Politics and views in the United States.

Marjorie Taylor-Greene condemns remarks by a right-wing activist, immigrants to Ohio spark conspiracy theories and heated campaign controversies, and the Children's Defense Fund pushes for more attention to child poverty.

TRANSCRIPT

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

Her rhetoric and her tone does not match the base, does not match MAGA, does not match West Republicans, I know.

And I'm completely denouncing it.

I'm over it.

And I would encourage anyone else that matches her statements to stop.

Right-wing Georgia Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene calls a social media post by right-wing activist Laura Loomer extremely racist.

Loomer wrote that if Vice President Kamala Harris, whose mother was from India, were elected president, the White House would smell like curry.

Her controversial post came as Loomer was attending a 9/11 memorial with former President Donald Trump.

Loomer has a history of controversial remarks and repeating conspiracy theories, including some about 9/11.

White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre pointed to that.

Maybe we should not have leaders who fall for fake Internet conspiracy theories.

We should think about that.

Maybe we should not have leaders who do that.

Meanwhile, Trump's statement during the debate that Haitian immigrants are eating pets in Springfield, Ohio, is drawing a stiff rebuke from the state's Republican governor.

Mike DeWine is repeating what others have said, that there is no truth to the claim.

This is something that came up on the Internet, and the Internet can be quite crazy sometimes.

And look, the mayor, Mayor Rue of Springfield, says, no, there's no truth in that.

They have no evidence of that at all.

Thursday morning, officials closed Springfield City Hall in response to an emailed bomb threat.

The FBI is investigating threats made to multiple buildings, although it is not clear what the exact connection to Trump's remarks about the Haitians is.

Nathan Clark's son died last year in a car crash with a Haitian immigrant who was using an invalid license.

The same day as the debate, Clark told the Springfield City Council he didn't want his son's death used as a political argument.

I wish that my son, Aiden Clark, was killed by a 60-year-old white man.

But if that guy killed my 11-year-old son, the incessant group of hate-spewing people would leave us alone.

Using Aiden as a political tool is reprehensible.

Meanwhile, Laura Relaford with the Children's Defense Fund says it's frustrating that child poverty is not a bigger part of the discussion.

The Senate rejected an expansion of the child tax credit in spite of some bipartisan support.

Relaford says if voters and political leaders were talking about child poverty, they would see there are real solutions.

That at this point, childhood poverty is a policy choice.

The folks that have the power to do it know and have seen the evidence, and they haven't done it.

A judge in Georgia has dismissed three counts in the state election interference case against former President Trump and his allies while upholding the central racketeering charge.

Trump now faces eight felony counts, down from 13, with further proceedings on hold due to appeals over the district attorney's role.

I'm Farah Siddiqui for Pacifica Network and Public News Service.

Find our trust indicators at publicnewsservice.org.