Politics and views in the United States.

Indiana and Florida advance redrawn congressional maps, as part of the redistricting race. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth discusses boat strikes and New Orleans' Mayor-elect speaks out on ICE raids.

TRANSCRIPT

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

You have an opportunity to go back home and tell your constituents you did the right thing, because you know this is not the right thing.

You know this is going to tear our state apart.

Democratic Indiana State Representative Carolyn Jackson is decrying a Republican-led redistricting plan which just passed the statehouse in spite of a dozen in the GOP voting no.

The bill faces an unclear future in the Senate, but the White House has been pressing hard for it.

Indiana could become the seventh state to approve new congressional maps.

The vote came a day after the Supreme Court approved Texas' new districts.

Justice Samuel Alito says the maps were drawn for partisan advantage, which wouldn't violate the Voting Rights Act rule against racial gerrymandering.

Florida is also working on a redistricting plan, but state law prohibits drawing districts for partisan benefit or to help incumbents.

Republican State Representative Mike Redondo, chair of House Redistricting, promises the new maps will fit in those guidelines, despite what he calls external pressure.

Our work will only relate to congressional redistrict.

We will not discuss hypotheticals outside of our control or engage in partisan punditry.

We will follow the United States and Florida constitutions.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is providing more detail on how an alleged drug boat was attacked on September 2nd.

Two survivors were killed while they clung to the capsized and burning wreckage.

Hegseth denies a Washington Post report that he gave orders that all the planned strikes have to quote, "kill them all."

He insists the attacks off Venezuela are legal and justified.

These are the most professional Americans going through specific processes about what they can and cannot do, understanding all the authorities, all the laws of war, all the capabilities, and applying it to deter our adversaries.

The administration calls the attacks "non-international armed conflict with designated terrorist organizations."

It argues that means the troops can't be prosecuted.

ICE is now conducting immigration sweeps in New Orleans, and the Department of Homeland Security says it wants to make at least 5,000 arrests there over the next two months.

Few people arrested in what's called the Catahoula Crunch have criminal records, and the city's Mayor-elect Helena Moreno says there are visible impacts on the community.

"We have businesses closing.

We have workers afraid to show up.

And ultimately, there is an economic impact."

Moreno and the City Council have given ice conditions for the operations to follow, including avoiding racial profiling, regularly reporting results, protecting due process, not wearing masks, and considering humanitarian issues.

The administration is announcing a new $5,000 penalty for anyone illegally entering the U.S.

The fee, approved in the federal budget mega-bill, applies to anyone 14 and older crossing the border.

With three weeks left before Affordable Care Act subsidies expire, Congress is working to avoid massive health insurance premium sticker shock for millions.

Republican leaders say they're working on a proposal, and Democrats have introduced a clean three-year extension.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer says this bill is Congress' last chance.

Republicans have no hope of solving this health care crisis on their own.

They have no health care plan of their own whatsoever.

They're far too divided.

President Donald Trump had floated, then backed away from supporting an extension.

Republicans say they'll only go along if it includes ACA abortion restrictions.

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

Find our trust indicators at publicnewsservice.org.