Six minutes of news from around the nation.

Judge pauses deadline for federal workers to accept Trump's resignation offer; California state lawmakers are taking action to enact safeguards against federal immigration enforcement; Study shows air quality disparities from industrial ag in NC.

Transcript

The Public News Service Daily Newscast, February the 7th, 2025.

I'm Mike Clifford.

A federal judge paused Thursday's deadline for federal employees to accept the Trump administration's deferred resignation offer while more proceedings on the program's legality play out.

That from CNN.

They report the pause stems from a lawsuit from the American Federation of Government Employees and several other unions filed in U.S.

District Court in Massachusetts seeking a temporary restraining order to halt the February 6th deadline.

CNN notes the unions also want to require the government to articulate a policy that is lawful rather than an arbitrary, unlawful, short-fused ultimatum which workers may not be able to enforce.

And for The New York Times, President Trump Thursday defended his proposal for the U.S. to take charge of post-war Gaza and resettle its Palestinian residents but stressed he would not deploy U.S. troops to the enclave as Israel's defense minister announced he had ordered the military to draft a plan to allow people to voluntarily leave.

And California state lawmakers are taking action to enact safeguards against federal immigration enforcement.

Last year, Democratic State Senator Elena Gonzalez introduced Senate Bill 48.

The legislation would block immigration enforcement from happening near schools.

It would also seek to keep California's status as a sanctuary state, which is also one of the things on President Trump's chopping block.

Data shows that more than 1 million U.S. citizen children in the state live with at least one undocumented family member.

Kristen Rauh-Finkbeiner with the social welfare group MomsRising says they're hearing from folks and students around the country who say Trump's directives are inciting fear in children and families that could have short- and long-term consequences.

A terrified child in a classroom full of fearful children can't learn or thrive.

And that creating a climate of fear at schools harms every child.

We will demand that our government acts humanely and with compassion.

I'm Alex Gonzalez reporting.

President Trump's so-called "border czar" Tom Homan has said any potential raids on schools would be assessed on a case-by-case basis.

Next, consumer advocates in Maine say the availability of enhanced subsidies have helped record numbers of people get the health care coverage they need.

Nearly 65,000 Mainers enrolled in health plans this year through the state's online marketplace CoverMe.gov.

Rachel Collamore with the Augusta-based Consumers for Affordable Health Care says that means more people are catching problems early and avoiding trips to the ER.

It means that people who might otherwise kind of roll the dice don't have to anymore.

They can get that security by having a health plan that is more likely to meet their budget and more likely to meet their health care needs.

Enhanced subsidies have cut some premiums on average by more than 40 percent.

Collamore says open enrollment is closed until November, but people can still get coverage if they experience certain qualifying life events like getting married or losing an employer-based plan.

I'm Catherine Carley.

Advocates encourage people to contact their elected officials to let them know the importance of keeping the enhanced subsidies in place.

This is public news service.

The negative impacts on air quality from industrialized animal facilities in North Carolina stick around for a long time.

That's according to a new study.

The research also shows that the effects are felt most by communities of color.

Lead author of the study, Sally Pusetti at the University of Virginia, says her team used satellite measurements of ammonia pollution associated with industrialized swine operations in eastern North Carolina.

Those ammonia air quality impacts are disproportionately experienced by residents in eastern North Carolina who are Black and African-American, Hispanic and Latino, and indigenous.

Compared to white communities, the study found ammonia concentrations were 27 percent higher for Black communities, 35 percent higher for Hispanic communities, and 49 percent higher for indigenous communities between 2016 and 2021.

Pusetti notes that satellite data from 2008 to 2023 shows these trends have largely remained unchanged.

I'm Eric Tegethoff reporting.

Next to Georgia, where one in five folks experience a mental illness each year, and while the state has made strides in expanding crisis support, a new report suggests there is still work to do.

The mental health advocacy group, Inseparable, says despite Georgia's investment in the 988 crisis hotline, gaps remain in ensuring people receive care instead of landing in jails or emergency rooms.

Kaitlin Hochul, vice president of public policy at Inseparable, says one area that needs improvement is how calls are handled in-state.

More investment is needed to help boost those in-state answer rates.

As you can see in our report, Georgia's in-state answer rate is currently around 82 percent, whereas the national goal is 90 percent or higher.

She explains having in-state professionals answer crisis calls is crucial.

They understand the local resources, providers, and geography, making it easier to connect people with the right care, and if needed, dispatch mobile crisis teams more effectively.

Shantia Hudson reporting.

Finally, as we've been reporting, Americans working multiple jobs to cover living expenses has become increasingly common, and Ohioans are no exception.

According to U.S. Census data, a significant portion of Midwestern workers hold secondary jobs.

A study by My Perfect Resume found 71 percent of U.S. workers rely on additional income to make ends meet.

Career expert Jasmine Escalera notes that while this extra work is necessary for many, it can negatively impact job performance. 49 percent of people surveyed said that their secondary source of income is actually impacting their performance at their primary job.

She notes the lack of productivity brought on by stress and fatigue from a primary job means you're likely not putting in the extra investment needed to get higher pay, better titles, or job promotions.

Farah Siddiqui reporting.

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

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