News from around the nation.

Man arrested after Ilhan Omar attacked during town hall in Minneapolis; Ohio among top states for reported anti-LGBTQ incidents; NV Democratic leaders link gerrymandering case to economic justice; ME union leaders blast ICE raids as distraction from failing economy.

Transcript

The Public News Service Wednesday afternoon update.

I'm Mike Clifford.

Minnesota Congresswoman Ilhan Omar was attacked in an event she was hosting Tuesday when an audience member used a syringe to spray liquid at her, according to Minneapolis police, that's for the BBC.

They report Omar was injured and continued to speak, "I'm okay.

I'm a survivor.

So this small agitator isn't going to intimidate me from doing my work.

I don't let bullies she wrote on X.

The 55 year old alleged attacker is in custody, the liquid yet to be identified.

And union leaders in Maine say the Trump administration is stepping up immigration enforcement to distract from its failed economic policies.

Raids in the greater Portland and Lewiston areas have caused widespread fear among immigrant workers and many businesses remain closed.

Andy O'Brien with Maine AFL-CIO believes local economies will suffer.

This is just an age old tactic to pit workers against workers, divide the working class and deflect their attention away from the people who are robbing them blind, billionaires and corporations.

He adds the Trump administration has yet to fulfill its promise to bring down the cost of healthcare, childcare and education.

He notes federal agents are not just detaining criminals but citizens with no criminal records on to work or school.

I'm Catherine Carley.

Next, a new national report finds Ohio among the states with the highest number of reported anti-LGBTQ incidents.

The findings come from GLAD's 25 Alert Desk Report, which documents incidents motivated by anti-LGBTQ sentiment.

Ohio ranks fourth among the states, according to the data.

Researchers say the ranking reflects how national political debates around LGBTQ rights increasingly show up in local communities and public spaces.

Sarah Moore at GLAD says Ohio logged 50 incidents.

I think that this really goes to the national conversations that are trickling down into local Ohio politics.

These national level conversations are being invited into local discourse and contributing to this environment of harm and disrepair for the LGBTQ community.

Nationwide GLAAD reports more than 1,000 anti-LGBTQ incidents between May 2024 and May 2025.

They took place in 49 states and the District of Columbia and include cases of harassment, vandalism, threats and physical assaults.

Farah Siddiqui reporting.

And the US Supreme Court set to rule this spring on a voting rights case that could have big implications for control of Congress and state houses.

Nevada Congressman Steve Horsford wrote a recent op-ed for Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

The Civil Rights Act and the Voting Rights Act leveled the playing field so that people could compete fairly and any effort to weaken those protections now risks dragging us backward and repeating the injustices that we've worked so hard to overcome.

The Supreme Court case Louisiana versus Calais part of the Voting Rights Act that prevents Louisiana from gerrymandering congressional districts in a way that puts black voters at a disadvantage.

This is Public News Service. 70 percent of all projects proposed in the XO Energy 2025 Colorado Gas Infrastructure Plan are in or adjacent to Latino, Indigenous, and low-income neighborhoods already burdened by pollution and health risks according to a new analysis by Green Latinos.

The Colorado Public Utilities Commission is currently accepting public comments on the plan.

Patricia Garcia Nelson with Green Latinos says disproportionately impacted communities deserve investments that improve health and the transition to clean energy, not projects that lock in decades of reliance on fossil fuels.

Not only do we want there to be no expansion of gas infrastructure in disproportionately impacted communities, but we also want Excel to stop passing the costs of their gas infrastructure onto the ratepayers.

Excel says its plan will provide safe, efficient, and resilient energy service by providing the cleanest gas systems possible.

They also argue that the proposed projects across Colorado will deliver a low-carbon future.

I'm Eric Galatas.

And rural health leaders in North Dakota are eager to see new investments to boost access to care after the state authorized the use of new federal funds.

All U.S. states are getting started on an initial wave of aid under the Rural Health Transformation Program approved by Congress last summer.

Providers and organizations working on solutions are eyeing the grant application process.

Jacob Warren, Director of the Center for Rural Health at the University of North Dakota, is confident the rural health care workforce will see more stability.

That is a really unifying theme that we hear as we work with hospitals, clinics and other the state of North Dakota, the ability to rethink how we do recruitment, to focus in on how we retain the providers that we are able to recruit.

Nationally, health researchers and advocates label the fund as a band-aid in offsetting cuts tied to Medicaid changes approved in the same law.

I'm Mike Moen.

And a new report shows many kids in Alabama are missing out on after-school programs that play an important role once the school day ends. families.

It's not just about homework, help or enrichment.

It's also about having safe, reliable places for Children to go while parents finish their work day.

The report finds most parents agree after school programs keep kids safe, support working families and help Children build valuable skills and connections for middle schooler.

Amari Wilson after school programs, including robotics, football and student council help kids learn real skills.

They make me a better person and a better student in numerous amount of ways by just working with different people getting your brain to think harder and just people are pushing you in a good way to just do different things and it's just good to have that diversity.

The report finds demand for after-school programs in Alabama far outweighs availability.

Shantia Hudson reporting.

This is Mike Clifford for Public News Service.

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