Politics and views in the United States

A former elections clerk meets with the president to discuss election security, a Texas Senate candidate leaves the campaign trail with the flu, and the Democratic National Committee sues over taxpayer-funded political ads.

Transcript

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

We need honest elections.

You know, there are certain things our country needs.

One of them is honest elections.

It's a big deal.

We're going to be watching very, very close.

That's President Donald Trump after a reported meeting this week with former Colorado Elections clerk Tina Peters.

Peters was convicted in 2024 of state crimes tied to a breach of election equipment following the 2020 election.

Former Justice Department official Ed Martin says Peters and Trump discussed election integrity and plans for the midterms.

Trump announced no new election-related action.

Texas Democratic Senate candidate James Tellarico is off the campaign trail with the flu, prompting new attack ads from Republican Ken Paxton.

Tellarico says he stayed home to avoid spreading the illness.

His campaign says he'll return soon with a televised town hall scheduled October 14th.

A Montana public lands advocacy group has released a voter guide tracking candidates' records and positions on public lands.

Wild Montana Action Fund's Noah Marion says the guide looks beyond campaign promises.

The reason why we have the voter guide is to cut through some of that campaign rhetoric and really take a look at folks' public statements, who's giving them money, their voting records if they've held office before.

The guide profiles candidates in 26 closely contested races, including contests for Congress, the Montana Supreme Court, and state legislature, along with ballot initiatives.

It's at wildmontanaaction.org.

In the lead-up to the midterms, P&S is highlighting important polls, and Americans are growing more worried about prices.

A New York Federal Reserve survey finds consumers expect inflation to hit 3.9% over the next year, the highest expectation since May 2023.

Consumers also expect higher costs for gas, food, rent, and medical care.

Florida driver Richard McGalliard tells Orlando's WKMG-TV higher gas prices are already squeezing his budget.

He's barely making enough.

Just to be able to see family, it's all going in gas, so it's just ridiculous.

The Democratic National Committee is suing the Trump administration over taxpayer-funded ads featuring President Donald Trump.

The DNC alleges the ads violate federal restrictions on government propaganda.

More than $12 million in taxpayer money has been spent on the ads with funding coming through the Department of Homeland Security.

Trump says political funds will pay for future ads.

The DNC wants a federal court to block further taxpayer-funded spots.

Florida is escalating its legal fight with meta over protections for children and teens on social media.

Attorney General James Uthmeyer is asking a court to remove users under 14, limit teens to two hours a day, and disable features including autoplay and infinite scroll.

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

Find our trust indicators at publicnewsservice.org.