Politics and views in the United States

Montana Republican Senator Steve Daines feels history is repeating itself in the midterm elections, President Donald Trump defends taxpayer-funded ads, and rural Utah voters are addressing challenges to accessing the polls.

Transcript

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

Think about the condition of the country back in 06, an unpopular war.

Six in ten Americans opposed the Iraq war at that point.

Gas prices had doubled.

Does this sound familiar?

Montana Republican Senator Steve Daines says the political backdrop of this year's midterms is similar to the 2006 midterms.

The GOP lost six Senate seats and another 30 in the House that year.

Polls for the upcoming midterms show history may repeat itself, with Democrats poised to take the House, but an uncertain future for the Senate.

Daines feels President Donald Trump can invigorate Republican turnout at the polls, but his flailing popularity among his own supporters could be problematic.

Trump is defending a series of ads he funded with taxpayer money.

The ads praise his second-term agenda like reviving American manufacturing, but data show the U.S. has lost tens of thousands of manufacturing jobs since Trump's return to office.

Legal experts argue the ads may violate federal laws like the 1971 Federal Election Campaign Act, which prohibits public officials from using taxpayer dollars for campaign purposes.

Despite bipartisan criticism, Trump says these are ads for the, quote, spirit of the country.

The ads are given by me, but I'm not running for office and I don't talk about anybody.

If I was talking about Dan Sullivan, if I was talking about anybody behind me that's a politician, that's a political ad.

Senate Republicans are blocking a bill to prevent President Trump from using federal dollars for any work on the triumphal arch.

Various groups are frustrated by Trump invoking national security as the reason for building the arch, having heard a similar excuse for the White House ballroom.

Oregon Democratic Senator Jeff Merkley says this project creates a myriad of problems.

It disregards the Constitution's separation of powers.

It disrupts air safety at D.C.'s Ronald Reagan Airport.

And it disrespects the sacrifices of our veterans and their families.

Non-profit advocacy group Public Citizen is suing the administration to block the arch's development, noting it hasn't received congressional approval.

Though court orders require the administration to give prior notice before work begins, lawmakers warn Trump is laying the groundwork for construction now.

Rural Utah voters are facing unreliable mail service, long drives, and changing election rules ahead of the midterms.

These problems are especially acute in San Juan County, where the Navajo Nation covers around one-third of the county.

Laniece Peterman is with Stewardship Utah.

Rural counties, especially when we talk about San Juan, is so large that people who reside on Navajo Mountain literally have to drive four hours to get to a polling place.

While San Juan County conducts elections well, a legislative audit finds some compliance gaps.

Peterman says because Navajo Nation Postal Service is questionable, people should fill out their mail-in ballots as soon as they get them and send them back to ensure they're counted.

A new court ruling strikes down the Trump administration's policy allowing ICE agents to arrest people for showing up to immigration court and restores policies barring immigration court arrests, except in rare occasions.

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

Find our trust indicators at publicnewsservice.org.