News from around the nation.

Protests in Maine after ICE fatally shoots a Colombian man authorized to work in the US; Watchdog finds Corporate tax dodgers score big with political investments in Wyoming; Conservation groups slam attack on the Endangered Species Act; Threats to Maryland laid out as Trump admin guts habitat protections.

Transcript

The Public News Service Tuesday afternoon update.

I'm Mike Clifford.

Protests broke out in Midford, Maine, following the fatal shooting of a 26-year-old Colombian man who was authorized to work in the U.S. He's been identified as Juan Sebastian Guerrero.

DHS Guerrero's vehicle attempted to flee the scene and, fearing for public safety, an officer discharged his weapon.

The driver was struck and died from his injuries.

The BBC Notes' main senator, Angus King, said he was initially told by DHS chief Mark Wayne Mullen that the person who was shot dead was a target of an arrest warrant in an immigration operation.

But hours later, King said Mullen called him back to say the man was actually not the target of a warrant.

The Colombian embassy said it will continue to follow the case as the investigation progresses.

Meantime, it's soon become a lot harder for conservation groups to sue to stop development in sensitive wildlife habitat.

They point to a rule change finalized Friday by a federal agency under President Donald Trump.

The move guts parts of the Endangered Species Act by redefining the term harm to exclude habitat destruction.

Jewel Tomasella with the Endangered Species Coalition says this opens the door to projects that disturb wildlife habitat so long as they don't directly kill the species.

A particular project that's going to bulldoze a species home isn't technically harming the species because it's not someone shooting the animal.

It's just someone taking all of their habitat.

And that is when we would challenge the actual implementation of the law.

Tara Zuardo with the Center for Biological Diversity says polling consistently confirms four in five Americans support the core mission of the Endangered Species Act.

She expects legal challenges when the federal government approves a development proposal using its revised definition of harm.

We know that the Trump administration and industry is going to look to abuse this by taking all the chances they can get to destroy habitat and have unchecked activities like logging, mining, oil and gas development.

In a statement, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service defended the change, calling the old definition of harm a misguided example of federal overreach and a burden to landowners.

Next, cash register politics is alive and well in the U.S., according to a new Watchdog report.

After massive spending on political campaigns and lobbying, 88 corporations that took in $105 billion in pre-tax income last year paid no federal income taxes.

Researcher Eileen O'Grady with Public Citizens says combined, these companies saw a 3,000% return on their investment by avoiding nearly $22 billion in taxes they would have had to pay if not for laws passed during the first and second Trump administrations.

And she says those savings allowed companies to spend even more to influence lawmakers.

So what we're seeing here is a self-reinforcing loop where corporate cash buys policy and policy pays cash back.

I'm Eric Galatas.

This is Public News Service.

Oregon's largest pride celebration is coming up this weekend, and organizations focused on uplifting LGBTQ people are spotlighting the rising food insecurity within the community.

Research from UCLA shows 18% of LGBTQ adults experience food insecurity 4% higher than their straight peers.

Brent Blackwell manages Esther's Pantry in Milwaukee and says part of the problem is that many people in the queer community don't feel safe accessing resources.

What we found very early on in my 10-year career here is that folks feel unsafe in the waiting rooms or the areas that they're accessing the food services.

And so they would rather actually go hungry than access the food services in a place that makes them feel unsafe.

Blackwell says Esther's Pantry started in the 1980s, serving people impacted by HIV and now welcomes all LGBTQ people as well as immigrants.

He says pantry workers don't ask for legal names and honor however people want to be identified.

I'm Isobel Charle.

And small towns in Kentucky are focusing efforts on getting vehicles to slow down and stop at intersections to help improve walkability.

Arnadia Ramlagan lets us know the city of Moorhead has plans to improve pedestrian safety by creating a dedicated drop-off zone, especially for older adults and people relying on mobility aids.

Moorhead is one of more than two dozen entities across the state awarded 2026 Community Challenge grants from AARP.

City Council member Edna Schack says when people are encouraged to walk, the local economy benefits.

Being able to walk places encourages people to stop in at places, which is an economic developer for whatever area they're walking in.

According to national data from the Governor's Highway Safety Association, drivers struck and killed more than 3,000 people walking during the first half of 2025.

Finally, disability rights advocates will rally in Boston today to highlight what they say is private equity's role in slowing down wheelchair repairs, which can leave users stranded for weeks and even months.

Research shows these firms have bought out dozens of smaller mom-and-pop competitors over the past decade, forcing residents to rely on just two national wheelchair providers for their often highly customized devices.

Destiny Maxim, an organizer with the Disability Policy Consortium, says the companies are putting profits ahead of people's health.

When there is a duopoly there, there's no competition, and their profit margins are in the billions each year as they prioritize new chairs versus repairing the current ones.

Medical suppliers, New Motion and National Seating and Mobility say they're working to better stock the most frequently used repair parts and provide a more predictable service experience.

I'm Katherine Carley.

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

Find our toast indicators at publicnewsservice.org.