Daily Audio Newscast Afternoon Update - September 29, 2026
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News from around the nation.
Trump is critical of British police over the release of 5 men in a suspected bomb plot, data center bans find receptive voice in rural Tennessee, and nationwide, Arkansas organizers step up for Latinos who identify as trans.
Transcript
The Public News Service Tuesday afternoon update.
I'm Mike Clifford.
President Donald Trump is sounding off about the decision.
Trump says British police should not have released on bail five men who were arrested near an air base over a suspected bomb plot.
Trump added the case might be linked to Iran, but he declined to give details.
Speaking to reporters, Trump said, I'm surprised they released them.
I wouldn't have done that.
Next to Tennessee, where Krista Pike, a woman who was convicted of murder 30 years ago, is set to be put to death today. after her request for clemency was denied.
The Guardian notes if the execution does go through, she will be the first woman executed in the state in 200 years.
Meantime, through local activity, the pushback over data center development continues to rise in rural America.
Skeptics of AI say they are worried about the industry boom in Tennessee and across the country.
The backlash has sparked calls for 700 local moratoriums nationwide.
While most data center bans are in metro areas, Two-thirds of all new facilities are proposed or have been enacted in rural communities.
Stephen Smith, with Southern Alliance for Clean Energy, believes it's time for national action.
People behind this technology don't fully understand it and aren't putting the proper guardrails of protections.
So you would think that the federal government would be playing a role here.
Tennessee does not have a statewide moratorium on new data centers, But several local cities and counties have enacted temporary local pauses or zoning restrictions.
This story was produced with original reporting from Julia Tilton for the Daily Yonder.
Danielle Smith reporting.
And Arkansas was the first state in the country to ban transgender affirming care for kids.
The state also has a law that allows Arkansans to sue for damages if they encounter someone in a bathroom, changing room, shelter, or correctional facility who does not align with the designated sex on the restroom.
It's estimated more than 10,000 transgender people live in the natural state, and the nonprofit Intransitive is there to help them feel seen and accepted.
The organization Cynthia Martinez says it's easy for members to feel left out, especially during commemorations like this Hispanic Heritage Month.
And yeah, we have a right to be included and are fundamental to our culture.
We're also trying to create more acceptance within the rest of our community.
I'm Freda Ross reporting.
Next, young people in Illinois navigating more than just vaping when it comes to nicotine, and experts say the changing landscape can make use harder to detect.
Kristen Terzakian with Truth Initiative says illegal flavored disposable vapes remain popular while discreet high nicotine pouches are gaining ground.
And certainly with oral nicotine pouches, they may be using them, and a parent and educator would have no idea.
Youth vaping is at its lowest level in nearly a decade, but more than 1.4 million middle and high school students nationwide still decide to vape.
This is Public News Service.
Regenerative agriculture in South Dakota and across the U.S. can be profitable and also help reverse climate change.
That's according to a new study.
An ECTESIS Foundation study finds that soil at regenerative farms captures 39 percent more carbon than on traditional farms, which in turn leads to more biodiversity and healthier food.
Dr. Jonathan Lundgren, the foundation's executive director, says if food producers converted row cropping to regenerative practices in North America, it would capture and store one to two years of annual greenhouse gas emissions.
When you compare that to the next technological solution, the results of those other solutions are laughable compared to what our food system is capable of.
The study also finds crop yields on regenerative farms match national averages for traditional row crops, and the profit potential can be greater for these farms.
I'm Laura Hatch reporting.
Next, New York advocates want to limit plastic packaging for baby food.
A Greenpeace report finds around 11,000 microplastic particles in each Dan and Happy Baby organics pouch and an estimated 5,000 in a Nestle Gerber organics pouch.
Despite widespread support, the state's Packaging Reduction and Recycling Infrastructure Act failed to make it out of committee.
Erica Serino with Plastic Pollution Coalition says passing bills like this are challenging because of the plastic-friendly political atmosphere.
Businesses are more encouraged to use plastic than other materials because of the price point.
Plastic is so heavily subsidized by specifically the U.S. government, but also other governments around the world.
And it is seen as kind of the default, easy, inexpensive option.
The bill calls for manufacturers to reduce plastic packaging by 30% over 12 years with the first 10% reduction required by 2027.
It also calls for a modest fee on packaging paid by product producers with the money going to local taxpayers.
I'm Edwin J. Viera.
Finally, an Indianapolis teacher is one of just three educators nationwide receiving a National Award for Excellence in Civics Education.
We get more now from our Joe Guillory.
Kaylee Dominguez teaches fifth grade science and social studies at Kitley Intermediate School.
She is the only Indiana recipient of the 2026 American Civic Education Teacher Award.
Dominguez brings civics to life with hands-on lessons, including a mock Congress that showed her students just how difficult passing a bill can be.
I found a way.
It was messy.
It was chaotic.
But the kids learned from it.
They're like, wow, so this is a very complicated process.
Dominguez divided students into a House and Senate.
They wrote bills, worked through committees, and voted.
One proposed extra recess.
Another required their teacher, playing the president, to provide snacks every day.
Dominguez threatened to veto.
This story was produced with original reporting from Marilyn Odendahl for the Indiana Citizen.
This is Mike Clifford for Public News Service.
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