Politics and views in the United States

Comey faces a second indictment over an "86 47" photo, the Florida GOP pushes through redistricted maps in special session and King Charles III calls for international cooperation in his address to Congress.

Transcript

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

It doesn't matter who you are.

We take all threat cases seriously and prosecute anyone who violates federal law, regardless of title or status.

W. Ellis Boyle, interim U.S. attorney for Eastern North Carolina, is vowing to aggressively prosecute former FBI director James Comey.

A federal grand jury has indicted Comey for allegedly threatening President Donald Trump through a now-deleted Instagram post last year.

A picture of a beach with seashells arranged to spell 86-47. 86 is restaurant slang for ejecting a customer or striking an item from the menu.

Trump is the 47th president.

Comey denies that 86 is a call to violence.

The president has clashed with Comey since the FBI found the Russian government had interfered in the 2016 presidential election that Trump won.

A Florida legislative committee has quickly approved a redrawn congressional map.

Coming only hours after the start of a special session, the new districts could net Republicans four additional seats.

Some in the party warned they could backfire if Democrats do especially well this fall.

And Shannon Keever, with Voices of Florida, slams them as unfair gerrymandering.

In democracy, voters choose their representatives, not the other way around.

If you want to be elected, don't cheat.

Do the work to listen to the people and then actually represent them.

If you care about your children being able to cast their votes, you will oppose this move.

A poll by Emerson College finds almost 60 percent of Floridians oppose mid-decade redistricting.

A Wisconsin court has dismissed a challenge to Republican-drawn maps there, effectively ending any chance of changing districts before the midterms.

A federal court has temporarily ruled that the Pentagon can require reporters to be escorted while in the building.

Press groups are suing against policies limiting journalists' access for national security, but those will stay in effect for now.

A separate federal court says immigrants have the right to due process and bail when detained.

Observers say a sprawling nationwide legal brawl on the issues could go to the Supreme Court.

In a joint address to Congress, King Charles III spoke of the alliance between the UK and the US at a time of global volatility.

He received a standing ovation when citing the Magna Carta as a foundational limit on tyranny.

Charles also mentioned the assassination attempt against Trump.

Whatever disagreements we may have, we stand united in our commitment to uphold democracy, to protect all our people from harm, and to salute the courage of those who daily risk their lives in the service of our countries.

The Senate has rejected a Democratic bid to stop an attack on Cuba without congressional authorization.

The near party line vote is the latest in a series of failed war powers resolutions.

In the tight and fluid California governor's race, Republican commentator Steve Hilton and Democratic billionaire environmentalist Tom Steyer lead the latest polls.

Both trail undecided and all the candidates run on one ballot during the primaries, with the top two finishers from any party moving on to the general.

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

Find our trust indicators at publicnewsservice.org.