Six minutes of news from around the nation.

Senate votes to take up measure to force Trump to end Iran War; Massachusetts travelers brace for pricier summer flights, more delays at Logan; Montana voter registration ruling deemed 'big win' for youth vote; NYS proposal postpones electric school bus rollout.

TRANSCRIPT

The Public News Service daily newscast from May 20th, 2026.

I'm Mike Clifford.

Some would say it's been a long time coming.

The U.S. Senate on Tuesday agreed to take up a measure that would force President Donald Trump to end the war in Iran or win authorization from Congress to continue it after a handful of Republicans joined Democrats in pushing forward with a resolution the GOP has managed to block for months.

The New York Times notes Senator Bill Cassidy, the Louisiana Republican who lost his primary over the weekend after Trump targeted him for defeat, was the latest member of his party to switch his vote and side with Democrats in an effort to limit the president's war powers.

Meantime, as Massachusetts residents prepare for summer air travel, a new report reveals the U.S. airline industry had its worst on-time performance last year since 2014.

While most airline travelers have come to expect some minor delays, Department of Transportation data show one in 12 flights last year were late by an hour or more.

Teresa Murray with the Consumer Watchdog Public Interest Research Group says a shortage of air traffic controllers, government shutdowns that affected security lines, and even bad weather made travel conditions worse.

Cancellations were up.

Delays were up.

Tarmac delays when you're stuck on the tarmac for three hours or more, those were up.

Marie says on-time arrivals at Boston Logan International Airport were slightly below the national average.

She notes for the month of September alone, nearly 97% of early morning flights were on time, but that rate fell to less than 40% in the evening hours.

I'm Katherine Carley.

Flights have also been reduced due to congestion problems at major airports like O'Hare and Newark International.

And young voters are celebrating a court ruling allowing voter all-day registration on Election Day to continue in Montana.

A district judge blocked the state law that would have ended same-day voter registration at noon.

That means people can still register to vote as long as they're in line by the time polls close at 8 p.m.

Hannah Gale with Forward Montana calls it a big win, especially for young people who tend to move more often.

Every time you move, you need to re-register to vote at your current address.

So something might not align there if someone goes thinking they're registered to vote, but then the records don't match like the address they bring with them.

Being able to correct it same day is really important.

The Montana legislature passed the law in 2025, banning voter registration for federal races after 12 p.m. on Election Day.

Supporters say it's necessary to lessen the burden on election officials and ensure secure elections.

District Court Judge Adam Larson disagreed, calling Election Day registration a critical safeguard.

He issued a temporary injunction blocking the law from taking effect for the June 2nd primary election.

I'm Laura Hatch reporting.

This is Public News Service.

In New York, the state's electric school bus mandate faces a likely delay.

A new proposal in the state budget pushes back the original transition start from July 2027 to 2032, when it was initially supposed to be completed.

Some school districts claimed the initial time frame wasn't achievable, and rural lawmakers worry rural districts would struggle to keep to the deadline.

Deb Peck-Kelleher with the Alliance for Clean Energy New York says the delay doesn't make sense.

It's a transition with the expectation school districts will purchase one or two, and then slowly as they do their bus replacements in their normal schedule, they would replace their diesel buses with zero emission buses.

Various provisions and programs were in place to ensure districts wouldn't face too many barriers with the transition.

One involved waivers for individual districts to push back their efforts, and the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority offered resources to help school leaders develop a plan.

Along with these, the state set aside $500 million to aid planning work.

I'm Edwin J. Viera.

And as Illinois appears to be moving forward in adopting more restorative justice practices for juvenile offenses, youth advocates say it's going to take more than legislation to shift the system.

The Illinois House passed a bill last month that aims to reform the juvenile justice system by requiring both courts and states' attorneys to consider restorative justice participation prior to sentencing.

Michael Tsang, professor at the University of Illinois Chicago Law School, stresses the need to engage all juvenile court personnel about the benefits of options like mediation programs.

I don't think any legislation is going to result in real progress without further education.

We've got to educate judges in Illinois about what restorative justice is and exactly what it does.

Seng says restorative justice focuses on repairing harm, addressing trauma, and providing an alternative to traditional sentencing.

I'm Judith Ruiz Branch reporting.

Finally, kids in North Carolina and elsewhere are counting down the days until summer break, but their parents might feel a sense of dread.

More than half say they don't have access to a structured summer experience for their child, with cost as the top barrier.

Elizabeth Anderson of the North Carolina Center for Afterschool Programs says when school is out, parents prioritize enrichment opportunities for their kids, including arts, active play, and career-centric activities.

These are all the things that parents say they want for their kids in summer programs.

And the good news is that summer programs can deliver on that if a kid has access to them.

Cost and lack of access primarily affect low-income families, but Anderson says it's becoming more pressing for middle-class households, too.

I'm Mike Moen.

This is Mike Clifford for Public News Service.

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