Politics and views in the United States

The Senate confirms Todd Blanche as the next Attorney General. A Senate committee fails to pass a new Farm Bill and new data shows the cost of the Trump Administration's deportation agenda.

Transcript

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

This is not a referendum on President Trump.

It is a decision regarding Mr. Blanche in very specific circumstances.

All considered, I will vote for Mr. Blanche.

Louisiana Republican Senator Bill Cassidy was the deciding vote in Todd Blanche's 50 to 49 confirmation as the next attorney general.

Republicans Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska voted no with all Democrats.

Murkowski says she lacks confidence.

Blanche quote, check the worst impulses of this administration.

Other skeptics said Blanche would likely be the most palatable candidate the president would nominate.

Before leaving for recess, the Senate also passed a bill to avert a government shutdown scheduled just a month ahead of the midterms.

The bill funding the government into December now goes to the House.

It may face resistance from the GOP's right flank because it provides no new immigration enforcement money, but does include a temporary bar on the White House, canceling government grants for partisan reasons or without warning.

The Senate Agriculture Committee narrowly voted down a new farm bill on to party lines.

Democrats objected to requiring states with high error rates for SNAP to start funding the hunger program themselves.

New Jersey Democratic Senator Cory Booker called the Republican-led proposal, quote, effing ridiculous.

We are spiraling into a deficit and a debt, and our big idea to solve that problem is to go after the most struggling Americans.

That is hypocrisy when there's huge ways to save money out there that nothing is being done about.

Congress has until the end of September to pass a new Farm Bill or extend the current 2018 funding levels.

A new online tool from the Economic Policy Institute calculates the price of mass deportations by location and compares that to the cost of government services.

In all, it says the U.S. has spent nearly $270 billion sweeping up and deporting migrants, which would have paid for hiring nearly 100,000 new teachers or kept over 11 million people on Medicaid.

Gordon Lafer of Oregon University worked with the left-leaning think tank on the calculator.

He says it's shocking to see taxpayers spending so much to kick out migrants when so many families struggle to afford food, housing, and health insurance.

We wanted to show what the trade-off is so people understand we could be having all these things that really matter in people's lives and instead the money's being wasted on this political circus of mass deportation.

Idaho's attorney general is appealing a preliminary federal court injunction against the state's transgender bathroom ban.

Earlier this year, legislators voted to require people to use the bathroom matching the sex assigned at birth.

Six transgender state residents sued, saying the law violates their constitutional right to due process equal rights and privacy.

Emily Crosstown with the ACLU of Idaho says they'll argue for making the injunction permanent.

We are fighting to continue litigating the bill in the district court to get a final decision on the merits.

This violates Idahoans' constitutional rights and for an eventual permanent order that would block enforcement as to all restrooms in Idaho.

Supporters say the ban protects women and children in private spaces, although there are few, if any, documented cases of bathroom attacks by transgender individuals.

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

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