Politics and views in the United States

Democrats condemn ICE deployment to airports. SCOTUS hears a case challenging late-arriving mail-in ballots. And President Trump says some strikes on Iran are paused for negotiations, although Tehran says there are no direct talks.

Transcript

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

He's taking that agency that is reckless and out of control and bringing them to our airports under the lie that somehow this is going to help deal with the long lines that he created in the first place.

New Jersey Democratic Senator Cory Booker condemns President Donald Trump's deployment of ICE agents to airports.

They're covering for a growing shortage in TSA staffing since Homeland Security funding lapsed in mid-February.

More than 10 percent of security agents resigned, with more calling out sick.

Trump says ICE will conduct arrests at airports, though he says they're mostly there for, quote, crowd control.

Closed-door DHS budget negotiations between Democrats and Republicans haven't produced any public progress, apparently still deadlocked over reforms to ICE policing, demanded after protesters were killed in Minneapolis.

Long-time TSA agent Brad Neal says the third government shutdown in six months is having collateral damage on other DHS staff.

This is probably the worst it's ever been, in my opinion, because of how expensive everything has gotten.

And having three shutdowns back to back to back does not help.

Trump now says he won't consider a deal unless the Senate passes the Save America Act, a strict nationwide voter ID bill.

Despite a marathon debate, Senate Majority Leader John Thune has said it doesn't have the backing to pass in spite of public support for voter ID.

We think they're supported by an overwhelming majority of Americans.

And in many cases, as Senator Houston also pointed out, 36 states have adopted photo ID laws.

Why wouldn't we have a nationwide one?

Polls show most Americans do support voter ID laws, but the specific rules in the act are resoundingly unpopular.

Senate Democrats and a few Republicans, like Alaska's Lisa Murkowski, say the SAVE Act would make it far too hard to vote, and some call it voter suppression.

The Supreme Court could also make voting more difficult.

The court is considering a Mississippi law that argues federal rules designating a single election day disqualify mail-in ballots received after polls close.

Mississippi Solicitor General Scott Stewart says the court's decision could revert practices to those of the 19th century.

If election day must be what it was in 1845, that takes out much more than the ballot receipt laws of 30 states today.

It dooms absentee voting, modern methods of voting, the secret ballot, and more.

Congress did not adopt that destabilizing view when it simply set the election day.

As the Iran war enters its fourth week, Trump says the U.S. is holding off on attacking the country's power supply.

The president says he's giving time for negotiations on Iran's nuclear program and reopening the Strait of Hormuz, although Tehran denies that there are any direct talks.

Despite rising gas prices, Trump says the U.S. is negotiating from a position of strength.

Don't forget, we've wiped out the leadership phase one, phase two, and largely phase three.

But we're dealing with the man who I believe is the most respected and the leader.

The Navy is redeploying an aircraft carrier group away from the region, suggesting the conflict may be winding down or entering a new phase.

Though the war is sharply unpopular with Americans, Trump says the U.S. is doing, quote, extremely well there.

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

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