Politics and views in the United States.

Trump Administration hammers away at Obama as frenzy over Epstein files continues. FEMA director defends actions in Texas floods. And Miami voters will head to polls in November after a lawsuit.

TRANSCRIPT

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

Everything that House Republicans have done, everything this administration has done since Donald Trump took office is in defense of the elites.

Massachusetts Representative Catherine Clark is slamming House Republicans for going on recess to avoid releasing files on convicted child sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein.

The minority whip and all Democrats, along with about a dozen in the GOP, support forcing records on the multi-millionaire pedophile and longtime friend of the president be made public.

President Donald Trump and Attorney General Pam Bondi say there is nothing important in them, but the Wall Street Journal reports this spring Bondi told Trump his name appears multiple times in what she reportedly called a "truckload of documents."

Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard Wednesday says she's sending prosecutors evidence of treason by former President Barack Obama and his staff, who Gabbard claims ordered the creation of an intelligence assessment that falsely claimed Russia colluded to help elect Trump in 2016.

They knew it would promote this contrived narrative that Russia interfered in the 2016 election to help President Trump win, selling it to the American people as though it were true.

It wasn't.

Allies of the former president say Gabbard is intentionally distorting the assessment and related intelligence, and ignoring evidence Russia did aid Trump in order to distract attention from the Epstein files.

Acting FEMA Director David Richardson is defending the agency's response to flooding in Central Texas from bipartisan criticism.

The New York Times reported that call center contractors were laid off at the end of their contracts on July 5th.

The next day, only a third of calls were answered.

Richardson argued at a congressional hearing that the reporting was untrue.

I would have to agree with Secretary Nome, that's fake news.

The majority of the calls were answered.

There was never a lapse in contract.

The Times cited a new policy at the Department of Homeland Security, which requires Secretary Chrissy Nome's signature for any expense greater than $100,000.

Search and rescue teams were not approved until three days after the flood, which one search and rescue leader cited when announcing his resignation.

The conservative majority on the Supreme Court will allow Trump to fire three Democrats on the traditionally bipartisan Consumer Product Safety Commission.

Meanwhile, two federal judges have ruled that Kilmar Abrego-Garcia, the immigrant wrongfully deported to El Salvador, will be released on bond and will not be deported while he awaits trial on criminal charges.

Following a lawsuit, Miami voters will head to the polls as scheduled.

Despite efforts from the city officials to unilaterally extend their time in office, three of five city council members and the mayor of Miami signed off on postponing elections by a year.

Eileen Higgins is running against the incumbent mayor.

I had always thought the vote that the commissioners took to give themselves more time in office without asking the voters' permission was going to be found illegal, and it has been.

Supporters of changing the election date wanted to increase voter turnout and cut costs by running local elections during campaigns for president and governor.

I'm Simone Perez for Pacifica Network and Public News Service.

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