Biden says US will send tanks to Ukraine, Pope says homosexuality not a crime: 5 Things podcast
On today's episode of the 5 Things podcast: Biden announces US will send Abrams tanks to Ukraine, signaling new phase of war
USA TODAY Pentagon Reporter Tom Vanden Brook explains what the U.S. decision to send dozens of modern tanks to Ukraine means for the war. Plus, the identities of several California shooting victims have been released, opening arguments were given in the double murder trial of Alex Murdaugh, Meta says it will reinstate Donald Trump on Facebook and Instagram, and Pope Francis says that homosexuality is a sin, not a crime.
Podcasts: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:
Good morning. I'm Taylor Wilson and this is 5 Things you need to know Thursday, the 26th of January 2023. Today, what this week's US tanks announcement means for the war in Ukraine. Plus, the latest on a murder trial of a prominent former South Carolina lawyer, and Pope Francis says homosexuality is not a crime.
♦
The US is preparing to send frontline battle tanks to Ukraine and it could signal a new phase of the war. For more, I'm now joined by USA TODAY Pentagon correspondent Tom Vanden Brook. Tom, thanks so much for coming on the podcast.
Tom Vanden Brook:
Good to be here, Taylor.
Taylor Wilson:
So President Joe Biden announced Wednesday that the US will send these frontline battle tanks to Ukraine. This is a reversal from his previous reluctance to send the vehicles. So I guess the most sensible question here is, why is the Biden administration changing its mind now?
Tom Vanden Brook:
Well, I think what's going on is there's some changes on the battlefield that they're reacting to. And there's a concern that Russia has been sending tens of thousands of conscripts and reinforcements to the frontline in Eastern Ukraine. And there's a concern that they'll break out sometime in March with an offensive, and that the Ukrainians won't have the armor to defend themselves. So now is the time to move tanks there. And in doing so, in pledging Abrams tanks, it gives the Germans cover to provide their top version of a tank called the Leopard 2. They were waiting for the US to send Abrams tanks before doing that. Not coincidentally, the Germans announced today that they're doing that. So it's all of a piece with that.
Taylor Wilson:
Tom, tell us a little about these tanks themselves. For those of us who maybe don't know a ton about military technology or vehicles, how sophisticated are they and what do these tanks mean for warfare there on the ground in Ukraine?
Tom Vanden Brook:
Well, at the moment they mean a lot. There's like about a 600, 700 mile front that they're fighting along and it's mostly open rolling terrain, and they've been just having an artillery duel between the two sides, firing thousands of shells at each other each day. Really fierce fighting. But to make a movement out of that, they need to have armored vehicles that aren't going to get necessarily blown up by artillery shells. And they need to be able to maneuver on the ground with armor. And the way to do that is with tanks. And the best tanks out there are Abrams and these Leopards, which are sophisticated and fast and are an overmatch for what the Russians are fielding.
Taylor Wilson:
So what does this new commitment mean going forward, specifically for the US involvement in this war?
Tom Vanden Brook:
Well I think what it shows, Taylor, is that unfortunately there's no real end in sight to this. There's going to be fierce fighting. It's going to get worse in the spring, and we are making sure that the Ukrainians have the ability to fight back what looks to be a major offensive by Russia. And also it will give them the ability, the Ukrainians the ability to take back some of the territory that Russia seized beginning last February. By sending tanks, US tanks, it deepens the US commitment to Ukraine and further pushes them away from Russian tanks that they used and brings them closer into using Western equipment, NATO equipment. So it deepens those ties with the West.
Taylor Wilson:
Tom Vanden Brook covers the Pentagon for USA TODAY. Thanks so much Tom, great insight and really appreciate your time.
Tom Vanden Brook:
Thanks Taylor, appreciate it.
♦
Taylor Wilson:
A farm worker accused of opening fire at a pair of Northern California mushroom farms has been denied bail and charged with seven counts of murder. The 66 year old, if found guilty, faces life in prison or possibly even the death penalty. The identities of six of the seven victims were released yesterday by the San Mateo County Coroner's Office. They are 74 year old Ai Xiang Zhang, 73 year old Zhi Shen Liu, 66 year old Qi Zhong Cheng, 64 year old Jing Zhi Lu, 50 year old Marciano Martinez Jimenez, and 43 year old Ye Tao Bing. They were all farm workers. You can read more about their stories and the investigation after this week's multiple shootings in California at USATODAY.com.
♦
Opening arguments have been given in the double murder trial involving prominent former South Carolina attorney Alex Murdaugh. Prosecutors allege that he killed his wife and son. In an opening statement, lead prosecutor Creighton Waters went through evidence that the state will present, including cell phone data, ballistic evidence and video statements from Alex Murdaugh himself. On the other side, defense attorney Dick Harpootlian began his arguments by saying his client is innocent, and that a Snapchat video taken by his son an hour before the killings showed the pair having a good time and that it wouldn't be believable that Murdaugh killed him a short time later. In addition to the double murder, Murdaugh has been indicted on more than a hundred alleged crimes including money laundering, drug trafficking, and a botched life insurance scheme. For more, go back and listen to the Monday episode of 5 Things where we outline the trial and some of the Murdaugh family's backstory.
♦
Facebook's parent company Meta says it'll reinstate Donald Trump's accounts on both Facebook and Instagram in the coming weeks. The former president has not been allowed to post on either of the platforms since his accounts were shut down after the January 6th capital attack. Twitter previously lifted his ban there in November, but he hasn't tweeted since. Instead, Trump has relied on his Truth Social app, which has a more limited reach. It's not clear if he'll continue to primarily use Truth Social, though he has contractual obligations to first post on there with some exceptions. For now, Trump also remains banned on YouTube.
♦
Pope Francis says that homosexuality is not a crime. In an exclusive interview with the Associated Press, he said that homosexuality is a sin for Catholic worshipers. But that laws that criminalize being gay are unjust. Speaking in Spanish, the head of the Catholic Church said that it's important to make a distinction between sin and crime. He also said that Catholic leaders around the world should choose tenderness, as he said "God has for each one of us." And the Pope said the church should work to end laws that criminalize being gay. 67 countries and jurisdictions do so. And in the US, more than a dozen states still have anti-sodomy laws, though the Supreme Court ruled in 2003 that the statutes are unconstitutional. Pope Francis has previously endorsed civil unions and last year he called on parents around the world to never condemn their children if they're gay. His comments yesterday were praised by several LGBTQ advocacy groups.
Thanks for listening to 5 Things. We're here every morning of the week, right here, wherever you're listening right now. I'm back tomorrow with more of 5 Things from USA TODAY.