Many Schools Will Remain Closed this Fall
There are about 1,000 public school districts in California. And Tony Thurmond, the state’s top education official is acknowledging pandemic conditions have deteriorated to a point where many of them won’t have students physically present in classrooms this fall.
Reporter: Vanessa Rancaño, KQED
Mineral Fire Grows to 16,500 Acres
Dozens of people are now under an evacuation order due to the Mineral Fire in Fresno County that has burned 16,500 acres and is 20% contained. More than 500 firefighters are on the scene. No injuries have been reported.
Reporter: Alex Hall, KQED
Trump Reverses Visa Decision, Allowing International Students to Stay
After intense blowback, the Trump Administration told a federal judge on Tuesday that it’s withdrawing a plan to strip international students of their visas if they’re enrolled only in online college classes this fall because of the pandemic.
Reporter: Adolfo Guzman-Lopez, KPCC
California Sues Trump Administration Over Student Loan Relief
The state of California filed a lawsuit yesterday against the Trump Administration eliminating the Obama-era “borrower defense” rule, which provides loan relief for students defrauded by for-profit universities.
Reporter: Julie Chang, KQED
Environmentalists Fight to List the Joshua Tree as Endangered
The Joshua Tree is now at the center of a growing political dispute. Environmentalists want the state to add it to California’s endangered species list, but many property owners and desert communities are against that, saying it could hobble new development.
Guest: Brenden Cummings: Conservation Director, Center for Biological Diversity
Despite SCOTUS Ruling, New DACA Applicants Face Uncertainty
The U.S. Supreme Court ruled last month the Trump administration unlawfully ended a program that protects undocumented immigrants brought to the U.S. as children. And that means hundreds of thousands of people nationwide are now eligible to apply for the first time for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals or DACA. But the federal agency handling those applications so far isn’t giving any clarity to those young people.
Reporter: Farida Jhabvala Romero, KQED