News from around the nation.

Embattled Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth holds a rare news conference to try to head off impeachment, rising grocery costs push Pennsylvania families into crisis, and animal groups rescue chinchillas from an Ohio commercial breeding farm.

Transcript

The Public News Service Tuesday afternoon update.

I'm Mike Clifford.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth held a very rare live news conference to declare the impeachment allegations against him are the result of a slanderous attempt to damage President Trump by one disgruntled and defeated congressman.

The New York Times notes Senator Ted Cruz, Republican of Texas, warned that Hegseth faces two likely outcomes from the impeachment effort.

Either Hegseth is going to step down, either he will resign voluntarily, or Trump will fire him.

Cruz added, if that does not happen, I think it is extremely likely, if not certain, that the House will impeach him.

Meantime, many Pennsylvanians say they are cash strapped from surging grocery prices driven by tariffs and the war in Iran, and they struggle to afford food and basic needs.

People in the Keystone State have paid an extra $5,100 for goods and services during President Donald Trump's second term, including just over $300 more for groceries, according to the Joint Economic Committee.

Scranton resident Katie Edzepski has a 11th grader and is the full-time caregiver for her husband.

She says trips to the grocery store look a lot different these days and take far more preparation than in years past.

As far as how I shop, it's led it to become much more involved as far as planning before you go to the store and the process of making sure my budget's going to fit what I need.

Danielle Smith reporting.

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

Next, the U.S. Department of Justice recently asked Humane World for Animals to rescue nearly 1,000 chinchillas from a commercial breeding operation in Ohio.

Although the facility was legal and licensed by the U.S.

Department of Agriculture, its operators had failed annual inspections and had a history of Animal Welfare Act violations, says Mark Finneran, the Ohio State Director with Humane World for Animals.

He explains that chinchillas need regular dust or volcanic ash baths to keep their skin and fur healthy.

A lot of folks mistakenly think that chinchillas are good, easy starter pets, but because they are wild animals from the Andes in South America, they do have highly specialized needs.

This is Nadia Romlagan for Ohio News connection.

And climate change is messing with Colorado's weather and critical water supplies.

That's according to a new analysis by High Country News.

Land Desk editor Jonathan Thompson says with this year's Super El Nino now in full force, the Four Corners region has been hit with severe flooding.

We were dealing with failed crops at one minute because they didn't have enough water, and now we're dealing with flooded fields and ruined crops because of too much water, as well as all kinds of damage to houses and roads and infrastructure because of flooding.

Record snowpack last winter led to wildfires that burned some 318,000 acres in the summer months.

This is Public News Service.

A new report reveals a disconnect for California students who study civics but may not feel empowered to make changes based on what they learn.

Researchers from the nonprofit Youth Truth surveyed 140,000 students and 10,000 teachers for a report called The Civic Gap, How Schools Can Cultivate Student Voice and Participation.

Cynthia Cheong, Youth Truth Director of Research and Insights, says schools can narrow that gap by working to develop a sense of belonging and trust on campus.

For educators, they could start by making the day-to-day experience for a student feel safer and more seen, helping students feel like they belong to a community and that they can trust the adults around them.

She says educators can promote that feeling of belonging by taking an interest in students' lives outside of the classroom.

I'm Suzanne Potter.

And a $70 million donation could be a big boost for tribal colleges and universities or TCUs in Montana and across the country.

The American Indian College Fund says the gift from Yield Giving, philanthropist Mackenzie Scott's foundation, will help strengthen Native education.

College Fund President Cheryl Crazybowl says it gives TCUs more flexibility to fine-tune their programming and curriculum as they evaluate the needs of surrounding communities.

They are among the most responsive institutions when it comes to aligning their curriculum with tribal and local and even regional priorities for education.

She says the American Indian College Fund will use the money to expand scholarships, academic and wellness resources, and college and career coaching.

Montana has seven TCUs, and an economic analysis found they contributed more than $76 million to the state's economy in 2009.

That's today's equivalent of more than $120 million.

I'm Laura Hatch reporting.

Finally, Virginia lawmakers have their eyes set toward January in a new legislative session.

A slew of bills related to data center regulations meant to protect rural resources are piling up.

One bipartisan bill proposes a data center moratorium.

Elena Slashberg with the Coalition to Protect Prince William County says Virginia has to hit the pause button.

Noting the rapid growth of these facilities affects the power grid needs here and in other states.

Our house is on fire.

And the way that you stop a fire, first and foremost, is you remove the accelerant.

In case nobody has noticed, Virginia is in a crisis.

And our crisis is causing a crisis in other places.

We are not siloed in Virginia.

Data center pushback is prominent in smaller towns amid concerns about water and land use impacts.

This is Mike Clifford for Public News Service.

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