Politics and views in the United States.

As a shutdown deal nears completion, Minority Leader Schumer faces blowback from Democrats in Congress. Voting rights groups defend against federal demands for private voter data, and a new poll finds term limits still very popular.

TRANSCRIPT

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

The American people have suffered for long enough.

Let's not pointlessly drag this bill out.

Let's get it done, get it over to the House so that we can get this government open.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune is calling for quick passage of funding to reopen the government.

Eight Democrats joined most Republicans late Sunday to deliver 60 votes to begin debate on the continuing resolution and full-year appropriations for several agencies.

Kentucky's often contrarian and libertarian Republican, Rand Paul, objected to a provision restricting the sale of intoxicating hemp products.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer voted against the bill but is under fire within the Democratic Party for letting the deal happen.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries says Schumer will keep his leadership role, but the defectors will have to answer to voters.

They're gonna have to explain themselves to their constituents and to the American people.

I certainly believe that Senate Democrats, the overwhelming majority of Senate Democrats led by Chuck Schumer, have waged a valiant fight over the last seven weeks.

The Supreme Court rejected a bid to overturn its previous 2015 ruling making same-sex marriage legal across the country.

The bid was brought by a former county clerk in Kentucky who was sued for not issuing a marriage license to a gay couple.

The high court is also set to decide whether states can count mail-in ballots that arrive after election day.

Nearly 30 states allow it, and election officials argue it gives voters like military personnel a grace period.

Voting rights groups are jumping in to defend the New York State Board of Elections from a Justice Department lawsuit.

Justice wants to force several states to turn over voter roll data that may include partial Social Security and full driver's license numbers.

Erika Smitka with New York's League of Women Voters says the administration might use it to purge the rolls or go after people they don't like.

They may use it to target political opponents.

We also know that they're working in conjunction with the Department of Homeland Security, so they may use this for immigration enforcement.

Justice claims refusals to turn over voter data violate the National Voter Registration Act and the Help America Vote Act.

Four out of five voters nationwide, regardless of party, won congressional term limits.

More than 150 members of Congress have endorsed a constitutional amendment limiting representatives to three two-year terms and senators to two six-year terms.

Scott Tillman with U.S. Term Limits says regular people like the idea, but big campaign donors don't want to lose the influence they get by allying with incumbents.

It's worth more than gold because they're with you.

People really want to be represented and they don't want this situation where there's a huge advantage to one side.

Critics argue term limits would leave Congress perpetually full of novice legislators at the mercy of staff and lobbyists and prematurely end the careers of good people.

They also warn a constitutional convention called to enact the amendment could be a serious threat to the nation's basic freedoms.

The FDA is removing the warning signs on replacement hormones prescribed for menopause.

Some argue the science balancing the benefits with potential harms is still unclear.

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

Find our trust indicators at publicnewsservice.org.