Politics and views in the United States

Democrats set the 2028 primary calendar, with racially diverse states early. AG Blanche won't affirm independence from Trump and Alaska prepares for an unpredictable election.

Transcript

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

Democracy works best when you have more people participating, more voices at the table, more communities represented in the conversation.

It will battle test our nominee with key parts of the country, key coalition groups, and it really reflects America.

Democratic National Committee Chair Ken Martin says the party's 2028 presidential primary calendar, approved over the weekend, will reflect America's diversity.

Six states will hold primaries in January and February.

South Carolina is first and has a large black population.

Nevada is second and has a high portion of Latino voters.

Then comes traditionally first New Hampshire, followed by New Mexico, Michigan, and Virginia, all before Super Tuesday on March 7th.

This is the second election where the party has taken pains to hear early from the minority voters who generally support Democrats.

Iowa and New Hampshire's Democratic parties previously clashed with the National Party over being moved later in the calendar and may do so again.

Newly minted Attorney General Todd Blanche is refusing to commit to acting independently of President Donald Trump.

There's a big difference between saying we will always do our job and investigate any case and act independently of the White House.

No, I'm not going to pledge that.

And no attorney general should ever pledge that.

Blanche directed the prosecution of Trump critics, including former FBI Director James Comey.

Alaska voters have a reputation for unpredictable independence.

In tomorrow's all-party primary, the top four vote-getters will advance to the general election.

Democratic former representative Mary Peltola, the first Alaska native elected to Congress, is running for the Senate under the slogan of, quote, Fish, Family, Freedom.

Ivy Sponholz is a former Democratic representative in Anchorage.

She says Peltola has outraised opponents four to one.

She's been able to be incredibly successful in this campaign because she's authentically Alaskan.

She is true to who she is, both as a woman, an Alaskan native person, and as somebody who passionately cares about Alaskans.

The campaign of incumbent Republican Senator Dan Sullivan may be complicated, by a retired teacher, also named Dan Sullivan, appearing on the ballot.

Polling Alaska is difficult due to the large share of people living in remote places.

Most surveys suggest a narrow contest between Peltola and the incumbent.

Efforts to build a border wall in Big Bend National Park in far west Texas have been met with resistance from conservationists, landowners, and local officials.

Critics point out less than two percent of border crossings happen in that rugged, all but untouched country.

Graham Jones is with the Texas Conservation Alliance.

The natural topography, the landscape.

It's a natural barrier.

And there's some folks that come across there and a wall or a vehicle barrier isn't really going to change that.

Opposition is mounting against the 100,000 flock cameras across the U.S. tracking people's movements.

Civil liberties groups argue the technology amounts to mass surveillance and Fourth Amendment violations.

Some lawmakers want to ban them or limit their data sharing, and people have begun illegally vandalizing or disabling them.

In one-month default.

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

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