Six minutes of news from around the nation.

U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson calls for release of Epstein files amid backlash; Maine works to counter federal setbacks for clean energy projects; Indiana BMV cashes in on driver data; West Virginia's new law increases penalties for child abuse.

TRANSCRIPT

The Public News Service Daily Update, July the 16th, 2025.

I'm Mike Clifford.

House Speaker Mike Johnson called for the Justice Department to make public documents related to the disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein, breaking with Trump over an issue that has whirled the President's right-wing base.

This from the Guardian.

They report it was a rare moment of friction between Trump and the Speaker, a top ally on Capitol Hill, and came as the President faces growing backlash from conservatives.

The Guardian notes, referring to a comment that Bondi made to Fox News this year that “Epstein's client list was sitting on my desk right now to review,” Johnson said, "She needs to come forward and explain that to everybody."

Meantime, labor and environmental groups in Maine say state legislative wins could help counter new federal restrictions on clean energy development.

Governor Janet Mills has codified the state's transition to 100 percent renewable energy by 2040, which could lower household energy bills by roughly $1,300 a year.

Nick Janzen with Maine Conservation Voters says a new State Department of Energy resources will also tackle affordability and grid reliability issues.

We know that the faster we can get onto sources of clean electricity, the more clean electricity sources we can build, the more people are gonna save.

The new federal budget bill is expected to increase energy prices up to 20 percent over the next decade as federal incentives for wind and solar projects shift to coal, oil, and natural gas.

Janzen says state lawmakers can pass legislation to make fossil fuel companies pay their fair share for climate damage and better protect rate payers from volatile energy prices.

The overarching message to young folks wanting to come into the trades is, despite this uncertainty that the federal government has placed upon this industry, come to Maine, come join one of our unions, come learn a trade.

We are fighting together to make this a viable industry.

For Maine News Service, I'm Catherine Carley.

Next to Indiana, where lawmakers will not study the Bureau of Motor Vehicles' practice of selling driver data this summer, but some lawmakers say the issue deserves more attention.

Democratic State Senator Rodney Pohl of Chesterton says Hoosiers have no clear way to stop the state from selling their personal information.

If you wanna drive in this state, it's not as if you can go and get your license somewhere else. so at the very least letting people opt out.

The DMV has earned tens of millions of dollars annually from selling information like names, addresses, and vehicle details.

Supporters argue that revenue helps fund agency operations, but Pohl says lawmakers should at least hold hearings on the practice and consider guardrails.

Pohl says he and other lawmakers plan to refile legislation next year and continue pushing for bipartisan action on privacy protections.

I'm Joe Ulery, find our trust indicators at publicnewsservice.org.

This is Public News Service.

A new West Virginia law in effect this month increases penalties for people convicted of child abuse.

There's an instinct to act when children are being hurt, but tougher penalties come after the fact, says Jim McKay with the group Prevent Child Abuse West Virginia.

He says innovative programs need more funding to help families at risk. from avoiding low birth weight during pregnancy to home visitation programs aimed at educating caregivers about the importance of safe sleep for infants and how to prevent abusive head trauma, also called shaken baby syndrome.

West Virginia actually has more child abuse reports than any other state.

It's about one in seven children are reported to CPS each year, which tells us that a lot of families in West Virginia are under serious stress.

The new law increases prison time, which was one to five years to two to 10 years for any parent, guardian or caregiver convicted of inflicting bodily harm on a child.

This is Nadia Ramligon for West Virginia News Service.

And an environmental coalition says a sacred indigenous site in Michigan was quietly paved over to support construction of Enbridge's proposed Line 5 tunnel beneath the Great Lakes.

Oil and water don't mix.

A nonprofit coalition opposing the project says the Emmett County site was scheduled for additional archaeological surveys because of its historical significance.

The coalition's coordinator Sean Mcbrady contends Enbridge did not do the right thing when they didn't report the site before any work began.

Enbridge quietly transferred ownership to Emmett County in exchange for other lands and paid Emmett County to turn it into a parking lot so that this wouldn't disrupt their oil tunnel scheme.

An Enbridge spokesperson said in a statement that The 2022 land swap with Emmett County is unrelated to the tunnel project and was intended to improve land access for both parties.

The company also questions claims that the site is sacred.

Crystal Blair reporting.

Next to Texas, one of the 12 states in a new national program to increase the number of Americans who have a college degree or a short term workforce credential.

The Texas Association of Community Colleges is working with Lumina Foundation on its Future Ready States initiative.

TACC's Ray Martinez says the program works well with House Bill 8, passed by the Texas legislature, that funds workforce training programs at junior colleges.

Focusing on ways to include short-term credentials and workforce programs in this sort of outcomes-based funding model, and it recognizes the critical role that, obviously, that these short-term credentials play in economic mobility.

HB 8 also allows high school students to receive dual credit towards higher ed credentials.

I'm Freda Ross reporting.

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

Find our trust indicators at publicnewsservice.org.