Politics and views in the United States

California Governor Newsom says his family’s being investigated by the Justice Department, the U.S. and Iran move towards ending the months-long war, and lawmakers demand answers about an FBI raid on an Ohio voter registration group.

Transcript

Welcome to 2026 Talks, where we're following our democracy in historic times.

One by one, anyone who has challenged Donald Trump has ended up on his hit list.

And today, I proudly join that list.

California Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom says he and his wife are being investigated by federal agents who've questioned their family, friends, and former employees.

Newsom calls the probe, quote, politically motivated and a response to his potential presidential run.

The Department of Justice is refusing to comment.

Oil prices eased some after the U.S. and Iran signed a six-week ceasefire with an agreement to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and pursue a nuclear deal.

Details are sparse, and Israel says it won't withdraw from Lebanon, which Tehran calls a condition for peace.

Iran is set to get billions of frozen funds released, in fact, far more than was released in an Obama-era nuclear deal.

But Vice President J.D. Vance is claiming victory.

Their military is destroyed.

The Straits of Hormuz are open.

Their nuclear program has been destroyed.

And we have incredible economic leverage over them.

Vance says he'll join Special Envoy Steve Whitcoff and the president's son-in-law, Jared Kushner, at an official signing ceremony in Geneva on Friday.

13 U.S. military personnel and about 3,000 Iranians have been killed in the conflict.

The Florida Supreme Court says the state can use a partisan congressional map drawn by Republican lawmakers for the midterms.

It's designed to net the GOP four seats.

Residents had sued arguing it violated a 2010 voter-approved ban on partisan gerrymandering.

Democratic Congresswoman Chantel Brown of Ohio says the FBI must explain why it raided the Cleveland office of a voter registration group seizing computers and other materials.

Federal agents also went to the homes of people who've worked for the Ohio Organizing Collaborative seeking information about alleged voter fraud.

Voter registration is not voter fraud.

Urban communities voting is not voter fraud.

Black Americans voting is not voter fraud.

The Justice Department has yet to comment.

The Ohio nonprofit ran one of the state's most successful voter drives in 2024.

Brown says the Trump administration is trying to intimidate its perceived political opponents, citing a seizure of ballots in Georgia and the recent questioning of election workers in Milwaukee.

The New York Times says White House memos show the administration considered formally denying habeas corpus to undocumented migrants.

In several places, the Constitution says people can't be detained without a court hearing, and courts say that applies to anyone living here.

The Times says presidential advisors argue denying it would speed up mass deportation.

I'm Catherine Carley for Pacifica Network and Public News Service.

Find our trust indicators at publicnewsservice.org.