Politics and views in the United States

President Trump vows to block all bills until Congress passes a strict voter ID act. The FBI receives subpoenaed election documents from Arizona. And North Carolina's governor pleads for lawmakers to pass a 'critical needs budget,' after two years without a state spending blueprint.

TRANSCRIPT

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

I'm here to do a great job for the country, but we don't have a country if we're going to have elections that are so corrupt and so dishonest like we've witnessed.

President Donald Trump says he won't sign any bills until Congress passes the Save America Act, which restricts ballot access by requiring people to present proof of citizenship in person to vote or register.

Democrats are blocking it, motivating some Trump allies to back ending the filibuster.

Also stalled a confirmation for Mark Wayne Mullen as the next Homeland Security Secretary and funding for DHS after a month-long shutdown.

Maricopa County, Arizona election officials complied with a subpoena and turned over voting records from the 2020 election to the FBI.

They say they're confused by demands for materials relating to an Arizona State Senate audit made public years ago.

A few months ago, the Bureau raided an Atlanta election center as part of Trump's effort to investigate consistently election fraud in what co states.

A new South Dakota law allows voters to challenge the citizenship of voters.

Immigrant rights groups point to an atmosphere of xenophobia, but Deputy Secretary of State said it protects the integrity of the vote and challenge process is fair.

It is not going to be something where people can just say, oh, I don't they are a citizen.

That doesn't work.

Take something on the order of, I know this person has a green card because they work for me and they're not a U.S. citizen.

The law will be in effect for the midterms.

A Trump executive order pressing farmers to use the herbicide glyphosate faces pushback from environmental scientists.

Trump says more use of Bayer's product Roundup would protect the food supply and is a matter of national security.

Danny Replogule with Food and Water Watch says the order abuses the use of the Defense Production Act, which is only for a true national emergency. action to increase production of pesticides already doing incredible harm to public health and our environment.

It's absurd.

At any time, there is an extremely large proportion of American crop fields already covered in it.

The EPA says there's no direct evidence the chemical is carcinogenic, but Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has enraged followers by supporting it.

Congress and nine states, most recently Iowa, have considered shielding Bayer from cancer lawsuits.

Roundup is routinely sprayed on Iowa crops and shows up in the state's water.

North Carolina Governor Josh Stein is making a plea to state lawmakers to pass a "critical needs budget."

It's been two and a half years since the state passed a new spending blueprint, and Stein says funding levels have left the state with non-competitive salaries.

Statehouse Republicans disagree on new tax cut proposals, debating whether they'll cause a budget deficit.

But Stein says lawmakers have to get the job done.

"Together we can lead our state and stop the bleeding.

Let's give North Carolinans the stability they deserve and pass this critical needs budget that makes essential investments.

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

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