News from around the nation.

4 killed in speedboat were trying to infiltrate Cuba, officials say; WA voting rights advocates rally behind pre clearance bill; VA lawmakers pass legislation to protect bank funds from garnishment; Advocacy groups say proposed SNAP changes would hurt Alabamians.

Transcript

The public news service Thursday afternoon update, I'm Mike Clifford.

The Cuban government said late Wednesday that 10 individuals involved in a confrontation with the island's board of security officers were armed Cubans living in the U.S. attempting to infiltrate the country.

The government said the majority of those on board the boat have a known history of criminal and violent activity, according to the Associated Press.

Earlier Wednesday, Cuba's Interior Ministry said four people on a speedboat were killed and six were injured during the firefight with border security officers, that for the hill.

They note the ministry said that Speedboat was registered in Florida.

Meantime, voting rights advocates are rallying behind a bill that would update Washington state's voting laws.

The bill would require state's attorney general to approve or challenge any changes to voting practices in the state before they are implemented.

It's a practice known as preclearance.

Local governments with a history of discriminatory voting practices would need approval for actions like redrawing district boundaries, changing election methods, or reducing language assistance.

Melissa Rubio with One America says the bill would help prevent voting rights problems before they begin.

Our hope is that this bill, when it passes, will make it easier for us as voters to make voting maps more equitable, which helps everyone in Washington state.

The Association of Washington Cities argues the bill overlaps with existing laws and does not give cities enough ways to prove their changes are fair.

I'm Isobel Charle.

And folks in Virginia may soon have more protections from bank account garnishment.

SB 301 would require banks and credit unions to check if funds deposited into a person's bank account are already exempted under the law, such as unemployment benefits.

According to Debt Collection Lab, nearly 80,000 Virginians had bank account garnishments between 2019 and 2024, but nearly 80 percent of those garnishment attempts resulted in no payments to debt collectors.

Jay Spear with the Virginia Poverty Law Center says under federal law, banks are already supposed to check and see if an account contains protected funds.

And if so, they don't freeze them.

If they can't identify anything exempt, they are supposed to leave you at least $1,000.

You know, you're not left destitute.

And Congress made significant cuts in eligibility for SNAP food benefits last year, but nutrition advocates say bills currently pending in the state legislature would make it tougher for Alabama recipients.

Carol Gunlock with the public policy advocacy group, Alabama Arise says one bill would block beneficiaries from buying sugary or heavily processed food items.

One of the ironies is that in HB1, the big beautiful bill, the Congress eliminated SNAP education, which really was designed to teach people how to buy healthy foods.

Measures pending before the state Senate would tighten restrictions on what products SNAP beneficiaries could buy and would require the state to more closely check applicants eligibility.

This is public news service.

Next to North Dakota, where the intersection between healthy meals and schools is poised to be a big conversation throughout this year.

Statewide voters could decide whether North Dakota should provide free school meals to all students, regardless of household income, if a citizen-led coalition succeeds in getting the question on the ballot.

In the meantime, food access efforts remain a priority in areas where grocery stores have a hard time staying open.

Jenna Gullickson co-owns Hoople Grocery, part of the Rural Access Distribution Cooperative.

Under the program, local stores share and purchase bulk items together, and Gullickson says a handful of rural schools are on the delivery route.

They get all their fresh produce from us.

They get their milk through us.

Our Rad Co-op brings that to their schools every week.

She says the school still work with other food vendors, but partnering with the co-op helps overcome issues with distributors.

I'm Mike Moen.

And Texas is the largest cement-producing state in the nation.

The industry pumps more than $20 billion into the state's economy and employs more than 24,000 people.

During his State of the Union speech this week, President Donald Trump rallied the country around efforts to strengthen domestic infrastructure and expand U.S. manufacturing.

Steve Krim with Common Sense America says American-made cement is the best material to use to build sustainable infrastructure and energy-efficient buildings.

Cement is used extensively throughout the home building process.

We've seen in Texas tremendous growth in the AI, data center programs, electricity growth, then all those things are driven by construction.

He adds, importing cement from other countries takes away American jobs, and cement manufactured outside the US isn't held to American standards.

I'm Freda Ross reporting.

Finally, a measure to establish cardiac emergency response plans at all Utah schools is making its way through the Utah legislature.

Experts say the plan could save hundreds of lives each year.

Each school would install automatic external defibrillators, called AEDs, conduct CPR training for staff members, and develop an emergency plan rehearsed at regular intervals.

Amy Mitchell, a retired school administrator, says an emergency plan saved her life.

Mitchell survived a sudden cardiac arrest at her district's offices.

I was in the right place at the right time, started by people who knew CPR and had immediate access to an AED.

Every school deserves these same life-saving tools and trained individuals.

Sponsor of the bill, State Senator Jerry Stevenson, says more than 120 Utahns die annually from out-of-hospital sudden cardiac arrest.

The measure is pending before the state Senate and would go next to the House.

I'm Mark Richardson.

The measure, Senate Bill 244, has bipartisan support.

This is Mike Clifford for Public News Service.

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