Six minutes of news from around the nation.

President Trump takes a new shot against Pope Leo; Tennesseans urge governor to halt the Carruthers execution for DNA tests; New research finds North Dakota keeps data center tax breaks hidden; Boosting visibility for queer older adults in Oregon.

TRANSCRIPT

The Public News Service daily newscast for May the 6th, 2026.

I'm Mike Clifford.

President Donald Trump renewed his criticism of Pope Leo, potentially complicating a fence-bending visit that Secretary of State Marco Rubio plans to make this week to the Vatican.

The AP notes in an interview with conservative commentator Hugh Hewitt, Trump said the first American-born pontiff is helping Iran and also making the world less safe with his comments about the importance of not treating immigrants with disrespect.

DAP adds Leo responded to Trump's latest criticism by calling out the U.S. president's misrepresentation of his views.

Speaking to reporters Tuesday, the Pope said the Catholic Church for years has spoken out against all nuclear weapons, so there is no doubt there.

Meantime, a group of death row exonerees and faith leaders in Tennessee is urging Governor Bill Lee to halt the execution of Tony Carruthers.

Carruthers is one of 42 people on the state's death row and was sentenced to death for allegedly murdering three people in 1994.

Stacey Rector with Tennesseans for Alternatives to the Death Penalty says there's untested DNA evidence that could point to another suspect.

She notes Carruthers has tried to get it tested for many years, but courts have repeatedly declined to review it.

She argues the Tennessee death penalty needs to be fair and accurate so that potentially innocent people aren't executed.

We're just simply saying to the governor, ask the courts to do this, ask the attorney general to allow this to move forward, let the testing occur before any execution happens.

Rector points out that ACLU attorneys are handling Carruthers litigation regarding the fingerprints and DNA testing.

Danielle Smith reporting.

And as North Dakota emerges as a high-growth hub for data centers, recent reporting shows the state is among at least 14 others that fail to disclose the amount of money these facilities save from tax breaks.

Supporters of data centers argue they're good for economic development, bringing high-paying jobs, tax revenue, and capital investment to communities, with many states giving special tax breaks to companies that build them.

But Kasia Tartinska with Good Jobs First says the industry continues to lack transparency and states like North Dakota are withholding how much money is going to tax breaks for these facilities.

Some states are doing a little bit better job than other states, but generally speaking, states in Midwest really need to step up and disclose way more information about data center subsidies because the transparency is quite poor.

Tartinska says in states that do provide annual incentives for local facilities, revenue losses are soaring with states are already losing a billion dollars or more per year.

I'm Judith Ruiz Branch reporting.

North Dakota lawmakers are working to regulate and manage the rapid growth of data centers.

There are currently 23 facilities in the state, according to the data center map, which tracks these developments across the U.S.

This is Public News Service.

Next to Oregon, where the only coalition focused on supporting older LGBTQ adults is moving from a fully volunteer endeavor to a more organized, fiscally sponsored effort thanks to a new partnership.

The Oregon LGBTQ plus aging coalition is collaborating with the nonprofit Age Plus to hire their first paid staff members and expand their reach.

Executive Director Brandy Penner says creating more visibility through research, education and advocacy is central to their work.

Especially when we're talking about health care settings, if you can't be completely open and honest with your health care providers about your entire life, that has dramatic health disparities and reduced outcomes for folks.

Penner says data on this population has been limited despite Oregon having the highest per capita LGBTQ plus population in the U.S.

The coalition helped create a statewide survey in 2021 that found older queer adults face economic and health disparities, along with social isolation and underreported abuse.

I'm Isobel Charle.

As small business owners across Georgia say tariffs and rising costs are pushing them to the breaking point.

Katrina Golden owns Little Mama Sweet Treats, a coffee shop and bakery inside the VA hospital in Augusta.

She says her costs have soared while her revenue has plummeted.

Long term, it's not sustainable for small business.

Just bottom line, it's not.

There's going to be a lot of, I mean, in the past year, there's been, in my area, there's been free bakeries that closed.

Golden says she used to make $600 a day at her coffee shop.

Now she's often below $300.

She's lost an employee who needed health benefits she couldn't provide.

She's working 12 to 14-hour days doing all the baking herself because she can't afford to hire help.

The Trump administration has defended terrorists as necessary to protect American manufacturing and reduce reliance on foreign supply chains.

Officials say the long-term benefits, including increased domestic production and job growth, will outweigh short-term disruptions for small businesses.

I'm Tramiel Gomes.

Finally, relief could be on the way for a program that helps Minnesotans struggling to pay certain utility bills.

The Minnesota legislature is considering a $15 million emergency aid package to bolster the state's energy assistance program.

It distributes federal funds to help eligible households cover their monthly heating and electricity costs.

Maggie Schubert, with the rule-centric nonprofit Cure, says the timing of the supplemental aid is important, with Minnesotans now behind on electricity natural gas bills by $145 million.

They're funds that address a really immediate need for people who are in crisis because they can't pay for their electricity or their eating bills.

Supporters say it would also extend coverage to cooling season.

I'm Mike Moen.

This is Mike Clifford for Public News Service.

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