News from around the nation.

DSA candidate Angie Nixon seizes a surprise victory in the Florida, US Senate race; Sierra Club says Clean energy grant cancellations are trickling down to Pennsylvania; After Walz action, mining questions in Minnesota still linger; Conservation groups slam USDA plan to strip forest protections.

Transcript

The Public News Service Wednesday afternoon update.

I'm Mike Clifford.

A surprise election victory in President Donald Trump's home state also shaking up the Democratic establishment.

State Representative Angie Nixon, a Democratic Socialist of America candidate, defeated former Army Intelligence Officer Alexander Vindman in the race for U.S.

Senate.

Axios notes the breakthrough, the biggest upset in modern Florida Democratic politics, also stunning because Republicans have spent years making opposition to socialism central to their political brand in the state.

Meantime, the Sierra Club says the Trump administration's decision to scrap $7.6 billion in clean energy grants across the U.S. will result in higher costs and dirtier air throughout Pennsylvania and other states.

Court documents confirm that the federal government canceled more than 300 grants in 16 states because they voted for Kamala Harris in the 2024 election.

Patrick Drup with the Sierra Club says clean energy lowers bills, protects air and water, and provides secure and reliable electricity when families need it most.

Electricity prices are soaring at record highs right now and Donald Trump is driving up costs for households even more by gutting these clean energy projects.

Pennsylvania was not directly affected by the grant cancellations.

However, because the state is part of the regional power grid, decisions made in surrounding states can still be impacted.

Danielle Smith reporting.

And an executive order from Governor Tim Walz has reshaped the immediate future of a controversial mining project near the Boundary Waters.

While that plays out, environmental leaders ask the public not to assume all mining interests are off the table in Minnesota.

Tuesday's order essentially pauses state consideration of copper and nickel mining near the popular wilderness spot.

That's after Congress lifted a moratorium that covered the area, reviving the proposed Twin Metals project.

Elsewhere in Minnesota, Kelly Applegate of the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe says a similar mining effort near Tamarack isn't in a holding pattern, with an environmental review underway.

This would be Minnesota's first nickel mine.

So the review will also establish an important precedent on how future mining proposals in water-rich environments and environmentally sensitive areas are evaluated.

The DNR is taking public comment on Tamarack through September 14th.

I'm Mike Mowen.

And students in Indiana begin forming ideas about possible careers as kids.

Research suggests early career exploration can improve confidence and decision-making.

Tammy Silverman is with the Indiana Youth Institute and says career exploration should start early.

Young people actually start forming ideas about their futures long before they have to make those decisions.

This isn't something that a single person or an institution can prepare a young person.

State data show parents have a significant influence over what students choose to do after high school.

This is Public News Service.

Missouri small business owners and supporters are celebrating a new federal rule that ends a requirement for U.S. companies to report identifying information about their owners to the government.

The Treasury Department finalized the change last week, exempting millions of businesses nationwide.

The mandate was created under the Corporate Transparency Act to help fight financial crimes.

Small businesses account for more than 99 percent of all businesses in Missouri.

Brad Jones is Missouri State Director for the National Federation of Independent Businesses, known as NFIB.

He calls the move a major victory.

They have completely and totally exempted all American companies, and that's about 32 million small businesses, primarily under 20 employees.

So this is a huge deal.

NFIB estimates the change will save small businesses nationwide more than $128 billion in regulatory and compliance costs.

Crystal Blair reporting.

And a mom in Iowa has asked U.S. Senator Chuck Grassley to subpoena algorithm information from Meta, the owner of Instagram, one of the most popular social media platforms among teenagers.

She made the request following her daughter's suicide, who often spent time on apps that allegedly damaged her mental health.

Katie Townsend, the mother of the 16-year-old girl, said her daughter recorded a video on her phone claiming algorithms were affecting her mental state.

There's been discussion in the U.S. about trying to limit access to the most popular apps.

University of Iowa epidemiologist Jonathan Platt explains that online content is designed to evoke a strong response from the user.

Things that make you very happy, things that make you very angry, things that are outrageous, that stimulate some sort of extreme kind of emotional reaction when you see it.

Grassley hasn't said if he intends to lead an effort to subpoena the algorithm data.

According to UNICEF, an under-16 social media ban in Australia has largely failed.

I'm Mark Moran.

Finally, environmental groups are protesting the Trump administration's new proposal, released Tuesday, to repeal the roadless rule and open up 44 million acres of national forest to new roads and commercial logging and mining.

Forests are known to provide important wildlife habitat and play a role in filtering and storing water from snowmelt.

John Sablaki from the nonprofit American Rivers says in California, the watersheds for the Inyo and Angeles National Forests alone provide drinking water for more than 4.5 million people.

In California, you've got 9,667 river miles that flow through inventory roadless areas and over 1,100 watersheds.

And there's 10.9 million people with more than a quarter of the state's population that are getting their water from those areas.

I'm Suzanne Potter.

This is my Clifford Ford Public News Service.

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