Politics and views in the United States

Polling experts remain uncertain which party might take control of the Senate, disability rights advocates want to make polling places more accessible, and gun rights advocates demand action from Congress after Oregon school shooting.

Transcript

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

It could go either way by a point or two.

Marshall is hoping the fundamental of Kansas being Republican takes over.

Hamilton is hoping the fundamentals of this particular midterm year, where Donald Trump is unpopular even in Kansas.

Political scientist Larry Sabato with the Center for Politics considers Kansas' Senate race a toss-up.

The race between Democrat Adam Hamilton and Republican Roger Marshall could see the state elect its first Democrat in almost 100 years.

But it's one of several Senate races being closely monitored since it could impact control of the higher chamber.

Increased spending by Democrats and President Donald Trump's low approval ratings could be advantageous.

While Senate control remains uncertain, polls show Democrats heavily favored to take control of the House.

The 120th Congress's agenda is being heavily debated. some lawmakers want to hold Trump accountable for his acts of political retribution and impeach him for a third time, while others want to make good on promises of affordability.

Former Illinois Democratic Representative Rahm Emanuel says what Democrats do in 2027 will determine if they actually won on Election Day.

If you go impeachment, it's my view.

It's a food fight about one man.

If you do ethics reform, and you can say, I don't like your five things, here are my five things, here are my three things.

I get it.

That's what the debate is about.

As early voting continues, disability rights groups want to ensure polling places are accessible.

States like New York face challenges due to aging disability voter equipment and difficulty obtaining data on what will make polling places more accessible.

But there are federal challenges, too.

The White House Office of Budget and Management is proposing changes to spending rules to prohibit any use of federal grant money for voter registration drives or unspecified, quote, related activities.

Anna Humphrey with the Center for Independence of the Disabled New York says this and other proposed changes are scaring disabled voters.

In New York City, we have the AutoMark ballot marking device, which is an older version.

And we do run into a lot of issues that span from paper jams to calibration issues with the touchscreen.

After a shooting at Silver Rail Elementary School in Oregon, gun control advocates want Congress to pass Ethan's law.

It would establish federal safe storage requirements for guns in homes when kids or a person who is prohibited from buying a gun are at home.

The 16-year-old shooter in Oregon reportedly used a gun his mother bought, but it's uncertain how he obtained it or if it was stored properly.

The U.S. Secret Service's National Threat Assessment finds 76% of school shooters obtained their guns from home or homes of relatives.

Poe Murray is with the Newtown Action Alliance.

We cannot keep treating an armed response as our primary plan for protecting children.

We should measure school safety by the shootings we prevent, not by how quickly someone with another gun can stop a shooter.

The Gun Violence Archive finds there have been 377 mass shootings this year, a sharp decline from a peak of almost 700 in 2021.

A new study finds more than 6.5 million children live in a home with a loaded and unlocked gun.

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

Find our trust indicators at publicnewsservice.org.