News from around the nation.

President Donald Trump is in Turkey for the NATO summit on Turkey, the Strait of Hormuz, and Ukraine's defense needs in the war with Russia; and a new White House report fuels Indigenous history debate; California bill re-thinks life in prison sentences for young adults; Social Security and prices are top issues for Ohio's 50+ voters.

Transcript

The Public News Service Tuesday afternoon update.

I'm Mike Clifford.

President Donald Trump is in Turkey for a two-day NATO summit.

The first order of business is a meeting with Turkish President Erdogan, where the talks are centered on the possible sale of U.S. F-35 fighter jets despite a ban against sales to Turkey.

CNN quotes NATO's chief as saying U.S. allies have made remarkable progress with defense spending, a salient issue for Trump who's called on them to step up.

Meantime, on the heels of America's quarter-millennial, The White House is questioning the world's largest museum and its depiction of the United States being founded on stolen indigenous land.

The nearly 200-page report was quietly published over the holiday weekend.

It criticizes exhibits in the Smithsonian Institution for reinforcing narratives that the U.S. government forcibly pushed Indians from their ancestral lands.

The White House argues these interpretations place too much emphasis on racial injustice while downplaying the nation's founding ideals and accomplishments.

But Native scholars like Dan Leverance contend land dispossession and treaty violations are essential parts of the American story.

I think it's important to remember history accurately.

A part of that is remembering for purposes of the Declaration of Independence, Indians were sort of used as a propaganda tool by the colonists.

I'm Judith Ruiz Branch reporting.

Next, juvenile justice groups are pressing California lawmakers to allow for parole after 25 years behind bars for certain age groups initially sentenced to life without any chance of conditional release.

Currently, people who committed a serious crime before age 18 can petition the state's parole board after serving 25 years.

In the legislature, Senate Bill 672 would extend that to young adults 18 to 25.

Karina Cardenas, a third-year law student at University of the Pacific, recently wrote a paper on life without parole.

The board will evaluate an offender's personal development through psychological assessments, risk evaluation measures, and statements by family members, academic professionals, community advocates, and victims.

In a social media post, Republican State Senator Brian Jones stated that, quote, California Democrats are about to pass SB 672 to open the prison gates for over 1,600 cold-blooded killers.

I'm Suzanne Potter.

And with the 2026 midterm election season underway, a new poll shows most older Ohio residents consider their finances a top priority.

Jenny Carlson with AARP Ohio says older adults are much more likely to vote than their younger neighbors and will likely have an outsized impact on the outcome.

Their top issues are rising prices, Social Security and Medicare.

And so when we talk about close races, highly motivated older voters, especially 50-plus swing voters, can make a huge difference.

The new survey from AARP found 56 percent of older voters are concerned about their personal financial situation.

This is Public News Service.

Environmental groups say tiny plastic pellets are increasingly showing up in U.S. waterways where they threaten both wildlife and human health.

The pellets, also known as nurdles, are about the size of a lentil and serve as the foundational building blocks of plastic products.

They're often spilled in transit or released through permitted factory discharges.

Chelsea McDonald with the nonprofit Waterkeeper Alliance says a recent count by volunteers across the globe found more than one million.

These pellets are really just like a slow motion oil spill into our waterways that aren't going away unless it's being cleaned up.

She says the fossil fuels needed to make plastic are a major driver of climate change.

Dark pellets in the environment have also been found to absorb more sunlight, leading to quicker snowmelt.

Volunteers found a minimal number of pellets in Maine, but warn plastic is increasingly being found in New England staples like oysters and mussels.

I'm Katherine Carley.

Next, in combating the opioid crisis, Minnesota is among the states that are trying to prolong recent success.

In Minnesota, opioid overdose deaths have fallen sharply from recent pandemic-era spikes, but rates are still higher than pre-COVID levels.

Dr. Karen Scott, with the Foundation for Opioid Response Efforts, says partners are still trying to get a handle on teens accessing counterfeit pills placed with fentanyl.

The Foundation's recent grant awards emphasized groups that affected populations first turned to.

We really recognize a gap in funding opportunities for smaller organizations that are working at a very local level to address the overdose crisis in terms of prevention, harm reduction.

Forrest's new round of community grantees includes the Metro Youth Diversion Center in Minneapolis.

It'll update its culturally crafted curriculum in response to changing drug use trends while doing community outreach.

I'm Mike Moen.

Finally, the Okofinoki Swamp in Georgia is considered one of the most captivating wilderness areas left in the south, those who treasure it wonder about its future with needed support not in place.

The 400,000 acre swamp is a place with no roads where alligators, bears, and birds live undisturbed.

Antoine Nixon grew up visiting the swamp on school field trips.

Now he takes others there on bike rides, boat tours, and camping trips through his organization and sowing seeds outside the walls.

He's a pastor and community leader who says the swamp is a gift to be cared for, not just visited.

The Okefenokee, to me, was like Eden in the Bible.

It was set aside, set off, something that God created, and that man had a task to make sure that we steward it, which is to till it and take care of it.

Okefenokee supports sensitive species, including the eastern indigo snake, wood stork, and red cock-headed woodpecker.

I'm Tramiel Gomes.

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

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