Six minutes of news from around the nation.

Crypto enriched President Trump by 2 billion dollars, but those who invested in his meme coin did not fare as well; DOJ sues Massachusetts to block in-state tuition, aid for undocumented students; Portland underscores inclusion with a park honoring a local drag queen; U.S. Supreme Court upholds West Virginia transgender athlete ban.

TRANSCRIPT

The Public News Service Daily Newscast, July 2, 2026.

I'm Mike Clifford.

According to a 900-plus page financial disclosure report, crypto has been very, very good for President Donald Trump.

The New York Times notes a large chunk of the $2 billion haul President Trump took in last year came as hundreds of thousands of his fans and other investors bet on a speculative Trump cryptocurrency, hoping his father would soar with his return to the White House.

They note while Trump amassed an eye-popping $636 million from the cryptocurrency, known as a memcoin, many of his followers who heeded his call to purchase the coin came out as losers.

Meantime, the Department of Justice is suing Massachusetts to prevent undocumented students from accessing in-state tuition rates at public colleges and universities.

The lawsuit targets the state's tuition equity law, which ensures immigrants, regardless of their legal status, pay the same tuition as other residents and can access financial aid.

Sarang Sekabat with the Massachusetts Immigrant and Refugee Advocacy Coalition says the law has had a positive impact on both immigrant youth and the state as a whole.

We're increasing our knowledge base in the state.

We're improving our labor force.

We're increasing our tax base by doing things like this.

The DOJ argues the law unconstitutionally discriminates against U.S. citizens and creates incentives for illegal immigration.

Sekovat says the law was created to ensure equal treatment for all students, including those who've grown up in Massachusetts but didn't have the same opportunities as their peers.

I'm Katherine Carley.

More than 12,000 undocumented students are currently enrolled in Massachusetts public colleges and universities.

An estimated 1,000 undocumented students graduate in the state each year.

And while much of the country is scrubbing language about diversity, equity, and inclusion for their budgets, Portland, Oregon is doubling down on creating welcoming spaces for all.

The city just opened one of the first public parks in the country named after a drag queen, Darcella 15 Plaza, honoring the iconic performer who passed in 2023.

Kevin Cook, also known as Poison Waters, is a well-known drag performer who has lived in Portland for almost 50 years.

He says while the national political climate has turned against rights in many ways, including the Supreme Court's recent ruling against trans athletes, Portland will not be deterred.

We're going to keep pushing forward on our own path and we're going to celebrate diversity and acceptance.

We're going to celebrate the art of drag.

We're going to celebrate the trans community.

And Portland has always been a safe space for us all to do that.

The new park spans a full city block and will host various events throughout the summer, which organizers have named the Summer of Love.

Summer festivities include a mass wedding during Pride Weekend on July 18th, officiated by Poison Waters.

I'm Isobel Charle.

Sydney Mead with downtown Portland Clean and Safe says the pandemic was very hard on Portland as it was in other places, and the city is re-emerging and welcoming people back to downtown.

This is Public News Service.

As you may have heard, the U.S. Supreme Court has upheld West Virginia and Idaho's bans on transgender athletes, allowing more than two dozen states to keep similar policies in place.

The court ruled these bans are consistent with Title IX and the Federal Equal Protection Clause.

It comes almost a year after the high court upheld Tennessee's law banning the use of puberty blockers and hormone therapy by transgender teens.

J.G. Loving with the Genders and Sexualities Alliance Network says this deprives trans kids of valuable experiences.

Cases like this try to create moral panic, but what they're actually doing is threatening the entire next generation's access to a full school experience, a full sports and physical exercise experience. experience because we know sports are not just an exclusive experience for athletes.

Data from the Movement Advancement Project finds 50 percent of transgender youth from ages 13 to 17 live in states with laws banning them from participating in sports consistent with their gender identity.

The court's ruling only impacts the 27 states that already have active bans.

I'm Edwin J. Viera.

And big trucks and SUVs are contributing to a sharp rise in pedestrian deaths which have gone up 75 percent since 2009 in California and across the country.

That's according to a new investigation from the New York Times.

The Times found that about 3,000 pedestrians killed between 2016 and 2024 would be alive today if cars hadn't increased in size in recent years.

Joe Young with the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety says their research shows larger cars carry a greater risk.

Getting traditional passenger vehicle versus a taller, very blunt front end like you'd see in many of the modern pickups, there was about a 44% increase in the likelihood of a fatality.

These days, the hoods on SUVs and trucks are so high that people are thrown down into the path of the vehicle and get run over, causing much greater injury.

I'm Suzanne Potter.

Finally, a pilot program in North Carolina studied how focusing on non-medical intervention could impact residents' health.

A report from the Shep Center at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, shows the Healthy Opportunities Pilot Program, or HOP, took place in 33 counties across the state.

Participants were Medicaid recipients who had at least two chronic conditions, ranging from food insecurity to homelessness.

Katie Huber at the Duke Margulis Institute for Health Policy says HOP connected clients with community-based services to address their chronic I think there's about 29 different services that can be offered, but really ranging from anything from a food box with healthy fruits and vegetables to car repairs or rides to job interview, assistance with first month's rent and security deposit to kind of get into housing.

I'm Freda Ross reporting.

This is Mike Clifford for Public News Service.

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