Politics and views in the United States

Trump stumps in heavily Republican states as polls sour on GOP. Advocates discuss ICE at polling places, and the death penalty is paused in Tennessee.

Transcript

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

They want a senator from New York and California, and they know they can buy Dan Osborne.

But folks, I've been delivering for the state for 12 years.

I will always be a senator for Nebraska.

Nebraska Republican Senator Pete Ricketts joined President Donald Trump on the campaign trail yesterday in GOP-friendly Grand Island, Nebraska.

Polls show a tightening Senate race there between Ricketts and Navy veteran and union leader Dan Osborne, an independent.

Osborne came within seven points of beating Senator Deb Fischer in 2024.

The stop in such Republican territory by Trump highlights growing concerns of a Democratic wave in November.

Polling in swing states and even heavily Republican states show tight races for Senate, House, and gubernatorial seats, with Democrats leading or narrowly trailing their GOP opponents.

Voter fears continue over Trump administration threats to place military personnel and immigration officers at polling locations during the midterm elections.

The country's top military officers said there are no plans to deploy to polling places, and officials at Homeland Security refused to completely rule out ICE agents at the polls.

John Yang, with Asian Americans Advancing Justice, says there are ways voters can respond if stopped by an ICE agent.

One of the things that generally you can do is just simply ask, am I being detained?

I am being stopped for some reason.

And unless they give you a clear reason for being stopped, you can always ask, am I free to go?

And they should allow you to leave.

In the latest polls PNS is highlighting ahead of the election, candidates across the country are facing more hostility in this political climate.

That's as concerns about political violence are at their highest in decades.

Mike Moen reports.

More than 50% of elected officials around the U.S., included in a recent Princeton survey, say they've already experienced at least one form of hostility this year.

Separate findings from the University of Illinois-Chicago show roughly 60% of mayors have received threats since 2022.

UIC political scientist Alexandra Philandra says those numbers could be even higher, as some officials worry that reporting a threat makes the problem worse.

They're afraid that it will invite more political violence to their door.

I'm Mike Moen.

The failed execution of a Tennessee woman is drawing increased scrutiny on the death penalty.

Krista Pike survived two lethal injections, prompting the state's governor to halt executions and conduct an independent review of the process.

Abraham Bonowitz, with Death Penalty Action, says capital punishment is a decision that cannot be reversed.

Well, clearly, we can't trust government with the power to get it right every time.

It just adds more to the circus that is the death penalty.

If you're going to do it, the people who are deciding the public policy should be the ones sitting in the front row and pushing a button.

In North Carolina, Democratic super PACs are pulling out of the state as former Governor Roy Cooper opens a large lead against his Republican opponent.

GOP groups pulled money out of the race last week to shore up Senator Roger Marshall in an increasingly competitive race in Kansas against Democratic United Methodist pastor Adam Hamilton.

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

Find our trust indicators at publicnewsservice.org.