Six minutes of news from around the nation.

Trump administration deports hundreds of immigrants, even as a judge orders removals be stopped; Sierra Club sues DOGE over mass firings; Lack of opportunity pushes rural Gen Zers in AZ out of their communities; Fixing one problem, creating another? Ohio's lead pipe replacements.

Transcript

The Public News Service Daily Newscast, March the 17th, 2025.

I'm Mike Clifford.

The Trump administration has transferred hundreds of immigrants to El Salvador, even as a federal judge issued an order temporarily barring the deportations under an 18th century wartime declaration.

That from the Associated Press, they report U.S. District Judge James Rothsberg issued an order Saturday temporarily blocking the deportations, but lawyers told him there were already two planes in the air.

Meantime, the Sierra Club predicts big problems at national parks, such as Yosemite and Sequoia this summer, because the Trump administration is slashing federal funding and firing federal employees.

So the club is suing DOGE, aka the Department of Government Efficiency.

On Thursday, judges in two similar suits ordered the feds to reinstate the workers.

But Gloria Smith, who is managing attorney for the Sierra Club's environmental law program, says the nonprofit's suit is unaffected.

So we're very pleased that the courts are holding, and we fully support this judge's well-reasoned decision, holding DOGE accountable.

But it remains to be seen whether or not the Trump administration will follow court orders.

One of the other lawsuits challenging the layoffs was brought by employee unions, the other by 20 Democratic attorneys general.

The temporary restraining orders require the Trump administration to reinstate tens of thousands of probationary workers, many of whom were fired, citing allegedly poor performance, without evidence.

The Trump administration insists the reduction in force is necessary to cut costs, and has already filed appeals in those two cases.

This is Suzanne Potter reporting.

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And new research finds that less than half of rural Gen Zers believe they can find a good job in their communities.

According to U.S. Census data, despite Arizona being largely made up of rural counties, most Arizonans live in the two most populous ones, Pima and Maricopa counties.

Zach Ranowski is a senior education researcher with Gallup.

They partnered with the Walton Family Foundation in November to examine why so many young folks feel the need or want to relocate in search of better educational and professional opportunities.

Ranowski adds that while rural Gen Zers are not uniquely likely to move compared to their urban peers, they often face limited access to certain opportunities.

Possibly contrary to some of the narratives that were out at the time, we did not see any indication that they wanted to move away in large swaths.

What we did notice were there were factors about the community that would influence one way or the other whether a young person wanted to move.

Ranowski says the bottom line is that rural communities struggle in providing the availability of career and educational opportunities for young adults.

For Public News Service, I'm Alex Gonzalez.

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We head next to Ohio where folks are seeing changes in their water infrastructure as cities work to replace lead service lines.

That's a requirement that's under federal law, but concerns have risen over the materials that are being used for replacements.

Teresa McGrath with the group Habitable says while lead exposure poses significant health risks, she cautions against replacing these pipes with polyvinyl chloride due to its environmental and health implications.

It's important to get those lead pipes out.

Let's prioritize that, but let's not make a regrettable substitution while we do that.

PVC production involves hazardous chemicals including vinyl chloride, a known human carcinogen.

However, PVC remains a popular choice because of its lower cost and ease of installation.

Farah Siddiqui reporting.

Next, a recent poll finds voters in Virginia and around the country view union organizing efforts as widely beneficial to workers and are more supportive of clean energy projects that have strong labor protections.

The survey by the non-profits Data for Progress and Blue Green Alliance shows more than 60 percent of respondents support companies taking a neutral stance if their employees decide whether to form a union.

A similar percentage also says employers should be encouraged to sign a neutrality agreement.

Danielle Dyseroth with Data for Progress says the poll found most people believe unions improve the workplace.

So our polling found that there was a pretty broad consensus in general that unionization helps workers secure better benefits such as better health insurance and more paid time off, improved wages, improved worker safety.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, there are more than 200,000 union members in the Commonwealth.

I'm Simone Perez.

Finally, in Wyoming, Electric Utility Pacific Corps' draft 2025 plan show a shift away from renewable energy.

One new law passed by the Wyoming legislature decreased the severance tax rate for surface coal from 6.5 to 6 percent, saving the industry about $10 million annually.

A second creates a new fund, also $10 million, to support companies that pump carbon dioxide, a major greenhouse gas, into the ground in order to increase oil production.

Emma Jones is the climate and energy organizer with the Sierra Club's Wyoming Chapter.

What it's doing is providing an incentive for fossil fuel industries to continue to produce carbon dioxide.

And what we've seen is that it's not increasing the number of jobs available for people and it's not making energy cheaper.

Jones adds that in Wyoming, tax breaks and extra funding to fossil fuel companies come at a cost to state beneficiaries, such as education and public services.

I'm Kathleen Shannon.

This is Mike Clifford.

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