News from around the nation.

Amazon donating $1 million to Trump inaugural fund, to air event on Prime Video; Retired USAF colonel urges White House to stop gaslight NJ residents over mysterious drones; Support available for MI youths aging out of foster care; NM designates 250 miles as Outstanding National Resource Waters; One size fits all? Not so, says OSHA for construction protection gear.

Transcript

The Public News Service Friday afternoon update, I'm Mike Clifford.

First from Reuters, Amazon is donating a million dollars to President-elect Donald Trump's inaugural fund, and the company will air the event on its Prime Video service.

The donation is first reported by the Wall Street Journal.

The Prime Video represents an in-kind donation worth another $1 million.

They note that Meta Platform's also donating to the inauguration, giving a million dollars.

Next from the New York Post, a military analyst, a retired US Air Force colonel, urged the White House to stop poo-pooing reports of the drones buzzing over New Jersey.

Colonel Cedric Layton told CNN Friday, "We need to know if those are foreign assets "or some other asset that is doing something "they shouldn't be doing."

Large drones have been spotted over New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut.

Next, according to the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, more than 10,000 youth are in the state's foster care system with about 1,000 aging out each year with no permanent family.

Across the nation, more than 390,000 youths are in foster care, with 20,000 aging out with no family.

Non-profits are working to ensure these youths know about resources to help. 25-year-old Jordan Ortero entered the system at age 17 and now works for Foster Success, which supports youths aging out of foster care.

He credits three key factors for his successful transition.

Relationships and support of adults who will last far beyond our time in foster care, financial resources that meet the various needs of young people while we pursue our higher education, the workforce, and third way to accomplish this is to ensure that all young people in foster care have an access of a network to peers and supportive adults.

He says many young adults struggle once they leave the foster care system because they don't know about available support programs.

Crystal Blair reporting.

And a New Mexico agency has stepped up vigilance of the state's limited water resources.

This week, the New Mexico Water Quality Control Commission approved a designation to protect more than 250 miles in five watersheds, including the Rio Grande.

Ralph Vigil with New Mexico Wild says the classification will protect traditional community water users and safeguard waterways from the degradation new uses often inflict.

I think that we as people living in this time need to take the necessary steps because I believe we're living in a tipping point whether either we do it or we're gonna get to a point it's so far gone that there's no such thing as clean water anymore.

I'm Roz Brown.

And with winter weather underway, outdoor construction workers in North Dakota are likely wearing safety vests over their heavy coats.

A new federal rule was announced to ensure that gear fits all crew members.

Jason Ellert of the North Dakota Building Trades Unions calls this a common sense approach to letting women know their workplace needs are prioritized.

We want them to experience these great career paths but if the equipment doesn't fit them right, are we putting our money where our mouth is?

This week, the new OSHA rule was finalized with language requiring employers to provide personal protective equipment that properly fit each construction worker at a given site.

This is Public News Service.

A massive carbon capture project proposed for the Midwest has another permit under its belt after Minnesota regulators gave their approval Thursday.

The Public Utilities Commission signed off on a permit requested by Summit Carbon Solutions for a 28-mile route of underground pipelines in Northwestern Minnesota.

They would be part of a multi-state maze of pipes capturing emissions from ethanol plants for underground storage in North Dakota.

Abigail Henchik, speaking for the Minnesota Center for Environmental Advocacy and Sierra Club, urged for a no vote, noting they're skeptical of the climate benefits being touted.

We have serious concerns that these broader emissions outweigh the amount of carbon that's captured and sequestered here.

Despite the approval, MCEA says it's glad the commission added provisions the organization feels will provide protections if the project becomes operational.

I'm Mike Moen.

And rising grocery prices and the end of the pandemic era benefits have left many Virginia families struggling to make ends meet.

A recent No Kid Hungry Virginia poll highlights the growing crisis. 78 percent of respondents say groceries have become more challenging to afford over the past year, and 77 percent of families are just one unexpected expense away from hunger.

Cassie Edner, a public benefits attorney with the Virginia Poverty Law Center, says she's not surprised by the poll results.

The cost of food over the last how many years have been significantly increasing along with the cost of other things, rent, mortgages, things like that, and unfortunately, it makes sense that people are not able to afford their most basic necessities like food.

Virginia's low-income families saw significant relief during the pandemic from programs like the expanded federal child tax credit, which according to the Food Research and Action Center, reduced hunger among children by nearly one third.

However, with the expiration of those emergency measures, many families are once again vulnerable.

I'm Tramiel Gomes.

Finally, our Brett Pivoto lets us know with unionization on an upswing of late, experts anticipate policy changes will reverse worker gains.

On Wednesday, the Senate failed to confirm the reappointment of NLRB Chair Lauren McFerrin, setting up the Trump administration to appoint a new majority.

Rutgers University Labor Studies Professor, Dr. Todd Vachon says recent pro-worker policies are threatened.

I'm gonna anticipate almost all of these decisions in the past three years being reversed under the Trump board.

You could be surprised, but I anticipate them all to be reversed 'cause that's been the historical trend and that's not just a Trump thing, that's always kind of been a Democrat Republican thing.

There were 316 union elections in California in 2023, double the number held in 2020.

This is Mike Clifford for Public News Service, member and list supported.

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