Six minutes of news from around the nation.

TSA workers get paid and major airports return to normal; More Texans using telehealth options to access reproductive care, and scholarship applications now open to Montana's Native students.

TRANSCRIPT

The Public News Service Daily Newscast, March 31, 2026.

I'm Mike Clifford.

Major U.S. airports have suffered massive disruptions for weeks after 50,000 TSA security workers went unpaid since mid-February say operations are now returning to normal.

Airports in Baltimore, Houston, New York, New Orleans, and Dallas, which have experienced massive delays in recent weeks, all reported very short lines Monday.

Reuters notes the standoff brought chaos and, in some cases, security lines topping four hours, the longest in the TSA's nearly 25-year history.

And President Trump Monday threatened to target Iran's energy infrastructure, including the country's desalination plants.

Such a move could have devastating impacts across the Water Star Middle East.

Meantime, despite Texas having one of the most restrictive abortion bans in the country, more than 41,000 residents had clinician-provided abortion in 2025.

That's an over 20 percent jump from 2024.

Isaac Meadow Zimit co-authored a study for the Gummacher Institute, which shows more pregnant people are using telehealth services to access the procedure.

It's very possible that as more people know about telehealth as an option, they are increasingly opting for care via telehealth in their own home.

That doesn't mean that many Texans aren't still traveling. many are, particularly for folks later in pregnancy or people who need or prefer procedural care.

Attorney General Ken Paxton has filed multiple lawsuits against California and New York challenging their shield laws, which allow in-state doctors to prescribe abortion medication to patients living in states with abortion bans.

I'm Freda Ross reporting.

And the Trump administration is sending signals it might halt billions of dollars in federal health payments to multiple states over claims of fraud, mirroring moves federal officials made against Minnesota.

The specific target is Medicaid.

The Trump administration recently warned it could withhold more than $2 billion in payments to Minnesota.

Those threats might disappear after new oversight plans from the state were approved.

However, KFF Health News reporting suggests these unprecedented threats still heighten concerns about harming patients who rely on Medicaid but aren't responsible for the fraud.

That includes Sumika Cherkanambi, a Lakeville resident with muscular dystrophy.

Of course, we support going after fraud, but this overly aggressive action is missing the point.

Other health policy experts say punitive measures against states often aren't effective in addressing fraud.

Despite those concerns, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Head Mehmet Oz says funding threats in Minnesota could be applied elsewhere, alleging high-dollar public benefit fraud in California, Florida, Maine, and New York.

I'm Mike Moen.

This story with original reporting by Bram Sable-Smith for KFF Health News.

This is Public News Service.

As National Social Worker Month comes to an end, child welfare advocates say that social workers in New York and across the nation have complex feelings about legal permanency.

A 2024 poll from the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption found 83 percent of child welfare workers agree all children are But more than a quarter said aging out of the foster care system is a more realistic pathway for older kids than finding a permanent family.

Rita Sorenen, president of the foundation, says misconceptions about finding permanent housing make it harder to achieve.

I think it's about the barriers that they believe exist so that there's not the kind of support for families to have these children come into their homes.

And so maybe you're creating a worse environment than keeping them in foster care and giving them the resources to age out.

The poll also showed 67 percent of workers felt they didn't have significant influence in helping kids find an adoptive family.

Contributing factors included legal barriers introduced by state and federal policies and large caseloads prohibiting child welfare workers from giving individual attention to each case.

I'm Edwin J. Viera.

Next, financial need is a top concern for Native students attending college, according to the American Indian College Fund.

Now, Indigenous learners can get help with those costs through college fund scholarships.

The group offers tuition money to tribal members and their descendants, with awards averaging $2,000 to $3,000.

Tiffany Gusbeth with the College Fund says the scholarships are focused on students attending tribal universities and colleges, or TCUs.

We support students at all academic levels, whether they are part-time, first-time entering, non-traditional students seeking various types of degree programs.

Montana has seven TCUs, and there are 34 across the country.

The application deadline is May 31st for awards that will be announced in July.

Last year, the college fund gave out $21 million in scholarships to more than 7,300 students.

I'm Laura Hatch reporting.

Finally, those who don't conform to society's traditional gender norms often face social exclusion and discrimination.

But today's Transgender Day of Visibility aims to reverse those negatives and instead celebrate the lives and contributions of trans people.

Created in 2010, the day is set aside to put the focus on narratives of empowerment over erasure.

Matteo Nevels with the Lavender Rights Project says transgender individuals have been pushed to society's margins, but like all others, deserve to be treated with respect, dignity, and equal rights.

He hopes one day a majority of people will move past their intolerance.

Actually seeing that we are people who work, people who have families, people who have kids, people who are artists and organizers and faith leaders and all the things a human being can be, the trans folks are also that as well.

I'm Roz Brown.

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

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