Politics and views in the United States

Vance touts the GOP as a common-sense party – despite the common view. The Energy Secretary downplays doubts of the Venezuela oil deal and Florida bars undocumented immigrants from attending public universities.

Transcript

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

So on all these issues, Democrats stand for somebody else, the Republicans stand for you.

My argument was not that you're going to agree with us on every issue, but they're a bunch of crazy people.

Vice President J.D. Vance is pitching the GOP as the party of common sense and ordinary people, but a new University of Massachusetts poll finds more than two-thirds of Americans, including a rising share of Republicans, say the country's on the wrong track.

60 days before the midterms, polls confirm voters have soured on the administration's chaos and culture war attacks.

President Donald Trump was elected on kitchen table issues and Democrats might be able to do the same.

The first Afghan-American elected to Congress, California Democratic Representative Aisha Wahab, says people have tired of insults, divisions, and ethnic resentment.

Republicans and Democrats alike are struggling to afford housing, utilities, groceries, education, health care, and the basic necessities of life.

The Iran war has raised gas prices by about a dollar a gallon.

The White House says a new deal for the U.S. to control a fifth of Venezuelan oil will help.

The petroleum will take years to reach the pump, but Energy Secretary Chris Wright says it's already having an impact on the crude oil market.

Finers, you're the only customers for oil.

So production in Venezuela is growing every month.

But to massively lower oil prices, that's a few-year prospect for sure.

But I think it's putting downward pressure on oil prices today.

Trade conflicts with Canada could put much larger oil imports from the north at risk.

Missouri's Supreme Court just ruled GOP lawmakers couldn't enforce a new congressional map.

The new districts would have broken up one of two Democrat-led districts.

The court also ruled a citizen-led ballot referendum on the redistricting effort can proceed.

Mexico border wall construction is hitting resistance from an unexpected group.

Farmers in southern Arizona and New Mexico say the federal government is taking scarce groundwater from unauthorized wells to mix concrete and build roads.

Tom Patterson with the New Mexico Cattle Growers Association says they support building the wall, but not bypassing the state's permitting process.

New Mexico has some very specific rules on use of water.

It's so darn precious in this state.

We don't think ranchers' livelihoods should be threatened because of the water they need to use to build the wall.

Florida's Board of Governors has unanimously approved a rule barring undocumented students from state public universities.

About 8,000 undocumented students graduate from Florida high schools each year, and more than 50,000 are now enrolled in the state's university system.

Florida Gulf Coast University instructor Roberto Garcia testified against the rule.

At its core, this regulation asks our universities to look at an academically qualified student, someone who has done the work, earned the grades, met the standards, and demonstrated they are capable of succeeding here, and tell them none of that matters because of their immigration status.

Florida joins Alabama, Georgia, and South Carolina in restricting undocumented students' access to public higher education.

Feminist icon and journalist Gloria Steinem has died at 92.

Steinem was a pioneering figure in the 1960s women's rights movement later founded Ms. Magazine.

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

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