News from around the nation.

Despite White House claims to the contrary, Trump reportedly boarded a secret Turkey flight via a catering truck due to an Iran threat; Anti-poverty groups ask California to restore food aid after federal cuts; Georgia voters want the next governor to tackle healthcare costs; Tennessee doctors, faith leaders continue to urge Governor Lee to halt executions.

Transcript

The Public News Service Tuesday afternoon update.

I'm Mike Clifford.

In a social media post, President Trump announced he would use the former Air Force One rather than the newer Boeing 747-8 gifted to him by Qatar for when he returned from the Maytos summit in Turkey.

But that appears to have been a false flag.

The Washington Post notes in Ankara, Trump boarded the old Air Force jumbo jet in view of TV cameras.

He was secretly shuttled minutes later to a smaller plane, an Air Force C-34, 32A via an airport catering truck typically used to load meals and other supplies.

That made Air Force One a decoy with media and some White House staff aboard.

Publicly, the White House repeated its account that the president left Turkey on the legacy blue and white 747.

Meantime, a new statewide poll finds Georgia voters across party lines agree that health care costs too much and that the system needs fixing.

The poll conducted by the University of Georgia's Survey Research Center found that more than three in five voters say health care is not affordable and one in three skipped or delayed care in the past year because of cost.

Terry Analuitz is with Capital City Public Affairs and a former state representative who served on the House Public Health Committee.

Her firm is helping the Georgia Health Initiative get the polling data into the hands of lawmakers.

Health care costs are a massive concern.

And when you're looking outside of the metro areas, Atlanta, Augusta, Columbus, Savannah, you've got a large part of this state where people don't feel like they can access the care that they need.

I'm Tramiel Gomes.

Next, a group of Tennessee doctors and faith leaders is asking Governor Bill Lee to pause the Thursday execution of Anthony Darrell Hines.

Our Daniel Smith reports last week, the state Supreme Court denied Hines' request to find out whether the same doctor who participated in May's failed execution attempt on Tony Carruthers would be involved in his capital punishment.

Dr. Robert Quinn says nearly 40 medical professionals want executions paused until the state improves its planning, training, and procedures.

Quinn emphasizes that the American Medical Association has released a publication that says physicians must not participate in legally authorized executions.

We spend all of our professional lives focusing on preserving, improving, sustaining life, and then to be asked to step across the line is a very difficult moral decision.

Lee has defended the state's protocol and says executions will continue.

Danielle Smith reporting.

And on the steps, California State Capitol, a coalition of groups that fight poverty and support labor and immigrant rights, rallied for policy changes on Monday.

Yesenia Robancho is with the nonprofit End Child Poverty California.

Do not turn a blind eye to the hunger crisis California families are experiencing right now.

The coalition is asking lawmakers to increase state-level food assistance to make up for sizable cuts to the SNAP program.

This is Public News Service.

The Trump administration is buying back New York offshore wind leases as it moves forward with its plans to expand the use of fossil fuels.

RWEUS Offshore is receiving more than a billion dollars to give up its leases to build wind farms off the coasts of New York, California, and Louisiana.

It's one of several deals the federal government made with renewable energy companies to get them to invest in fossil fuels instead.

Adrienne Esposito with the Citizens Campaign for the Environment says now isn't the time to ditch renewables.

We're living in a time right now where our energy costs are going up because we're being held hostage by oil industries and there's geopolitical circumstances such as wars and we could instead be generating clean safe homegrown energy here in America.

In the last year and a half the federal government has issued a series of stop work orders for various offshore wind projects though the courts consistently overturned them.

Beyond this data show the federal permitting process for energy projects can hold them up for more than a decade excluding the time needed to address lawsuits against these projects.

I'm Edwin J. Viera.

Next, artificial intelligence making its way into California classrooms spurring concern among educators.

The California Federation of Teachers just released a white paper on the dangers of AI in schools.

The California Federation of Teachers just released a white paper on the dangers of AI in schools presenting their case to the state legislature at a lobby day in Sacramento.

A poll of CFT members showed that 74 percent believe AI harms student mental health.

CFT President Jeff Freitas says there's no substitute for the experience, good judgment, and compassion of a real teacher.

We are finding that there is less critical thinking when there's an interaction and learning through AI versus in the classroom when there's discussion, when there's debate.

Educators are also concerned about the amount of data that AI can collect and disseminate about students and staff.

I'm Suzanne Potter.

Finally, at the start of 2027, new work requirements for Medicaid are scheduled to begin in all states.

Pregnant and postpartum Medicaid recipients in New Hampshire are protective from these rules, but identifying who qualifies could be an issue.

A Georgetown University report finds that the real test may be whether the state's Medicaid program can identify who is pregnant.

Elizabeth Wright Barak, a fellow at the Georgetown University Center for Children and Families and co-author of the study, says the new rules could imparal prenatal and postpartum care under the program.

The Medicaid expansion has been really important for maternal and infant health outcomes.

It's allowed women to have coverage before, during, and after pregnancy for the first time in many states.

Policy excludes pregnant and postpartum Medicaid recipients from the requirement, but analysts say many states, including New Hampshire, may not be set up to identify pregnant clients.

I'm Mark Richardson.

This is Mike Clifford for Public News Service.

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