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Sen. Chris Coons said Wednesday the special elections in Georgia and South Carolina show that Democrats need a positive agenda to take the House in 2018.

I think our challenge is to put forward a strong and clear agenda that helps middle Americans look at the two parties and the directions theyd like to take our country and say that they would rather have a Congress in the hands of Democrats, Mr. Coons, Delaware Democrat, said on CNN.

He also said the focus needs to be on creating this agenda and not just criticizing President Trump and Republicans.

At the moment, the Republicans control the House, Senate, and the presidency so they have an opportunity to move the agenda in a way they havent in a long time, and we need to not just point at the excesses and the outrages of President Trump, some of the statements he made as a candidate or some of the choices hes making, but instead put forward a positive and constructive agenda, Mr. Coons said.

I think if we dont do that, we wont be successful in 2018. If we do do that, then I think we have a strong chance of taking back the House, he said.

Mr. Coons was reacting to the Democrats loss in Georgia and South Carolina special elections on Tuesday. Democrats have failed to flip any of the special election seats up this year.

Read more from the original source:
Coons: Democrats need a positive agenda to take back the House - Washington Times

I'm Davan Maharaj, editor-in-chief of the Los Angeles Times. Here are some story lines I don't want you to miss today.

The most expensive congressional race in American history came to an end Tuesday with Republican Karen Handel defeating Democrat Jon Ossoff. Handel fills a seat vacated by fellow Georgia Republican Tom Price, now President Trumps secretary of Health and Human Services. And as if there wasnt enough drama already, torrential rains pounded the district and threatened turnout as voters tried to get to the polls. Ahead of election day, donors nationwide many of them Californians poured money into the campaign. Those backing Ossoff hoped a Democratic victory in Georgias traditionally Republican 6th district would signal that Democrats are poised to retake the House of Representatives in 2018. They didnt get the upset, which theyd thought would serve as a major check on the Trump administration. In South Carolina, Republican Ralph Norman defeated Democrat Archie Parnell to give the GOP a 4-0 record against the Democrats in special elections during the Trump presidency.

At long last, Americans are expected to get their first look at Senate Republicans vision for the future of the nations healthcare system. GOP leaders say they plan to unveil the plan Thursday. Republicans have been deliberating over an Obamacare replacement bill in near-total secrecy. Thats leftDemocrats and many others wondering: Will it result in more uninsured Americans? The version passed by the House was forecast to leave 23 million more people uninsured. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell says theyll make every effort to pass a bill that dramatically changes the current healthcare law. There wont be much time for debate.. GOP lawmakers are hoping to pass the bill before the July 4th recess.

-- In the Senate, a high-stakes game awaits. Republicans only have a 52-seat majority in the Senate. With zero Democrats on board with their plans, that means the GOP can't lose more than two senators and still pass a bill. (Vice President Mike Pence serves as a tie-breaking vote.) All eyes will fall on senators from the GOPs hardline and moderate wings to see if they can agree on issues including whether to preserve the Medicaid expansions made possible by Obamacare.

-- President Trumps son-in-law and key adviser Jared Kushner is headed to the Middle East in a bid to revive peace talks between Israelis and Palestinians. Its an ambitious task for the young real estate magnate and newly minted envoy. The challenge? Resolving one of the worlds most intractable diplomatic conflicts. But Palestinian officials are voicing doubt about the seriousness of the effort after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu tweeted approvingly about Israeli jackhammers breaking ground on the first new settlement in the West Bank since the mid-1990s.

Imagine being a septic worker in Death Valley, which had the highest temperature in the U.S. on Tuesday 127 degrees. Or working the tarmac at Phoenixs Sky Harbor International Airport, where it hit 119 degrees. It was too hot there even for jets, causing dozens of flights to be delayed or canceled. The heat wave cooking the Southwest this week and keeping millions of Americans indoors with the air-conditioning cranked up is causing some real trouble. California electricity officials asked consumers to scale back their power usage over the next two days or risk outages. Two firefighters have suffered heat-related injuries while battling a 850-acre wildfire in the San Bernardino Mountains near Highway 18, officials said. Times reporter Louis Sahagun headed to Death Valley, where he found out what happens when a local restaurants air conditioner suddenly fails. Forecaster warn Wednesday is expected to be nearly as hot.

Los Angeles lives in fear of the Big One. Now scientists with the California Geological Survey have newly mapped part of an earthquake fault line in northeastern Los Angeles that they say could someday cause major damage to the heart of the metro area and the San Gabriel Valley. The Raymond fault caused the magnitude-4.9 Pasadena earthquake in 1988, and researchers say its capable of causing a much more serious magnitude-7 earthquake.

--In Northern California this summer, theres big fun and a lot of water at these seven destinations.

--More than 500 surfers paddled out to form a record-breaking circle Tuesday near the Huntington Beach Pier.

--Pamela Adlon of Better Things has a surprising choice when asked about a classic show she would love to have been on.

-- Remember those stolen police cars? The Los Angeles Police Department has now arrested a total of seven cadets. The group of teenagers allegedly stole police cars to go joyriding and possibly also to pose as real officers.

-- More mixed signals. The man who led President Trump's transition team for the Environmental Protection Agency said California should not be allowed to set its own standards for greenhouse gas emissions from vehicle tailpipes. During a recent Capitol Hill hearing EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt said it wasn't currently under review although he had earlier suggested that the Trump administration could try to revoke California's Clean Air Act waiver.

-- A bodyguard for a popular alt-right personality was stabbed multiple times in Santa Monica on Saturday night. His supporters raised fears that it was an anti-white hate crime, but police said the attack stemmed from a dispute in a parking garage.

-- More than 9,000 workers at the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power would receive six raises within five years under a proposed salary agreement endorsed Tuesday by Mayor Eric Garcettis appointees and backed by the DWPs largest employee union.

-- Production will resume on the reality show Bachelor in Paradise after Warner Bros. announced that it had found no evidence of sexual misconduct by a cast member, following a complaint by one of the shows producers. The show is set to air this summer on ABC.

-- Three-time Oscar winner Daniel Day-Lewis, the 60-year-old English star of films including Lincoln and There Will Be Blood, is retiring from acting after his final film, Phantom Thread, comes out on Christmas.

--Ava DuVernay has doubled down on hiring only female directors for the second season of Queen Sugar, the Louisiana-set TV series she created for OWN. It was like, oh wait, these women havent directed television but they want to, said DuVernay, who directed Selma. We should really take this as far as we can.

--Prodigy, one half of the revered hip-hop group Mobb Deep, died Tuesday. He was 42. He had performed in Las Vegas over the weekend and was hospitalized for complications caused by sickle cell disease, his publicist said.

Jane Russells provocative performance in the 1943 film The Outlaw, and the studio publicity shots posing her in a low-cut blouse, marked a turning point in movie sexuality. She was born Ernestine Jane Geraldine Russell on this date in 1921 and died Feb. 28, 2011.

-- Soldiers in Brussels foiled a terror attack when they fatally shot a suspect who brought an explosive device to a busy train station Tuesday night, officials said. No one else was injured.

-- In Portugal, at least 64 people were killed by a wildfire that burned many people alive in their cars as they tried to escape. Environmentalists say theyve identified a major factor that made the fire worse: non-native eucalyptus trees, which have become a profitable cash crop in Portugal, and whose sap and bark are flammable.

-- The U.S. flew two B1-B supersonic bombers over the Korean Peninsula on Tuesday in a show of force against North Korea. The move comes one day after the death of American student Otto Warmbier, who had returned to the U.S. in a coma after North Korea released him from captivity.

-- Saudi Arabias King Salman on Wednesday appointed his 31-year-old son Mohammed bin Salman as crown prince, placing him firmly as first in line to the throne.

-- Bill Cosby faces a retrial after a Montgomery County, Pa., jury deadlocked over whether to convict him for sexual assault. But experts say the prosecution faces an uphill climb.

--Uber CEO Travis Kalanick resigned under pressure from investors unhappy about his management style.

-- Is Barbie ready for a Ken with a dad bod or a man bun? Mattel has started rolling out a new line of male dolls that now include slim and broad body types, plus a wider array of hair and skin-tone options.

-- Former NFL star and Hall of Fame defensive tackle Warren Sapp says he will donate his brain for concussion research, adding, I just cant remember like I used to, and its from the banging we did as football players.

-- Dodgers closer Kenley Jansen has gone halfway through the season without walking any batters. Can he go all the way?

-- The Lakers have traded DAngelo Russell and Timofey Mozgov to the Brooklyn Nets for Brook Lopez and the 27th overall pick in this years draft.

-- Columnist Michael Hiltzik sends his best wishes to the still-hospitalized House Majority Whip Steve Scalise (R-La.), who was critically wounded in a shooting last week. However, Hiltzik adds, Scalises situation highlights two major public policy issues: There are too many guns in the hands of too many unsuitable owners; and healthcare is still treated in the United States as a privilege, not a right.

-- Every day, three or four children under age 17 die and an additional 16 are hospitalized from gunfire, yet Congress doesnt treat gun violence as a threat to public health, which is outrageous, Scott Martelle writes.

-- Monday was Juneteenth, a holiday that marks the hard-fought end of slavery in America. It is the observance of a victory delayed, of foot-dragging and desperate resistance by white supremacy against the tide of human rights, and of a legal freedom trampled by the might of state violence, Vann R. Newkirk II writes in The Atlantic.

-- Rolling Stones Matt Taibbi, who is no fan of popular conspiracy theorist Alex Jones, thinks NBCs Megyn Kelly made the right call in interviewing Jones: People need to understand how acts like his work and why.

-- Its been a busy first five months for the Trump administration. How well do you remember them? Try this BuzzFeed quiz: Can You Remember Which One Of These Trump Scandals Happened First?

Gary Coronado / Los Angeles Times

Skiers at Squaw Valley Ski Resort.

Skiers at Squaw Valley Ski Resort. (Gary Coronado / Los Angeles Times)

How much snow did California get over the winter? People are skiing in bikini tops during a heat wave in June.

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Today: In the Trump Era, Republicans 4, Democrats 0 - Los Angeles Times

The Democratic National Committee raised nearly $4.3 million in May, making it the organization's worst May on record for fundraising since 2003, according to newly released Federal Election Commission data.

In May 2003, the Democratic group pulled in $2.7 million. Although 2017 is an off-year for fundraising, the DNC has raised between $4.5 million and $20 million every May in the nearly decade and a half since then.

The low number follows another rough fundraising month in April, in which the group hauled in $4.7 million, making it the worst April of fundraising since 2009.

DNC Chairman Tom Perez has said he intends to double the organization's budget from $50 million to $100 million this year, a change that will prove difficult if donations continue to remain below average. Perez defended his performance by saying he has only been leading the DNC for a few months now.

"Well again, I got there on March 1. And so, I was the first to say, we have a lot of rebuilding to do," Perez said on NBC.

The Republican National Committee reported $10.8 million in donations for the month of May, an off-year record-high number for the group.

See the original post:
Democrats had the worst May fundraising since 2003 - Washington Examiner

Meanwhile, high-skilled U.S. jobs that foreign-born workers could fill persistently go vacant. According to one economic index, the fields that will be most impacted by ongoing shortages are health, skilled trade labor, and STEM (science, technology, engineering and math). Just the shortages in STEM alone should keep tech CEOs up at night. Their companies experience firsthand the challenges in finding qualified workers in this field.

For example, take information security analysts: the sensitive nature of their work prevents these jobs from being outsourced to other countries. And forecasts project mathematical and statistical occupations, such as data scientists, to experience faster demand growth over the near term.

There is sensitivity, of course, around whether immigrants take jobs away from American citizens. Research indicates that immigrants can help create more net jobs by filling positions that remain unfilled. A study from the Niskanen Center, for example, indicates that nearly two jobs overall are created in industries associated with computers and engineering with the entrance of every one immigrant with a high-skilled work visa in those industries.

Tech leaders should take advantage of their time at the White House to suggest a few sensible high-skilled immigration policy solutions to the administration. First, annual per-country caps on permanent, employment-based visas should be removed. Employment-based visas should be based on skills, not nationality.

These visas are currently rationed to a fixed number per country of origin, regardless of the number and skill set/occupational mix of that country's applicants. This means we are limiting our ability to bring in STEM (and other) talent we need, simply because it is concentrated in certain parts of the world, such as India. This doesn't make economic or common sense.

Second, educational attainment should no longer be the dominant criterion to determine employment-based visas. Though important, educational attainment represents just one aspect of the equation for employment qualification. As the twin forces of global competition and technological progress only intensify, actual skill sets matter more than degrees.

Finally, state and locally administered employment-based visas should be created under any immigration reform proposal. Governors and mayors have a considerably more relevant perspective on the needs of their labor markets than the federal government, yet they have no input or control under current immigration law.

Empowering states and localities to influence immigration policy has worked well in Canada; it is a decentralized approach with aspects that merit consideration by the U.S.

All eyes will be on the interpersonal dynamics of "tech week." Participating tech leaders would be wise to refrain from indulging the media with stories of conflict and instead fill the days and available airwaves with substantive discussions around issues impacting our economy. Immigration is not an easy topic, but if the right reforms come into place, it will generate immense prosperity and innovation for the national good.

Commentary by Steve Odland, CEO of the Committee for Economic Development (CED) and former CEO of Office Depot and AutoZone. Read CED's new immigration report here.

For more insight from CNBC contributors, follow @CNBCopinion onTwitter.

Go here to see the original:
How Bezos, Cook can get immigration reform back on Trump's agenda - CNBC

Editors note: Former U.S. Representative Charlie Stenholm teaches a class on agriculture, energy, and food policy at Tarleton State University. The article below includes views and recommendations from that class, which have been respectfully submitted to House and Senate Ag Committees.

Congressman Stenholm explains how the class functions:

Related: Anti-Trump fervor is rising in Mexico

I always begin my classes at the first of the semester by electing them members of Congress. We then approach policy issuessometimes by voting, sometimes by consensus. I try to make it as close to the way Congress should work. At least that's the way it worked when I was first elected.

I give them my opinion on issues, but assure them they will never be graded down because they differ from me, because they may be right. Which usually gets a look of disbelief. But they soon learn that you can believe you are right, but if you can't persuade a majority of your classmates it just does not happen. The work on immigration is a good example.

Overall, I try to share with them my 26 years in Congress and make it applicable to today's ag and energy challenges. I enjoy my classes greatly because I learn something every Monday night. I see some great future leaders/teachers being developed every day at Tarleton State University and many other Universities. FFA and 4H are doing their part, too. But there is so much more to be done for the future to make sure every American knows where and how their food and energy are produced. Our education and political system must adapt to meet the challenges or suffer the consequences.

Compromise is not a four letter word. The one thing we need the most right now in our political system is to eliminate gerrymandering. Every State should copy the Iowa System. I hope the Supreme Court makes the necessary changes. Stop redistricting by party, race, creed, or color. Do as Iowa and draw your lines by communities of interest and have every district in America vote like my classes do. Even though I get out voted sometimes, I can and do accept it until I can change them or join them.

Some 43 million foreign born immigrants currently live in the U.S. (9.5 to 11 million are estimated as undocumented). That must change. In our opinion, rounding them up, locking them up, and deporting all of them is not a feasible or desirable option. For most, their only crime was seeking a better place to live and earn a living.

We agree that they broke a law and should pay the appropriate penalty. But what is appropriate? For some the penalty should be minimal. We are a nation of laws and want to remain so. We believe that employers who have benefited must be co-defendants in determining the appropriate penaltyas well as Congress for not clarifying the law that we want enforced.

An open border is certainly not feasible. America cannot accept ALL who want to come. The Canadian system warrants a careful study to see if it offers workable solutions for the U.S. We are currently admitting a million immigrants a year. For the next several years that number should be lowered to 500,000 (which will include refugees) until a higher number can be justified by Congress.

REFORM TO INCLUDE PATH TO LEGAL STATUS

Reform must include a workable plan to encourage most of the undocumented to come forward voluntarily (with their employer or sponsor) to receive legal documents that will allow them to become legal immigrants. They or their sponsor must pay the appropriate fine or other punishment applicable as determined by Congress. Those who have broken other laws or do not come forward should be deported. Changes proposed by the current Administration on H1B visas are an important step in the right direction. A workable immigration policy for the future must have the buy-in of employers and an absolute enforcement mechanism with buy-in of We the People. Only Congress can provide that.

SECURE BORDERS

Securing our border is a must. A wall is not a viable option; with our budget challenges, spending money we have to borrow, on something that will not work, makes no sense! Good fences make good neighbors. Building a fence your neighbor does not want, with money you do not have, and insisting he pay for it does not work well in the real world. Working with your neighbor always creates a better neighborhood. There is so much to gain in the North American neighborhood.

All citizens, immigrants, students, tourists etc. in the future must have proper identification in their possession at all times to be presented when asked by law enforcement. Technology offers the means, and Congress must provide the way. No sanctuary cities. All cities must be equally diligent in support of our immigration laws, which Congress must clarify.

The amount of time between application for visa and receipt of document must be shortened. Again, technology offers the means and Congress the way. Tracking all immigrants in today's world is a must. Again technology offers the solution.

RURAL COMMUNITIES NEED A SOLUTION

A Solution for Rural Communities can become the impetus for all America.

Speaking specifically for farmers and ranchers and those who work for them, it is apparent something new and innovative is needed. A reliable supply of needed workers is critical for our food production system. We suggest this might be facilitated by utilizing the current Farm Service Agency (FSA) system with the county-elected committee system to maintain community (farmers and workers) buy in, and local control. Those currently working in an agricultural job, presumably, would have their current employer recommend them for a legal visa to stay and become a legal immigrant after paying the recommended penalty (as determined by Congress). Employment opportunities for reliable citizens (definition to be provided by Congress) should take preference over future immigrants. Reliable labor is important for all industries, but it is critical for agriculture. Crops do not wait for anyone, and cows have to be milked at least twice a day.

Regarding wages and salaries, we like the Henry Ford model A and T approach. He wanted the workers making his cars to be able to afford to own one. The same justification for subsidizing any business must be equally applied to the worker. Keeping in mind that the market, (which is now a world market, and that will not change regardless of what some might want), will be the ultimate decider of prices and wages. A simple pure free market has never worked. Nor will mandated wages that ignore competitive pressures.

Even Walmart has begun to recognize that the pursuit of always-the lowest price (wage) has practical economic, human limits, that must be the shared goal of employer and employee in a competitive world market to preserve, protect, and create American jobs.

We believe that in Rural America the County Elected Committee system, working through a modified Farm Service Agency office system could be an implementer of this new system (that would supply both permanent and seasonal workers) that would be welcomed by the producer as well as his employee. There is no reason that we can determine that the Departments of Labor, Homeland Security, State, Commerce, and Agriculture cannot work together to implement this program with minimal cost and maximum efficiency, with USDA leading and setting the example for all other industries and their workers.

We respectfully ask for your consideration of these thoughts and suggestions. We acknowledge that the needed comprehensive immigration reform has many important parts that must all be addressed. But perhaps starting with our food production system (food is rather important to all) a solution for all might be found.

REGULAR ORDER

Using regular order, sub-committee hearings and markup, full committee hearings and markup, House and Senate floor action, a conferenced bill sent to the President for eventual inclusion in the 2018 Farm and Food Bill (food cannot be produced without labor) or Comprehensive Immigration Reform (or preferably both) would demonstrate how our forefathers intended the Congress to function for our mutual benefit.

Compromise is not a four letter word. Our Constitution would never have been ratified were it not for the willingness of strong willed men to compromise. The future of America depends on our current Congressmen, Congresswomen, Senators, and President to do the same.

It is important to remember that it took 116 days to draft the ConstitutionMay 25, 1787 to September 17, 1787. Even after the addition of the Bill of Rights, 36 percent of the people were opposed to its ratification.

A SUMMARY:

SECURING OUR BORDERS IS A MUST

1. Immigrants are essential to our Country

2. They must be legally in America

3. Our laws must be adapted and enforced

4. No wall between neighbors

5. No sanctuary cities

6. Agriculture producers and workers should set example

7. Congressional leadership is REQUIRED. Solution must be non-partisan

8. Comprehensive Immigration Reform should be signed by the President on

September 17, 2017116 days from May 25, 2017

See more here:
Immigration reform must consider labor needs - Southwest Farm Press