Politics and views in the United States

The basis of the warrant for a Georgia election center raid will be unsealed. President Trump sues the IRS for $10 billion and a former acting DHS secretary says he is against some proposed Democratic ICE reforms.

TRANSCRIPT

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

We collaborate as a cabinet.

We're all extremely close, know what we're doing at all times pretty much to keep not only our country safe, but our world safe.

Attorney General Pam Bondi implies sending National Intelligence Director Tulsi Gabbard to an FBI raid of a Georgia election center reflected collaboration on vital security issues but continues to refuse to explain further.

A federal judge is ordering Bondi to release the bases prosecutors used to get a search warrant of the Fulton County Election Center.

The raid seems tied to debunked but repeated claims by President Donald Trump that the 2020 election was riddled with fraud.

Democracy experts say the raid could be a practice run for November.

They cite Justice Department suits against multiple states for extensive private voter information.

The president has said Republicans should take over running elections in selected jurisdictions, and his former advisor Steve Bannon says ICE will surround polling places.

Meanwhile, Trump is suing the IRS and the Treasury Department for $10 billion for leaking his tax information during his first administration.

News outlets used leaked tax data to support charges of a long pattern of profound business fraud, charges that later ended in half a billion dollars in New York state fines.

Arizona Democratic Senator Ruben Gallego is angry American taxpayers could pay a ludicrous sum if the president tells the agency not to fight the case.

I think for many of us, this is very simple.

And I think if this had been happening in any other country, this would have looked an absolute, like a total shakedown of the American taxpayer.

Some lawmakers say the case should be delayed until Trump is out of office.

A bipartisan group in the Senate has released draft language for Homeland Security funding, but it's still facing opposition.

Democrats want limits on ICE agents after two killings last month in Minneapolis.

Former acting Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf says some proposals, like requiring warrants signed by a judge, are unreasonable.

And he says stopping the use of masks requires more debate.

Protecting the officer's safety if they need to cover their face, because you will have people that will take pictures and they will find out who these individuals are and they go after their family, they go after the officer, they leave death threats.

A California judge has overruled the ban on masks there but says officers have to display ID.

If an agreement isn't reached by Wednesday, Homeland Security will be shut down.

As Congress debates reforms to immigration enforcement, some states are acting on their own.

Michigan lawmakers have introduced a bill removing immunity from state law for federal agents who violate the Fourth Amendment, notably arresting people based on personal characteristics.

The bill's sponsor, state representative Carrie Rennagin, says the Supreme Court looks likely to allow immigration stops based on racial profiling.

As a state lawmaker, I never ran for office thinking that I would have to protect Michiganders from the federal government in this way.

After viewing fully unredacted Epstein files, Maryland Democratic Congressman Jamie Raskin says the DOJ engaged in a coverup of names mentioned in its investigation.

Two other representatives say the unredacted documents incriminate at least six people.

They're threatening to read the names on the House floor.

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

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