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ELIZABETH, N.J. (Reuters) - Democratic lawmakers joined protesters outside immigration detention facilities in New Jersey and Texas on Sunday for Fathers Day demonstrations against the Trump administrations practice of separating children from their parents at the U.S.-Mexico border.

This must not be who we are as a nation, said Representative Jerrold Nadler, one of seven members of Congress from New York and New Jersey who met with five detainees inside a facility in Elizabeth, New Jersey, including three who said they had young relatives removed from their care after seeking asylum at the border.

The events came as news stories highlighting the family separations intensified political pressure on the White House, even from some of President Donald Trumps fellow Republicans.

U.S. officials said on Friday that nearly 2,000 children were separated from adults at the border between mid-April and the end of May.

In May, U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced a zero tolerance policy in which all those apprehended entering the United States illegally, including those seeking asylum, would be criminally charged, which generally leads to children being separated from their parents.

Administration officials have defended the tactic as necessary to secure the border and suggested it would act as a deterrent to illegal immigration.

But the policy has drawn condemnation from medical professionals, religious leaders and immigration activists, who warn that some children could suffer lasting psychological trauma. The children are held in government facilities, released to adult sponsors or placed in temporary foster care.

In South Texas on Sunday, several Democratic lawmakers, including Senator Jeff Merkley, visited a Border Patrol Processing Center in McAllen to call attention to the policy, while Representative Beto ORourke, who is running for the U.S. Senate in Texas, led a protest march to a temporary detention facility for immigrant children set up near El Paso.

ORourke told the demonstrators they had to bear the burden of what we now know to be happening.

I want that burden to be so uncomfortable for so many of us that it forces us to act, it places the public pressure on those in positions of public trust and power to do the right thing for our country, ORourke, who is seeking to unseat Republican Senator Ted Cruz, said to applause.

Some moderate Republicans have also called on Trump to stop the separations. Senators Susan Collins and Jeff Flake wrote to White House officials on Saturday seeking more information on the policy.

It is inconsistent with our American values to separate these children from their parents, Collins said on CBS Face the Nation on Sunday.

Trump has sought to blame Democrats, saying their support for passage of a broader immigration bill would end the separations.

White House adviser Kellyanne Conway said on NBCs Meet the Press on Sunday: As a mother, as a Catholic, as somebody who has got a conscience. ... I will tell you that nobody likes this policy.

You saw the president (say) on camera that he wants this to end, she added.

A spokeswoman for Melania Trump told CNN on Sunday that the first lady hates to see children separated from their families and hopes lawmakers from both parties can agree on immigration reform.

In an opinion piece in the Washington Post, former first lady Laura Bush, wife of the previous Republican president, George W. Bush, said she lives in a border state and appreciates the need to enforce and protect the U.S. borders.

But this zero-tolerance policy is cruel. It is immoral. And it breaks my heart, Bush wrote, adding the images were eerily reminiscent of the Japanese American internment camps of World War II, now considered to have been one of the most shameful episodes in U.S. history.

Democrats have accused the president of effectively turning the children into political hostages to secure stricter immigration measures, such as funding for a U.S.-Mexico border wall.

Stop lying to the American people. This is your policy, Democratic U.S. Representative Hakeem Jeffries said in New Jersey.

Democrats in the U.S. House of Representatives will introduce legislation this week aimed at stopping separations, mirroring a similar Senate bill sponsored by Democrat Dianne Feinstein. But neither bill has much hope of securing enough support in the Republican-controlled Congress, let alone surviving Trumps veto pen.

Roy Garcia, 43, attended the New Jersey protest with his wife, Linda, and their sons, 8-year-old Julian and 11-year-old Sebastian.

Its hard for me to enjoy Fathers Day knowing whats happening to other children and families, he said. Its heartbreaking.

Reporting by Joseph Ax; Additional reporting by Lindsay Dunsmuir and Valerie Volcovici in Washington; Editing by Daniel Wallis and Peter Cooney

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Democrats, activists rally against Trump's family ...

We are the Democratic Party of the 34th Legislative District. We work to elect Democrats, uphold Democratic values, and support Democrats in Seattle, White Center, Burien, Vashon/Maury Island and beyond.

We are our elected officials. We are our candidates. We are the activists who knock on doors in neighborhoods from Alki to Tahlequah and the voters who make their voices heard each election. We are all volunteers. We are your neighbors. We are your co-workers. We are your friends. We stand up for the marginalized and the voiceless among us. We join arms with allies to fight against injustice and fight for equity. We are engaged in our communities and we are committed to a brighter future for all of us.

We believe in inclusion, that unity is better than division, that we are stronger and better when everyone has an equal shot at living up to their potential. We believe diversity is a source of strength and that inequality is a threat to democracy itself. We believe its important to stand up to tyrants and bullies. We believe in the power of individuals working together to make great progress against incredible odds. We believe in you.

Join us in the fight of our lives. It might not be easy, but it will be rewarding. And we will win.

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34th Democrats 34th Legislative District Democrats

Together We Can Be Better.

Our June meeting heard presentations from candidates for the 8th Congressional District, the Pierce County Council, and the Pierce County District Court.We also had an opportunity to ask the candidates questions. Following those conversations, we compared their strengths and adopted the following endorsements.

2018 Endorsements

Jamie Smith Position 1Brian Duthie Position 2

Our nomination does not eliminate the Top Two Primary in August,but it does inform voters of our considered preferences.Additionally if our nominated and elected candidate is unable to complete an elected term,then our nomination assures our PCOs a voice in the choice of a successor by the Pierce County Council.

Economic Justice

Read Paul Krugman's List of Republican Lies about their tax give away to the ultra rich.

Thisvideo provides a compelling and stark comparison of

Why Does the Disparate Distribution of Wealth Matter So Much?

Watch this short videofor a clear explanation of how extra wealth generates vast incomemore that the most lavish life style could absorbthat then compounds and exacerbates the disparate distribution of wealth.

The Affordable Care Act still remains at risk. Call Dave Reichert's Issaquah Office at(425) 677-7414 or (877) 920-9208to insistthat he protect Washington State's 600,000 people covered by Medicaid expansion and more than 225,000 people that obtained insurance through theExchange on Washington State's Exchange. Phone calls appear to be the most effective vehicle to express our positions because they consume office staff's timeand patience.

For free face-to-face help in understanding how to get insurance visit or call

For free assistance from the state, call 1-855-WAFINDER (1-855-923-4633)TTY/TTD 1-855-627-9604

To compare plans or to enroll on line visit the Washington Health Plan Finder.

There They Go Again

Read the Republican planto cut Social Security. Even though Social Security can be made safe and sound forever by eliminating the cap and applying FICA to all income,the Republicans prefer to cut benefits and raise the retirement age. Read the Social Security Administration's report by the Chief Actuary.

You Draw It: How Family Income Affects Childrens' College Chances. How likely is it for children who grow up in very poor families to go to college? How about children who grow up in very rich families?The New York Times gives you an opportunity todraw your estimate for every income level on a graph and then to compare your estimate to the actual experience of nearly 100,000 children born in the 80's.

This next story, however, describes the difference family income can make in graduation rates.

Affluent Students Have an Advantage and the Gap Is Widening.

The gap in graduation rates, however, can be narrowed when Universities make an effortto improve graduation rates.

The 25th LDD supports truly equal opportunity in education at all levels.Financial support is necessary but not sufficient. Vote for Legislators that care about all us.Together We Can Be Better.

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The 25th LD Democrats Home on the Web

Former Democrat tech aide may strike a plea deal

Bizarre case of former IT aide to leading Democrat Debbie Wasserman Schultz takes another odd turn as reports suggest Imran Awan and his wife may be ready to take a plea deal; reaction on 'The Story.'

The curious case of Imran Awan, which sounds like an international spy thriller, is entering its third act. Awan was a congressional IT aide to Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, D-Fla., and he was finally fired just after he was arrested trying to fly to Pakistan last summer.

Awan and his wife, Hina Alvi, were charged last summer with bank fraud. They now appear poised to strike a plea deal with the Department of Justice. A plea agreement hearing is set for July 3 before U.S. District Judge Tanya S. Chutkan in Washington, Fox News reported Wednesday.

As Ive dug deep into this case for my book Spies in Congress (out later this year), sources have made it clear that the bank fraud charges in this case, though very real, are just a way to hold the defendants.

Alleged theft of congressional equipment, massive data breaches of Congress members emails, likely espionage and more are all wrapped up in this case that involves data from 40 or more Democratic members of Congress.

Sources tell me that the FBIs Joint Terrorism Task Force has been looking into this matter since well before Awan and his crew of Pakistani congressional IT aides were booted off the House computer network in February 2017.

Sources also say that investigators were particularly interested in whether anyone else in the congressional offices that all of these IT aides worked for was involved in alleged improper activity. This might include Rep. Wasserman Schultz, who was the Democratic National Committee (DNC) chair when she employed Awan. It might also include former Rep. Xavier Becerra, D-Calif., who employed Awan when Becerra was chairman of the House Democratic Caucus. Becerra is now California attorney general.

The House Office of Inspector General tracked the Awans network usage and found that a massive amount of data was flowing from the (congressional) networks, said Rep. Scott Perry, R-Pa. Over 5,700 logins by the five Awan associates were discovered on a single server within the House, the server of the Democratic Caucus Chairman, then Rep. Xavier Becerra of California. Up to 40 or more members of Congress had all of their data moved out their office servers and onto the Becerra server without their knowledge or consent.

Becerra left Congress in January 2017. Before he left, Capitol Police wanted a copy of the caucus servers contents.

Becerra presumably told Imran Awan that Capitol Police wanted a copy of the server. What is known is that Awan did produce a copy of a servers data for Capitol Police; however, after taking a look at the data they were provided, Capitol Police determined they were given a copy of data from some other server instead.

Capitol Police found that the image (the copy of the server contents) they were supplied was false, said Rep. Perry, quoting a report from the House Office of Inspector General.

So the Awans had access to in fact, were copying all the emails, personal schedules and other data from the Democrats they worked for to this server and, according to other reports, a Dropbox account.

Imran Awan was also going back to Pakistan for long stays and, in fact, at times worked remotely from Pakistan. This is where the case leads to possible espionage.

Meanwhile, court hearings on the alleged bank fraud Imran Awan and Hina Alvi have been charged with have been delayed again and again. The last hearing took place in October 2017.

The delays came as Department of Justice prosecutors and defense attorneys have been fighting it out over a laptop found in a cubbyhole (what was once a phone booth) in congressional office building that has the username REPDWS (a computer used by Imran Awan that is the property of Rep. Wasserman Schultzs office).

Whats on this computer we can only surmise, but it is clear that Wasserman Schultz wants the evidence kept out of court. She even publicly threatened the chief of the Capitol Police with consequences if the laptop wasnt returned.

Meanwhile, a House Office of Inspector General investigation determined that Awan and his crew (none of whom underwent background checks to gain the IT positions they held in Congress) committed numerous violations of House security policies.

There is a lot more to come from this explosive case. Before this plea agreement hearing was set the biggest worry was that the governments odd failure to prosecute Awan for alleged thefts of government equipment (some of which were found in a garage of one of Awans rental properties) and the many alleged national security violations pointed to a political cover-up.

Now it appears the plot is set for a riveting climax.

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Democrats' IT scandal set to explode with possible plea ...

There are few issues more important to the security of the United States than the potential spread of nuclear weapons, or the potential for even more destructiv...e war in the Middle East. Thats why the United States negotiated the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) in the first place.

The reality is clear. The JCPOA is working that is a view shared by our European allies, independent experts, and the current U.S. Secretary of Defense. The JCPOA is in Americas interest it has significantly rolled back Irans nuclear program. And the JCPOA is a model for what diplomacy can accomplish its inspections and verification regime is precisely what the United States should be working to put in place with North Korea. Indeed, at a time when we are all rooting for diplomacy with North Korea to succeed, walking away from the JCPOA risks losing a deal that accomplishes with Iran the very outcome that we are pursuing with the North Koreans.

That is why todays announcement is so misguided. Walking away from the JCPOA turns our back on Americas closest allies, and an agreement that our countrys leading diplomats, scientists, and intelligence professionals negotiated. In a democracy, there will always be changes in policies and priorities from one Administration to the next. But the consistent flouting of agreements that our country is a party to risks eroding Americas credibility, and puts us at odds with the worlds major powers.

Debates in our country should be informed by facts, especially debates that have proven to be divisive. So its important to review several facts about the JCPOA.

First, the JCPOA was not just an agreement between my Administration and the Iranian government. After years of building an international coalition that could impose crippling sanctions on Iran, we reached the JCPOA together with the United Kingdom, France, Germany, the European Union, Russia, China, and Iran. It is a multilateral arms control deal, unanimously endorsed by a United Nations Security Council Resolution.

Second, the JCPOA has worked in rolling back Irans nuclear program. For decades, Iran had steadily advanced its nuclear program, approaching the point where they could rapidly produce enough fissile material to build a bomb. The JCPOA put a lid on that breakout capacity. Since the JCPOA was implemented, Iran has destroyed the core of a reactor that could have produced weapons-grade plutonium; removed two-thirds of its centrifuges (over 13,000) and placed them under international monitoring; and eliminated 97 percent of its stockpile of enriched uranium the raw materials necessary for a bomb. So by any measure, the JCPOA has imposed strict limitations on Iran's nuclear program and achieved real results.

Third, the JCPOA does not rely on trust it is rooted in the most far-reaching inspections and verification regime ever negotiated in an arms control deal. Irans nuclear facilities are strictly monitored. International monitors also have access to Irans entire nuclear supply chain, so that we can catch them if they cheat. Without the JCPOA, this monitoring and inspections regime would go away.

Fourth, Iran is complying with the JCPOA. That was not simply the view of my Administration. The United States intelligence community has continued to find that Iran is meeting its responsibilities under the deal, and has reported as much to Congress. So have our closest allies, and the international agency responsible for verifying Iranian compliance the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

Fifth, the JCPOA does not expire. The prohibition on Iran ever obtaining a nuclear weapon is permanent. Some of the most important and intrusive inspections codified by the JCPOA are permanent. Even as some of the provisions in the JCPOA do become less strict with time, this wont happen until ten, fifteen, twenty, or twenty-five years into the deal, so there is little reason to put those restrictions at risk today.

Finally, the JCPOA was never intended to solve all of our problems with Iran. We were clear-eyed that Iran engages in destabilizing behavior including support for terrorism, and threats toward Israel and its neighbors. But thats precisely why it was so important that we prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon. Every aspect of Iranian behavior that is troubling is far more dangerous if their nuclear program is unconstrained. Our ability to confront Irans destabilizing behavior and to sustain a unity of purpose with our allies is strengthened with the JCPOA, and weakened without it.

Because of these facts, I believe that the decision to put the JCPOA at risk without any Iranian violation of the deal is a serious mistake. Without the JCPOA, the United States could eventually be left with a losing choice between a nuclear-armed Iran or another war in the Middle East. We all know the dangers of Iran obtaining a nuclear weapon. It could embolden an already dangerous regime; threaten our friends with destruction; pose unacceptable dangers to Americas own security; and trigger an arms race in the worlds most dangerous region. If the constraints on Irans nuclear program under the JCPOA are lost, we could be hastening the day when we are faced with the choice between living with that threat, or going to war to prevent it.

In a dangerous world, America must be able to rely in part on strong, principled diplomacy to secure our country. We have been safer in the years since we achieved the JCPOA, thanks in part to the work of our diplomats, many members of Congress, and our allies. Going forward, I hope that Americans continue to speak out in support of the kind of strong, principled, fact-based, and unifying leadership that can best secure our country and uphold our responsibilities around the globe.

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