The Excerpt podcast: US strikes at Houthis again

On today's episode of The Excerpt podcast: The U.S. has carried out more strikes on Houthis in Yemen. USA TODAY National Political Correspondent Phillip M. Bailey examines former President Barack Obama's role in the 2024 election. The FAA will audit Boeing's 737 Max 9 production. Winter storms hit millions of Americans. USA TODAY Consumer Travel Reporter Eve Chen looks at a Florida resort that gives sick kids a chance to just be kids.

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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 today is Saturday, January 13th, 2024. This is The Excerpt.

Today, the latest from the Middle East where the US has sent more strikes against Houthis in Yemen. Plus, we take a look at Obama's role in the 2024 election, and how a Florida resort gives sick children a chance to just be kids. A US Navy destroyer fired missiles at a Houthi radar site in Yemen earlier today. It was the second attack against militants this week after American and British airstrikes late Thursday. Defense officials said today's strike was against a radar installation used to locate and attack commercial ships in the Red Sea. Thursday's attack was widespread, involving more than 60 military targets in at least 28 locations in retaliation for Houthi strikes on commercial vessels. Houthi said Thursday's US and UK strikes killed at least five people. The two strikes represent a major escalation of US involvement in Middle East fighting since the Israel-Hamas war began on October 7th.

The Houthis are a militia group based in Yemen and backed by Iran. They began attacking commercial ships in the Red Sea, a major shipping channel, shortly after Hamas attacks in Israel. Houthi leaders have said the attacks were in support of Hamas. They said ships bound for Israel were being targeted, though few of the ships they attacked had direct links to Israel. Militants have used drones and missiles to attack 27 ships since mid-October, according to US Central Command. You can read more and check out a visual guide of this week's airstrikes with a link in today's show notes.

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President Joe Biden kicked off the year with some less than stellar polling numbers and concerns that his hold is slipping on parts of his Democratic base. Meanwhile, it appears former President Barack Obama is getting more involved with the 2024 race. I caught up with USA TODAY National Political Correspondent Phillip M. Bailey about Obama's role in the election and more. Philip, it's always a treat to have you on. Thanks for making the time.

Phillip M. Bailey:

No problem, man. Thank you.

Taylor Wilson:

Philip, let's start here. What are some of President Joe Biden's weaknesses right now among key parts of his Democratic base?

Phillip M. Bailey:

President Biden, who has taken some of the scars of governing and has had unpopular numbers for some time now, but as 2024 comes into focus, his lagging numbers among key demographics of the Democratic Party, Hispanic voters, African-American voters, voters aged 35 and younger, that's going to be a coalition that will be essential for him in 2024. And what the USA Today Suffolk University polling has shown is that he's doing pretty poorly with those groups right now at the moment, 10 months out of the election. For example, one in five Black voters told USA Today, in the Suffolk University poll, they'll support a third party candidate in November. You're seeing he's only claiming about 63% of Black voters at this point, which would be historically low from the 87% that Biden carried in 2020.

Taylor Wilson:

What role might former President Barack Obama play for Biden in his 2024 campaign? What are Obama alums saying on this?

Phillip M. Bailey:

President Obama is the brightest star in the Democratic constellation. I think this has become a story and an issue because Obama's former Vice President is having a hard time with the coalition that really he helped usher into the Democratic Party, making it a solid requirement for any Democrat running. Remember, Barack Obama was only re-elected and elected President with about 39, 40% of the White vote. So that diverse younger demographic of voters is essential for Democrats. So I think what you're going to see is in talking to surrogates and people who are very close to the former President Barack Obama, they tell me that, look, he's going to take a very active role. He's already taking an earlier active role compared to previous cycles in 2020 or 2022. And you're already seeing him shoulder to shoulder with Biden. In fundraising, they hauled in about $4 million off of one event alone.

So you're going to see Barack Obama engage, but at the same time, Obama is still remaining the cool, calm, collected persona that he was as President. He understands that this is Biden's campaign. Biden is the President, so he's there as a sounding board largely. We talked to Eric Lesser, former Massachusetts legislator, who worked in the Obama administration. He was talking about how, look, for him, Barack Obama is the bridge in the Democratic Party, the generational bridge. You have a big question about Joe Biden's age and being 81 years old, but at the same time, relatively speaking, Barack Obama is a kid. He's only in his sixties, so he's often seen as the bridge between Biden and younger Democrats, like Maxwell Frost, a Congressman from Florida who Obama has reportedly met with along with AOC and others. So in a lot of ways, we're going to see Obama be the mentor in chief in 2024, not just to younger Democrats and people who are running from city council and state-wide races and federal races all the way up to Joe Biden.

Taylor Wilson:

Philip, is there a downside to kind of going to Obama for this type of help in 2024? Are there any hesitations from the Biden camp on this?

Phillip M. Bailey:

No hesitations that I've picked up on, but I do think that there is some aggravation from the Biden campaign about some of these stories and reporting. They certainly, I think, are always sort of wondering why is the focus so much on what President Obama is or isn't doing. Some Biden surrogates and people in and around the campaign will point out that, look, Barack Obama was involved in the 2016 race, and Donald Trump won that one. And I think everyone has an ego, and I don't think that Joe Biden is any different. I think that some of these criticisms coming from certain individuals that used to work for President Obama probably didn't have the best working relationship with Joe Biden when he was Vice President. But, look, a lot of people who work for Joe Biden used to work for Barack Obama. The way it was described to me by sources close to former President Obama was, "We're like a family."

There's a little bit of dysfunction. There's a little bit of disagreement. I do think that because of Joe Biden's age, there will be a question of is he up to it? Right? There will be a question of can he handle the long haul of this? And I think there is a part of the Biden orbit and a part of the Biden network that probably doesn't want to be seen as too reliant on Barack Obama. I think what you will see happen over the coming weeks and months, Taylor, is that the Biden camp, I think, is going to focus his message, particularly as we see what happens on the Republican side if Donald Trump ends up recapturing Republican nomination. They certainly want this to be a binary choice. But there's a lot of unanswered questions. There's a lot of hypotheticals. And let's always remember, most people are still not paying attention. Right? No votes have been cast yet. These polls and surveys, even ours, are snapshots. They are moments in time. The only poll that matters is the one on election day.

Taylor Wilson:

All right. Phillip M. Bailey. 2024 is here. I know we'll chat again throughout this big political year. Thanks so much.

Phillip M. Bailey:

Taylor, thank you.

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Taylor Wilson:

The Federal Aviation Administration has announced increased oversight of Boeing's 737 MAX production. FAA Administrator Mike Whitaker said in a statement, quote, "The grounding of the 737 9 and the multiple production related issues identified in recent years require us to look at every option to reduce risk. The FAA is exploring the use of an independent third party to oversee Boeing's inspections and its quality system," unquote. The move came less than a day after the FAA said it would investigate the aircraft manufacturer's production process. Some 737 MAX 9 jets remain grounded as the FAA works to decide on requirements for hardware inspections that airlines will have to carry out before the return to service. Part of the plane's fuselage ripped apart during an Alaska Airlines flight earlier this month. Previous versions of the 737 MAX were involved in two crashes in 2018 and 2019, killing hundreds of people.

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Freezing cold, heavy snow, and even blizzard conditions are hitting millions of Americans at the end of this week into the weekend. The National Weather Service warned of dangerously cold temperatures and a winter storm through the weekend, bringing heavy snow across the Midwest from Iowa to Michigan. More than a thousand flights were canceled at Chicago's airports. And black ice from freezing rain has caused widespread accidents in several areas, including Kansas City. Meanwhile, in the West, two men were rescued after being caught in an avalanche Thursday in Idaho, and a person was reported dead from an avalanche in California on Wednesday.

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A nonprofit Florida resort is giving critically ill children the chance to just be kids. I spoke with USA TODAY Consumer Travel Reporter Eve Chen to learn more. Eve, thanks for hopping on The Excerpt today.

Eve Chen:

It's my pleasure.

Taylor Wilson:

Eve, let's just start here. What is Give Kids The World Village?

Eve Chen:

Give Kids The World Village is an 89-acre nonprofit resort in the Orlando area, and it's exclusively for critically ill kids and their families. Anytime a child makes a wish through a wish-granting organization, so Make-A-Wish, but hundreds throughout the world, 50% of those wishes involve Orlando area attractions, think Disney World, Universal Studios, other places like that. And when they make these wishes and they're granted, they get to stay at this village, which is a fully immersive, fully accessible experience for a whole week for their family.

Taylor Wilson:

That's amazing. So what do families say about their experiences here and what it's done for them?

Eve Chen:

I spoke to several families. One mom said that going there gave her peace that she didn't know was possible anymore. Having all those doctor's visits and hospital stays back to back, she said she was always looking for what might be coming up next, and this was just a chance to kind of breathe again. Because everything's designed with these families in mind, they don't have to think about all of the hoops to jump through. Another mom said that this was the first place that her child felt like a normally developing child because she didn't have to lift up the wheelchair everywhere. Everything was accessible from the carousel to the rides to the villas that each family gets to stay in. The showers are wheelchair accessible. So one teenage child told the President and CEO of Give Kids The World Village Pamela Landwirth that it was the first time she'd ever taken a shower by herself because she's able to roll in by herself. And these are things that people take for granted, but it's purposely designed for these families and kids to be able to enjoy the things that we all take for granted.

Taylor Wilson:

What a remarkable place, Eve. What are you hearing about why it's so vital for some of these kids to see others like themselves at a place like this?

Eve Chen:

One of the things that the President, CEO Pamela Landwirth told me was that it can be very isolating when you're going through an experience like this because no one may be around you. Your friends and your family, they've not gone through this type of medically complex journey before. And so you might see other families like this when you're at the hospital or at the doctor's office. But just to enjoy everyday life, eating a meal, having a fun time doing things and not getting stared at was really big for them because a lot of times if they have a visible illness, they get looks or may feel under a microscope, where here every child is going through some sort of journey like that, so they don't feel alone. One of the kids told me, he's nine years old, he said that every time he met another child, he'd say, "What kind of surgery did you have to come here?" So it was totally comfortable for them.

Taylor Wilson:

It must just be such a powerful sense of relief for them. And Eve, it sounds like some of these kids and families end up returning after their first visit. What can you tell us about these alumni visits?

Eve Chen:

Sure. So the first trip is that wish trip, and that's just a once in a lifetime experience that's week long. They get to do all the things. They have all their meals covered, their housing. They get tickets to all of the parks and all of these onsite experiences at the resort itself. But then they can also come back twice a year for alumni visits. It's not going to be the same blowout trip as the wish trip, but they can enjoy the onsite amenities that they would have during the previous experiences.

So every night, they have a nightly party with a different theme. They have a winter wonderland night and a Halloween theme night and a talent show night. And basically, it's a chance for these families to make memories that one mom said they may have missed when they were in the hospital or their kids were not well enough to make these family memories, or if their time with their children is limited because some of these children, unfortunately, are not just critically, but terminally ill. This is a chance to make some memories that they may never get to make down the line. So it's really special to them.

Taylor Wilson:

Eve Chen covers consumer travel for USA TODAY. Eve, it's such a moving piece. Thanks for coming on and chatting about it.

Eve Chen:

Thank you so much. It's my honor.

Taylor Wilson:

You can read Eve's full story with a link in today's show notes.

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And be sure to stay tuned to The Excerpt tomorrow when my colleague Dana Taylor honors Martin Luther King Day, looking back at Dr. King's I Have a Dream speech and his outsized impact on the civil rights movement. You can find the episode right here on this feed.

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And thanks for listening to The Excerpt. A reminder, we're now on YouTube. You can find all our episodes, podcasts, and vodcasts on our YouTube playlist. We have a link in today's show notes. I'm Taylor Wilson. And I'll be back Monday with more of The Excerpt from USA TODAY.