Politics and views in the United States.

Congress cuts funding for public broadcasting, as federal 'school choice' tax credits face pushback. Trump's Epstein troubles spread, and protests from last week through the weekend honor the late Congressman John Lewis and challenge budget impacts on vulnerable communities.

TRANSCRIPT

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

I worry about the impacts that that will have on safety, security, broadcasting in our local areas.

As somebody who lives in rural Utah, I think about our tribal nations as well.

These are resources that are really important.

Republican Utah Governor Spencer Cox warns that eliminating federal funding for public broadcasters will disproportionately harm rural communities and tribal nations.

The GOP rescissions bill claws back $1.1 billion in funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, including $2.5 million from Utah stations, which now face deep cuts to local news and programming.

Republican Texas Governor Greg Abbott has called a special session to redraw congressional maps, as well as to respond to recent flooding.

Civil rights groups say Abbott is taking advantage of the natural disaster to give his allies an opportunity for racial gerrymandering.

Republican lawmakers say they're complying with recent court rulings.

A federal school choice provision in the just signed budget law offers tax credits to people who give money to education charities, in effect reducing tax revenue while helping families pay for private or home schooling.

Brian Jodis with the American Federation for Children argues the plan will expand access without actually straining public dollars.

It doesn't impact state budgets, it doesn't impact the federal budget.

It incentivizes families to be able to go apply for it and let their students benefit from it.

But education law centers Moral McInerney calls it a tax shelter for the wealthy that diverts resources from public education.

We've seen this occur in other states and there's no accountability for these dollars.

Essentially, this money will potentially benefit students who are already in private schools.

Similar state programs are largely used by families with children already going to private schools.

Illinois Democratic Senator Dick Durbin says the Justice Department is hiding ties between President Donald Trump and dead pedophile multimillionaire Jeffrey Epstein.

Durbin say the FBI assigned 1,000 employees to comb through Epstein files looking for mentions of Trump.

The attorney general denies the charge and says all available files have been made public.

Meanwhile, Maria Farmer, an early whistleblower in the Epstein case, says she alerted both New York police and the FBI about Trump and Epstein in the 1990s and again in 2006.

She says Epstein presented her to Trump during a late-night visit to Epstein's Manhattan office.

Trump has denied the charge.

1600 demonstrations over the weekend voiced objections to cuts in the safety net to pay for tax breaks for the wealthy, along with other issues.

Former Tennessee State Senator Brenda Gilmore joined a march on Nashville's John Lewis Way honoring the civil right icon's belief in good trouble.

We're particularly focusing in on voter rights, voter education, voter empowerment, and also speaking out with our brothers and sisters in the immigrant community where innocent men and women being arrested.

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

Find our trust indicators at publicnewsservice.org.