News from around the nation.

President Trump proposes a tariff on foreign films, communities celebrate Teacher Appreciation Week, and severe weather threatens parts of the U.S., while states tackle issues from retirement savings and air pollution to measles outbreaks and clean energy funding.

Transcript

The Public News Service, Monday, May 5, 2025, Afternoon Update.

I'm Farah Sidiqui.

President Donald Trump's call for a 100 percent tariff on foreign films is drawing backlash from the global film industry, with critics warning of widespread economic fallout.

Meanwhile, communities across the U.S. are honoring educators with special deals and events as National Teacher Appreciation Week gets underway.

And a stalled Omega Block weather pattern is triggering multi-day flood threats for millions across the Northeast and South.

And now Oregonians have saved nearly $350 million for retirement through Oregon Saves, a program that lets employees without workplace plans automatically contribute to an IRA.

Now over 60 percent of Oregon workers have access to a retirement savings plan.

AARP Oregon, led by State Director Bandana Shrestha, helped launch Oregon Saves in 2017.

It really is very wonderful that we were able to innovate and lead the country in a program that's so meaningful and so impactful.

And I hope that people really take advantage of it.

Although more than 1 million private sector workers across the country have enrolled in state retirement savings programs, research shows nationwide one in five Americans over the age of 50 have no retirement savings.

I'm Isabel Sharlay.

Arizona has ranked as having some of the worst areas for polluted air, according to a new report by the American Lung Association.

Advocates say that could cost Arizonans big when it comes to their health.

Alex Gonzalez has more.

The U.S. House of Representatives recently voted to use the Congressional Review Act to repeal California's ability to set stricter tailpipe pollution standards.

The state's ambitious plan to phase out gas-powered vehicles in the next 10 years was granted under a special waiver by the Environmental Protection Agency last year.

Laura Kate Bender with the American Lung Association says gas and diesel powered vehicles drive climate change and negatively impact people's health.

Whether it's a gas powered car or a diesel truck or an off-road vehicle, people are breathing unhealthy levels of air pollution.

The report finds that almost half of Americans are living in places that received a failing grade for unhealthy levels of ozone or particle pollution.

The Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services is reporting a second confirmed measles case in March.

Nadia Ramilagon reports.

The first case this year occurred in an adult Kentucky resident in February.

Cody Kemmer with Kentucky Voices for Health says declining vaccination rates in the state have allowed measles to start spreading again.

Kentucky already had one of the lowest MMR coverage in the nation.

We've got lower statewide coverage than some of those states that are currently experiencing outbreaks.

So we are vulnerable.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that as of May 1st, 935 confirmed measles cases have been reported nationwide.

Nearly all of those cases involved people who were unvaccinated or unsure about their vaccination status.

This is Public News Service.

A refundable child tax credit aimed at helping families with young children was proposed by Governor DeWine's budget, but was stripped out of the Ohio House.

Advocates say it's not too late for lawmakers to restore it and offer families some financial relief.

Lynann Guitera is president and CEO of Groundwork Ohio.

This is a really, really strong policy that acknowledges the needs of families.

It won't solve everything, but it is a almost billion-dollar investment.

And so I think the largest investment in young children and families that has been proposed in his tenure.

If passed, the child tax credit would be Ohio's largest direct state investment in young children to date, providing up to $1,000 per child under age seven.

At a time when more than eight in 10 Ohio parents, the inflation is forcing them to cut back on groceries.

Iowa lawmakers are considering a bill that would require property owners to disclose the presence of lead water service lines during a real estate transaction.

As Mark Moran reports, some of Iowa's residential water lines date back more than a century.

"The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates at least half of the children in the United States are at risk of lead exposure from water lines.

The Iowa Environmental Council's Cody Smith says the problem is especially acute in Iowa and adds it will be extremely expensive to address.

It's estimated that fixing Iowa's lead service line issue would cost about $900 million statewide.

So this is a pressing health concern for the children in our state.

Iowa is responding to a federal rule passed last year that requires all service lines that contain lead to be replaced by 2035.

House File 876 would require sellers to disclose that their House has led service lines in a real estate transaction."

As Congress prepares to vote next week on a budget bill that would repeal solar energy tax credits, Florida solar advocates warn the move would jeopardize the state economy.

Tramiel Gomes reports.

According to industry data, the tax credits have funded over $12 billion in clean energy projects and supported 175,000 jobs in Florida.

Caleb Quade, with Tampa-based Regenerative Shift, says his company's landmark solar project relies on the funding.

This project would not have been possible without these clean energy tax credits.

They are currently in the process of installing what will be the largest rooftop solar project on a school in Florida history.

In addition to providing lower cost of energy for Manatee School for the Arts, this project is also paying all of its laborers' prevailing wages.

Opponents of the tax credits argue renewable energy should be able to compete without help from the government.

Representative Vern Buchanan is facing mounting pressure to defend the solar tax credits because his district hosts many jobs related to clean energy.

This is Farah Siddiqui for Public News Service.

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