News from around the nation.

Trump seeks to use Canada's recognition of Palestinian state as leverage in trade talks; IN AI data centers prompt environmental concerns over emissions; Federal bill ensures minimum $60,000 salary for public school teachers; PA public media vow to press on after federal funding cuts.

Transcript

The Public News Service Thursday afternoon update.

I'm Mike Clifford.

President Donald Trump said that Canada's announcement it will recognize a Palestinian state will make it very hard for the U.S. to reach a trade agreement with its northern neighbor.

That from the Associated Press.

The report Trump sent earlier this week, he didn't mind British Prime Minister Keir Starmer taking a position on the issue of formally recognizing Palestinian statehood.

And last week, he said French President Emmanuel Macron's similar move was not going to change anything.

But Trump, who has heckled Canada for months, suggesting it should become its 51st U.S. state, indicated Thursday that Prime Minister Mark Carney’s similar recognition would become leverage ahead of a deadline he set for trade talks.

Meantime, the Trump administration's long-term plan for artificial intelligence could have far-reaching environmental impacts across the country. year then Governor Eric J. Holcomb announced Microsoft would invest $1 billion to establish a new AI data center in La Porte to generate cloud computing infrastructure.

Food and Water Watch senior researcher Ben Murray says fossil fuel plants are already being reopened to help meet high energy demands.

We just need to be aware that anything that prolongs our reliance on fossil fuel is going to increase the problems that we're seeing from the climate crisis.

The Trump administration says environmental and permitting regulations will only slow America's dominance in the AI field.

I'm Terry Dee reporting.

In Massachusetts, educators are praising federal legislation to ensure public school teachers make a minimum of $60,000 a year.

Boston Public School social studies teacher Corey O'Hara says educators are being punished for their career choice in helping some of the state's most challenged kids.

We come home exhausted only to have to work a side gig to make ends meet.

People aren't walking away from the profession, they're being priced out of it.

Supporters say the Pay Teachers Act would help fill the more than 4,000 teacher vacancies statewide and ensure fully certified teachers are staffing schools.

And public media leaders in Pennsylvania are raising concerns after Congress voted to rescind $1.1 billion in funding for NPR, PBS and local stations.

The move slashes $700,000 from Pittsburgh Community Broadcasting's $8 million budget.

CEO Terry O'Reilly of WESA and WYEP in Pittsburgh says the funding had already been approved in a bipartisan deal to keep the government running, and President Donald Trump signed off with no objections.

I think it would be dishonest of us not to acknowledge that this was much more about politics than it was any claim to be making a legitimate effort to balance the budget.

This story was produced with original reporting from Ann Augustuson for the Pennsylvania Independent.

Danielle Smith reporting.

This is Public News Service.

Healthcare workers in Massachusetts will join the National Day of Action tomorrow, calling for an end to federal policies they say harm children and families.

Hundreds of thousands of residents are expected to lose their Medicaid and SNAP benefits following cuts to social safety net programs in the recently passed federal spending bill.

Marleisha Aho with 1199-SIEU United Healthcare Workers East says the state is bracing for nursing home closures, job losses and fewer available services.

We need to invest in health care, not cut.

And so we are really incredibly worried about what this means to care in Massachusetts for everyone.

Backers of the federal budget say spending cuts were needed to ensure an extension of the 2017 tax cuts.

Aho says last year's financial collapse of Stewart Health Care already put the state in a fragile position.

Rallies are planned tomorrow in Boston, Worcester, Pittsfield and several other locations.

I'm Catherine Carley.

And officials say total cuts to Massachusetts federal health care funding could top more than $3 billion annually and will have significant ripple effects.

Roughly 58,000 Wyomingites and 63 million Americans provide ongoing care to adults or kids with medical conditions or disabilities.

A new report says that is a 45 percent increase since the year 2015.

The new AARP report shows the average caregiver spends 27 hours per week on caregiving tasks.

AARP's CEO, Myesha Minter-Jordan, notes that caregiving can impact a person's finances as well as their physical and mental health.

We need systems that see caregivers, value them, and support them because they are not just helping families.

They are holding up our entire health care system.

Minter-Jordan says AARP is advocating for a national paid family medical leave policy, place protections for caregivers, federal tax credits, and access to respite care, training, and support services.

I'm Kathleen Shannon.

And Minnesota's smaller school districts are preparing for another year of doing more with less.

Joe Gould teaches social studies in Cass Lake, and this week he's in Washington, D.C. for conferences led by the American Federation of Teachers.

He's also sharing his views about budget constraints with the state's congressional delegation.

His district only has about a of its funding from the state and local property taxes, but federal funding helps cover needs like special education and Gold says that has been inadequate.

For a long time now the federal government has not been living up to its promise for fully funding special education in our schools.

As needs grow, smaller districts have a hard time maintaining special ed staff because larger districts offer higher pay.

I'm Mike Moen.

This is Mike Clifford.

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