Politics and views in the United States

President Donald Trump justifies his use of a mail-in ballot. Voting rights advocates say the SAVE America Act will disenfranchise voters with disabilities. And more people are losing faith in the American Dream.

Transcript

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

Because of the fact that I'm president of the United States, I did a mail-in ballot for elections that took place in Florida because I felt I should be here instead of being in the beautiful sunshine.

President Donald Trump has objected to mail-in voting, but says he used it for the Florida primary because his responsibilities kept him in Washington.

One of his top legislative priorities, the Save America Act, would strip that right from most.

The strict voter ID law would require in-person registration and a driver's license alone wouldn't suffice his identification.

It would only allow for mail-in voting if someone is in a hospital, in the military, or made plans ahead of time to be away from home on Election Day.

Voting rights groups say it would effectively disenfranchise entire populations.

Mallory Hudson with the Keystone Progress Education Fund says people with disabilities have more trouble traveling to register or vote.

Plus, she says they're more likely to be in poverty and may be unable to afford documents like a passport or birth certificate.

A lot of people who live in Pennsylvania's skilled nursing facilities have their care covered by Medicaid, which means they have a monthly personal needs allowance of only $60.

This is like 70 percent of people living in nursing facilities across Pennsylvania.

Meanwhile, the White House is giving mixed messages about the state of negotiations with Iran.

While Trump says the country is begging for a deal, Tehran's public demands are taking a hard line, calling for security guarantees and reparations for damages.

Trump has again granted an extension in his threats to bomb Iran's power infrastructure unless it reopens the Strait of Hormuz.

With some airport wait times exceeding three hours and Congress failing to reach a DHS funding deal, Trump says he'll sign an emergency executive order to pay TSA agents.

Security agents are resigning en masse while going unpaid during the third government shutdown in six months.

It's unclear how the executive order would work, although money for TSA is still being collected from fees on flights.

Organizers say there will be thousands of No Kings protests this weekend.

Events in Minnesota may draw added attention given the immigration crackdown there that resulted in federal agents killing two protesters.

Rain Headland of New London plans to attend an event in Wilmar, the county seat, which is a quarter Latino.

Wilmar has a large immigrant community.

They help our community thrive and are a huge part of a lot of really positive things happening in the community.

The White House continues arguing its actions are popular, but polls contradict that.

One survey puts Trump's approval rating below any point in either term and separate research points people think things in the country are getting worse.

One Marquette survey found three quarters of Wisconsinites very concerned about inflation and the cost of living.

Washington University professor Mark Rank says higher costs and stagnant wages make some say the American dream is out of reach.

This idea of more and more people falling behind in terms of the American dream really explains a lot of the disillusionment, a lot of the frustration, a lot of the anxiety people are experiencing in this country today.

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

Find our trust indicators at publicnewsservice.org.