Six minutes of news from around the nation.

'Fair likelihood' Trump administration violated court order, judge says; ME federal workers rally against Trump order to end labor protections; VA military members face outsized impacts as consumer watchdog agency dismantled; OH environmental group fears federal cuts will hurt job opportunities.

Transcript

The Public News Service Daily Newscast, April the 4th, 2025.

I'm Mike Diffie.

A federal judge in Washington said Thursday that there was a fair likelihood that the Trump administration had violated an order he issued last month to stop deporting Venezuelan migrants to El Salvador under an 18th century wartime law.

That from the New York Times.

They report speaking at a hearing, the judge James Bosberg said he was likely to wait until next week to issue a ruling the White House was in contempt of court, the announcement that he would delay his final decision came after he spent nearly an hour in a remarkable interrogation of a Justice Department lawyer.

The Times notes last week the Justice Department refused again to provide the judge with details about the timing of deportation flights, asserting a rare legal doctrine called the state secrets privilege.

And we head next to Maine, where federal workers will join in nationwide protest Saturday against what they call President Trump's union-busting policies.

Trump has signed an executive order to restrict collective bargaining for two-thirds of the federal workforce, claiming they are a national security risk.

Andy O'Brien, with Maine AFL-CIO, calls it the most egregious attack on workers' rights in more than a century.

He's shredding union contracts that were legally negotiated.

These are legally binding documents.

A White House fact sheet says an accountable civil service is needed to protect national security and accuses federal unions of declaring war on the president's agenda.

More than 1,000 rallies are planned nationwide on Saturday against that agenda, including more than 20 in Maine.

I'm Katherine Carley.

Trump's executive order terminates union contracts at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, the Togus VA Medical Center, and other defense-related locations, which give preferential hiring to veterans.

And as President Trump dismantles the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, advocates warn veterans and military service members The Bureau partly enforces the Military Lending Act, which protects service members and their families from predatory lending and financial practices.

The CFPB has issued regulations that include limits on overdraft fees and restrictions on considering medical debt and credit reports.

Brian Johns with Virginia Organizing says military members are often targets of predatory financial practices, many times right outside their bases.

There were just dozens of payday lending places, check cashing places, car title lending places.

It became apparent that many of those who were living on base were definitely the targets to get cash quick, but without maybe being fully made aware of all of the negative implications, including like 400 percent interest.

In a speech in February, Trump called the CFPB "out of control" and questioned whether employees at the agency received kickbacks from the money they returned to consumers.

I'm Simone Perez.

Since its inception, the CFPB has returned more than $360 million back to veterans and service members.

This is public news service.

More protest rallies are occurring in response to President Donald Trump's executive orders alongside Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE.

On April 5th, hands off, a national day of action.

Demonstrations will be held in defiance of Trump's actions.

Ohio Sierra Club State Director Erica Copeland says the president's decisions will also weaken the state's key public safety objectives.

Another significant road act is to propose the weakening of regulations around hazardous materials and safety standards for transportation.

We all can remember that this was glaringly evident in the aftermath of the East Palestine train derailment a few years ago.

Copeland views protest as a powerful tool for raising awareness and hopes to see the momentum for pushback against Trump's policies continue beyond April 5th.

She advocates for lasting changes in the reinstatement of stronger environmental regulations and the expansion of clean energy programs.

52 Ohio cities including Akron, Cincinnati, Dayton, Springfield and Xenia will stage public rallies.

I'm Terry Dee reporting.

And nearly 22,000 Florida college students could lose critical tuition under a state house budget proposal.

The plan would cut $3,500 annual grants for students at 15 private schools throughout the state, including three historically black universities and Embry-Riddle, the nation's top civilian flight school.

House lawmakers tied eligibility for Florida's effective access to student education or EASE program to five performance metrics, including a 54 percent graduation rate and affordability benchmarks.

Bob Boyd, president of the Independent Colleges Universities of Florida warns of fallout.

It's going to really devastate our sector.

These are students that are pursuing nursing degrees, becoming pilots, teachers, and they are going to, a lot of them will drop out of their high demand degree fields because they're not getting this voucher.

I'm Tramiel Gomes.

Finally, Minnesota bird enthusiasts should keep their binoculars handy.

April is a good month to spot various species migrating back to the region.

A good place to start for birding during spring migration is the Mississippi River Corridor, considered a key flyway for birds traveling back and forth between their winter and summer homes.

Monica Bryant, with the Urban Bird Collective in the Twin Cities, considers this a worthwhile and fun activity.

I've only been a birder for over 20 years and I didn't realize what was out there until somebody took me birding.

And of course, now I'm just absolutely hooked.

As birds fan out across the state, Bryant says residents can do their part to keep obstacles and threats out of the way.

That includes limiting backyard time for outdoor cats.

And since birds tend to migrate at night, dimming or turning off outdoor lights is helpful so long as personal safety isn't compromised.

I'm Mike Moen.

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

Hear us on radio stations big and small, your favorite podcast platform.

Find our content and trust indicators at publicnewsservice.org.