News from around the nation.

GOP senators signal to Trump that Kennedy is on thin ice; South Koreans detained in ICE raid at Hyundai electric vehicle site in Georgia; WY to host congressional hearing on public lands maintenance; Boom or bust? ND sees new data center debates; NY, US groups file international legal complaint against war in Gaza.

Transcript

The Public News Service Friday afternoon update.

I'm Mike Clifford.

Republican senators are sending clear signals of disapproval and unhappiness with Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. making a plane to President Trump.

They want the administration to address the chaos that Kennedy has caused by trying to rewrite the nation's vaccine policies.

That's the take from The Hill.

They report GOP senators have stopped short of calling on Kennedy to resign, but they want him to back off efforts to change vaccine policy recommendations without sound scientific backing.

And from the BBC, U.S. immigration authorities have raided a massive Hyundai manufacturing site in Georgia, leading to the arrest of over 450 people.

Korean nationals were among those detained, the South Korean Foreign Ministry said, calling it an unjust infringement on their rights.

Meantime, Grand Teton National Park will host a congressional hearing today on renewed funding for a law that provides for maintenance on public lands.

The Great American Outdoors Act, which passed with bipartisan support during the first Trump administration, is now up for reauthorization.

Emily Dells with the National Parks Conservation Association says the law has funneled more than $6.5 billion to national parks to fix a range of issues.

A lot of these facilities, whether it's a visitor center or waste or drinking water systems or trails or campgrounds, you know, they were built 60 years ago and they need need an upgrade.

I'm Suzanne Potter.

And a data center company hopes to break ground soon on a new project for North Dakota with promises of economic gains but in addition to community level pushback the proposal faces questions about sustainability.

The firm behind the project Applied Digital wants to build a three-billion-dollar data center just outside Fargo.

Officials say it's needed to meet the surge in demand for storing digital data while touting at least 200 for the local area.

Michael Grollum with the Dakota Resource Council says this area already is growing and he questions whether it's worth it to use land protected by the flood mitigation effort known as the Red River Diversion.

Especially in Fargo, it's just such a waste of land that we've worked so hard to make viable and we're just gonna throw it away for a data center and it's fairly frustrating.

I'm Mike Moen.

Next to New York where advocates are joining national groups to file an international legal complaint against the US government for its use of American taxpayer dollars on the Israel-Palestine war.

Afaf Nasher with the New York chapter of the Council of American Islamic Relations says, Americans are upset their money is going towards something they don't support.

The majority of Americans are upset, frustrated, and enraged over the continued tax money that's going abroad instead of utilized properly for Americans here.

And of course, the anguish that goes along with the ongoing genocide.

The complaint is being filed with the Human Rights Arm of the Organization of American States.

This is a public news service.

Cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program or SNAP are raising alarms in Georgia where high poverty rates and limited grocery access already make it difficult for families to eat well.

According to a report by KFF Health News, the cuts also counter efforts to help people fight chronic illnesses through healthy food.

Gina Platanino with the Food Research and Action Center says the reductions come as residents pay more for food, rent and other essentials.

She explains the loss of support won't just hurt households, but could ripple through rural towns and local economies.

As these cuts keep coming through, basic services or even K-12 education are going to be put at risk because there are no resources coming in, but the need will still be there and prices of food will keep increasing and shelter costs and everything will be there.

She cautions that families will feel the squeeze first, but the impact won't stop there.

Shantia Hudson reporting.

This story was produced with original reporting from Renuka Rehassam for KFF Health News.

And scams involving false claims for medical equipment are spreading across Ohio.

That's according to experts in Medicare fraud.

Sometimes scammers offer free equipment in exchange for your Medicare number, even if you don't need it.

They bill Medicare and potentially get paid.

Carolina Eiler, a program specialist who works with seniors on Medicare counseling and fraud prevention, says this not only drains money from the Medicare program, but people can be denied the equipment in the future.

When they actually need the device, and the doctor orders it, the supplier is going to try to bill Medicare.

Medicare is going to deny the claim because there's already a claim for the same thing that was built.

The FBI reports that in 2023, older Ohioans lost more than $64 million to fraud and scams.

Farah Siddiqui reporting.

Finally, conservation groups in New England are urging the public to comment on the Trump administration's proposed repeal of the federal roadless rule.

If redacted, roughly 260,000 acres of pristine wilderness within the region's White Mountain and Green Mountain National Forests could be open to commercial logging.

Matt Cannon with the Sierra Club Maine, says Americans have less than three weeks to weigh in on the decades-old policy.

This seems like the process is being purposefully accelerated in a way to meet the administration's ends and that's something we should all be very, very concerned about.

The Trump administration argues the rule's repeal is needed to increase American timber production by 25 percent and allow for more oil and gas drilling on federal lands.

The public comment period runs through September 19th.

I'm Catherine Carley.

Cannon says roadless areas not only drive tourism in parts of New England, but also provide critical wildlife habitat.

This is Mike Clifford for Public News Service, member and listener supported.

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