News from around the nation.

January 6 Capitol Police officers sue to block the Trump $1.8 billion fund, while Dems vow a probe of the fund if they retake the House; Pennsylvania history teacher wins 2026 National Teacher of the Year; Oregon environmentalists: New permit won’t protect from CAFO waste; Ohio scientists: Cattle virus could be transmitted in humans.

Transcript

In Public News Service, Thursday afternoon update.

I'm Mike Clifford.

Two police officers who defended the U.S. Capitol during the January 6th riot filed a federal lawsuit Wednesday seeking to block the Trump administration's nearly $1.8 billion fund to compensate people who claim they were targets of a weaponized legal system.

Washington Post notes Harry Dunn, who retired from the Capitol Police, and Daniel Hodges, a D.C. police officer, said in the lawsuit that the Justice Department's new fund could rich far-right extremists who led the attack on the Capitol and emboldened those who commit violence in President Trump's name.

At the same time, in interviews with CNN, convicted U.S. Capitol rioters, fake electors, and prominent election deniers said they're hoping to tap the massive fund, which they think is long overdue.

And if they retake the House, key Democrats say they will launch a probe into how that money gets spent.

Next, a high school teacher from Pennsylvania has been named this year's National Teacher of the Year, one of the highest honors in the field.

The prestigious award is for educators who demonstrate excellence in the classroom and exceptional commitment to their students.

For the past 25 years, Leon Smith has taught advanced placement classes in U.S. History and African American Studies.

He's also a role model for students who may not always see themselves represented in the educational landscape.

He says that in the 10th grade, he met his first black teacher, which inspired him to pursue his career.

I did have a student teacher that made a significant impact on me because I never had a black teacher before.

And when he came into the classroom, it just made me feel a sense of belonging and dignity and inclusion.

Danielle Smith reporting.

Credit for original reporting goes to Anna Gustafson with the Pennsylvania Independent.

And Oregon's latest permit regulating waste from factory farms fails to adequately protect Oregonians from harmful pollution, according to local environmental groups.

Eastern Oregon has been experiencing nitrate groundwater contamination for decades, and concentrated animal feeding operations are a known contributor.

Tara Heinzen with Food and Water Watch says the permit issued by the Oregon Departments of Agriculture and Environmental Quality is an important opportunity for the state to address the problem at the source.

Unfortunately, the renewed permit is more of the same.

We're particularly disappointed that despite all of the attention that this nitrate contamination issue has received, that this permit does not meet that challenge.

I'm Isobel Charle.

And a strain of influenza primarily found in cattle and pigs could potentially be spreading to humans, according to new research from Ohio State University.

Study co-author Assistant Professor Cody Warren says they discovered that strains of influenza D from cattle and pigs can replicate in human respiratory tract cells at the same level as influenza A, the virus that causes seasonal illness in humans.

And what that suggests to us is that this virus really doesn't face those barriers to moving from animals to people because it seems already pre-adapted.

Warren says this potentially poses a risk to farming communities or any way that people come in close contact with cattle.

This is Public News Service.

A new Maine Data Center Advisory Council aims to protect ratepayers and minimize the impacts of data center development, but a proposal from the EPA could allow projects to begin before local residents have a chance to intervene.

Federal regulators aim to remove the requirement for permits under the Clean Air Act before construction begins on non-emitting components such as cement pads or other support structures.

John Walk, a senior attorney with the Natural Resources Defense Council, says regulators and judges would be less likely to halt construction once millions of dollars have already been spent.

EPA specifically said it was undertaking this deregulatory action under the Clean Air Act to speed the accelerated construction and operation of data centers across the country.

EPA officials argue Clean Air Act permits have constrained economic development by slowing down construction projects the agency considers to have no impact on human health or the environment.

A public comment period runs through the end of June.

I'm Katherine Carley.

And despite appearances, New York's budget battle isn't impeding legislative work.

New data shows lawmakers are passing bills at the highest rate since 2022, though this year's budget is the most delayed in the last decade.

Rachel Foss with Reinvent Albany notes lawmakers are adapting to a longer budget process.

She describes how bills are passed during a two-year legislative session.

The first year of the legislative session is when bills are all reintroduced, they get new numbers, and they go through the process.

So the second year, any bill that passed the first year that didn't end up on the governor's desk, it seems like that gets put in the queue to get passed again pretty quickly.

The state doesn't have the best track record with passing new bills.

A Reinvent Albany analysis of 2023 to 2024 session data found only 11% of bills introduced in either chamber of the legislature became lost.

I'm Edwin J. Viera.

Finally, conversations about a natural life transition for women are often taboo, but changing attitudes about menopause are encouraging open dialogue.

Lawmakers in Illinois, Louisiana, Oregon, and Washington are greenlighting funding to promote hormone replacement therapy as a treatment for hot flashes, night sweats, and mood changes.

Indiana law does not require insurance providers to pay for menopause treatments, meaning many women still pay out of pocket.

Dr. Taylor Hahn, a board-certified OBGYN, believes state legislators do not fully comprehend the weight of their actions.

We're legislating on some aspects of women's health, but in other parts like menopause, it's sort of like an afterthought.

Nationwide, there are 50 proposed bills in 24 states that would improve menopause care, coverage, and treatment.

I'm Terry Dee reporting.

This is Mike Clifford for Public News Service.

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