Six minutes of news from around the nation.

A Florida grand jury finds the DeSantis administration ‘misappropriated’ funds from Medicaid settlement, Texas lawmakers urged to address the rising cost of childcare, and anti-war groups decry a record $1.5 trillion Pentagon budget request.

TRANSCRIPT

The Public News Service, Daily Newscast, August 31st, 2026.

I'm Mike Clifford.

U.S. Central Command said that Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps forces have been observed preparing to launch rockets armed with mines from Larik Island into the waters surrounding the strait, a vital shipping waterway for oil and gas.

The New York Times notes the attack on the pair of rocket launchers was the first by the U.S. against Iran in a month.

It appeared to be limited rather than a resumption of large-scale American bombing.

But Iran vowed it would retaliate, raising the risk of renewed military strikes by both sides.

Meantime, the Trump administration is capping the length of time international students can legally remain in the U.S. and the declines in their enrollment could spell disaster for colleges and universities, especially in Massachusetts.

Starting September 15th, students with F-1 and J-1 visas will face a strict four-year limit and a reduced grace period of 30 days to leave the country.

Abigail Boggs, assistant professor of sociology and education studies at Wesleyan University, says while they can apply for an extension, the uncertainty is already keeping students away.

Every time there's a chance of being rejected again.

That's a scary prospect for someone investing a lifetime and a lot of money in their education.

A projected 111,000 fewer international students are expected in the U.S. this fall, a more than 9% drop in enrollment compared to the previous year.

Boggs says many of these students teach undergraduate courses and most pay full tuition, helping in-state students to pay less.

Support for this reporting was provided by Lumina Foundation.

I'm Katherine Carley.

More than 82,000 international students attended schools in Massachusetts last year that make up roughly 40% of the student population at Northeastern University and nearly 30% at MIT.

And as folks in Virginia prepare to cast ballots in this year's midterm election, candidates and health care advocates are calling on Republicans to rescind cuts to Medicaid and the Enhanced Affordable Care Act tax credits.

Last year, Republicans in Congress passed H.R. 1, which cuts $1 trillion in Medicaid spending over the next decade.

With those cuts, the Virginia Joint Commission on Healthcare estimates 13 of 36 rural hospitals in the Commonwealth are at risk of closure.

Former Congressman Tom Perriello is running for his seat in Virginia's 5th Congressional District.

He explains that facility closures in rural areas will inevitably affect urban healthcare systems too.

Where do you think those patients are going?

are coming to Charlottesville and to Lynchburg, where we then have longer wait lines.

We have a larger number of uncompensated care.

And you think the insurance companies take the loss?

No, they pass it on to the rest of us.

Republicans in Congress argued the ACA tax credits were only supposed to be temporary, and their laps saved billions of taxpayer dollars.

I'm Zamone Perez.

This is Public News Service.

As Missouri students head back to class, schools may soon have a new option aimed at keeping them safe.

A recently passed state law creates specially trained school security personnel known as Missouri Rangers.

The Missouri Peace Officer Standards and Training Commission is developing the program.

Schools will not be required to participate and Rangers can be paid or serve as volunteers.

State Senator David Gregory, who sponsored the legislation, says the training will focus on key questions during a school emergency, including how to respond to a threat and safely enter a building.

He shared other critical pieces of the training for an active shooter response.

What type of technology do you have to track an active shooter?

What types of training do teachers have to communicate with law enforcement while they're in lockdown in their classrooms?

All these things are what rangers are going to be specialized in.

Critics of the program argue that more guns in school could increase risk, Risto Blair reporting. and a new national poll finds 75% of Americans would oppose a data center near their home.

That is a dramatic swing from roughly even support a year ago.

The Heatmap Pro poll of more than 2,000 voters found the shift across age, gender, income, party, and geography.

In Georgia, where more than 80 data centers have been proposed or built, the backlash is now a central issue.

Amy Sharma is executive director of Signs for Georgia, which tracks the facilities statewide.

She says there's a reason for the growing opposition.

These deals are all done in secret and then they just show up in the city council and the Economic Development Authority has been negotiating in secret for like 18 months.

And then they're like, surprise, here it is.

And that is just pissing people off.

The poll finds opposition to data centers spans party lines with Republicans opposing them by 43 points.

I'm Tramiel Gomes.

Finally, as early as next year, Texas college students could start earning a degree in three years.

The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board is working on a statewide plan for all public universities to offer accelerated 90 credit hour degree programs.

Governor Greg Abbott says the option would allow students to save thousands of dollars in tuition and living expenses and get into the workforce sooner.

There's high demand for more college educated and trained students to go directly into the workforce.

This will assist to make sure they're graduating more of these highly qualified and skilled and trained students who are ready on day one.

A report from Lumina Foundation in Gallup shows 23% of Americans think college is too expensive and doesn't align with needs of the workforce.

Freda Ross reporting.

This is Mike Clifford.

Thank you for starting a week with Public News Service.

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