News from around the nation.

Trump posts that the US will hit Iran very hard tonight, and at one point, we will be taking Kharg Island; Unions plug into Wisconsin’s clean-energy growth; June's Pride Month comes amid LGBTQ+ backlash in some states; and a listening tour in Pennsylvania aims to promote local issues before the midterm vote.

Transcript

The Public News Service Thursday afternoon update.

I'm Mike Clifford.

Once again, President Donald Trump took to a favored method of communication, social media, to post his newest threats against Iran.

In the first post, he said the United States will be hitting Iran very hard tonight, while he repeated a claim that most of the country's defenses are gone.

Trump added in another post at some point in the not too distant future, we'll be taking Korg Island and other oil infrastructure.

U.S. Central Command confirmed it did carry out a strike against a third ship near Oman.

CENTCOM says the vessel violated the blockade by attempting to transport Iranian oil through the Gulf of Oman.

Meantime, as union groups in Wisconsin get more involved in clean energy projects across the state, leaders view the proliferation of data centers as another opportunity for growth.

Wisconsin was the first state to have its major electric power utilities commit to using union labor on renewable energy projects.

Emily Pritzko with the Wisconsin Building Trades Council says that's been a real asset for early union advocacy on projects.

With a recent strategic shift to get involved earlier in the planning process, Pritzko says it helps their nearly 50,000 members partner with developers who support union labor commitments.

It allows us to flex the solidarity and the organization we naturally have, and it also works really well to advocate for that work right on the front end.

Pritzko says clean energy construction is one of the largest job creation opportunities the state has seen, as data centers continue to put pressure on Wisconsin's energy grid.

I'm Judith Ruiz Branch reporting.

And many folks in America are celebrating June as Pride Month.

But there's a growing disparity between states that accept and support those who identify as LGBTQ and the states that don't.

For the past six years, gay advocacy group Out Leadership has produced an index gauging the business climate for gay and transgender people, showing where they can live and work with the least discrimination and hardship.

Professor Brandon Robinson with the University of California says the backlash against people who identify as LGBTQ shouldn't stop people from observing the month.

We should be really celebrating it.

We should be saying we're here.

We matter.

We're important.

We have value.

It's needed more now than it has been lately.

I'm Roz Brown.

Next, with the midterm election less than six months away, there's a push for more voter engagement and education in the Keystone State.

The effort comes as turnout remains low, with preliminary data showing fewer than 20% of eligible voters participated in the state's May primary.

Jada Thompson, with new voices for reproductive justice, says many people feel disconnected, unsure their vote makes a difference.

Every district thing that's happening, It makes people feel even more or less connected to the process because they're constantly creating barriers for people to get out and vote.

The Our Stories, Our Power listening sessions start today in Philadelphia and then again next Thursday in Pittsburgh.

This is Public News Service.

And Utah is one of the best states in the country for child well-being.

That's according to a report we've been following.

It's called the 2026 Kids Count Data Book.

It's from the Annie Casey Foundation.

Advocates are urging lawmakers, educators, and community groups use the data as a roadmap building on Utah's strengths while addressing gaps early, especially for working families and children facing barriers.

Martin Munoz, with the advocacy group Choices for Utah's Children, says the state's strongest performance came in family and community measures.

Because of that community support, that community connection, that is the domain that has helped Utah become a top state in the nation.

Munoz says the report also points to challenges ahead.

He says state leaders need to focus more attention on child health policy while also sustaining recent gains in education.

The group says those two areas will be key if the state wants to hold on to its high ranking.

I'm Mark Richardson.

And if you're a voter in Colorado, you probably noticed an uptick in canvassers asking for signatures.

Many are working overtime to meet looming deadlines for getting measures onto the November ballot.

Charlie Kessler with Prevecho Collective is trying to convince voters to consider replacing Colorado's flat income tax with a graduated tax, where people earning more pay more and people earning less pay less.

Kessler says Initiative 195 would enable the state to invest in chronically underfunded areas like child care, education and health care by raising taxes on individuals earning over $500,000 a year. which is going to raise around $2 billion for the state.

We're really hoping some of that will go towards teacher pay and making sure we have smaller classroom sizes for kids.

Initiative 195 was launched by Protect Colorado's Future, a coalition of community, grassroots, and policy organizations.

The measure would cut taxes for 97% of Coloradans.

The top 3% of earners would see their tax rates rise from the current level, 4.4%, to as high as 8.4% for people earning more than a million dollars a year.

I'm Eric Galatis.

Finally, organizers in Iowa are using music and community events to try to shift attitudes in rural America.

The Backroads Tour Music Festival is coming to the state this weekend.

People who live and work in rural areas say they don't have many chances to connect outside of work and school, which researchers say has created civic deserts in rural communities.

Rural Organizing Community Engagement Director Dom Holmes says people feel isolated, leading to ongoing division among neighbors.

Folks are just simply not gathering with their neighbors.

They're in isolated bubbles, and they don't really know the neighbors that they feel animosity towards.

The back roads tour will wind its way across 12 states.

The first Iowa date is in Dubuque this Saturday, nestled along the Mississippi River on the state's eastern border.

I'm Mark Moran.

This is Mike Clifford for Public News Service.

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