News from around the nation.

Opponents of latest Arkansas state tax cuts say they benefit wealthy Arkansans; Julian Assange agrees to a plea deal that would allow him to avoid imprisonment in US; Tech-based carbon-capture projects make headway in local government; Nevada nonprofit calls Biden's student debt initiatives economic justice.

TRANSCRIPT

The Public News Service Daily Newscast, June the 25th, 2024.

I'm Mike Clifford.

We head first to Arkansas, where leaders of some nonprofit organizations are not happy with a recent tax cut package passed by lawmakers there.

The law reduces the tax rate for people who make more than $25,000 a year.

The corporate tax rate was also reduced from 4.8 percent to 4.3 percent.

Opponents of the cuts say they only benefit the wealthy.

Sayard Evans with Arkansas Coalition for Strong Families says elected officials aren't addressing issues that impact quality of life services for Arkansans and they're concerned the cuts will impact programs.

We face the challenges of people not having enough resources to meet their basic needs and to really live a legitimate quality of life that we want and expect for all of our citizens.

Supporters of the tax cut say Arkansas is expected to have a surplus of over $700 million annually and community programs will not be affected.

I'm Freda Ross reporting.

The tax cut legislation does require almost $300 million be put aside in an emergency fund in case the money is needed to make up for any revenue shortfall.

And next from CNN, WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has agreed to plead guilty to a felony charge related to his alleged role in one of the largest U.S. government breaches of classified material as part of a deal with the Justice Department that will allow him to avoid imprisonment in the U.S. that's according to newly filed federal documents.

CNN reports under the terms of the new agreement, Justice Department prosecutors will seek a 62-month sentence which is equal to the amount of time Assange has served in a high security prison in London while he fought extradition to the U.S.

And cities such as Boulder that have been on the vanguard of climate policies are embracing carbon capture strategies to reach their zero emissions goals.

We get more in the Smart Cities Dive Solutions Journalism, Colorado News Connection collaboration.

Many projects are nature based such as reforestation but governments are currently betting more than $220 billion taxpayer dollars on future tech based capture tools.

Will Burns with the Institute for Responsible Carbon Removal says local governments are uniquely positioned to learn what works, what doesn't and what communities will accept and reject in their neighborhoods.

And communities can be that kind of workshop.

Local communities and states have often been the laboratory, right, for national policy.

So again, can they be in the context of carbon removal?

I'm Eric Galatas.

This is Public News Service.

As we approach this week's debate, President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump have different views on most issues and student loan debt is no different.

In the Reno Sparks area, one non-profit, the Black Community Collective, is in favor of what Biden's been doing to ease the burden of student loans.

Edward Coleman is with the group and applauds the multiple student loan relief initiatives that Biden has introduced, most recently announcing nearly $8 billion in forgiveness for undergraduate student loan borrowers.

Coleman says his own student debt was cut by three-fourths because of Biden's actions.

Just prior to that, my thought was, well, I'll be paying this back forever.

And now it's like, well, this will be paid off in a few years and then what am I going to do?

For Coleman, he says the assistance will mean he can be more financially free.

New data shows that about 18 percent of adults say student loan debt will have a major influence over their vote in the upcoming election.

I'm Alex Gonzalez reporting.

Trump has called the Biden forgiveness plan vile and suggested that if he returns to the White House, those plans could get reversed.

Meantime, Ohio lawmakers have introduced a groundbreaking proposal to make child care more affordable and accessible.

Bill proposes establishing a child care cred program, a cost-sharing model to make child care more affordable and accessible to families, employers and child care providers.

Reynolds notes the average annual cost of child care for an infant and a four-year-old exceeds the average annual rent in Ohio.

She says the lack of child care access has far-reaching economic and social implications affecting child development, workforce retention and overall economic growth.

It has become clear that urgent legislative action is needed to address the affordability and availability of child care in Ohio.

She points out the high cost of child care has become an overwhelming burden and financial strain for countless families and has forced many parents, especially mothers, to reduce their working hours or leave their job entirely.

The bill allocates $10 million to kick-start the program.

I'm Mark Richardson.

And finally, our Suzanne Parter lets us know June is World Ocean Month.

Advocates have been meeting with White House officials since last fall, making the case for an executive order to decarbonize maritime shipping, which largely runs on what they describe as "dirty diesel fuel."

Teresa Bui is climate policy director for the group Pacific Environment.

We're asking President Biden to use the Clean Air Act authority to help establish gold-based fuel standards for ships to reduce shipping emission by 100 percent by 2040.

Opponents in the shipping industry say electrifying ships would carry a big price tag and raise the cost of goods.

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

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