Six minutes of news from around the nation.

The Gulf Coast readies for what is forecast to be the first hurricane of the Atlantic season, a new report finds energy costs expected to skyrocket in Texas over the next 15 years, and affordability remains top of mind for Connecticut, U.S. voters.

TRANSCRIPT

The Public News Service, Daily Newscast, October the 8th, 2026.

I'm Mike Clifford.

Forecasters now predict that Tropical Storm Sias, which formed Wednesday in the warm waters off eastern Mexico, will quickly strengthen into the first hurricane of the Atlantic season before striking the Gulf Coast later in the week.

Rogers notes communities in the storm's potential path move quickly to prepare with landfall forecast as soon as Friday evening.

Some Gulf oil companies paused production.

Governors in Florida and Alabama declared a state of emergency for dozens of counties.

By the way, as it moves inland, it might also disrupt Saturday's college football showdown between rivals Georgia and Alabama, a game President Trump planned to attend.

Meantime, folks in the Lone Star State can expect to pay more for energy and gasoline over the next 10 years.

The report from the nonpartisan think tank Energy Innovation says policy changes made by the Trump administration will slow clean energy deployment and increase consumer cost.

Robbie Orvis with the think tank says they use their energy policy simulator to project cost into 2035.

Calculations show Texas households will pay an additional $45 billion for energy.

Those energy cost increases are due in large part to expensive fossil fuel power plants and out-of-control gas and diesel prices.

Burning more fossil fuels also dramatically increases air pollution.

He adds the increased air pollution will make people sicker, increase health care costs, and lead to premature death.

Some key policy changes impacting all Americans include the passage of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, limiting renewable energy development and the cancellation of the EPA's Solar for All grant program.

I'm Freda Ross reporting.

And all across the nation, Americans keep saying they want elected officials to address affordability.

A new Navigator research poll finds 60 percent of Americans want President Donald Trump in Congress to focus on affordability and the cost of living.

Yet less than a quarter say that's been happening.

A separate Navigator poll finds groceries are the biggest strain on household budgets, causing some people to skip meals.

Chris Fleming with Americans for Affordability says people are struggling.

Everyone is talking about how expensive things are and how they're having to make choices on whether or not they're going to buy a certain meal for dinner or are they going to put gas in their car all the way.

While Trump and Republicans won the 2024 election on promises of affordability, the polls show Americans are at a breaking point after the federal megabill cut social programs and Trump's tariffs have caused everyday costs to fluctuate.

I'm Edwin J. Viera.

The polls also find more people trust Democrats and Republicans on the economy across the political spectrum.

And despite widespread support for Democrats' affordability agenda, only around 54% of respondents say they believe there's a chance it will be implemented in the next few years.

This is Public News Service.

As industrial agriculture opponents are calling for more regulations on confined animal feeding operations, also known as CAFOs, One group is working to help farmers transition to a sustainable mindset.

The TransFarmMation Project works with producers who are part of the industrial ag system, whether it be chickens or hogs, and help them move to less intensive practices.

Catherine Jernigan leads the initiative, and she describes her organization's efforts as a farmer-led movement dedicated to building a better food system, a movement that aims to make factory farming less of a force.

We exist to help them transition out of that way of farming and into farming something sustainably.

And that can look like farming mushrooms, farming fruits and vegetables, incorporating agritourism into their farm, any number of things.

One North Carolina farm used to raise half a million broiler chickens each year in four barns.

But the Transformation Project helped the family convert just one barn into a greenhouse to raise specialty mushrooms.

I'm Zamone Perez.

Analysis from the project estimates farmers can make operating incomes of over $100,000 by raising specialty crops.

Next, the National Council on Aging estimates online scams are costing Michigan families more than $2 billion a year.

This comes as artificial intelligence gives bad actors new tools to make fake content look real.

The council is part of the National United to Stop Online Scams campaign.

The coalition is pushing technology companies and lawmakers to do more to stop fraudulent ads, including on social media.

Ebony White with the council says consumers should be wary of unsolicited messages and unfamiliar links.

She warns that one of the biggest red flags is how an offer is presented.

Anytime they want you to respond under urgency or fear, they're trying to get you to move and do some kind of action off of your emotions.

And so pause, ask questions if you've got somebody, say, hey, what do you think about this?

Crystal Blair reporting.

And a new law going into effect in January will allow more Coloradans to convert the state's 300 days of sunshine a year into the power needed to operate dishwashers, microwaves and refrigerators, anything that runs on electricity.

Traditional rooftop solar panels are large and costly to install, but new plug-in solar panels are much cheaper and they're small enough to be mounted on balconies or patios.

Roger Horowitz with the non-profit Solar United Neighbors says this new technology will allow people who don't own their homes to cut their energy bills using solar for the first time.

And instead of needing to get permits, instead of needing the electric company to approve your system and to do a lot of paperwork, the thing with plug-in solar is you can take these solar panels and you can plug them into an outlet at your house and you can save money right away.

I'm Eric Galatas.

This is Mike Clifford for Public News Service.

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