News from around the nation.

Union organizers make a big push to get out the vote in California; Elon Musk's daily $1 million giveaway to registered voters could be illegal, experts say; New report shows who gets Montana public assistance and why; ACLU of Indiana stands ready to support voter safety.

Transcript

The Public News Service Daily Newscast, October the 21st, 2024.

I'm Mike Clifford.

As the election season comes to a close, unions are out pounding the pavement, urging all Californians to vote.

The Golden State is home to about two and a half million union members, with 14 million nationwide.

Maureen Gallagher, a retired Veterans Administration social worker, says she's very concerned about the blow to abortion rights after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade.

That's really about taking away democratic rights.

It just seems impossible that we could have slid backwards like this.

If men got pregnant, we would never have laws like this, or the government would tell you what you had to do with your body.

About 16 percent of wage or salaried workers in California are covered by a union contract.

I'm Suzanne Potter.

Next from CNN, while stumping for former President Donald Trump on Saturday, tech billionaire Elon Musk announced that he will give away a million dollars each day to register voters in battleground states, immediately drawing scrutiny from election law experts who said these sweepstakes could violate laws against paying people to register.

The ex-owner and Tesla CEO is referring to a petition launched by his PAC, affirming support for the rights of free speech and to bear arms.

CNN notes the website launched shortly before some registration deadlines says this program is exclusively open to registered voters in Pennsylvania, Georgia, Nevada, Arizona, Michigan, Wisconsin, and North Carolina.

Meantime, a new report from Headwaters Foundation in Montana shows at least half of the people who receive public assistance are only enrolled for one year, dispelling the myth that recipients are getting long-term government aid.

Nearly two-thirds of people only receive one form of assistance.

More than 120,000 Montana families receive government aid every year based on their income.

Program director Erin Switalski says Headwaters Foundation wanted to know who they are, why they're enrolled in public assistance programs, and for how long.

People are really receiving public assistance for short periods of time.

We found that folks primarily are caregivers in the family.

So they might be caring for children, they might be caring for parents or an older adult.

The report says Montana's public assistance program lifts 69 percent of older adults and 44 percent of children out of poverty, and the numbers could be higher.

The report estimates 40 percent of Montana families who are eligible for help don't get it, often because a variety of barriers prevents them from enrolling.

Headwaters Foundation commissioned Bryce Ward to do the study called Supporting Our Neighbors.

Ward says the variety of people on public assistance was surprising, and that well over half don't receive these benefits for more than a year.

Mark Moran reporting.

This is Public News Service.

Voter apprehension is reaching record levels for this year's general election, with dueling poll results and debates only adding to that anxiety.

Polling by the Pew Research Center says less than a month before election day, voters have a mostly negative view of the 2024 presidential campaign.

The ACLU of Indiana wants to ensure everyone who wants to vote should be able to do so without fear or intimidation, regardless of their candidate of choice.

Executive Director Chris Daly says the best way to protect democracy is to participate.

We need every Hoosier to get to the polls and cast their vote.

We need folks to be talking to their families and friends, making sure they're getting to vote, and then if they have folks in their lives or in their neighborhoods who are gonna have trouble getting to the polls, helping them get there.

Daly emphasizes people can have conversations about the importance of voting without getting into a debate about the candidates.

The Indiana Secretary of State's office shows Hamilton and Wells counties were tied at 75 percent of registered voters who cast ballots in the 2020 presidential election.

The lowest turnout at 58 percent was in Delaware and Madison counties.

I'm Terry Dee reporting.

Meantime, Medicare open enrollment is underway.

Maine seniors are encouraged to weigh the various plans.

Advisors say it's important to consider both healthcare and budget needs and to read the annual notice of change, which should have already arrived in the mail.

Dr. Rhonda Randall with UnitedHealthcare, employer and individual, says it's important to make sure all providers and medications are still covered.

Don't make this a last minute decision.

It's way too much information, and it's an important decision to think about the health insurance coverage that you're going to have for next year.

Randall says it's important to know the differences between original Medicare and Medicare Advantage, which may have additional benefits, including dental, vision, and hearing.

She says counselors are available to help at medicare.gov.

I'm Catherine Carley.

Finally, a group working to keep slaughterhouses out of Wisconsin is still going strong, five years after its first big challenge.

We get more in this sentiment, Wisconsin News Connection collaboration.

Milwaukee-based meat processor Strauss Brands planned to open a slaughterhouse in Milwaukee's Century City business park in 2019.

The predominantly black district had been economically strapped and had trouble attracting businesses.

But when no members of the public were at the initial zoning committee meetings about the slaughterhouse, it raised red flags for people like Lisa Castanazi, an animal rights activist.

She says the project came out of the blue and shocked the entire community.

We didn't know anything about a slaughterhouse potentially coming into Milwaukee.

I'm Judith Ruiz Branch reporting.

This is Mike Clifford, and thank you for starting your week with Public News Service.

Member and listeners supported.

Hear us on radio stations big and small, your favorite podcast platform.

Find our content and trust indicators at publicnewsservice.org.