Politics and views in the United States.

Lawmakers race to end the longest shutdown in history, as food aid and safety net services hang in the balance. Utah's redistricting ruling reshapes that state's congressional maps and the U.S. expands its naval presence in Latin America.

TRANSCRIPT

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

[♪♪] Now, Medi-Cal keeps them from falling into poverty.

The Head Start program allowed them to go to work and not have to worry about that coming out of their paycheck.

California Head Start teacher Tammy Lewis says the shutdown, on top of deep safety net cuts, caused immediate everyday problems for the low-income families they work with.

The House is back in session to vote on the spending deal the Senate passed, and Speaker Mike Johnson says he expects it to pass.

It would reopen the government through January 30, but leave another standoff early next year possible, and does not restore health care or nutrition funding slash this summer.

President Donald Trump says he plans to sign the bill, calling it a reopening of our country.

Oregon Republican Congressman Cliff Bence is defending his party's role in the shutdown.

The situation we are in is because the Democrats chose to close down the government, and that meant the SNAP program, which is essential for many, many people, was stuck.

The administration was stuck trying to scrounge up the money to try to keep it going.

The deal funds the Department of Agriculture, including SNAP food aid, but it's still unclear when recipients will see their benefits restored.

It includes the promise but no details on a vote next month to extend expiring subsidies to keep ACA insurance premiums from spiking.

And Heather Grenier with Montana Poverty Action non-profit HRDC says the standoff has stalled heating aid for 15,000 people in the state, with intense cold weather already underway in the mountains.

We're looking at probably January, February before those benefits are there, and so people will be well into the heating season by that time and potentially behind on their heating bills already.

Grenier says those families could already be choosing between medicine, food and heating.

To the south in Utah, a major court ruling could reshape congressional maps before the midterms.

Catherine Beal with the Utah League of Women Voters says the judge's decision to overturn the legislature's map restores a level of fairness.

She says it keeps more liberal Salt Lake City intact instead of diluting it by splitting it among four more Republican districts.

It made a difference for the voters.

It just gives every single voter a voice and it sends a message to the legislature that they have to represent their constituents, not just the ones they choose, every single one of them.

Partisan efforts to redistrict in Kansas, Indiana and Maryland are running into resistance from legislators, some of whom call it an unwise power grab.

Some resistant Republicans report getting pressure from the White House.

And the U.S. has deployed the Gerald Ford Aircraft Carrier Group to the western Atlantic as part of a growing naval presence near Venezuela.

Critics note the ships are not suited for countering narcotics trafficking cartels who use small vessels.

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

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