Six minutes of news from around the nation.

Trump announces new auto tariffs in major trade war escalation; Florida child labor bill advances amid exploitation concerns; Indiana sets goal to boost 3rd grade reading proficiency; Kentucky doctors say GOP lawmakers' attempt to clarify abortion ban confuses instead.

Transcript

The Public News Service Daily newscast, March the 27th, 2025.

I'm Mike Clifford.

President Donald Trump on Wednesday announced a 25 percent tariff set to take effect April the 2nd on all cars shipped to the U.S., a significant escalation in a global trade war.

That from CNN.

The report, Trump told reporters Wednesday before signing an executive proclamation in the Oval Office, "We start off with a 2.5 percent base, which is what we were at, and we go to 25 percent.

The tariff will be applied not just to foreign-made cars, but also to car parts, including engines and transmissions."

Meantime, a Florida bill that would roll back child labor restrictions cleared a Senate panel this week, sparking debate over whether it empowers families or risks pushing vulnerable teens out of school.

The proposal, which would allow 16- and 17-year-olds to work longer hours on school nights and in some hazardous jobs, drew sharp criticism from advocates who warn it could worsen chronic absenteeism and dropout rates.

Zayde Smith is with the nonprofit advocacy group Voices of Florida.

This is going to disproportionately affect students that are growing up in poverty, and you're going to relegate them to a lifetime of poverty.

Tampa Republican Senator Jay Collins sponsored Bill 918.

He says it would match state rules with federal standards.

It would let 16- and 17-year-olds work 40 hours a week during school, up from the current 30-hour limit, and allow some currently banned jobs, such as roofing.

The measure passed along party lines, with Republicans in support.

The House bill faces one final committee vote, with Republican supermajorities controlling both chambers.

Leverage appears likely, making Florida the latest GOP-led state to relax child labor laws.

I'm Trammell Gomes.

Business groups backed the measure, but opponents warned that it risks teen safety.

Next to Indiana, where the third-grade reading scores show progress, but gaps remain.

The latest iRead3 results show about 82 percent of students passed in 2024, up slightly from the year before.

But scores are still below pre-pandemic levels.

Local education students, English learners, and low-income children struggle the most.

Tammy Silverman, president and CEO of Indiana Youth Institute, says early childhood shapes literacy skills, and many Indiana children lack access to quality early learning.

We know that 27 of Indiana's 92 counties had proficiency levels below the state average, and that's actually up.

Local programs help close these gaps, including On My Way Pre-K, which gives low-income children access to preschool.

Reach Out and Read Indiana promotes early reading, and Dolly Parton's Imagination Library sends free books to kids.

I'm Joe Ulari, Public News Service.

A new law requires struggling third-graders to repeat that grade.

This is Public News Service.

With a few days left in the 2025 session, Republican lawmakers pushed through a bill they say should reassure doctors they can rely on their medical judgment when treating pregnancy complications, despite the state's abortion ban.

Dozens of health care providers have signed on to a letter asking Governor Andy Beshear to veto it, says Tamara Weter, Kentucky State Director for Planned Parenthood Alliance Advocates.

House Bill 90 changes the definition of medical emergency in Kentucky law.

The current law gives providers the authority to make decisions in emergencies, but this bill would allow judges to decide whether care was truly necessary.

Kentucky OBGYNs say the state's abortion ban is forcing them to violate their oath as physicians and causing devastating consequences for patients.

Two House Republicans brought forth the language, which was supported largely along party lines.

Nadia Ramligan reporting.

This story produced with original reporting by Sarah Ladd for the Kentucky Lantern.

Votes in the Ohio Statehouse, where proposed budget cuts to the Fair School Funding Plan have sparked more debate among lawmakers and educators.

Also known as the Kupp-Patterson plan, it's in its fourth year of six-year implementation designed to address disparities in school funding across the state.

Backers are urging the full completion of its phase-in, but in recent weeks, Republican House Speaker Matt Huffman has suggested reducing the state's public education budget by at least $650 million, challenging the state's ability to continue the current funding model.

Implementing of the Kupp-Patterson plan that many believe is a fait accompli, that we decided four years ago that in this budget we're going to do that, in my estimation is a fantasy.

Critics of the proposed cuts argue that reducing funding could exacerbate inequities, particularly in under-resourced districts.

Farah Siddiqui reporting.

Finally, after Elon Musk, a man once worth $327 billion, spent a quarter billion to elect Donald Trump, he was rewarded with unprecedented powers over the federal government.

Brandon Novick with the Center for Economic and Policy Research says blatant corruption in the United States is not new, and it's legal, thanks to the U.S.

Supreme Court's Buckley v. Vallejo ruling in 1976.

That decision was the root one that said money is speech and that people can infinitely spend in elections.

In Citizens United, basically the court said, based on this, we're saying corporations, not just individuals, can infinitely spend in elections.

To avoid the appearance of quid pro quo corruption, Novick says the nation's highest court clarified that unlimited spending to influence the outcome of an election is okay, so long as the cash is spent independently and not in coordination with a candidate's official campaign.

I'm Eric Galatas.

This is Mike Clifford from Public News Service.

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