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On today’s episode of the 5 Things podcast: Biden announces US will send Abrams tanks to Ukraine, signaling new phase of war
USA TODAY Pentagon Reporter Tom Vanden Brook explains what the U.S. decision to send dozens of modern tanks to Ukraine means for the war. Plus, the identities of several California shooting victims have been released, opening arguments were given in the double murder trial of Alex Murdaugh, Meta says it will reinstate Donald Trump on Facebook and Instagram, and Pope Francis says that homosexuality is a sin, not a crime.
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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 5 Things you need to know Thursday, the 26th of January 2023. Today, what this week’s US tanks announcement means for the war in Ukraine. Plus, the latest on a murder trial of a prominent former South Carolina lawyer, and Pope Francis says homosexuality is not a crime.
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The US is preparing to send frontline battle tanks to Ukraine and it could signal a new phase of the war. For more, I’m now joined by USA TODAY Pentagon correspondent Tom Vanden Brook. Tom, thanks so much for coming on the podcast.
Tom Vanden Brook:
Good to be here, Taylor.
Taylor Wilson:
So President Joe Biden announced Wednesday that the US will send these frontline battle tanks to Ukraine. This is a reversal from his previous reluctance to send the vehicles. So I guess the most sensible question here is, why is the Biden administration changing its mind now?
Tom Vanden Brook:
Well, I think what’s going on is there’s some changes on the battlefield that they’re reacting to. And there’s a concern that Russia has been sending tens of thousands of conscripts and reinforcements to the frontline in Eastern Ukraine. And there’s a concern that they’ll break out sometime in March with an offensive, and that the Ukrainians won’t have the armor to defend themselves. So now is the time to move tanks there. And in doing so, in pledging Abrams tanks, it gives the Germans cover to provide their top version of a tank called the Leopard 2. They were waiting for the US to send Abrams tanks before doing that. Not coincidentally, the Germans announced today that they’re doing that. So it’s all of a piece with that.
Taylor Wilson:
Tom, tell us a little about these tanks themselves. For those of us who maybe don’t know a ton about military technology or vehicles, how sophisticated are they and what do these tanks mean for warfare there on the ground in Ukraine?
Tom Vanden Brook:
Well, at the moment they mean a lot.
