Politics and views in the United States.

President-elect Trump's new pick for Attorney General vows retribution at Justice Department, the Trump transition is refusing to allow FBI Cabinet nominee background checks, and Republicans begin the process to defund Planned Parenthood.

TRANSCRIPT

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

The investigators will be investigated because the deep state last term for President Trump, they were hiding in the shadows, but now they have a spotlight on them.

Former Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi is vowing retribution against Justice Department staff for investigations of President-elect Donald Trump.

A longtime Trump ally, Bondi has been tapped to lead that department, now that former Florida Congressman Matt Gaetz won't become U.S. Attorney General.

Bondi served as one of Trump's lawyers during his first impeachment.

Trump's transition committee is refusing to allow FBI background checks of cabinet nominees.

Democrat Amy Klobuchar is the senior senator from Minnesota.

We require these background checks of drug enforcement agents, first-time prosecutors for the federal government.

Why wouldn't we get these background checks for the most important job in the United States government?

She notes Republican senators have enough seats to approve nominees without Democratic votes.

But critics charge the lack of FBI vetting could help obscure issues like the sexual assault charge against Fox host and defense pick Pete Hegseth.

They also point to the repeating of pro-Kremlin conspiracy theories by the intelligence nominee, former fringe presidential candidate Tulsi Gabbard.

Meanwhile, civil rights groups say Trump's plan for mass deportations will have negative economic impacts nationwide.

Sarah Ebert with the ACLU of Arkansas says crucial state industries, such as meatpacking and agriculture, rely on migrants.

We're certainly talking about a rise in grocery costs.

And what we've seen in previous upticks in deportation has been inflation as well as labor costs.

The ACLU is encouraging recent immigrants to carry their legal documents with them and have an established relationship with an attorney.

The estimated 4 million mixed immigration status families could be forcibly separated.

Some Democratic state and city officials have vowed to resist the mass deportations, but Georgia Republican Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene says they risk losing federal funding.

They want to use this funding to harbor illegal criminal aliens.

Then, yeah, we're coming after their money, and they don't deserve a single penny of it.

Congressional Republicans say they will investigate federal funds awarded to health centers that also provide abortion.

Nicole Clegg with Planned Parenthood of Northern New England says defunding them would impact vital preventative care services.

We've had these intense fights before, and time and time again, the American public has stood up for Planned Parenthood and our rights.

We think they'll do the same again this time.

Clegg says appointment requests for long-term contraceptives are up more than 80 percent since the election.

The co-leaders of the new Department of Government Efficiency have vowed to cut $300 million earmarked for groups like Planned Parenthood.

They say pursue a progressive agenda.

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

Find our trust indicators at publicnewsservice.org.