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Like some exotic bird of prey that migrates back every other year, national Democratic strategists are expected to again circle Southern Illinois in 2018, intent on wrenching two putatively vulnerable Metro East congressional districts away from Republicans.

On paper, its easy to see why they keep returning.

Illinois 12th and 13th districts are held by two relatively new Republican incumbents: Mike Bost of Murphysboro, in the 12th District, and Rodney Davis of Taylorville, in the 13th.

The 12th was, not that long ago, home base to one of Congress most powerful and longest-serving Democrats. The 13th was drawn by Democrats to include the states flagship university and its rich cache of young, left-leaning voters. Neither Bost nor Davis has ever broken 60 percent in a general election a low bar for incumbents in todays gerrymandered political landscape.

In theory, both districts should be ripe for the taking. But its a theory that has repeatedly failed to translate into reality. Both incumbents have been targeted by national Democrats each time theyve run in the past. Yet each victory margin has been wider than the one before.

Still, Democratic strategists say next year could be different. The election of Republican President Donald Trump, they say, has angered and revived downstate Illinois once-dominant, lately dormant Democrats. Wide fields of potential Democratic challengers are lining up early in both districts.

Both Congressman Bost and Congressman Davis voted for the repeal bills (to undo Obamacare), which would be devastating for Southern Illinois families and older Americans, said Rachel Irwin, spokeswoman for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. Both these representatives will be held accountable.

While Democratic challengers can be expected to play up the controversial health care vote, the Republican incumbents will almost certainly play the Nancy Pelosi card, reminding voters that a Democratic takeover of Congress will mean putting the unpopular Democratic leader from California in the third-highest position in the country.

Regardless of who the Democrats select, their nominee will have a difficult time justifying lockstep support for Nancy Pelosis extreme agenda in Washington, Bost spokesman George OConnor said in an emailed statement last week. ... [W]e are confident that we have the values, the message, and the resources to stop Nancy Pelosi from taking control of this seat.

National ranking sites list both Republican incumbents as odds-on favorites but not sure things for re-election next year. The Cook Political Report, for example, downgraded Davis district in May from Solid Republican to Likely Republican.

Downstate Illinois has trended away from Democrats, and Davis appeared to have locked down this seat last year, states the site. But in a wave environment, this Democratic-drawn seat could still come into play.

Bost first won his 12th District seat in 2014, unseating one-term Democrat Bill Enyart. Prior to Enyart, powerful longtime Rep. Jerry Costello, D-Belleville, had held the seat for 25 years.

Bosts ascension has stood as a key example of Southern Illinois political transformation in recent years from Democrat to Republican making it symbolically as well as numerically urgent to Democrats to get the seat back. Bost, now seeking his third term from his Carbondale-area base, already faces more than a half-dozen Democrats who say they might run next year.

It was a field of relative unknowns until last week, when St. Clair County States Attorney Brendan Kelly confirmed to the Post-Dispatch that he is strongly considering seeking the Democratic nomination for the district in March. Kelly indicated he could have an announcement as early as next week.

A Kelly nomination, with St. Clair Countys Democratic machine fully behind it, could make the November 2018 general election a regional showdown between the urban-suburban Metro East and a large, mostly rural swath of southwestern Illinois.

Rep. Bost is proud to stand on his record in Congress, which includes legislation hes introduced to help our steelworkers combat unfair foreign trade practices, to empower our farmers and small business owners, and to ensure our veterans get the quality care they deserve, said the statement by OConnor, Bosts spokesman. Rep. Bost continues to receive broad-based support from across the district and across the political spectrum.

Other possible Democratic challengers for Bosts seat include David Bequette of Columbia; Nathan Colombo of Carbondale; Adam King of Alton; Pat McMahan of Mascoutah; Chris Miller of Roxana; and Dean Pruitt of Millstadt.

In the 13th District, Davis, seeking his fourth term, has been a perpetual target for Democrats for his entire tenure in Congress, in part because of the way he initially won the seat in 2012: by 1,002 votes, or 0.03 percent of the total cast. It was the second-closest congressional race in the country that year.

Though Davis won two subsequent elections with percentages in the high 50s including a solid victory over former Madison County Chief Circuit Judge Ann Callis in 2014 that first near-loss continues to entice national Democrats.

Among Davis potential Democratic challengers next year is Bloomington physician David Gill, the nominee who almost beat Davis in 2012 and who has tried again since with less success. Also considering a run is Illinois state Rep. Carol Ammons, D-Urbana, who as an African-American woman could bring new political complications to the contest.

Springfield fundraiser Betsy Londrigan has been floated as a potential Democratic candidate. Montgomery County Board member Dillon C. Clark of Litchfield also may run. And there has been talk in the party of drafting state Sen. Andy Manar of Bunker Hill, a popular rural Democrat, but he has so far demurred.

Davis spokesperson Ashley Phelps argued that Davis has cultivated a bipartisan approach to lawmaking that is unusual in todays Congress, and said he will continue to stress his core issues of jobs and economic development. You have seen Congressman Davis make a lot of progress with swing voters and Democrats alike, she said.

The fact that national Democrats keep targeting the seat, she said, isnt surprising, given its demographic mix and political history. Democrats drew this district, so theyre always going to keep trying.

Davis campaign records show he had almost $580,000 cash on hand at the end of March. Bost had a little over $205,000.

The 12th District includes all of St. Clair County and part of Madison County, and stretches south to Cairo and east past Mount Vernon. The 13th district takes in part of Madison County and the region immediately above it and reaches northeast to encompass Decatur, Springfield and Champaign-Urbana.

The other Illinois congressional district in Southern Illinois, the 15th, runs along the entire southern half of the states eastern border and reaches across to the edge of the Metro East. Eleven-term incumbent Rep. John Shimkus, R-Collinsville who faced no Democratic opponent in his 2016 re-election is considered safe.

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Once again, national Democrats are targeting two GOP Metro East congressional districts - STLtoday.com

Democrats are going in for the kill on the GOP push to repeal and replace ObamaCare.

Buoyed by Republican infighting and the backlash against the GOP legislation, Democrats believe they have momentum as they head toward a final showdown in July.

They got a boost on Friday when President Trump muddied the waters for his party by suggesting senators repeal ObamaCare now and replace it later an option that was roundly rejected by Republicans in January.

The GOP tug of war comes as Democrats are united around a single political message: That the bill will give tax breaks to the rich while taking healthcare away coverage for the poor.

Democrats have been united and on offense and Republicans have been divided and on defense. That's because, again, the core of their bill is so, so out of touch with what the average American, even the average Republican, wants, Senate Minority Leader Charles SchumerCharles SchumerTrump claims GOP has a 'big surprise' on healthcare Senate Dems step up protests ahead of ObamaCare repeal vote Senate Dems plan floor protest ahead of ObamaCare repeal vote MORE (D-N.Y.) told reporters.

Democrats cant block the healthcare legislation on their own, but are hoping public pressure will convince at least three Senate Republicans to vote against the bill.

Their messaging war got a boost from the Congressional Budget Office, which on Monday estimated the Senate bill would result in an additional 22 million uninsured Americans over a decade, including some low-income individuals who would be priced out of the market.

Sen. Ben CardinBen CardinDemocrats goinforthekillon ObamaCare repeal Dem: Trump doesnt have authorization for military action in Syria Lawmakers wary of Trump escalation in Syria MORE (D-Md.) tied the GOPs struggle to secure 50 votes to the CBOs findings, calling it the hurdle they couldnt overcome.

There are signs that the Democrats message discipline is working.

Only 12 percent of Americans support the Senate legislation, according to a USA Today/Suffolk University poll. The bill faired slightly better in a NPR/PBS Newshour/Marist poll, which found that 17 percent support the bill, while more than half 55 percent opposed it.

Senate GOP leadership hoped to reach a deal by Friday, allowing them to regain momentum after missing their self-imposed deadline to vote by the July 4th recess.

But despite a revolving door of meetings with senators and administration officials, Republicans left town without a locked-in agreement.

Instead, GOP senators are now openly debating whether to keep a tax on high earners that was created to help pay for ObamaCare. The money saved from preserving the tax could allow Republicans to increase the financial assistance for lower-income people.

The initial draft bill really didnt provide an opportunity for low-income citizens to buy healthcare that actually covered them, Sen. Bob CorkerBob CorkerDemocrats goinforthekillon ObamaCare repeal Trump abandons plan for new food aid rules: report GOP leaders prepared to make big boost to healthcare innovation fund MORE (R-Tenn.) said, so that equation is going to change.

Keeping the tax could help defuse the Democratic attack, but could also likely spark a backlash from some GOP conservatives, who want all of ObamaCares taxes repealed.

The process of crafting the healthcare bill in the Senate has been fraught with difficulty.

When the process began, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnellMitch McConnellSunday shows preview: Trump clashes with media as health push delayed McConnell: 'We're going to stick with' ObamaCare repeal and replace despite Trump tweet Democrats goinforthekillon ObamaCare repeal MORE (R-Ky.) came under fire for convening a working group to craft legislation that only included men.

McConnell stressed that all his members were welcome at the talks. Democrats then pivoted, attacking Republicans for crafting the legislation in secret, without the customary markups or hearings.

To have a bill that was done in a back room with a limited number of people to give input with probably a lot of cigars, and steak and whiskey involved is a bunch of garbage, said Sen. Jon TesterJon TesterDemocrats goinforthekillon ObamaCare repeal Senate Democrat staffers are predominantly white, women Trump A conservative conservationist MORE (D-Mont.), who is up for reelection in 2018 in a state carried by President Trump.

Tensions were heightened further when the Pro-Trump group America Policies First targeted Sen. Dean HellerDean HellerDemocrats goinforthekillon ObamaCare repeal The party of Lincoln has no soul the GOP and its toxic healthcare bill EMILY's List sees female candidate boom in Trump era MORE (R-Nev.) over his opposition to the bill. That move reportedly angered McConnell, who needs Hellers vote, and the group pulled its ads after a closed-door White House meeting.

Meanwhile, Democrats have remained united.

That unity wasnt always a given, with 10 Democratic senators up for reelection in states won by Trump. In other fights, Republicans have been able to pick off a few vulnerable red-state incumbents.

Democrats say their ability to stick together was helped, in part, by the GOP decision in January to use reconciliation allowing them to pass a bill without needing Democratic votes and their refusal to take ObamaCare repeal off the table.

They went down a path that was not only bad policy it was bad politics, Cardin said. I think what unites us is we want to start with the law, not repeal the law.

Sen. Joe ManchinJoe ManchinSunday shows preview: Trump clashes with media as health push delayed Democrats goinforthekillon ObamaCare repeal Senate Democrat staffers are predominantly white, women MORE (D-W.Va.), who is up for reelection and has broken with Democrats to support some of Trumps nominees, echoed that position.

We're willing to sit down and talk about this. But you can't just say repeal is out there and it has to be repeal or nothing. That's a political promise, he told Fox News recently.

Democrats are hitting the healthcare legislations Medicaid cuts hard, using it to message that the Senate bill hurts the poorest Americans. The legislation phases out Medicaid expansion over three years, beginning in 2021, and includes deeper Medicaid cuts than the Houses bill starting in 2025.

The CBO, at the request of Senate Democrats, also examined the long-term impact on Medicaid from the healthcare bill. What the agency found provided yet another talking point for Democrats: The legislation would cut Medicaid spending by 35 percent over the next 20 years.

Democrats are showing no signs of backing down as Congress heads into a weeklong recess.

After Trump pitched separating repeal and replacement on Friday, Sen. Chris MurphyChris MurphyDemocrats goinforthekillon ObamaCare repeal Dem senator: Not sure how much more monstrous Trump can get Saudis say Qatar demands are non-negotiable MORE (D-Conn.) shot back that the idea would cause an apocalypse.

CBO scored this basic scenario last year and it's an apocalypse. 32m lose coverage. Premiums double. This is going from dumb to dumber, Murphy tweeted, referencing the analysis for the 2015 repeal bill.

Schumer has pledged that Democrats will be at events in their home states to keep the fight in the spotlight.

When asked if there were any particular aspects of the bill to highlight over the recess, Sen. Chris CoonsChris CoonsDemocrats goinforthekillon ObamaCare repeal Funeral for the filibuster: GOP will likely lay Senate tool to rest Overnight Regulation: Labor groups fear rollback of Obama worker protection rule | Trump regs czar advances in Senate | New FCC enforcement chief MORE (D-Del.) referenced the CBO score.

It kicks 15 million people off of healthcare in the first year and that rises to 22 million in a decade. Im not sure how much more than that we need, he said.

But Democrats are stopping short of predicting theyll be victorious next month, stressing they expect McConnell to work overtime to secure 50 votes.

This thing is not over, Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) told MSNBC. This should definitely not be a time when we think that this battle is through. We need folks to put more pressure on.

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Democrats go in for the kill on ObamaCare repeal - The Hill

Guillermo Leal, left, of Mexico, and Mohinder Singh, of India, take the oath of citizenship at a naturalization ceremony in Austin, Texas, on June 29, 2017.(Photo: Jay Janner, AP)

The Fourth of July has long been a day when foreigners swear their oath of allegiance to the United States to become citizens. It is an annual reminder that the U.S. has been a nation of immigrants since its founding 241 years ago.

That tradition will continue this holiday period, when nearly 15,000 people will be sworn in as U.S. citizens atdozens of naturalization ceremonies, from George Washington's Mount Vernon estate in Virginia to the National World War II Museum in New Orleans to the ship deck of the USS Hornet off the coast of California.

What's changed dramatically over the decades is where those immigrants come from, what roles they play in the U.S.,how they're treated by nativecitizens and the debate over the millions who have entered the United States illegally over past decades.

Today, immigrants make up 13.5% of the U.S. population 32million here legally and an estimated 11 million illegally. The percentage islower than the massive influx during the late 1800s but far morethan the immigration slowdown that followed World War II.

Read more: Immigrant entrepreneurs add jobs, revenue as debate rages on

Read more: 'Slums into gold': Asian immigrants bring new economic life to Phoenix area

Read more: Dream catchers: Immigrants make mark on U.S. economy, labor force

While Mexico has provided the largest flow of immigrants during the past generation, an increasing number of people are now arriving from Asia, Africa and other Latin American countries. They are changing the makeup of U.S. cities and stretching into small towns unaccustomed to all the new faces.

The flow of foreign-born people into the U.S. as legal visitors and undocumented immigrants continues to shape the nation's economy in profound, and highly contested,ways.A landmark study from the National Academy of Sciences, Engineering and Medicinelast year found that first-generation immigrants cost U.S. taxpayers $57.4 billion a year.

President Trump cited that figure during his first address to a joint session of Congress in February as a reason to restrict immigration a key theme of his 2016 campaign. But he omitted the second half of thereport's sentence: that second- and third-generation immigrants createa net benefit of $30.5 billion and $223.8 billion respectively.

The report's bottom line is that immigrants are a big plus for the U.S. over time. Yet Trump continues to focus on the negative aspects of immigration.His administration has increased arrests of undocumented immigrants, implemented a temporary travel ban on people from majority-Muslim countries and all refugees as an anti-terrorism move and pushes for a border wall with Mexico.

And in the days leading up to the holidayweekend, Trump voicedsupport for bills passed bythe House of Representatives on Thursday to increase jail terms for undocumented immigrants and withhold federal money fromso-called "sanctuary cities" that protect them.

"Trump's radicalism on immigration is unprecedented in modern times," said Frank Sharry, executive director of America's Voice, a Washington, D.C.-based immigrationadvocacy group. "There's a historic challenge to our nation's tradition of welcoming refugees and immigrants. It's up to us whether we are going to survive this era and emerge with a stronger sense of inclusive patriotism that makes us proud."

Trump's supporters disagree with that assessment, arguing that the president is simply following through on his campaign promises to stop the flow of illegal immigration and support acontrolled level of legal immigration that serves U.S. economic interests.

Ira Mehlman of the Federation for American Immigration Reform, a group that advocates for lower levels of immigration, said Trump won in part by promising to reform the immigration system to help, not hinder, the plight of struggling American workers. Mehlman said there is "no evidence" that the Trump administration has discriminated against legal immigrants, or that it's conducting mass roundups of undocumented immigrants.

"Some of this hysteria is being hyped and whipped up by the advocates, telling people, 'You're under siege,'" he said. "If you tell them that enough, they start to believe it. All Trump is doing is recognizing that laws are meant to protect American workers."

The battle over the proper role of immigration in the U.S. won't let up anytime soon. Trump's temporary travel ban is in effect, his administration will continue pushing for a border wall and immigration supporters continue mobilizing to fight back on all fronts.

Only one thing remains certain: As we celebrate our nation's birthday, thousands of people will raise their right hand, swear their oath and become the latest members of the United States of America.

Read or Share this story: https://usat.ly/2tCeVYj

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Immigrants facing new reality this Independence Day - USA TODAY

Kate's Law is named after a San Francisco woman who was killed by a man with a long record and multiple deportations. Huber cited the case of Millard County Deputy Josie Greathouse Fox, who was killed in 2012 by Roberto Miramontes Roman, who was deported three times before killing Fox.

"Stiffer penalties for re-entry offenders make sense," Huber said. "The status quo is just not deterring the criminals from returning."

The "No Sanctuary for Criminals Act" limits federal funding to cities who declare themselves "sanctuaries" for illegal immigrants. On that bill, Huber said, "removing unnatural impediments between local and federal law enforcement will enable the coordination we need in this country to keep our neighborhoods safe."

Huber doesn't have any sanctuary cities in his state, but Utah does have police agencies, including some of the largest, that have resisted enforcing federal immigration laws in the course of doing their jobs. That is because it interferes with the course of doing their jobs. Residents without documents won't call the police, even when they need them, if they think it will get them deported.

And Huber seems to understand that.

In a 2014 Tribune story about prosecuting a crime involving immigrant victims, Huber, then a prosecutor in the office he now runs, talked about catching the offenders, not the victims. "What motivates a prosecutor is when you have a vulnerable community with predators amongst them taking advantage of them."

So 2014 Huber hit it straight on the nail. We all want violent criminals caught, but extending immigration enforcement to every person without documentation ends up making communities less safe, not more.

Versions of the two House bills have been kicking around for a while, and they are just two bills of many that show Congress' lack of resolve to truly tackle immigration at scale. Enforcement and local police roles could be better defined in a comprehensive approach that includes border security, visa reform and a path to legality for law-abiding immigrants. Pulling at one or two strings won't unwind the knot. It will take a patient, productive legislative body and a president who wants it to happen.

In the meantime, the White House sticks to its xenophobia, and Utah's U.S. Attorney is one of the few Obama appointees to squeeze through the sieve to work for the Trump administration.

John Huber is in a delicate position.

The rest is here:
Tribune Editorial: Don't piecemeal immigration reform - Salt Lake Tribune

Eric Wiley @EWileySJ

MARION The First Amendment in the United States Constitution has more meaning to people than ever before, but it also is abused more than ever, David Merritt told a crowd at the Marion City Library Saturday.

Merritt, an author and journalist for 60 years, including tenures as editor of The Wichita Eagle and Charlotte Observer, called the current dialogue between MSNBC Morning Joe hosts Mika Brzezinski and Joe Scarborough and President Donald Trump demeaning.

Its so demeaning to the country, demeaning to the office of the president and demeaning to the media, he said. There are media outlets not playing journalism, theyre playing some other game. Its all about ratings. Theyre (Brzezinski and Scarborough) getting not only what they deserve, but what they wanted.

Merritt's talk was sponsored by the Marion County Democratic Party and served as a fundraiser for the Marion County Food Bank. More than $70 was raised.

Merritt said the fight for the First Amendment, which guarantees freedom of speech and of the press, wasnt that easy. He called it a bitter political fight.

In the early 1900s, newspapers were thoroughly politically oriented. Then publishers decided, Why should we every day offend half of our potential readers and half of our potential advertisers,' he said. What began to evolve was what publishers liked to call a sort of objectivity.

Web caused changes

Merritt said because of that, newspapers were better prepared to help the public through the terrible events of the first half of the 20th century, such as the Great Depression.

He said there was pressure in the 1960s for privately owned newspapers to go public, because of tax and inheritance laws.

"It was tough to pass along that property, he said.

In the mid 1990s, Merritt said, a real cloud that none of us saw coming changed how we perceive the First Amendment.

The Internet put anybody in the news business. Anybody could talk to anybody in the world. You dont have to be smart, you just need a modem and a keyboard, Merritt said. Everyone doesnt just have free speech. Everyone has a megaphone.

Everyone protected

Merritt said people were able to convince Congress that in order for the Internet to reach its potential, it needed to be protected against lawsuits.

Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, signed in 1996, maintains that providers of Internet are not publishers. They are providing a service and not subject to laws about libel and defamation, he said. So somebody can write something about you, something really, really indecent and Facebook and the providers can say they just provide a service and are not publishers. You cant sue Facebook. They can put out anything they want and theyre not liable for it.

Furthermore, that unemployed guy in the basement in his pajamas with his computer is protected.

It's a First Amendment protection, Merritt said.

"When an Internet site or blog doesn't abide by the same standards as traditional newspapers and radio, does that deserve the same protection of the First Amendment? he asked the crowd. As painful as it is, the answer is yes. The Internet has bolstered the First Amendment.

There is reason for optimism, Merritt said.

People like you are the only ones who can do anything about that," he said.

He said representatives in Congress hear when people all their offices, and they know how many times they call.

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Merritt speaks on first amendment in Marion - Salina Journal