Six minutes of news from around the nation.

Former FBI Director James Comey indicted days after Trump demanded his DOJ move 'now' to prosecute enemies; MN on verge of deciding blockbuster utility sale; NC crime bill would streamline death penalty cases; Oregon Kaiser health care workers authorize strike.

TRANSCRIPT

The Public News Service Daily Newscast, September the 29th, 2025.

I'm Mike Clifford.

First from CNN, at least two people killed, eight others wounded today in a shooting at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Grand Blanc, Township, Michigan.

Authorities say a gunman rammed a vehicle through the front of the church during a large service, began shooting, and then intentionally set a fire that grew into a large blaze.

Police believe they may still find victims in the burned out building.

CNN reports officers exchanged fire with the gunman and killed him.

Investigators identified the man as Thomas Jacob Sanford, a 40-year-old from the nearby city of Burton.

Meantime, educators across Arkansas have been either fired or placed on leave after making comments following the death of conservative political activist Charlie Kirk.

The actions follow a national trend of people facing repercussions for what they defend as free speech.

Teens involved in the Fat Lip Youth Talk radio show on KABF 88.3 FM Community Radio in Little Rock are watching what's happening closely.

Ariana Minkle is a senior at Fayetteville High School and says it feels like you can't speak without facing consequences.

The Republican Party especially has kind of used Charlie Kirk as a symbol to suppress free speech and to use it to censor, whether it's late night TV show hosts or JD Vance encouraging people to report to their employers, people who said things.

She says some of her classmates believe negative comments should be suppressed, but others think it's important that inflammatory comments can be made without punishment.

I'm Freda Ross reporting.

And a new report shows declines in post-pandemic health insurance coverage for kids in New Jersey and nationwide.

The study by Georgetown University's Center for Children and Families looks at what's known as Medicaid's unwinding, referring to the end of a COVID-era continuous enrollment policy, which caused 5 1/2 million children to lose their insurance coverage between 2022 and 24.

Mary Coogan, with advocates for children of New Jersey, says Medicaid rule changes passed this year may lead to more coverage losses. if they're going to have to confirm a work requirement twice a year, there are many people, including myself, who think that could become problematic for New Jersey.

And those additional requirements may have a greater impact on the children who are currently covered.

While New Jersey's rate of uninsured kids is lower than the national rate, the number of uninsured children in the state still rose to 102,000 during the unwinding.

That means 20,000 kids lost coverage during that time.

Brett Pivito reporting.

And from the New York Times, Mayor Eric Adams of New York City announced Sunday he would abandon his foundering campaign for a second term upending the race to lead the nation's largest city just five weeks before election day.

This is Public News Service.

Even though some Florida utilities are touting clean energy commitments, a new report reveals what organizers call the dirty truth about their claims.

The Sierra Club's report grades 75 utilities on their plans to cut coal and gas.

Florida utilities scored poorly, with only a couple like Orlando Utilities Commission earning a B.

Susanna Randolph with the Sierra Club's Florida Chapter says the state's providers are behind the curve.

We are seeing that the Florida utilities are overall pretty slow to move off of fossil fuels.

They're slow to shut down or retire or make a plan for retirement.

Coal plants in particular that cause climate change is one of the biggest fuelers of climate change.

Florida lawmakers recently repealed the state's longstanding renewable energy goals, arguing they are no longer needed.

The report singles out Duke Energy Florida for continuing to operate a coal plant in Crystal River, Jacksonville Electric Authority for recently approving a new combined cycle gas plant, and TECO for its coal reliance.

I'm Trammell Gomes.

Next to New England, where charities say they'll continue to track rates of food insecurity following the end of a longstanding effort by the federal government.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture recently announced it would end its long-standing annual survey of hunger nationwide, calling it redundant, costly, and politicized.

Matthew Martin with End Hunger New England says the public should know that requests for help from regional food pantries have more than doubled over the past year.

Federal government's not going to do it.

Feeding America's going to do it.

End Hunger New England's going to do it.

We can make sure that people are aware.

For 30 years, the annual food insecurity survey has helped shape anti-hunger policies, But federal officials claim the data has been misused by Democrats to increase eligibility for SNAP benefits.

Martin says one in three New Englanders are considered food insecure.

For New England News Service, I'm Catherine Carley.

Finally, Wyoming's Republican congressional representative has introduced the House version of the Grizzly Bear State Management Act of 2025, which would remove Endangered Species Act protections.

But Bradley Williams with the Sierra Club says the work to fully recover grizzlies is far from over.

Scientists have warned that the greater Yellowstone ecosystem population's gene pool is dangerously shallow and they need federal protections to connect with bears in other states.

Williams believes decades of recovery work would be at risk if the bear is turned over to state management.

We could very likely see the bear back in a place that it was in the 1970s, where it's at these very bare minimum numbers and if any kind of catastrophic event, genetic or disease event happens to a population of bears, we can see them at a point where they're not able to be recovered.

Proponents claim the species has already met population recovery goals set in 1993 and say delisting grizzlies will cut through red tape at the US Fish and Wildlife Service that slows oil and gas development.

I'm Eric Galatas.

This is Mike Clifford for Public News Service.

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