Six minutes of news from around the nation.

U.S. rescues missing airman from Iranian mountains after fighter jet was shot down; USDA withdraws grant to support MA local food production and NM's ancient Chaco culture threatened by Trump administration.

TRANSCRIPT

The Public News Service daily newscast for April the 6th, 2026.

I'm Mike Clifford.

The U.S. military and CIA coordinated a high-stakes mission that safely rescued the missing crew member of a fighter jet that was shot down over Iran, bringing to a closer dramatic and politically perilous moment in the war.

President Trump said in a post Sunday at 12.08 a.m. on True Social, we got him, describing the operation as one of the most daring search and rescue operations in U.S. history.

All those involved in the rescue made it safely home.

The Washington Post notes Trump was expected to discuss the operation at a Monday news conference described the airman in a later post as a colonel who was seriously wounded.

Meantime, organizations across the Northeast are willing for the loss of USDA grants used to help small-scale farmers purchase the land that they need.

Many projects were aimed at helping beginning farmers or new immigrants with agrarian backgrounds gain access to the capital and technical assistance needed to boost local food production.

Jesse Gill with the Massachusetts-based non-profit World Farmers says an effort to create a land acquisition fund and prevent the development of needed farmland is now on hold.

We saw this program as a huge step in the right direction to really start to invest in farmers of different scale and really mobilizing and supporting them to grow.

Grants totaling nearly $300 million for projects across 40 states were terminated, with the USDA citing discriminatory practices based on DEI or wasteful spending.

Massachusetts has joined a multi-state lawsuit claiming the agency is imposing illegal conditions on its programs and grants.

I'm Katherine Carley.

And a new report shows Indiana's nationally known steel plants are outdated and could function better using cleaner fuels.

Burns Harbor, Indiana Harbor Works, and Gary Works produce slightly more than 40 percent of the nation's steel.

It is also estimated they emit about 25 million tons of carbon dioxide each year.

The study was conducted by the IU Environmental Resilience Institute, a science-based organization blending academia, research, and community to address the state's environmental health challenges.

Executive Director and study co-author Gabrielle Filippelli says the plant's operation models have not changed in more than 100 years.

A transition from coal to the new modern steel making fuels and fuel sources could likely stabilize or boost employment in northwest Indiana, Filippelli adds, between 1990 and 2017, steel mill jobs at Gary Works, Arcelor Middle, and Indiana Harbor in Northwest Indiana declined by 58 percent.

I'm Terry Dee reporting.

This is Public News Service.

Tomorrow ends a federal scoping period that could result in new oil and gas drilling near New Mexico's Chaco Cultural National Historic Park.

The Department of Interior opened a week-long public comment window on April 1st on plans to revoke Biden-era protections that prohibit new mineral development in the greater Chaco region.

Currently, 336,000 acres surrounding the park in the state's northwest corner are protected from drilling.

Maude Dinan with New Mexico's National Parks Conservation Association says historically 30 to 60 days have been allowed for public comment.

So seven days is quite a stark contrast.

It's also over one of the holiest weeks that many interfaith communities are celebrating this week.

Christians celebrated Easter on Sunday and the Jewish observance of Passover continues through April 9th.

I'm Roz Brown.

Next to Georgia nonprofit is training young people to become health advocates in their own communities.

Public health schools teach data and research, but they don't always teach things like how to pass a bill to make a greater impact.

That's why Jonathan Carey, a Morehouse School of Medicine public health student, joined Black Health Cares.

Through the program, he spoke before the South Fulton commissioners to support a new hospital in Union City.

Being someone who is more so in the policy space, I was actually able to learn real time what it's like to pass bills and what advocacy actually looks like on the ground when we're advocating for equality across all care, whether it's health care or public health.

Kerry says the fellowship has expanded his network and grown his advocacy toolbox.

Black health is part of a growing network of culturally focused health advocacy programs across Georgia.

I'm Tramiel Gomes.

Finally, cattle on California dairy farms produce huge amounts of manure, which releases methane gas into the atmosphere.

Now a new study looks at leaks in the digester systems meant to capture and repurpose that gas.

Researchers from the University of California, Riverside, find that digester systems capture methane effectively but must be monitored for leaks, because even temporary failures can release massive amounts of the potent greenhouse gas.

Study author and UCR climate scientist Alyssa Valdez says when a digester covers a waste lagoon, it acts like a giant balloon.

It does a great job of capturing all of that methane, but when it leaks, you might see more methane than you accounted for.

And those leaks, unwashed and unregulated, can pose a real large problem.

The digesters are designed to funnel the captured methane into natural gas pipelines.

The study recommends that going forward, aerial observation should be combined with on-the-ground measurements to make sure digester systems are in good working order.

I'm Suzanne Potter.

This is Mike Clifford.

Thank you for starting a week with Public News Service.

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