News from around the nation.

U.S. and E.U.agree on details of trade deal; Hurricane Erin to drench parts of Virginia while brushing US east coast; As Trump remakes federal workforce, some Virginia families suffer; NM's acequia system eyed for Colorado River Basin solution; Ohio mayors push back as EPA ends $7B Solar for All program.

Transcript

The Public News Service Thursday afternoon update.

I'm Mike Clifford.

The U.S. and European Union today published much-anticipated details of the trade agreement they struck verbally last month, apt for the New York Times.

They report under the deal, Washington will maintain high tariffs on vehicles imported from the 27-nation bloc until the EU takes steps to lower its levies on many American industrial and agricultural products.

The Times notes the backborder of the deal remains unchanged, with the U.S. imposing of most goods arriving from EU countries.

And from the BBC, life-threatening rip currents and other dangers brought to the US East Coast by nearby Hurricane Erin will last at least a couple more days.

The storm has already soaked parts of the Atlantic Coast, including North Carolina's outer banks.

Tropical storm conditions start to reach Virginia today and are forecast to push further north still, including parts of New England, where there are warnings of high winds.

Meantime, President Trump's effort to reshape the federal government and its workforce has directly impacted federal employees in Virginia.

Colleen Jones was one of more than 600,000 veterans employed by the federal government.

After serving in the Coast Guard, she worked at the US Agency for International Development, which the Trump administration shut down earlier this year.

Economic forecasts predict the Commonwealth will lose more than 30,000 jobs this year, largely driven by Virginia's connection to federal jobs.

Jones argues that administration officials who paint federal employees as extremely partisan are not accurate.

Federal employees are supposed to be nonpartisan for a reason.

Many of my colleagues and I had our own opinions, but we checked them at the door.

I'm Zamone Perez.

Next, drought and climate change across the Southwest have made water the great equalizer.

And as a future usage agreement is hammered out, New Mexico's ancient ASECA system is getting a second look.

The Colorado River Basin provides water to seven states and some 40 million people.

But the usage isn't equal and states have until next October to find a solution before the federal government steps in.

Santa Fe County Commissioner Camila Bustamante says the state's 700 gravity-fed acequia irrigation ditches provide a democratic model meant to benefit entire communities over an individual user.

The ones in northern New Mexico are among the few in the world and this system has worked now for hundreds of years to assure that people are able to have food where they live.

I'm Roz Brown.

And the Trump administration has terminated the EPA's Solar for All program, cutting $7 billion in funding for low- to moderate-income households, including grants already awarded to Ohio.

Akron Mayor Shamus Malik says the decision comes at a time when energy costs are rising.

We were looking forward to helping implement this program as a way of making sure that everyone in our city had access to solar energy, not just those who can afford big upfront costs.

The Solar for All program was designed to help households save nearly $400 a year on utility bills through rooftop solar and energy upgrades.

This is public news service.

Enlisted personnel from Arkansas and other states could have to adhere to their state's abortion laws.

Now that the Department of Veterans Affairs is moving forward with plans to end all abortion services at VA hospitals.

The move is subject to a 30 day comment period that ends in early September Following the overturn of Roe v. Wade by the Supreme Court, then-President Joe Biden changed rules, allowing medical personnel at VA facilities to provide abortions in cases of rape, incest, or threats to the health or life of a mother.

Lindsay Church with Minority Veterans of America says veterans will now be at the mercy of their state's abortion laws.

Arkansas and 19 other states have greatly restricted are completely banned the medical procedure since Roe versus Wade was overturned.

Service members and veterans and their families are now going to have to figure out how to navigate state-level health care and state-level reproductive health services in order to access that care.

Republican lawmakers and the administration have argued the VA's focus should be on providing veterans with service-connected health care.

They also claim Biden's initial rule was motivated by politics, not by health care.

I'm Freda Ross reporting.

And this November Pennsylvanians won't see presidential or congressional races, but voters will decide whether three state Supreme Court justices keep their seats.

All three are Democrats and losing even one could weaken the party's 5-2 majority.

Penn State Harrisburg Professor Daniel Mallison says unlike the U.S. Supreme Court, states choose judges in different ways and Pennsylvania uses elections.

He warns that with low turnout common in odd year elections, Republicans could gain ground and shift the balance of power in this key battleground state.

There's actually a lot of attention from particularly Republican election activists to try to unseat some of these justices.

Danielle Smith reporting.

Finally, the GOP's so-called "Big Beautiful Bill" included a lesser-reported provision that rescinded hundreds of millions in already awarded federal grants for trails and active transportation.

In Jacksonville, a $14.7 million award from the Neighborhood Access and Equity Grant Program was revoked.

K.E. House, whose organization is building the Emerald Trail, says the funds were slated for 15 miles of trail design, neighborhood revitalization plans, and community engagement.

She says the loss is a significant hit to their plans.

It would have given us money to do seven neighborhood revitalization plans and it gave us 3.5 million which would have paid for project staff and community engagement expenses over six years.

I'm Tramell Gomes.

This is Mike Clifford from Public News Service, member and listener supported.

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