News from around the nation.

Democratic Governor Janet Mills drops out of Senate Race for seat held by the Republican Susan Collins; Tariffs, war fueling surge in costs for Florida business owners; SCOTUS case may affect Marylanders' right to sue pesticide maker; Colorado food banks stressed after 4.3 million lose SNAP benefits.

Transcript

Public News Service Thursday afternoon update.

I'm Mike Clifford.

Democratic Governor Janet Mills has suspended her campaign for the Senate seat long held by Republican Susan Collins.

In a statement, Mills said, I very simply do not have the one thing that political campaigns unfortunately require today, the financial resources.

The New York Times notes her exit paves the way for Graham Plattner, who has led her in the polls to become the Democratic nominee in one of the most important Senate races in the country.

The GOP incumbent Susan Collins is viewed by many as a moderate who has a track record of directing federal projects to Maine.

Meantime, from higher prices for beef patty ingredients and paper goods to unpredictable costs for imported specialty clamps, Florida small business owners say tariffs and war are squeezing them from all sides.

Annette Kidd co-owns a Juicy Patties franchise in Miramar with her family, a Jamaican fast casual chain that's still getting established in the U.S.

She says her operation has seen its worst dip ever, losing up to $10,000 a week in revenue.

She points to tariff-driven price hikes on everything from food to supplies.

It's a very inexpensive, affordable meal.

In addition to that, because of the tariffs, you know, it's costing us more for our suppliers to do business with them.

They've had to increase their prices.

So from a service perspective, we're paying more.

This story was produced with original reporting from Josh Israel for the Florida Independent.

I'm Tramiel Gomes.

And the pesticide maker Bayer testified before the Supreme Court this week in a case that could decide its immunity from lawsuits that claim its products cause cancer.

Bayer is the producer of the herbicide Roundup, which contains glyphosate.

Thousands of cancer patients and families, some in Maryland, are suing Bayer for failing to warn them that glyphosate may cause cancer.

If the Supreme Court rules in Bayer's favor, Bayer would be shielded from such lawsuits.

Danny Repligal, with Food and Water Watch, says that kind of decision could hurt the ability of people who have been impacted to seek justice in the legal system.

It's incredibly frustrating because we don't believe that the law is on Bayer's side and the right to access justice through the courts is a right that we're supposed to be guaranteed.

Bayer has long maintained that glyphosate levels in its Roundup product are within safety standards and are not carcinogenic.

I'm Zamone Perez.

And on Tuesday, Secretary of Agriculture Brock Rollins told Fox Business that 4.3 million Americans have lost food assistance through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, claiming the reduction in benefits is due to a crackdown on fraud.

Mark Wessler with the Food Bank of the Rockies, which distributes 200,000 meals each day across Colorado and Wyoming, says they've seen a huge spike in demand.

People from all walks of life are struggling to make ends meet, especially with gas being what it is, food, clothes.

Everything seems astronomically expensive now, and folks are having to make hard choices.

He notes one in eight Coloradans and one in seven kids don't know where their next meal will come from.

This is Public News Service.

New Medicaid rules in the Trump administration budget bill are making it much harder for dialysis patients to get the care they need to stay alive. a clinic in Chadron, Nebraska, was forced to stop offering dialysis, meaning some people have to drive hundreds of miles to get care.

Carol Franks, whose family has a long history of kidney disease, says receiving regular dialysis treatments is hard enough for people who are otherwise healthy and mobile.

But reporting by the American Independent shows that new Medicaid eligibility requirements in the Trump administration budget bill make qualifying for dialysis and actually receiving it much harder and more expensive.

Can you imagine, you know, if you have low income, you have a family to take care of?

What if you're faced with having to deal with doing volunteer work to qualify for Medicaid?

I don't know who wrote that thing.

The Trump administration has said by rewriting Medicaid eligibility guidelines, it's trying to reduce financial waste and fraud.

I'm Mark Moran.

This story with original reporting by Rebecca Sager with the American Independent.

We head next to San Francisco, where the school board got an earful this week from parents and community groups concerned the district is failing to disclose data on discipline, namely suspensions, detentions, and referrals for black students.

The school system is required to publish that data every two years under its Safe and Supportive Schools Resolution, which banned suspension for willful defiance and adopted restorative justice policies.

Rachel Jones, with the non-profit Coleman Advocates, says the district is dragging its feet.

They're supposed to track and publicly report referral and informal exclusionary practices that result in the loss of instructional time.

But they have not done that.

Groups that fight for equity in education say that black students in the city's public schools are still getting suspended at four times the district average.

I'm Suzanne Potter.

Finally, tomorrow is May Day.

People across Washington State will gather to celebrate the contributions of the labor movement.

May Day events will happen in many cities tomorrow, including Seattle, Yakima, and Spokane.

Brenda Morgan is an executive board member with Service Employees International Union 775, otherwise known as the Caregivers Union, and she says all are welcome.

This is community members coming together.

This is people that want to voice their concern.

This is people raising awareness of what our labor movement has done for us as workers.

Don't keep quiet.

Come out, join us.

Morgan says it's thanks to the union that she and other caregivers now make a living wage, have health insurance, and more job security.

She adds Washington's labor movement has a lot to celebrate tomorrow, including the passage of the Domestic Workers' Bill of Rights and the Millionaire's Tax.

I'm Isobel Charle.

The first May Day led to the Haymarket Affair in Chicago, which inspired generations of labor leaders.

This is Mike Clifford for Public News Service.

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