News from around the nation.

The US war in Iran is now into its 7th month, with Washington and Tehran trading the largest exchange of strikes since July, the ‘Spokane 3” still in legal limbo over participation in an anti-ICE demonstration, and farmers strained by rising costs and weak prices as the Senate fails to advance the Farm Bill.

Transcript

The Public News Service Wednesday afternoon update.

I'm Mike Clifford.

U.S.-Iran war is now into its seventh month.

Wednesday was marked by the largest exchange of fire between Tehran and Washington since July.

U.S. forces struck Iran's southern coast.

Iran fired at American bases across the region.

The latest round happening despite President Donald Trump's warning Tuesday that such actions would see Iran hit again at a much harder and higher level.

And relief for 5,000 service members aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln.

After 250 long days at sea, the aircraft carrier docked at a port in eastern Thailand on Wednesday.

Meantime, it's been nearly 40 years since a state Supreme Court order mandated for West Virginia to properly fund its schools.

But now, Arnadia Ramligan reports the state's ACLU chapters argue that the learning environment in the Lincoln County School District is unconstitutional.

Teacher shortages, reliance on unqualified educators, underfunded special education programs, and aging facilities are at the heart of the issue, explains Aubrey Sparks, legal director of the ACLU of West Virginia.

She notes that the state's persistent underfunding of public schools is worsening the problem in rural low-income areas with shrinking populations.

Which means that the amount that the state is providing is not enough to bridge the gap and have it be an operational and sufficient school system.

The ACLU of West Virginia says it intends to sue the state.

According to the group, the lawsuit will order the state to meet its funding duties.

And civil rights supporters condemn the conviction of Washington protesters that are known as the Spokane Three.

They say it is an assault on free speech.

The Spokane Three were part of a spontaneous protest last year against the detention of two Venezuelan asylum seekers.

Defense lawyers have moved to overturn their May conspiracy convictions, citing political motives.

Jess Marsden, an attorney with Protect Democracy, says these charges used in Spokane and against others protesting ICE nationwide are especially threatening to First Amendment rights.

The conspiracy charge makes the acts of organizing and communicating themselves the subject of federal probes and prosecutions, including against defendants who did not themselves engage in any acts of force, intimidation or threat.

Each of the convicted defendants, Jack Archer, Justice for All and Bajan Mavawala II, face up to six years in federal prison and hundreds of thousands of dollars in fines.

I'm Isabel Charlay.

Next, with a new farm bill stalled in the Senate, a Nebraska farm leader warns the state is experiencing its worst agricultural downturn since the farm crisis of the 1980s.

John Hansen is the Nebraska Farmers Union president.

A lot of operations that have been not operating for just decades, but operating for generations that are in deep financial trouble.

And their bankers have made it clear to them that unless things change substantially, this may well be their last year.

He cites rising production costs, weak commodity prices, and the lack of an updated federal safety net.

This is Public News Service.

Some conservation voters in rural Montana have regrets after recent Trump administration actions involving public lands.

One of the biggest concerns has been staffing cuts to public land management agencies.

Third-generation bow hunter and houndsman Terry Zink owns an archery target business in Marion, Montana, near the Flathead National Forest in the northern part of the state.

He voted for President Donald Trump, but strongly disagrees with the administration's U.S. Forest Service cuts, especially because of this year's intense wildfires.

Getting rid of our trail crews, getting rid of a lot of our firefighters wasn't the right thing to do.

Did we need to cut some stuff in there?

With those, yes, I believe so.

But not cut those crucial agencies down to nothing and then look what happens.

The Trump administration has cut nearly 6,000 jobs at the U.S.

Forest Service and is consolidating its firefighting agencies.

I'm Laura Hatch reporting.

And just 12 Ohio lawmakers are moms of minor children out of 132.

That's according to a new report.

Arnati Ramlagan reports in this News from the States collaboration, The Buckeye State would need 13 total moms of minors to reach proportional representation.

Having both mothers and childless women at the table is critical because much of Ohio's working population consists of middle-aged women who are juggling parenthood and caretaking for elderly parents.

Lauren McNally, a Democratic state representative from Youngstown, is currently raising four school-aged children.

She feels the pain of those who are struggling alone. who are trying to figure it all out while raising families and moving up in their careers and taking care of their aging parents.

About 4% of Ohio state lawmakers were moms of minors when the first report was published in 2022.

And the Minnesota summer jobs report shows a rebound, but there are continued signs of a shrinking workforce.

In line with national trends, Minnesota's labor force remained largely flat in July, with a decrease of more than 4,000 participants.

Analysts point to waves of retirements, but the caregiving pressure is also being monitored.

Kate Schavers of Shoreview says at times in her professional career, caregiving needs for her family took a front seat.

The eventual transition to back-to-work mode was stressful.

I did have to work hard at rebranding myself and picking up the kind of work that positioned me to get back into the workplace, but it's not an easy journey.

Schaefer's, a volunteer with AARP, is among those hopeful Minnesota's new paid leave law will ease this pressure.

I'm Mike Moen.

This is Mike Clifford for Public News Service.

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