Politics and views in the United States.

A Maryland court strikes down an anti-DEI school policy, voter roll updates raise concerns in Arkansas, Nevada regulators probe utility overcharges, Trump threatens to send troops to Chicago and gerrymandering battles intensify nationwide.

TRANSCRIPT

Welcome to 2025 Talks, where we're following our democracy in historic times.

The way that the letter was written, it was very arbitrary and unlawful overreach that basically threatened the education of all Maryland students.

Kenya Campbell with the American Federation of Teachers in Maryland is celebrating a federal court for blocking the Department of Education from withholding funds over diversity, equity and inclusion programs.

Donald Trump argues DEI initiatives brainwash students and violate the Civil Rights Act.

New York Head Start programs say they're caught between delayed federal funding and a Trump administration move to bar undocumented families from the program.

Susan Stamler is with United Neighborhood Houses.

This is an amazing program that actually should be expanded, not limited, and should certainly not have any kind of citizenship test connected to it.

21 states have sued warning compliance could force Head Start centers to close.

Trump is threatening to deploy the National Guard in Chicago, citing high crime and illegal immigration.

The mayor calls the idea unconstitutional and says violent crime is down more than 30 percent compared to last year.

Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker warns the move is a trial run for a police state.

The new Texas congressional maps have passed the legislature but are being challenged in court as a racial gerrymander.

Trump says they are "a big win," although California Governor Gavin Newsom is signing a plan aimed to respond in kind.

Former President Barack Obama endorses Newsom's "measured approach" in a moment of emergency.

Arkansas' largest county is updating its voter rolls.

Davita Hardin with the Pulaski County League of Women Voters says don't ignore the letter if you get one.

"They can respond within 30 days to the county clerk's office.

If they don't, then they will be classified as removable.

They will be removed from the rolls at that point, and then they'll have to re-register."

Nevada's largest utility is asking for its third rate hike in three years.

But Camelot Todd with the Nevada Conservation League says Envy Energy is being forced to refund ratepayers because of billing errors, which they tried to hide.

They overcharged more than 80,000 customers by 17 million for more than two decades and then tried to avoid full payment of those overcharges by applying the wrong refund rule.

Critics charged the just released interview of Ghislaine Maxwell shows the convicted sex trafficker can't be trusted about who participated in late pedophile Jeffrey Epstein's crimes.

Maxwell told a DOJ official she never saw anyone doing anything wrong.

The family of Epstein victim Virginia Dufresne calls that laughable and accuses Justice of giving Maxwell a chance to rewrite history and angle for a pardon from Trump.

Details remain sparse on the FBI's search of former Trump National Security Advisor John Bolton's home.

Bolton, an Iraq war hawk and Trump critic, has faced past criticism over his handling of classified documents.

The White House insists criminal charges are on the table and has said it would use the justice system to punish enemies.

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

Find our trust indicators at publicnewsservice.org.