News from around the nation.

The Senate GOP turns to Reconciliation as a way to fund ICE without help from Democrats;  an Alaskan tribe protests the federal push to develop mineral resources , the viability of rural specialty clinics threatened by Medicare cuts,  and Arizona releases gray wolves into Mexico after a 50 year effort.

Transcript

The Public News Service Thursday afternoon update.

I'm Mike Clifford.

Senate Republicans are turning to reconciliation as a way to fund ICE without help from Democrats who oppose the funding without new accountability measures for the agency.

The Washington Post notes the Senate voted 50 to 48 early Thursday to begin work on one part of the plan, a bill to send approximately $70 billion to ICE and Border Patrol over Democrats' opposition under budget reconciliation rules.

Meantime, an executive order issued by President Donald Trump to unleash Alaska's enormous potential could cause members of an Asian tribe to lose their way of life.

The call to maximize development of the 49th state's natural resources has placed the Hard Rock Mine Project proposal adjacent to the Chilcot Indian Village in southeastern Alaska.

The move has caused the group American Rivers to label the Chilcot River as one of the nation's most endangered.

Village President Dorothy Strong fears the mine's spoils will devastate the waterway and its annual salmon run.

The copper and silver, gold, and pyrite that they're going to try and extract from that mountain is going to create such an innate waste that will inevitably lead down into the river.

She says the mining will also take place near the Alaska Bald Eagle Preserve.

Mark Richardson reporting.

And in rural Alabama, community-based specialty clinics say low Medicare payments are threatening their ability to stay open, forcing patients to travel hours to hospitals for the same life-saving care.

Our Tramiel Gomes reports the 2026 Physician Fee Schedule under the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services offers the first reimbursement increase for office-based care in six years, and some providers call it a small step in the right direction.

Still, doctors warn that without long-term structural reforms from Congress, many of these clinics could be forced to close for good.

Dr. Christopher Yaros, a radiation oncologist in Alabaster, says his clinic is just one example.

Because for doing the same procedure that I do, if you were to slap the name of a hospital on my building, I could get more than 50 percent more reimbursement without changing a thing.

I'm Tramiel Gomes.

Next to Pennsylvania, where folks are feeling the strain of deep Medicaid cuts tied to the Trump administration's One Big Beautiful Bill Act, State Representative Bridget Kosarowski says the impact is already showing, with more people delaying care or relying on emergency rooms for basic care.

And what I see are people either not enrolling because of the cost and or just choosing to go as an uncompensated care patient.

Medicaid covers more than 2.7 million people in the state, but roughly a trillion dollars in federal cuts are raising concerns about access to care, especially in rural areas.

This is Public News Service.

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled Tuesday that the ongoing Live 5 oil pipeline case will remain in Michigan, rejecting the operator's bid to move it to federal court.

The justices found the company, Enbridge, waited too long to try to shift the case.

The dispute centers on the aging pipeline beneath the Straits of Mackinac, where environmental groups warn a potential oil spill in the Great Lakes could be catastrophic.

David Holtz with the group Oil and Water Don't Mix Coalition says the day of the high court's decision adds to its significance.

It's the best possible news to have on Earth Day.

The case will head back to state court where it belongs.

Thanks to Michigan's attorney general, we're closer than ever to putting this oil pipeline in the rearview mirror.

In a statement, Enbridge says in part, the safety of Line 5 is regulated at the federal level by the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, which conducts regular inspections and has found the pipeline in compliance with no issues requiring shutdown.

Crystal Blair reporting.

And Arizona game officials are working with partners in northern Mexico to return more gray wolves into the wild.

It's part of a decades-long effort to eventually remove the animals from the endangered species list.

Working with wolf experts in Mexico, Arizona game officials have just released four more gray wolves into the Mexican state of Durango, nestled among the Sierra Madre in north-central Sonora.

Jim DeVos, the Mexican wolf coordinator for the Arizona Game and Fish Department, says the effort's been a long time in the making, and it's finally paying off.

We're talking about a 50-year program.

The wolves are now being bred in over 60 institutions, both in the U.S. and Mexico.

DeVos has prompted by predation concerns among some locals the program stalled in 2022, but adds that thanks to high-level cooperation from Mexican game officials, The wolves are thriving in their native habitat.

I'm Mark Moran.

Finally, there has been a push to build new gas-fired power plants in Colorado and across the U.S. to meet a surge in demand, including from new data centers coming online.

Proponents say methane, popularly known as natural gas, is more reliable at night when solar isn't available and when there's no wind turning turbines.

But according to a new report, utility companies, developers, and even regulators have rushed to approve gas projects without fully considering the risks.

Dennis Womstead with the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis says those risks are significant, especially for consumers.

Those new gas-fired power plants pose a significant risk for consumers because of the potential for really significant price spikes in the cost of the fuel, which get passed along to consumers.

I'm Eric Galatas.

This is Mike Clifford for Public News Service.

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