Politics and views in the United States

Former Special Counsel Jack Smith defends his work investigating President Donald Trump, tech companies agree to self-regulate their work on artificial intelligence, and new polls show economic concerns are high among rural voters.

Transcript

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

The status, power, prominence, or political affiliation of the subject of an investigation must play no role in the decision to investigate, prosecute, or decline to prosecute.

Former Special Counsel Jack Smith is defending his investigations into now-President Donald Trump.

He says the evidence showed, quote, proof beyond a reasonable doubt Trump engaged in serious crimes against America.

The testimony is part of congressional Republicans' investigations into Smith's cases against Trump for retaining classified documents after leaving office and attempting to overturn the 2020 election results.

It comes as lawmakers and the public demand Trump be impeached after the Wall Street Journal reported he spearheaded use of taxpayer money for political ads.

The $20 million funding came from Customs and Border Protection appropriations in the 2025 federal megabill.

Legal experts argue this violates federal laws like the Hatch Act, which limits the political activities of government officials.

Several tech companies signed an agreement brokered by President Trump to self-regulate their work on artificial intelligence.

It comes as fears about AI development outpacing regulations are becoming an issue in the midterms.

Long-time tech giant Bill Gates says self-regulation isn't enough and that government must monitor AI development.

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg says this deal is a good first step.

We drafted a set of principles and commitments around building robust internal controls and detecting if there are any issues with the technology, coupled with multiple layers of auditing and controls, starting with internal risk review, external auditors and evaluators.

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

A KFF Associated Press survey of rural voters finds they're upset with President Donald Trump's handling of the economy.

Most people rate their area's cost of living as fair or poor, a 25% increase from 2017.

Alex Montero with KFF says this could impact rural Republican turnout since a subset of this voting bloc is unhappy with Trump's economic agenda.

This sort of frustration with the cost of living, some dissatisfaction with President Trump and the administration on the economy, appears to potentially be chipping away at Republican rural voters' motivation to vote in the upcoming election.

Healthcare is a primary cost of living priority for rural voters.

More than 90% say Medicaid is important for their community, with half of them having a personal or family connection to the program.

But most rural voters aren't aware of cuts to this and other social programs from the 2025 federal megabill.

Other surveys find consumers are increasingly worried about economic survival.

The University of Michigan's latest index shows consumer sentiment fell in September to the second lowest reading in the survey's history.

Rhonda Allery with the Mountain Lakes Human Service Zone says the sticker shock is real.

I just bought groceries and I am one person in my household and I'm like, wow, I just spent $80 and I don't have a lot of food here.

The survey finds people are willing to spend on durable goods out of fear prices will worsen over time.

There's renewed concerns, higher fuel costs, and the impact of trade disputes could pass through the economy and affect business.

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

Find our trust indicators at publicnewsservice.org.