Politics and views in the United States.

The Senate moves forward with a foreign aid package. A North Carolina judge overturns an aged law penalizing released felons. And child protection groups call a Texas immigration policy traumatic for kids.

TRANSCRIPT

Welcome to 2024 Talks, where we're following our democracy in historic times.

Today, the Senate sends a unified message to the entire world.

America will always defend democracy in its hour of need.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer says he's pleased to see the chamber finally take up a major foreign aid package.

Congress looks poised to pass $60 billion for Ukraine, $26 billion for Israel, and $6 billion for Taiwan.

Also likely is a ban for TikTok in the U.S. unless Chinese owner ByteDance divests from it.

President Joe Biden says he'll sign the legislation.

The foreign aid continues to spark GOP infighting, as did demands for a bipartisan border compromise that died after objections from former President Donald Trump.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell says that led to months of work that ended up wasted.

First, it was an effort to make law, which requires you to deal with Democrats.

And then a number of our members thought it wasn't good enough.

And then our nominee for president didn't seem to want us to do anything at all.

Meanwhile, at Trump's criminal trial, former tabloid publisher David Pecker testified about catch-and-kill tactics the National Enquirer used to cover up bad news about the former president.

Pecker says they would pay for exclusive stories and then bury them.

He says they used that to hide Trump's affairs with porn star Stormy Daniels and Playboy model Karen McDougal.

A North Carolina judge says felons on post-release supervision can't be prosecuted for voting by mistake.

U.S. Judge Loretta Biggs says an 1877 state law is vague and allows district attorneys to pursue their personal agendas.

Jarvis Johnson with Forward Justice says the state needs to do more to tell people with criminal records about their rights.

As gracious as the state is in letting individuals know that they're not being able to vote, it would be just as gracious if they would let those individuals know that they could vote.

The U.S. Supreme Court is set for oral arguments on whether patients can access emergency abortions in states that ban it.

Idaho v.

United States could decide when a provider can perform medically necessary abortions under a federal law that allows emergency treatment.

Cleveland emergency room Dr. Polly Wiltz says right now patients with pregnancy complications are being denied routine OBGYN care because providers are confused and frightened.

Regarding pregnancy related complaints, I see first trimester pregnant patients every single day in my shift.

I have caught ectopic pregnancies that have ruptured.

While the Texas law allowing state and local police to arrest suspected migrants is mired in court challenges, groups are speaking out about the abusive impacts of Operation Lone Star on children.

Governor Greg Abbott is still busing migrant families to other states, but Robert Sanborn with Children at Risk says the state is knowingly traumatizing kids.

We never want children to be political pawns.

We don't want maximum chaos on the backs of children.

We want children to grow up and be assets for our community.

The city of Baltimore is accusing the owners of the Dolly and its crew of negligence in causing the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge.

I'm Edwin J. Vieira for Pacifica Network and Public News Service.

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