Six minutes of news from around the nation.

After a new allegation, top Senate Democrats are ending support for Maine Senate candidate Graham Platner; Senators push package of bills to demand ICE out of Pennsylvania; Indiana law targets employers hiring undocumented workers; Beloved Georgia wildlife refuge at a crossroads.

TRANSCRIPT

The Public News Service, daily newscasts, July 7, 2026.

I'm Mike Clifford.

A new allegation of sexual assault has led top Democrats to abandon the candidacy of Maine Senate candidate Graham Plattner.

NBC News notes, Senate Democratic leaders in a joint statement said they would not support Plattner's campaign financially if he remains on the ballot.

In a joint statement, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and Senator Kirsten Gillibrand said the allegations reported today are incredibly disturbing.

Violence, abuse, and sexual assault are absolutely unacceptable.

Plattner denied the new allocation, but said in a video he is taking time to reflect on the best path forward.

Meantime, although the Supreme Court upheld birthright citizenship, many immigrants in Pennsylvania still face detention from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

In response, Pennsylvania lawmakers are supporting a package of bills to protect safety and civil rights.

Senator Lindsay Williams says the legislation protects sensitive spaces from ICE activities.

Williams says some of her constituents are fearful ICE could show up at the general elections in November.

Williams explains that she's a co-sponsor of Protecting Our Vote Act, a bill to prevent voter harassment and intimidation by ICE at voting locations.

It restricts all law enforcement from being within 100 feet of a voting location. both polls and ballot return sites for mail-in ballots, because being able to vote is a cornerstone of our democracy.

Support for this reporting was provided by Andrew Carnegie Foundation, formerly Carnegie Corporation of New York.

Danielle Smith reporting.

And Indiana's new Fairness Act gives the state authority to investigate businesses accused of no one hiring undocumented workers.

Our jewelry has more.

Supporters say it targets illegal employment, while opponents, including immigrant advocacy groups and some civil rights organizations, argue tougher enforcement could discourage people from reporting crimes or cooperating with police.

Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita says it's necessary for the state to take action on illegal immigration.

Illegal immigration is no longer just a federal issue.

The law creates penalties for employers that knowingly hire undocumented workers, while businesses that use the federal e-verify system or another approved work authorization verification program may qualify for a legal safe harbor.

Republican State Representative Jake Teshka of North Liberty explains the measure is meant to support legal immigration while improving coordination among all levels of government.

Indiana welcomes legal immigrants, but we are going to also expect that our laws be followed.

The bill strengthens cooperation between state and local and federal officials.

The new law is part of Indiana's latest package of legislation, which went into effect on July 1st.

This is Public News Service.

Environmental groups say tiny plastic pellets are increasingly showing up in U.S. waterways, where they threaten both wildlife and human health.

The pellets, also known as nurdles, are about the size of a lentil and serve as the foundational building blocks of plastic products.

They're often spilled in transit or released through permitted factory discharges.

Chelsea McDonald with the nonprofit Waterkeeper Alliance says a recent count by volunteers across the globe found more than one million.

These pellets are really just like a slow-motion oil spill into our waterways that aren't going away unless it's being cleaned up.

She says the fossil fuels needed to make plastic are a major driver of climate change.

Dark pellets in the environment have also been found to absorb more sunlight, leading to quicker snowmelt.

Volunteers found a minimal number of pellets in Maine, but warn plastic is increasingly being found in New England staples like oysters and mussels.

I'm Katherine Carley.

Next, in combating the opioid crisis, Minnesota is among the states that are trying to prolong recent success.

In Minnesota, opioid overdose deaths have fallen sharply from recent pandemic-era spikes, but rates are still higher than pre-COVID levels.

Dr. Karen Scott with the Foundation for Opioid Response Efforts says partners are still trying to get a handle on teens accessing counterfeit pills placed with fentanyl.

The foundation's recent grant awards emphasized groups that affected populations first turned to.

We really recognize a gap in funding opportunities for smaller organizations that are working at a very local level to address the overdose crisis in terms of prevention, harm reduction.

Forrest's new round of community grantees includes the Metro Youth Diversion Center in Minneapolis.

It'll update its culturally crafted curriculum in response to changing drug use trends while doing community outreach.

I'm Mike Moen.

Finally, the Okofinoki Swamp in Georgia is considered one of the most captivating wilderness areas left in the South.

Those who treasure it wonder about its future with needed support not in place.

The 400,000 acre swamp is a place with no roads, where alligators, bears, and birds live undisturbed.

Antoine Nixon grew up visiting the swamp on school field trips.

Now he takes others there on bike rides, boat tours, and camping trips.

Through his organization, sowing seeds outside the walls.

He's a pastor and community leader who says the swamp is a gift to be cared for, not just visited.

The Oaksinoki, to me, was like Eden in the Bible.

It was set aside, set off, something that God created.

And that man had a task to make sure that we steward it, which is to till it and take care of it.

Okefenokee supports sensitive species, including the eastern indigo snake, wood stork, and red cock-headed woodpecker.

I'm Tramiel Gomes.

This is Mike Clifford for Public News Service, member and listener supported.

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