Grassroots campaign to vaccinate children of color, college hoops begins: 5 Things podcast
On today's episode of the 5 Things podcast: Grassroots campaign ramps up to vaccinate children of color
Experts say equity is the key to getting everyone vaccinated. Plus, the Supreme Court hears arguments surrounding religious rights for death row inmates, new car prices are skyrocketing, the police officer who killed Breonna Taylor wants his job back and the march to March Madness begins.
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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 Tuesday, the 9th of November 2021. Today, the Grassroots Campaign to vaccinate children of color against COVID-19. Plus, the Supreme Court hears arguments for religious rights of death row inmates, and more.
Here are some of the top headlines.
- The House Committee investigating the January 6th insurrection has subpoenaed former President Donald Trump lawyer, John Eastman. He previously sent a memo to then Vice President Mike Pence about how to challenge the results of the 2020 election. The committee also subpoenaed five other Trump advisors this week.
- More than 20 children have been killed after a fire swept through a school in Niger. It's the latest school fire in the West African country after 20 kids were killed at an elementary school in April.
- And a team of astronauts safely splashed down off the coast of Florida yesterday ending a nearly 200-day SpaceX flight.
A COVID-19 vaccine is now available for kids as young as five years of age. And with a new population group opened up community leaders, clinicians and officials are faced with a new challenge, ramping up grassroots efforts to make sure children of color have equal access to the shot. Health and Equities Reporter, Nada Hassanein, has more.
Nada Hassanein:
Various groups across the nation are using really grassroots efforts to make sure that children of color get vaccinated. Pediatricians and other experts have said before that children of color will face certain barriers as their parents did to getting the shots. I've spoken with various different groups. They're using flyers to send home with kids through schools so that parents can ask any questions about any concerns that they have regarding the shot. And they're also doing after-hours vaccine events so that working parents can take their kids if they wish to be present. And also a lot of school-based clinics are taking the lead as well, especially those that are in schools in underserved neighborhoods. Mobile units are also being used to reach kids. And this all just started, right, these younger children being eligible to get the shot. And so some groups are recycling similar efforts that they used to reach adults of color and other underserved people, but there's also a lot of learning that's happening as well.
Taylor Wilson:
You can read Nada's full story by subscribing to USA Today. Check out a link in today's episode description to sign up for as low as $4.99 a month.
The Supreme Court will hear arguments today in a case surrounding religious rights for death row inmates. John Ramirez was convicted of a 2004 murder in Texas and sued state officials over a policy that prohibits his pastor from placing his hands on him and praying aloud during his execution. The case falls in the middle of the High Court's push to expand protection for religious exercise while also being reluctant to stop executions in response to last minute appeals. But the court did put a stop to Ramirez's scheduled execution in September. The justice's decision could impact whether other death row inmates are entitled to a spiritual advisor who can both pray audibly and make physical contact at the moment they are executed.
Consumers in the market for new cars are seeing prices skyrocket, often even well above the sticker price. Auto Reporter, Jamie LaReau tells us why.
Jamie LaReau:
Right now there's a massive shortage of both new and used cars and is creating quite a problem for dealers getting new inventory in and for car buyers in terms of selection and having to wait. And it's also leading now to higher prices. We're seeing a lot of dealers tacking on what they're calling a market adjustment fee. What that means is because they have fewer cars to sell, they're not getting the volume of sale and profits that they used to get. So they're now tacking on big numbers on top of MSRP as almost a surcharge to car buyers. And they can range from a few hundred bucks, if it's a vehicle that's maybe not in high demand and they're able to get decent supply, to some $20,000, $30,000 for some. Big-time vehicles like Corvettes, Escalades, Ford Bronco Sport, the ones that are really popular and in big demand are commanding higher surcharges. Now those are supposedly negotiable. Consumers can try to negotiate those down, but at the end of the day, if you're looking to buy a car right now, you're probably not going to get it for less than sticker price. You're probably going to pay more.
Taylor Wilson:
You can read more of Jamie's work, including this full story over at the Detroit Free Press or on usatoday.com.
The cop who shot and killed Breonna Taylor wants his job back. The Louisville Metro Police Merit Board will hear the case today of former detective, Myles Cosgrove. He previously lost his job for failing to properly identify a target when he shot 16 rounds into Taylor's apartment while serving a search warrant in March of last year. Three officers fired a total of 32 rounds during the encounter. And Taylor was shot six times while unarmed inside her home. The FBI concluded that Cosgrove fired the fatal shot.
Just before 1:00 AM on March 13th, 2020, officers used a battering ram to break open Taylor's front door. Her boyfriend, Kenneth Walker, then fired one shot from his legally-owned handgun, striking an officer. Walker has said he did not know that it was police who broke into the home. No one has been criminally charged for Breonna Taylor's death.
The march to March Madness begins tonight. Men's college basketball returns with 22 of the top 25 teams in the coach's poll taking the floor and all top five teams. The marquee matchup though is number nine Duke against number 11 Kentucky in the Champions Classic at Madison Square Garden at 9:30 PM Eastern. For Duke, it's the final season opener for Head Coach Mike Krzyzewski, the winningest college basketball coach of all time. He'll retire at the end of the season. And for Kentucky, the classic blue blood program had one of its worst seasons ever last year, going nine and 16 and missing out on the NCAA tournament. As for what else to look forward to this season, USA Today Sport's Scott Gleeson runs through the preseason Ferris Mowers coaches poll.
Scott Gleeson:
The 2021 and '22 men's college basketball season is here. And when we're looking at the men's college basketball poll, the preseason 25 is set. One of the first things you're going to want to take a look at is how the Big 10 is going to be stacked this year. You've got five teams inside the preseason top 25 for the coaches poll, including three in the top 10. We're going to start with Ohio State and then we've got Maryland. And then on top of that, you got three teams in the top 10. You got Illinois. And then the two kingpins, it's going to be Michigan and then you've also got Purdue. Those two teams are going to vying it out for the Big Ten Championship, and the Big 10 is going to be stacked this year.
One key storyline to keep an eye on this upcoming season is the transfer portal and how much it is going to change this sport for forever. One team that has absolutely been a beneficiary of this is Texas. The Longhorns are off to a new era under coach Chris Beard, and he hauled in three of the top four transfers, meaning that the Longhorns are going to be in it for the Big 12 title, as well as a Final Four threat all throughout the season.
After coming, oh-so-close to cutting down the nets last April from the National Championship, losing to Baylor, the Gonzaga Bulldogs are starting off the preseason in the 2021 and '22 season as the number one team and rightfully so. Coach Mark Few has reloaded, and he also has some key returnees. It starts with Drew Timme, the big man who is an all-American and he comes back ready and hungry to win a National Championship for Coach Mark Few. Then you also have that incoming talent with the top-tier freshman. That starts with Chet Holmgren. He is just an absolutely versatile-type specimen. He can go out there and dunk on you. He can also shoot the three. So Gonzaga is loaded, once again, and that's why they're the preseason number one in the coaches poll.
Taylor Wilson:
For more throughout the college hoops season, head to usatoday.com/sports. And thanks for listening to 5 Things. As always, you can find us wherever you're listening right now, seven mornings a week. Thanks to PJ Elliott for his great work on the show. And I'm back with more of 5 Things tomorrow from USA Today.