Mexican cartel apologizes for kidnapping Americans, 'Luther' hits Netflix: 5 Things podcast

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On today's episode of the 5 Things podcast: Mexican cartel apologizes for kidnapping, killing Americans

A Mexican cartel has apologized for kidnapping and killing Americans last week. Plus, Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell suffers a concussion, eight people are dead after a shooting in Germany, an asteroid may hit Earth in 2046, and a 'Luther' movie hits Netflix.

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 Friday, the 10th of March 2023. Today, a Mexican cartel apologizes. Plus, Senator Mitch McConnell suffers a concussion, and a massive asteroid could be heading for Earth.

A Mexican drug cartel has apologized after claiming its members were behind the kidnapping of four Americans last week. Two of them were killed, and another injured on Friday in the border city of Matamoros. They were apparently visiting the city for cosmetic surgery. Authorities have said that cartel members probably mistook them for drug smugglers, and abducted them after shooting their van. In a letter, the Scorpions faction of the Gulf Cartel apologized to the residents of Matamoros, a Mexican woman who was killed by a stray bullet, and the Americans and their families. The cartel also said certain individuals who carried out the attack went against the group's will, and acted on their own. They even handed over five of the men to Mexican authorities.

Back in the States, James Woodard said his son Shaid would have celebrated his thirty-fourth birthday yesterday.

James Woodard:

Being helpless, not to be able to do anything, not to be able to go there, and just rescue them, it's real painful, and I just been trying to make sense out of it for a whole week. Just restless, couldn't sleep, couldn't eat. It's just crazy to see your own child taken from you in such a way, in a violent way like that.

Taylor Wilson:

Meanwhile, the bodies of the Americans killed have been returned to US authorities.

Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell is being treated for a concussion after falling at a hotel in Washington on Wednesday. A spokesman told USA TODAY that the longtime Kentucky lawmaker tripped at a dinner event and was admitted to the hospital, where he is expected to remain for a few days. The now 81-year-old previously fell at his home in Louisville in 2019. President Joe Biden, asked if he's spoken with his decades-long friend, said he thinks he's going to be all right. A concussion is another name for a traumatic brain injury, which happens when your head suffers a blow or violent shaking.

Eight people were killed last night in a shooting at a Jehovah's Witnesses Hall in Hamburg, Germany, according to police. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, a former Hamburg mayor, called the shooting a brutal act of violence. Police said they believed there was one shooter, and that person could be among the dead in the building. A motive is still unclear. Jehovah's Witnesses are part of an international church founded in the US in the 19th century. It claims a worldwide membership of nearly nine million people.

An asteroid is on its way. The recently discovered space rock measures 150 feet in diameter, and has a chance of hitting earth on Valentine's Day in 2046. The asteroid, named 2023 DW, has a small chance of crashing into the planet, according to a number of agencies. Still, NASA and the European Space Agency have added it to their respective risk lists. The asteroid is around the width of a football field, and will probably pass earth by more than a million miles. Still, that's relatively close, and it does have a small chance of making impact here. If that happens, NASA says it could damage a local area, but would not pose a risk to the entire planet. NASA's working on potential solutions should a catastrophic asteroid ever hit. Last year, the agency crashed a spacecraft into an asteroid, to see if it could change the rock's trajectory. NASA called the mission a success.

Luther is heading to the movies. Actor Idris Elba returns as TV cop John Luther in the Netflix movie, Luther: The Fallen Sun, streaming now.

Idris Elba:

Let the nightmare come. Because I'm ready.

Taylor Wilson:

Ahead of the movie, USA TODAY Movie Critic Brian Truitt spoke with Idris.

Brian Truitt:

So, since the last time you played Luther, I mean, you've rode some horses, you've punched a digital lion, you've dealt with a digital starfish, you've done a lot.

Idris Elba:

Yes, sir.

Brian Truitt:

How much sweeter was it now, putting on that heavy tweed coat, after being away from him for so long?

Idris Elba:

It was really satisfying to know that there is an appetite to take a character that I've done over 10 years, and now take him to the next chapter, which is film. Bigger landscape, bigger stories, bigger budget, and just really sort of try and delve deeper into this beloved character. The sweet spot was pretty dodgy.

Brian Truitt:

As you were doing the five seasons of the show - I mean, he does bend rules, he does all these things in the name of justice - how cool was it to get put in prison and deal with the shame of that, but also, needing to break out to do his job?

Idris Elba:

I mean, after the fifth season, and Luther had been doing some crazy nonsense, like Luther breaks the law to catch the law, I guess. And I feel it was a real natural, good place to start the film. His vulnerabilities needs to be brought up a peg, because we've seen him sort of fight alligators. This guy can do anything, jump off high buildings and survive, metaphorically.

But actually, he's a human being, and he's not above the law. So it felt like a really good place to start, someone that's really vulnerable, who's tough. And not only that, you're in jail, and you can't do anything about a case that has come back to haunt you.

What a conundrum for Neil Cross, the writer, to try and make sense of that, and also, try and invite an audience that has never seen Luther to be able to watch the film standalone and get into it. So it was a real natural landing pad for us, to start the film where we do.

Brian Truitt:

Revisiting his character at this time of your life, do you feel like you bring anything different to him now, than you did 10 years ago, or 12 years ago, when the show first started?

Idris Elba:

Well, I guess, apart from the obvious experience of who he is, you know what I mean, I have the sense of his grief now, the grief of losing friends, family, his wife, all this stuff. I get to play that behind the eyes of the film franchise, moving forward. I started playing him when I was 42, maybe 40. I'm 50 now. There's an experience for me, as an actor, that I think lends itself to this Luther, this version.

I think this is Luther 2.0. He's still as rambunctious, and still sort of forthright, but I imagine that, because of his vulnerability, being in prison, and taken down a peg or two, he's a little more cautious.

Taylor Wilson:

You can find more in the entertainment section on USATODAY.com. And you can find new episodes of 5 Things every morning right here, wherever you get your pods. I'm back tomorrow with more of 5 Things from USA TODAY.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Mexican cartel apologizes, 'Luther' movie hits Netflix: 5 Things podcast