Politics and views in the United States

The Supreme Court rules mail-in ballots postmarked by Election Day are valid, and seems set to decide on a transgender athlete cases and ICE pressures a New York woman over a social media post – adding to privacy and free speech concerns.

Transcript

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

What they're saying is you make that decision, you make that choice, you cast your vote when you fill out your ballot and submit it.

Bernadette Reyes with the UCLA Voting Rights Project says a new Supreme Court ruling preserves election integrity.

The 5-4 Watson versus the RNC decision dismissed an argument that a Mississippi law allowing the counting of mail-in ballots received after Election Day breaks the rule requiring polling to finish by the set date. 30 states have similar laws.

The court also ruled President Donald Trump can fire commissioners from independent agencies, upending a century-old precedent and further increasing presidential power.

Trump fired the Federal Trade Commission's two Democratic members who sued.

In the majority opinion, Chief Justice John Roberts wrote, quote, the president must have the assistance of officers he can trust.

But the court also ruled Trump couldn't fire Federal Reserve board member Lisa Cook, saying the Fed's importance to the economy means it must be more insulated from influence.

A statement from the Institute for Women's Policy Research noted the president tried to use trumped-up accusations against Cook to pressure the central bank.

Reading from their position, the Institute's Tanya Williams describes Trump's bullying as an affront to American values.

President Trump has made his contempt for both federal employees and the independence of agencies such as the Fed all too clear.

These vendettas do nothing to help families struggling to afford the basics like health care or housing.

Today, the Supreme Court is expected to hand down a ruling on cases from Idaho and West Virginia deciding whether transgender athletes can compete in female school sports.

The West Virginia case claims transgender girls competing in girls sports violates Title IX, the federal law ensuring equal athletic opportunities by displacing biological females from teams, competitions, and scholarships.

Half of states have related laws, and Leila Garcia, with the advocacy group Equality New Mexico, worries the high court could permit legal discrimination.

West Virginia versus BPJ is another clear plot to further divide our communities.

But we also know that in New Mexico, we treat each other with love and acceptance.

And we know that trans New Mexicans are our neighbors, our friends, our family members.

ICE issued a warning to a Syracuse, New York woman over a social media post showing the agent who shot dead a Minneapolis woman in January.

Paige Lingarnier posted a picture showing the agent is still on the job and out in public, citing a news story that identified him.

The agency sent a form letter accusing her of spreading threats against ICE personnel and agents visited her personally.

Adam Steinbaugh is with the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression.

The First Amendment squarely prohibits ICE agents from intimidating Americans for nothing more than repeating information from a newspaper report.

As we approach the 250th anniversary of our independence from England, where police now hassle residents over social media posts, let's not follow their lead.

A number of ICE protesters say despite not having broken any laws, the agency has tracked them and their vehicles, even stopping them when they try to cross the border.

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

Find our trust indicators at publicnewsservice.org.

That's something you can do once you're elected.