News from around the nation.

President-elect joins Musk for SpaceX launch and taps Dr Oz for a key role; NYC congestion pricing revived with some alterations; Nevada progressive groups warn of fallout from 2nd Trump presidency; Indiana librarians fear book bans in 2025.

Transcript

The Public News Service Wednesday afternoon update, I'm Mike Clifford.

First from Reuters, the United States shut its embassy in Kiev on Wednesday morning due to specific information of a potential significant air attack amid jitters in the capital over possible Russian retaliation after a big Ukrainian strike.

The Italian and Greek embassies said they'd also close their doors.

Meantime, Senate Republicans aired frustrations Tuesday after Vice President-elect Vance and other party members skipped votes Monday.

That from the Hill.

That greased the skids for Democratic-backed judicial nominees to be greenlighted as part of a final push to fill the bench with lifetime appointees before President-elect Trump takes office.

Next up, the number of Medicare enrollees is expected to rise over the next few years, that as the baby boomer population ages.

The office-based Facility Association, a coalition of practitioners, is calling for a change in what they view as an ineffective and unfair pricing structure of the Medicare physician fee schedule.

OBFA Executive Director Jason McKittrick says other payers linking themselves to Medicare is one of the issues.

It's the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, CMS.

Ultimately, that's the agency and the federal government that sets the rates for the Medicare physician fee schedule.

The OBFA says the current fee schedule addresses doctors' fees only, not the costly and necessary supplies and equipment needed for their practices.

I'm Terry Dee reporting.

And advocates of school choice say the post-election changes on Capitol Hill could lead to a new push at the state and federal levels for charter schools.

With the re-election of President Donald Trump and Republican control of Congress, social conservatives are showing a renewed interest in providing new education options for families.

At a meeting in Washington, D.C., activists discussed this renewed push for change to education.

Senator V. Shaw, who originally reported this story for The Hetchinger Report, covered the meeting and says the message has an unusually bipartisan tone.

They're certainly projecting an image of unity and that this is a very parent-friendly issue, not a political issue.

I don't know that that will come to pass when it comes time to vote on legislation or for Trump to take some kind of executive action, but it's worth watching.

I'm Mark Richardson.

This story was produced in collaboration with the Rural News Network.

Those that lean more progressive believe the re-election of Donald Trump could put much of the progress made in the Silver State in jeopardy.

Nevadans should take Trump's campaign promises seriously, says Shelby Schwartz with the group Battle Born Progress.

She calls on leaders in Carson City and in Congress to stand up for their constituents, which she argues a Trump administration could target, from immigrants to people who identify as transgender.

If your values change based on polling, if your willingness to fight for the dignity of all Nevadans does not extend to our transgender siblings, then those are not values.

They're talking points drafted in pencil.

This is Public News Service.

As the nation prepares for the second term of President-elect Donald Trump, librarians are increasingly worried about his agenda and what it might mean for their bookshelves.

The conservative-leaning playbook known as Project 2025 would overhaul government agencies, cut budgets, increase censorship and reduce civil rights enforcement, according to the Every Library Institute.

Peter Bromberg with Every Library says it could spell trouble for public and school libraries when books are labeled "pornographic" for containing LGBTQ+ material.

What is getting banned as pornographic are mainstream books, are classic books, are award-winning books, even picture books like Entangle Makes Three, Heather Has Two Mommies, or a biography of Billie Jean King that's a picture book that's age-appropriate, but it mentions that she's a gay woman.

I'm Terry Dee reporting.

And supported by federal funding, a nonprofit network is working to ensure Mississippi families have access to the food they'll need this winter.

Our Daniel Smith has more.

Nearly one in six Mississippians face food insecurity, according to Feeding America.

Adam Runyon of the Mississippi Food Network says the USDA has a program that allows them to distribute locally grown fresh produce to more than 400 partner agencies statewide.

He says they started with 21 agencies in underserved northwestern Delta counties.

The funding has helped nearly 5,000 families so far.

And it's able to serve about 200 people at each agency when we started per month.

But we've been able to take on more agencies as the program has developed.

And so that comes out to 4,200 households per month who are receiving assistance through this program.

Runyon says they offer a variety of programs, including distributing food boxes to qualifying seniors and a backpack program for schools.

Finally, Ohio, among the many states where a majority of workers lack access to paid family leave.

A new report by Groundwork Ohio finds three in four Ohioans are employed in jobs without the possibility of paid family leave.

This means many parents of young children face difficult choices between work and family.

Even other conservative states like Florida and Texas have developed voluntary systems allowing private market benefits.

Lyn Ann Gutierrez with Groundwork Ohio says the need for policies that support families and their workforce participation has never been clearer.

There is currently a mismatch in policy and the desires of both policymakers and the people of Ohio when it comes to both the needs of their young children and families and the workforce.

The report was commissioned by the Annie E. Casey Foundation.

Farah Siddiqui reporting.