Video released from inside Uvalde school, Akron declares day of mourning: 5 Things podcast
On today's episode of the 5 Things podcast: Video from inside Uvalde school shows officers' delayed response
Disturbing video shows officers lingering inside the school for more than an hour. Plus, money and tech reporter Terry Collins has the latest update on Elon Musk and Twitter, the city of Akron declares a day of mourning for Jayland Walker, money reporter Bailey Schulz looks at impulse social media purchases and it's time for the biggest supermoon of the year.
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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 Wednesday, the 13th of July, 2022. Today, a terrifying look inside Uvalde's Robb Elementary School. Plus, more from the Elon Musk and Twitter saga, and more.
Here are some of the top headlines:
The House January 6th Committee heard testimony yesterday from rioters who say they participated in the Capitol attack, following calls of former President Donald Trump. One apologized to officers at the hearing.
President Joe Biden will begin his first presidential trip to the Middle East today, starting in Israel. He then heads to Saudi Arabia on Friday.
And a judge in Baton Rouge, Louisiana has temporarily blocked the state's trigger law outlawing abortion. The move pauses the total ban on the medical procedure and opens the door for Louisiana's three abortion clinics to reopen.
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The public has gotten its first glimpse at security camera footage inside Uvalde's Robb Elementary School as a gunman entered the building and as police lagged in the response. A warning, some of the following details are graphic and disturbing.
In the video, the gunman can be seen walking into the school moments after spraying bullets outside the building. He slows down to peek around a corner in a hallway before heading toward classrooms 111 and 112. Seconds later, a boy exits a bathroom to return to his class. As the kid turns a corner, he notices the gunman standing outside the classroom door and unloading a barrage of bullets. That boy then turns and runs back into the bathroom. He was later rescued by police.
The gunman enters one of the classrooms and children are heard screaming. Gunfire continues on and off and nearly three minutes later, three police officers arrive in the hallway. They rush toward the classrooms before a burst of gunfire and they then retreat. Eventually dozens of heavily armed officers gather in the school hallway. They would not rush in though and kill the gunman until an hour and 14 minutes after police first arrived on the scene.
The video's release has been controversial. Texas Governor Greg Abbott and Uvalde Mayor Don McLaughlin supported its release while Uvalde County District Attorney Christina Mitchell Busby opposed it. Texas Department of Public Safety Director, Steven McCraw said the incident commander, School District Police Chief Pete Arredondo treated the situation as a barricaded subject instead of an active shooter situation.
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The saga between Elon Musk and Twitter continues. The two are getting ready to head into a court battle over the sale of the company to the Tesla CEO. Money and Tech reporter, Terry Collins has the latest.
Terry Collins:
So on Tuesday, Twitter filed a lawsuit against Elon Musk, claiming that the billionaire backed out of a $44 billion agreement to buy the embattled social media company. As you know, Musk agreed to buy Twitter in April, but he filed papers on Friday with the SEC wanting to walk away from the acquisition agreement. Now we have a Delaware court that could determine whether he has to buy the company that's seen both his stock and reputation plummet.
Twitter said that Musk signed that agreement to a deal and he just can't simply avoid it or abandon it. They say that he refuses to honor his obligations to Twitter and their stockholders because the deal he signed no longer serves his personal interest. To that end, Musk, in classic fashion, responded to Twitter's lawsuit with a tweet that said quote, "Oh, the irony. LOL."
The board has given their blessing that they want the deal. Certain investors and stockholders said they want the deal. So because it was Musk and they thought Musk on the surface had a genuine interest in buying the company. But now he wants to walk away. But there are many, maybe including like myself, that thinks that this is all going to lead to something maybe with the deal, maybe a lower price deal or restructured, some sort of negotiated deal.
I don't think we're quite done with this because a part of me and also others think that, "Well, if this were to happen, wasn't there a way that Musk could just do a buyout deal?" But I don't know if that's going to happen. I think this, now we're going to be in this quote, legal limbo, as Wedbush analyst, Dan Ives said. I think we're going to see some negotiations, some jabbing, some snark and a lot of other things while the parties, maybe in some way keep the lines of communication open and maybe try to find and come to some sort of deal.
So Wedbush analyst, Dan Ives told me that many are bracing for a fight as Wall Street views Twitter as having the upper hand. He thinks that Twitter's not holding back any punches and they're coming out swinging after months of turmoil and fiasco. This now starts what's going to be an ugly and lengthy legal battle. And after this suit, he said he would bet that Twitter and Musk may not be doing any champagne dinners.
Taylor Wilson:
For Terry's full story, check out a link in today's episode description.
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The city of Akron, Ohio has declared today a day of mourning for Jayland Walker. Police shot and killed the unarmed Black man on June 27th as he fled police who were pursuing him for a traffic and equipment violation according to authorities. Akron City Council passed a resolution earlier this week declaring the day of mourning, while protesters continue to gather outside city hall.
[Audio from protest]
Protesters want reform, but police in the city have said they will continue with their current traffic stop and chase policies.
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Do you ever wonder if TikTok or Instagram are reading your mind? Money reporter Bailey Schulz explains why it's so hard to avoid those impulse purchases on social media that seem to pop up right when you're thinking about them.
Bailey Schulz:
Yeah, so what we're seeing from market research firm, eMarketer, they forecast that US social media shopping will jump 25% to $45.7 billion this year. And that means more than half of the country's adults are making purchases directly on platforms like Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok, things like that. So it seems like we are seeing a rise in this form of shopping.
From what I have heard from experts, these apps are kind of a perfect combination of just being able to put in front of you what you might want to buy, where these algorithms can be very strong and really nail down your personality, your likes, what might interest you. And so when you are constantly presented with items that are something that you would likely buy, that means that you have a better chance of perhaps buying more of those items.
I did talk to a couple of experts as well about just what the financial risks are of being on platforms like this and shopping on social media. And while it can take a dent to your savings, or perhaps if you're already in debt, so it could make things worse. So it's something to watch out for. But on the other hand, a lot of times these sort of quick impulse purchases are smaller items, costs maybe not that much money. And so it really depends who is doing the shopping, how much they're spending. There's just a lot of ways that it could look. So really hard to say just how much of a financial risk this is. It really depends on the person and what they're doing.
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Taylor Wilson:
The biggest supermoon of the year is set to rise tonight in the Southeastern sky. July's full moon will reach peak illumination at 2:38 PM Eastern time, according to the Old Farmer's Almanac. At that time, it'll be below the horizon still so the Almanac advises to look toward the Southeast after sunset to watch it rise into the sky. When the Earth's orbit brings it closer to the moon than usual, it's referred to as a supermoon, making the moon appear brighter and bigger than normal. In addition to being a supermoon, July's moon is also referred to as a buck moon because the antlers of male deer are in full growth mode at this time. And it's called the thunder moon because of summer thunderstorms.
Thanks for listening to 5 Things. You can find us seven mornings a week right here wherever you're listening right now. Thanks to producer PJ Elliott for his great work on the show, and be sure to tune in tomorrow when PJ speaks with Health reporter, Karen Weintraub about the latest organ transplant milestone: pig hearts to brain dead patients. Tune in then for more of 5 Things from USA TODAY.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Disturbing Uvalde video released, Twitter sues Elon Musk: 5 Things podcast
