News from around the nation.

Trump secures Netanyahu's agreement to Gaza deal but Hamas support in question; Congress has less than 24 hours to avert a shutdown; MN university wants to help solve social worker shortage; NM's higher-ed hiring model follows controversial nationwide trend; Report: CO teachers face highest 'pay penalty' in nation.

Transcript

The public news service Tuesday afternoon update.

I'm Mike Clifford.

President Donald Trump secured Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's backing Monday for a US-sponsored peace proposal to end a nearly two-year-old war in Gaza, not from Reuters.

They report following a meeting with Netanyahu, Trump said they were beyond very close to an elusive peace deal for the Palestinian enclave.

But he warned the Islamist group Hamas that Israel would have full US support to take whatever action is deemed necessary if the militants reject what he has offered.

And from CNN with less than 24 hours until a possible government shutdown Senate Republicans will give Democrats a final chance to support their plan to keep the lights on at midnight but inside the Capitol few believe Democrats are ready to cave.

The bitterest stalemate largely centered around billions of dollars in enhanced affordable CARES Act subsidies now appears likely to result in the first shutdown of Trump's second term.

Next workers by launching or expanding course offerings.

Imagine you or a loved one are going through a personal struggle and need some guidance or counseling from a trained professional.

Health experts say too many people in those situations are having a hard time accessing social workers including for mental health needs.

Southwest Minnesota State University is proposing a new master's program for this field and the school's provost Ross Wastved says it's clear the demand is there.

The need is all over but it's particularly acute in rural areas where there are just more barriers to professional training and licensure.

I'm Mike Moen.

Next, New Mexico lawmakers are consistently asked to pass legislation that would improve pay and benefits for contract faculty at higher ed institutions but meaningful progress has been limited.

Like those in many other states, New Mexico's universities and colleges hire a significant number of adjunct or contract professors who are part-time, non-tenure-track faculty.

Most work semester by semester and don't qualify for benefits.

Satya Witt is a principal lecturer in biology at the University of New Mexico, who leads contract negotiations at UNM for the American Federation of Teachers.

Many of them would like to work full-time at their higher ed institution, but some of our adjuncts here, they've been waiting for decades, literally decades and they're just being taken advantage of.

I'm Roz Brown.

Meantime, public school teachers in Colorado earn nearly 40 percent less than other college graduates.

That's the highest teacher pay penalty in the nation, according to a new report.

At the Center for Economic and Policy Research report, author Sylvia Allegretto says Colorado's ranking is likely linked to the state's taxpayer bill of rights.

Over time, you're going to have larger and larger gaps between what the public school teachers in the state are making and what other college graduates are making.

This is detrimental to recruiting and retaining teachers.

The Rights Act tabloid does not allow for new or expanded funding beyond annual adjustments for inflation and population changes.

This is Public News Service.

The gunman who killed at least four worshippers, wounded eight, and was shot to death by police Sunday at a Mormon church in Grand Blanc Township, Michigan, had a sign emblazoned with the last name of Donald Trump outside his home, public records show.

Now for The Guardian.

About one in five homes in the Las Vegas area owned by a corporate investor.

That's according to new data from Redfin.

But legislative efforts to rein in the problem are stalled.

Critics say corporate investors squeeze supply and drive prices up by taking too many homes off the market and turning them into high-priced rentals.

State Senator Dina Neal says first-time homebuyers have a hard time finding an affordable option. limiting corporate investors.

That's a part of the larger play of making sure that there is something available that you can purchase and that you're not competing against a corporate investor so that you can actually achieve the American dream.

Neal's bill to limit corporate purchase of homes to 100 per year failed in the state senate in May in the face of Republican opposition.

I'm Suzanne Potter.

And in Michigan and across the country the rush is on for those wanting to buy an electric vehicle as federal tax credits worth up to 7,500 bucks for new EVs and four thousand dollars for used models expire today.

Michigan has more than 85,000 registered electric vehicles on the road ranking in the top 15 states nationwide.

The credits were structured so buyers could see the savings right at the dealership.

Ingrid Malgrim with Plug-in America says clean car standards in EB tax credits helped automakers shift away from gas-powered vehicles and boost the job market.

This led to manufacturing plans for both batteries and EVs in a number of states around the country, leading to hundreds of thousands of new jobs.

Those opposed to the tax credits contend markets should decide which vehicles succeed, not subsidies.

They see tax credits as interfering with free market dynamics or picking winners and losers.

Crystal Blair reporting.

Finally, a new treatment is being developed for seasonal protection of Lyme disease, which is on the rise in states like Wisconsin.

Lyme disease is a tick-borne infection caused by the Borrelia burgdorferi bacteria.

Seth Letterman heads Tonic Pharmaceuticals, the company licensing the antibody treatment.

He says it works by neutralizing a key component of the bacteria.

There are about 70 million people in the United States who are in areas where there's significant infestation with ticks infected with Borrelia and right now there are not good alternatives to treat it.

Wisconsin saw nearly 6,500 cases of Lyme disease in 2024, the highest on record.

Letterman says the intention of the antibody treatment is to provide seasonal protection with people receiving it in spring for protection through summer and fall.

I'm Judith Ruiz Branch reporting.

This is Mike Clifford for Public News Service.

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