Politics and views in the United States

The Tennessee legislature approves new congressional maps, which would break up the state's only Democratic district. A court says the DOJ can keep 2020 Georgia ballots and the U.S. and Iran trade fire in the Persian Gulf.

Transcript

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

The proposed maps that have been posted by politicians and shared by our governor and by the president would remove our congressional district.

And it's unfair to us.

We all deserve fair representation, no matter what Supreme Court ruling came out.

Amber Sherman with Tennessee's Black Voters Matter is one of those protesting the state's new congressional maps, now headed toward a governor's signature.

After the Supreme Court stripped away a key Voting Rights Act protection, Tennessee, Florida, Louisiana, Alabama, and South Carolina are moving to break up blue districts, generally those like Tennessee's sole Democratic seat in Memphis, dominated by black voters.

Legislators openly say they hope to protect the narrow Republican House majority, but they're being met with opposition and legal challenges.

Florida and Tennessee have laws against mid-decade partisan redistricting.

Meanwhile, a federal court has ruled the Justice Department can keep the 2020 Georgia election ballots it seized from Fulton County.

The district judge said the seizure wasn't perfect, but Fulton County didn't establish that its rights were callously disregarded under the law.

This comes as Fulton County is challenging a federal subpoena for the personal information of its 2020 election workers.

David Becker with the Center for Election Innovation and Research says that could pose a challenge for future elections.

This kind of thing could have a chilling effect on those who might be thinking about volunteering as poll workers.

And if Fulton County can't recruit enough poll workers, obviously that could add to the chaos that perhaps the government might actually desire at this point.

Five of seven Indiana Republican state senators targeted by President Donald Trump for opposing a mid-decade redistricting plan lost their primary races, with another contest too close to call.

Indiana Republican Governor Mike Braun says this could lead to a change in state Senate leadership.

I said all along that if you're not doing things in a way that are going to make lives for Hoosiers better, that you can't stick with the same old game plan.

So I'll let them work that out on their own.

Supporters of the defeated senators say they stood against changing maps for political advantage.

Critics argue voters want lawmakers more aligned with Braun and Trump.

As for new redistricting efforts, Braun says, quote, that ship has sailed.

The U.S. has launched strikes on Iran after it attacked warships in the Persian Gulf.

UN Ambassador Mike Waltz is calling for Iran to remove mines from the Strait of Hormuz and stop plans to impose illegal tolls.

As energy and food costs rise for the world's peoples, and if aid fails to reach the very people the countries in the council claim to care about, what does that really say for the UN?

What does that say for these countries abiding by international law?

Peace talks seem to be moving slowly, and leaked U.S. intelligence suggests Iran might be able to outlast a U.S.-imposed blockade.

Congress is on break, but when it returns, it will start debating proposals, at least one sponsored by a Republican in a swing district designed to bring an end to the unpopular war.

The Court of International Trade has ruled against Trump's second round of global tariffs.

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

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