Politics and views in the United States

Vice President Vance softens the administration's tone in a Maine campaign stop, Democratic House Leader Jeffries wants to "crush" Republicans in redistricting battles and FBI agents question a Wisconsin elections official.

Transcript

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

I almost wish that she was more partisan, but the thing I love about Susan is she is independent because Maine is an independent state.

And frankly, if she was as partisan as I sometimes wish that she was, she would not be a good fit for the people of Maine.

Vice President J.D. Vance campaigned in Maine yesterday in support of Senator Susan Collins, a frequent and rare Trump critic within the GOP.

She most recently voted with Democrats and two other Republicans, supporting the latest failed War Powers resolution.

That could have forced the White House to wind down the unpopular Iran war.

Collins faces what could be a tough midterm race, with gas prices up and President Donald Trump's approval at historic lows.

Currently, she pulls behind Oysterman and veteran Graham Plattner, a Democrat whose popularity has surged in the state.

That might help decide who holds the Senate.

Georgia's Republican governor is calling lawmakers into a special session later this summer for redistricting.

Republican-run legislatures in Tennessee and Alabama quickly approved new congressional maps after the Supreme Court struck down a major portion of the Voting Rights Act.

But Democrats in Maryland may now reconsider a redistricting plan they had rejected.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries calls moves by southern states targeting majority black districts an assault on democracy and says the gloves are off.

We will beat the far-right extremists.

We're going to win in November, and then we're going to crush their souls as it relates to the extremism that they're trying to unleash on the American people.

The Congressional Black Caucus estimates nearly 20 members could lose seats from Republican gerrymanders.

A number of states have good government structures, such as independent commissions, to remove redistricting from partisan politics.

Democratic lawmakers in New York, Oregon, Colorado, and Washington are now looking at rolling those measures back.

It's not clear how that would work, and it would be all but impossible for that to have any impact by November.

Declining popularity may also make the Supreme Court a target.

Since it overturned Roe v. Wade, some progressives have argued for court reforms, including expanding the number of justices.

That proposal, formerly seen as off-limits, is now getting a second look from more moderate Democrats.

A new index of LGBTQ social media safety finds some of the biggest platforms are becoming more toxic.

According to gay rights group GLAAD, many of the websites disproportionately suppress legitimate queer content via shadow banning, demonetization, or content removal.

Jenny Olson with GLAAD says last year, YouTube removed gender identity from a list of protected characteristics in its hate speech policy.

Fundamentally, this signals to anyone on the platform that it's okay to express hate against trans people.

LGBT people deserve to be safe on social media, just like everyone.

A Milwaukee election official was visited by an FBI agent at their home earlier this week, reportedly investigating false claims of Wisconsin vote fraud in 2020.

Earlier this year, agency-rated election offices in Fulton County, Georgia.

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

Find our trust indicators at publicnewsservice.org.