A sea of mud at Burning Man, recent wave of Trader Joe's recalls: 5 Things podcast

On today's episode of the 5 Things podcast: A sea of mud at Burning Man

Rains hit this year's Burning Man, stranding tens of thousands of people in the Nevada desert. Plus, Ukraine announces a new defense minister, USA TODAY Congress, Campaigns, and Democracy Reporter Rachel Looker explains how a State Department office aims to build relationships with young people around the world, USA TODAY Senior Reporter Jessica Guynn looks at the recent wave of recalls from Trader Joe's, and flamingos show up across the eastern U.S. after Hurricane Idalia.

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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 and happy Labor Day. I'm Taylor Wilson and this is 5 Things you need to know Monday, the 4th of September 2023. Today, mud and muck at Burning Man. Plus, how a State Department office aims to build relationships with young people around the world, and what's with these latest food recalls?

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It was a rare weekend of rain and mud at Burning Man. Some 73,000 attendees at the festival in the Nevada desert became stranded after rains turned a usually sandy area into deep mud, nearly impossible to walk or drive on. Organizers said people were free to walk out of the event, but the majority stayed hunched down in their RVs or tents. Burning Man takes its name from a giant sculpture that's ignited and burned to cap off the event, and it began in 1986. Today, tens of thousands of people gather each summer for about nine days in Nevada's Black Rock Desert to create a temporary city known for its communal living and eccentric displays of art and expression. Burners create a kind of utopia building villages, a medical center and airport along with performance stages. That utopia was put to the test this weekend. Porta-potty toilets went days without being serviced, despite being the main bathroom options. And amid the heaviest rains, many people were unable to move around even short distances. Authorities said yesterday they were also investigating a death at the festival, though organizers say the man died on Friday, unrelated to the weather.

Deaths at Burning Man are not uncommon. A man died in 2019 after he was found dead in his vehicle with a lethal concentration of carbon monoxide found in his blood. And in a disturbing 2017 incident, a man died after throwing himself into the main fire display.

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It was another foreign trip for former Iowa congresswoman Abby Finkenauer in her new role as special envoy for the Global Youth Issues office, a global office within the State Department that formed after the 2010 Arab Spring anti-government protests. It's focus: build relationships with young people around the world. I spoke with USA TODAY Congress Campaigns and Democracy Reporter Rachel Looker for more. Rachel, thanks for hopping on 5 Things.

Rachel Looker:

Thanks so much for having me.

Taylor Wilson:

Can you just start by telling us a bit about former Congresswoman Abby Finkenauer's career and story?

Rachel Looker:

So Abby Finkenauer has a really interesting story in how she became involved in public service. She told me from a very young age, she was always interested in what was happening in the world around her. She begged her parents at 10 years old for a subscription to Newsweek. She would always sit around the family dinner table talking politics and current events with her relatives. And it really started for her when she joined the U.S. House Page Program. And when she came back, the interest in politics sort of just stuck. She went to college and then she saw that there was an open State House seat available. She decided to run, and at 24 years old, she was elected to the Iowa State House, which is where she grew up. And then shortly after that, four years later, there was a U.S. House seat available in her district. So Finkenauer decided to run and she won. She became the first congresswoman from Iowa to head to the House of Representatives in Washington D.C. and she was the youngest female to be elected to the U.S. House in DC.

Taylor Wilson:

And right on brand, Finkenauer is now special envoy for the Global Youth Issues Office. Rachel, what does this office aim to achieve?

Rachel Looker:

So the Global Youth Issues Office, it formed about 10 years ago under the Department of State. And its main focus is to really build relationships with young people all around the world. So it started following the Arab Spring, which were a series of pro-democracy protests and uprisings in the Middle East and North Africa, challenging authoritarianism, basically. So Finkenauer said that this office really came to be as a focus to ensure that young people have a seat at the table when we're looking at diplomacy.

Taylor Wilson:

And what do some of the program's participants say about their experiences?

Rachel Looker:

So I was able to speak with one of the program participants who called it a life-changing experience. He is from Vietnam. He started his own coffee business where he works to hire youth who come from challenging backgrounds, some who've suffered domestic violence or dropped out of school. And he said the real positive from participating in this program was getting to learn and connect with so many other people around the world, all people who have similar interests in trying to make their communities a better place wherever that may be. And getting to learn from those people and connect with them was something that was really invaluable lessons that he was able to take home with him back in Vietnam.

Taylor Wilson:

And Rachel, a major barrier toward getting young people involved in politics is this sense of disillusionment with corruption around the world, this feeling that no matter what, you can't get your voice heard. What do young people say about this issue globally and how does this office address those concerns?

Rachel Looker:

That's a great question. So the office really focuses on making sure that young people have a seat at the table. Finkenauer told me as important it is for her to kind of share her story and her experience in public service, she wants to hear from these young people, to hear about what issues matter to them, what are some of the most important things they would like to address or fix in their communities, and then making sure that they have that space to talk about these issues, and that they have the tools to try to take action in the best way that they can.

Taylor Wilson:

What other issues do youth care about globally that this office works to address?

Rachel Looker:

Three that she highlighted for me were climate change, corruption in government and disinformation. And the office addresses all of those through different programs that they host and initiatives. But she really said it comes down to just providing actionable tools that young people can use to make a difference, and have these conversations to talk about ideas and talk about solutions, and brainstorm together from different backgrounds and different countries all around the world so that young people are equipped to try to address some of the biggest problems our whole entire globe is facing.

Taylor Wilson:

Rachel Looker, thanks so much.

Rachel Looker:

Thank you.

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Taylor Wilson:

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced yesterday that defense minister Oleksii Reznikov will be replaced this week. He cited the need for "new approaches and different formats of interaction, both with the military and with society." He said that Crimean lawmaker Rustem Umerov would take over the role. Umerov was previously involved with the exchange of prisoners of war and evacuations of civilians from Russian occupied territories. He was also part of the delegation in negotiations with Russia over the U.N.-backed grain deal. The change in leadership comes as Ukraine's counteroffensive has stalled in recent weeks. You can read more with a link in today's show notes.

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From rocks to insects, Trader Joe's has issued a wave of product recalls lately. I spoke with USA TODAY Senior Reporter Jessica Guynn for more and whether food recalls in general are becoming more common. Hello, Jessica, welcome back to the show.

Jessica Guynn:

Hi. Thanks so much for having me.

Taylor Wilson:

So what products has Trader Joe's recalled in recent weeks?

Jessica Guynn:

Well, quite a few of them. This week, Trader Joe's alerted us that some black bean tamales may contain undeclared milk. That seemed pretty innocuous compared to the multi-grain crackers that may contain metal, two different kinds of cookies that may contain rocks, and broccoli cheddar soup and cooked falafel that might contain insects. These are all recalls involving physical contamination. I don't know about you, but I don't really want to chew on bugs and rocks. Trader Joe's is urging all of us if we have these products to throw them away or bring them back to the store for a refund.

Taylor Wilson:

What else does the company say about this string of recalls and what do experts say about whether or not Trader Joe's has a bigger recall problem?

Jessica Guynn:

So the company says that the timing, the close timing of these recalls is just coincidental. It also says the recalls are a direct result of how aggressively and carefully they track these kinds of issues in their products. Their basic message is they don't wait around for regulators to tell them what to do. They just do the right thing by their customers. And that sounds really good.

The experts say they're a little troubled by just how many recalls there have been in such a short span of time. They say it's true that modern supply chains are long, complex, and there's just lots of opportunities for contamination to take place. But six recalls in the span of five weeks is a lot more than they expected to see from a chain like Trader Joe's, and they say that raises quality control issues.

Taylor Wilson:

It seems like we hear more and more stories about food recalls. Are they becoming more common in the U.S.?

Jessica Guynn:

It, like most things, depends on who you ask. Yes, we're seeing more product recalls because food products have more ingredients and are more processed than they used to be. But according to PIRG, food product recalls by the FDA and USDA aren't more common, and that in itself could be a problem. There's a shortage of food inspectors working for the government and for companies. People are not going to the doctor as often for ailments caused by food contamination. So we may be missing some of these problems.

Taylor Wilson:

Jessica, how can people protect themselves from contaminated food?

Jessica Guynn:

Well, one thing you can do, which I am going to do, is sign up for push notifications for FDA and USDA recalls. You can also make sure if you have a loyalty card that your grocery store alerts loyalty card holders to recalls. And there are certain groups of people who should be extra cautious. If you have a food allergy, be careful. 42% of food recalls are for undeclared allergens. And then of course, babies, young kids, people who are older, pregnant, immunocompromised or anyone in fragile health should really take care when purchasing these heavily processed foods.

Taylor Wilson:

All right. Jessica Guynn, thank you as always.

Jessica Guynn:

Thank you so much for having me.

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Taylor Wilson:

Flamingo sightings have popped up all over the Eastern U.S. in recent days, and experts say Hurricane Idalia is to blame. The iconic pink birds first started showing up all over Florida, but by Saturday, three days after Idalia made landfall, flamingo sightings had been reported in Alabama, both Carolinas, Tennessee, Virginia, and even Ohio. Colonies of the birds are found in the Caribbean, including the Yucatan Peninsula and Mexico, where Idalia lingered for days building up strength before barreling into Florida's west coast last week, and then moving across other parts of the South. It's not unheard of for birds to be caught up in hurricanes and then dropped out somewhere else, but it's unprecedented to get this many flamingos in this many places, according to Greg Neise from the American Birding Association. You can read more with a link in today's show notes.

And if you didn't know, before Labor Day became a federal holiday, it was recognized by labor activists and individual states. In 1894, Congress passed an act making the first Monday in September of each year a legal holiday and President Grover Cleveland signed it into law.

Thanks for listening to 5 Things. If you like the show, please subscribe and leave us a rating and review on Apple Podcasts. And any comments, you can send them our way to podcasts@usatoday.com. I'm back tomorrow with more of 5 Things from USA TODAY.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Muddy Burning Man, flamingos follow Hurricane Idalia: 5 Things podcast