Politics and views in the United States

Defense Secretary Hegseth defends Iran war policies to a skeptical Congress, Americans still send aid to Cuba despite the State Department and non-citizens in New Jersey have cast four hundred ballots.

Transcript

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

President Trump said we're not fighting stupid wars like that again, and he hasn't.

That's why we haven't been trying to remake Iranian society, but simply in a realist America first way, ensure they never have a path to a nuclear bomb full stop.

Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth testified that the Iran war has cost more than $37 billion, but he dodged questions about when or how it would end.

The White House is asking Congress for a nearly $90 billion emergency appropriation, but skeptical lawmakers from both parties took their opportunity to confront the administration.

Several outlets report that the Defense Department has been withholding reports of dozens of casualties from the conflict.

The Pentagon denies the accusation.

Democratic New Jersey Governor Mikey Sherrill says a DMV software glitch allowed 6,600 non-citizens to register to vote.

She says there's no proof any of the fewer than 400 votes they cast over three years influenced the outcome of elections with tens of millions of ballots.

The Homeland Security Department has not yet offered proof of its claim that the state has 35,000 non-citizens on its rolls.

A new State Department report condemns Americans who oppose U.S. policy toward Cuba, calling them, quote, communist front groups and fellow travelers.

President Donald Trump says Cuba could be in line for a violent regime change.

Berta Trentley is a Cuban-American living in New Hampshire.

She says infant mortality there has doubled since the U.S. forced Venezuela to stop oil shipments.

Children in Cuba with cancer that need their treatment are not getting their treatment because of the blockade right now because the hospitals are not functioning at full capacity.

To me, that's a crime.

The for-profit GEO group is expanding immigration detention facilities in Colorado, while it continues to deny access to health officials concerned about a tuberculosis outbreak at a separate existing prison in the state.

Michaela Goring with Rocky Mountain Immigrant Advocacy Network says the federal government is eviscerating decades of protections for people like her clients.

Democracy, if it's to continue to exist, has to continue to respect the rule of law.

And right now, we're seeing our clients respecting the rule of law and the process that they're going through.

But the federal government is not doing the same.

More than 50 people have died in ICE custody since the beginning of Trump's second term, many times the previous rate.

His immigration policies are extremely unpopular and growing more so.

One Indiana group says healthy patriotism and one cure for partisanship starts by helping young people experience a citizenship built through service, responsibility, and respect.

Tammy Silverman is with the Indiana Youth Council.

We're really talking about constructive patriotism where young people can come to understand that love of their country and their community and understand it as something that is active and hopeful and rooted really in that service.

According to Johns Hopkins, measles in the U.S. has hit a 35-year record.

A new poll from Politico is confirming that voters are turning against data centers.

More than 4 in 10 oppose their construction within three miles of their home, up 13% since January.

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

Find our trust indicators at publicnewsservice.org.