Nashville mourns after school shooting, Gwyneth Paltrow takes the stand: 5 Things podcast

On today's episode of the 5 Things podcast: Nashville mourns after school shooting

The nation has seen another school shooting - this time in Nashville. Plus, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu temporarily suspends his controversial judicial reform, USA TODAY White House Correspondent Francesca Chambers looks at how U.S. lawmakers plan to deal with Russian war crimes, the man suing Gwyneth Paltrow over a ski incident takes the stand, and We ❤️ NYC is the city's latest slogan.

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 Tuesday, the 28th of March 2023. Today, the latest school shooting. Plus Israel's Prime Minister puts a pause to controversial reforms, and we'll hear about what US lawmakers are planning to hold Russia accountable for war crimes.

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Nashville is mourning today after a mass shooting left three children and three adults dead at a small Christian elementary school. The suspect was identified by police as a 28-year-old former student who entered the private Covenant School through a side door yesterday morning and opened fire. Within 14 minutes, a team of five police officers shot and killed the suspect.

Multiple vigils were held across Nashville last night. The victims included three nine-year-olds: Evelyn Dieckhaus, Hallie Scruggs and William Kinney. The school's headmaster, 60 year old Katherine Koonce, was also killed, as was custodian, 61-year-old Mike Hill and 61 year old substitute teacher, Cynthia Peak.

This was the country's 89th shooting in a K-12 school this year alone, and it brought memories of last year's Uvalde Elementary School shooting in Texas that left 21 dead. President Joe Biden yesterday renewed his push for a ban on assault weapons.

President Joe Biden:

You know, the shooter, in this situation, reportedly had two assault weapons and a pistol. Two AK-47s. So I call on Congress, again, to pass my assault weapons ban.

Taylor Wilson:

You can read more at tennessean.com, part of the USA TODAY Network.

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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu yesterday temporarily suspended his controversial judicial reform legislation that's led to mass protests and sparked anger in most parts of Israeli society. Opponents said the proposal is at least partially aimed at helping Netanyahu with his legal troubles amid corruption charges. It would overhaul the country's judicial system, allowing Israel's Parliament to override Supreme Court decisions with a simple majority. Advocates say It would also be disastrous for Palestinians and for the country's LGBTQ population. The plan has been delayed until Israeli lawmakers return for their next parliamentary session at the end of April.

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As we mentioned on yesterday's 5 Things, lawmakers increasingly plan to hold Russia accountable for accused war crimes in Ukraine. That includes a number of measures next month. USA TODAY White House Correspondent Francesca Chambers has more. Hi, Francesca. Thanks for coming on the podcast today.

Francesca Chambers:

Hi. Thanks so much for having me.

Taylor Wilson:

What kinds of war crimes have allegedly been committed by Russia in Ukraine?

Francesca Chambers:

Well, Americans might well know the civilian massacres that took place in both Bucca and Mariupol. And now Congress wants to bring in the Biden administration into two separate hearings next month to press them on what the US plans to do to hold Russia accountable for suspected war crimes.

Taylor Wilson:

And what is the Biden Administration's plan to hold Russia accountable for these alleged crimes?

Francesca Chambers:

Well, the Department of Justice has taken a lead role on this, and Congress gave the Department of Justice in December the authority to be able to prosecute foreign nationals who commit war crimes in foreign countries. So the Department of Justice has helped the Ukrainian government investigate and document the alleged war crimes. And at the same time, they've also been going after Russian nationals who violate US sanctions and commit related financial crimes. That includes taking control of things like their yachts and then liquidating those. And what they can now do is send that money to Ukraine to help rebuild the country. So one of the things that senators want to know is how much of that money is being sent to Ukraine right now?

Taylor Wilson:

Senators have this plan for a potential war crimes tribunal. Can you talk about that a little bit?

Francesca Chambers:

One idea that senators are actively exploring is supporting some sort of special tribunal that would have the support of the international community that could try for the crime of aggression. Now, what is the crime of aggression? That is the war itself. That is invading a sovereign nation. And that is one thing that the existing courts cannot do that senators say there needs to be potentially a separate tribunal for. Now, the United States has indicated that it would support a special tribunal, but it wants to know more of the details of how it would be set up.

Taylor Wilson:

So Francesca, why is there so much focus inside the US government around these war crimes now, when the war has been going on for over a year?

Francesca Chambers:

You saw recently that the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for Vladimir Putin, the president of Russia. So that's number one. Now, you also have a Senate and a House committee saying that on April 19th, they are going to hold two separate hearings on war crimes. The House will bring in the Ukrainian Prosecutor General and the Senate wants to bring in the Department of Justice. But, it's really remarkable that both of these hearings will be taking place on the same exact day on Capitol Hill.

Taylor Wilson:

And Francesca, how do some of these potential US plans compare with how European leaders and others around the world want to prosecute these same war crimes?

Francesca Chambers:

The EU has already passed a resolution calling for a special tribunal, so the United States now has to determine whether or not it's something that it wants to take action on as well.

Taylor Wilson:

And can you talk a little bit about the historical precedent for how these types of crimes are often prosecuted?

Francesca Chambers:

We saw this after World War II, for instance, where there were special tribunals to try the Nazis. And so that's one example of how something like this could work. Often we see these special tribunals routed through the United Nations. And so whatever they decide to do would have to get support in the UN, likely, and from the international community.

Taylor Wilson:

USA TODAY White House Correspondent Francesca Chambers, Thanks so much.

Francesca Chambers:

Thanks so much for having me.

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The man suing actress Gwyneth Paltrow for $300,000 over a 2016 ski incident took the stand yesterday. Terry Sanderson says she crashed into him in a serious accident.

Terry Sanderson;

You know, I got hit in my back so hard, and right at my shoulder blades. It felt like ... and was perfectly centered. And the fists and the poles were right there at the bottom of my shoulder blades. Serious, serious smack. Never been hit that hard, and I'm flying.

Taylor Wilson:

Paltrow previously testified the opposite, claiming he actually crashed into her.

Gwyneth Paltrow:

Mr. Sanderson categorically hit me on that ski slope, and that is the truth.

Taylor Wilson:

The trial has produced some wacky moments so far and taken over corners of social media, especially TikTok. You can follow along to the rest of it on USATODAY.com.

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I Love New York. Or, I ❤️ NY. For years, that was New York City's iconic campaign, launched in 1977. But the city's leaders have launched a new offshoot of the slogan: We ❤️ NYC. The campaign is an effort to encourage New Yorkers to volunteer and complete acts of service. Mayor Eric Adams said, "The We Heart NYC campaign asks everyone who loves the greatest city in the world to show it by lending a helping hand and spreading that love to every block across all 5 boroughs." And if you want a t-shirt that says I ❤️ NY, don't worry. The two slogans will coexist together.

Thanks for listening to 5 Things. You can find us every day of the week right here, wherever you get your audio. I'm back tomorrow with more of 5 Things from USA TODAY.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Nashville school shooting latest, Paltrow takes stand: 5 Things podcast