Six minutes of news from around the nation.

The Justice Department charges former Cuban President Raul Castro for the 1996 downing of two Miami-based aircraft; Farm crisis in Minnesota: Bigger farm size doesn't guarantee survival; Cover crops help Wisconsin farmers withstand severe storms; EPA rule could let Maine data centers off the hook for clean-air violations.

TRANSCRIPT

The Public News Service Daily Newscast for May the 21st, 2026.

I'm Mike Clifford.

It was a civil aviation incident that happened back in 1996.

Still on Wednesday, federal prosecutors announced criminal charges against former Cuban President Raul Castro.

The indictment accuses Castro of ordering the shootdown of two small planes operated by the exile group Brothers to the Rescue.

The AP notes as to what lengths American authorities would go to bring Castro to face charges in the U.S. IT Attorney General Todd Blanche said there was a warrant issued for his arrest, so we expect that he will show up here by his own will or by another way.

Meantime, with financial pressures mounting all around them, Midwestern farmers are increasingly entering bankruptcy territory.

But a new analysis says with the right land management strategy, there's still hope.

Economists say rising input costs for fertilizer, global trade disputes, and depressed grain prices are weighing down profits.

The Minnesota Farmers Union's Samuel Porter is researching the topic.

He says the conventional wisdom is that farms should expand acreage and yields to boost profits, but the information he's gathering suggests otherwise.

If you're pouring all your money and extending and you have really big costs for expensive equipment in order to meet these growing operations, that might actually drive profitability down.

Porter says increasing profits by scaling up is still possible, but it mostly comes down to farmers staying in tune with what their land needs.

That includes monitoring soil health, choosing the right equipment, and avoiding excess fertilizer use.

I'm Mike Moen.

And as extreme weather and rising fertilizer prices plague the Midwest, a Wisconsin farmer says, conservation practices like cover cropping are helping him weather the storm.

Cover crop plants are used as living mulch that improve soil health, prevent erosion, and naturally suppress weeds and pests.

Josh Hemstra, a third-generation dairy farmer in Brandon, says he plants them on nearly every acre of his farm each year.

Hemstra says during recent severe weather events, he experienced less ponding, faster water recession, and minimal erosion.

I was very, very proud of the way our soil handled the extreme weather.

And that's the one thing that's beyond our control.

And that's our whole reason is to try and weatherproof our farm.

That's one of our main reasons for using cover crops.

Hemstra says they've also bought a lot less fertilizer because of cover cropping and increased manure use.

As the war in Iran drags on, farmers are seeing near-record highs for fertilizer costs.

I'm Judith Ruiz Branch reporting.

While the proposed 2026 Farm Bill includes funding for incentive-based conservation programs, sustainable agriculture advocates argue the bill cuts or limits funding for highly utilized environmental programs.

This is Public News Service.

A new Maine Data Center Advisory Council aims to protect ratepayers and minimize the impacts of data center development, but a proposal from the EPA could allow projects to begin before local residents have a chance to intervene.

Federal regulators aim to remove the requirement for permits under the Clean Air Act before construction begins on non-emitting components such as cement pads or other support structures.

John Walk, a senior attorney with the Natural Resources Defense Council, says regulators and judges would be less likely to halt construction once millions of dollars have already been spent.

EPA specifically said it was undertaking this deregulatory action under the Clean Air Act to speed the accelerated construction and operation of data centers across the country.

EPA officials argue Clean Air Act permits have constrained economic development by slowing down construction projects the agency considers to have no impact on human health or the environment.

A public comment period runs through the end of June.

I'm Katherine Carley.

And despite appearances, New York's budget battle isn't impeding legislative work.

New data shows lawmakers are passing bills at the highest rate since 2022, though this year's budget is the most delayed in the last decade.

Rachel Foss with Reinvent Albany notes lawmakers are adapting to a longer budget process.

She describes how bills are passed during a two-year legislative session.

The first year of the legislative session is when bills are all reintroduced, they get new numbers, and they go through the process.

So the second year, any bill that passed the first year that didn't end up on the governor's desk, it seems like that gets put in the queue to get passed again pretty quickly.

The state doesn't have the best track record with passing new bills.

ReInventAlbany analysis of 2023 to 2024 session data found only 11 percent of bills introduced in either chamber of the legislature became lost.

I'm Edwin J. Viera.

Finally, conversations about a natural life transition for women are often taboo, but changing attitudes about menopause are encouraging open dialogue.

Lawmakers in Illinois, Louisiana, Oregon, and Washington are greenlighting funding to promote hormone replacement therapy as a treatment for hot flashes, night sweats, and mood changes.

Indiana law does not require insurance providers to pay for menopause treatments, meaning many women still pay out of pocket.

Dr. Taylor Hahn, a board-certified OBGYN, believes state legislators do not fully comprehend the weight of their actions.

We're legislating on some aspects of women's health, but in other parts like menopause, it's sort of like an afterthought.

Nationwide, there are 50 proposed bills in 24 states that would improve menopause care, coverage and treatment.

I'm Terry Dee reporting.

This is Mike Clifford for Public News Service.

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