Politics and views in the United States.

Sen. Van Hollen warns of a "constitutional crisis" after his El Salvador trip. Defense Sec. Hegseth shared military information in a second Signal chat. Former President Clinton calls for unity while commemorating the Oklahoma City bombing.

TRANSCRIPT

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Welcome to 2025 Talks, where we're following our democracy in historic times. (clock ticking)

What a big surprise that a few leakers get fired and suddenly a bunch of hit pieces come out from the same media that peddled to Russia hopes won't get back their Pulitzers.

They got Pulitzers for a bunch of lies.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is downplaying stories about him sharing battle plans in a second Signal Chat thread.

This one including his wife, brother, and personal lawyer.

He put similar details about attacks on the Houthis in Yemen into previous group texts that included Jeffrey Goldberg, editor of The Atlantic.

President Donald Trump says he stands by Hegseth, but an official speaking anonymously to NPR said the White House is looking to replace him.

Meanwhile, the Trump administration is questioning whether it will continue working to end the Russia-Ukraine war.

Ceasefire talks have stalled.

Under US pressure, Kiev had agreed to one plan, which was rejected by Moscow.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio says America will do what it can to broker peace, but it's not going to continue if peace isn't possible.

If it's not possible, if we're so far apart that this is not gonna happen, then I think the president's probably at a point where he's gonna say, "Well, we're done.

We'll do what we can on the margins.

We'll be ready to help whenever you're ready to have peace, but we're not gonna continue with this endeavor for weeks and months on end."

Trump is criticizing legal delays on migrant deportation, saying he's being stymied at every turn.

The Supreme Court has paused flights to El Salvador, but the president says holding trials for the detained is impossible.

Indiana is the latest state prohibiting college students from using school IDs to register to vote or cast a ballot.

Democrats say the new law is meant to suppress turnout among young people who tend to support more liberal candidates.

Indiana Secretary of State Diego Morales says the change will help ensure election integrity.

A student ID does not provide those assurances in the way an Indiana driver license does.

The state has the nation's lowest voter turnout rate.

Idaho, Montana, and Ohio have enacted similar rules.

Lawmakers in several states are trying to get the abortion drug Mifepristone declared an environmental pollutant, arguing trace amounts are contaminating drinking water in spite of testimony.

That's not happening.

Maine has abortion clinics in only three towns, and Olivia Pennington with Maine Family Planning says the bill there has nothing to do with water quality.

She says the real aim is to limit access, especially for rural residents.

Medication abortion is extremely safe and effective in a way to ensure that folks in rural areas have equitable access to abortion care.

The Trump administration has halted the EPA's civil rights and environmental justice work.

The agency is no longer accepting new complaints that communities with large minority populations are subject to worse pollution. 13 existing cases are awaiting review, including one about poultry waste in North Carolina, but Debbie Chisuer with Earth Justice says what'll happen now is unclear.

In this moment where EPA staffing has been threatened and the structure of the civil rights work has been changed, that will debilitate its efforts to enforce civil rights and to protect communities.

I'm Edwin J. Vieira for Pacific Network and Public News Service.

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