Six minutes of news from around the nation.

Judge in Alien Enemies Act case chides DOJ lawyer over refusal to answer key questions about deportations; National Park layoffs impact AR economy; Experts say cuts to NOAA could impact MT fire, weather warnings; Alarming violence rates continue against Indigenous women.

Transcript

The Public News Service Daily Newscast, March the 18th, 2025.

I'm Mike Clifford.

A federal judge pressed a Justice Department lawyer Monday over why the Trump administration did not comply with his order to temporarily halt deportations under 18th century law and asked why key information about the flights was being withheld over the weekend.

That's from NBC News.

They report in a tense hearing, U.S. District Judge James Bosberg summarized the administration's position on his court order Saturday as "We don't care.

We'll do what we want."

The Justice Department attorney said the administration complied with the judge's written order, which came hours after the oral ruling.

Bosberg said the order is an order.

Meantime, the seven national parks in Arkansas have not been spared from job cuts by the federal government.

Nationwide, 1,700 park employees have been let go by the Trump administration.

Eboni Preston with the National Parks Conservation Association says the cuts will impact park services and the Arkansas economy.

So by fewer people being able to come to the park, enjoy the park, hotels are suffering, restaurants are suffering, walking up and down the community.

It's really taking a toll on ourselves.

Places like Hot Springs National Park and Buffalo National River, unfortunately, they won't get the visitation that they did before.

She says park visitors could also experience reduced hours, longer lines and closed campgrounds and facilities.

Anyone going to a national park is encouraged to check the park's website for schedule changes.

I'm Freda Ross reporting.

Last year, a record 331 million people visited national parks.

And one of the many federal agencies facing cuts by the Trump administration's Department of Government Efficiency is the Oceanographic Atmospheric Administration or NOAA.

NOAA employees are bracing for expected staffing cuts of up to 20 percent or more than 1,000 jobs.

Among other roles, NOAA's National Weather Service provides open-source weather data that the majority of U.S. forecasters use, including for warnings and advisories.

Bernadette Woods-Plackey is the chief meteorologist with Climate Central.

Because of NOAA data, we know when to evacuate ahead of storms, fires.

We know when not to evacuate, which is also really critical because that saves a lot of money and a lot of time.

Other conditions NOAA data helps Montanans understand include avalanches, floods, high winds, air quality, red flag warnings and extreme heat.

Woods-Plackey adds that beyond short-term predictions, NOAA data helps farmers understand what to plant and when to harvest, especially as crop hardiness zones shift due to climate change.

I'm Kathleen Shannon.

And a powerful storm system that tore across the U.S. in recent days locked in its wake devastated communities across states hit with violent tornadoes, wildfires and dust storms.

That from CNN.

They report now at least 42 people died in storm-related incidents in eight states.

Missouri had the most deaths with 12, followed by Kansas with eight.

This is Public News Service.

Indigenous people have made great contributions to the state of Wisconsin, yet the alarming rates of violence against them remains a public health crisis.

A new study shows that intimate partner violence disproportionately impacts indigenous women more than any other ethnic or racial group in the U.S.

The murder rate for Native American women and girls is up to 10 times higher than the national average, according to the U.S. Department of Justice, yet they account for less than 1 percent of the population.

Desiree Totey with the Center Against Sexual and Domestic Abuse is a member of the Red Cliff Band of Lake Superior Chippewa in Wisconsin.

She says violence against Native women is underreported and unaddressed.

There's jurisdictional issues that come into play as to how things are investigated, how things are tried, and there's always racism.

There's less attention paid to the individuals that some of these things happen to.

The Wisconsin Department of Justice created a task force to combat violence against Native women across the state after legislation that would have addressed these issues failed to pass.

I'm Judith Ruiz Branch reporting.

Next, children's advocates are a crime foul after House Republicans called for $12 billion in cuts to the community eligibility provision that allows high-poverty school districts to offer free breakfast and lunch to all students regardless of their ability to pay.

Erin Heisum with the Food Research and Action Center says these funds are an important public investment.

She says no child can learn on an empty stomach.

We hear from teachers all the time that when schools offer healthy school meals for all, behavior in the classroom improves, and their academics improve, and they're able to graduate and become more productive members of society.

Some 557 Colorado schools serving more than 206,000 students are projected to be impacted.

The proposed cuts are part of a sweeping effort by Republicans to eliminate waste and inefficiency in the federal budget in order to pay for extending President Donald Trump's 2017 tax cuts and other policy priorities, including mass deportations.

I'm Eric Galatas.

Finally, a Senate committee will decide whether to advance House Bill 1007, which, if passed, will allow Indiana utilities to recover costs for small modular nuclear reactors, or SMRs.

The bill also includes a 20 percent tax credit for SMR manufacturers.

Supporters say it will lower long-term energy costs and improve reliability, while opponents warn it could raise consumer bills.

Robin Skyabas is chapter director of the Sierra Club Hoosier Chapter.

He says the bill shifts financial risk to utility customers.

Hoosier customers could see their bills going out to subsidize and cover the cost of building out these extremely expensive small modular nuclear reactors.

I'm Joe Ulari, Public News Service.

This is Mike Clifford for Public News Service.

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