Politics and views in the United States.

Mail-in ballots with envelope errors will not be included in the Pennsylvania Senate race recount, Trump taps celebrity doctor Mehmet Oz to oversee Medicare and Medicaid, and Senate Democrats want a vote on ending arms shipments to Israel.

TRANSCRIPT

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

This election and the incredible mandate that President Trump has and the support I have is a recognition that we need to shake things up.

Republican Pennsylvania Senator-elect David McCormick is looking past a recount, although current Democratic Senator Bob Casey has yet to concede.

The margin in the race is below half a percent, but Republicans are claiming victory now that the state Supreme Court ruled mail-in ballots with incorrectly dated envelopes can't be counted.

The GOP now has exactly the 218 seats it needs to lead the House, but a Southern California race is still too close to call.

Republican incumbent Michelle Steele trails Democrat Derek Tran by about 100 votes in a contest where the lead has flipped several times.

President-elect Trump has nominated former PA Senate candidate and celebrity doctor Mehmet Oz to lead the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

I'm not a politician.

I'm a surgeon.

And what surgeons do is tackle big problems by working with everybody.

The agency oversees health coverage for millions of older, poor, and disabled Americans.

Trump has also nominated Wall Street executive and campaign mega-donor Howard Lutnick as his next Commerce Secretary.

The Senate is expected to vote today on a resolution against arms sales to Israel, more than 40,000 Palestinians have been killed since Israel launched the war in Gaza.

Independent Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders says it's illegal to send weapons to any country violating human rights.

The United States of America is complicit in these atrocities.

That complicity must end, and that is what these resolutions are about.

The U.S. has provided Israel with more than $18 billion in aid over the past year.

Trump has vowed to begin mass deportations immediately on entering office, with help from the military.

Immigrants and groups that work with them are preparing with training that explains people's basic civil rights.

Antonio Serrano with the ACLU of Wyoming says he expects to see a significant increase in arrests.

Don't be like somebody who thinks, "Well, this is never going to happen to me."

We just want to teach people their rights so that way we can hopefully make folks feel a little more empowered.

Democratic state and city officials are saying they won't cooperate with the deportations.

Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey says state police will not help.

And Boston Mayor Michelle Wu says her administration will protect residents however possible.

That we are not cooperating with those efforts that actually threaten the safety of everyone by causing widespread fear and having large-scale economic impact.

And finally, New York prosecutors say they oppose any effort to dismiss Trump's hush money conviction, but will consider delaying sentencing until he finishes his second term.

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

Find our trust indicators at publicnewsservice.org.