Politics and views in the United States.

The shutdown impacts millions as SNAP benefits are paused, Pentagon schools face a fight over banned books, an FBI raid in Idaho draws civil-rights scrutiny and Congress investigates citizens in immigration detention.

TRANSCRIPT

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

Millions nationwide are about to miss food stamps.

These are needy folks who need some help with groceries.

They're not going to be able to get it.

Why?

Because the Democrats continue this temper tantrum.

Missouri Republican Senator Josh Hawley blames Democrats for the month-long shutdown's impact on veterans, farmers and hungry families.

Federal nutrition aid is now on pause in half of states, threatening the November SNAP benefits for millions.

The USDA says it would need more than $8 billion to keep the program running.

Virginia Republican Governor Glenn Youngkin has declared a state of emergency there.

He says the state will use emergency reserves to protect SNAP benefits for almost a million people during what he calls the Democrat shutdown.

Images out Thursday show the entire White House East Wing reduced to rubble.

As crews clear space for President Donald Trump's $300 million ballroom.

Press Secretary Carolyn Leavitt insists the "modernization effort" won't interfere with operations.

Trump is backing away from plans to deploy troops to San Francisco after pushback from Mayor Daniel Lurie and tech executives.

The president says he'll give the city a chance to handle crime on its own.

A Virginia federal judge is ordering schools on military bases to return hundreds of books to the shelves.

The ACLU attorney Emerson Sykes argued the purge of so-called "woke material" violated deep-rooted student First Amendment protections.

We have long had precedent that says that when this sort of sensorial impulse arises, the First Amendment steps in to protect students' rights.

Titles that had been banned from Defense Department libraries included "Love is Love," "Sparkle Boy," and "White Fragility."

The ACLU is also criticizing the tactics of an FBI-led Idaho raid. and immigration officers stormed a family horse racing event, detaining hundreds, including children, while investigating illegal gambling.

Rebecca DeLeon is with the group there.

We saw quite young children, maybe 10 years old or a little younger, who were zip tied.

We have evidence of bruises on their wrists from being zip tied, and we think that there's absolutely zero justification for that.

The FBI denies using rubber bullets on minors.

Civil rights groups say the operation is feeding fear in the local Latino community.

The controversy comes as federal authorities are charging 30 people, including an NBA coach and players, on mafia-linked gambling charges.

A ProPublica investigation into U.S. citizens detained by immigration agents is prompting Congress to look into enforcement practices.

Andrew Freeh with the #DetentionKills project says he found hundreds of people died in custody over the last decade and a half, with their deaths remaining hidden.

What I fear is there are people who are dying in state or local custody whose deaths are never being reported publicly.

What is the true number of people dying in ICE custody?

I don't actually know, and I don't think anybody does.

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

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