Thursday, March 28

Congress returns to big fights, Elon Musk nabs Twitter: 5 Things podcast


On today’s episode of the 5 Things podcast: Congress returns to fight over Ukraine aid and more

Congress reporter Candy Woodall breaks it all down. Plus, a Russian official warns Ukraine not to provoke WWIII, Elon Musk will buy Twitter, reporter Jordan Mendoza talks about the failed attempt to pull off a ‘plane swap’ and the Supreme Court hears oral arguments.

Podcast:True crime, in-depth interviews and more USA TODAY podcasts right here.

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:

Buenos dias. I’m Taylor Wilson and this is 5 Things you need to know Tuesday, the 26th of April 2022. Today, what Congress is focusing on after a return from recess. Plus Elon Musk is buying Twitter, and more.

Here are some of the top headlines:

  1. Beijing is conducting mass COVID-19 testing today for most of its 21 million people. Elsewhere, Shanghai remains largely under lockdown, amid China’s largest COVID outbreak since 2020.
  2. Israeli tanks fired into Southern Lebanon yesterday in response to a rocket fired from the country. The incident comes amid rising tensions between Israelis and Palestinians in recent weeks.
  3. And today marks 36 years since the worst nuclear disaster in history. A reactor at the Chernobyl power station in Ukraine was destroyed in an explosion. At least 28 people were killed instantly, though thousands more have died from cancer as a result of radiation that spread after.

Spring break is over. Congress returns this week from recess, with all kinds of unresolved issues to tackle. Among them, how to help Ukraine, immigration at the Southern border, and yes, still COVID-19. Congress reporter Candy Woodall has more.

Candy Woodall:

There are a few things lawmakers want to address when they return from spring recess on Tuesday. One is pandemic relief money, another is Ukraine aid, and another is immigration, or the issues around Title 42. Lawmakers were unable to pass a bipartisan deal to provide the White House with 10 billion in pandemic relief money. Those talks fell apart on the Senate side. They’ll go back to the drawing board when lawmakers return this week. The White House is also asking for 800 million more in Ukraine aid. And those talks could be complicated because lawmakers on the right are trying to add amendments to force vulnerable Democrats to make a decision on Title 42. There’s no immediate deal in sight on any of these issues, and it’s complicated more by the fact that this is a midterm year. And the legislative clock is running out to the point that lawmakers will soon start focusing on their reelection campaigns.

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Taylor Wilson:

Check out Candy’s full story in today’s episode description.

Four people were killed and nine more injured yesterday in Ukraine’s Donbas region, as Russia shelled Donetsk. And the governor of Luhansk says Russia has shelled civilians 17 times in the past 24 hours. Russia has also reportedly taken over the city of Kreminna in Luhansk region. Still, Ukrainian officials say their forces have repelled six attacks over the past 24 across the Donbas. The Eastern industrial region made up of both Luhansk and Donetsk.


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