News from around the nation.

Top Social Security official exits after clash with Musk's DOGE over data NYers brace for effects of higher bank fees, dismantling CFPB; Top Russian and US officials discuss improving ties and ending the Ukraine war without Kyiv; Closure of EPA branch predicted to affect MS environment; CT paraeducators organize to get a living wage.

Transcript

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

The acting commissioner of the Social Security Administration left her job this weekend after a clash with billionaire Elon Musk's Doge service over its attempts to access sensitive government records.

Three people familiar with the departure said Monday, after The Washington Post.

They report Michelle King, who spent several decades at the agency before being named its acting commissioner last month, left her position Sunday after the disagreement.

President Trump appointed Leland Dudek, a manager in charge of Social Security's anti-fraud office, as acting commissioner.

And some New York members of Congress are trying to repeal bank overdraft fee regulations.

Consumer Financial Protection Bureau created a rule capping account overdraft fees at $5, which the agency estimates could save people nationwide $5 billion.

But a bill coming up for a vote in the U.S. House this week would repeal it, allowing banks to charge up to $35 for these fees.

Rebecca Gerard with Citizen Action of New York says overdraft fees often harm those who can least afford them.

It's devastating and it contributes to death that people are unable to remove themselves from and exacerbate the crisis of poverty and affordability that's already problematic.

Though some New York representatives, like Democrat Dan Goldman, favor maintaining the overdraft fee limitations, others, like Republican Mike Lawler, are under pressure to end these protections.

I'm Edwin J. Vieira.

Next, from the Associated Press, top diplomats from Russia and U.S. met Tuesday in Saudi Arabia to discuss improving ties and negotiating an end to the war in Ukraine.

The AP reports no Ukrainian officials were present at the meeting.

President Volodymyr Zelensky said his country won't accept any outcome from this week's talks if Kiev doesn't take part.

European allies have also expressed concerns they're being sidelined.

Meantime, the Trump administration has begun to dismantle the EPA's office that deals with reducing environmental harms to minority and low-income communities.

More than 160 of the 200 staffers in the EPA's Office of Environmental Justice and Civil Rights were put on paid administrative leave last week.

Adrienne Hollis with the National Wildlife Federation says the office has an important role in making sure environmental health efforts are made equitably.

The Office of Environmental Justice and Civil Rights focuses on issues that affect communities and groups of people that are disproportionately impacted by environmental issues.

In December, the EPA reported the strongest annual enforcement outcome since 2017.

I'm Tramiel Gohm.

And Connecticut union organizers are working to get pension plans for paraeducators.

Most paraeducators have to work second jobs to afford everyday life, says Michael Barry with the Connecticut Coalition for Retirement Security.

You can't put money into a 401(k) when you're barely making ends meet and paying your rent and keeping your car going.

Connecticut is like most places in New York, you really need a car.

So it's a whole other expense.

In recent years, they have won a flurry of benefits from organizing, but getting a pension plan hasn't been easy since a General Assembly bill that would create one hasn't made it through the Appropriations Committee in the last three years.

This is Public News Service.

Recent federal executive orders have left many organizations in Ohio navigating uncertainty, particularly when it comes to funding for essential services.

Food banks, which serve as a critical safety net for families in need, are feeling the strain.

Governor Mike DeWine of the Ohio Association of Food Banks says demand has been surging across the state as economic pressures grow, leaving local organizations struggling to keep up.

We can do a lot with a little, but we can't do it all.

And we do rely and count on our partners in local, state and federal government to be another leg on the stool of what it takes to make sure that when people are in need and facing crisis, they can turn to us for basic help with food.

The strain comes as Governor Mike DeWine's newly proposed state budget would reduce food bank funding by 23 percent, cutting it from $32 million in the last cycle to $24.5 million.

While the previous budget included a one-time $7.5 billion boost, Novotny warns that the reduction comes at a time when food banks are experiencing record high demand.

Farah Siddiqui reporting.

And workers' rights advocates and nursing home providers say Washington has a long-term care workforce crisis and that inadequate benefits in the nursing home industry are part of the problem.

Legislation moving through Olympia, known as the Essential Worker Health Care Program, would provide affordable health insurance to nursing home workers.

Alicia Harris is a certified nursing assistant, or CNA, at a skilled nursing facility.

She says a family of four needs to pay $1,200 a month for insurance with a high deductible and only 30 percent copay.

With money that we could be putting towards groceries, we could be putting towards rent, saving, it's tough.

Nursing home employers who join the new program would receive a payment from the state for health care which would be matched by Medicaid.

Employees could participate for about $50 a month.

I'm Isabel Charlay.

Finally, cold temperatures, decreased sunlight, and fewer interactions with family and friends are some of the reasons Texans might suffer from SADD, otherwise known as seasonal affective disorder.

Symptoms of this seasonal form of depression include feelings of hopelessness, fatigue, and difficulty concentrating.

Massage therapist and holistic health practitioner Kiva Mack says it's important to increase your vitamin D intake during the winter months.

One of the things that you can do to manage that is to get out into the sunlight.

You can also open up the windows in your home and sit near a window that has exposure to the sunlight.

She adds vitamin D supplements and foods fortified with vitamin D can also help lift your mood.

I'm Freda Ross reporting.

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

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