Politics and views in the United States

A federal judge tosses the Justice Department’s lawsuit blocking certification of Alaska Senate race, Michigan Representative Haley Stevens endorses Republican Mike Rogers over Democrat Abdul El-Sayed, and parents and teachers worry about the impact of education cuts.

Transcript

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

She is trying to steal a Senate seat from the voters of Alaska, and it's disgraceful.

So whether it's criminal or not, she certainly has committed, I think, a great moral failing, and hopefully the voters of Alaska punish her.

Vice President J.D.

Vance wants Alaska Democratic Senate candidate Mary Peltola investigated for her campaign's attempt to deceive voters.

A New York Times investigation reports her campaign recruited Dan J. Sullivan Jr. to lure voters away from incumbent Republican Dan S. Sullivan.

Before the allegations came to light, though, the Justice Department filed a lawsuit to prevent certifying the race's results if the incumbent Sullivan lost.

But a federal judge dismissed the DOJ's lawsuit, saying it doesn't have the ability to bring the suit.

The Michigan Senate race is one of several contests that could decide if Democrats control the high chamber.

Representative Haley Stevens, who campaigned and lost the race's Democratic nomination is endorsing Republican Mike Rogers over Democrat Abdul El-Sayed.

El-Sayed leads Rogers by five points, though the race is only labeled as leaning Democrat.

Stevens says her choice is about standing with country over party.

We can't stand with hate.

We can't stand with Hassan Piker.

A friend of mine was talking about how education is on the ballot, and it's very true.

There's a lot of young people looking at this election, and we've got to make a choice about who is standing with them.

Republicans are keen on keeping al-Sayed from being elected, even falsely claiming he has ties to terrorist organizations like al-Qaeda and Muslim Brotherhood.

Texas Senator Ted Cruz says, quote, Americans will die if Abdul al-Sayed is put on the Senate Intelligence Committee because of these alleged ties.

He also warns the stakes of the election are so high because the Democratic Party is being taken over by, quote, communists and Islamists.

If you are not scared, you should be, because I'm profoundly scared for my kids.

If history teaches anything, it teaches that if somebody tells you who they are, Believe them.

Education funding is becoming a major midterm issue.

States like West Virginia are seeing school closures or reductions in staff and programs because of funding cuts.

The state's $180 million deficit for special education is making it harder to recruit and retain special education staff.

Sarah Harris is a mother of three children with special education needs in Putnam County schools.

She says the landscape is bleak for families who rely on extra services.

It does make it harder for children who have severe disabilities to get the one-on-one aides or paraprofessionals that they might need in their classrooms to be successful.

In Alaska, teachers want voters to consider the impact of stagnant school funding at the ballot box.

State educators say they've been on the wrong end of funding cuts, which has led to larger class sizes, fewer teachers, and reductions in student services.

Anchorage special education teacher Michaela Hernandez says there's been a slow erosion of support systems.

We're just limping along because we truly don't have the supports, we don't have the resources, and we're expected to teach kids and give them the time and attention they deserve.

But that's impossible when you have a classroom of 35 students.

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

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