News from around the nation.

Deadline nears for Trump’s angry ultimatum while Tehran pledges to step up attacks; PA labor union mobilizes against Middle East war escalation; Early voting brisk on Virginia's redistricting referendum; Michigan advances online safety bills amid Meta fallout.

Transcript

The Public News Service Monday afternoon update.

I'm Mike Clifford.

Iran said Monday it would retaliate forcefully if President Trump carries out his threat to strike Iranian power plants and bridges unless Tehran ends its chokehold on the Strait of Hormuz.

Both countries appear to stand on the precipice of what could become a new phase in the month-old war.

The New York Times notes an Israeli strike overnight Monday killed the intelligence chief for the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps in the latest killing of a senior Iranian leader.

And as the war continues, some labor unions in Pennsylvania are mobilizing to speak out against it.

Members of UE Local 667 in Pittsburgh, which represents workers at the East End Food Co-op, says they're expanding anti-war and what they call anti-imperialist organizing.

Union President Fritz Geist says their activism targets the war in Iran, but interest grew after October 23, when the war in Gaza began.

We all know food is political.

We decided to endorse the boycott, divestment, and sanctions movement by starting a campaign to remove Israeli-sourced products from our shelves until or unless Israel ends all wars and occupation.

Geist says the union's eastern region has passed a resolution urging members to join protests, partner with anti-war coalitions, and press elected officials for action.

Meantime, Virginians will soon decide whether to join what's become a nationwide redistricting fight as voters cast ballots on a referendum to redraw congressional boundaries mid-decade.

The referendum asked voters whether they want to amend the Virginia Constitution to allow new congressional districts before the next census in 2030.

Then, after the census, Virginia would revert back to its standard bipartisan redistricting.

Corinne Charles Dongo, with Virginians for Fair Elections, says the effort is meant to counteract a slew of Republican states that have redrawn their district maps to favor the GOP, including Missouri, North Carolina, Ohio, and Texas.

It's about playing fair.

And you can't have other states doing mid-decade redistricting and for Virginians not to respond because Virginians can't bring a stick to a knife fight.

Opponents of the referendum argue the ballot question's reference to restoring fairness is misleading and that redistricting would only help Democrats reg elections in the Commonwealth.

I'm Zamone Perez.

And Michigan lawmakers have advanced a new online child safety package of bills as a California jury last week found Metta and Google libel in a $6 million youth harm case.

The Michigan plan includes the Online Safety Act for Kids, the Kids Code, and Safe for Kids Act, aimed at limiting addictive features, boosting privacy, and giving parents more control of their kids' online access.

John DeMay, a West Michigan father and advocate, says his 17-year-old son Jordan died by suicide in 2022 after being targeted on Instagram, coerced into sending explicit images, and then extorted.

Jordan quickly realized that the young lady that reached out to an Instagram was actually an adult male from Nigeria.

Crystal Blair reporting.

This is Public News Service.

Tomorrow ends a federal scoping period that could result in new oil and gas drilling near New Mexico's Chaco Cultural Natural Historic Park.

The Department of Interior opened a week-long public comment window on April 1st on plans to revoke Biden-era protections that prohibit new mineral development in the greater Chaco region.

Currently, 336,000 acres surrounding the park in the state's northwest corner are protected from drilling.

Maude Dinan with New Mexico's National Parks Conservation Association says historically 30 to 60 days have been allowed for public comment.

So seven days is quite a stark contrast.

It's also over one of the holiest weeks that many interfaith communities are celebrating this week.

Christians celebrated Easter on Sunday, and the Jewish observance of Passover continues through April 9th.

I'm Roz Brown.

Next, a Georgia nonprofit is training young people to become health advocates in their own communities.

Public health schools teach data and research, but they don't always teach things like how to pass a bill to make a greater impact.

That's why Jonathan Carey, a Morehouse School of Medicine public health student, joined Black Health Cares.

Through the program, he spoke before the South Fulton commissioners to support a new hospital in Union City.

Being someone who is more so in the policy space, I was actually able to learn real time what it's like to pass bills and what advocacy actually looks like on the ground when we're advocating for equality across all care, whether it's health care or public health.

Carey says the fellowship has expanded his network and grown his advocacy toolbox.

Black Health is part of a growing network of culturally focused health advocacy programs across Georgia.

I'm Tramiel Gomes.

Finally, cattle on California dairy farms produce huge amounts of manure, which releases methane gas into the atmosphere.

Now a new study looks at leaks in the digester systems meant to capture and repurpose that gas.

Researchers from the University of California, Riverside, find that digester systems capture methane effectively but must be monitored for leaks because even temporary failures can release massive amounts of the potent greenhouse gas.

Study author and UCR climate scientist Alyssa Valdez says when a digester covers a waste lagoon, it acts like a giant balloon.

It does a great job of capturing all of that methane, but when it leaks, you might see more methane than you accounted for.

And those leaks, unwatched and unregulated, can pose a real large problem.

The digesters are designed to funnel the captured methane into natural gas pipelines.

The study recommends that going forward, aerial observation should be combined with on-the-ground measurements to make sure digester systems are in good working order.

I'm Suzanne Potter.

This is Mike Clifford.

Thank you for starting a week with Public News Service.

Remember, and listen to support it.

Find our trust indicators at publicnewsservice.org.