Politics and views in the United States.

The Supreme Court hears a case on race and redistricting. AZ Rep. Elect Adelita Grijalva hasn't been sworn in yet and Congress might roll back marine mammal protections.

TRANSCRIPT

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

What exactly do you think the end point should be or how would we know for the intentional use of race to create districts?

Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh on court conservatives may use a current case to change how race impacts congressional districts.

Louisiana's map included an additional majority black district to remedy a Voting Rights Act violation, but it's being challenged for a second time as a racial gerrymander by a group that describes itself as non-black voters.

Just two years ago, SCOTUS confirmed a section of the VRA as constitutional in requiring what are known as minority opportunity districts, but observers say this time the court could weaken or strike down that section of the law, letting states bend to pressure from President Donald Trump and redraw as many as 19 districts to favor Republicans in time for the midterms.

Tribal advocates are closely watching the case for how it can impact Native American districts.

The Native American Rights Fund's Jacqueline DeLeon says this case could immediately weaken the voting power for people of color, adding to existing civil rights discrimination against Native Americans.

Unfortunately, what we know through our work across Indian country is that racial discrimination is alive and well, and that unfortunately, Native voters are discriminated against often.

In a separate North Dakota case, Tribal Attica gets appealed to the high court with a focus on whether private citizens can sue to enforce that part of the Voting Rights Act.

Legal experts say as part of the Louisiana case, some of the high court's conservative justices seem likely to say they can't.

Meanwhile, Arizona's attorney general is threatening legal action against Speaker of the House Mike Johnson if he doesn't swear in Representative-elect Adelida Grijalva.

Johnson canceled previously scheduled votes and is keeping the House out of session throughout the ongoing government shutdown.

Grijalva says there is no reason other than politics to delay swearing her in three weeks after she won her special election.

This delay is not procedural, it's intentional.

Earlier this year, Speaker Johnson swore in two Republicans from Florida within less than 24 hours after their elections during a pro forma session.

She and others attribute the delay to her being the last needed signature on the discharge petition for the Epstein files, forcing the House to take action on it.

Johnson continues to say she will be sworn in soon, although he won't say when.

According to the New York Times, the Trump administration has authorized the CIA to take covert actions against the government of Venezuela.

The US military is already striking small ships off the coast of Venezuela, which Trump claims cartels are using to smuggle drugs.

The president says attacks on land may be next.

With the Gaza ceasefire still fragile, Hamas says it already turned over all the bodies of dead hostages that it can.

Israel is restricting aid for the strip, saying more bodies must be turned over.

Conservation groups nationwide warning a rollback of protections for marine mammals could hurt not just those animals but the broader ocean ecosystems as well.

Congressional Republicans have proposed stark revisions to the federal Marine Mammal Protection Act, a landmark law credited with the recovery of several species of whale.

Gib Brogan with the advocacy organization Oceana says possible legislation would change the definition of harm to these species and lower population goals.

The draft bill proposes wide range of deep unnecessary changes that will have significant effects on marine mammals across the country and around the world.

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

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