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🌡️Muggy and hot, with highs in the 90s and a chance of thunderstorms. Sunset is at 8:17 p.m.

In a late-night 51-to-48 vote, the U.S. Senate approved President Donald Trump’s request to take away about $9 billion that Congress had promised to international aid efforts and to public media. The bill passed narrowly in the House last month in a 214-212 vote, and now heads back there for a final approval of the Senate’s amendments. (A little perspective: since the start of the fiscal year in October 2024, the U.S. government has spent $318 billion more than it did in the same period last year, a 6% increase, according to the U.S. Department of Treasury.)

The cuts would affect local nonprofits, international aid organizations and public media — including us and our colleagues at smaller stations like WOMR in Provincetown. WOMR’s station director, John Braden, told GBH’s Adam Reilly he’s expecting to lose $120,000 of his annual $600,000 budget.

“We’re trying to lean into some of these revenue streams that we’ve talked about in the past but never really threw our shoulder into,” Braden said. “The idea of cutting any programming is really hard because we’re a pretty lean operation.”

We will keep you informed of the bill’s status. If you’re curious about how funding for public media works, you can find a quick video explaining it here.

Four Things to Know

1. Fall River will look to hire 15 to 20 more firefighters over the next two years after its department was understaffed (according to National Fire Protection Association standards) responding to a fatal fire at the Gabriel House assisted living facility this week, Mayor Paul Coogan said.

In the meantime, firefighters already on the job will likely work more overtime to make sure six of the city’s 10 firetrucks have four firefighters apiece during shifts. On Sunday only two trucks were fully staffed, with teams of three on the rest.

2. Massachusetts State Rep. John Lawn was arrested near the State House at about 1:45 a.m. Wednesday and charged with driving under the influence. Lawn, a Democrat from Watertown who has been a state representative since 2011, is accused of hitting a parked car and running stop signs.

Lawn’s lawyer released a statement apologizing later in the day. “I deeply regret and take full responsibility for my actions. What happened was completely unacceptable. I make no excuses. I am committed to taking the necessary steps to ensure that nothing like this ever happens again,” he said. “To my family, friends, and constituents, I have let you down, and for that I am deeply sorry.”

3. After a cable fell in a Blue Line Boston Harbor tunnel Wednesday morning, MBTA General Manager Phil Eng said workers will replace it over the next few nights. He also apologized to the 450 passengers who had to evacuate after the roughly 60-year-old cable fell.

“These are not the things that they expect, and we don’t expect that [this] is the level of service we want to provide,” Eng said. “In fact, these are the things [that explain] why the investment in our infrastructure — the need to accelerate work — is such a priority.”

4. Yesterday was the last day people calling the 988 suicide prevention hotline had the option to speak with dedicated crisis counselors for LGBTQ+ youth because of federal cuts to the service. In Massachusetts, about 580 people chose that option every month last year.

“Folks who are LGBTQ+ are already facing barriers to mental health care, [and] discrimination that they face in many different ways, and may not feel safe reaching out to other sources for support,” said Kathy Marchi, head of Samaritans, Inc. in Boston. “And that’s the difference; that their identity is acknowledged and recognized by having that option.”

Even in uncertain times, local farmers are focused on making produce affordable

We’d like to introduce you to farmers growing fresh produce within — and just beyond — Boston’s city limits, who are working to bring that food to the people who need it most.

At The Food Project’s greenhouse near Nubian Square, Boston farms manager Danielle Andrews and her staff, along with teenage volunteers, plant tomatoes, cucumbers, garlic and magda squash popular in Cape Verde.

“Growing food and getting food to your neighbors is something that is really easy for people to understand the deep value behind,” Andrews told GBH’s Boston Public Radio hosts Jim Braude and Margery Eagan yesterday.

The farm sells some of its produce and donates the rest, she said. People coming in to buy it often rely on Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits (formerly known as food stamps), and on a Massachusetts state-financed benefit called Healthy Incentives Program, which gives people who get SNAP benefits extra money every month to buy fresh produce, plants or seeds from local farms.

The amount has fluctuated over the years, from up to $80 depending on family size, to $20 last year, to $40 in Fiscal Year 2026.

“We’re really pleased that it’s back to $40, at least for this year, and we’re seeing a big increase in the use of HIP benefits in July versus June,” Andrews said.

Some farmers are also thinking of ways to bring more affordable produce to people who need it.

“We’ve been brainstorming ways that we can kind of go around that and help community members who are facing food insecurity,” said Michael Montuori, manager of Allandale Farm, based between Brookline and Boston.

People who buy their Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) boxes at $725 apiece for the season can donate more toward the cost of another share for someone in need.

“Every dollar really counts, so some people will donate $5, or $20, $100,” Montuori said.

Listen to the whole conversation here.