Politics and views in the United States.

A bipartisan move to stop stock trading by members of Congress stalls, several of Trump's potential VPs refuse to say they'll accept any election results, and a Virginia school board restores the names of Confederate leaders to schools.

TRANSCRIPT

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

Americans are frustrated with Congress because too many members are personally trading stock and because there are more lobbyists around here than legislators.

California Democrat Ro Khanna says Congress is the wrong place to make a killing in the markets.

A bipartisan group in the House says they're frustrated by all recent speakers' refusals to bring a bill banning members from trading stocks to a vote.

While specific evidence of insider trading is rare, lawmakers' returns are unreasonably high, and analysts say a fifth of members own stock in industries they regulate.

A Biden administration report says Israel's use of American-made weapons in Gaza likely violated international civilian protection laws, but it also says wartime conditions make it difficult to link specific weapons to specific attacks.

New York Democrat Gregory Meeks says he supports President Joe Biden's decision to put a pause on some weapons shipments.

You can't go after 10, 20, or a brigade of Hamas and kill thousands of innocent people.

There's gotta be a better way of doing it.

Meanwhile, some House Republicans say they're drawing up articles of impeachment against the president over the weapons hold.

South Carolina's Nancy Mace says she's not sure when a vote would take place, but that Biden's policies won't bring an end to the war.

This fight in the Middle East, this is about good versus evil, and Joe Biden needs to pick a side.

Several of former President Donald Trump's potential running mates are refusing to say if they'll accept the outcome of this year's election.

South Carolina Senator Tim Scott and New York Congresswoman Elise Stefanik have dodged the question, pointing to what they call irregularities in 2020.

Ohio Senator J.D. Vance says he could support disputing the results this time.

If you think there were problems, you have to be willing to pursue those problems and try to prosecute case, and certainly if we have a free and fair election, I'll accept the results.

Vance previously said he would have helped Trump overturn the 2020 election by voting for slates of fake electors when the Senate certified the winning president.

Congress has since updated the Electoral Count Act to clarify that the vice president can't choose who to certify.

A Virginia school board has voted to restore the names of Confederate military leaders to two local schools, four years after they were removed in response to the Black Lives Matter movement.

The Shenandoah County board members say popular sentiment and due process were not considered when the names were changed.

Eighth grade student, Aaliyah Ogle, says she wouldn't be proud to graduate from a school named after Stonewall Jackson.

That makes me feel like I'm disrespecting my ancestors and going against what my family and I believe, which is that we should all be treated equally and that slavery was cruel and an awful thing.

I'm Katherine Carley for Pacifica Network and Public News Service.

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