Six minutes of news from around the nation.

Dangerous cold grips the Northeast this weekend, while a new White House drug pricing website launches amid ongoing pressures on families tied to heating costs, child care, Medicare and the workforce.

TRANSCRIPT

The Public News Service Daily Newscast, Friday, February 6, 2026.

I'm Farah Sidiqi.

Parts of the Northeast are bracing for the coldest air of the season, with snow and dangerously low wind chills expected through the weekend before a gradual warm-up next week.

And the White House has launched TrumpRx, a new prescription drug website aimed at steering consumers to discounted cash-pay medications, though experts say savings may be limited for people with insurance.

Recent Arctic blasts are adding pressure for North Dakotans trying to keep up with the heating bills.

State officials are now testing a new approach to help families stay enrolled in a key assistance program.

Mike Moen has more.

In 2025, the Department of Health and Human Services switched to year-round applications for the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program, or LIHEAP, which covers a portion of monthly heating bills for eligible utility customers.

LIHEAP Administrator Joshua Haugen says before, there were specific application periods for each heating season.

When too many people signed up at once, it created unintended consequences.

That was an extra burden on processing those applications in a very short window of time, so that could cause some delays in getting benefits to households that were in need.

Algonad's that enrolled households will now have their eligibility checked each year, but there's less paperwork.

Child care workers want wages and benefits that reflect the value of their work.

In New Mexico, a new universal child care system could help make that possible.

Roz Brown has more in this A Better Life Lab at New America, New Mexico News Connection collaboration.

Last year, New Mexico became the first state to offer free child care for all residents, removing income requirements and family co-pays.

The new initiative also is having secondary benefits for providers through higher subsidies.

Crystal Romero and her husband own and manage the Early Learning Academy in Albuquerque.

Having them do that and not just say that early childhood is important, but provide the resources to sustain it long term is critical.

When we do that, we could actually pay our teachers a really good living wage.

Original reporting by Rebecca Gail with better life lab at New America and the 74 a new national ranking highlights which states are leading in preparing workers for the future and North Carolina tops the list.

The state is number one in site selections 2026 workforce development rankings.

Adam Bruns, the magazine's editor in chief, says that's because of a variety of positives the state offers to job seekers and employers alike.

The blend of community colleges, university system, as well as public schools and how that kind of connects really well with just the real momentum that the state has in terms of economic development, project attraction, as well as expansions from existing companies.

Bruns says state programs are helping promote the workforce, like NC EDGE Customized Training, Propel NC, and NC College Connect.

He says North Carolina offers a suite of community and technical college skills.

I'm Eric Tegethoff reporting.

This is Public News Service.

For many older Ohioans, choosing Medicare coverage and long-term care services can feel overwhelming, especially in rural communities.

A new national report highlights just how difficult navigating aging services has become.

A rural Ohioan referred to as Lydia is in her late 70s and enrolled in traditional Medicare.

She says comparing coverage options, especially prescription plans, often feels impossible.

It's hard to compare apples to apples on the telephone.

I mean, they tell you you can go on.

Well, I can go on and look at that, but I don't understand all this stuff.

The prescriptions, the tiers, I don't get what I should be looking for.

Her experience reflects findings from a new bipartisan policy center report, What older Americans want policy makers to know, which is based on interviews with older adults across the country about aging, caregiving, and long-term care.

Federal workforce cuts and changes to diversity, equity, and inclusion policies may be reshaping the job market in Michigan, with new data showing some workers are being hit harder than others.

Crystal Blair reports. - National figures from the Bureau of Labor Statistics show unemployment among black women rose by nearly one and a half percentage points over the past year.

Black women are more likely than other groups to work in government and public-facing jobs, sectors affected by budget cuts and workforce reductions.

Shaquita Hall-Jackson is an employment and civil rights attorney.

The government is the number one employer of Black people, including Black women, is controlled by this administration.

And they come in and wipe out positions, or buy out the employment and ultimately firing us, especially in leadership roles.

This is where we land.

In Michigan, people of color make up about 23 percent of state and local government workers and black residents about 15 percent of the population.

Supporters of the administration and Project 2025 say shrinking the federal workforce and scaling back DEI programs reduces cost and increases efficiency.

As New York City's historic nurses strike approaches its second month, progress has been made, but key issues remain unresolved.

Union nurses announced a tentative deal on artificial intelligence protections yesterday, following an agreement on health care a week earlier.

The 15,000 striking nurses now turn their attention to unresolved complaints involving safe staffing levels and workplace violence protections.

Shela Dominguez is a registered nurse at Mount Sinai Morningside Hospital, but has been on the picket line since the strike began. - As nurses, we have to protect ourselves.

Sometimes we get hit, kicked.

Some nurses are having bruises or physically injured because of what's happening. - A 2024 National Nurses United report finds 80 percent of nurses experience workplace violence, but only 20 to 60 percent of incidents are actually accounted for.

Dominguez adds, because it might take a hospital security team a bit more time to reach certain floors, they're left to fend for themselves before any help arrives.

I'm Edwin J. Viera.

This is Farah Siddiqui for Public News Service, member and listener supported

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