Six minutes of news from around the nation.

Russia responds to Trump's criticism of Putin: There is 'emotional overload' right now; NC House passes post-Helene grant program for small businesses; AZ group 'alarmed' by possible cuts to U.S. consumer watchdog agency; Job training stipends help MA residents get ahead; Ocklawaha River restoration hangs in balance as FL budget stalls.

Transcript

The public news service Daily Newscast, May the 27th, 2025.

I'm Mike Clifford.

The Kremlin responded Monday to President Trump's criticism of Russian President Vladimir Putin, citing emotional overload at this very important moment.

That's the take from The Hill.

They report a Russian spokesperson said, "We're really grateful to the Americans and President Trump personally for their assistance in organizing and launching this negotiation process."

The spokesperson when asked about Trump's remarks according to Reuters said “of course at this time this is a very crucial moment which is associated of course with the emotional overload of everyone absolutely and with the emotional reactions.”

Meantime small businesses in western North Carolina could see some disaster relief in the form of a grant program if a bill that passed in the house makes it into law.

The 464 million dollar post to lien aid package now moving to the state Senate includes a 60 million dollar grant program for struggling small businesses.

Matt Raker heads Mountain BizWorks which he says has helped deploy seven million dollars in recovery grants and forty million dollars in recovery loans for small businesses in the region.

He sees the grant program as an essential part of the small business recovery toolkit.

So really encouraged that the house sees that there's still so much need and has prioritized small business grants in their package.

The 60 million dollar amount would be a really good investment in ongoing recovery in western North Carolina.

Raker notes that 40 percent of businesses don't reopen after a disaster according to data from FEMA.

He says many applicants for small business programs have struggled to get awards but the bill could face an uphill battle in the Senate.

I'm Eric Tegethoff reporting.

And the Trump administration is pushing to gut the top US consumer watchdog agency which alarms some groups in Arizona.

What's known in Congress as the one big beautiful bill would reduce the budget for the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau by 70 percent.

Alex Alvarez of the non-profit Progress Arizona thinks the move will only hurt hard-working Arizonans.

Since its creation in 2010, the agency has investigated complaints and created new rules to ensure financial transparency, prevent fraud, and hold companies accountable.

The CFPB saw a 92 percent increase in complaints between 2023 and 2024, which Alvarez says speaks to the important work being done.

People are working harder than ever before, are seeing rising costs, and instead of giving any kind of support, this Congress is trying to aid the Trump administration's assault on the CFPB, which has returned $21 billion to defrauded consumers in the form of restitution or canceled debts.

I'm Alex Gonzalez reporting.

President Trump floated a new plan Monday for the three billion dollars he wants to strip from Harvard saying in a social media post that he was thinking about using the money to fund vocational schools.

This is public news service.

Next to Massachusetts where state officials say a program offering financial support to residents enrolled in job training programs is helping retain talented workers.

There are currently more than 125,000 job openings in health care, education and manufacturing, but the cost of transportation or child care often prevents people from filling those roles.

Massachusetts Secretary of Labor and Workforce Development Lauren Jones says providing cash stipends to these workers can make all the difference.

Someone that may be in the middle of job training and their car breaks down and they now are wrestling with whether they will find a way to get to training or if they have to now make a decision to not continue with training.

Jones says stipends up to $5,000 are available through the Workforce Skills Fund.

More than 1,200 people have already taken advantage of the program.

I'm Katherine Carley.

And rural communities in Indiana could lose out under a new federal bill aimed at speeding up clean energy development.

Lawmakers rewrote parts of the National Environmental Policy Act, or NEPA, to shorten timelines and block lawsuits that often delay big builds.

Supporters say the changes will fast-track everything from solar farms to broadband.

But Thomas Hockman, director of infrastructure policy at the Foundation for American Innovation, warns the new rules may push developers to focus on easier, cheaper sites.

There are quotes from folks like, you know, an outgoing EPA general counsel, who say that 90 percent of the details in a NEPA review are purely there for litigation proofing.

If you know that you are not at risk of litigation, that is almost certainly a radically faster timeline.

Hockman says that could leave rural areas behind.

The U.S. House narrowly passed the bill.

It now moves to the Senate.

I'm Joe Ulari, Public News Service.

Finally, the failure of Florida lawmakers to pass a budget before adjourning has left key environmental projects in limbo, including a Senate-approved proposal to restore the Oklahoma River.

For residents like Samuel Carr, who fished the river before the dam's 1971 construction, the more than $6 million project represents a chance to revive what he calls a free-running wild river from what he believes turned into a mud hole.

Since they put that dam in, 150 million gallons of fresh water doesn't come into the St. John's River per day as it did before 1971.

So the restoration would literally turn the faucet back on to get that cool, clear water to the St. John's River.

Carr notes the dam blocks 20 springs and forces periodic pollution releases into the St. John's, which he says has suffered catastrophic algae blooms and lost critical eelgrass.

Lawmakers will reconvene sometime after June 2nd to resume budget talks.

The Senate has already approved the funding, but House approval remains uncertain amid broader disputes over tax cuts.

I'm Tramiel Gomes.

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

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