Politics and views in the United States.

House Democrats want the Gaetz ethics report released. Trump's Energy Secretary pick could jeopardize the future of U.S. climate action, and Lara Trump could fill Marco Rubio's place in the Senate.

TRANSCRIPT

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

I think it was Justice Brandeis who once said that sunlight is the best disinfectant in a democracy.

Transparency is always the best course of action.

Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries says the House Ethics Committee should release its report on Attorney General pick Matt Gaetz.

The committee lost jurisdiction and shelved its sexual misconduct and illicit drug use investigation when the Florida congressman abruptly resigned his seat.

Leader Mike Johnson calls the report a rough draft, but several Republican senators say they want to see it before the narrowly divided chamber considers the nomination.

Government watchdogs are warning against President-elect Donald Trump expanding presidential power during his second term.

Supporters say voters gave him that mandate, but USC public policy professor Bill Resch says if Trump follows Project 2025, he will undermine democracy by putting loyalists in important independent positions.

Project 2025 puts into place principles such as loyalty, first and foremost, to the president as a criterion for placement into these agencies.

Trump is standing by his pick for defense secretary, veteran and Fox News commentator Pete Hegseth, who has been accused of sexual assault.

Trump has chosen Liberty Energy CEO and campaign donor Chris Wright to be his energy secretary.

Wright's nomination could fast-track Trump's plans to boost fossil fuel energy and end national climate policies.

But speaking in Brazil, President Joe Biden says climate change magnified storms hitting that nation and the Southeast U.S., adding clean energy is coming.

Some may seek to deny or delay the clean energy revolution that's underway in America, but nobody can reverse it.

Not when so many people, regardless of party or politics, are enjoying its benefits.

A Pennsylvania environmental group is one of many backing a soon-to-be-finalized global plastics treaty.

Almost all plastics are made with fossil fuels, and the southwestern part of the state is a fracking epicenter.

Sarah Martich with the Center for Coal Fuel Justice is urging the Biden-Harris administration to ratify the treaty before leaving office.

Right now, waste trade is such a huge issue, and the United States, as both a producer and a consumer of a lot of plastic goods, exports a lot of our plastic waste to other countries, and those other countries have more ambition in this treaty than we do.

South Dakota voted to maintain an abortion ban, though other factors may impact reproductive care in the state.

Kim Florin with the Justice Through Empowerment Network says they're watching federal policies on things like mailing abortion medication.

I'm feeling the panic from people who are in areas that maybe haven't experienced what we've experienced as far as barriers go.

But the reality is that we as a community can figure out how to take care of one another.

Ten states voted on abortion ballot measures, with South Dakota being one of three keeping its ban in place.

RNC co-chair and the president-elect's daughter-in-law, Laura Trump, is being eyed as the favorite to fill Florida Senator Marco Rubio's seat if he becomes secretary of state.

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

Find our trust indicators at publicnewsservice.org.