What Biden's support for UAW strike says about 2024 election: 5 Things podcast

On today's episode of the 5 Things podcast: USA TODAY White House Correspondent Joey Garrison breaks down what President Joe Biden's support for striking autoworkers means for him politically. Hunter Biden plans to plead not guilty to federal gun charges. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy address the UN, warning other countries of a 'final war' if Russia isn't stopped. USA TODAY Congress and Campaigns Reporter Ken Tran explains the divisions over aid to Ukraine. West Point has been sued for using 'race-based admissions.'

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 Wednesday, the 20th of September 2023.

Today, President Joe Biden's stance on the UAW strike. Plus, Hunter Biden will plead not guilty to federal gun charges. And Volodymyr Zelensky addresses the UN.

♦

The United Auto Workers strike has caught President Joe Biden's attention. I spoke with USA Today White House correspondent, Joey Garrison, about what his support for the workers means politically and how the union feels about it. Joey, thanks for hopping on.

Joey Garrison:

Hey, thanks for having me.

Taylor Wilson:

So Joey, just starting here, where does President Joe Biden stand on the United Auto Workers strike?

Joey Garrison:

Well, President Biden, in a speech at the White House last week, made it pretty unequivocal that he stands behind the UAW strikers, the same day that they went on strike at three plants and locations at Ohio, Missouri, and Michigan. And really, in doing so, he went further than he has in other labor disputes that have gone on since he has taken office. Now, President Biden has made no bones about where he stands on the side of unions. He likes to think of himself as the most pro-union president in US history, but he hadn't gotten really as far as he has in this, case where he actually endorsed a lot of the demands pushed by UAW workers for higher pay, et cetera. So that's where he stands on this issue and he made it pretty unmistakable whose side he's on.

Taylor Wilson:

Does the White House have plans to formally get involved in strike negotiations?

Joey Garrison:

Not as of right now. Now, you might remember the rail dispute that we saw about last year and the White House was mediators in that issue. Now, that was very different in that Congress and the federal government plays a unique role when it comes to the rail sector, in terms of setting contracts of the rail workers.

For now, they're keeping an arm's length of the negotiations between UAW and the three auto manufacturers. But they are sending, later this week, the acting labor secretary Julie Wu, as well as Gene Sperling, who is a White House advisor, to Detroit where they'll be on hand if either side wants to bring in the White House for their input, et cetera. But right now that is a key distinction that they are not serving as mediators in the dispute.

Taylor Wilson:

Joey, what's the political strategy for the Biden camp on this?

Joey Garrison:

It's impossible to ignore the 2024 election backdrop of this strike. For several years now, although Democrats and unions have traditionally been tied to each other and Democrats are historically backed by unions, the rank and file members of unions in the Midwest and elsewhere, their support for voting for Democrats has slipped. We saw in the 2016 election and 2020 where you had more rank and file members vote for Trump than we typically see of Republican candidates.

So Biden needs these people. He needs to stop that bleeding among the union membership and keep those in the Democratic column. I'm not saying that that is the only consideration of why Biden is fully behind UAW. But it's impossible to ignore, that he's got to show these members that Democrats are the one who are carrying the policy for union members and not Trump, not Republicans. And so when you think about it like that, it was kind of a no-brainer that of course he is going to get behind UAW before the election. I mean it would be quite a political miscalculation if he did not.

Taylor Wilson:

Is the union itself inviting Biden's support with open arms or is there tension here?

Joey Garrison:

Well, there's really been tension behind the scenes for the last year. So UAW brought in, as a new president who was elected in March, and UAW publicly says they support the president's transition to electric vehicles that Biden has pushed through incentives at the federal level, but it does mean major changes for their industry.

I mean, most people agree that the manufacturing of electric vehicles compared to traditional vehicles requires fewer workers. So there's that issue. And then the UAW was ticked off when in June a massive loan went to Ford for EV projects, but there weren't any assurances that those jobs would go to union workers. And so, that issue, in particular the EV issue, electric vehicles, has presented a number of questions about the future of the auto industry. And so I think that's a major consideration in the backdrop of what's going on here.

Now, former President Trump has seized on the angst among UAW members when it comes to the electric vehicle transition. In a statement earlier this week, he said that this EV push of Biden's is jeopardizing the careers of these workers. And when former President Trump goes to Detroit next week, you can expect that the electric vehicle issue is going to be front and center of the message he's pushing to the workers on the ground.

Taylor Wilson:

USA Today White House correspondent, Joey Garrison. Thanks as always, Joey.

Joey Garrison:

All right, thanks.

♦

Taylor Wilson:

Hunter Biden plans to plead not guilty to federal gun charges and he's asking for his initial court appearance to be held by video so that he won't have to travel to Delaware. The government is set to respond today about arguments on a video hearing. Biden has been charged with knowingly deceiving a firearms' dealer while falsely filling out a form denying he was addicted to narcotics. And he's charged with knowingly possessing a revolver, despite restrictions against addicts owning firearms. He has admitted that he was a drug addict at the time.

Congressional Republicans have attacked the charges against Biden, and the handling of his investigation, as a sweetheart deal because he's the president's son. And being treated differently from typical defendants for a court appearance could also raise complaints of favoritism by David Weiss, the US attorney in Delaware, who was appointed special counsel.

♦

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky spoke to the UN General Assembly yesterday in New York. And he gave a grim view of the future, saying that if Russia's aggression is allowed to spread, it won't stop there. His remarks were aimed at countries that have been ambivalent about whose side they're on in the conflict, and countries that were with him in the beginning but have since pulled back support. He said that Russia's invasion of his country is pushing the world to a final war. He also said that Russia is weaponizing things, from food and energy, to abducted children, in its war against Ukraine and that the same could happen to them.

In addition to the US, much of Europe has led a global condemnation of Russia's invasion. But China and India have been largely neutral, as have many countries in the Middle East, Africa and Latin America. Russia maintains that its war in Ukraine is justified and will get its turn to address the General Assembly on Saturday.

♦

The prospect of a government shutdown continues to loom, and the issue of aid to Ukraine may be one of the things holding up a solution. I spoke with USA Today Congress and Campaigns reporter, Ken Tran, for more. Ken, thanks for hopping on 5 Things.

Ken Tran:

Thanks for having me, Taylor.

Taylor Wilson:

We're seeing major divisions in Congress when it comes to aid for Ukraine. We know the White House, Democrats, and even some Senate Republicans, are in favor of more aid for the country. What's their argument, Ken?

Ken Tran:

President Joe Biden and the White House have said, they pledged already to support Ukraine with US aid for as long as it takes for them to win the war. We have Senate majority leader and Senate minority leader, Chuck Schumer and Mitch McConnell, both expressing very clear support for continued aid to Ukraine. And they've been saying, as we push towards again a possible government shutdown and Congress tries to work out a spending package, so there should be Ukraine funding in the spending packages.

Taylor Wilson:

And why are some House Republicans, and others, resistant toward giving more money to Ukraine?

Ken Tran:

Some House Republicans, specifically more Republicans on the conservative side, members of the Freedom Caucus for example, and they're arguing that even though all Republicans are appalled at what's happening in Ukraine, they say that money here should be focused on more domestic policy. Congressman Byron Donald, is a member of the Freedom Caucus and a team negotiator right now behind government spending, told reporters that he thought the American people are sick and tired. Well, now their needs are being ignored and then said that money should be funding here instead of Ukraine.

Taylor Wilson:

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky will meet with lawmakers this week. Ken, could these meetings persuade anyone who's not on board with more aid?

Ken Tran:

We're not sure right now. All senators were invited to a meeting with Zelensky, but that's not happening in the House. Zelensky is going to be meeting with a smaller bipartisan group of lawmakers from both parties. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy said he won't be meeting with him one-on-one and will instead be in that group. He also questioned that, yeah, we want some more accountability on where the money is going exactly. So it doesn't, right now, seem like Zelensky's visit's going to change any hearts and minds, but we'll have to see.

Taylor Wilson:

Ken, you mentioned a government shutdown. How serious is the looming prospect of a government shutdown right now and is a aid to Ukraine the main sticking point?

Ken Tran:

Sure. So every day Congress is in session, there doesn't seem to be a clear resolution. Just Tuesday, House Republicans tried to do a procedural vote on the defense spending bill, which is traditionally very non-controversial, but even just a procedural vote, which is usually passed with no problem, failed. They still can't seem to hash out any spending agreement between more moderate Republicans and more conservative Republicans. At this point, Ukraine aid is a sticking point but isn't likely to be a major sticking point, because the main concern right now is just, can the House pass something to show that they can avert a government shutdown.

Taylor Wilson:

Ken Tran covers Congress and Campaigns for USA Today. Thanks, Ken.

Ken Tran:

Thank you.

♦

Taylor Wilson:

West Point was accused in a federal lawsuit yesterday over using race and ethnicity as factors in admissions. The suit comes from the same group that brought the legal challenge that led to the Supreme Court striking down affirmative action in college admissions in June. Students for Fair Admissions, claims the US Military Academy sets benchmarks for how many students from a variety of ethnic backgrounds should be in each class. The suit claims the academy is violating the Fifth Amendment, which contains an equal protection clause. The filing comes after this summer's Supreme Court decision that struck down affirmative action in higher education admissions, invalidating admissions plans at Harvard and the University of North Carolina. That ruling though did not cover West Point or the country's other military academies. West Point said in a prepared statement that it does not comment on ongoing litigation.

♦

Thanks for listening to 5 Things. And if you like the show, please subscribe and leave us a rating and review on Apple Podcasts. And if you have any comments, you can reach us at podcasts@usatoday.com. I'm back tomorrow with more of 5 Things from USA Today.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: UAW strike, Hunter Biden to plead not guilty: 5 Things podcast