Politics and views in the United States.

Conservation groups warn against repealing forest protections, vaccine policy sparks clashes in Congress and among the states, growers say farm insurance leaves small operations behind and the White House faces scrutiny over a naval strike near Venezuela.

TRANSCRIPT

This seems like the process is being purposefully accelerated in a way to meet the administration's ends and that's something we should all be very, very concerned about.

Matt Cannon with the Sierra Club in Maine warns against the Trump administration repealing the roadless rule.

Nearly 60 million acres of forest could be open to logging, oil and gas drilling if the Clinton-era wilderness protection policy is rolled back.

The administration argues the change would boost timber production by a quarter, but opponents say it threatens drinking water and wildlife.

Public comments close in two weeks.

HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has canceled half a billion dollars in vaccine contracts and is making this season's COVID shot harder to get.

Calls for his resignation spilled into a Senate hearing.

Republican Louisiana Senator Bill Cassidy was a key vote in Kennedy's confirmation, and a strong supporter of the COVID vaccine developed during President Donald Trump's first term.

But Cassidy, an MD, says Kennedy is violating promises he made to get confirmation.

Surprises me that you think so highly of Operation Warp Speed, when as an attorney, you attempted to restrict access.

Florida has moved to eliminate school vaccine mandates altogether, while governors on the West Coast are building regional alliances to continue promoting shots.

Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey says her state won't be deterred.

We are taking a stand.

We are a health care leader and we're not going to let the Trump administration or Robert Kennedy cost lives and take us down.

Congressional leaders say they expect the White House to explain how an attack on a ship off the coast of Venezuela fits with presidential powers.

The administration calls the strike that killed 11, part of an ongoing war against drug cartels.

The White House says Trump will restore the Defense Department to its historic name, the Department of War.

Pete Hegseth says the change reflects a warrior ethos.

Congress would need to approve a permanent renaming.

Trump is asking the Supreme Court to uphold his firing of Democratic Federal Trade Commissioner Rebecca Slaughter earlier this year.

A lower court ruled the dismissal illegal and Slaughter has returned to her post pending the appeal.

The high court has greatly strengthened the president's power to fire officials at independent bodies.

Small farmers say federal crop insurance policies that safeguards major corn and soybean growers are leaving them exposed.

Illinois farmer and insurance agent Ed Dubrik says without coverage, he has to balance his crops and hope that protects him from bad weather.

Because peas like cool weather, but tomatoes and peppers want warm weather, and peppers do really well in drought.

So like having that diversity of, okay, well, it might be a bad year for this crop, but I know that one's gonna pick up the slack if things turn this direction.

Dubrik says it's hard to find anyone willing to underwrite crop insurance for a small operation like his.

I'm Farah Siddiqui for Pacifica Network and Public News Service.

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