5 Things podcast: 2,000 US troops to prepare to deploy in response to Israel-Hamas war

On today's episode of the 5 Things podcast: U.S. troops have been told to prepare to deploy in response to the Israel-Hamas war. USA TODAY World Affairs Correspondent Kim Hjelmgaard has the latest from Israel and the West Bank. Authorities open a hate crime investigation over the stabbing death of a 6-year-old Muslim boy. USA TODAY Justice Department Correspondent Bart Jansen breaks down the latest from former President Donald Trump's election conspiracy case. What were the big issues at last week's presidential town halls? Timeshares are getting more popular with younger Americans.

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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 17th of October, 2023.

Today, Palestinians in the West Bank lived through tensions from the Israel-Hamas war. Plus authorities open a hate crime investigation into the death of a Muslim boy in Illinois. And a ruling has been issued in one of former president Donald Trump's legal battles.

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As the Israeli defense forces continue to amass on Gaza's border, the US told 2,000 troops yesterday to prepare to deploy to other regions in the Middle East in response to the escalating conflict. And while Palestinians in Gaza continue to flee south after Israel evacuation orders, Palestinians in the West Bank are collectively holding their breath, hoping for the best, but fearing the worst.

My colleague, Dana Taylor, sat down with USA Today world affairs correspondent, Kim Hjelmgaard, who's on the ground in Israel and the West Bank to learn more.

Dana Taylor:

Hi Kim. Thanks for taking the time to come on. I know you're busy.

Kim Hjelmgaard:

Thanks for having having me.

Dana Taylor:

So Kim, what are the latest developments?

Kim Hjelmgaard:

So this is a multifaceted story. For the last 24, 48 hours, Israel has been gathering and marshaling its forces on the border with Gaza. And people are starting to wonder when is this ground invasion actually going to happen? The Israeli government has been a bit coy on that. They were suggesting that while the military is ready, it's now a political decision. And then at the same time, US Secretary Blinken has been in the region, he's been doing this diplomatic blitz of different countries. There are some rumors, completely unconfirmed that President Biden might be coming to Israel.

I will say that I think much of the focus of this story for now at least, is probably around the unfolding humanitarian situation. In Gaza hospitals, they are running out of blood. The reports are from Gaza that they're running out of space to bury bodies. About 600,000 people have been displaced and are moving south to an area that's closer to Egypt, crossing between southern Israel and Egypt that has been closed by the Egyptian authorities. And so Blinken and other diplomats are trying to negotiate some way for that gate to get open. So there's two or 3,000 dual nationals, including five to 600 Palestinian Americans who are gathering at that gate and hoping that it opens so that they can leave. This is a fast moving story with lots of different facets to it, and it's an evolving situation.

Dana Taylor:

We spent some time in the West Bank, a Palestinian area under a civilian rule by the PLO or Palestinian Authority governing body recognized by the US, EU and others. What are they saying about the attacks led by Hamas?

Kim Hjelmgaard:

I think the thing that is chiefly occupying a lot of people in the areas of the West Bank where I was over the weekend, is that their concern for Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, the humanitarian situation there is just awful. Really, there's no other way to put it. And so they're staring at their phones, they're getting messages from family members and friends, and they're just trying to make sense of the humanitarian toll of these bombing campaign that Israel is doing as it tries to root out Hamas militants.

I will say though in terms of the Palestinians that I encountered, there is also I guess I'd call it a reluctance to fully denounce Hamas or fully condemn the attacks on Israelis. Bear in mind that these are people who don't condone violence against civilians, but they look at this issue through just a completely different lens. They look at the attacks on the southern border in Israel as a consequence of this long and winding violent history that Israelis and Palestinians have together.

And so Palestinians civilians are not bloodthirsty monsters, nothing like that. But they also have seen thousands of Palestinian civilians who have died in Gaza, not just over the last week, but stretching back to 2005, 2007. So it's a complicated reaction they're having.

Dana Taylor:

Has the PLO condemned Hamas for its violent attacks against innocent Israelis? How are they navigating this crisis?

Kim Hjelmgaard:

Well, again, that is also tricky. The Palestinian President Abbas, a couple of days ago, he issued a statement that said that, of course he didn't approve the killing of Israeli civilians. Hamas was mentioned in that statement. But within a matter of a couple of hours, the word Hamas was actually taken off of that. Abbas issued a statement saying essentially that both sides need to show restraint. Both sides need to recognize that killing innocent civilians was not the way to do this. But again, the word Hamas was not mentioned in that statement.

Dana Taylor:

When violence against Palestinians in the West Bank is also up, what's happening there?

Kim Hjelmgaard:

Yes. Well, confrontations, clashes between Israeli security services and Palestinians, and indeed also Jewish settlers who live in communities illegally under international law in the West Bank. That is nothing new. There are Palestinians that get killed every day in the West Bank stretching back many years. Over the last week, some of that violence has escalated as the IDF, the Israeli Defense Forces has been conducting raids into the West Bank, looking for people they think might be connected to this attack in Israel.

And so there's also been a lot more activity in terms of protests and demonstrations. And so over the last week, I think there's been just north of 55 or 56 Palestinians that have been killed in this violence. And this is not just people who are taking part in demonstrations. There's been other civilians, including children who've been caught up in this violence. And they feel that rightly or wrongly, that the violence that is perpetrated against them by Israel's military, by Jewish settlers in the West Bank doesn't get the same attention.

Dana Taylor:

Kim, thank you so much for taking the time to speak with me.

Kim Hjelmgaard:

Thanks for having me.

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Taylor Wilson:

Back here in the US, authorities have opened an investigation into the death of a six-year-old Muslim boy in Illinois on Sunday. Attorney General Merrick Garland announced that the Justice Department opened a federal hate crime investigation into what led to the stabbing death of Wadea Al-Fayoume, and to the serious injuries of his mother. Garland warned that the incident would raise fears among Muslim communities about hate-filled violence. But he said the department would "use every legal authority at our disposal to bring justice to those who perpetrate illegal acts of hate."

The Will County Sheriff's Office said 71 year old Joseph Czuba was charged with first degree murder and two hate crime counts. The Sheriff's office shared that detectives determined he stabbed the woman, Hanaan Shahin, and her child because they were Muslim, amid news of the war in the Middle East. The man charged was reportedly the family's landlord.

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US District Judge Tanya Chutkan issued a ruling yesterday in the case against former President Donald Trump. The case centered on allegations that Trump conspired to overturn the 2020 election as one of four he's now facing.

Dana Taylor spoke with USA Today Justice Department correspondent, Bart Jansen, for the story.

Dana Taylor:

Bart, thanks for joining me.

Bart Jansen:

Thanks for having me.

Dana Taylor:

Well, Bart, can you start with what the judge was ruling on? What were prosecutors asking for and what was the defense's argument?

Bart Jansen:

Basically, prosecutors were asking the judge to restrict what Trump could say or post on social media about figures associated with the case. They were concerned that he could use his substantial platform to criticize the judge, the prosecutors, potential witnesses, and potentially alienate the jury as well. And so they were trying to get the judge to put some basically guardrails around his comments so that they could have a fair trial.

Of course, the defense said that the government was trying to muzzle Trump as he campaigns for president in 2024. They said restrictions on his speech, his comments, his social media posts would inhibit his campaigning and that it was basically the Biden administration through the Justice Department trying to censor him in his campaign.

Dana Taylor:

And how did Judge Chutkan can rule?

Bart Jansen:

She offered a limited ruling from the bench, and legal experts are on the edge of their seats waiting to see what the written order will say. But what she said was that she ordered that Trump could not criticize members of her court staff, prosecutors, or potential witnesses in the case. And she said, needless to say, also, any of the families of any of those people. There was a limited gag order issued in Mr. Trump's New York fraud trial in which the judge said he prohibited him from posting anything about his court staff. That came after Trump posted on social media a picture of the judge's clerk with Senate majority leader, Chuck Schumer, and raised the prospect that the clerk was a girlfriend of the Senate majority leader. And so that resulted in a gag order in New York City court. And now there is a similar order, don't criticize the court's staff or prosecutors.

Dana Taylor:

Why are prosecutors so concerned here?

Bart Jansen:

Trump has issued a number of statements, mostly through social media about the judge, about prosecutors. He's called Justice Department special counsel, Jack Smith, deranged and a psycho who looks like a crack head. He's criticized Judge Chutkan as a fraud dressed up as a judge and as a biased Trump hating judge. And the concern is that those sorts of comments might at least alienate people from him getting a fair trial, but potentially worse, inspire some of his supporters to commit violence against court staff or prosecutors.

As a matter of fact in one case, prosecutors cited the example of a Texas woman who was arrested in August and she's been charged with allegedly calling Judge Chutkan's chambers, addressing her using a racist term and threatening to kill anyone who went after President Trump. Now, Trump's lawyers say he can't be held accountable for third parties who react to his statements in that way. But that incident is what raised concerns among the prosecutors, and that's why they filed their request to have this gag order.

Dana Taylor:

Bart, could this ruling have any ramifications for Trump's other trials?

Bart Jansen:

We'll have to see if requests are made in the other criminal cases that he faces. He faces criminal cases in southern Florida, in Georgia, and in New York City. And the question would be whether prosecutors ask those judges for similar gag orders and then whether the judges in those courts make a similar decision.

Dana Taylor:

All right, thanks so much for your insights, Bart.

Bart Jansen:

Thanks for having me.

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Taylor Wilson:

Last week, voters questioned five Republican presidential candidates in a series of town halls in Exeter, New Hampshire, hosted by Seacoastonline and the USA Today Network. Former Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson, former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley, North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum, former Vice President Mike Pence, and entrepreneur, Vivek Ramaswamy, all spoke.

Many who attended the forum said they felt former President Donald Trump had the primary wrapped up, an issue centered in particular on climate change and social security. While candidates also repeatedly emphasized that voters who are not paying attention yet, want a solutions-oriented leader seeking common ground in 2024 not a bombastic style, likely a shot at Trump himself. It was also notable that both Haley and Ramaswamy had massive crowds with standing room only, perhaps an indicator that they're on a collision course in New Hampshire. You can read a full recap with a link in today's show notes.

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Timeshares are making a comeback with younger Americans. Today over half of timeshare owners are Gen Z and millennial, and the average age of a timeshare owner is 39, according to a 2022 report from the American Resort Development Association. What's the appeal?

Many younger Americans work remotely these days, opening the door to more flexible travel schedules, and timeshares now include more than just a week in the same destination. They offer cruises, guided tours, houseboat rentals and more. But it's important to remember that while timeshares offer an affordable way to travel every year, they don't appreciate in value, unlike investing in a vacation home.

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And before we go, a message of hope and giving. Today is the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty. If you're able to, it's a good chance to pause and think about ways we can help.

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Thanks for listening to 5 Things. You can find us seven mornings a week on Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, Spotify, or wherever you get your audio. If you like the show, please subscribe and leave us a rating and review on Apple Podcasts. I'm Taylor Wilson, back tomorrow with more of 5 Things from USA Today.