News from around the nation.

California 'price gouging' ripples to Iowa; Trump lawyers in classified docs case ask judge to suppress evidence seized during Mar-a-Lago search; Mobile units aim to 'Make Summer Fair' for rural low-income kids; New Mexico earns high marks, boosts enrollment with no-cost college.

TRANSCRIPT

The Public News Service Delaware newscast for June the 26th, 2024.

I'm Mike Clifford.

Farm advocates claim price gouging on meat and poultry in California is spreading across the country, including all the way to Iowa, which happens to be the nation's largest hog producer.

California passed a law banning the use of gestation crates for raising hogs, and producers say that increased production costs, which are rippling across the country to Iowa.

Iowa has similar regulations on gestation crates.

The Ag Group Farm Action issued a report that says, in addition to blaming the California law, corporate meat producers also continue to use supply chain disruptions as an excuse to price gouge.

Farm Action's Joe Maxwell offers as evidence the 20 percent hike in California pork prices.

And it's just a part of their doing business now.

They find excuses in the markets to gouge that consumer.

And one thing we want to be very clear on is that the consumer knows it's not the farmer.

The farmer's getting squeezed just as much as is the consumer.

Iowa is the nation's leading hog producer, but still lost $32 per hog in 2023, a number ag experts say could grow this year.

I'm Mark Moran.

Next, the Associated Press lawyers for Donald Trump on Tuesday asked the judge presiding over his classified documents case to prevent prosecutors from using as evidence boxes of records seized during an FBI search of his Florida estate.

The AP reports the arguments sparked the conclusion of a three-day hearing in which prosecutors and defense lawyers have sparred over topics ranging from the legality of the appointment of special counsel Jack Smith to whether the Republican former president should be barred from making comments that could pose a risk to the safety of FBI agents.

They note that Trump faces dozens of felony counts accusing him of illegally hoarding classified documents and obstructing government efforts to get them back.

He is pleaded not guilty.

And mobile units are rolling out in rural California communities this summer to help keep kids engaged and combat learning loss.

Profit Save the Children's Make Summer Fair campaign provides books and educational resources in areas where summer learning opportunities are limited.

Lucero Chavez-Ramirez, California state director at Save the Children, says kids can lose two month’s worth of learning while school is out.

There is a significant learning loss during the summer months, especially for children in these rural underserved areas where they might not have the opportunity to go to a summer camp or participate in other activities.

The campaign encourages parents to incorporate learning into their routine, setting aside time for reading every day.

I'm Suzanne Potter.

This is Public News Service.

New Mexico consistently ranks low in childhood educational achievement, but its path to a college degree is now being recognized at the highest levels.

President Joe Biden has applauded New Mexico for leading the way in no cost to higher education, along with loan repayment and loan for service programs.

Stephanie Rodriguez with the state's higher education department says a recent gold star designation by the Campaign for Free College acknowledged the state's tuition free opportunity scholarship program as one of the most accessible, inclusive and all-encompassing in the country.

We know that when people are educated beyond high school, they have higher wages, they can have family sustaining careers and they can be successful in whatever endeavor they want to go into.

I'm Roz Brown.

New Mexico is one of the nation's poorest states with some of the country's lowest K through 12 educational outcomes.

And some Tennessee school districts are among 41 in the southeast receiving funding from the Environmental Protection Agency's Clean School Bus Rebate Program.

We get more from our Daniel Smith.

Created by the bipartisan infrastructure law, the program invests five billion dollars through 2026 to replace older diesel school buses with cleaner alternatives.

Dori Larson with the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy says the rebate program transforms how school districts transport the state's most precious residents.

In the United States, transportation and electricity generation are the leading sources of both unhealthy air and also pollutants that cause climate change.

This amount of funding coming to Tennessee is 12 million dollars coming to several school districts.

It's going to bring 37 electric school buses.

Larson says eight districts got EPA funding to order their electric school buses and charging infrastructure, which is crucial for under-resourced districts.

The buses are set to roll out for the 2025 school year.

Across the southeast, more than 300 electric buses will be deployed, part of 3,400 nationwide.

Finally, from our Shantia Hudson, Georgia lawmakers with the group Elected Officials to Protect America are spotlighting the health and enrollment benefits of electric fuel.

State Representative Sandra Scott of Clayton County says now is the crucial time for cities to take decisive action against climate change.

We all are used to our city being hot, but now with the climate crisis, heat and precipitation put us at risk of fires and floods.

Scott believes accelerating the shift to electric vehicles is key to transitioning to clean energy as vehicle emissions account for at least 25 percent of greenhouse gases that contribute to the climate crisis.

This is Mike Clifford for Public News Service.

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