Politics and views in the United States

The vice president pushes Congress to toughen penalties for SNAP fraud, House Republicans subpoena New Jersey officials over thousands of mistaken noncitizen voter registrations, and Tennessee voters will decide three proposed constitutional amendments on November third.

Transcript

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

Do you want to double down on the policies that have the ship moving in the right direction, or do you want to go back to the policies that had the worst inflation crisis in 50 years in the United States of America?

Vice President J.D. Vance is calling for tougher penalties for people convicted of stealing federal food assistance.

Federal officials say investigators have uncovered nearly $42 million in snap fraud since September.

Prosecutors have charged more than 40 defendants in cases handled by 13 U.S. attorneys' offices.

Vance says Congress should increase penalties to make fraud against the program more costly.

House Republicans have subpoenaed New Jersey officials over a software error that mistakenly registered about 6,600 people who had indicated they were not U.S. citizens.

Governor Mikey Sherrill says the state is correcting the voter rolls and investigating what happened.

Tennessee voters will decide more than candidates on November 3rd.

Three proposed constitutional amendments are also on the ballot.

Debbie Gold with the League of women voters says the lengthy questions could surprise some voters.

The first one has to do with who is eligible for bail or bond if they're arrested.

That amendment would allow judges to deny bail for defendants charged with certain serious felonies.

In the lead up to the midterms, PNS is highlighting important polls.

Americans are pointing the finger at the private sector, saying they want Congress to do more about affordable housing.

Researchers say solutions aren't gaining traction for buyers in Pennsylvania and elsewhere.

Our Mike Moen reports.

In a new national survey from Clever Real Estate, 33% of respondents blame mortgage lenders and banks for the affordable housing crisis, with equal blame for builders and developers.

And around 78% want the next Congress to prioritize this issue.

Separately, a panel discussion on the lack of starter homes included Julia Gordon of the Center for Affordable Housing Lending.

It is not likely that the private market and private builders all on their own are going to want to serve the population that's looking for starter homes.

Congress recently adopted reforms by passing a landmark bill, but they won't take effect until federal agencies act on directives and lawmakers provide additional funding.

New Mexico's attorney general is suing two longtime Jeffrey Epstein associates, accusing them of helping conceal his sex trafficking operation.

Raul Torres wants to block Epstein's former attorney and accountant from collecting money from his estate.

It is unconscionable in my mind that people who actively participated in the efforts of that trafficking enterprise, that they should in any way benefit from what is left of his estate.

A bipartisan group of House lawmakers is urging President Trump to press Elon Musk to allow Ukraine to use Starlink inside Russia.

The lawmakers say it could help Ukraine target Russian missile launchers before they strike.

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

Find our trust indicators at publicnewsservice.org.