Six minutes of news from around the nation.

Trump wants to send US citizens to El Salvador prisons; law enforcement still trying to get the message through about dangers of drunk driving; and federal budget cuts will hit Indiana medical research hard.

Transcript

The Public News Service Daily Newscast, April the 15th, 2025.

I'm Joe Ulery.

President Trump says he wants to deport violent US citizens to El Salvador, raising serious constitutional concerns.

NBC News reports he discussed the plan with El Salvador's president, who agreed to jail deportees in a notorious prison.

Legal experts warn US citizens cannot be deported or imprisoned abroad under American law.

One man, Kilmar Abrego Garcia, was already deported without charges or due process.

A judge ordered him returned, but El Salvador refused, and the White House says it can't intervene.

A local nonprofit is hoping a new law can help some of their network of struggling farmers quickly recoup federal grant funds they are owed.

The Honor Farmer Contracts Act would order the United States Department of Agriculture to resume paying farmers from previously signed agreements.

The Michael Fields Agriculture Institute is one of more than 350 organizations that have signed on to a letter of support to Congress.

Ryan Martin, the executive director, says federal cuts have impacted both their network and their organization.

There's also a lot of legal and operational chaos.

So we're sort of stuck navigating these legal gray zones around signed contracts.

My part-time job right now, unfortunately, has been canceling contracts and laying off contractors.

The act would require the USDA to unfreeze all signed agreements and contracts, make past due payments quickly, and prohibit the agency from canceling contracts unless there is a breach of contract.

I'm Judith Ruiz Branch reporting.

The sudden cuts blindsided farmers across the country.

Hundreds of farmers in the upper Midwest region served by the Michael Fields Institute participate in USDA-funded programs that pay farmers for serving their communities.

Law enforcement agencies are still trying to get the message through about the dangers and costs that stem from distracted driving.

A Minnesota police chief says people need to realize that a text message can wait.

April is Distracted Driving Awareness Month.

This year, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration rolled out its Put the Phone Away or Pay campaign, hopes of convincing drivers to resist looking at their cell phones when behind the wheel.

Winona Police Chief Tom Williams feels this is still a pervasive issue.

We've kind of lost track of the responsibilities associated with operating a motor vehicle, and we're so attached to our phones and social media.

Williams encourages drivers to seek out safe spaces to pull over, like a well-lit parking lot, to answer a text or email if it's urgent.

Along some roadways around the country, transportation departments have added texting zones, similar to areas for a stalled vehicle.

Last year, there were 29 deaths linked to distracted driving in Minnesota, up from the previous year.

I'm Mike Moen.

This is Public News Service.

A significant federal budget cut will hit Indiana's top medical researchers hard.

Congress has slashed the congressionally-directed medical research program by more than half, dropping its national budget from $1.5 billion to $650 million.

The Indiana University School of Medicine, the largest medical school in the country, received $715,000 from the program last year.

IU optometry professor Dr. Nicholas Porte says the school used that funding to study mild traumatic brain injuries, including treatment strategies for athletes.

Now, the projects may not move forward.

They're only funding well less than 10 percent of the proposals that are submitted each cycle each year.

They might only fund 40 percent of what they funded last year.

A federal program run by the Department of Defense supports research with military and public health applications.

With the new cuts, that percentage will likely shrink even more.

This story was produced with original reporting from Kyla Russell for Wish TV.

Clean energy infrastructure upgrades for Georgia's ports are on the line, and leaders in Savannah are calling on Congress to protect federal investments already set in motion.

Chatham County Commissioner Aaron Whiteley says the Georgia Ports Authority has already planned several projects that will modernize operations and reduce emissions, funded by $48 million from the EPA's Clean Port Program.

These upgrades include hybrid cranes, shore power systems, and electric terminal tractors, all a part of a push to cut pollution and improve public health.

Carbon emissions is one of the reasons why asthma rates are so high in black and brown communities.

Now, we're expecting around a 47 percent reduction in fuel consumption just by investing in hybrid gantry cranes.

Investments in sustainable ports infrastructure is an investment in the health of our community.

Shantia Hudson reporting.

Massachusetts lawmakers are considering legislation to prevent excessive rent increases and no-fault evictions.

Our Catherine Carley has the story.

The bill would allow cities and towns to limit proposed rent hikes to the rate of inflation, with a cap of 5 percent.

Carolyn Chu, with the group Homes for All Massachusetts, says corporate investors are purchasing housing units from Brockton to the Berkshires, often doubling what are already high rent prices.

Tenants across the Commonwealth can't wait, and we need to do everything we can to keep people housed and to prevent people from being displaced.

Opponents of the bill argue it could lower property values and make it harder for landlords to maintain existing properties.

Chu says it would help keep families together, and out of an already overburdened state shelter system.

This is Joe Ulori for Public News Service, member and listener supported.

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