40-foot trench dug in search for survivors at condo collapse site, Wimbledon begins: 5 Things podcast

On today's episode of the 5 Things podcast: The search for survivors continues in Miami building collapse, President Joe Biden orders airstrikes in the Middle East, lawmakers scramble to try and save an infrastructure deal, Wimbledon begins and the puck drops for the Stanley Cup Final.

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 Five Things you need to know, Monday, the 28th of June, 2021. Today, the death toll rises in Miami as a search continues for survivors in the building collapsed there. Plus, President Joe Biden orders airstrikes in Iraq and Syria and more.

Taylor Wilson:

Here are some of the top headlines.

1. U.K. Health Secretary Matt Hancock has resigned. The move came Saturday, a day after he apologized for breaking social distancing rules with an aide he was allegedly having an affair with.

2. Simone Biles and Sunisa Lee are heading to Tokyo. The women's gymnasts qualified for the Olympic Games on Sunday. They joined Jordan Chiles, Grace McCallum, Jade Carey and MyKayla Skinner on the women's team.

3. And heat records in cities across the Pacific Northwest may again be broken on Monday. A dangerous heat wave is slamming the region. Seattle felt temperatures of 102 on Saturday, the city's second hottest day since 1945. And Portland hit 110 degrees, the hottest day ever recorded there.

Taylor Wilson:

The death toll has risen to nine in the Miami condo building collapse, as 152 people remain missing. A crane continues to lift away large pieces of debris at the site in Surfside, Florida, near Miami Beach. Rescue crews accompanied by dogs are searching for possible survivors. They dug a 40-foot-deep trench through the site over the weekend, giving access to new areas that were previously impossible to reach. Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava explained on Sunday.

Mayor Daniella Levine Cava:

We're cutting a deep trench to assist us. It's now 125 feet in length, into the pile. It's 20 feet wide and 40 feet deep. Now, this trench is very critical to the continuation of the search and rescue process. We've continued all night to build that trench, and as a result of that, we were able to recover four additional bodies in the rubble, as well as additional human remains.

Taylor Wilson:

Neighboring Miami Beach has declared a state of emergency, to more easily allow for more state and federal assistance. And President Joe Biden called the collapse a disaster, a necessary step for helping to secure federal assistance, aid and reimbursements. It's still unclear what exactly caused the collapse. Researchers and engineers have pointed to a number of factors that could include sea level rise, corrosive salt water, the stability of the ground underneath, bad construction or lax oversight. A report found the building had been sinking considerably as far back as the 1990s. The collapsed building has a twin, Champlain Towers North, which was built at the same time and by the same developer. Surfside Mayor Charles Burkett, has ordered an inspection of the North building. He said something was clearly wrong with the South collapsed building.

Mayor Charles Burkett:

I reached out to Senator Scott yesterday and Mayor Cava and recommended that we relocate the people in the Champlain Towers so that we can do a comprehensive forensic inspection of the structural components of both those buildings, given that those buildings were built by the same developer. One of those buildings is identical, and it's very likely that the same supplies were used and the same plans. I can't tell residents... I can't answer their question when they ask me, is the building safe? If there are those folks that feel confident that there is not an issue, we don't want to force them out of their home. However, for those that are frightened and concerned, I wanted to make sure that they had options. I know that the identical building collapsed for an inexplicable reason. Buildings in the United States do not fall down, and something very, very wrong was going on at that building.

Taylor Wilson:

For all the latest stay with usatoday.com. President Joe Biden ordered airstrikes Sunday on Iranian-backed militias in Iraq and Syria. The Pentagon said the strikes targeted sites that were used to launch drone attacks on U.S. personnel and facilities in Iraq. It's still not clear if there were any casualties on the ground among civilians or militants. Biden previously ordered a similar retaliatory attack in February. That was the first attack he ordered and came in response to rocket attacks on a base in Northern Iraq, that killed a contractor and wounded U.S. and Allied troops. Drone strikes targeting U.S. military bases in Iraq have become more common since a U.S. drone strike killed Iranian General Qasem Soleimani in Iraq last year under then-president Donald Trump.

Taylor Wilson:

Well, just days after President Joe Biden reached a potential deal on infrastructure with a group of bipartisan lawmakers, they were racing to save the deal from potential collapse. The deal was initiated by a bipartisan group of 10 senators, that later grew to 21. But comments made by Biden during a news conference on the deal angered Republican senators. Biden said Thursday that he would only sign the $1.2 trillion dollar bill into law if Congress also passes a multi-million dollar package, focused on so-called human infrastructure, like free community college and subsidized childcare. Biden walked back those comments on Saturday. But many congressional Democrats have said a bipartisan deal is only possible if coupled with another package, targeting other priorities including climate change.

Taylor Wilson:

Wimbledon is back. The Grand Slam tennis tournament was canceled last summer due to COVID-19, but returns to London this year, and fans will be allowed. Though, there will be restrictions including showing vaccination status or proof of a recent negative test to attend. As for the tennis, defending Men's Singles champion Novak Djokovic will try for his 20th major championship win. That record is already shared by Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal. For the Women's Singles, Serena Williams is once again trying for her 24th Grand Slam win, to tie Margaret Court's all-time record. Serena has not won a Major since the 2017 Australian Open, and she's lost back-to-back Wimbledon Finals. Another story to look out for is Coco Gauff. The 17-year-old Atlanta native had her breakout at the 2019 Wimbledon when she was just 15. But the tournament will be without one of tennis' biggest stars, Naomi Osaka. She withdrew from Wimbledon to take some personal time with her friends and family. That decision came after Osaka withdrew during the French Open a few weeks ago. Sports reporter Analis Bailey considered that choice.

Analis Bailey:

Naomi has basically given her mind, body and soul to the sport of tennis for years, and just as athletes take time to heal their body, it should not be this trivial for athletes to take time to heal their minds and consider their mental fitness as well as their physical fitness. The notion that press is absolute and it's a part of her job and she has to do it, is simply wrong, because it's not a part of her job to suffer through it, as she cited. And she knew she would have fines, but to her, setting that boundary, paying the fines, it was worth it. It's really unfortunate that she was basically forced to withdraw altogether, but I really hope that her time away from the game is truly beneficial for her.

Taylor Wilson:

For more Wimbledon coverage, head to USA TODAY Sports. You can watch Monday's action, beginning at 6:00 AM Eastern time, on ESPN. The Stanley Cup Final begins Monday. It'll be the Montreal Canadiens against the defending champion, Tampa Bay Lightning for hockey glory. The Canadians, or Halves, beat the Las Vegas Golden Knights in the semi-finals to reach their first final since winning it all in 1993. As for the Lightning, they beat the New York Islanders in the semis, and other than last season also lifted the Cup in 2004. Their first season in existence was the same year as the Halves' last championship. That was also the last time any Canadian team won it all. You can tune in at 8:00 PM Eastern, 5:00 Pacific, on NBC Sports Network.

And you can find Five Things wherever you get your audio. If you have a second, please drop us five stars over on Apple Podcasts. Thanks as always, to Shannon Green and Claire Thornton for their work on the show. 5 Things is part of the USA TODAY Network.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Condo collapse site search for survivors, Wimbledon: 5 Things podcast