Politics and views in the United States

Trump sway in the GOP remains unshaken. The Kentucky primary highlights PAC's influence in elections, even as lawmakers attempt to reduce it and a proposed rule could make data center opposition harder.

Transcript

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

His endorsement is the most powerful in the history of politics.

I wasn't involved in the Kentucky primary.

The leadership team wasn't because he's an incumbent.

But the president certainly made his opinion known, and I'm not surprised by the results there.

House Speaker Mike Johnson praises President Donald Trump's sway with rank-and-file GOP voters after the primary defeat of one of the president's fiercest Republican critics.

Congressman Thomas Massey opposes the Iran war and helped force the release of files on late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

Trump worked hard for his opponent.

Massey has been a virulent critic of Israel, and pro-Israel PACs spent $30 million in one of the most expensive House primaries in history.

Democratic Pennsylvania Congresswoman Summer Lee and independent Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders have introduced legislation to abolish super PACs, which can spend unlimited amounts as long as they don't coordinate directly with candidates.

The American political system is broken.

It is corrupt.

Today, our government is well on its way to becoming a wholly owned subsidiary of the oligarchs.

Trump's $1.8 billion so-called anti-weaponization fund, which could funnel money to his allies, faces opposition from at least one Republican.

Moderate Pennsylvania Congressman Brian Fitzpatrick says he's working on a bill to kill the fund.

The Congressional Black Caucus is calling on elite athletes to boycott important college sports programs in southern states that rushed to redraw districts after the Supreme Court struck down part of the Voting Rights Act.

And House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries says as many as seven Democratic-led states could also redistrict by 2028.

But nearly two-thirds of lawsuits under the now-struck-down section of the law were brought against local governments, like cities, counties, and school districts.

Mainline Protestant groups are warning the court's decision could let lawmakers silence the voting power of entire groups.

Doug Dyson is with the West Virginia Council of Churches.

We have seen gerrymandering happen to the point where it's become entire racial groups have no voice.

A proposed federal rule could speed up the building of data centers.

The EPA is considering letting non-emitting parts of projects like cement pads or other support structures go ahead without a Clean Air Act permit.

John Walk with the Natural Resources Defense Council says the administration must know that regulators and judges would be less likely to stop projects once millions of dollars have already been spent.

They have the power of deregulation at EPA and a mindset that technology companies and billionaires matter more than ordinary Americans.

Data centers are meeting local, often bipartisan opposition.

Landowners and activists say they are concerned about limited job creation, high electricity and water usage, significant property tax subsidies, and secretive permitting.

Trump is calling for the removal of the nonpartisan Senate parliamentarian.

Elizabeth Bacdona ruled that security spending for the new White House ballroom violated a Senate rule prohibiting non-budgetary items from being attached to a funding reconciliation bill, which is immune from filibuster.

I'm Damone Perez for Pacifica Network and Public News Service.

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