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(1 of ) President Donald Trump walks along the West Wing Colonnade at the White House in Washington, Friday, April 21, 2017. Young immigrants brought to the U.S. illegally as children can "rest easy," the president said Friday, telling the "dreamers" they will not be targets for deportation under his immigration policies. Trump, in a wide-ranging interview with The Associated Press, said his administration is "not after the dreamers, we are after the criminals." (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)

JULIE PACE

ASSOCIATED PRESS | April 21, 2017, 12:37PM

| Updated 9 hours ago.

HOUSTON Young immigrants protected by executive action from deportation say they won't "rest easy," even if President Donald Trump says they should.

Several "dreamers" told The Associated Press on Friday that they were not comforted by Trump's pledge, in an AP interview, that he wouldn't target the almost 800,000 people brought to the U.S. as children and living in the country illegally under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program enacted by his predecessor, Barack Obama.

Trump told the AP that his administration is "not after the 'dreamers,' we are after the criminals."

"Here is what they can hear: The 'dreamers' should rest easy," Trump said. "OK? I'll give you that. The 'dreamers' should rest easy."

It was Trump's latest statement expressing support for immigrants in the program, even as his administration broadly cracks down on illegal immigration. U.S. officials have promised to speed up and widen deportations, and threatened local governments that don't cooperate with federal immigration agents.

"Obviously actions speak louder than words," said Saba Nafees, a 24-year-old 'dreamer' who is a graduate student at Texas Tech University. "His actions are pretty terrifying. What I've seen across the country, it's unbearable for all of these families."

Juan Escalante, a 28-year-old who came to the U.S. from Venezuela at age 11, said he was "not comforted by the president's words."

"He has said he will treat us with 'heart' and to 'rest easy,' and it just seems so general," Escalante said.

Some young immigrants pointed to the case of Juan Manuel Montes, a 23-year-old whose attorneys say is the first person enrolled in the DACA program to be deported. After initially denying Montes was covered by DACA, federal authorities said this week that Montes had violated the conditions of the program.

Marielena Hincapie, executive director of the National Immigration Law Center, which is representing Montes, said Trump was trying to have it both ways.

"This is a president who is saying, 'I love dreamers and I care about them as children,' and yet is turning around and traumatizing them and their families," she said.

The program granted work authorization to certain immigrants brought to the U.S. before their 16th birthday. The young people who benefit are called 'dreamers' because the program mimics versions of the so-called DREAM Act, which would have provided legal status for young immigrants but was never passed by Congress.

Trump has left Obama's program in place, and he said before his January inauguration that people protected under DACA would "end up being very happy." A month later, he called the program "a very difficult thing for me as I love these kids."

Rafael Robles, 26, and two of his siblings have relied on the program for years to go to school and work in the U.S. Their parents brought them to the Chicago area from Mexico as young children on visitor visas, which they overstayed.

"In a weird way it does put my mind at ease because at least there is something to bring forward if he were to change his mind," said Robles, who works at a real estate development company. "It sort of sends a message that they are having conversations about 'dreamers.'"

But Greisa Martinez, an immigrant in the program who is also advocacy director for the group United We Dream, said Trump could push Congress to give 'dreamers' permanent legal status if he wanted.

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President Trump says immigrant 'dreamers' not deportation targets - Santa Rosa Press Democrat

CARSON CITY Senate Democrats rolled back collective bargaining reforms Friday on party-line votes, approving two bills that Republicans argued gut bipartisan changes enacted two years ago.

Senate Bill 356 reinstates so-called evergreen clauses that allow existing agreements to remain in effect during negotiations after contracts expire. It also allows public employers to grant leave to employees for union activities, and eliminates restrictions on arbitration.

The bill passed 12-9, with independent Sen. Patricia Farley of Las Vegas joining with Democrats.

Senate Minority Leader Michael Roberson, R-Henderson, the architect of the existing law, said SB356 is the gutting of very good collective bargaining reform passed in 2015.

He said Senate Bill 241 of the last session was a compromise endorsed by both labor and management that set strict time frames for the collective bargaining process.

It required both sides in the negotiations to come to the table, have a certain number of meetings within a certain time period, Roberson said.

Farley said while she supported the bill two years ago, the law had unintended consequences. During testimony in hearings, critics said some workers were denied raises they were entitled because government employers stalled negotiations.

As a legislator, we should be willing to say we made a mistake, and make adjustments, she said.

Roberson objected to her characterization and said the impetus behind the law was stall tactics used by unions.

Because there were evergreen clauses in contract, it gave an incentive to several organizations to stall and delay and not come to the table, he said.

I worked with union leaders across the state on this bill, he said of the 2015 effort. In fact, just about every major labor organization in this state came to the table, (and) publicly supported this bill in committee.

Now to say two years later, never mind, unintended consequences I dont buy that, Roberson said.

Money matters

Another bill, Senate Bill 469, lowers how much of a local governments ending fund balance is off limits to collective bargaining in time of fiscal emergencies. It also passed on a 12-9 vote.

The bill reduces the percentage to 16.67 percent from 25 percent. The bill states that amount is not subject to negotiations and cannot be considered by an arbitrator when determining if a local government has the ability to pay compensation or other contractual monetary benefits.

Republicans opposed the bill.

Sen. Ben Kieckhefer R-Reno, said it discourages local governments from saving money for bad times.

Sen. Julia Ratti, D-Sparks and a former Sparks councilwoman, said ending fund balances are not rainy day funds to be tapped in emergencies. She said the set-aside amount is for cash management and gives local governments two months in reserve to pay immediate bills.

Both bills now go to the Assembly.

Contact Sandra Chereb at schereb@reviewjournal.com or 775-461-3821. Follow @SandraChereb on Twitter.

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Democrat bargaining rollback guts 2015 laws, Roberson says - Las Vegas Review-Journal

WFSB

Chris Mattei has been trying to raise his profile since leaving the U.S. attorneys office.

Chris Mattei, a former federal prosecutor who helped send former Republican Gov. John G. Rowland back to prison, opened an exploratory campaign Wednesday, becoming the second Democrat in 24 hours to begin testing his viability in the open race for governor in 2018.

With a subtle nod to the anti-Trump resistance now energizing Democrats, Mattei cast himself as a career public servant, a prosecutor of corrupt public officials, Wall Street financiers, investment advisors and gun traffickers ready for a campaign of citizen engagement.

This is a time for citizenship, Mattei said in an announcement video. And, what I believe is that if we are to resist whats happening in Washington, that work starts right here.

Mattei joins Jonathan Harris, a former state senator, top Democratic Party official and commissioner of consumer protection, in filing exploratory papers Wednesday. Harris announced his plans Tuesday evening after stepping down as commissioner.

It was no surprise that Gov. Dannel P. Malloy, decided against seeking a third term, but his announcement last week was earlier than expected, leaving some better-known Democrats unprepared to take the first formal steps toward entering what is likely to be a crowded race in both parties.

Middletown Mayor Dan Drew, a Democrat, opened an exploratory committee in January. Comptroller Kevin P. Lembo is expected to soon follow, with state Sen. Ted Kennedy Jr. among the list of other potential Democratic candidates.

Lt. Gov. Nancy Wyman and Attorney General George Jepsen have not ruled out running for the Democratic nomination. Bridgeport Mayor Joseph P. Ganim, who returned to office in 2015, recently asked the State Elections Enforcement Commission if his felony conviction would bar him from the states public financing program should he run.

By entering politics via a statewide race, the 38-year-old Mattei is following a difficult path typically taken only by wealthy self-funders. He will test the appeal of an outsider to Democratic delegates in a time when Republicans will work to tie Democratic candidates to the unpopular Malloy.

What we need now more than ever is a peoples campaign built by us for us in every city and town in this state, Mattei said. If we are willing to work for it, we can build a just and growing economy. We can create jobs that last and pay a decent wage. We can create an open and effective government that puts the interests of average, working families at the center of every decision we make.

Mattei, who is married and the father of three, lives in Hartford. Since leaving the U.S. attorneys office as the chief of its financial fraud and public corruption unit in 2015, he has been in private practice with Koskoff, Koskoff & Bieder.

In 2014, he helped convict Rowland ofconspiring with Lisa Wilson-Foley, a congressional candidate, and her husband, Brian Foley, to violate campaign finance laws.

Another corruption case may have left him with enemies in Democratic circles: He helped oversee an investigation that derailed the 2012 congressional campaign of former state House Speaker Chris Donovan, D-Meriden.

Donovans campaign manager pleaded guilty and another top aide was convicted at trial on charges related to a conspiracy to bribe Donovan with illegal campaign contributions.

Donovan was not charged and was never shown to have knowledge of the scheme.

A half-dozen Republicans have formed exploratory or candidate committees.

Rep. Prasad Srinivasan, R-Glastonbury, has raised $138,944 since forming a candidate committee in December. Shelton Mayor Mark Lauretti formed a candidate committee two weeks ago.

Republicans with exploratory committees include: Danbury Mayor Mark Boughton, making his third attempt; Tim Herbst, the Trumbull first selectman and 2014 nominee for state treasurer;Peter Lumaj, the 2014 nominee for secretary of the state; and Steve Obstinik, the 2012 nominee for Congress in the 4th District.

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Mattei becomes 3rd Democrat to explore run for governor - The CT Mirror

Sen. Bernie SandersBernie SandersSanders: I dont know if Ossoff is a progressive Five takeaways from the Georgia special election Sanders: I don't consider myself a Democrat MORE (I-Vt.) said Tuesday night that he still does not consider himself a Democrat despite taking part in a Democratic National Committee (DNC) unity tour with the party's new chairman, Tom Perez.

"No, I'm an Independent," Sanders said when asked by MSNBC's Chris Hayes whether he now identifies as a Democrat.

"If the Democratic Party is going to succeed and I want to see it succeed it's gonna have to open its door to independents," he continued. "There are probably more independents in this country than Democrats or Republicans. It's got to open its doors to working people and to young people, create a grassroots party. That's what we need."

Sitting alongside Perez during a joint interview, Sanders said that he wants the Democratic Party to focus on key issues for progressives, such as the decline of the middle class, the "need" to take on wealthy interests and unite around "Medicare for all."

When asked whether the party supports the idea of "Medicare for all," Perez argued that the party believes "healthcare is a right, not a privilege."

"I think the unity that we've shown in the recent efforts by [President] Trump to repeal the Affordable Care Act has been an energizing force for Democrats, independents and others who share the values of inclusion and opportunity," he added.

"We have shared values. We all believe America works best when everyone has a chance to succeed, when we have shared prosperity and not just prosperity for a few."

The pair are traveling the country this week on a "Come Together and Fight Back" tour to rally grassroots enthusiasm and focus on bringing the party together after a difficult presidential campaign last year that created divisions between progressives, led by Sanders, and the more moderate wing of the party, led by its eventual nominee, Hillary ClintonHillary Rodham ClintonChaffetz decision stuns Washington Putin-linked think tank crafted plan to swing election for Trump: report Trump draws parallels between Patriots and his White House win MORE.

Some establishment Democrats have criticized Sanders for not joining the party, while he has tried to assert his influence on it. But progressives have argued that the Democratic Party needs independents to expand and should open its arms to those new voters who may not fully identify with the party.

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Sanders: I don't consider myself a Democrat - The Hill

AUGUSTA, Maine Democrat Adam Cote has made his long-contemplated 2018 run for governor official, becoming the first well-known Democrat to enter the race to replace term-limited Republican Gov. Paul LePage.

Cote, a 44-year-old Sanford attorney and Army veteran, has been out of politics since he finished second in the 2008 primary in Maines 1st U.S. House District. The seat was won by Chellie Pingree, who still holds it.

But Cote impressed as a moderate in the field, raising more than $650,000 and beating former legislators Michael Brennan and Ethan Strimling, who have since been Portland mayor. In a statement, he admitted he might not have the political pedigree of some other candidates but brings valuable experience to the campaign.

I have not spent much time in Augusta, but I have learned leadership through 20 years as a soldier in places like Bosnia, Iraq and Afghanistan and 16 years in the private sector as both a small businessman and a renewable energy attorney, he said.

Cote said in an interview that politics in Augusta need more civility, focus and leadership including a Democrat with the ability to unite his own party following fractures that opened in recent elections.

If ever theres a reason for folks to say look, elections have consequences and we have to be able to win and govern, I think that message is very clear to us now, he said. We have a lot more important things to be done and that is getting back the Blaine House and having a strong and aggressive economy to grow our agenda.

Cote has long been running behind the scenes and has been publicly mulling a run since December. Other potential Democratic candidates include Attorney General Janet Mills, former Maine Senate President Justin Alfond of Portland and Lee Auto Malls Chairman Adam Lee of Cumberland.

He joins independent Maine State Treasurer Terry Hayes of Buckfield, a former Democratic legislator, as the only candidates to file who are likely to mount serious bids the 2018 after her filing last week. Cote will run as a privately financed candidate, according to the Maine Ethics Commission.

Three other candidates Republican Deril Stubenrod of Clinton, Democrat Patrick Eisenhart of Augusta and Libertarian Richard Light of Liberty have also filed to run, but theyre seen as longshots.

Cote, a Sanford native, lives with his wife, Pauline, and their five children. He is a graduate of Colby College and the University of Maine Law School and won the Bronze Star Medal for his service in Afghanistan and the Combat Action Badge for his role in caring for fellow soldiers after a December 2004 suicide bombing in Mosul, Iraq.

In 2013, he received the White House Champion of Change award from former Democratic President Barack Obamas administration for his work as a veteran working to advance clean energy and climate security.

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Democrat Adam Cote to run for governor in Maine as political outsider - Bangor Daily News