Six minutes of news from around the nation.

Trump admin plans to cut more than 70,000 jobs at Dept. of Veterans Affairs, memo says; Industrial farming in NC, US becomes breeding ground for bird flu; Possible closure of US Dept. of Education 'devastating' for VA; Jack Daniel's maker says Canada pulling US alcohol off shelves 'worse than tariff'; Cuts looming for WA tribal public-health funding.

Transcript

The public news service Daily newscast for March the 6th, 2025.

I'm Mike Clifford.

The Trump administration is planning to cut tens of thousands of employees at the Department of Veteran Affairs, according to an internal memo obtained by CNN.

They report the memo dated March the 4th.

The Veterans Affairs Department Chief of Staff, Christopher Syrick, said, "In partnership with DOJ, we'll move more aggressively to restructure the VA across the entire department and resize the workforce."

CNN notes, "As part of that, the department will aim to revert back to 2019-era staffing levels of about 400,000 employees.

That means more than 70,000 employees could be terminated as part of the restructuring."

We head next to North Carolina, where industrial farming practices could be boosting the spread of bird flu.

The avian influenza has been detected in poultry across the country, including in North Carolina, where 3.3 million birds had to be culled because of the disease at one farm alone in January.

Co-director of the North Carolina Environmental Justice Network, Rania Mossry, says concentrated animal feeding operations, or CAFOs, used for poultry are a breeding ground for disease.

CAFOs, by design, amplify the formation, the mutation, and the spread of new viruses, which can very simply and quickly transform into a full-blown epidemic.

Mossry says industrial farms in North Carolina disproportionately impact low-income and communities of color.

Her organization signed a letter with other public interest groups calling for more transparent data from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention.

The North Carolina Environmental Justice Network is also calling on the state to be more transparent with its data.

I'm Eric Tegethoff reporting.

And Capitol Hill observers say the Trump administration is moving quickly against the Federal Department of Education, potentially leaving Virginia schools with a $2.5 billion hole in their budgets.

The Senate confirmed former pro-wrestling executive Linda McMahon as the department's secretary this week, a move expected to trigger plans to dismantle the agency.

David Walrod with the Fairfax County Federation of Teachers says school districts are worried about the potential loss of funds.

It would be devastating.

Here in Virginia, the federal government averages 9.8 percent of dollars that are spent on public education.

And that's a pretty significant chunk.

According to USAFacts, Virginia public schools receive funding from the federal government, a total of $2.5 billion, or $2,038 per student.

That's 19.6 percent below the national average of $2,233.

I'm Mark Richardson.

Next, Reuters, the maker of Jack Daniels' CEO, said on Wednesday that Canadian provinces taking American liquor off store shelves was worse than a tariff and a disproportionate response to levies imposed by the Trump administration.

Several Canadian provinces have taken U.S. liquor off store shelves as part of retaliatory measures against President Donald Trump's tariffs.

This is Public News Service.

Washington State's Tribal Foundational Public Health Service is the first dedicated funding for tribes to advance public health initiatives.

But in Governor Bob Ferguson's proposed budget, it faces the risk of losing critical funding.

Jessica McKee is with the American Indian Health Commission, which serves on the tribal FPHS steering committee.

She says after the state increased funding for the service in the last biennium to $200,000 per year per tribe, some tribes were able to create their first dedicated public health position.

She says cuts to the service would be a blow.

If there's a reduction and the steering committee decides that some of that money has to come back from the tribes, they might not be able to maintain their public health person anymore.

And that's a big deal.

McKee says the tribal FPHS funds foundational aspects of public health, such as tracking maternal and child health, environmental health and communicable disease surveillance.

I'm Isabel Charlay.

With a recently confirmed measles case in King County, McKee is concerned that potential loss of funding for tribal FPHS, coupled with the Trump administration policies on immunizations, could create a significant public health challenge.

And this is National Consumer Protection Week.

Watchdogs remind policymakers about the alarming presence of scams targeting the general public.

Two years ago, Americans lost a record $10 billion in scams.

And authorities say gift cards that are tampered with for their purchase are one way in which consumers are being defrauded.

Gary Adkins with AARP Kentucky says these are the gift cards you typically see on kiosks and retail stores.

When no one is looking, the scammers obtain sensitive information from the back of the item.

And once that card is activated, the scammers can collect money off that.

Meaning the intended recipient can't use the card and the person who bought it lost money that's hard to recoup.

The Kentucky bill, approved by the state Senate Tuesday, would elevate this crime to a Class D felony.

I'm Mike Moen.

Finally, Colorado lawmakers could add buffalo, also known as bison, to a long list of wildlife that could have been restored to their natural habitat across the Centennial State.

Senate Bill 2553 would classify wild roaming buffalo as wildlife to be managed by Colorado Parks and Wildlife, the same as deer, elk, moose, and other big game species.

Nick Jivac with the Sierra Club says under current Colorado law, when members of wild buffalo herds from southeastern Utah cross a border they can't see, they're not protected.

Just a handful, maybe four to six animals a year, are making their way into western Colorado.

And those animals are being shot now.

And they can do that legally because they are not recognized as wildlife in the state of Colorado.

Colorado is seen as a leader in the Rocky Mountain region for restoring wildlife.

I'm Eric Galatas.

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

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