Six minutes of news from around the nation.

Habba resigns as New Jersey's top U.S. prosecutor; Experts: Trump announces $12 billion in aid to farmers; EPA's proposal to weaken PFAS rules bad for the environment; New deadline for PA property tax and rent rebate comes soon; Rural resilience runs deep but crisis looms for WI schools.

TRANSCRIPT

The Public News Service Daily Newscast, December the 9th, 2025.

I'm Mike Clifford.

First, from the New York Times, Alina Haba resigned as US Attorney in New Jersey Monday, a week after a panel of federal judges ruled that she was serving in the position unlawfully.

Ms. Haba, a former personal lawyer to Trump, wrote on social media that she would become a special counsel to Attorney General Pam Bondi.

The Times also notes President Trump announced a $12 billion bailout package for farmers who had suffered as a result of trade policies.

Brooke Rollins, who's the Agriculture Secretary, acknowledged the farming sector was facing a crisis but sought to blame the Biden administration rather than the president's tariff policies, which prompted China to drastically cut its purchases of U.S. crops.

Next, the EPA is proposing new changes that experts say would weaken reporting and monitoring rules for toxic forever chemicals known as PFAS.

These thousands of synthetic chemicals are used in everything from nonstick cookware and waterproof clothing to firefighting foam and have been linked to cancers, thyroid disease, immune dysfunction and developmental harm in children.

Previously the Biden administration required all manufacturers using PFAS chemicals to report usage data by this year.

Betsy Sutherland with the Environmental Protection Network says the new changes would extend the timeline and offer exemptions to some companies.

And what this new rule does is say, no, we're going to give you at least another year.

And furthermore, we're going to exempt many of the people who would have had to report their PFAS use.

The Trump administration has also filed a motion to vacate portions of its 2024 rule setting drinking water limits for the chemicals, seeking to eliminate enforceable standards for four different types of PFAS.

I'm Freda Ross reporting.

And folks in Pennsylvania have been granted an extension until December 31st to apply for rebates on property taxes or rent paid in 2024, offering more time to claim financial leave.

To qualify, residents must have owned or rented a home in the state last year and have a a yearly salary of less than $46,520.

AARP Pennsylvania's Bill Johnston Walsh says the program supports older adults, 65 and up, widows and widowers over 50, and Pennsylvanians with disabilities 18 and older living on low or fixed incomes.

There's gonna be 175,000 more Pennsylvanians that are now eligible for this property tax and rent rebate program.

Last year, the program distributed over 522,000 rebates, totaling almost $320 million.

Danielle Smith reporting.

This is public news service.

Next to Wisconsin, where educators are shedding light on the unique dilemma rural school districts face as they work to meet a large portion of the state's student needs, despite significant funding and resource uncertainty.

The state recently announced significant funding cuts for more than 300 school districts across the state, many of which are rural.

Jeff Eide with the Wisconsin Rural Schools Alliance says more cuts only exacerbate ongoing staffing issues, federal funding uncertainty, and dwindling resources.

He says reduced funding and resources are forcing districts to make difficult choices.

We make decisions that have the best impact for kids and least impact on our school district in the end.

But that becomes just incredibly challenging we haven't received as much of the funding.

ID says Wisconsin's established revenue limits further compound matters by creating inequities between districts.

The majority of school districts in Wisconsin are considered rural and serve more than 40 percent of the state's 860,000 public school students.

I'm Judith Ruiz Branch reporting.

And Missouri's drinking water has an unlikely guardian, a tiny endangered fish found only in a cave system in Perryville.

The nearly matchstick-sized grotto sculpin depends on fragile underground streams, and the conservation fund stepped in just in time to protect its habitat by buying land at risk from St. Louis expansion.

Clint Miller with the conservation fund says protecting Missouri's rare cave systems isn't just about saving an endangered fish, it's also about protecting local drinking water.

The grotto sculpin is a bioindicator of the health of our environment, and in particular, in these cave systems, They are dependent on high water quality.

What happens on the surface of a cave really affects what goes on down below.

The property includes one of only two entrances to the Moore Cave System and is now managed by the Ozark Land Trust for Conservation and Education.

Other state and federal partners, private donors and the Land and Water Conservation Fund are all supporting the project.

Crystal Blair reporting.

Finally, scam artists rarely take a deal off, but they do shift to a higher gear during the holiday season and seniors are often their favorite target.

Whether they want you to give them cash or steal your identity, calling for a scam can be emotionally painful and expensive.

Erin Morgan with AARP Maryland says if you don't know who is calling you, be extra careful.

Usually the contact comes from out of the blue.

There's urgency connected to the contact and there's a demand for money.

So what we say at AARP is that people need to pause, reflect, and protect.

Morgan says con artists often use tricks, like problems with delivering a package.

Mark Richardson reporting.

This is Mike Clifford for Public News Service.

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