Six minutes of news from around the nation.

Gaza hostage and ceasefire deal officially signed in Doha; Cabinet nominees push deregulation of America's food systems; Ohio Dems encourage community-focused people to run for office; in State of State address, GA Gov. Kemp proposes tax cuts, tort reform.

Transcript

The public news service daily newscast, January the 17th, 2025.

I'm Mike Clifford.

The deal between Israel and Hamas to release hostages being held in Gaza and begin a ceasefire was officially signed by negotiators in Doha on Thursday.

That from Axios.

Their report to delay in the vote will postpone the start of the ceasefire and the release of the first three hostages from Sunday to at least Monday.

Axios notes the Israeli security cabinet was supposed to convene Thursday morning to vote on the agreement, but several last-minute disputes in the negotiations delayed the agreement by a day.

And America's food systems are predicted to undergo significant changes should President-elect Donald Trump's cabinet picks be confirmed.

Nominees for the Departments of Agriculture, Health and Human Services, and the EPA have all stressed the need for deregulation.

Yale Law School's Laura Fox says that can lead to reduced oversight and enforcement of environmental protections and safety standards.

And then de-emphasize or even denial of certain frameworks such as climate change, environmental justice issues that are going to take a backseat or just be ignored.

Fox says each agency can determine the scope of enforcement action and what to prioritize.

The EPA is currently studying the impact of factory farm waste on drinking water supplies, but additional restrictions on farm pollution are not expected from the next administration.

This story was produced with original reporting from Seth Milstein for Sentient.

I'm Catherine Carley for Public News Service.

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Trump has tapped a conservative attorney, Brooke Rollins, to head the USDA, which covers everything from food safety to rural development.

Next to Ohio, where the Democratic Party there is ramping up to get more people thinking about running for statewide offices.

The recruitment program is part of a national campaign led by the group Contest Every Race.

Ohio has thousands of local offices on the ballot, says Katie Sewer with the Ohio Democratic Party.

She says they have identified suburbs of major cities and rural areas as ideal spots for future contenders.

Once they're interested, we connect them with their county parties so we can get resources there and then we also provide training and teach folks how to get on the ballot, how to raise money, all the stuff that you need to know to run a campaign.

The recruitment program includes text messaging, infrastructure, coaching calls and meetings to organize and mobilize.

Sewer claims finding candidates in every Ohio county who reflect their local communities is key to widespread voter representation.

She says more than 200 people have reached out so far to express an interest since recruitment efforts began.

I'm Terry Dee reporting.

The recruitment program is casting a wide net for candidates to fill more than 6,000 offices.

They include Village and City Council members, school board members and other local positions.

This is Public News Service.

Governor Brian Kemp delivered his 2025 State of the State address Thursday, emphasizing tax cuts and tort reform as key priorities for Georgia.

Kemp also highlighted the state's resilience following Hurricane Helene and praised its economic strength.

He's convinced that one of the best ways to continue growing Georgia's economy is by putting more money in the pockets of Georgians.

So he announced plans to reduce the state income tax rate by 20 basis points, bringing it down to 5.19 percent.

Because at the end of the day, that's your money, not the government's.

And here in Georgia, we believe you should keep more of it.

The governor says this proposed tax cut would save residents about $7.5 billion over the next decade.

Shantia Hudson reporting.

Kemp also addressed expanding funding for law enforcement units to prosecute gangs and human traffickers and to increase access to health care.

Next up, January is National Mentoring Month and organizations like Mentor Indiana are making a difference.

Mentor Indiana is part of the Indiana Youth Institute.

For nearly 20 years, it has connected young Hoosiers with caring adults.

Institute president and CEO Tammy Silverman says mentoring changes lives and there's research to prove it.

When a young person has a mentor, they're 55 percent more likely to enroll in college, 78 percent more likely to volunteer in their home communities, and they're twice as likely to hold a leadership position.

She says their work ensures young people get the support they need to succeed.

Despite these benefits, one in three young people lacks a mentor outside their family.

I'm Joe Ulari, Public News Service.

Find our trust indicators at publicnewsservice.org.

Finally, during President Joe Biden's final weeks in office, the Interior Department has announced $41 million in support of water resources and ecosystem health, including two projects in Montana.

The bipartisan infrastructure law will fund work to restore irrigation channels in two western Montana watersheds.

Chris Edgington with Montana Trout Unlimited, one of the partner groups, calls this type of federal funding critical to support conservation work that also benefits agricultural producers.

We're working with the landowner who voluntarily gives water back to the river for fish.

So it's a great partnership and a win-win project.

Over $1 million will help restore nearly 8,000 feet of side channel and critical trout habitat along the Jefferson River.

$1.3 million more will restore nearly 11,000 feet of stream bank and five acres of floodplains on Flint Creek.

I'm Kathleen Shannon.

This is Mark Clifford for Public News Service.

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