Biden will again host leaders at Camp David, GA grand jurors doxxed: 5 Things podcast

On today's episode of the 5 Things podcast: Biden brings back a dormant tradition of hosting foreign dignitaries at Camp David

President Joe Biden on Friday will again host leaders at Camp David. Plus, nearly two-thirds of Americans say they would not support Donald Trump in 2024, according to polling but he still appears to have a strong grip among Republican voters, USA TODAY Justice Department Correspondent Bart Jansen has the latest after Georgia grand jurors' personal information was shared online, legal and medical experts say the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals mifepristone ruling pokes holes in wider FDA authority, and Hurricane Hilary roars toward California.

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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 Friday, the 18th of August 2023. Today, Biden hosts leaders at Camp David. Plus, what new polling says about Trump in 2024, and a hurricane intensifies in the Pacific.

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President Joe Biden today will host Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol at Camp David. And it's the first time in nearly a decade that a U.S. president has used the retreat to host heads of state. I spoke with USA TODAY White House Correspondent Francesca Chambers to learn more. Thanks for hopping on Francesca.

Francesca Chambers:

Thank you so much.

Taylor Wilson:

So let's start here for folks who may not know, what exactly is Camp David?

Francesca Chambers:

Camp David is a presidential retreat that's located outside of Washington D.C. and presidents love it so much because they can helicopter there. They get to be outdoors, there's a lot of peace and quiet, not like the busy hustle and bustle of the White House, which is located in downtown D.C.

Taylor Wilson:

And past presidents have used the camp for all kinds of purposes over the years. What are some that stand out?

Francesca Chambers:

Well, past presidents have enjoyed the relaxation there. There's a pool, there's also skeet shooting, but they have also taken world leaders there. There have been some historic summits there in the past. George W. Bush brought Tony Blair, the former British prime minister, there just after he took office. And notably, Presidents Carter and Clinton had summits there too.

Taylor Wilson:

Why might bringing world leaders to Camp David as opposed to say the White House or somewhere else be seen as such an honor?

Francesca Chambers:

Well, there's a lot of symbolism there and there's also history. And in this particular case, the White House wanted to send a signal to the importance of the relationship between Japan and South Korea, as well as the United States.

Taylor Wilson:

What's the aim behind this particular meeting?

Francesca Chambers:

Japan and South Korea have had strained relations in the past, but they have sought to forge a closer cooperation in the face of provocations from North Korea, as well as Russia's invasion of Ukraine. And this relationship is core to the United States' foreign policy, especially in that region.

Taylor Wilson:

And Biden is the first president to host world leaders at Camp David since 2015. Why has it not been used in this way for almost a decade?

Francesca Chambers:

Well, first of all, the United States was experiencing a pandemic up until recently. It will be interesting to see if President Biden starts to use the property more. He's had world leaders at the White House, and indeed he's had a couple of state dinners already, but it is the first time that he's using the property for a summit with foreign dignitaries. And former President Trump, he never had a world leader there, but he did have them at his property, Mar-a-Lago, his golf resort in Florida.

Taylor Wilson:

So Francesca, you are visiting Camp David for the first time. What are you looking forward to on this trip?

Francesca Chambers:

Well, even as someone who's covered the White House for nine years, I've never been, and that just shows you how rare it is for the press to be allowed inside of this secluded presidential retreat. And as we talked about over the years, there have been more opportunities under some administrations, such, as Bush's than there have been under others, and this is the first one under Biden. And notably, there weren't these types of opportunities under Trump. He was going to have the Group of Seven summit there, but because of the pandemic, it was canceled.

Taylor Wilson:

All right. Francesca Chambers covers the White House for USA TODAY. Thanks as always.

Francesca Chambers:

Thanks again.

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Taylor Wilson:

Nearly two out of three Americans say they would probably not or definitely not support Donald Trump in the 2024 presidential race. That's according to a new poll from the Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research, which found 53% of respondents would definitely not support him if he's the Republican nominee next year. Trump was indicted in Georgia earlier this week for allegedly conspiring to overturn the 2020 election, marking his fourth indictment of the year. But his criminal charges may not be affecting his hold on Republican voters during the 2024 primary. About 63% of Republicans said they want him to run in 2024, according to the polling, and 74% said they would back him next November.

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Names, pictures, and even home addresses of the Georgia grand jurors who indicted Donald Trump are circulating online and authorities are working to identify the origin of any credible threats against jurors. I spoke with USA TODAY Justice Department Correspondent Bart Jansen for the latest. Bart, thanks for hopping back on the show.

Bart Jansen:

Thanks for having me.

Taylor Wilson:

So Bart, personal information of the Georgia grand jurors who indicted former President Donald Trump is circulating online, as are some violent threats against them. What exactly happened here?

Bart Jansen:

Well, Georgia is a little bit different, well, it's absolutely different from federal grand juries. With federal grand juries, you have to keep the names secret, that's just part of the rules. But in Georgia, they publish the names of grand jurors as part of the indictments when they are released. So the names of grand jurors who indicted Donald Trump and 18 others on Monday are in the indictment. It's a public record.

What has happened over the last couple of days is people on social media - as common as Twitter, Facebook, TikTok - have started circulating some of those names. And in some of the darker corners of the web on some obscure fringe sites, there have been some threats and talks about the names as a hit list and basically threats potentially against these jurors.

Taylor Wilson:

Bart, at issue here is this idea of doxxing. Can you just define plainly what doxxing actually means?

Bart Jansen:

Doxxing is a form of online harassment that consists basically of aggregating information from public databases, social media profiles, and were disclosing previously private information. There is a law in Georgia against cyber bullying, which basically says you're not supposed to repeatedly contact somebody in the form of harassment based on online information, and you're not supposed to make threats against somebody online. That statute is a misdemeanor carrying a maximum penalty of a year in jail and a $1,000 fine.

Taylor Wilson:

And at this point, Bart, do we have any idea who carried out these violent threats?

Bart Jansen:

The Fulton County Sheriff's Office says it takes the threats seriously and it's going to investigate the origins of any credible threats. But at this point, if not anonymous, they are acronyms or alternate names of people. And so it is not clear who is posting these things. It's also not clear that somebody who says that these jurors have signed their death warrant by falsely indicting President Trump would actually take action to do something hurtful to any of the jurors. But because the messages are circulating, because they appear to be multiplying, authorities are taking the threats seriously.

Taylor Wilson:

And has Trump himself spoken out about these doxxings?

Bart Jansen:

I haven't seen a Trump statement on this, and as much as he has criticized prosecutors and judges in the various criminal cases against him, I don't believe he's weighed in about the grand jurors.

Taylor Wilson:

Bart Jansen, great info for us as always. Thank you, sir.

Bart Jansen:

Thanks for having me.

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Taylor Wilson:

By interfering with the Food and Drug Administration's authority to regulate an abortion drug, the courts have undermined its authority over all medications. That's what legal and medical experts told USA TODAY. Dr. Peter Lurie, a former FDA Associate Commissioner for Public Health Strategy and Analysis, said, "The meaning of FDA approval will always be unclear now. Is approval just something that has not yet been reversed? Will it be subject to some extended legal process, which will be called into question in all kinds of ways? From the agency's point of view, its very essence is at stake." The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled Tuesday that the FDA overstepped its authority when it allowed the abortion drug Mifepristone to be delivered by mail, administered by a pharmacist, and given to women further along in their pregnancy than the initial label allowed. The decision will not take effect immediately because of an earlier Supreme Court decision that paused any changes to the status quo.

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Hurricane Hillary is rapidly intensifying in the Pacific Ocean, and forecasters say it could bring heavy rain and flash flooding to Southern California and Nevada this weekend. As of yesterday afternoon, Hillary had maximum sustained winds of 110 miles an hour and reached category three hurricane status last night, according to the Hurricane Center. It'll likely weaken as it gets closer to Baja in Mexico and Southern California, but it could become the first tropical storm to make landfall in California since 1939, according to federal weather officials. The storm is forecast to be near or directly over the central Baja coast on Sunday. You can stay up to date all weekend with usatoday.com.

Thanks for listening to 5 Things. We're produced by Shannon Rae Green and our executive producer is Laura Beatty. Special thanks to Cherie Saunders. If you have any comments, you can reach us at [email protected]. I'm Taylor Wilson back tomorrow with another episode of 5 Things.