Six minutes of news from around the nation.

Minnesota families are rattled by threat to cut federal aid for child care; WI families watch coverage costs spike as ACA tax credits expire; IN businesses face new data rules in 2026; EPA delays coal wastewater standards for power plants in MO; Cost-of-living concerns could influence Ohio's 2026 elections.

TRANSCRIPT

The Public News Service Daily Newscast, January the 2nd, 2026.

I'm Mike Clifford.

Minnesota daycare providers and parents are warning of severe consequences if federal health officials carry out plans to withhold funds for a program that makes child care affordable for thousands of families.

That from the New York Times.

They report the Department of Health and Human Services said on Tuesday it was freezing funds for all Minnesota child care centers that it was supporting under the program.

They cited concerns about fraud.

Daycare center owners said they could go out of business in a matter of weeks.

At the same time, parents said they feared the move could force them to quit jobs or put off studies so that they could care for their kids.

Meantime, the debate in Congress about whether to extend Affordable Care Act tax credits is unresolved.

So Wisconsin residents who buy their own insurance are expecting to face steep premium increases, raising concerns about affordability for families and for small businesses.

The enhanced tax credits have helped lower monthly premiums for anyone who purchases coverage through the ACA marketplace.

Unless Congress doesn't about, face, and renews the credits, as many as 110,000 Wisconsinites could lose their coverage if they decide they can't afford the price hike.

Small business owners say the uncertainty is already affecting hiring and long-term planning.

Mike Olinger co-owns OMCO, a marketing business based in Neenah.

He says providing health insurance has been one of his company's most difficult challenges.

Health care has been an extraordinary hurdle that we've had to overcome as a business, and it's one that we really still haven't been able to address in the way that we'd like to.

Olinger says he and his wife explored multiple options with insurance brokers, but were repeatedly told affordable plans weren't realistic for a small operation.

He says the company has struggled to attract workers who want and need employer-based insurance.

More than 313,000 Wisconsinites rely on ACA marketplace coverage, and policy groups estimate premiums could rise well over 100 percent on average without the tax credits.

Farah Siddiqui reporting.

Next to Indiana where consumers have new control over their personal data.

That with the Indiana Consumer Protection Act, which took effect Thursday after businesses had three years to prepare for the new regulations.

More from our Joe Uluri.

The law gives Hoosiers the right to see what data companies collect, correct it, delete it, or opt out of targeted ads and data sales.

It also requires companies to clearly explain those rights.

GOP Senator Liz Brown of Fort Wayne authored the bill.

We want to make sure that Indiana businesses have time to understand as they're growing, that this is what they're going to have to comply with, because this is a big lift.

I mean, I can't emphasize enough.

There is no consumer data privacy in the state of Indiana, and there's no consumer data privacy at the federal level.

Supporters say the law brings Indiana in line with other states.

Critics note it includes broad exemptions, including non-profits, government agencies, utilities, financial institutions, and health providers.

This is Public News Service.

In a move that affects coal-fired power plants in Missouri and nationwide, the EPA announced late on Christmas Eve it will delay tougher wastewater treatment standards.

The move has drawn criticism from environmental watchdogs.

The EPA estimates the stricter rules would cut wastewater pollution by more than 600 million pounds a year, reductions that are now being delayed.

Tom Smarr is an attorney with the environmental law firm, Earth Justice.

He says coal fire power plants have long been among the largest sources of toxic pollution in waterways, including arsenic, mercury and lead.

These are standards that EPA is supposed to require power plants to use state of the art technology to clean up this pollution or eliminate it altogether.

The EPA says the delay is intended to address concerns about electric grid reliability, rising electricity demand and affordability for consumers.

Environmental groups say they are reviewing the rule and plan to pursue legal challenges.

Crystal Blair reporting.

And 2026 is here.

The year brings a big jump in health insurance premiums for almost 90 percent of the 1.9 million people on covered California plans.

The state has allocated $190 million to help people afford their premiums, but that will only shield the lowest income families.

Ann Sunderland with the California Healthcare Foundation says many middle income families on covered California will see premiums rise by hundreds or even thousands of dollars a month.

Think of an individual making more than say $63,000 a year or a family of four earning more than $130,000.

They're returning to the days where they got no federal subsidies.

Those are the folks who might see their premium double or sometimes even more than double.

Covered California estimates that hundreds of thousands of residents will not be able to afford the increases and will drop coverage altogether.

I'm Suzanne Potter.

Finally the year 2000 marked the beginning of a correlation between people's education levels and voting patterns.

Def and Doug Sosnick with the global advisory firm, the Brunswick Group.

In last year's presidential election, Democrats carried 14 of the 15 most college-educated states, while the GOP captured 14 of the 15 least college-educated states.

Since then, Sostek says, many rural and blue-collar voters have faced stagnant wages, job insecurity, and loss of manufacturing jobs.

Up until through the 70s, we had a thriving middle class of non-college-educated people.

We've moved to this new era and the people who've been left behind are disproportionately non-college educated people.

Sostek says those voters hoped the GOP's proposed agenda would help them.

He adds those with college degrees typically vote in more elections than people with a high school education.

This is Mike Clifford for Public News Service.

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