News from around the nation.

In Idaho, abortion rights activists are taking their case directly to doctors, a California lawsuit is ongoing as the new 'public charge' rule takes effect, Michigan social justice groups urge people of faith to go to polls.

Transcript

The Public News Service Friday afternoon update.

I'm Mike Clifford.

It is a campaign to overturn one of the nation's toughest abortion bans and supporters are taking their red state case to doctors.

Proposition 1 in the ballot in November would establish a right to abortion until fetal viability and afterwards in medical emergencies.

The New York Times notes while opponents of abortion focus on the ban's success in ending the procedure, abortion's rights proponents are talking about health care broadly.

In the four years since Idaho criminalized doctors who performed the procedure, the number of obstetricians and gynecologists practicing in the state has fallen sharply.

Meantime, California and 21 other states are suing to stop the Trump administration's new rules on public charge, which go into effect today.

Public charge is used to determine whether an applicant for legal permanent residence or a green card might need public assistance.

The change overturns Biden-era policy that limited this rule to federal cash assistance or long-term institutionalization.

Sarah Darr with the Children's Partnership says a wide range of programs, including Medi-Cal, CalFresh, or Section 8 housing assistance, can now be counted against people who are applying for a family-based green card.

It's really important that people get specific legal advice from a trusted immigration lawyer or an immigrant rights organization that's well-versed in this issue.

The Department of Homeland Security said in a post on X that it is protecting public resources and ending policies that encourage dependency on hardworking American taxpayers.

I'm Suzanne Potter.

Really encouraging folks to look around and see how federal policies are impacting their communities, making things like groceries and rent and health care really unaffordable right now, tearing our families apart and trying to keep many folks from voting.

Organizers say the event will focus on planned cuts to Medicaid and SNAP, along with increased federal funding for immigration detention and deportations.

I'm Mark Richardson.

And North Carolina is home to nearly 30 fossil fuel plants.

There are renewed concerns about air pollution after the Trump administration took another step toward gutting regulations for those facilities.

Matthew Davis of the League of Conservation Voters says stripping federal limits gives plant operators a free pass.

Whether it's wildfires and wildfire smoke that blanketed the country, whether we're talking about the hottest summer the U.S. has ever seen.

Federal officials this week announced a final repeal of most of the Biden administration's greenhouse gas requirements for coal and natural gas plants.

Davis warns the emissions will help fuel additional climate impacts like the ones experienced this summer.

This is Public News Service.

As the back-to-school season begins, most Ohio teachers say they're stressed and wouldn't recommend the teaching profession and have to work more than one job to make ends meet.

More from our Nadia Ramlangan.

They also believe the current administration's policies are responsible for higher gas and grocery prices, according to a new American Federation of Teachers survey.

There's also concern about immigration enforcement activity and how that's impacted kids and families, says Melissa Cropper, AFT Ohio president.

They still actually love working with the students when they have the freedom to teach the way that they want to teach, but the pressures are just becoming too much and they're ready to leave the profession.

Teachers say their low pay doesn't match their education, workload, or the rising cost of living, noting in some cases rent can be more than half of a teacher's monthly income.

More than 40 percent of survey respondents said they're working a side job, with higher percentages for Black and Latino educators.

Next, the number of ICE arrests in Arizona have spiked since May.

At least 6,200 people have been apprehended, the seventh highest number in the nation.

The trend follows actions in other southwestern states, including New Mexico.

The California-based Deportation Data Project found that states with strict non-cooperation policies have the lowest rates of immigration arrests in local jails.

But even with the Immigrant Safety Act passed in 2026, New Mexico is one of five states with the highest local jail arrest rate.

Marcella Diaz with the immigrant advocacy group Somos un Pueblo Unido says the findings should be a wake-up call.

Data suggests that parts of our criminal justice system are still functioning as a pipeline into federal immigration enforcement.

And unless we're curtailing this at the state level, we're going to continue to see these numbers increase.

Federal ICE agents made more than 50,000 arrests in August, a record monthly total.

I'm Roz Brown.

Finally, the food on our plate may not be as nutritious as it once was.

And Illinois farmers and soil experts say regenerative agriculture could offer part of the solution.

Agriculture experts say traditional practices that breed crops for size and production can dilute nutrients like protein and minerals.

Carl Rozier, a soil scientist and farmer with Basil's Harvest, explains degraded soil, reduced organic matter, and other factors may also affect how nutrients become available to plants.

And because the majority of produce is made to withstand long-distance shipping, he says it loses additional nutrients traveling from the farm to grocery stores before reaching people's plates.

We have this dependence on chemical fertilizers.

So we apply these chemical fertilizers to get that crop as big as we can.

And because of that, those don't scale.

I'm Judith Ruiz Branch reporting.

Meyer says people can focus on shopping at farmers markets and local food co-ops to help support farmers and regional food systems.

This is Mike Clifford for Public News Service.

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