and review. Thanks to PJ Elliott for his great work on the show, and I'm back tomorrow with more of 5 Things from USA TODAY.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Trump pleads the 5th in NY, gas prices drop below $4: 5 Things podcast
