Six minutes of news from around the nation.

Russia unleashes largest drone assault of war, setting government building ablaze; Michigan leaders warn of election security threats amid funding debate; TX researchers study potential effects of AI on health care; Chicago nonprofit sends books and hope to incarcerated women.

TRANSCRIPT

The Public News Service daily newscast for September the 8th, 2025.

I'm Mike Clifford.

Russia attacked Ukraine Sunday with the largest drone assault so far in the war, damaging a key building in the heavily guarded government district of the capital for the first time since the start of the full-scale invasion in 2022.

That from the New York Times.

A report Ukraine's air force said Russia launched 805 Iranian-designed exploding drones and decoys across the country.

It is the latest in a relentless offensive that has continued unabated despite the Trump administration's efforts to mediate peace talks.

Meantime, election security stakes are rising in Michigan.

While no votes have been proved compromised, state officials have warned about cyber vulnerabilities, bomb scares and even intimidation of local clerks.

Some argue federal support is key to keeping the system strong, but proposed cuts to the cybersecurity and infrastructure security agency known as CISA have raised new alarms.

Michigan Congresswoman Haley Stevens worked on cybersecurity at Homeland Security.

She says CISA has been key to protecting elections.

They have been great partners with our department of technology, our management and budget to stop ransomware, phishing attempts and to provide real-time threat sharing for election days in our state.

Supporters of the cuts argue states already have strong election systems in place and say too much federal involvement could bring red tape, shift control away from local officials or even create new vulnerabilities.

Crystal Blair reporting.

And researchers at the University of Texas at Austin are conducting studies to determine how artificial intelligence can be used to improve health care.

Researchers say medical professionals could use health AI to assist in diagnosing conditions and coming up with treatment options.

Principal investigator Matt Kammerkirch says the technology could be especially helpful for residents in rural areas and those who rely on safety net programs.

These are technologies that do allow for specialized decision support functions to be provided by technology as opposed to having to have a patient travel from a rural area to a bigger hospital in a major city, that there is this increased access to different information.

He says health AI could also be used to address high rates of chronic disease and poor health literacy in rural communities.

More than 200 medical professionals were contacted as part of the study to determine their willingness to use AI.

Kammakaruk says many are cautiously optimistic about the possibilities.

I'm Freda Ross reporting.

This is Public News Service.

Next up a bill to prohibit certain kinds of social online gambling in California is expected to get a vote this week.

Assembly Bill 831 would make it illegal to offer games like online poker that have a sweepstakes element meaning the game is always free but you can buy tokens to extend play.

Many large tribes with casinos like the San Manuel Nation support the bill and call the games unregulated online gambling.

But Eric Wright with the Kletzel Dehe Wintun Nation, a small rural tribe north of Sacramento, says the games are a mainstream legal form of entertainment.

ABA 31 is not about consumer protection.

It's about protecting the market share of a few wealthy gaming tribes at the expense of smaller non-gaming tribes.

Digital commerce like legal sweepstakes is one of a few viable economic paths we have.

This bill would close that door entirely on us.

The Cluseldehe Wintun Nation has a partnership with Virtual Gaming World which runs a well-known social gaming site called Chumba Casino.

I'm Suzanne Potter.

And a new report for the Pennsylvania Council of Children, Youth and Family Services addresses staffing challenges in Pennsylvania and the child welfare, juvenile justice and behavioral health systems.

High turnover has left many of these positions vacant, delaying critical services for thousands of children and families.

Amy Finn with Presley Ridge, which provides a variety of home, school and community-based services, served as co-chair of the work group that put together the report.

She says her organization has seen many staffing cuts since COVID-19 And there's a similar trend among the state's educators.

The services where we're going into the homes, we went from mostly staffed to about sometimes 50 percent staffed.

And that happened during COVID and it continued after COVID.

Danielle Smith reporting.

And from a church basement, volunteers with Chicago Books to Women in Prison sort through donations to send reading materials and hope to incarcerated women in Illinois.

Shelves overflow with donated books in more than 100 categories, ranging from mysteries to self-help guides, Bibles, and health publications.

Incarcerated women send letters to the organization requesting certain ones.

CBWP's board chair, Becca Greenstein, says asks often reflect urgent needs like medical information, resources on domestic violence, and parenting or GED guides.

Someone writes to us and they say, "I was just diagnosed with multiple sclerosis.

"Can you send me information about that?"

Yes, we can.

We can't send a doctor into that prison.

We can't improve the quality of the health care that people get, but yes, we can send you a book about AMEX.

I'm Judith Ruiz Branch Reporting.

This story produced with original reporting by Amy Franke Felici with Arts Midwest.

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

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