Six minutes of news from around the nation.

Newsom says he'll sue to keep Trump from sending California National Guard to Portland; Nonpartisan federal workers swept up in political feud; Rural libraries in ID struggle under state's book banning law; groups push for revamp of trade deal to protect jobs in PA.

TRANSCRIPT

The Public News Service Daily Newscast, October the 6th, 2025.

I'm Mike Clifford.

California Governor Gavin Newsom said Sunday he'll sue the White House over its efforts to send 300 California National Guard members to Portland after a federal judge Saturday blocked the president's attempt to federalize and deploy the Oregon National Guard.

That from ABC News.

Their report in the statement Newsom called the president's actions a breathtaking abuse of the law and power.

Newsom added the Trump administration is unapologetically attacking the rule of law itself and putting into action their dangerous words, ignoring court orders and treating judges even those appointed by Trump himself as political opponents.

And as Democrats and Republicans blame each other, labor leaders point out the dedication of federal workers including those who still have to show up without pay whenever a shutdown happens.

Mark Hotop is with the American Federation of Government Employees which represents nearly 20,000 federal workers in the upper Midwest.

He hopes the gridlock doesn't perpetuate the stereotype that his union's members are nothing more than bureaucrats.

We are dedicated civil service, we're dedicated to serving the American people, we're still human beings and Americans just the same.

Hotop says federal workers in this region are responsible for things like taking care of military veterans at VA hospitals and conducting food safety checks.

He says their commitment doesn't waver over different administrations.

I'm Mike Moen.

And this week is banned books week.

It comes at a time when the battle over free speech is on the rise across the country.

Libraries in Idaho and other states are at the center of this fight.

Book banning has increased in recent years, most often targeting works that include the LGBTQ community and people of color.

In Idaho, lawmakers passed House Bill 710 last year, which requires libraries to segrgate material deemed harmful to children or face legal action.

Sherry Schlein is director of the Donnelly Public Library in rural central Idaho.

She says book banning is hard on remote libraries like hers.

When the government puts constraints on what you can and cannot read, librarians have a difficult time doing their job effectively, especially rural and small libraries.

Donnelly Public Library joined a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of House Bill 710.

Authors and book publishers have also joined the suit.

Dan Novak is Associate General Counsel for Penguin Random House, which is part of the legal challenge.

He says Sheline's library had to go to absurd lengths to comply with the law.

Rather than risk enforcement, which would be incredibly punitive, the Donnelly Public Library cannot afford to even defend itself against an enforcement action, let alone pay penalties.

They decided to go adults only.

So kids aren't allowed inside.

And honestly, it's a tragedy.

Support for this reporting was provided by the Philanthropic Foundation, Carnegie Corporation of New York.

For Northern Rockies News Service, I'm Eric Teganoff.

This is public news service.

North America's largest trade deal is now under review.

Critics say is hurting states like Pennsylvania and their economy.

The U.S. Mexico Canada agreement, which replaced the North American Free Trade Agreement in 2020 covers more than 500 million people and about 30 percent of the global GDP.

Arthur Stimolis with the Trade Justice Education Fund says the PAC and its predecessor agreement have caused thousands of Pennsylvania jobs and roughly a million jobs across the nation, mostly sending them to Mexico.

Stimolis says his group wants the deal rewritten to protect American jobs and boost wages.

We're asking trade negotiators to prioritize stronger labor and environmental enforcement mechanisms, wage increases for manufacturing workers, and safeguards to ensure that a greater percentage of the goods traded under the deal are actually made in North America rather than in regions around the world with much weaker standards.

Danielle Smith reporting.

And the city of Athens has become the first in Ohio and one of the first 10 in the nation to earn the SolSmart Platinum designation, the highest recognition for local governments advancing solar energy.

The program, funded by the U.S. Department of Energy, honors communities making it faster, easier, and more affordable to go solar.

Athens Mayor Steve Patterson says their city has made it possible for residents to apply online for a rooftop or ground-mount solar permit and receive approval within 24 hours.

It was through SolSmart and their guidance that we were able to achieve that here in the city of Athens where I have a population of about 30,000.

We're in the heart of rural Appalachian, Ohio, and really trying to create an atmosphere where we're very forward thinking and environmentally conscious.

To reach platinum status, Athens implemented instant permitting, installed solar on city facilities, and created community partnerships through the Sustainable Ohio Public Energy Council, or SOPAC.

Farah Siddiqui reporting.

Finally, adults age 70 and older have the highest rate of firearm suicide of any age group according to new data from the TRACE spanning 15 years.

The study finds over 63,000 older Americans died by gun suicide from 2009 to 2023.

Oregon has one of the country's highest rates of firearm suicide, with nearly 1,400 such deaths.

Data journalist Erin Mendelson says this trend is driven partly by the nation's growing population of older adults, which has nearly doubled in 20 years.

He warns that without intervention, the problem will continue to worsen.

So we thought looking at the data and just starting from that point would be a good way to approach this subject that is often really challenging to discuss, even though it happens far more than I think many people realize.

I'm Isabel Charlay.

This is Mike Clifford for Public News Service.

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