Six minutes of news from around the nation.

Federal prosecutors in NY and DC resign after refusing to drop Mayor Eric Adams charges; IN weighs Bitcoin bet in state investments; In rural east KY, communities find ways to boost kids early learning; and start date for MN's paid leave law is now up for debate.

Transcript

The Public News Service Dillon Newscast, February the 14th, 2025.

I'm Mike Clifford.

The top federal prosecutor in New York and two senior federal prosecutors in Washington have resigned after they refused to follow a Justice Department order to drop corruption charges against New York Mayor Eric Adams.

That's from NBC News.

They report the resignation's amount to a stunning public rebuke of the Trump administration's new Justice Department leadership in one of the country's highest-profile criminal cases.

The prosecutors have resigned after the acting U.S. Deputy Attorney General issued a memo Monday ordering federal prosecutors in New York to drop the case against Adams, arguing in part that it hampered his ability to tackle illegal immigration and violent crime.

Next to Indiana, where lawmakers are considering a bill that would allow state funds to invest in Bitcoin.

House Bill 1322 moved forward to the full House for debate.

GOP Representative Jake Keshka of South Bend authored the bill.

It would allow public employee and teacher retirement funds to invest in certain Bitcoin exchange-traded funds.

Really, what we're asking is just for folks to come and tell us how blockchain technology could benefit state government and state government processes.

And so, at this point, there's no mandate in here for any agency to participate.

The bill also calls for a study on how blockchain technology could improve state operations.

Supporters say it could lower costs, improve security, and create efficiencies.

Lawmakers backing the bill argue Bitcoin offers long-term potential despite market fluctuations.

I'm Joe Uleri, Public News Service.

Find our trust indicators at publicnewsservice.org.

And Kentucky's Appalachian counties are expanding efforts to help ensure kids are off to the right start educationally.

Kentucky State Director for Save the Children, Alyssa Taylor, says Eastern Kentucky communities are thinking outside the box, pointing to efforts in Whitley County to establish a reading room at a local shelter, where kids whose families don't have permanent housing still have access to a quiet space for learning.

A nice place for the individuals and children staying there to relax, read a book, work on their homework, their education, in an environment that is similar to a home setting, where they may be missing that in other aspects of their life.

According to the National Rural Education Association, nearly one in seven rural students experiences poverty, one in 15 lacks health insurance, and one in 10 has changed their residence in the previous 12 months.

Nadia Ramligan reporting.

Of the Associated Press, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. was sworn in Thursday as President Donald Trump's health secretary after a closed Senate vote, putting the prominent vaccine skeptic in control of $1.7 trillion in federal spending, vaccine recommendations, food safety, as well as health insurance programs for roughly half the country.

This is Public News Service.

Minnesota is less than a year away from launching its paid-leave law, but state lawmakers are debating whether to delay the start until 2027.

The pending benefit was considered one of the crowning achievements of the 2023 legislative session when Democrats controlled both chambers.

But the GOP now has a slight edge in the House, and paid leave is getting a second look.

Under the program, employers will be required to provide up to 20 weeks of paid time off each year to a worker dealing with a health issue or to care for a loved one.

During committee debate Thursday, the Minnesota AFL-CIO's Bernie Burnham argued against pushing things back.

Working Minnesotans are ready for the peace of mind that comes from knowing we will have the freedom to care for ourselves and the people we love without sacrificing a paycheck.

Supporters of a later start date say there's still uncertainty about the impact on businesses, especially smaller companies, as they prepare to comply.

I'm Mike Moen.

And with cost to the forefront of prospective students' minds, higher education institutions in states like North Carolina are rethinking how to overcome this barrier.

William Peace University in Raleigh has launched its Peace Pledge.

The program offers 100 percent tuition coverage for qualifying students.

Damon Wade with the university says school officials took a hard look at the enrollment challenges students faced.

Cost was a major factor in their decision-making for them and their families, and so we wanted to do our level best to try to mitigate that and remove cost as a barrier to their education as reasonably as we possibly could.

Qualifying students must be first-time, traditional undergraduate students who reside in North Carolina.

They also must come from households with incomes of $75,000 or less, be eligible for federal Pell Grants, and have a high school GPA of 3.25 or higher.

I'm Eric Tegedorf reporting.

Finally, the Texas Department of Agriculture is accepting sponsor applications for its 2025 summer meal programs.

The Summer Food Service Program and the Seamless Summer Option for schools that operate the National School Lunch Program provide summer meals for students 18 years old and younger.

Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller says over 11,000 organizations have participated in the past.

We reimburse people that provide the summer meals.

Now, we work with schools.

We work with community organizations like Boys and Girls Clubs, libraries, community centers, faith-based organizations, you know, churches.

First-time sponsors must apply by April 15th.

Previous sponsors have until May 1st.

Applications are available at squaremeals.org.

I'm Freda Ross reporting.

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

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