News from around the nation.

Trump signs order seeking to end federal funding for NPR and PBS; NY immigrant wrongfully sent to El Salvador 'supermax' prison; PA 'Day of Action' planned for higher minimum wage, immigrants' rights; New bill in Congress seeks to overturn CA animal welfare law.

Transcript

The Public News Service Friday afternoon update.

I'm Mike Clifford.

President Donald Trump signed an executive order Thursday evening, seeking to prohibit federal funding for NPR and PBS, the public broadcasting service.

The order, which could be subject to legal challenge, called the broadcasters news coverage biased and partisan.

That from the Washington Post.

They report and instructs the Corporation for Public Broadcasting to cease providing direct funds to either broadcaster.

It also orders the CPB to cease indirect funding of the services through grants to local public radio and television stations.

Next a 19-year-old New Yorker is one of 237 Venezuelan immigrants sent to an El Salvador Supermax prison last month.

Merwyl Gutierrez lived in the Bronx with his father Wilmer when he was arrested under suspicion of being in the Tren de Aragua gang, although he has no criminal record in the US or Venezuela.

Since then, his father has been working to get him home.

Paz Radovic with the news outlet Documented covers the immigrant community in and around New York City.

She says the ordeal has damaged Wilmer Gutierrez's faith in the American dream.

He contacted a lot of police stations and no one was able to give anything about where Merrill Wills was.

So that silence is what Wilmers resents the most, not just the arrest itself, but the feeling of being left in the dark.

And that has made him think about if coming to the US was worth it or not.

Merrill Gutierrez had a pending asylum case in New York City.

60 Minutes investigation has found 179 of the people deported to El Salvador have no criminal records.

I'm Edwin J. Viera.

Meantime, thousands are expected to rally in Harrisburg Monday for a "raise the wage" and "immigrant rights day" of action.

Our Daniel Smith has more.

More than 47,000 Pennsylvania workers earn the minimum wage of $7.25 an hour or less.

Jarrett Smith with Service Employees International Union says Pennsylvania hasn't raised its minimum wage in over 15 years, while more than 30 other states and Washington D.C. have all moved towards $15 an hour.

Smith says this makes it harder for the state to stay competitive.

We are demanding that we raise the wage in Pennsylvania to $15 an hour that we include the cost of living adjustment so that we don't have to keep coming back year after year.

Smith says the coalition Pennsylvania stands up is leading the protests backed by labor and community groups and some lawmakers.

GOP lawmakers have recently introduced the Food Security Farm Protection Act.

It's an attempt to repeal California's landmark animal welfare law known as Proposition 12, which makes minimum space requirements for breeding pigs, egg-laying hens, and veal calves, and bans the sale of meat raised in noncompliant settings.

Rebecca Wolf is with a nonprofit food and water watch.

This has been the big ag playbook for quite a while.

Big ag doesn't wanna be told what to do. by states.

And so it puts Republicans in a really interesting position that fits them kind of between big ag and more of a state's rights framework.

This story was produced with original reporting from Seth Milstein for Sentient.

This is Public News Service.

A Minnesota proposal is in the works, as supporters say, would end forced labor in correctional facilities.

They note the 13th Amendment was adopted nearly 160 years ago, but they believe a form of slavery is still present in America's prisons.

Advocacy groups point to wording in the Minnesota Constitution that there should be no slavery in the state, with exceptions for punishment for a crime.

They say incarcerated people are exploited by having to work for 50 cents an hour, providing them little money to pay victims back, support their families, or have resources to rebuild their lives post-release.

Aaron Ernst, who served time in Minnesota, says this overshadows other reforms.

"The rehabilitation part is kind of there and then the reconnection to the community is just non-existent."

The End Slavery in Minnesota Coalition is working with lawmakers on a bill for next year's session to classify these individuals as legal workers with specific rights.

I'm Mike Moen.

And Montana's wildlife risk is now 74 percent higher than other states.

Experts encourage Montanans to think ahead on Wildlife Community Preparedness Day, May 3rd.

When fires ignite homes, an ember or small flame is usually to blame, according to the National Fire Protection Association.

That means prep work in the immediate zone, or the five feet surrounding a home, is effective.

Chief Engineer Anne Cope with the Insurance Institute for Business and Home Safety says that zone is critical because that's where wind eddies deposit embers and where flammable materials including mulch, bushes, and stacked firewood tend to be.

When you bring those two things together, boom, that's where that teeny, little fire is gonna start that you could have just stomped out with your boot that is sadly what's gonna take down a house.

Cleaning roofs and gutters, installing metal mesh screening over open vents, repairing damaged shingles and window screens, and removing items stored under porches are simple ways to prepare for wildfire season.

I'm Kathleen Shannon.

Finally, peak bird migration is underway in Indiana.

Rare species are moving through parks, forests, and backyards across the state and more Hoosiers are watching.

Indiana lies along a major migratory flyway.

Experts say it's one of the best states to spot birds in spring.

Merion University biology professor David Benson is one of the world's top birders.

He says the hobby helps people understand what birds need to survive.

If you're interested in a particular bird species you need to know what habitat they live.

We need to protect some of these different habitats.

Some of the birds that are declining the most here in Indiana are the prairie species.

Up to 150 species can pass through in a single day.

Top viewing spots include Eagle Creek Park, Fort Harrison and Southern Indiana's deep forest ravines.

This story was produced with original reporting from Enrique Saenz for Mirror Indy.

I'm Joe Illari reporting.

This is Mike Clifford for Public News Service.

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