Six minutes of news from around the nation.

7 dead and at least 36 injured after a bloody weekend in Chicago; Immunization debate continues as Utahns battle measles outbreak: Civic groups raise privacy concerns over Ohio absentee voter ID bill: Pennsylvania LGBTQ+ groups amplify trans voices for Pride Month.

TRANSCRIPT

The Public News Service daily newscast June the 22nd, 2026.

I'm Mike Clifford.

It was a violent weekend in Chicago with seven deaths and 38 injuries since Friday evening.

Preliminary information shared by the Chicago PD indicate there have been at least two dozen shooting incidents since 5 p.m. on Friday.

Trump posting on social media, why isn't Governor Pritzker calling me for help, I could make Chicago a safe city in one month, in one year, it would be one of the safest.

So far, the office of Governor Pritzker did not respond to the post.

National Guard troops have been deployed on crime-fighting missions in cities led by Democrats.

The AP notes, finally, crime rates have generally dropped in the city over the past few years in parallel with national trends.

Meantime, a long-running measles outbreak in Utah and Northern Arizona has infected more than 950 confirmed patients since August.

AFF Health News reports that public health officials have shifted from trying to contain the virus to slowing its spread, saying that falling vaccination rates have made containment harder.

Utah State epidemiologist Alicia Nolan says the number of infections had been closely tied to the rate of vaccination.

We know that from school records that our rural schools tend to have less vaccine uptake than our urban schools.

I am worried that it is going to sort of flare back up as school starts again and also as cool weather comes in.

Nolan says measles is one of the world's most contagious diseases causing pneumonia, brain damage, deafness and death, particularly among infants, newborns and people with weakened immune systems.

She says the state reached a critical point early this year with measles found in every Utah health jurisdiction.

I'm Mark Richardson.

The Utah outbreak comes as measles cases rise nationally.

U.S. cases topped 2,000 last year for the first time since 1992.

And civic groups in Ohio urging Governor Mike DeWine to veto a bill requiring absentee voters to provide a photo ID.

Residents would mail a copy of their driver's license or state ID card when requesting a ballot or upload a photo of their ID and face to a new online portal that the state would create before the general election next year.

Jen Miller, executive director of the League of Women Voters of Ohio, says not only does it create challenges for seniors and people with disabilities, but the very workers who keep our elections secure.

This is a massive change to election law, and it's also an unfunded mandate.

It's going to increase the costs to run elections for local government.

Critics argue an online portal containing images of voters' faces raises privacy concerns and that mailing personal information in specially marked envelopes increases the risk of fraud.

Republican lawmakers say the bill is needed to improve election integrity and align absentee and in-person voter requirements.

I'm Katherine Carley.

This is Public News Service.

An amendment to the massive federal transportation bill currently in the House would leave ride share companies like Uber and Lyft immune to charges filed against their drivers in cases of sexual assault.

That's according to nearly 300 lawmakers in Washington and across the country who signed on to a letter opposing the change.

Part of the Build America 250 Act, the amendment would raise the legal burden of proof for holding rideshare platforms liable for harm.

State Representative Jamila Taylor from South King County says the onus needs to be on the companies to provide a safe experience for riders and drivers.

Just like when I'm going into a grocery store, I'm expecting to not have to walk on a floor that is full of water and slip and fall.

I'm expecting the door to not hire someone who is going to harm me as I'm just trying to buy my grocery.

The letter cite proponents of the amendment say it's designed to stop abusive litigation and insurance costs.

I'm Isobel Charle.

And New York City is working to approve public Meetings, the city's Civic Engagement Commission and several good government groups created the Better Public Meetings NYC initiative.

It examines the best ways to make community board public meetings more inclusive, productive, and transparent for city residents.

Matt Leninger with the National Civic League describes what this work entails.

Part of what we want to be able to do is help community boards learn more from each other.

What kinds of practices have they used?

What kinds of ways have they recruited people to come to meetings?

How have they engaged people online or off people who may never come to a meeting at all, but still have ideas or interests or questions they want aired.

This portion of the work also includes a digital civic engagement scorecard so residents can evaluate and provide feedback on public meetings.

A pilot program could begin later this year across many more New York City public meetings.

I'm Edwin J. Viera.

Support for this reporting was provided by the Andrew Carnegie Foundation, formerly Carnegie Corporation of New And finally, an Emmy-nominated Montana filmmaker is breaking his no-politics policy to help protect public lands.

Wildlife filmmaker Casey Anderson has spent his career filming grizzly bears and other animals in the wild.

He's hosted shows for Nat Geo Wild and the Discovery Channel and is now in an ad campaign called Vote Like Your Lands Depend On It.

He says he's kept politics out of his work for three decades, but now feels it's time to speak up.

Lately, it seems like public lands are under attack more than they've ever been in my entire life.

And I have this platform and at some level responsibility.

Anderson urges voters to research candidates and elected leaders and ask them how they're supporting public lands ahead of November's election.

In a University of Montana survey this spring, 84% of Montana voters said the sale or transfer of national public lands should be banned.

I'm Laura Hatch reporting.

This is Mike Clifford.

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