Six minutes of news from around the nation.

Both black boxes recovered in aftermath of deadly DC midair collision; Advocates call on AL lawmakers for prison reform; Path to Medicaid expansion in MS remains uncertain; Trump nominee Gabbard faces tough questions from Republicans; US elected officials file a legal motion opposing end to birthright citizenship.

Transcript

The Public News Service Daily Newscast, January 31, 2025.

I'm Mike Clifford.

Both of the black box recorders have been pulled from the Potomac in the aftermath of the deadly midair collision with a Black Hawk helicopter at Reagan International Airport in DC.

CNN reports the three years before the deadly collision at least two other pilots reported near misses with helicopters while landing at the airport.

And with the new legislative session getting underway next week, advocates are calling attention to conditions inside Alabama prisons.

The state's Department of Corrections reported 277 deaths among people in prison in 2024, a decline from the 2023 record high of 325, but still more than four times the national average.

Elaine Berdeshaw with Alabama Appleseed says in 2019 the federal Department of Justice found conditions at the men's prisons in the state were an unconstitutional violation of the Eighth Amendment.

The primary reasons for that are the level of overcrowding, understaffing and violence.

In 2020, the state was actually sued over these conditions.

That litigation is still ongoing.

The state hasn't gone to trial yet.

The state has paid private attorneys $20 million to defend the system.

The DOJ suit is scheduled to go to trial in 2026.

Brett Pivito reporting.

Next, as Mississippi lawmakers move forward with potential Medicare expansion, advocates say the state cannot afford further delays while thousands remain without health care.

Two so-called dummy bills are advancing through the House and Senate Medicaid committees, but the policy remains in limbo as legislators wait for clarity from Washington.

Kimberly Campbell, state director for AARP Mississippi, has been working on Medicaid expansion for several years and says the fight is far from over.

There still needs to be some more discussions to figure out how can we get something that moves the state forward as far as access to health care, access to quality health care for more individuals than we have now that are covered under any type of health program.

Mississippi is one of 10 states that has not expanded Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act, leaving an estimated 125,000 Mississippians without access to affordable health care.

While last year's legislative session saw historic movement, expansion failed in the final hours as House and Senate leaders clashed over the details.

I'm Tramiel Gomes.

And Tulsi Gabbard, Donald Trump's pick to be the director of national intelligence, came into her nomination hearing Thursday ready to parry a volley of attacks from Democrats.

But they weren't the only ones asking tough questions.

That from Politico, they report a number of Republicans seem skeptical about Gabbard's answers to questions about NSA contractor Edward Snowden and a controversial surveillance program.

They also prodded her about her previous statements on Russia, Syria and Ukraine.

This is Public News Service.

Elected officials in New York and nationwide joined an amicus brief, followed by the Public Rights Project, fighting President Donald Trump's executive order ending birthright citizenship.

It's being challenged on several fronts.

A federal judge is blocking it.

Since birthright citizenship is a 14th Amendment right, legal experts feel there's no basis for upholding the order.

Michael Shemitas with the Columbia County Board of Supervisors says people born in the county not being considered residents would have grave impacts.

If you take that conclusion down the line, you could imagine someone who's born here, who then has kids here, who then has grandkids here.

You could have generations of people living in the community, living as non-citizens.

So it's even worse than being a second-class citizen.

They would be forced to live in the shadows.

Enacting this executive order could divert local and state resources from their intended purpose.

Given its broad implications, it could add more red tape for the government, create barriers to health care for families, reduce some young people's ability to get jobs due to discrimination and harm the long-term economy.

I'm Edwin J. Vieira.

Next up, Indiana farmers are helping food pantries meet rising demand for protein.

Our Joe Uluri has more.

The program Helping Meet the Moment is not new, however, it is being rebranded as Hoosier Hogs to Homes.

Jeanette Merritt with Indiana Pork says the program started in 2009 and has provided 1.6 million ground pork meals to families in need.

We launched the Million Meals program with the thought that we were encouraging our pig farmers, community members, agricultural businesses to donate either ground pork or funds to Feeding Indiana's Hungry.

Feeding Indiana's Hungry says protein is one of the most requested items at food pantries.

Families rely on ground pork because it's versatile and easy to cook.

Finally, a North Dakota legislative committee Thursday took up a trio of bills about landowner rights as states in the region are eyed for carbon capture projects.

The measures stem from public scrutiny of Summit Carbon Solutions plans for a multi-state pipeline in the Midwest to capture ethanol plants emissions for underground storage in North Dakota.

State regulators have signed off on it, but some landowners don't like the idea of signing land deals with the company.

Anne Bernhardt of Linton lives near the proposed route and provided testimony in favor of a bill to block developers of these projects from turning to eminent domain.

All we're asking for from our representative is a little bit of protection.

Just do what's right.

Eminent domain is a legal move where a private property is forcefully turned over for public use with compensation provided.

The company says voluntary agreements are the goal, but adds these legal tools are needed for the state to take advantage of this technology.

I'm Mike Moen.

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

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