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HR 1 Backers Haven’t Given Up on Senate Action

Proponents of HR 1, the sweeping Democratic overhaul of elections and ethics law, are not quite ready to give in to the insurmountable opposition that is Senate Republican Majority Leader Mitch McConnell.

As the House debated and passed the bill along party lines last week, McConnell reiterated his plan to bury the bill in the Senate and declared doing so would be a campaign season winner for his side.

Democratic Sen. Tom Udall of New Mexico nonetheless plans to introduce a very similar measure in the Senate on Wednesday and will seek to create a solid roster of Democratic co-sponsors. So much as a single GOP cosponsor is a decided long shot since business and conservative lobbying forces have put up a significant oppositional wall of their own.


"The thing that we've seen from the Republican leadership and the lobbyists and K Street is that they are completely against it from day one," Udall told Roll Call. "It's a real full-court press to stomp this out early."

Also hoping to slow McConnell's momentum is the editorial board of The New York Times, which excoriated the majority leader for an intransigence that "leaves Republicans in the peculiar position of arguing that weeding out corruption, reducing the influence of special interests and protecting voting rights are inherently Democratic values."

The House bill "is arguably a grand values statement more than a practical legislative blueprint. Not even its most fervent supporters expect it to go anywhere without considerable adjustment," the Times said. "The public is increasingly hungry for reform, thanks in part to the continuing outrages of President Trump. Mr. McConnell may turn out to be right that the issue will cause lawmakers pain in the coming elections — just not in the way he expects."

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U.S. senators and representatives with access to non-public information are permitted to buy and sell individual stocks. It’s not just unethical; it sends the message that the game is rigged.

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Insider Trading: If CEOs Can’t Do It, Why Can Congress?

Ivan Boesky. Martha Stewart. Jeffrey Skilling.

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Growing Up Latina in Georgia, We Feared More Than ICE

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Growing Up Latina in Georgia, We Feared More Than ICE

Last month, about an hour north of where I grew up in suburban Georgia, 19-year-old Ximena Arias-Cristobal was detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) after a mistaken traffic stop. Though granted bond on May 21, Ximena Arias-Cristobal is still facing deportation despite residing in Georgia since she was four years old.

While supporters nationwide have rallied around Ximena Arias-Cristobal, raising nearly $100,000 for her legal defense, this case serves as a solemn reminder that Latinos, especially in the South, are being surveilled. As someone who grew up Latina in a predominantly white suburb of Georgia, I also know that this surveillance isn’t limited to that by the state but ingrained into the fabric of our everyday lives.

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Scams Targeting Immigrants Take Advantage of Fears of Immigration Status and Deportation

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Scams Targeting Immigrants Take Advantage of Fears of Immigration Status and Deportation

WASHINGTON–When my phone rang and I saw the familiar DC area code, I picked up, and a man with a slight Indian accent said: “Ma’am, this is the Indian Embassy.”

Expecting a response from the Indian Embassy for an article I was working on, I said, “Is this in regards to my media inquiry?” He said no. He was calling about a problem with my Indian passport. I asked who he called, and when he said a name I didn’t recognize, I informed him he had the wrong person and hung up, figuring it was a scam.

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