Six minutes of news from around the nation.

Trump imposes tariffs, sanctions on Colombia after it refuses deportation flights; LA community group wins suit against parish for open meeting violations; St. Louis shelters face higher demand, fewer donations during cold snap; Nonprofits work to meet long-term needs after LA fires; Montana bill seeks state panel on food safety.

Transcript

The Public News Service Daily Newscast, January the 27th, 2025.

I'm Mike Clifford.

President Donald Trump said Sunday he will impose sweeping retaliatory measures on Colombia, including tariffs and sanctions, after the South American country turned away two U.S. military aircraft with migrants as part of the Trump administration crackdown.

That from Reuters, they report Colombia, America's third largest trading partner in Latin America, swiftly responded, threatening a 50 percent tariff on U.S. goods.

Reuters notes that Trump's punitive action appeared aimed at making an example of Colombia, the second case of a Latin American nation refusing U.S. military deportation flights.

Next to the Bayou State, where a judge there has ruled, elected officials in St. James Parish broke Louisiana's Open Minis Law by conferring secretly with a Chinese company seeking to build a chemical plant.

The complaint, filed in 2019 by the community group Rise St. James, took five years to work through the courts.

However, on January 6th, the state court ruled that parish council and planning commission members met without proper public notice with the Wanhua Chemical Group.

Fearne Levine with Rise St. James says the meeting shows the level of dishonesty among local leaders.

St. James is so corrupt until, you know, you have little hope because we're fighting this other plant and they voted for it to come in anyway, even though we said no, we are loaded, we are full, we can't take anymore.

And for the judge to vote in our favor, that was like a miracle.

The chemical plant would have been located along a portion of the Mississippi River known as Cancer Alley.

Statistics show people in the area have a 95 percent greater chance of developing cancer than the average American.

I'm Mark Richardson.

And the recent cold snap in St. Louis has led to a surge of demand for homeless shelters while donations have dwindled.

Shelters are calling on the community to lend a hand to those in need.

Loaves and Fishes Charity in St. Louis served 500,000 meals and welcomed over 600 people at their shelters in 2024.

However, Jackie McIntosh, CEO of the shelter, says recent extreme temperatures have caused heavy snow and ice, making it challenging for donation deliveries, among other difficulties.

Individuals have not been able to get out the way that they normally do to deliver the donations or to bring donations in.

And then on top of it, you have the natural disasters with the wildfires in L.A. and other things that are going on in the country that are making people nervous about giving.

To help those in need, visit Loaves and Fishes St. Louis in person at their Concourse Drive location or donate online through their website or Facebook page.

Crystal Blair reporting.

And from the New York Times, with more rain on the way, officials warn Sunday of an increasing risk of mudslides in Los Angeles County and debris flow capable of damaging roads and homes in and around the areas devastated by wildfires.

This is Public News Service.

The L.A. wildfires will impact people's health for many years, according to disaster relief experts.

The fires cause severe mental health issues, displacement and financial ruin, which make it harder for people to care for their health.

Talia Myers with the nonprofit Direct Relief says the disaster takes a heavy toll far beyond those killed in the fires.

When a natural disaster hits a community, there are long-term impacts that cause increases in morbidity and mortality, but that aren't always accounted for in the death toll or in public perceptions.

It's something that the larger public does need to start thinking about.

A lot of people were struggling to afford food and shelter in Los Angeles even before the devastating fires.

I'm Suzanne Potter.

And research shows toxic additives have been overlooked in the U.S. food supply, even though the federal Food and Drug Administration is charged with regulating them.

Legislation in Montana could get state-level rules rolling.

Senate Bill 155 would create a state panel on food safety and give it the authority to make and enforce rules limiting the availability of foods that contain certain toxic additives, like food coloring.

Republican State Senator Daniel Emrich of Great Falls sponsored the bill and says it will help the state understand the cumulative health effects of consuming toxins.

First, it's a study process.

We have to study the issue to see how extensive it is and see if there's regulations that need to be instituted to deal with the issue.

A 2024 study shows toxic chemicals have gotten into Americans' food by being put into a category called "generally recognized as safe."

It was meant for common ingredients like oil and baking soda that the FDA exempts from a thorough approval process.

I'm Kathleen Shannon.

West Virginia counties are already facing shortages of home health care services and nursing home workers.

They're now facing alleged misconduct by contract workers in state nursing homes.

A new lawsuit cites a systems failure from top to bottom, where officials have allowed frontline workers to act in ways that harm patients.

Michael Folio is the legal director for Disability Rights West Virginia.

The lawsuit says state officials knew about abuse, harassment, and retaliation of fellow employees and patients.

And what we've identified is even the regulatory bodies in West Virginia that are charged with overseeing these facilities are so understaffed, so underfunded, that we oftentimes are reporting incidents to them, even though it's their job to actually uncover these incidents and take appropriate action.

According to the health care advocacy group KFF, there were more than 9,400 people living in certified nursing home facilities in West Virginia in 2024.

Nadia Ramligan reporting.

This is Mike Clifford.

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