Six minutes of news from around the nation.

Trump vows to pursue executions after Biden commutes most of the federal death row; Mississippi group working in 71 counties to end homelessness in Mississippi; Farmers no longer feeling Farm Bill anguish, but relief might be fleeting; Addressing Montana's expanding 'news deserts.'

Transcript

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The Public News Service daily newscast, December the 25th, 2024.

I'm Mike Clifford.

President-elect Donald Trump promised on Tuesday to vigorously pursue capital punishment after President Joe Biden commuted the sentences of most people on federal death row.

That for the Associated Press.

Trump criticized Biden's decision on Monday to change the sentences of 37 of the 40 condemned people to life in prison without parole, arguing that it was senseless and insulted the families of their victims.

The AP notes that Biden said converting their punishments to life imprisonment was consistent with the moratorium imposed on federal executions in cases other than terrorism and hate-motivated mass murder.

Next up, cities and states, including Mississippi, are grappling with rising homelessness.

Our Daniel Smith lets us know, in Mississippi, 962 people experience homelessness daily, according to the National Alliance to End Homelessness.

Ledger Parker with Mississippi United to End Homelessness says its Continuum of Care program works with partner organizations and government agencies to serve and house vulnerable populations in 71 counties across the state.

He says the program utilizes outreach teams that aim to build relationships with the unhoused.

Those outreach teams, whenever they go, they get to know them, they do collect information, and they perform an assessment.

That assessment that we do is to try to find out how vulnerable they are in their homelessness.

And our goal is we want to limit the number of deaths in homelessness.

Meanwhile, the Jackson City Council has recently delayed a vote on a continuum ordinance that would ban sleeping on city property and allow the removal of homeless encampments, sparking debate over the best approach to tackle the crisis.

Parker says the outreach team are vital and work in several urban areas, such as Tupelo, Meridian, Hattiesburg, Starkville, and Columbus, to assist with finding housing.

He adds that the group provides resources for wraparound services, but there are some challenges, as many individuals lack identification, which is essential for signing leases and applying for jobs in Mississippi.

Those outreach teams begin the process of making sure that person has the pieces they need to get into housing, but then also down the road to get an employment, health care, mental health care.

We try to really encourage them to choose housing.

Parker adds that, initially, it had to persuade individuals to accept housing.

Once housed, the organization strives to provide comprehensive support services.

However, a small percentage, likely around 10 percent, experience a return to homelessness.

This recidivism rate is not ignored, as the organization actively works to rehouse these individuals.

For Public News Service, I'm Danielle Smith.

You can find our trust indicators at publicnewsservice.org.

This is Public News Service.

Farmers in Nebraska and across the nation might not be in panic mode anymore, thanks to another extension of the Farm Bill, but they still want the Congress to look past political divisions to ensure producers are getting the right support for the long haul.

As part of their budget deal to avoid a government shutdown, federal lawmakers also decided to keep the current Farm Bill, which technically expired in 2023, in place for another year.

It usually is updated every five years.

John Hanson of the Nebraska Farmers Union says it's a tough market right now, and they were happy to see economic and disaster aid included, but he says farming communities still feel overlooked.

Those of us who represent agriculture see a deepening financial crisis that a lot of farm families are facing, and we look to Congress for relief.

He says farmers are still largely working under 2018 spending levels, even as their operational costs go higher.

The National Farmers Union says it's especially unhappy about a key provision kept off the table, which was granting nationwide year-round sales of E15 blends of ethanol.

It says it would open more markets for farmers, but there's a broad range of opponents of that move, including the oil industry.

Hanson and other advocates hope a new Congress doesn't fall into the same trap as it did last year.

He says a permanent plan is needed.

As we look into the next year, we hope that the Farm Bill does not languish for another September 30th deadline.

It's uncertain how newly shaped agricultural committees, as well as budget-cutting goals of a new Trump administration, will influence debate over certain elements of Farm Bill funding.

I'm Mike Mullen reporting.

Meantime, studies show that generous tax credits can lead to long-term improvements in health and higher earnings in adulthood and also improve school performance.

Jacob Vigil with New Mexico Voices for Children says the extra federal child tax credits provided for families during the pandemic had a huge impact on the state's children.

With the expansion of the federal CTC and it being refundable temporarily in 2021, that was 450,000 kids.

That's 95 percent of the child population. 32,000 children lifted out of poverty.

Next up, online news organizations trying to fill the lack of local coverage in Montana's news deserts.

A dwindling number of the state's 56 counties have reporters covering issues on the ground.

University of Montana Journalism School Director Lee Benville says this could be especially troubling for people who live in small towns.

And so what happens is, as those local sources dry up, we actually have seen that people become more isolated and sort of divided, in a way, polarized.

This is Mike Clifford wishing you a happy holiday.

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