Six minutes of news from around the nation.

The Senate confirms Jay Clayton as the next Director of National Intelligence; utility costs strain American households; North Dakota mega dairy water deal faces opposition; and healthcare groups urge federal officials to address rising costs.

TRANSCRIPT

The Public News Service Daily Newscast, July the 29th, 2026.

I'm Mike Clifford.

The Senate Tuesday confirmed Jay Clayton to lead the nation's intelligence agencies in a party-line vote that CBS notes could be the key to unlock a path forward on key surveillance authority that lapsed more than six weeks ago.

The Senate vote was 51 to 47 to install Clayton as director of National Intelligence.

He replaces the man Trump appointed to the role temporarily, Bill Palti, a controversial housing official with no intelligence experience.

Meantime, rising electric bills are squeezing household budgets across Indiana.

Our Joe Ulori lets us know.

State data show residential electricity prices have climbed nearly 19% since 2023, and NIPSCO customers now pay the highest average electric bills among the state's investor-owned utilities.

Customer Hannah Raytre of Merrillville says that often leaves families making painful decisions.

I mean, I've got to choose my kids first.

We have to sit with no electricity so I can make sure they've got food and that's what I've got to do.

Raytre isn't alone.

Community leaders say they are hearing from more working families who have already cut back on energy use, upgraded appliances, or sought public assistance, but still struggle to keep up with higher monthly bills and avoid disconnection.

NIPSCO says it understands the impact of rising household costs and offers payment plans, energy assistance programs, and customer outreach to help customers manage their bills.

This story was produced with original reporting from Dylan Pierce McCoy for FPI News.

The nonprofit says it has helped about 20 families to avoid utility shutoffs this year.

Township officials also report families are requesting larger amounts of utility assistance as electric bills continue to climb.

And some folks in South Dakota are not happy with state regulators granting water use permission for Omega Dairy operation.

A petition challenges the North Dakota Department of Water Resources' approval of Riverview Dairy's water allotment for its 12,000-plus cal expansion in Abercrombie.

Attorney Katie Garvey with the Environmental Law and Policy Center says the operation will require a minimum of 500,000 gallons of water from a nearby aquifer to operate. a system she says that's already stressed at significantly lower usage levels.

They have their own water data that shows that the aquifer is declining, so if you take even more out of it, you're going to eventually run out of water.

The Wapiton Buried Valley Aquifer provides drinking and farming water to at least 11,000 local and neighboring residents in Minnesota.

Garvey says regulations require cities selling water to first meet the demands of existing customers.

The Department of Water Resources argues it's not responsible for the sale of the water and has asked an administrative judge to dismiss the petition.

I'm Judith Ruiz Branch reporting.

This is Public News Service.

Healthcare, affordability, and access are potential political flashpoints as we head to the midterm elections.

Health advocacy groups across the country, including those in Alaska, have called on policymakers to address rising costs.

Alaskans were already facing increased gas and energy prices even before changes to social service programs altered qualifications and costs.

Sarah Krug, a health care provider and mother of two children with developmental challenges in Anchorage, says she makes too much to qualify for services under new guidelines, but not enough to live without help.

Now she's having to make difficult choices for her family.

My autistic son can't afford to send him to occupational therapy anymore because even with private health insurance, it was going to cost $10,000 a year.

You know, you think twice about going to the doctor because it's hundreds of dollars a pop.

The Trump administration says it's reigning in federal spending across the board.

I'm Mark Moran.

And a new report finds online scams and cybercrime cost Michigan families more than $2.5 billion last year, or just over $650 per household.

Michigan's estimated scam losses jumped nearly 57 percent from 2024.

Consumer watchdogs say artificial intelligence is making scams more convincing while cryptocurrency fraud continues driving losses.

Ben Winters with the Consumer Federation of America says the actual cost is far higher than official reports suggest.

So we were able to take estimations from the Department of Justice, among others, and sort of come up with this conservative estimate that 14 percent of people are reporting, which is what the Bureau of Justice Statistics estimated.

Winter says if you receive an urgent message demanding money or personal information, pause before responding.

He recommends independently verifying phone numbers and email addresses.

Crystal Blair reporting.

Finally, California's new budget throws immigrant families on Medi-Cal a lifeline, but the state could do more to help, according to groups focused on child health.

Over the past few years, California extended full-scope Medi-Cal to undocumented people, and there were calls to roll it back in the face of massive cuts to the program passed by Republicans in Congress last summer.

Lisa Davis, with the Children's Partnership, praises California lawmakers for delaying state-level cuts until next year.

They're also delaying the start of Medi-Cal premiums for adults with unsatisfactory immigration status, and they're delaying the elimination of dental coverage until July 2027.

The new state budget requires the next governor's budget proposal to include a copay of between $30 and $50 a month for undocumented adults and certain other groups of immigrants ages 19 to 59.

I'm Suzanne Potter.

This is Mike Clifford for Public News Service.

Member and listener supported.

Find our trust indicators at publicnewsservice.org.