5 Things podcast: Palestinians flee as Gaza braces for attack, GOP nominates Jim Jordan

On Saturday's episode of the 5 Things podcast: Palestinians flee in Gaza amid an evacuation order from Israel. USA TODAY Breaking News Reporter Cybele Mayes-Osterman has the latest. A blockade on Gaza is further complicating this month's conflict. House Republicans nominate House Judiciary Chair Jim Jordan as speaker. How much money can remote work save workers? USA TODAY National Correspondent Trevor Hughes gets you ready for a solar eclipse.

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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 this is five things you need to know, Saturday the 14th of October, 2023. Today the latest from Gaza amid an evacuation order from Israel plus house Republicans have a new nominee for speaker and get ready for a solar eclipse.

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Palestinians under threat of a looming Israeli ground invasion hunkered down in Gaza or tried to flee yesterday As airstrikes pounded the region and US citizens trapped in the conflict are pleading for help. I spoke with USA today breaking news reporter Cybele Mayes-Osterman for the latest. Cybele, welcome back to the show.

Cybele Mayes-Osterman:

Thank you.

Taylor Wilson:

So Israel has ordered a mass evacuation in Gaza. What exactly does this directive mean?

Cybele Mayes-Osterman:

What Israel has pointed to is that all citizens in Gaza need to evacuate within 24 hours because there's an expected ground attack that Israel is planning. Although we don't have that certain for sure right now, there's been a suggestion that that's what's going to happen. And so people in Gaza are preparing accordingly and the Israeli government has told people to evacuate.

Taylor Wilson:

And we're hearing about what's basically an impossible evacuation inside Gaza. Cybele, what is the scene like there right now?

Cybele Mayes-Osterman:

Yeah, so it's an incredibly catastrophic scene. The UN has said that it's essentially impossible for all of these people that are being asked to evacuate to actually get out in 24 hours. Some people are trying to make this very dangerous trek to the south to get out, but then at the same time, you have these continual airstrikes going on that have killed 1,500 people already. And so there's a big fear that leaving your house is actually going to put you at risk of being struck by one of these. And so you have some people that have just decided they're going to stay in their homes and hunker down and kind of brace for whatever might come next.

Taylor Wilson:

Wow. And US citizens are inside Gaza as well. They've been begging for help. What options do they have at this point?

Cybele Mayes-Osterman:

Yeah, well, I've heard from some US citizens in Gaza saying that they have just not received the communication that they've been asking for from the US consulate and the US Embassy. I heard from one person that said her mother and sister sent their contact information to US officials in the hopes of getting some kind of details about how they could possibly get out. And so far that kind of information has really not come.

Taylor Wilson:

And Cybele, we expect a violent next few days as it's been this week. What's next for this evacuation and the Gazans trying to flee. And we hear Israel says it will lift this latest blockade if Hamas releases hostages it took last weekend. Is there any progress on that front and what happens next here?

Cybele Mayes-Osterman:

Yeah, so I don't know about any progress on that front specifically and so for that reason, I think a lot of people who are being asked to evacuate in Gaza feel as though they're kind of stuck. People's cell phone batteries are running out in the midst of this blockade, people don't have internet access, and so there may be kind of a communication blackout where it will become more and more difficult to reach the people that are inside Gaza still.

Taylor Wilson:

Cybele Mays Osterman, thank you for your time on this. Really appreciate it.

Cybele Mayes-Osterman:

Thank you.

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Taylor Wilson:

The UN says that Israel's evacuation orders will affect more than a million people, and Cybele outlined where Gaza's go next is up in the air. Gaza is surrounded by blockades imposed by Israel and Egypt restricting movement in and out. Egypt's Rafah Crossing is the main exit point from Gaza, not under Israeli control, but it's been closed since Tuesday after being hit by Israeli strikes. Egypt is discussing plans with the US to provide humanitarian aid through the border, but will not take in refugees fleeing Gaza according to an Al Jazeera report. A 16-year blockade began after Hamas seized control of Gaza.

Israel says the blockade is necessary to isolate Hamas, but human rights groups have pointed to civilians who suffer under it with a starved economy, high unemployment, and a buckling hospital system. Israel's latest ambush on Gaza comes after a shocking attack by Hamas militants in Israel nearly a week ago, in which Hamas also took some Israelis hostage. Hamas has also fired thousands of rockets since. As of yesterday, the Israel Defense Forces said more than 1,300 Israelis have died in the recent conflict, and the Palestinian Ministry of Health said just under 1800 Palestinians have died.

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House Republicans nominated Congressman Jim Jordan for speaker yesterday after an internal secret ballot vote behind closed doors. The move came as the lower chamber passed its 10th day without a speaker. Jordan, the house judiciary chair defeated Congressman Austin Scott, who made a surprise entrance into the speaker's race hours earlier as an anti Jordan alternative. But the conference's nomination of Jordan is just a formal endorsement from the majority of GOP lawmakers. For Jordan to become speaker, he'll need to rally an overwhelming majority of house Republicans behind him to win a vote on the floor with 217 votes. That's the number needed to get the job.

Jordan previously lost the house majority leader Steve Scalise for the nomination this week, but Scalise on Thursday withdrew from the race.

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Remote work can save workers money. Owl Labs, which it should be noted as a video conferencing service that can benefit from remote work, has released its 2023 state of work report. Its survey found that 66% of US employees who returned to the office to work five days a week or full-time spend an average of $51 every workday. Major daily costs include the commute, parking and food costs. And working in the office costs pet owners an extra $20 a day on average according to the report.

The report also states that 49% of workers feel it's easier to maintain a work-life balance with a remote job. Well, 31% believe it's easier with a hybrid and only 20% at the office.

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A solar eclipse will darken the sky today as the moon passes in front of the sun, but it may just be a warmup act for an even better eclipse coming next year. I caught up with USA today national correspondent Trevor Hughes for more. Trevor, good to have you back on the show.

Trevor Hughes:

Hi there.

Taylor Wilson:

So we have an annular solar eclipse coming today. What is this type of eclipse?

Trevor Hughes:

A lot of people, when they think about a solar eclipse, they would think about the moon totally covering up the sun. And in this case, what we're going to see is the moon on top of the sun, but with this beautiful ring of fire around the edges where it is not completely covered. I'm super excited to see it myself. It should be really a striking series of images for us.

Taylor Wilson:

Where will this eclipse be best seen and also what exactly can Americans expect to see here?

Trevor Hughes:

So for those of us who are in the west or the southwest like me down in New Mexico, Utah, Arizona, there's this big swath of the country that will see the eclipse and it's sort of this diagonal line that starts up near Oregon and goes all the way down through Texas. And if you're on the center line of that eclipse for maybe as long as four minutes you will see the moon completely cover over the sun. The further you are away from the center line of that alignment, the shorter it will be and the further away you get again, you may not see it fully sit on top of the sun, you may see it look kind of like someone's taken a bite out of the sun and

Taylor Wilson:

Coming up next year in April, we'll see a total solar eclipse. Trevor, how will that eclipse differ from this one?

Trevor Hughes:

I have seen both kinds of eclipses and the eclipse we're going to see today is a fantastic eclipse, don't get me wrong, but to see a total solar eclipse is really something that you would say this is a once in a lifetime opportunity. It is just the most strange experience to see the world go dark in the middle of the day, to hear animals reacting as if it's suddenly nighttime or it's becoming dawn or it's becoming dusk. During the last full solar eclipse, I was on top of a mountain in Wyoming and we could actually see the shadow sweep across the ground below us. It was just the most amazing thing.

Taylor Wilson:

Wow. What an experience, Trevor. So what do Americans need to prepare to see an eclipse? You mentioned you went out to a mountain. Is there a better viewing position than others? What kind of glasses? What do they need here?

Trevor Hughes:

You're going to want to see the eclipse today wearing eclipsed glasses because you're going to be looking at the sun. It would burn your eyes if you were to look at it unshielded. Now for the complete solar eclipse, once the sun has been totally obscured by the moon people can take off their glasses and look at it with their unaided eye, and it's a very unusual and eerie experience. But for the eclipse today, you really need to be careful about screening your eyes, making sure you're not looking at it directly. There's a ton of websites out there or apps that you can download that will help you find out exactly where the best places, because again, you're looking for clear skies, especially without clouds.

Taylor Wilson:

All right, Trevor Hughes, we'll be looking up. Thanks so much.

Trevor Hughes:

Absolutely.

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Taylor Wilson:

You can check if you'll be able to see today's eclipse in your neck of the woods with a link in today's show notes. And thanks for listening to 5 Things. You can find us seven mornings a week on Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, Spotify, or wherever you get your audio. If you like the show, please subscribe and leave us a rating and review on Apple Podcasts. Dana Taylor is in for the Sunday episode tomorrow, and I'll be back Monday with more of 5 Things from USA Today.