News from around the nation.

The Palestinian Ambassador calls on the UN to stop Israeli attacks. Impacts continue from agency funding cuts and state bills mirror federal pushback on DEI programs.

Transcript

The Public News Service Wednesday afternoon update on Mike Clifford.

A highly touted partial ceasefire in Ukraine brokered by Donald Trump disintegrated shortly after the end of a phone call between Trump and Russian leader Vladimir Putin, during which it was agreed.

That is the take from Politico.

They report an hour after the confab where the two leaders settled on a partial 30-day ceasefire, halting attacks on energy and infrastructure, 40 Russian drones flew into Ukrainian airspace striking civilian buildings, including a hospital and also an energy substation.

The New York Times reports Olinsky is expected to speak with Trump later today on the next steps forward.

Meantime, unions representing public higher education workers in Massachusetts are backing proposed infrastructure investments but say they also need wage increases.

Governor Maura Healey has announced a $2.5 billion bond bill to modernize health facilities, labs, and student housing across the state's 29 public campuses.

But the plan recommends schools provide matching funds for any upgrades.

President of the Massachusetts State College Association, Joanna Gonsalves, says campuses are already struggling to retain and recruit employees.

We haven't seen the same investment in faculty and staff.

We don't believe the community colleges are in a position to provide matching funds.

They really need these projects done.

Unions are asking the state to use $200 million from the Fair Share Revenue Surplus Fund for faculty and staff pay.

I'm Catherine Carley.

And Michigan is home to more than 470,000 veterans, yet many have never accessed the military benefits they're entitled to.

This gap in support prompted a local war veteran to take action.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, nearly 200 Michigan veterans died by suicide, well above the state's average, and that number is growing.

Iraq War veteran Joshua Parish is president of the nonprofit VetLife and is working to change this.

Parish says one of their flagship events, called VetFest, attracts more than 3,000 people at each event.

We have 60 resource providers that help connect the dots.

And what we're seeing is one month after the VetFest event, a 60 percent increase in veterans going down to their local resources, which is what we want.

He believes by doing this, it will decrease the veterans' suicide rate.

Crystal Blair reporting.

And Arizona Secretary of State Adrian Fontes says he wasn't shocked, but disappointed when he found out the Trump administration had cut funding for the National Election Security Program.

It is housed within the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency.

We've had our knees kicked out from underneath us, and foreign adversaries now have an open door to come in and do all kinds of things, including repeating the pattern of bomb threats that are intended specifically to disrupt our elections on election day, like we saw in November.

Fontes says these very workers were crucial in helping Arizona run a smooth operation last November, despite 15 bomb threats.

This is Public News Service.

We head next to Iowa, where farmers are pushing back on a plan to make cuts to the popular Agriculture Checkoff Program, which has generated billions of dollars to promote corn, dairy, beef, pork, and other ag products.

We get more in this sentiment, Iowa News Service collaboration.

The first voluntary ag checkoff program for U.S. producers was formed in 1966 by the Cotton Board.

Congress formalized it 30 years later.

University of Iowa ag economist Sylvia Seki says the U.S. Department of Agriculture program tends to fund research at large institutions that don't really help Iowa's small family farmers.

Sure, the kind of farmer who is doing a lot to promote the health of their farm, or who is really concerned about animal welfare and things like that.

Project 2025, which is considered a blueprint for the Trump administration's agenda, has labeled the checkoff programs as among the most egregious run by the USDA.

Small farmers are pushing for policy makers to rework checkoffs so the funds are directed to smaller producers.

I'm Mark Moran.

Meantime, a documentary takes a deep dive into the Illinois Prisoner Review Board through one man's fight for a second chance.

In Their Hands follows the life of Ronnie Garaskio, who was charged with murdering a plainclothes Chicago police officer in 1976.

He was 18 years old when a judge sentenced him to 200 to 600 years in prison.

Despite earning a bachelor's degree in theology and creating a committee with other prisoners focused on education and rehabilitation, Garaskio was denied parole more than 30 times.

Every year I went to the parole board.

They said, "You're the same guy.

You're still the same gang kid.

You're still the same gang leader."

So they can evolve, but they want to marginalize me and hold me in that position that you're still this.

So I used to say, "I'm the oldest 18-year-old that you know."

Garaskio spent nearly 50 years in prison before finally being released at age 65 in 2023.

I'm Judith Ruiz Branch reporting.

And finally, our Daniel Smith reports.

Tennessee is emerging as a key hub for global nuclear energy innovation, with recent investments in the state and a commitment from the governor to expand nuclear.

Backed by the Tennessee Nuclear Energy Fund, East Tennessee is attracting global industry leaders such as Kairos, X Energy and Orno.

Curtis Roberts with Orno USA says the state's largest ever investment in Oak Ridge will play a critical role in meeting the nation's growing energy demands, provide energy security and economic opportunities.

You know, for this facility, more than 300 folks are going to be hired by this facility.

We're going to become a very strong employer for the area.

And we always watch out for our employees.

It's always safety first.

This is Mike Clifford for Public News Service.

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