News from around the nation.

The Supreme Court starts the new term focused on the cost of climate-related disasters, Wisconsin's childcare woes raise the election stakes, and Idaho healthcare providers are struggling to afford health insurance.

Transcript

The Public News Service Monday afternoon update.

I'm Mike Clifford.

The U.S. Supreme Court begins its new term today.

First up is a case that could decide who should be held responsible for billions of dollars resulting for the cost of floods, wildfires, droughts and other climate related disasters.

The New York Times notes the case before the justices pits officials from Boulder, Colorado, against two major oil companies, Suncor Energy and ExxonMobil.

The Colorado officials contend they should be able to proceed with a lawsuit arguing the oil companies violated state law and seeking to hold them responsible for the cost of environmental damages.

The companies, joined by the Trump administration, argue such lawsuits are barred by federal law and the Constitution.

Meantime, affordability is top of mind for Wisconsin voters as they head to the polls next month, especially when it comes to child care costs.

A new poll by the 19th and YouGov finds more than 50 percent of Americans think the federal government should spend more on child care, including 60 percent of Gen Z voters, some of whom don't yet have kids.

Christy Felling with the First Five Years Fund says that's because the issue extends well beyond parents, with child care disruptions costing U.S. businesses $70 billion each year.

Parents have to cut hours or leave entirely, and it puts pressure on their co-workers.

Companies see a drop in productivity, increased costs for recruitment and retention.

That affects whole communities and really has an impact on young children.

I'm Judith Ruiz-Branch reporting.

Next to Idaho, where costly health insurance has some health care providers deciding to go without.

According to reporting from KFF Health News, the health care industry usually has more of its workers covered by medical insurance than other fields.

That might be changing, though.

Joshua and Ashley Durham own a family practice in Boise, Idaho.

When their premiums through the Affordable Care Act marketplace increased to $1,600 a month for next year, they decided to drop their coverage.

By the time you do the math with premiums, the deductibles, the out-of-pocket, it just seems like it's just not worth what you're paying for.

This story was produced with original reporting from Hayat Norimine for KFF Health News.

I'm Laura Hatch. and the Atlantic manhaden are the backbone of New England's commercial and recreational fishing industries, but industrial fishing operations in the Chesapeake Bay are depleting the supply.

Jacqueline Lunas with the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership says one large fishery in Virginia currently takes 75% of the manhaden catch on the East Coast, leaving fishermen in other states to fight for the scraps.

The trawling industry depleted mackerel, they depleted herring.

Both of the species are currently rebuilding.

If we don't act proactively with manhaden, that's just going to be one more forage species that's not in the water.

Conservation groups are petitioning federal regulators with the Atlantic State's marine fisheries to lower the total manhaden catch limit and relocate the fish more equally to states like Maine.

This is Public News Service.

Food safety is emerging as a potential political issue ahead of the midterms following multiple outbreaks of foodborne illnesses and recalls of imported meat.

At the same time, New Mexico is expanding its safety testing.

Earlier this month, the USDA finalized an agreement with the state to enhance meat and poultry food safety inspection, and some of that will be done by New Mexico State University's Food Safety Laboratory.

Lab Director Luis Sibion says improved infrastructure will give small and very small processors another pathway to meet safety requirements, at least equal to the federal level.

We'll provide the testing that supports the inspection program.

So we are bringing analytical capacity closer to the producers and processors rather than having to rely heavily on laboratories outside New Mexico.

Despite major foodborne illnesses across the U.S. this summer, cases in New Mexico were relatively low.

I'm Roz Brown.

Next to Oregon, where Democrats are planning to introduce legislation in 2027 to ban surveillance pricing in the state.

The term describes a practice where retailers use personal data and information to charge people different prices for the same products and services.

Companies are increasingly using information like scrolling habits, purchase history and location to figure out the maximum price consumers are willing to pay for a product.

Oregon Representative Willie Chotson is backing the new legislation to ban the practice.

He calls surveillance pricing creepy and says retailers are taking advantage of people.

You can imagine a rideshare company charging someone more money because their phone is close to running out of battery and they might be desperate to lock in that ride.

Or an online company charging somebody more for Tylenol because they know that that mother has been up all night researching why her son is so sick.

Seattle recently became the first U.S. city to ban surveillance pricing, joining Maryland, New Jersey and Connecticut.

I'm Isobel Charle.

Finally, for decades, citizen lawsuits have worked to ensure environmental laws are adhered to in Massachusetts, but the Department of Justice now argues it can dismiss these lawsuits in the interest of national defense.

A lawsuit brought by the NAACP alleges Elon Musk's company, XAI, is operating natural gas turbines in Mississippi without permits and sending toxic fumes into black communities nearby.

Government lawyers claim the lawsuit threatens national security because the turbines power one of Musk's data centers aiding operations at the Department of War.

Alexandria St. Pierre with the Conservation Law Foundation says the DOJ's move is unprecedented and has no legal basis.

And they have a right to be able to require these companies to comply with the law.

I'm Catherine Carly.

This is Mike Clifford, and thank you for starting your week with Public News Service.

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