Six minutes of news from around the nation.

Trump touts immigration crackdown despite concerns about due process; NY faces potential impacts from federal vote on emissions standards; ND Tribes can elevate tourism game with new grants; WA youth support money for Medicaid, not war.

Transcript

♪♪

The Public News Service daily newscast, April the 29th, 2025.

I'm Mike Clifford.

President Trump's administration touted the early results of his immigration crackdown Monday despite concerns over due process, displaying photos of alleged criminal offenders on the White House lawn and preparing to target cities and states that limit cooperation with federal immigration enforcement.

That for Reuters.

They report that Trump plans to sign three executive orders.

The first calls for the attorney general to identify cities and states failing to comply with federal immigration laws.

The second relates to law enforcement communication.

And the third is tied to English literacy for commercial truck drivers.

We head next to New York, a state that would be impacted by a federal vote that aims to prevent states from adopting California's emission standards.

Lawmakers are considering a bill that would end waivers allowing states to enact the California policy, which requires all new cars sold to be emission-free by 2035.

New York faces a similar state-level action, with some lawmakers attempting to end the state's advanced clean-truck standards.

Rob Sargent with Kultura says passing the bill would represent a major blow to the economy.

If Congress acts to pull the rug out from under those states' ability to take action to make cars cleaner in their state, then it also will undercut the availability of electric vehicles for consumers that would save that money.

Sargent adds it would also impact the ability to bring electric vehicle manufacturing back to the U.S.

New research from Kultura finds some New York super-users spend thousands of dollars on gasoline.

Nearly a million New Yorkers spent over 10 percent of their household income on gas.

These super-users make up 9 percent of the state population and use more than 1.5 billion gallons of gas each year.

I'm Edwin J. Vieira.

And tourism generates $3 billion annually in North Dakota.

But tribal officials say direct spending for visitors doesn't always reach their areas.

A new grant program aims to help Native American tribes.

Governor Kelly Armstrong recently signed a bill that sets aside $100,000 for North Dakota's five tribal nations to share for tourism-related projects.

That might not seem like a lot of money, but Kiara Fox of the MHA Nation Tourism Department says it's a foot in the door.

She says her team can use it to improve signage and other needs while promoting their history in a culturally appropriate way.

We get to tell our stories with our own voices, you know, re-educate a little bit, correct some of those misconceptions everybody has about Native Americans.

She says MHA Nation is off the beaten path, so more visibility with signs might convince drivers to take a detour and check out sites, including a local museum and the Crow Flies Scenic Overlook.

I'm Mike Moen.

Other tribes that submitted testimony say Native entrepreneurs have difficulty working through issues like land-use regulations, putting them at a disadvantage in becoming a tourism draw.

This is public news service.

A group of young people from Washington, fresh from a grassroots leadership development program, is speaking up against the Trump administration's plans to cut funding for social programs while investing more in the country's military.

The group of young people recently concluded the Young Activist Leaders Program, or YALP, which teaches social justice and community organizing.

Nico Jagger is one of the youth leaders of the program.

He says in the wake of the Trump administration's pledging $1 trillion to the military, the group decided to wrap up the program's spring session by organizing a rally.

We don't want our money going to war.

We'd rather our money go to food stamps, Social Security, health care.

Those are the things that actually save and improve lives versus war is this machine that just destroys.

The rally featured youth speakers as well as community leaders for fair housing and immigrant rights.

I'm Isabel Charlay.

And as the debate over adding fluoride to drinking water heats up, some 20,000 residents in northern Arkansas live in an area without fluoridated water.

According to reporting from KFF Health News, the director of the Ozark Mountain Regional Public Water Authority, Andy Anderson, has defied state law for decades and refuses to add the mineral to the water system.

Dentist Dr. James Flanagan practices in the region and sees a lot of what he calls "rampant decay."

The people that go to the dentist have the means to do so, and so it's kind of the underserved who are really affected by the lack of fluoride because they don't seek dental care in general.

So it works against them not to have the fluoride in their water.

The water authority serves Boone, Marion, Newton, and Searcy counties.

Anderson says he believes fluoride can hamper the brain and body to the point of making people get fat and lazy.

This story was produced with original reporting from Brett Kelman for KFF Health News.

I'm Freda Ross reporting.

Finally, a major player in the Northwest energy landscape is considering changes in the future as extreme climate events make power delivery in Oregon more unpredictable.

Like utilities in the region, the Bonneville Power Administration, a nonprofit federal administration, is considering joining a larger energy market to ensure reliable access for customers.

BPA is favoring a market known as MarketsPlus, which it says will be less expensive in the long run but could cost between $79 and $129 million more for ratepayers in 2026.

However, organizations like Save Our Wild Salmon favor the Day Ahead Energy Market, or EDAM.

Tanya Reardon with the organization says BPA needs to consider tribal rights in the region, especially when it comes to salmon.

We can have a more open governance model that gives state officials, consumers an equal role, which would keep salmon recovery priorities at the forefront.

I'm Eric Tegethoff reporting.

This is Mike Clifford for Public News Service.

We are a member and listener supported.

Find our trust indicators at publicnewsservice.org.