News from around the nation.

President Biden and the First Lady to travel to New Orleans on Monday; GOP faces crucial voter on Speaker of the House; Hunger-fighting groups try to prevent cuts to CA food-bank funding; Mississippians urged to donate blood amid critical shortage; Rural telehealth sees more policy wins, but only short-term.

Transcript

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

First from The Guardian, Joe Biden and the First Lady's Jill Biden will travel to New Orleans Monday.

The White House released in a statement, the President and First Lady will grieve with the families and community members impacted by the tragic attack on January 1 and meet with officials on the ground.

Meantime, President-elect Donald Trump's Republicans will face a first test of their control of both chambers of Congress this afternoon when they decide whether to keep Mike Johnson in the powerful role of Speaker of the House, that from Reuters.

They note the GOP will have a scant 219 to 215 majority when their new members are sworn in on Friday.

And groups working to fight hunger in California are calling on Governor Gavin Newsom to protect funding for the Cal Food Program in his initial budget proposal, which comes out January the 10th.

Cal Food allows food banks to purchase things that are not often donated, such as eggs, milk, produce, meat, and cheese from California farmers.

Becky Silva with the California Association of Food Banks says Cal Food has enjoyed a temporary boost for the past three years.

So unless the line item is made permanent, funding levels could see a major drop next summer at the end of the fiscal year.

So that means that it'll go from the current approximately 62 million per year down to about 8 million.

And so obviously food banks are incredibly worried about what that will mean.

She says the food banks are asking for a permanent allocation of $60 million a year in order to avoid big cuts in service.

I'm Suzanne Potter.

And the holidays are traditionally a slow time for blood donations, but recent events have made the need for people to give blood and plasma in the Magnolia State even more urgent.

Following the deaths and injuries in New Orleans terrorist attack on New Year's, Mississippi officials have pitched in to supply blood for victims of the violence.

As a member of the Blood Emergency Readiness Corps, Mississippi Blood Services is supporting the efforts of the Blood Center of New Orleans.

Casey Dixon with the Mississippi Blood Service says they have immediate needs.

We are desperately looking for individuals that are eligible to donate platelets, as well as individuals with the blood types of O, negative or positive, and B, negative or positive.

Dixon says the agency is contacting its list of regular donors, as well as putting out a call for new ones.

I'm Mark Richardson.

Next, as the new year unfolds, rural health providers in North Dakota and other states will continue to have extra latitude in using telehealth technology, but a temporary extension of key rules still leaves uncertainty.

Brad Gibbons of North Dakota's Center for Rural Health says even though telehealth use has declined since the COVID emergency ended, this option is still useful in remote areas.

People can not only stay in their own community and interact with a physician or another type of provider and not having to travel, they can actually, in many cases, do this right out of their home.

Telehealth has bipartisan support, but skeptics have voiced concerns about privacy breaches and a lower quality of care.

This is Public News Service.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk warned he would consider suing media outlets over their coverage of the Cybertruck explosion that took place outside the Trump Hotel in Las Vegas on Wednesday.

That from Politico.

They report a conservative activist, Robbie Starbucks, posted on X that Musk should consider suing outlets.

The article headline, like other reports on the incident, referred to it as a Cybertruck explosion.

And livestock auctions take place across North America and how the animals are treated by those handling them is raising eyebrows.

An undercover investigator with Strategies for Ethical and Environmental Development, Pete Paxton, recently gathered footage for more than a dozen auctions.

Those who viewed it say it shows terrified, confused, and exhausted animals being handled harshly or outright abused.

It also shows workers with seemingly no regard for their suffering.

Workers face pressure under fast-paced environments, but watchdogs say upbringing and culture also play a role in their ability to not display empathy.

Paxton agrees that morally questionable tactics become second nature.

For many of them, it's like, this animal just needs to move.

Everyone's always done that.

Research has shown the slaughterhouse environment has notable psychological impacts on workers.

For example, these individuals are four times more likely to be clinically depressed.

I'm Mike Moen.

Next, the Department of Energy is taking a close look at the economic and environmental impact of liquefied natural gas or LNG exports, which some experts argue are driving up household energy costs and worsening climate challenges.

The report comes as LNG export projects rapidly expand with US demand at record levels and expected to grow as new facilities open.

In Virginia, household natural gas bills have increased 50 percent since 2016, far outpacing inflation, says Jeremy Simons of Simons Public Affairs.

He attributes the increase to growing LNG exports, which limit domestic supply and drive energy costs.

A single plant, the controversial CP2 facility that's being proposed for Louisiana, would export twice as much gas every day than Virginia consumes.

That means that even though it's happening on the other side of the country, it drives up energy prices across the country.

The Chesapeake Climate Action Network Action Fund has gathered more than 5,000 signatures urging the Biden administration to pause LNG export licenses until a full review is completed.

Supporters of these exports argue that expanding infrastructure bolsters US energy independence and strengthens global energy markets.

Simons encourages the public to use the 60-day common period to ensure that affected communities are heard.

This is Tramiel Gomes.

Find our trust indicators at publicnewsservice.org.

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

Hear us on interesting radio stations, your favorite podcast platform.

Find our content and trust indicators at publicnewsservice.org.