Politics and views in the United States.

The Senate seems ready to end the government shutdown. Democratic candidates run on the promise of standing up to Trump and election security could be a top issue in the 2026 elections. 

TRANSCRIPT

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

I look forward to voting for this legislation and ending the unnecessary harm to the security of our families and our nation.

Republican Maine Senator Susan Collins.

After 40 days, Congress is on the verge of approving a continuing resolution to reopen the government.

Politico reports the agreement has enough Democratic support to pass the Senate that would fund the Department of Agriculture, the FDA, and the VA for the full fiscal year, along with other departments.

The rest of the agencies will be funded until the end of January.

The deal promises a vote next month on extending ACA subsidies, guarantees rehiring all laid-off federal workers, and that all federal employees receive back pay.

Meanwhile, Republican Representative Elise Stefanik is laying out her campaign for governor, promising to cut New York's cost of living and restore it to its former glory.

She has an ad up denouncing the current Democratic governor.

Kathy Hochul made New York the most unaffordable state in the nation, crushing families with sky-high taxes, unaffordable rent, soaring energy costs, and record-high grocery bills.

Trump looks likely to be a central midterm election issue, and some Democrats are being attacked for not opposing him enough.

Meanwhile, Connecticut State Representative Josh Elita is running as an economic populist in his campaign to oust incumbent Governor Ned Lamont.

His track record on housing, affordability, education, taxes, and most recently on SNAP benefits is out of touch with working class people.

Instead of doing what's best for everyday Connecticut residents, he consistently makes decisions based on what is best for his friends on Wall Street.

The Justice Department has sued at least nine states trying to secure private voter registration data, which some worry will be used to fuel misinformation on election security.

A Brennan Center brief highlights concerns about the White House undermining 2026 by again promoting false claims that 2020 was stolen.

Barbara Hedrick is with the League of Women Voters of North Dakota.

When that gets reinforced by elected officials, including people around the president or the president himself, whoever the president might be, that's going to get people to doubt their election system.

Given the strong Democratic showing in last week's off-year elections, the current redistricting arms race could take on a very different tone.

Former Democratic National Committee chairwoman Donna Brazile says Trump and Texas Governor Greg Abbott sparked a flurry of mid-decade map drawing, but she says depending on Latino turnout in states like Texas and California, they may have misjudged.

This could well backfire in Texas is because the Latino vote is trending back toward the Democratic Party.

California's Proposition 50, drawing new congressional district maps there, easily won approval by voters, though it's being challenged by Republicans who say it violates the 14th and 15th Amendments.

While the courts might be left to untangle the web of election changes, former Republican National Committee Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel questions how much impact they will have on the makeup of Congress.

If there's like only 17 races that decide the balance of the House, how much money is gonna go into those races?

I'm Edwin J. Vieira for Pacifica Network and Public News Service.

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