Six minutes of news from around the nation.

Trump pressures journalist to accept doctored photo as real: 'Why don't you just say yes?' Head Start funding cuts threaten MA early childhood program success; FL tomato industry enters new era as U.S.-Mexico trade agreement ends; KY's federal preschool funding faces uncertain future.

Transcript

- The Public News Service Still Newscast May the 1st, 2025.

I'm Mike Clifford.

President Donald Trump lashed out at an ABC journalist in a tense TV interview to mark 100 days of his second term in office, in which among other confrontations, he angrily pushed correspondent Terry Moran to agree with him that a doctored photo was actually real, telling him, "Why don't you just say yes?"

That from The Guardian.

They report when Moran pointed out that the Supreme Court had ordered Garcia's return to the US and suggested Trump had the power to comply, Trump said, "I could," that contradicted weeks of his administration's insistence that he could not.

He added, "I'm not the one making this decision.

"We have lawyers that don't want to do this."

Next to Massachusetts, a state that meets most quality benchmark standards for early childhood education, that's according to a new report.

The National Institute for Early Education Research finds the state tops the national average for learning and development standards, class size, and teacher to student ratios, but senior director Steve Barnett says proposed cuts to federal Head Start programs serving more than 10,000 Massachusetts children will impact classrooms statewide.

These federal funding sources, if you pull them out, you're pulling the rug out from under many of the state early childhood systems.

He says there's no precedent for the state funding increase required to replace Head Start.

The Massachusetts Head Start Association says the loss would put more than 10,000 people out of work, including Head Start employees and parents without childcare.

I'm Catherine Karley.

And the Florida tomato industry is stepping up into uncharted territory following the termination of a decades-old trade agreement with Mexico, marking what growers hope will be a turning point in their fight for fair competition.

The US Department of Commerce's decision to end the 2019 tomato suspension agreement has been met with optimism from domestic producers, but the path forward remains uncertain as the market adjusts to the new trade realities.

Robert Gunther, who leads the Florida tomato exchange, frames the move as a necessary reset for protection from unfair competition.

This decision has been affirmed multiple times now by the US government in multiple administrations during the time period of this agreement that dumping has occurred, and thus there need to be penalties applied to the Mexican industry to ensure that the American tomato farmers can have a just and fair playing field.

If it stays the course, on July 14th, most Mexican tomatoes will face a 20.91 percent tariff after US growers lost half their market share since 1994, with imports surging 400 percent under the agreement.

Mexico plans to renegotiate while maintaining anti-dumping tariffs on pork and chicken, replicating its tomato deal strategy.

I'm Tramiel Gomes.

This is Public News Service.

The number of Kentucky kids enrolled in preschool increased in 2024, along with state spending per child.

That's according to new data from the National Institute for Early Education Research.

The Commonwealth spent around $6,500 per child during the last academic year, an increase of more than $800 from the prior year.

A study co-author and senior director at the Institute, Steve Barnett, says it's unrealistic to think states could replace cuts to Head Start funding amid the Trump administration's proposed freezes of federal grant funding.

Particularly replace it overnight if the program is suddenly defunded.

States are gonna have to step up and figure out what to do if that happens.

He adds if Head Start funding is eliminated, access to public preschool will decline in several states by more than 10 percentage points, and in some by 20.

Nadia Ramligan reporting.

And mental health counselors are focused on Nebraska's high rate of binge drinking, that during Alcohol Awareness Month, which just wrapped up.

Nebraska's binge drinking rate is among the highest in the nation, and the number of alcohol-related deaths is on the rise.

Alcohol was blamed for at least 720 fatalities in 2020, the latest year data were available.

Aileen Brady, CEO of Omaha-based Community Alliance, says alcohol abuse and addiction affects families and friendships, but can also lead to safety issues among employees who may be alcohol-dependent.

If their reactions are not as sharp, if they're not sleeping well, and if they're distracted with the sense of needing to have that drink, it's gonna affect their workplaces as well.

Brady adds alcohol and other substance abuse disorders affect at least 65 percent of Nebraskans seeking mental health treatment at Community Alliance.

Nationwide, the National Survey on Drug Use and Health says more than 224 million people, 12 and older, report having consumed alcohol during their lifetime.

I'm Mark Moran.

Finally, the unmistakable smell of hamburgers or steak on the outdoor grill will soon be making its way to your neighborhood.

With the weather warming up, people are reminded to avoid using harmful products to keep those grills clean.

Environmental experts say using chemical sprays to get rid of that grease and grime can create harmful emissions.

When that grill is fired up again, by releasing harmful gases into the air.

John O'Brien of GreenMaid's Cleaning suggests a different approach involving baking soda and vinegar.

Get started, he says, remove food debris using a brush that doesn't contain microplastics.

Then get together a healthy mix in a spray bottle.

Do equal parts white vinegar, equal parts water, and just kind of spray it down and let it soak.

Lastly, sprinkle on some baking soda to make the scrubbing part easier.

Not only does this protect natural resources, health officials say it also prevents chemicals from getting into the food you prepare.

I'm Mike Moen.

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

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