Six minutes of news from around the nation.

Habba resigns as New Jersey's top U.S. prosecutor; Experts: Trump announces $12 billion in aid to farmers; EPA's proposal to weaken PFAS rules bad for the environment; New deadline for PA property tax and rent rebate comes soon; Rural resilience runs deep but crisis looms for WI schools.

TRANSCRIPT

The Public News Service Dela Newscast, December the 10th, 2025.

I'm Mike Clifford.

Australia Wednesday became the first country to ban social media for children under 16, blocking access to platforms including TikTok, Alphabet, YouTube, Meta, plus Instagram and Facebook, except for Reuters.

They report 10 of the biggest platforms were ordered to block kids from midnight on Tuesday night or face fines of up to $49 million under the new law, which drew criticism from major technology companies and free speech advocates, but was welcomed by many parents and child advocates.

Reuters notes in the hours before the ban took effect, many of the estimated 1 million children impacted by the legislation began posting messages saying goodbye to their online followers.

Meantime, U.S. farmers have until the 19th of this month, December, to gather details for federal aid meant to offset losses spurred by the Trump administration's tariffs and other financial pressures.

A Minnesota-based expert says despite short-term relief, big problems are not going away.

This week, the USDA announced a $12 billion relief package as some farmers struggled to stay afloat due to a declining export market linked to expanded tariffs.

Similar payments were issued during the heightened trade war and Donald Trump's first presidency.

Kevin Lilliston of the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy says a quick infusion of aid can ease some pressure, but doesn't get to the bottom of how expensive it is to farm these days.

It doesn't address the underlying problems.

And really the big one is increased costs.

Higher prices for machinery, for crop inputs.

Payment rates for this new aid aren't public yet, but Lilliston adds it's frustrating that beef and dairy producers aren't included since costs are higher for them too.

The Trump administration insists the latest payments will help address rising expenses for commodities that are covered along with price volatility.

I'm Mike Moen.

Next day proposed renewable diesel plant on the Columbia River would likely not live up to its promise of supporting Oregon's emission goals.

That's according to a new report.

The next renewable fuels refinery near Klatskanai would produce 50,000 barrels of diesel daily.

Audrey Leonard of Columbia Riverkeeper which released the report, says over 90 percent of the facility's fuel would come from high carbon crops like soy and canola, not the low carbon waste oils it promotes.

Next, we'll have a really difficult time sourcing enough of the truly low carbon feedstocks to make the amount of fuel that it plans to make.

If Next has to rely on these higher carbon feedstocks, that will make their fuel less competitive and less valuable in markets that reward the truly low carbon fuels.

She explains that sustainable sources like used cooking oil are limited in supply and they're more expensive because they are incentivized by large markets like California's.

I'm Isabel Charlay.

This is public news service.

Christmas is coming early this year for some families in Los Angeles County.

As letters arrived this week, letting people know their medical debt has been forgiven.

Some $363 million in medical debt owned by 171,000 people has been permanently erased since the county's medical debt relief program began last year.

Allison Sesso is president of the nonprofit Undo Medical Debt, which is administering the program for the county.

There is no action an individual can take to buy this debt on their own, and there's nothing anybody has to do to get this relief.

They just have to receive a letter and know that that debt has been relieved and they're free and clear of it.

She says this current round of debt relief will eliminate $180 million of debt held by 39,000 Los Angeles area residents.

I'm Suzanne Potter.

And as a legal appeal to force a factory farms to disclose hazardous emissions continues to play out, environmental advocates are calling attention to a new Trump administration rule that could limit reporting on those same farms.

Advocates are appealing a federal court's decision to uphold a policy exempting factory farms from publicly disclosing hazardous emissions.

Those same groups are now raising alarms as the Trump administration ends the greenhouse gas reporting program, reducing federal oversight of factory farm emissions.

Ryan Mehar with the Center for Biological Diversity says that many factory farms already have exemptions from that program, but ending it would place even more limits on emissions reporting.

This move by EPA essentially eliminates responsibilities for industries to report.

There will be some state level reporting still, but this is the cornerstone of understanding what's happening with greenhouse gas emissions and EPA is doing away with it in large part.

The Trump administration has said ending the rule businesses an estimated $2.4 billion in regulatory costs while still complying with the Clean Air Act.

I'm Zamone Perez.

Finally, each year, billions of chickens, cows, and pigs are raised, slaughtered, and fed to people in Wyoming and across the U.S.

But a recent survey by Finalytics found that a strong majority of voters actually care a lot about the conditions these animals endure.

For example, chickens are routinely kept in cages so small they can't even move.

Research director Allison Troy says 61 percent of voters surveyed across party lines said they would support candidates who work to improve animal welfare and reduce the number of animals in factory farms.

The candidates who adopted these kinds of pro-animal welfare positions not only were more popular in terms of they received more support, but they also were perceived as being more likable, more competent, and more empathetic.

A majority of conservatives, liberals, and moderates surveyed also said they would not vote for a candidate who promised to increase government subsidies to meat companies or remove animal welfare protections.

Proponents of factory farming have long argued that it's the most efficient way to produce large quantities of affordable food.

I'm Eric Galatas.

This is Mike Clifford for Public News Service.

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