Taliban announces 'amnesty,' booster shots coming for all Americans: 5 Things podcast
On today's 5 Things podcast episode: Taliban announces 'amnesty' and is also urging women to join the government. Plus, booster shots are coming for all Americans, three storms swirl in the Atlantic Basin, Bob Dylan has been accused of sexually abusing a minor and there's a nationwide recall for frozen shrimp.
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 17th of August, 2021. Today, the latest from Afghanistan as the Taliban takes control. Plus booster shots are coming for all Americans and more.
Taylor Wilson:
Here are some of the top headlines.
- The death toll has risen to more than 1,400 after a weekend earthquake in Haiti. There are also around 6,000 people injured and hospitals are already swarmed during surging Coronavirus infections.
- A Utah Reptile Center employee is recovering after an alligator pulled her into its enclosure during a presentation. A fast acting visitor jumped inside and helped free her from its jaws.
- And the Las Vegas Raiders are the first NFL team to announce they will require fans to show proof of COVID-19 vaccination this fall to attend games. No masks will be required.
Taylor Wilson:
President Joe Biden said Monday that he stands behind his decision to pull US troops out of Afghanistan. Biden's comments came a day after the Taliban took over the capital of Kabul effectively taking over the country as President Ashraf Ghani fled. Biden's speech was a combination of taking responsibility and deflecting to others.
President Joe Biden:
When I came into office, I inherited a deal that President Trump negotiated with the Taliban. Under his agreement, US forces would be out of Afghanistan by May 1, 2021, just a little over 3 months after I took office. The choice I had to make as your President was either to follow through on that agreement or be prepared to go back to fighting the Taliban in the middle of the spring fighting season. I stand squarely behind my decision. After 20 years, I've learned the hard way that there was never a good time to withdraw US forces. This did unfold more quickly than we had anticipated. So what's happened?
President Joe Biden:
Afghanistan political leaders gave up and fled the country. The Afghan military collapsed sometime without trying to fight. The Afghan military collapsed sometime without trying to fight. I'm now the fourth American President to preside over war in Afghanistan, two Democrats and two Republicans. I will not pass this responsibly onto a fifth president. I will not mislead the American people by claiming that just a little more time in Afghanistan will make all the difference. Nor will I shrink from my share of responsibility for where we are today and how we must move forward from here. I am President of the United States of America and the buck stops with me.
Taylor Wilson:
The US still has a presence in the country, but has essentially been reduced to the Kabul Airport, where they are controlling Afghan airspace before their exit at the end of the month. There were horrifying scenes at the airport a day ago, as thousands of Afghanis broke through barriers and rushed the tarmac, even as planes were landing and deporting, ferrying out remaining diplomats, troops, and other workers from around the world. Several people even clung to the outside of a military plane as it took off. Horrifying videos circulating on social media, showed them fall to their deaths as the plane gained altitude. American military officials told the Associated Press that at least seven people were killed in all during the airport chaos and US troops killed at least two of them. Pentagon Spokesman John Kirby said they were carrying weapons though it's not clear if they attempted to use them against the US military.
Taylor Wilson:
The runway has since been cleared and flights resumed Tuesday. Flight tracking showed a US Marine Corps plane land and later take off for Qatar. But commercial flights are still stopped. Bad news for any Afghanis who remain and might be able to purchase a ticket to leave. The Taliban continue to control land entry and exit points along the border. Though, there are reports of some Afghan civilians who managed to get into Uzbekistan and other neighbor countries. For their part, the Taliban are urging civilians that things will be different this time around. Older generations though remember their ultra conservative views, including horrendous treatment of women and punishments like stonings, amputations and public executions for people who broke strict rules. But the Taliban declared an amnesty across the country Monday and a member of the Taliban's cultural commission, Enamullah Samangani even publicly urged women to join the government. He said, "The Islamic Emirate doesn't want women to be victims. They should be in government structure according to Sharia law." Talks appeared to be continuing this week between the Taliban and several Afghan government officials, including former president Hamid Karzai.
Taylor Wilson:
COVID-19 booster shots are coming for all Americans. Biden administration health officials are set to recommend Tuesday that everyone get an additional COVID-19 shot. That's regardless of age or condition, but should be eight months after receiving their final shot. Booster shots will begin as early as next month once the FDA formally approves vaccines beyond the current emergency use authorization. US health officials already recommended booster shots last week for some with weakened immune systems. The shift to the general population comes due to data from Israel and the Mayo Clinic among others. Data from Israel's Ministry of Health showed that protection from the Pfizer vaccine dropped off significantly after about 6 months, down to 40 to 50% effectiveness against infection. The vaccine was still very effective against serious illness and death, but not against milder COVID-19. Adding booster shots gets into some tricky moral questions: the world continues to be slammed by the pandemic and many countries still have far fewer doses than they need to vaccinate older people. Stay with the live COVID-19 updates page on usatoday.com for all the latest from the pandemic front.
Taylor Wilson:
Well, there are now three named storms moving in the Atlantic Basin. Tropical Storm Fred brought high winds and drenched parts of the Southeast on Monday. And thousands in the Florida panhandle were still without power. Further South, Tropical Depression Grace hit Haiti, a country already reeling from a 7.2 magnitude earthquake days ago, and up to 15 inches of rain are expected in some areas there. Next up, Tropical Storm Henry. It formed Monday near Bermuda and is the eighth named storm of the Atlantic hurricane season.
Taylor Wilson:
Bob Dylan has been accused of sexually abusing a 12-year-old girl. The musician allegedly groomed, sexually abused and threatened additional physical violence against the victim according to a new lawsuit filed last Friday. And the incidents allegedly happened in 1965, over a 6-week period, including some at his Chelsea Hotel apartment in New York. Legal documents obtained by USA Today also claimed Dylan exploited his status as a musician to illegally give drugs and alcohol to the underage girl. A Dylan spokesperson told USA TODAY that the claim is not true, but the lawsuit argues that as a result of the abuse, the plaintiff has sustained physical and psychological injuries. The 2019 New York Child Victims Act opened up a window for people who say they were sexually abused as children to file lawsuits against their alleged abusers, even though their allegations would otherwise be too old to prosecute because of the statute of limitations. That window closed the last Saturday when the law expired.
Taylor Wilson:
There's a nationwide recall Tuesday for frozen shrimp. The recall affects shrimp sold at Whole Foods, Meyer, Food Lion and other stores because of possible salmonella contamination. The FDA says there have been nine cases of salmonella-related illness linked to shrimp from Avanti Frozen Foods. The affected products include different sizes of frozen, cooked, peeled, and deveined shrimp distributed all around the country from November of 2020 to May of this year. There was an initial recall in June, which has now been expanded this week. In general, food recalls are increasing all over the place. Senior video editor Robert Lindeman explains why in this edition of Just The FAQs.
Robert Lindeman:
If you can't trust your food, then what can you trust? It seems like we can't go more than a few days without hearing about a major recall. Contaminated whey has been found in crackers, E. coli in cookie dough, metal pieces in mac in cheese, and even a dead bat was found in salad mix. But don't fret. What's happening is not that food is getting worse. It's that technology is getting better. Today, food technology is more readily available. The Food and Drug Administration has lots of tools to keep an eye on your food. The enactment of the Food Safety Modernization Act in 2011 led to a paradigm shift where the FDA focused on preventing outbreaks, as opposed to just reacting to them.
Robert Lindeman:
That's why many foods are recalled before anyone gets sick. Sometimes before they even hit shelves. And if someone does get sick, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention can now test blood samples from infected patients and link illnesses back to actual food sources. And the technology to keep food safe is just getting started. The FDA is also working on developing ways to track outbreaks back to single growers, which could lead to fewer recalls.
Taylor Wilson:
For more Just The FAQs videos, head to USA Today's YouTube channel, or you can search 'just the FAQS' on usatoday.com. And you can find 5 Things as always wherever you get your audio, including Spotify and Apple Podcasts. Thanks to Shannon Green and Claire Thornton for their great work on the show. 5 Things is part of the USA TODAY Network.