Six minutes of news from around the nation.

With union support surging, Oregon labor gets out the vote, Montana group hopes to turn youth apathy into Election Day action, and Iowa will roll out new Medicaid work requirements in December.

TRANSCRIPT

The Public News Service Daily Newscast for Thursday, October 29th, 2026.

I'm Joe Ulori.

The Federal Reserve is holding interest rates steady as inflation remains above its 2% target.

The Fed kept its benchmark rate between 3.75 and 4%, but two policymakers wanted another quarter-point increase.

Chair Kevin Warsh says politics played no role in the decision as voters continue to rank the cost of living among their biggest concerns heading into next week's elections.

Unions are more popular now in the U.S. than they have been in generations.

And in Oregon, members are capitalizing on the moment by hitting the streets to encourage people to vote in next week's midterms.

Our Isabel Charlay reports.

For five years running, about 70% of Americans say they support unions, according to a recent Gallup poll.

President of AFSCME Local 328 Jenny Olson has been knocking on doors and phone banking this election season.

She says what matters to union members is what matters to most working people in America.

There are values that are shared because they're based in human dignity and making sure that every human has the right to a good job, a safe job, and are able to succeed.

Oregon union leaders say their efforts to contact tens of thousands of voters during the last election helped earn victories for 10 labor-endorsed candidates statewide.

With Election Day just days away, a Montana nonprofit is working to get more young voters to the polls.

Forward Montana says half of Montanians age 18 to 24 aren't registered.

The group's Kelsey McDonough says that could leave a powerful voting bloc on the sidelines.

If young people turned out at the same rate as older folks, we would essentially see more change.

Young people vote on things that we see for the rest of our lives, and we won't be able to see these changes if our voices aren't being heard.

Montanans can still register at their county election office through 8 p.m. on Election Day.

Opponents argued the earlier cutoff would especially hurt Native and young voters.

With Indiana's election less than a week away, a longtime civics educator says voters need to take more responsibility for the political information they share.

Social media lets false claims, attacks, and misinformation reach thousands of people with a single click.

Retired Indiana civics teacher Bobby Fisher, who taught for more than three decades, says voters should verify political posts before sharing them.

I think as citizens, we need to become better and more willing to fact-check memes and ads and posts that people put on our different social media platforms.

Fisher says social media also gives voters more access to campaign information than previous generations had.

She says people can search claims, compare sources, and investigate where information originated before deciding whether it deserves another share.

This is Public News Service.

Misinformation is being spread about how New York could benefit from fracking, according to a non-profit research firm.

Our Edwin J. Viera has the story.

A 2025 Heritage Foundation report about fracking's economic benefits for the Southern tier is an election talking point for some candidates.

The state banned fracking in 2015, citing public health risks and environmental concerns that outweighed any economic benefits.

Sean O'Leary with the Ohio River Valley Institute says nearby Pennsylvania counties with fracking see the same economic impacts as New York counties without it.

Those counties have actually suffered significant job loss and significant population loss that is statistically almost indistinguishable from the job loss and population loss that have afflicted counties on the New York side of the border.

The Heritage Foundation report considers fracking a way to boost revenues for these counties, but data collected by O'Leary notes this is hardly the case.

He finds most of the money made from fracking doesn't have local impact since it goes to investors, service providers, and shareholders outside the region.

He also notes income from fracking in Pennsylvania grew just as residents' income dropped, wiping out any net increase.

California wildfire survivors say rebuilding can come with long waits for insurance money and even the risk of losing coverage.

Monica Loya-Clark says her family's five-generation home burned to the ground in the Palisades Fire.

She says FEMA and the state offered no help, and her insurer took nearly two years to pay her claim.

For people to think that it's going to be there for them when anything really bad happens, it's not.

The only way that we survive is help from each other, because we cannot count on any government entity to help us.

Gloria Clark wants stronger protections against long insurance delays.

At the same time, a leaked memo suggests FEMA may shift more disaster responsibility and costs to states.

California's fair plan, the state's insurer of last resort, recently announced a rate increase of nearly 30 percent.

Changes to social services, including Medicaid and food and nutrition programs like SNAP, have Iowans who rely on those services on edge.

Early Head Start and Child Care Assistance have helped Iowa mother of three Sarah Schilt maintain reliable child care while working full time.

SNAP helps her feed her children.

Schiltz says Medicaid has covered surgeries for her daughter, who was born with a cleft lip and palate, which requires special medical attention.

All the therapies and other medical care that she needs without denying the care so far.

Without Medicaid, our family would face hardship.

Schiltz relies on SNAP and Medicaid, but worries that further cuts could harm her family.

Since the imposition of the Trump administration's budget bill, the number of Iowa SNAP recipients has dropped by about 21,000.

The administration has said it's trying to right-size social service spending, increase accountability, and stop potential abuse.

I'm Mark Moran.

This is Joe Ulori for Public News Service, member and listener supported.

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