Politics and views in the United States

Ken Paxton wins Texas Senate primary runoff. Courts are delivering mixed verdicts on Republican redistricting plans and the U.S. strikes on Iran halt ceasefire talks.

Transcript

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

Once it became clear Paxton emerged in the lead, I think he was thrilled to endorse him because he didn't really trust Cornyn.

Cornyn's sort of a classic United States senator.

SMU political scientist Cal Gilson says Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton's lead in the Senate primary runoff netted him President Donald Trump's endorsement, which likely confirmed his victory over incumbent Senator John Cornyn.

Even before winning, Paxton began insulting the Democratic nominee, State Representative James Tallarico, describing the seminary student as anti-Christian.

San Antonio Sheriff's Deputy Johnny Garcia won the Democratic primary in the state's 35th district.

His opponent, Maureen Galindo, drew criticism for saying she'd use ice jails as, quote, prisons for American Zionists.

Democratic Party leaders quickly condemned that as anti-Semitic, but Galindo says the reporter twisted her words.

A federal court blocked Alabama from using what the three-judge panel calls a racially tainted congressional map in this year's midterms.

Dev Wakeley, with civil rights and economic justice nonprofit Alabama Arise, says the court knew about the state's long, ugly history of targeting Black voters.

The intentional discrimination findings the panel endorsed are reflective of Alabama's voting history and current practices.

As such, we want to make sure Black voters retain full and fair participation in our democracy.

South Carolina's state Senate rejected new maps to Trump approved plans to eliminate the state's lone Democratic district, now held by longtime black Congressman Jim Clyburn.

With early voting underway, some Senate Republicans argued it was too late to change the districts.

A judge in Florida is refusing to block a new district map there that could net the GOP four seats.

New strikes against Iran are undermining peace talks.

U.S. officials say small boat attacks and drone launches by the Revolutionary Guard Corps near the Strait of Hormuz demanded a response.

But the White House now sounds less optimistic about a framework for a deal now under discussion.

Trump says disorder in Tehran makes talks difficult, but Jonathan Geyer with the Eurasia Group says the real issue may be incoherence in Washington.

I think it shows the lack of strategy more broadly in this war, that when diplomacy hits a road bump, we end up with more strikes that don't seem to have a whole lot of goals.

A bill to create the Smithsonian American Women's History Museum failed in the U.S.

House after Democrats and a few Republicans opposed it.

Though it had bipartisan support, Democrats peeled away after Republicans modified it to include a transgender language ban, adding the museum, quote, may not identify, present, describe, or otherwise depict any biological male as female.

Florida Republican Representative Kat Kamak says she's baffled by what she calls the Democratic women choosing to politicize American history.

Their reasoning for opposing the bill?

Because we want biological women's stories to be told?

Wanting a museum to be dedicated to women?

To celebrate women?

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

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