On today’s episode of the 5 Things podcast: A committee that could start the impeachment of New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo meets today. Cuomo faces sexual harassment allegations from 11 women. Plus, R. Kelly has his first trial on sex trafficking charges, Americans weigh whether or not to get COVID-19 booster shots, scientists issue another dire warning about climate change and NASA is looking for paid volunteers to live like they’re on Mars.
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 9th of August, 2021. Today, the latest on New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, as he faces possible impeachment. Plus NASA is offering up a chance to live like you’re on Mars and more.
Taylor Wilson:
Here are some of the top headlines.
- Jane Withers has died. The child star in the 1930s found new popularity in the 60s as Josephine the Plumber in Comet Cleanser commercials. She was 95.
- The Taliban has taken another provincial capital in Afghanistan. The latest Sar-e Pul joins three other provincial capitals under full Taliban control and comes as part of a growing assassination campaign against senior Afghan government officials.
- And the US Coast Guard has offloaded its biggest amount of illegal drugs in history. The bust happened in Fort Lauderdale, Florida with cocaine and marijuana worth some $1.4 billion.
Taylor Wilson:
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo’s top aide has abruptly resigned. Melissa DeRosa stepped down on Sunday in the latest blow to Cuomo as he faces a sexual harassment scandal and possible impeachment. New York’s Assembly Judiciary Committee will meet Monday and may begin the impeachment process. Assembly Democrats along with President Joe Biden and other high profile politicians have pushed for Cuomo to resign, but the Governor has denied any wrongdoing and doesn’t appear set to do so. New York Assembly Members are confident they have the votes to impeach Cuomo if he does not step down. A 165-page report from New York Attorney General Letitia James found that Cuomo sexually harassed 11 women, including nine state employees. And a federal aid Cuomo, who said he groped her breast at the governor’s mansion, filed a criminal complaint against him last week. He may face misdemeanor charges. Albany County Sheriff Craig Apple.
Craig Apple:
Basically on Wednesday, August 4th at approximately 8:30 PM, I received a call from a local attorney. He indicated that he had a female client who wished to come forward and file an allegation of criminal conduct against the government. I can not get into the nature of her specific allegations at this time obviously. We’re in the very infant stages of this investigation. We have a lot of fact finding to do, we have interviews to conduct and it would be totally premature for me to comment on any of that. I can not release any documents at this time, as per agreement with our district attorney David Sores. She filed a formal report alleging criminal conduct against the Governor, the conduct was sexual in nature. The meeting at that point, commences the investigative process for the Albany County Sheriff’s office. The meeting was not lengthy, the meeting was more about explaining the process of the criminal justice system and what to expect going forth.
Taylor Wilson:
Cuomo and his legal team continue to push back on the allegations and few in the politics world have stuck their neck out for him at this point. As for whether or not he has any defenders left, New York state team editor for the USA TODAY Network John Campbell looks into it.
John Campbell:
To this point, we have seen hardly anyone come to Governor Cuomo’s defense. He does have a legion of online-based fans from his coronavirus briefings. They seem to remain behind the Governor, but in terms of public officials, advocates, labor unions, they are very quickly dropping from the side of Governor Cuomo. And there was a poll this morning from Marist College that found that more than 50% of New Yorkers want him to resign. Andrew Cuomo released a 14 minute video address.
Andrew Cuomo:
I never touched anyone inappropriately.
John Campbell:
His attorney released an 85-page paper in response though, much of that are just photos of politicians kissing women on the cheek. He flatly denied some claims and claimed he was misinterpreted in others, but it rubbed a lot of victim’s advocates the wrong way. It may have backfired on him quite frankly. He has not taken questions from the press since this came out.
Taylor Wilson:
For all the latest, stay with usatoday.com or democratandchronicle.com, part of the USA TODAY Network.
Taylor Wilson:
R. Kelly faces his first trial Monday on sex trafficking charges. The R&B star has been locked up since 2019 waiting on 4 different trials. Charges in New York include child pornography, kidnapping, obstruction of justice, sex trafficking, and racketeering for purposes of sexual exploitation of children. Prosecutors say Kelly led a criminal ring of managers, body guards, and other employees who allegedly helped him recruit underaged girls for sex and porn, and had them cross state lines. R. Kelly has pleaded not guilty to all the charges against him. This first trial is taking place in a Brooklyn federal court and opening arguments are set for August 18th.
Taylor Wilson:
Canada is opening its land border back up to Americans with a catch. On Monday, US travelers can drive to see neighbors to the north for non-essential travel if they’re vaccinated. Though, even with the vaccine card, you’ll also need to show a negative COVID-19 test. Some things to know if you’re planning a trip soon. Book reservations as soon as possible with possible staff shortages, supply chain issues and high demand. And Canada’s government continues to suggest mask wearing in shared spaces while some provinces, including Ontario and Quebec are enforcing mask mandates.
Taylor Wilson:
Meanwhile, stateside, there are growing concerns about unvaccinated kids going back to school this fall, which is happening in some parts of the country as early as this week. Pediatric hospitals are also filling up in some areas. Tennessee’s Department of Health says its children’s hospitals will be completely full by the end of the week, and that children and teenagers with the virus are increasingly being hospitalized. Children’s doctors in Austin, Texas say kids with symptomatic COVID are coming in with more serious symptoms than before. And a Jacksonville Florida hospital admitted four times as many children in July as in June.
Taylor Wilson:
But vaccinations are on the rise nationwide. The current 7-day rolling average of new vaccinations as of Sunday was the highest since June 18th. 71% of American adults are now at least partially vaccinated and 58.7% of the country as a whole with 50.1% fully vaccinated. Some already vaccinated Americans are concerned about the Delta variant and getting extra booster shots. The guidance on that has been mixed from health officials and doctors, but the WHO is discouraging it arguing that more doses need to be used to help unvaccinated people get their first shots. That’s not stopping people like Gina Welch who got a third shot.
Gina Welch:
I am fully vaccinated, I have had three doses of the vaccine. I’ve been fully vaccinated for a few months now. Really boiled down to the fact that I have liver disease, I have asthma, so I have co-morbidities. I feel good, but I don’t like that I had to go in and kind of lie to get it. It made me feel uncomfortable about it, but I feel more protected.
Taylor Wilson:
As for the experts, UCLA Epidemiology Professor Dr. Timothy Brewer and Transplant Surgeon Dr. Dorry Segev disagreed in speaking with the AP.
Dr. Timothy Brewer:
It makes much more sense to try to get those vaccines to populations that haven’t been vaccinated yet.
Dr. Dorry Segev:
I think banning boosters is a mistake because it also fails to understand and acknowledge that there is medical nuance here. This is a depends dramatically on the person’s risk.
Taylor Wilson:
There’ll be more twists and turns to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. Stay with 5 Things, or the live COVID updates page on usatoday.com.
Taylor Wilson:
Code red for humanity. That’s how hundreds of top scientists described the dangers of human-caused climate change in a new report out Monday. It comes from the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. According to the report, many of the changes currently happening to the planet’s climate are unprecedented in up to hundreds of thousands of years. And some changes are already set in motion. That includes sea level rise, that now can not be reversed even with drastic actions for hundreds, if not thousands of years. And wild weather events like storms and heat waves are expected to continue and get worse and be more frequent.
Taylor Wilson:
The report outlines what many already know. That carbon dioxide is the main driver of climate change though so are other greenhouse gases and it calls for full elimination of all greenhouse gas emissions. Some 200 countries have signed up to the Paris Climate Accord, aiming to keep global warming to two degrees celsius by the end of the century. But the report projects that even if countries are able to meet that goal, heat extremes would more often reach critical tolerance thresholds for both agriculture and health. The report comes as wildfires ravage Europe and the American West this summer. That includes California’s Dixie Fire, which has destroyed more than 400 homes and structures.
Taylor Wilson:
Well, you might have a chance to kind of live on Mars. NASA is looking for four people to live in conditions similar to the red planet for a year. The space agency wants to conduct three of the experiments. The first will begin in the fall of 2022, followed by ’24 and ’25. Paid volunteers will be given tasks like simulated space walks, the use of virtual reality and scientific research. But careful what you wish for because volunteers will only have limited communication to the outside world and limited resources. Grace Douglas, the lead scientist for NASA’s advanced food technology research said, “The analog is critical for testing solutions to meet the complex needs of living on the Martian surface. Simulations on Earth will help us understand and counter the physical and mental challenges astronauts will face before they go.” The application opened up on Friday and will be available until September 17th, but not everyone can apply. You must have a master’s degree in a STEM field like sciences or engineering and be between the age of 30 and 55 among other requirements. Head to nasa.gov for more info.
Taylor Wilson:
And you can find 5 Things on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, or wherever you get your audio. And as always, we ask for a rating and review if you have a chance. 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.
