Politics and views in the United States.

The special counsel wants to drop the January 6 charges against President-elect Trump. U.S. officials hint at a ceasefire in Lebanon, and Trump's pick for 'border czar' warns states that are promising to fight strict immigration policies.

TRANSCRIPT

(chattering)

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

This is off of the worry list for Donald Trump.

Unless there's some strange situation where they would try to refile, I think that would be very unlikely at the end of the presidential term.

Loyola Marymount Law Professor Jessica Levinson says President-elect Donald Trump has one last criminal case to worry about.

On Monday, Special Counsel Jack Smith moved to drop federal election subversion charges, citing the Justice Department's policy against prosecuting a sitting president.

If approved by a federal judge, Trump would no longer face four felony counts for his efforts to overturn the 2020 election.

U.S. officials say a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon is close, but State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller says it's not done yet, especially given how their parallel work for a hostage release Gaza deal has been repeatedly frustrated.

Many times when we thought we were gonna be getting to yes in both cases, and for various reasons, the parties didn't get there.

Nothing's final until everything is final.

Democratic Illinois Senator Tammy Duckworth says Trump's pick, former Fox News host and Iraq and Afghanistan vet Pete Hegseth, is unfit to run the Pentagon.

We're talking about an organization that is three million servicemen and women and civilians and a budget of over $900 billion.

He does not have the experience to run an organization of that size.

Trump's chosen border czar, Tom Homan, tells Fox News nearly all of the migrants seeking asylum don't qualify.

Right now, nine out of 10 people who claim asylum at our border will end up with an order of removal 'cause they simply don't qualify for asylum.

Homan says the administration will cut federal funding to states that refuse to cooperate with strict border policies.

Officials in California, Illinois, Arizona, and New Mexico have pledged to push back against mass deportation plans.

Accepting a National Press Club honor, Axios CEO, Jim VandeHei, gave a strong defense of independent journalism and a harsh criticism to ex's owner and Trump ally, Elon Musk.

Everything we do is under fire.

Elon Musk sits on Twitter every day or ex today saying like, "We are the media.

"You are the media."

My message to Elon Musk is bull (beep) You're not the media.

Members of the LGBTQ+ community are bracing for what a second Trump presidency could mean for their safety and rights.

The Trevor Project's Zach Eisenstein says following election day, they saw a 700 percent increase in calls, texts, and chats, but he says the community is resilient.

Throughout our history, our community has had to fight for our rights and we will continue to do so just as we always have.

Eisenstein says they've developed a new guide to help folks navigate the challenging times.

It stresses taking time to disconnect and prioritize mental health, along with finding community and getting involved in local organizations.

I'm Alex Gonzalez for Pacific Network and Public News Service Find our trust indicators at publicnewsservice.org.