Border reforms a big issue in congressional races

President Donald Trump favors building a wall on the Mexican border and has cracked down severely on illegal immigration, but has yet to propose his own comprehensive plan. A one-page memo his administration sent to congressional Republicans in January proposes a wall, a 10- to 12-year path to citizenship for about 1.8 million illegal immigrants, allowing immigrants to bring with them only spouses and minor children and replacing the visa lottery system with one that chooses immigrants whose arrival suits the national interest.

GOP’s Orrall hoping to oust Democratic Treasurer Goldberg

Online lottery sales, sports betting and the state pension fund are some of the top issues in the race for Massachusetts state treasurer pitting Republican state Rep. Keiko Orrall against Democratic incumbent Deb Goldberg. On nearly every issue, Orrall has argued the state can do better than it has under the leadership of Goldberg, who is seeking a second four-year term in the Nov. 6 election.

Tax ruling could lead to more money for Mississippi roads

Thursday's U.S. Supreme Court ruling saying states can force online shoppers to pay sales taxes could produce a special legislative session in Mississippi to earmark new money for roads and bridges. Revenue Commissioner Herb Frierson said after the 5-4 ruling that he estimates Mississippi will collect $30 million to $50 million in additional taxes in the budget year beginning July 1. He estimates $50 million to $75 million the following year.

Despite whiners, top two again works as planned

It happens every two years during the spring primary election season: One major party or the other feels wronged by the top-two primary system Californians adopted in 2010 and whines for months about its plight. In 2016, the griping came from Republicans whose vote splintered in the primary run for the U.S. Senate and left the eventual November runoff field to two Democrats, Kamala Harris winning the seat previously held by three-termer Barbara Boxer.

Groups urge vetoes over environmental trust fund ‘raid’

Environmental and conservation groups urged Gov. Mark Dayton on Thursday to cancel $98 million in projects funded by what they consider an improper raid on a trust fund that depends on state lottery proceeds. The wastewater infrastructure projects for smaller communities, and some other projects, are part of a $1.5 billion public works borrowing bill.

Trump tried going big on DACA. Now he should go small

President Trump's tweet promising "NO MORE DACA DEAL" was an Easter gift to Democrats, letting them off the hook for their failure to seriously negotiate an immigration agreement. Rather than pulling the plug on any Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals talks, Trump should offer Democrats a simple deal: He would agree to codification of President Barack Obama's DACA action in exchange for funding for the president's border wall.

Senate derails proposals on immigration

The Republican-led Senate on Thursday blocked both President Donald Trump's immigration plan and a bipartisan alternative, a failure that cast doubt on whether Congress will ever resolve the fate of hundreds of thousands of young illegal aliens known as Dreamers. In a series of afternoon votes, senators failed to muster enough votes for a Republican plan backed by Trump that would have granted legal status to 1.8 million of the young people and spent at least $25 billion to bolster security along the U.S.-Mexico border.

Trump administration wary about bipartisan Senate immigration plan

President Donald Trump's administration stuck to its hardline immigration approach on Thursday and suggested it would not support a bipartisan U.S. Senate proposal to protect young "Dreamer" immigrants and tighten border security. The Department of Homeland Security dismissed the plan, which would protect from deportation 1.8 million young adults who were brought to the United States illegally as children, saying it did not meet Trump's minimum criteria for immigration legislation.

.com | US Congress to take up fate of 1.8 million young illegal immigrants

The hopes for citizenship of 1.8 million illegal immigrants who came to the United States as children hung in the balance Monday as Congress started up debate on sweeping new immigration legislation. President Donald Trump has offered more than Democrats asked on citizenship for the so-called Dreamers, but only in exchange for tough cutbacks on overall immigration and funding for a massive wall on the Mexican border.

These states benefit the most – and least – from immigration

In a 80-minute prime-time address, the Republican president sketched out an eventual path to citizenship for some 1.8 million undocumented immigrants, even as put a premium on border security and called for an end to family-based "chain" immigration for legal immigrants and the end of the "Visa lottery." In a new study , the economics and personal finance site WalletHub ran down the economic impact that immigrants have in all 50 states, providing a useful barometer on how new entrants to the country contribute to states' economies.