Six minutes of news from around the nation.

Putin agrees to limits on energy targets but not full Ukraine cease-fire; Indiana students fight bill blocking college IDs at polls; Consumer protection agency cuts put Coloradans at risk for predatory big banks; Iowa farmers push back on agriculture checkoff cuts.

Transcript

The Public News Service Daily Newscast, March 19, 2025.

I'm Mike Clifford.

President Vladimir Putin of Russia agreed for the first time Tuesday to a limited ceasefire that would stop strikes on energy infrastructure as long as Ukraine does the same.

That from the New York Times.

They report in a two and a half hour phone call with President Trump, the Russian leader declined for now to agree to a broader 30 day halt in fighting that U.S. and Ukrainian officials had proposed.

The Times notes the White House characterizes the Trump-Putin meeting as a first step toward a broader peace, but privately some administration officials acknowledge that Mr. Putin appeared to be stalling, agreeing to just enough to appear to be engaged in peace talks while pressing his advantage on the battlefield.

We head next to Indiana, where lawmakers are considering a plan to block college students from using school issued IDs to vote.

Our Joe Ulori has the details.

GOP Senator Blake Doriot of Goshen says it will prevent fraud.

Students argued the change will make voting harder.

The proposal affects out of state students most, forcing some to travel home to vote.

Mano Hussein, a junior at Indiana University Indianapolis, says the bill creates unnecessary hurdles for students to cast a ballot.

Instead of empowering them to be civically engaged, this bill places unnecessary barriers in their way.

It's clear that there is no evidence that student IDs are any less reliable than other forms of government issued identification.

Senate Bill 10 removes public college IDs from the list of acceptable voter IDs.

Right now, students can vote with school IDs if they register in the county where they cast ballots.

The bill would require an Indiana government issued ID instead.

And folks in Colorado who have low bank balances would be on the hook for an extra $225 a year.

If Congress votes to roll back a new rule that caps overdraft fees at $5.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, the agency behind the new rule, recently lost its offices and all 1,700 workers as Doge, informally run by SpaceX and Tesla CEO Elon Musk, went to work remaking the federal government.

Christine Chen-Zinner with Americans for Financial Reform says the CFPB is critical for protecting American consumers.

This is a law enforcement agency that protects everyday people when financial institutions cheat and defraud them.

And in the short 14 years that it's been around, it has already recovered $21 billion for everyday people.

The CFPB was set to regulate X, Musk's social media site, as it rolls out financial transactions similar to PayPal and Venmo.

After workers were sent home, Musk posted CFPB RIP.

The financial industry also disagrees with the agency over what it calls aggressive policing of wrongful home foreclosures and credit reports, fraudulent credit card charges, and predatory junk fees.

I'm Eric Galatas.

This is Public News Service.

We head next to Iowa where farmers are pushing back on a plan to make cuts to the popular agriculture checkoff program, which has generated billions of dollars to promote corn, dairy, beef, pork, and other ag products.

We get more in this segment, Iowa News Service collaboration.

The first voluntary ag checkoff program for U.S. producers was formed in 1966 by the Cotton Board.

Congress formalized it 30 years later.

University of Iowa ag economist Sylvia Seki says the U.S. Department of Agriculture program tends to fund research at large institutions that don't really help Iowa's small family farmers.

You're the kind of farmer who is doing a lot to promote soil health on their farm or, you know, is really concerned about animal welfare and things like that.

Project 2025, which is considered a blueprint for the Trump administration's agenda, has labeled the checkoff programs as among the most egregious run by the USDA.

Small farmers are pushing for policymakers to rework checkoffs so the funds are directed to smaller producers.

I'm Mark Moran.

Meantime, a documentary takes a deep dive into the Illinois Prisoner Review Board through one man's fight for a second chance.

In Their Hands follows the life of Ronnie Garaskio, who was charged with murdering a plainclothes Chicago police officer in 1976.

He was 18 years old when a judge sentenced him to 200 to 600 years in prison.

Despite earning a bachelor's degree in theology and creating a committee with other prisoners focused on education and rehabilitation, Garaskio was denied parole more than 30 times.

Every year I went to the parole board.

They said, you're the same guy.

You're still the same game kid.

You're still the same gang leader.

So they can evolve, but they want to marginalize me and hold me in that position that you're still this.

So I used to say, I'm the oldest 18 year old that you know.

Garaskio spent nearly 50 years in prison before finally being released at age 65 in 2023.

I'm Judith Ruiz Branch reporting.

And finally, our Daniel Smith reports.

Tennessee is emerging as a key hub for global nuclear energy innovation with recent investments in the state and a commitment for the governor to expand nuclear.

Backed by the Tennessee Nuclear Energy Fund, East Tennessee is attracting global industry leaders such as Kairos, X Energy and Orono.

Curtis Roberts with Orono USA says the state's largest ever investment in Oak Ridge will play a critical role in meeting the nation's growing energy demands, provide energy security and economic opportunities.

You know, for this facility, more than 300 folks are going to be hired by this facility.

We're going to become a very strong employer for the area.

And we always watch out for our employees.

It's always safety first.

This is Mike Clifford for Public News Service.

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