News from around the nation.

Dozens of IL 'No Kings' protests planned Saturday; MN officials: SNAP benefits jeopardized by government shutdown and NYS bill would end gas system subsidies. 

Transcript

The Public News Service Friday afternoon update.

I'm Joe Ulori.

Former National Security Advisor John Bolton turned himself in at a Maryland courthouse today to face charges of mishandling classified records.

The Associated Press reports prosecutors say Bolton kept top-secret material at home and shared notes with relatives.

Officials believe Iranian-linked hackers accessed emails, the 18 count indictment adds to growing scrutiny over whether the Justice Department treats Trump critics differently from his allies.

No King's rallies are planned tomorrow across America as part of a nationwide movement against the Trump administration's policies and perceived authoritarianism.

Millions are expected to turn out at more than 2600 nationwide events.

The Illinois protests come just as the state has been gripped by escalating federal immigration enforcement actions.

Jamie Contreras with the labor union, S E I U says while the no kings movement vehemently opposes harmful or unjust federal policies, it is also committed to non violence and resolving differences.

We mobilize and organized for everyone for working families, for immigrants, for every community that's being targeted under this administration.

More than a thousand immigrants have been arrested in the Chicago area since the immigration crackdown started last month.

As violent encounters with ICE agents continue, a federal judge this week ordered all federal agents who have body cameras to turn them on during encounters with protesters.

Republican lawmakers are criticizing the No King's rallies, calling them anti-American.

I'm Judith Ruiz Branch reporting.

As the federal government shutdown drags on, Food assistance is on shakier ground.

Amid the uncertainty, Minnesota officials are announcing charges for the new SNAP benefit applications.

Mike Moen reports.

The Department of Children, Youth and Families received word this week from the USDA that if the shutdown carries into November, there won't be enough funds to pay benefits under the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, formerly known as food stamps.

And for households that weren't receiving this aid before mid-October, counties and tribal nations can't approve new applications.

Sophia Lennars-Coy of the hunger-fighting organization, The Food Group, says this isn't a minor disruption.

It really is destabilizing to so many households.

Ultimately, it is a demand.

Local charity is not remotely set up to meet long-term.

Lennars-Coy says in the short-term, Minnesota has a strong network of local food shelves to turn to, and she encourages people with questions to call the Minnesota Food Helpline at 888-711-1151.

This is Public News Service.

Farmers in Arkansas are looking to the federal government to help them weather the storm of low crop prices, bad weather, and tariffs.

That's according to an analysis of economists with the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture.

Farmer Adam Chapel grows corn, cotton, soybean, and rice in cotton plant.

He says he's reduced his family's farm from 8,000 acres down to 2,400.

We farm regeneratively, cover crops, as little tillage as possible.

We reduce our fertilize inputs, herbicide inputs.

Our low cost of production is one of the reasons we're able to weather this storm.

Arkansas leads the nation in rice production and ranks among the top states for cotton, soybean, and poultry.

I'm Freda Ross reporting.

Ohio has about 74,000 farms and farmers face many stressors.

They have one of the highest suicide rates of any occupation.

Behavioral health care providers are now being taught a new method to identify depression, anxiety, and other issues among farmers.

LandLogic co-developer Kayla Anderson, who grew up on a farm, says farmers don't typically talk about their emotions, but asking them to draw a map of their land and explain what happens and where, helps start a conversation that can reveal underlying emotional struggles.

Because we believe that licensed behavioral health providers that may be wanting to serve this population just need that one little piece to connect and then their knowledge and expertise and their work with the farmer can take off from there.

A cattle feedlot, for instance, might be a source of intense stress where there isn't enough money to feed the cattle.

The therapist LandLogic trains learn to identify mental health issues using everyday farm tools and items like a pair of favorite work gloves.

They then help a farmer learn to overcome challenges on their own as they spend time out on their land.

And in New York, a bill on Governor Kathy Hochul's desk would end subsidies for gas line extensions.

Assembly Bill 8888 would end the 100-foot rule that requires utilities to connect new customers to a gas line for free based on their distance to an existing gas main.

Backers of the change say the rule has cost New York ratepayers around $1 billion.

Other states have ended these types of allowances, but Allison Considine with the Building Decarbonization Coalition says it was harder in New York since the rule was written into state law.

The Public Service Commission's hands were tied as they've been making progress to try to save ratepayers money, control those overall rising delivery costs on everyone's utility bills.

They couldn't do anything until the legislature did something.

Feedback on the bill has been positive, with some opposition from utility companies saying it'll jeopardize their business by discouraging natural gas use.

But Konstantin calls that misinformation, since a person who wants to use gas for their home can still do so.

The legislature approved the bill, and it awaits Governor Hochul's signature.

I'm Edwin J. Vieira.

This is Joe Ulori for Public News Service, member and listener supported.

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