Six minutes of news from around the nation.

N.Y.C. Council speaker calls on Mayor Eric Adams to resign; KY could do more to protect kids from accidental drug ingestion, shootings; OH food banks face fed funding uncertainty, DeWine budget cuts; Protesters say Trump administration actions 'cast aside democracy.'

Transcript

The Public News Service Daily Newscast for February the 18th, 2025.

I'm Mike Clifford.

Adrian Adams, the Speaker of the New York City Council and one of Mayor Eric Adams' principal partners in government, said on Monday that the mayor should resign.

That from the New York Times.

The report Ms. Adams' repudiation of the mayor came just hours after four of his eight deputy mayors announced they would leave City Hall, a catastrophic loss to an administration already hobbled by scandal, a corruption indictment, and a growing sentiment that the mayor placed his own interests ahead of New York City's.

Next, more Kentucky toddlers are getting sick and dying from accidental drug ingestion.

Of the fatal overdose and ingestion cases examined by the state's Child Fatality and Near Fatality External Review Panel for 2023, 80 percent were preventable.

In one case, a one-year-old ingested fentanyl and died.

Officials who responded found a bag of crystal methamphetamine in the bed where the child and mother were sleeping, and the opioid oxycodone in the closet.

These types of cases are increasing statewide, says Dr.

Melissa Curry, a Norton Children's Hospital pediatrician who treats child abuse cases.

If pills are being crushed and snorted and the toddler is pulling up on the coffee table where that pill was crushed, that toddler could put their hands in their mouths and get enough fentanyl to be deadly.

The panel is also tracking a substance called xylosine, which was found in 5 percent of the cases.

This non-opioid sedative or tranquilizer, mainly used by veterinarians, has been increasingly found in the heroin and fentanyl supply.

Nadia Ramligan reporting.

Next, in many U.S. cities, President's Day was used to sound the alarm over actions by the Trump administration.

In Minnesota, protesters braved sub-zero temperatures Monday to express worry about the loss of democratic norms.

The 50/51 movement is described as a grassroots effort where organizers connect online to schedule peaceful protests in all states.

Monday's demonstrations marked the second nationwide group of rallies held in unison since President Donald Trump returned to office.

Woodbury's Rob Gallagher attended the one in St.

Paul, saying democracy is being undermined as Trump's staff aggressively cuts agency budgets and staffing in the face of court challenges.

It affects everybody.

It's done without checks and balances on appropriations that have already been made and without checks and conflicts of interest.

And so it's wrong in every dimension.

Those conflicts of interest he referred to involve claims that Trump advisor Elon Musk, who's leading the purge of spending reductions, is violating ethics because his companies hold government contracts.

Musk and other Trump officials defend their actions, saying these are changes Americans voted for.

The 50/50/01 movement says it isn't tied to any political party and is calling for Trump to be impeached and for Musk to be investigated.

This is Public News Service.

Recent federal executive orders have left many organizations in Ohio navigating uncertainty, particularly when it comes to funding for essential services.

Food banks, which serve as a critical safety net for families in need, are feeling the strain.

Jory Novotny of the Ohio Association of Food Banks says demand has been surging across the state as economic pressures grow, leaving local organizations struggling to keep up.

We can do a lot with a little, but we can't do it all.

And we do rely and count on our partners in local, state and federal government to be another leg on the stool of what it takes to make sure that when people are in need and facing crisis, they can turn to us for basic help with food.

The strain comes as Governor Mike DeWine's newly proposed state budget would reduce food bank funding by 23 percent, cutting it from $32 million in the last cycle to $24.5 million.

While the previous budget included a one-time $7.5 million boost, Novotny warns that the reduction comes at a time when food banks are experiencing record high demand.

Farah Siddiqui reporting.

And workers' rights advocates and nursing home providers say Washington has a long-term care workforce crisis and that inadequate benefits in the nursing home industry are part of the problem.

Legislation moving through Olympia known as the Essential Worker Health Care Program would provide affordable health insurance to nursing home workers.

Alicia Harris is a certified nursing assistant, or CNA, at a skilled nursing facility.

She says a family of four needs to pay $1,200 a month for insurance with a high deductible and only 30 percent copay.

It's money that we could be putting towards groceries, we could be putting towards rent, saving.

It's tough.

Nursing home employers who join the new program would receive a payment from the state for health care which would be matched by Medicaid.

Employees could participate for about $50 a month.

I'm Isabel Charlay.

Finally, cold temperatures, decreased sunlight, and fewer interactions with family and friends are some of the reasons Texans might suffer from SADD, otherwise known as seasonal affective disorder.

Symptoms of this seasonal form of depression include feelings of hopelessness, fatigue, and difficulty concentrating.

Massage therapist and holistic health practitioner Kiva Mack says it's important to increase your vitamin D intake during the winter months.

One of the things that you can do to manage that is to get out into the sunlight.

You can also open up the windows in your home and sit near a window that has exposure to the sunlight.

She adds vitamin D supplements and foods fortified with vitamin D can also help lift your mood.

I'm Freda Ross reporting.

This is Mike Clifford for Public News Service.

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