The Excerpt podcast: 12 more hostages held by Hamas freed in Gaza

On today's episode of The Excerpt podcast: More hostages and prisoners have been released amid the Israel-Hamas truce. Former first Lady Rosalynn Carter was remembered at a service in Atlanta. USA TODAY National Political Correspondent David Jackson talks about how former President Donald Trump and President Joe Biden are reigniting the debate around Obamacare. The political network founded by Charles Koch is endorsing Nikki Haley in the Republican presidential primary. Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Great Lakes Reporter Caitlin Looby explains how tribes must fight for water protections. The story is part of a series that examines how Indigenous communities in Wisconsin are pushing to protect land, air and water. Read more from the series here.

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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 today is Wednesday, November 29th, 2023. This is The Excerpt.

Today, mediators work to try and extend a truce in the Israel-Hamas War. Plus, former First Lady Rosalynn Carter was remembered at a service yesterday. And how tribes around the great lakes must fight to protect water resources.

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12 more hostages held by Hamas were freed yesterday, 10 Israelis and two Thai nationals. And Israel released an additional 30 Palestinians held in prisons. Hamas is expected to release another 10 hostages today, while Israel is set to release another 30 Palestinians. Militants in Gaza are believed to still hold nearly 160 people captive. About two thirds of the Palestinian prisoners released from Israeli jails since Friday were being held under administrative detention, meaning they were not told the charges against them or given due legal process, according to an analysis of Israel prison service data by CNN. The other third had been convicted and sentenced. Meanwhile, international mediators continue to work to extend a truce between Israel and Hamas, currently set to expire at the end of the day.

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Former First Lady Rosalynn Carter was remembered yesterday at a tribute service attended by Presidents, her fellow first ladies, and other prominent guests. But it was her faith, dedication to the country, and global humanitarian work that took center stage at the memorial. The service held at a Methodist church on Emory University's campus in Atlanta also featured music from some of the Carter's favorite musicians, including Garth Brooks. Several members of the Carter family spoke about Rosalynn and read passages of scripture. Chip Carter, the Carter's second-oldest son, called his mother the glue that held the family together, and his hero.

Chip Carter:

My mother, Rosalynn Carter, was the most beautiful woman I've ever met, and pretty to look at too.

Taylor Wilson:

Jason Carter said that in a lot of ways his grandmother was like many grandmothers, baking with mayonnaise and once making pimento cheese sandwiches for strangers on a flight. But he also touted her work with the Carter Center, fighting the spread of Guinea worm disease around the world, a condition that used to affect millions and now has become rare. He also called Rosalynn Carter's advocacy for mental health, a 50-year climb. Political leaders and their spouses joined 99-year-old former President Jimmy Carter at the service, including the Bidens and Clintons. And fellow former First Ladies, Melania Trump, Michelle Obama, and Laura Bush were also in attendance. Rosalynn Carter died earlier this month at the age of 96.

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Former President Donald Trump and President Joe Biden have reignited the debate over Obamacare ahead of 2024. I spoke with USA TODAY National Political Correspondent, David Jackson, for more. David, thanks for hopping on.

David Jackson:

Hey. Thanks for having me.

Taylor Wilson:

So, Trump, this past weekend said he's looking into alternatives to so-called Obamacare. What did he say here, David? And what alternatives is he talking about?

David Jackson:

Well, he didn't talk about anything specifically. He was on Truth Social and attached a Wall Street Journal editorial criticizing the President Obama healthcare plan, saying that it was driving up healthcare costs. Trump said he basically agreed with it, that costs are too high. And he said, "I'm looking at alternatives." He didn't specify what those were, but it was evident that he wants to try to put healthcare in play, at least for the Republican primaries.

Taylor Wilson:

And how did the Biden campaign counter these comments?

David Jackson:

They jumped all over it. The reason we wrote about it is because I think these are some of the opening moves of the general election campaign. At least, it's the way the campaigns see it. Biden and his campaign aides just totally jumped on Trump's comment, saying he wants to gut the Obama healthcare bill and deprive millions of people of healthcare and it's going to drive up costs for everybody, and the usual litany of complaints that you hear when people talk about the effects of the Obama healthcare law. And they made it clear that it's something that they plan to use in the general election against Trump, whether he talks about it again or not.

Taylor Wilson:

Can you just remind us, what's their background on this issue?

David Jackson:

Biden was obviously a very big proponent of the Obama healthcare law when it was passed in 2010. And signing the law in 2010, you might remember he used the phrase BFD to describe it during the Obama signing ceremony. So he's been a big proponent of it as well. Trump came into office pledging to repeal Obamacare, and he came closer than people remember. He basically came within one vote of the Senate of gutting the law entirely, but Senator John McCain decided at the last minute to stick with the law. So it's still a law of the land.

There have been problems with the implementation, because it's a heavy set of regulations and it's hard for a lot of people to understand. So there have been tweaks to it by the Biden administration, but they have done nothing really to change the basic effect of the law, which is the guaranteed healthcare coverage for most Americans. And they're very proud of it and they intend to make it an issue in his re-election campaign.

Taylor Wilson:

David, it's almost December. We know that Iowa and New Hampshire are coming up right around the corner in January. How do the Biden and Trump camps view the race at this point? Are they expecting to face the other in a rematch general election?

David Jackson:

Yes, very much so. The Trump people feel like they have it wrapped up already. They may be mistaken about that, because Nikki Haley and Ron DeSantis are picking up big endorsements and big money contributions to try to head him off at the pass in Iowa and New Hampshire. But Trump is an overwhelming favorite. He has the huge lead in the polls. Among those who think he's going to win the nomination are the Biden campaign. They're convinced that Trump will be nominated again, and that's going to be the President's opponent in the fall of 2024.

Taylor Wilson:

David Jackson, thank you, sir.

David Jackson:

Thank you.

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Taylor Wilson:

Americans for Prosperity Action, the political network founded by billionaire Charles Koch is endorsing Nikki Haley in the Republican presidential primary. The move gives the former South Carolina governor a major boost less than 50 days before January's Iowa caucuses. In a memo, the conservative grassroots organization said that Haley offers America the opportunity to win the primary and defeat President Joe Biden next fall. The move comes as Haley has risen above Florida Governor Ron DeSantis as the top Republican behind former President Donald Trump in key national and early primary state polls. The endorsement may signal that some Republicans are beginning to rally around Haley as the Trump Republican alternative for 2024. DeSantis' communications director derided the move as a win for Trump, and that no one has a stronger record of beating the establishment than DeSantis.

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Tribes in the Great Lakes have protected water resources in the region for generations, but they now must push to be heard. I spoke with Journal Sentinel Great Lakes Reporter, Caitlin Looby, for more. Caitlin, thanks for hopping on The Excerpt.

Caitlin Looby:

Thanks so much for having me.

Taylor Wilson:

So let's just start here. What are tribal treaty rights?

Caitlin Looby:

So, treaties are formal agreements between governments, and speaking specifically for Ojibwe tribes here in the Great Lakes. Ojibwe tribes signed a series of treaties with the US government when they were forced to give up their land. This helped create the states that are now known as Michigan, Wisconsin and Minnesota. And a part of these treaties, Ojibwe tribes were granted treaty rights, which have been interpreted to mean the rights to hunt, fish, and gather in the lands that they were forced to give up. But there are lots of different layers when it comes to treaty rights. So, the ability to hunt, fish, and gather can only really happen if the environment is protected. So it's not just about the actual act of casting a fishing line or using a net. That fish has to be able to thrive in the environment that it lives in. And it can only do so if the water that it lives in and the water that flows into wherever it lives is protected and unpolluted.

Taylor Wilson:

And so, tribes are fighting a number of legal battles to protect water resources in the Great Lakes region. For starters, they're fighting against oil and mining projects in some cases. Caitlin, what exactly is that issue here, and why do some say the permitting process appears broken?

Caitlin Looby:

There's a lot of worry about oil and mining projects further degrading the water that we have here in the Great Lakes. For instance, Enbridge's Line 5 pipeline, which runs from Superior Wisconsin through Michigan to Ontario, has had dozens of oil spills, releasing more than a million gallons of oil into the environment. And when it comes to permitting these projects, Whitney Gravelle, the president of the Bay Mills Indian Community, talked with me about how the burden is often on tribes to tell state and federal agencies how a project may infringe on their treaty rights. But she said it should be the other way around. The burden should fall on companies to prove that their projects won't infringe on treaty rights.

Taylor Wilson:

And Caitlin, what impact are we seeing climate change have on water in the region and how these indigenous communities use it?

Caitlin Looby:

Climate change is having impacts on waterways in a lot of different ways. One big problem for Ojibwe tribes, specifically in the Great Lakes, is that climate change is having a large impact on wild rice, or manoomin, which is central to the identity of Ojibwe tribes. Climate change is bringing heavier rain events during a time when wild rice plants are really vulnerable and can be easily uprooted. Warmer winters are also causing birds that feed on wild rice to stick around a lot longer, which can decimate wild rice beds that tribes are trying to restore.

Taylor Wilson:

And of course, a lot of what we're talking about is who has the right to use which water. Caitlin, what are the tensions around long-distance needs for water use?

Caitlin Looby:

In the Great Lakes region there's a constant worry among folks that water is going to be piped out of the basin to other drought-stricken states. And even though there is a Great Lakes Compact between the eight Great Lakes states that bans this, that worry really never goes away. They also worry about water overuse within the basin.

Taylor Wilson:

What's the US government role in all of these fights around water?

Caitlin Looby:

Because of the signed treaties, the US government has a duty to protect treaty rights. But many sources in our series on indigenous knowledge explained to us that they don't feel like their treaty rights are being upheld. Many of our sources believe that the federal government should speak up on these issues and be more proactive about preventing a lot of these issues before they happen. Something that Whitney Gravelle, the president of the Bay Mills Indian Community told me, is that treaty rights don't just protect the land and water for tribes. Treaty rights are protecting it for everyone, and it's in everyone's best interest that they are maintained.

Taylor Wilson:

Caitlin Looby covers the environment for the USA TODAY Network. You can find these full stories with the link in today's show notes. Thank you so much, Caitlin, for coming on and discussing it.

Caitlin Looby:

Thank you.

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Taylor Wilson:

Thanks for listening to The Excerpt. You can find the podcast wherever you get your audio, and if you use a smart speaker, just ask for The Excerpt. As always, if you have any comments, you can find us at Podcasts@usatoday.com. I'm back tomorrow with more of The Excerpt from USA TODAY.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: The Excerpt podcast: 12 more hostages held by Hamas freed in Gaza