Six minutes of news from around the nation.

US strikes another boat accused of carrying drugs in waters off Venezuela, killing 6, Trump says; Report: 'Clean' transportation brings big benefits to CA; NY immigrant domestic workers face abuse, exploitation; Leaders across CA support offshore wind despite Trump opposition.

TRANSCRIPT

The Public News Service daily newscast, October the 15th, 2025.

I'm Mike Clifford.

The US struck another small boat accused of carrying drugs in the waters off Venezuela, killing six people, President Trump said on Tuesday.

That for the Associated Press.

The Republican president said in a social media post, it's the fifth deadly strike in the Caribbean.

As Trump's administration has asserted, it's treating alleged drug traffickers as unlawful combatants, who must be met with military force.

The AP notes that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth ordered the strike Tuesday morning.

Trump released a video of it, as he has in the past, and Hegseth later shared the video in a post on X.

Meantime, clean transportation projects in California and across the country are paying off according to a new report.

The research firm Atlas Public Policy analyzed the benefits of the Biden-era Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act of 2021 and the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022.

The report cites California's Port of Oakland, which is updating its aging equipment and reducing air pollution with a $322 million grant through the EPA's Clean Ports Program.

Matt Davis with the Port of Oakland says the money will fund zero emissions cargo handling machinery and electric trucks for cargo deliveries.

This provides local benefits through reduction of pollutants, but it also introduces a high degree of technical modernization and reliability because some of these pieces of equipment just have a lot less moving parts, frankly, that don't require as much maintenance.

Davis says neighboring states will also benefit as the port reduces its greenhouse gas emissions.

The report says by the end of last year, nearly 60 percent of the nation's busiest highway corridors had fast charging stations for electric vehicles every 50 miles or more.

That's up from 38 percent in 2020.

I'm Laura Hatch reporting.

Next, domestic workers in New York who are immigrants face myriad challenges made more complicated by the current political climate.

Reports show they're dealing with low pay and exploitation on the job, as well as fear of deportation.

New York City has 248,000 domestic workers and about one in four is foreign born.

Though it can be difficult to detect abuse because they're not in a more public workplace, Ralph Thomas St. Joseph, with the online publication documented, says it's there.

Many of them also face verbal abuse, unfair, unsafe working condition, and often restriction on movement.

Because many of them are immigrants, some are undocumented, they fear retaliation or deportation because of the current immigration climate.

Organizations like the National Domestic Workers Alliance and Domestic Workers United say immigrant domestic workers need more pathways to citizenship so they don't have to fear being deported if they speak out about their working conditions.

In some cases, employers' treatment of these workers might violate New York's Domestic Workers Bill of Rights, which applies to all domestic workers regardless of immigration status.

I'm Edwin J. Vieira.

This is Public News Service.

Elected officials, labor unions, and grassroots groups recently gathered in San Luis Obispo to show their support for offshore wind energy, even though the Trump administration has moved to reevaluate offshore wind leases and has pulled hundreds of millions in federal funding.

California voters approved a climate bond that will upgrade port infrastructure in Morro Bay and Humboldt to be ready to accept energy from offshore wind turbines in the future.

Mark Simonen with the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 639 says floating offshore wind carries a lot of economic potential.

"There will be operation and maintenance.

There will be small manufacturing, warehousing.

There's going to be multiple jobs through multiple sectors.

It will be a real positive impact for the working class folks." that the Trump administration has focused its efforts on boosting the oil and gas industry and has reversed many Biden-era renewable energy programs.

I'm Suzanne Potter.

And the West side of Indianapolis could soon see a new community of tiny homes built for people who are experiencing homelessness.

Linnhurst Baptist Church and the nonprofit Sanctuary Indy are partnering to create the project on church property, offering housing and wraparound services.

Pastor Ben Wakefield says the goal to help vulnerable Hoosiers find stability and safety.

For several years we purchased this property a while back with the idea, not knowing how, that somehow it was going to serve that community and so we've been waiting for the right partnership, the right time and we believe it's now.

The project has drawn both support and criticism.

Some neighbors worry about safety and the impact on nearby child care programs.

Others welcome the plan as a in the area.

I'm Joe Ulori, Public News Service.

This story was produced with original reporting from Kat Sandoval for Wish TV.

And finally, the South Fork Coal Company can no longer haul coal through the Monongahela National Forest.

The U.S. Forest Service terminated the company's permit after it filed for bankruptcy and failed to submit an operating plan.

A lawsuit from conservation groups attempting to stop the coal hauling is no longer needed after the agency's decision, explains Olivia Miller with the West Virginia Highlands Conservancy.

They had already stopped operations earlier this year and now this is a major step forward for protecting endangered species and restoring one of the state's most beautiful watersheds.

A separate lawsuit against South Fork Coal over water quality violations and reclamation requirements remained paused.

The Forest Service granted South Fork Coal a road use permit in 2021.

Since then, the company has racked up more than 100 violations issued from the state's Department of Environmental Protections.

Nadia Romlagan for West Virginia News Service.

This is Mike Clifford for Public News Service.

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