Politics and views in the United States.

Civil-rights advocates warn of expanding surveillance, families weigh new adoption supports, farmers face uncertainty from shifting federal ag policies and attacks on Venezuela ordered by President Trump are raising international tensions.

TRANSCRIPT

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

We understand that these license plate readers exist for the purposes of public safety and they have helped folks catch violent criminals, but also they just sweepingly capture data on everybody in a community.

Marshall Martinez of Equality New Mexico says technology like automated license plate readers can use artificial intelligence to create a frightening level of surveillance.

Martinez says state, local and federal law enforcement could share information on migrants and people seeking abortion, and the data can be stored for months or shared across state lines with little oversight.

Rural communities are dealing with trade conflicts, a down-farm economy and coming federal health care cuts.

In Arkansas, hemp farmers also face a looming federal ban that industry leaders say could drive their products from the market.

Jonathan Miller with the U.S. hemp roundtable says changing cannabis laws and the lack of a new farm bill are adding to the confusion for growers.

"Given the uncertainty, the farmers don't know whether to plant seed in the ground this spring.

They have to make decisions now."

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is resisting pressure from President Donald Trump to move forward on Trump's Gaza ceasefire plan.

In theory, Israel is to withdraw from much of the Strip, Hamas is to disarm, and the International Stabilization Force will move in.

Netanyahu argues Hamas still holds the body of one dead hostage, and Israel is still conducting strikes there.

Even as he is pressing Hamas to lay down its arms, Trump is announcing an escalation in another conflict.

The U.S. targeting a Venezuelan dock Trump says was used to move narcotics.

There was a major explosion in the dock area where they load the boats up with drugs.

So we hit all the boats and now we hit the area.

Homeland security investigators are raiding dozens of Minneapolis sites in what the White House calls a sweeping probe into alleged fraud tied to child care and other programs.

Minnesota leaders say the charges are being wildly exaggerated as a political tactic.

Campaigns for what look like pivotal midterm elections begin in earnest with the new year.

Watchdogs say one of the best ways to defend democracy is to show up and vote.

Jen Miller is with the League of Women Voters of Ohio.

Politics is a participatory sport.

It doesn't have to be something that just happens to us. adopting children now claim more than $17,000 per child in qualified expenses on their federal taxes.

Along with the new refundable tax credit and employer-based benefits, that's reshaping plans for some Alabama families.

Justin Free is an employee of a Birmingham construction firm nationally recognized as adoption friendly.

Everyone can offer benefits, whether it's insurance or 401(k) options, but the ability to provide an adoption aid for your employees, I think that speaks to where the heart of ownership is, within our company.

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

Find our trust indicators at publicnewsservice.org.