5 Things podcast: Blinken says Arab leaders don't want spillover from Israel-Hamas war

On today's episode of the 5 Things podcast: Secretary of State Anthony Blinken says Arab leaders don't want spillover from the Israel-Hamas war. USA TODAY Justice Department Correspondent Bart Jansen breaks down the investigation of Hunter Biden as a possible 'foreign agent.' Another earthquake hits Afghanistan. USA TODAY Network Religion Reporter Deena Yellin puts the historic opening in New Jersey of the world's largest Hindu temple in context. Suzanne Somers has died.

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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 five things you need to know, Monday the 16th of October 2023.

Today, the latest from the Middle East, as the Secretary of State visits with leaders in the region. Plus Hunter Biden is being investigated as a possible foreign agent. And a historic Hindu temple opens in New Jersey.

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Secretary of State Antony Blinken will return to Israel today after a six nation trip across the region aimed at preventing the Israel-Hamas War from spreading. During a stop in Egypt, Blinken underscored the Biden administration position that the US would continue supporting Israel, but also that Israel must take every precaution to avoid harming civilians. Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi told Blinken that Israel's pounding of Gaza last week exceeded the right of self-defense and turned into a collective punishment. That's according to Egyptian state run media. Blinken told reporters that there was a common theme to the feedback he heard from Arab leaders during his trip, what Blinken called a shared view to make sure current violence does not spread to other parts of the region.

Meanwhile in Gaza the United Nations says more than a million residents have been displaced in just a week. Israel has ordered mass evacuations from the northern part of Gaza ahead of an impending ground invasion, that's created a humanitarian crisis. Hamas continues to hold more than a hundred people hostage after their attack in Israel last week, that group includes Americans. The Gaza Health Ministry said yesterday that the Palestinian death toll has risen to more than 2600, while the Israeli Defense Force has said the Israeli death toll has passed 1400.

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Hunter Biden is under investigation as a possible foreign agent. I spoke with USA Today Justice Department correspondent Bart Jansen for more. Bart, thanks as always for hopping on.

Bart Jansen:

Thanks for having me.

Taylor Wilson:

What's at issue here, Bart?

Bart Jansen:

Well, the question is whether you'd be taking direction from a foreign government or an entity that basically is acting in place of the foreign government, such as a business that is beholden to the government. And Congress created this law in 1938 basically to try to prevent or at least alert folks to foreign influence in trying to alter our US policies. It's really ramped up in enforcement over the last few years.

Taylor Wilson:

Yeah, you mentioned the Foreign Agents Registration Act. How common are prosecutions under this, Bart?

Bart Jansen:

Well, it's been rare over the first decades that it was in place. An Inspector General's report in 2016 found that from 1965 to 2015, there had been only seven criminal prosecutions, and out of those only five convictions, out of those only three that actually were on the counts of the Foreign Agents Registration Act.

But there was Russian interference in the 2016 election, as determined by our intelligence committee, and so after that, the Justice Department ramped up criminal enforcement. And so we've seen a flurry of cases in the past few years, although the results of those prosecutions have been sort of a mixed bag for the department.

Taylor Wilson:

And Bart, how have some Trump allies been convicted of violations under this?

Bart Jansen:

Yeah, at least a few Trump allies were convicted. Paul Manafort was Trump's campaign chairman in 2016. He pleaded guilty to a conspiracy charge based on failing to register as a foreign agent for Ukraine. Michael Flynn was Trump's first National Security Advisor. He pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI about his meetings with Russians during the transition from the Obama administration but in a statement accompanying that plea, he admitted making false statements related to the Foreign Agents Registration Act for his work benefiting Turkey. And then Elliott Broidy, a fundraiser for Trump, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to violate the Registration Act by lobbying government officials for Chinese and Malaysian interests.

Now, all three of those people Trump pardoned. The prosecutors did get convictions, but those were pardoned in the end.

Taylor Wilson:

And Bart, is President Joe Biden being investigated or linked to any of this?

Bart Jansen:

Congressional Republicans have argued for years that Hunter Biden should be investigated under this Foreign Agents Registration Act, basically because he was earning millions of dollars from overseas business deals, primarily from Ukraine and from businesses in China. Republicans have argued that it was basically influence peddling, if he was influenced peddling, trying to influence either his father when Joe Biden was vice president, or perhaps in later years. A lot of this activity happened during the interim between when Biden was Vice President and President. But in any event, House Republicans have definitely raised red flags that the business deals should draw greater scrutiny.

Now, the White House contends that this is baseless partisanship, that there's no justification for this, that most of the years were when Joe Biden was out of office so there'd be no political influence at all, couldn't be. There have not yet been any charges under this Foreign Agents Registration Act leveled against Hunter Biden.

And it's partially that fact that the law has a five-year statute of limitations. The last of the activity that we really know about would've been in 2019, so the clock is ticking on this. The charges were not included as part of a plea bargain in July that fell apart over tax and gun charges against Hunter Biden. But during that hearing, prosecutors revealed that they are investigating and that there could potentially be charges down the road under this Foreign Agents Registration Act. We'll have to see if anything develops out of this, but Republicans have been trying to hold the Justice Department's feet to the fire.

Taylor Wilson:

Bart Jansen covers the Justice Department for USA Today. Thank you, Bart.

Bart Jansen:

Thanks for having me.

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Taylor Wilson:

Another powerful earthquake slammed Afghanistan yesterday. The US Geological Survey said the epicenter of the magnitude 6.3 quake was about 20 miles outside the city of Herat. Save the Children told the Associated Press that four people died and more than 150 were injured, though those numbers may rise. The latest quake comes after a string of earthquakes shook the same western part of the country earlier this month, killing at least 2000 people. UN officials said more than 90% of those killed were women and children. An official from Doctors Without Borders told Agence France-Presse that many people were already sleeping in tents outside after the previous quake, potentially keeping casualties lower this time around.

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The world's largest Hindu temple opened yesterday in New Jersey. I spoke with USA Today Network New Jersey Religion reporter Deena Yellin to learn more. Deena, thanks for hopping on 5 Things.

Deena Yellin:

Thank you for having me.

Taylor Wilson:

Deena, what's this temple like? Paint a picture for us.

Deena Yellin:

This is an enormous temple that took over 12 years to construct by over 13,000 volunteers who came from all over the world. To say that this is a grand building is just a vast understatement. This is a facility that occupies about a hundred acres, it's four times the size of MetLife Stadium, and its spire reaches 191 feet into the sky. It has 10,000 statues, intricate carvings. The marble and granite was brought from Europe and was hand carved.

Taylor Wilson:

Wow. And what was the impetus to build this in this part of New Jersey?

Deena Yellin:

So the impetus was the vision of the guru. He's the fifth spiritual leader of this Hindu denomination called BAPS, Pramukh Swami Maharaj. That's the name of the group that built this temple. It's a denomination that emphasizes faith and personal growth through community service. The guru chose this location in Robbinsville because of its proximity to the Tri-state area, which has a very large Hindu population. About 300,000 Hindu people live in New Jersey, and there's about 200,000 in New York according to census figures.

Taylor Wilson:

And Deena, can you put this moment in Hindu American history in context for us? Why is this such a big deal?

Deena Yellin:

Devotees believe that it's a landmark moment for their community because it's the first time something of this magnitude and beauty could be built in America. And so it's a great symbol of pride to American Hindus. And they believe that this will become a popular place of pilgrimage for Hindus from around the world.

Taylor Wilson:

And Deena, we can't talk about this project without some of the worker accusations here. Workers alleged that they were abused while building this. What do they claim here and what does the legal battle look like?

Deena Yellin:

First of all, I have to mention that there's at least three deaths that took place here during the construction that I know of, and two families that are filing lawsuits. And in addition to that, there's a lawsuit that alleges forced labor, grueling work hours, poor living conditions. The attorney that I spoke to said that the workers had to work over 12 hours a day.

There was also a criminal investigation undertaken by federal authorities. They've asked a court to grant class action status to the suit and expand it to as many as 600 workers at BAPS centers around the country.

The lawsuit is on hold right now as the criminal investigation proceeds, and in the meantime, at least 12 of the original plaintiffs in the case have moved to dismiss their claims, but there's still at least nine who are still filing.

The spokesperson for the temple said that the artisans who helped to build the temple and the volunteers came out of their own volition from around the world, and that the organization took care of all of their needs. And they denied all of the claims.

Taylor Wilson:

Deena Yellin covers religion for the USA Today Network, with some great insight here from New Jersey. Thank you, Deena.

Deena Yellin:

Thank you so much.

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Taylor Wilson:

Suzanne Somers has died. She appeared in the 1973 coming of age film, American Graffiti, a role she said changed her life forever, and went on to be a TV star throughout the seventies and eighties, perhaps best known for her roles in Three's Company and She's the Sheriff. The actress fought breast cancer for more than two decades, and revealed in July that it had returned. But she told Entertainment tonight that one upside of the disease was strengthening her bond with her husband, Alan Hamel. She said, "We have not spent one day apart in over 42 years." Suzanne Somers was 76.

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Disney turns 100 today. On October 16th, 1923, Walt Disney was a budding filmmaker in Los Angeles, when he signed a distribution deal for a series of comedy shorts about a girl in a cartoon world based on Alice in Wonderland. From there, the company was born.

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Thanks for listening to 5 Things. You can find us seven mornings a week on Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, Spotify, or wherever you get your audio. If you have any comments, you can reach us at podcasts@usatoday.com. I'm Taylor Wilson, back tomorrow with more of 5 Things from USA Today.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 5 Things podcast: Israel-Hamas war, Hunter Biden investigation