News from around the nation.

Key House conservatives bow to Trump ahead of government funding vote, signaling swift end to shutdown; Trump prepares to let go of arms control with Russia; Montanans share deep concerns about data centers; Federal bill looks to expand responsible, large-scale fish farming in VA.

Transcript

The Public News Service Tuesday afternoon update.

I'm Mike Clifford.

After a fierce lobbying push by President Trump and GOP leaders, Congress on the cusp now of ending the partial government shutdown in the next 24 hours.

That from CNN.

They report key House conservative holdouts appear ready to stand down after threatening to catapult Washington into a bitter standoff over a sprawling government spending bill that funds three quarters of federal agencies.

And for Politico, the expiration this week of a core U.S.-Russia treaty could touch off a global nuclear weapons race for the first time since the Cold War.

Russia made initial overtures about a renewed pact in September but the Trump administration has not formally responded according to two people familiar with the talks.

Meantime, Montanans continue expressing their concerns about data centers across the state.

During public meetings in recent weeks, residents have asked about the power needs of proposed data centers and if residential customers will foot the bill.

Molly Bell with Montana Conservation Voters says her group has teamed up with other environmental advocates to hold public panels in areas near proposed data centers.

She adds hundreds of people have shown up for the information sessions, including the most recent one last week in Broadview in eastern Montana, which is near the site of a proposed 5,000 acre data center.

Bell explains it could need 500 to a thousand megawatts of power each year.

Northwestern's existing customer base in Montana uses 760 megawatts annually.

So this one facility could use as much power as the entire state of Montana.

Northwestern Energy is proposing a large load tariff to address concerns about rates, which would require new high demand customers to pay their fair share for new infrastructure and energy generation.

Those companies would also have to pay if they leave the state before those costs are paid back.

Northwestern Energy is holding a third public meeting tonight in Helena.

I'm Laura Hatch reporting.

And new federal legislation seeks to expand U.S. offshore fish farming, but not all environmental advocates agree the bill is good for the health of our oceans.

The Marine Aquaculture Research for America, or MARA Act, would promote commercial-scale aquaculture research to study the viability and impact of large-scale fisheries.

Aquaculture is a major industry in Virginia, which is a national leader in oyster farming.

Bill Walton with the Virginia Institute of Marine Sciences says smaller fisheries can't keep up with demand.

So looking into responsible aquaculture will be key.

It's clear that globally, the amount of seafood that we're getting from the ocean, from fisheries has leveled off, but the population of the world is growing.

And so where are we going to get that extra food?

Globally, it's clear that that is going to be from aquaculture.

The bill has opposition from some environmental advocates.

Groups like Don't Cage Our Oceans argue the bill would open the floodgates for the equivalent of factory farms in our oceans that spread disease and threaten wild fish.

I'm Zamone Perez.

This is Public News Service.

Governor Josh Shapiro delivers his state budget today for the next two years, and more than 70 Democratic leaders are among those hoping it includes a boost for the state's in-home care system.

They're pushing for more funding to stabilize these services for more than 400,000 people who need them.

Pennsylvania Home Care Association CEO Mia Haney says a lack of caregivers has left over 112,000 monthly home care shifts uncovered, putting seniors and people with disabilities at risk of losing essential day-to-day help.

Our hope is that Governor Shapiro will include in his proposed budget a starting point, a step in the right direction for home care to recognize the need, to acknowledge care workers are underpaid and need to be supported.

Haney notes two taxpayer funded studies show Pennsylvania must invest more than 800 million dollars and raise Medicaid rates by 23 percent to stabilize the in-home care system.

She points out Pennsylvania lags far behind surrounding states which pay in-home care workers 25 to 75 percent more.

Danielle Smith reporting.

Next, West Virginia lawmakers are considering a bill that would weaken protections and oversight requirements for working youth.

The legislation would eliminate rules that define which jobs are too dangerous for minors and remove requirements for direct supervision when children work with hazardous machinery, explains Kelly Allen, Executive Director of the West Virginia Center on Budget and Policy.

The concern, of course, is that by eliminating state categories of barred occupations, by kind of weakening the guardrails and parameters around children working in industries that can be more dangerous, it would result in more injuries for children.

House Bill 4005 passed the House Government Organization Committee and is now headed to the full House of Delegates.

According to the U.S. Department of Labor, nationwide in 2024, more than 4,000 children were employed in violation of federal child labor laws.

This is Nadia Ramligan for West Virginia News Service.

Finally, many people on Medi-Cal lost coverage in January for popular drugs like Wigovi and ZipBound, which treat obesity.

According to reporting from KFFH news, officials are recommending a healthy diet and exercise as alternatives, but experts say that advice is unrealistic.

University of Southern California, Professor Ann Peters is an endocrinologist who works with Medi-Cal patients in East LA.

She says this policy change makes little sense.

It seems quite short-sighted because that excess fat is associated with a huge number of other health conditions.

And that these are people who've tried for years to lose weight.

And these drugs are really good at helping people lose weight in a way that they haven't been able to before.

I'm Suzanne Potter.

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

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