Six minutes of news from around the nation.

No last-minute deal for Canada or Mexico to avoid tariffs, Trump says; Rural AZ hotel's solar installation in limbo after federal funding freeze; Maryland medical aid-in-dying bill may pass after a decade; New findings: State workforces suffer when abortion restrictions tighten.

Transcript

The Public News Service Daily Newscast, March the 4th, 2025.

I'm Mike Clifford.

With just hours until sweeping tariffs set to take effect against Canada and Mexico, President Donald Trump said there was no chance for either country to strike a last-minute deal to avert the levies.

That from New York Times.

"They report they're all set," Trump said, "of the broad 25 percent tariffs on Mexican and Canadian imports and an additional 10 percent for Chinese goods."

And the Times reports the Elon Musk-led effort to cut the federal government has removed hundreds of additional claims from its wall of receipts, erasing $4 billion in savings that the group, the Department of Government Efficiency, said it had made for taxpayers.

It was the second time in one week that DOGE had deleted claims of success.

Next to Arizona, where small businesses are feeling the impact of the sudden federal pause on clean energy grants, one of those businesses is the Pines Inn and Suites in Cottonwood.

The business was able to cover a hefty chunk of the first phase of its solar installation costs with help from the Rural Energy for America program, or REAP.

It also received assistance from the Renewable Energy Investment Tax Credit thanks to the Inflation Reduction Act.

Corey Bruning and his wife are part owners and general managers at the hotel.

Bruning says they haven't been able to move forward with the second phase of the project.

"Our plans for what we would improve on our property have halted because we were kind of hoping that we would still have the budget to kind of do those things."

Bruning says they were recently contacted by the USDA, which said all new project applications have stopped.

They're also currently reviewing existing ones to see if they align with the new administration's guidelines.

Alex Gonzalez reporting.

And advocates are urging Maryland lawmakers to support a bill that would approve medical aid in dying for the terminally ill.

A poll last December found more than 70 percent of Marylanders supported medical aid in dying legislation and more than 60 percent wanted that option for themselves if they were terminally ill.

Donna Smith with the end of life care advocacy group Compassion and Choices says the End of Life Option Act is about creating options for people, options that are available to people in 10 states and the District of Columbia.

"It's just an option.

No one's forced to do anything.

The doctors aren't forced to be involved or write a prescription.

The pharmacists aren't forced to do anything.

It's just an option for the very few who need it."

Opponents of the bill worry some people may be coerced into pursuing aid in dying, and some religious groups believe it violates what they view as the sanctity of life.

Advocates have tried to pass medical aid in dying legislation for 11 years in Maryland.

I'm Simone Perez.

The CNN reports Linda McMahon, a major Republican donor and a former pro-wrestling executive, was confirmed Monday to serve as President Trump's Secretary of the Department of Education.

Trump has made eliminating the department a top goal.

This is Public News Service.

The 2022 U.S. Supreme Court decision to overturn federal abortion protections continues to be felt.

New research now suggests that states that have since enacted bans, including South Dakota, will see fewer workers because of these moves.

The Institute for Women's Policy Research is out with a new study that includes survey data from 10,000 adults.

The authors say one in five respondents planning to have children has moved or know someone who has to another state because of reproductive care restrictions in their current location.

The Institute's Melissa Mahoney says it shows banned states will likely see some of their workforce talent flow elsewhere.

"The labor markets in states that protect abortion tend to be more welcoming for women with higher wages, greater access to health insurance, also a stronger labor force participation."

After the Dobbs ruling, when conservative states began enacting bans, officials like former Governor Kristi Noem pledged their support for pregnant women and children.

Policy analysts say Noem's record often fell short in that area.

I'm Mike Moen.

And Indiana's poultry industry finds a global demand for chicken, but bird flu is wiping out millions of birds.

We get the story from our Joe Uleri.

By 2022, chicken had become the world's most produced meat, with more than 75 billion slaughtered annually.

That number climbs higher when factoring in mass calls due to ongoing outbreaks.

Maurice Potesky is a researcher at the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine who says it's time to refocus response efforts.

"Depopulation and cleaning of disinfection, quarantine in the area, enhanced surveillance in the area, that hasn't worked very well.

We're six plus years into this and that outbreak is worse than it's ever been."

Since late 2021, farmers have killed entire flocks to stop the spread of bird flu, yet the virus continues to spread.

This story was produced with original reporting from Seth Milstein for Sentient.

Finally, new legislation would help build more wildlife crossings across Oregon highways to make roads safer for people and for animals.

Research shows that Oregon has the highest likelihood of wildlife crashes among West Coast states, with nearly 5,000 damaging or deadly collisions in 2022.

Wildlife collisions are costly and dangerous for drivers and take their toll on wildlife as well.

The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife estimates that nearly 15 million animals are killed on Oregon's roads each year.

Carl J. Findling is on the board for the Oregon Backcountry Hunters and Anglers.

"Oregon is behind nearly all Western states with only five and a potentially new sixth crossing where some states like Colorado have 50."

Support for this reporting was provided by the Pew Charitable Trusts.

For Public News Service, I'm Isabel Charlet.

This is Mike Clifford for Public News Service, member and listener supported.

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