News from around the nation.

Matt Gaetz resigns from Congress, ending ethics probe after Trump nominated him for attorney general; Trump's performance in Maryland keeps other races tight; New research finds Americans like public pensions; WI wave of racist texts sparks concerns over data privacy.

Transcript

The Public News Service Daily Newscast, November the 14th, 2024.

I'm Mike Clifford.

Florida Representative Matt Gaetz resigned from Congress, ending an ethics probe into allegations of sex trafficking, sexual misconduct, and drug use, after President-elect Donald Trump nominated him to be Attorney General.

That's for the Associated Press.

Next, from NBC News, Republicans will maintain control of the House of Representatives by the thinnest of margins, NBC News projected Wednesday, handing President-elect Donald Trump and his party all the levers of power in Washington.

Next, to the state of Maryland, where voters swung toward Trump for president by nearly seven points compared to 2020, making the margins of downed ballot races a little too close for comfort for some Democrats.

The final results are still unofficial, but they indicate Republicans had their best showing since 2014 in Maryland's rural 6th congressional district.

It still wasn't enough, however, as Democrat April McClain Delaney defeated Republican Neil Perrott, a former member of the Maryland House of Delegates.

Government and politics professor James Gimple at the University of Maryland College Park says Trump's stronger performance in blue states contributed to the close 6th district results.

With Trump stimulating the turnout of the more rural counties, that's going to make that seat more competitive and more Republican.

Trump's performance, I think, has boosted the Republican prospects in some of these competitive races all around the country, Maryland included.

McClain Delaney won by nearly five points, but the election was the closest win for a Democrat in the district since the Republican wave of 2014.

The 6th district spans the Maryland Panhandle and part of Montgomery County.

I'm Zimone Perez.

And North Dakota is no stranger to public pension debates.

States do face pressure to keep retirement systems well-funded, and new data show most Americans place great value on such benefits for both government and private sector workers.

According to the National Institute on Retirement Security, 86 percent of Americans say all workers, not just those employed by state and local governments, should have a pension.

There are similar approval levels when asked how important public pensions are in recruiting teachers and public safety workers.

The Institute's Dan Doonan suggests it's not too surprising to see these results.

Pensions, along with other benefits, are a part of creating that culture of careers and not jobs.

Starting in January, North Dakota will close its main public pension plan for new hires, who will instead be offered a 401(k) style benefit.

That move followed debate over whether it was the right way to address a $1.9 billion unfunded liability.

Backers argued it protects benefits for existing workers and taxpayers.

But skeptics contend it makes it harder to attract workers to the public sector.

I'm Mike Moen.

This is Public News Service.

The recent wave of racist texts targeting Black folks in Wisconsin has sparked concerns about data privacy.

The personal information that people voluntarily disclose on various online platforms is often used for marketing purposes and can be sold to data brokers who then sell it to others.

Cybersecurity professor Chad Johnson at the University of Wisconsin at Stevens Point says industry estimates are that most data brokers have no less than 15 data points on every American, including age and ethnicity, detailed contact information, and even Social Security numbers.

And since there's no regulation over who can buy those, of course it could be other advertising agencies, it could be other platforms.

But there's also nothing stopping, for example, a white supremacist movement from buying that information for purposes exactly like this.

Personal data can also be stolen or leaked.

Johnson adds there is currently no comprehensive federal law that protects data and privacy in the U.S.

However, Wisconsin's new data privacy law goes into effect next year.

I'm Judah Thruese Branch, reporting.

And nearly 13 million people nationwide, including thousands of Hoosiers on Medicare and Medicaid, may qualify for additional coverage through a dual special needs plan, also known as D-SNPs.

It is important to shop around for the plan that best fits your needs and be aware that not all plans in Indiana serve the entire state.

Jennifer Walden, a counselor with Indiana State Health Insurance Assistance Program, says it's also crucial for Hoosiers to look out for bad actors.

Whenever there's a time of need, there always seems to be scammers.

So you really want to make sure that the people that you're talking to are reliable, non-biased individuals.

This additional coverage option is for people who may need more help because of disabilities, age or health conditions.

I'm Joe Ulari, Public News Service.

Finally, a growing number of Iowa farmers supporting the sentiment behind California's Proposition 12, which bans the use of gestation crates that are small enclosures where hog producers can find pregnant pigs.

We get more in this Settlement Iowa News Service collaboration.

Ron Martison, who farms pigs in the tiny western Iowa town of Elliott, says he's never supported using the crates, which measure about 7 feet long and 2 feet wide.

And you cram an animal that weighs up to 600 pounds into that.

All they can do is stand up and lie down.

They can't turn around.

They can't walk.

They're forced to lay on a hard concrete floor.

And I think after working with pigs, cows in particular, for the last 50 years, that that's way too intelligent an animal to be forced to subjugate to a lifestyle like that.

This is Mike Clifford for Public News Service.

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