Politics and views in the United States

Trump-backed candidates have a mixed primary night, FBI election raids spark backlash and the Administration touts the draft Iran deal amid extensive questions.

Transcript

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

Thank you, Georgia!

Y'all know I am so proud to be standing here as your Republican nominee for the United States Senate.

Hard right Congressman Mike Collins, President Donald Trump's pick for Senate in Georgia, won a primary runoff decisively, heading into a likely bruising and expensive race against incumbent John Ossoff.

The Democrat is already pointing to Collins' social media comments described as extreme, racist, and anti-Semitic.

Healthcare billionaire Rick Jackson spent more than $100 million of his own dollars to beat Trump-backed Burt Jones in the state's Republican governor's runoff.

Outcry is building after FBI agents raided the offices of the Ohio Organizing Collaborative, which runs the state's largest voter registration program.

Agent sees documents and equipment and questions staff.

Director Caitlin Johnson sees a pattern of election interference.

Whether it's through gerrymandering the districts to draw black and brown people out of power and influence or, you know, purging people from the rolls.

After this raid and the ceasing of 2020 ballots in Georgia, voting watchdogs say they are alarmed by the Bureau's aggressive election actions, which often seem to be based on conspiracy theories.

Ranking Senate Intelligence Democrat Mark Warner accuses the White House of injecting politics into national security.

The president has paused U.S.

Attorney Jay Clayton's nomination to direct national intelligence, Trump's latest bid to force Congress to pass the Save America Voter ID Act.

Warner says that doesn't have the votes, and yet Trump is also tying it to a complex and controversial extension of FISA Section 702 spy powers.

At four o'clock in the morning, the president on Truth Social says not only does he want to pull Clayton back, but he wants to take a voter disenfranchisement law that does not have the votes and make that a prerequisite to signing FISA extension.

Meanwhile, the draft Iran deal is sparking questions and some bipartisan criticism.

Trump joked Wednesday he'll take credit if it works and blame Vice President J.D. Vance if it fails.

This way, if it works out, I'm going to take the credit.

If it doesn't work out, I'm blaming J.D.

You better be careful, J.D.

He's going to turn his plane around.

The Obama Presidential Center opens this week on Chicago's south side.

The privately funded campus cements the former president's legacy and the city that launched his political career.

The Federal Reserve hit pause on interest rates at Kevin Warsh's first meeting as chairman.

The Fed says the economy remains solid despite uncertainty tied to the Middle East conflict and inflation remains above target and energy prices are adding pressure.

I'm Joe Ulory for Pacifica Network and Public News Service.

Find our trust indicators at publicnewsservice.org.