Six minutes of news from around the nation.

20-year incumbent Senator Bill Cassidy loses Louisiana primary; Navy jets crash during air show in Idaho; thousands rally in Selma, Montgomery to protest Alabama redistricting; Faith groups say Iowa immigrants face unsettling rhetoric.

TRANSCRIPT

The Public News Service Daily Newscast May the 18th, 2026.

I'm Mike the Frick.

Senator Bill Cassidy spent 20 years representing the people of Louisiana and his party.

In the end, his disagreements with President Donald Trump cost him his job.

Cassidy fell to advance in the primary in Louisiana as Trump-backed Representative Julia Letlow and State Treasurer John Fleming projected to head to a June 27 runoff.

NBC News notes the result marks another trophy for President Donald Trump's collection in his ongoing bid to oust Republicans perceived as disloyal to him.

And all four crew members ejected safely after two Navy jets collided and crashed Sunday during an air show at the Mountain Home Air Base in western Idaho.

The aircraft was performing an aerial demonstration when the crash occurred.

All four crew members ejected safely and the crash is under investigation.

Meantime, thousands of protesters filled the streets of Selma and Montgomery on Saturday to oppose Alabama's last-minute redistricting effort, which critics say dilutes black voting power.

The National Day of Action for Voting Rights included a march across the Edmund Pettus Bridge and a rally at the state capitol.

Organizers brought more than 100 buses from as far away as Ohio.

Richard Franklin, president of Birmingham American Federation of Teachers, was at the statehouse during the special session.

He says lawmakers rammed the maps through in just five days, even as chaos unfolded around them.

We had tornadoes.

We had a gas leak at the statehouse.

We were there and they actually was evacuating this flood and they went into a recess and then gaveled back in before we could get out.

And they voted.

This is very dangerous, taking us back.

This moment is our generation's proving ground, Reverend Bernice King told the crowd over the weekend.

Lawmakers called a special session after the Supreme Court gutted the Voting Rights Act.

Opponents say the maps revive districts that courts have already rejected.

I'm Tramiel Gomes.

And Iowa faith leaders are pushing back on anti-immigrant sentiment in the state, highlighting a bill that would have empowered state police to deport undocumented immigrants.

The American Immigration Council says these measures have led to an uptick in immigration and customs enforcement activity and a 50% drop in international immigration to Iowa.

Iowa Catholic Conference Executive Director Tom Chapman says the state should maintain public order, but it needs merciful immigration policy.

If people are in the United States and they're working and they're not causing a lot of problems, it doesn't make sense really to upset the apple carton that way.

The American Immigration Council says the state's focus on reducing international arrivals has contributed to a $230 million hit to the state economy.

Iowa lawmakers who pursue the legislation contend the measures are necessary for public safety.

Opponents point to the fact that undocumented migrants comprise only 2% of the state's population.

I'm Mark Moran.

This is Public News Service.

Tobacco control advocates are celebrating a unanimous ruling by Oregon's Supreme Court upholding a Washington County ordinance that bans the sale of all flavored tobacco products and menthol cigarettes.

The finding is not preempted by state law.

The ordinance was first approved in 2021 and upheld by voters the following year, but retailers then sued the county to block enforcement.

Christina Bodimer with the American Heart Association says flavors play a key role in youth initiation and continued use of tobacco products.

The tobacco industry aggressively markets their products where youth are most exposed.

Retailers are near schools, they use social media platforms, and this is all because their profits depend on addiction.

Bodimer points to research showing four out of five youth who have ever used tobacco products started with a flavor.

Retailers argued the ban would hurt business and that state licensing law does not allow for local restrictions.

I'm Isobel Charle.

And folks in Ohio are marching across the state for the next two weeks, calling for climate-friendly policymakers to pass legislation that aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

More now from our Nadia Romligon.

Rachel Kutzley with Save Ohio Parks helped organize the event.

She says when the march ends, protesters will have a chance to speak with lawmakers about their concerns.

So that they can hear directly from their constituents that this is an important issue to them, that we want more climate-friendly policies and we want less, basically, cracking and natural gas in Ohio.

Energy-intensive data center proposals continue to stir debate.

A new report from Save Ohio Parks finds that requiring data centers to meet or offset their energy demand with 100% solar, wind, and energy storage, either co-located or off-site, could help balance demand with environmental and energy costs concerns for taxpayers.

Finally, a year after the Trump administration canceled the Digital Equity Act, grantees in Maine are reflecting on the impact and finding ways to help close the state's digital divide.

Grants totaling $35 million were terminated, leaving some 130,000 Mainers without the technology and digital skills training they need to be safe and successful online.

Andrew Butcher, president of Maine Connectivity Authority, says libraries lost funds to upgrade facilities and better equip staff.

The losses hurt Maine's children, students, parents, our economy, civic health, and our ability to get ready for the future.

Butcher says Maine libraries were a key part of the state's plan to better protect seniors from online scams and help residents better navigate artificial intelligence.

But the Trump administration said the approval of nearly $3 billion for broadband deployment nationwide was illegal and prioritized members of racial and ethnic minority groups.

Support for this reporting was provided by the Philanthropic Foundation Carnegie Corporation of New York.

I'm Katherine Carley.

This is Mike Clifford.

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