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As the election draws closer, several hot-button issues are causing divisions within the Democratic party. Recent reports that the White House is willing to concede on several hardline immigration policies in exchange for Ukraine funding are undeniably adding to the rift.

The Week C-SPAN Became Must-See TV

One of those reported concessions, according to CNN, includes a safe third party proposal that would bar asylum seekers whove passed through other countries from entering the United States.

Progressive members of Congress, including Rep. Ayanna Pressley, have urged the administration to reconsider adopting right-wing immigration policies in exchange for funding for the Ukraine war. Immigrants are people, migrant families are not bargaining chips, and claiming asylum is a human right, posted Pressley on X. Any policies that undermine these truths are unacceptable and a non-starter.

The Root sat down with Democratic House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) for The 411, and we asked him about these reported concessions.

I havent had an opportunity to review any specific policy changes that are being contemplated, said Jeffries. But as soon as thats made available to us, we will make sure that members of the House Democratic Caucus can be fully and comprehensively briefed.

Jeffries answer is consistent with that of other House Democratic leaders whove said they have not had a seat at the table in these negotiations.

Last week, The Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC) expressed their concerns that they had not been included in discussions around the proposed immigration changes. The White House countered that theyd been in constant contact with House Democrats and the CHC as a part of negotiations. However, CHC Chair Rep. Nanette Diaz Barragn, D-Calif, told NBC News that wasnt true.

As a matter of fact, weve been the ones asking for meetings for weeks with the White House and Administration officials involved in the talks, as well as the President and the White House has not been very responsive to our requests, she told the outlet.

Although Rep. Jeffries says he hasnt seen specifics from the White House on immigration policies, he believes that Democrats shouldnt agree to anything simply to appease extremists.

Theres nothing that should be agreed to that simply relates to a hard right-wing policy wishlist, said Jeffries. What should not happen, in my view, is that cosmetic changes are made that are simply designed to appease right-wing extremists.

However, the House Minority Leader did not rule out making concessions with Republicans in exchange for aid for Ukraine.

I think its irresponsible that immigration-related issues have been injected into the national security conversation, he said. However, since we are at this space where the border policy conversation is a part of the discussion, then weve just got to make sure that it is processed in a manner consistent with American values.

The 411 episode with House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries will drop on Friday morning!

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Hakeem Jeffries Not Privy To Biden Immigration Concessions - The Root

Sen. Tim Kaine is among five Democratic legislators calling on President Joe Biden to urge Israel and Egypt to protect reporters covering the war between Israel and Hamas.

Kaine, D-Va., is a member of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations.

Without protections for journalists in Gaza and access for international journalists, the world is unable to get a complete and accurate understanding of events, the senators wrote Friday in an open letter to Biden. The lack of transparency caused by limited journalistic access is at odds with the obligation all governments have to allow citizens to access factual information.

The four other senators are Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii; Peter Welch, D-Vt.; Chris Van Hollen, D-Md.; and Cory Booker, D-N.J.

The legislators said only a small number of international reporters have been allowed to access Gaza as part of a tour organized by Israel Defense Forces.

Under this arrangement, journalists must remain with the IDF, and in some cases, face requirements to submit their footage to the IDF for review before publication, the letter states. Other journalists who have requested to enter Gaza through the (Egyptian) Rafah crossing have been refused.

The legislators called this arrangement wholly inadequate and said it was severely restricting the flow of independent information.

The senators further called for Palestinian reporters already working in Gaza to receive standard protections.

They, at great risk to themselves, have continued working while fleeing their homes, losing family members, and living under constant threat of violence, the letter states. The scale of the killings of journalists and media workers is unprecedented in recent times.

Some media organizations, including the Society of Professional Journalists and the Committee to Protect Journalists, have also recently called for press protections in Gaza. As of Tuesday, the committee has counted at least 68 journalists and media workers killed since the war began Oct. 7. They are among the nearly 19,000 deaths in Gaza and the West Bank and 1,200 deaths in Israel, according to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.

In an interview this week with National Public Radio, CPJ President Jodie Ginsberg said covering war is always dangerous. But she said the aggressive nature of the bombardment in Gaza has created extreme risks for reporters.

Journalists in Gaza are reporting on the injured in hospitals, for example, and hospitals have been attacked, or theyre reporting on convoys trying to flee the north to the south and those roads have been attacked, Ginsberg said. Its impossible for journalists to report in a way where they can be safe or get to a place of safety.

This article has been updated to state that Sen. Tim Kaine is a member of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, not the chair of the committee.

Katie King, katie.king@virginiamedia.com

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Sen. Kaine among Democrats pushing for press protections in Gaza - The Virginian-Pilot

Pro-Palestinian demonstrators disrupted a Democratic Party holiday gathering in Detroit last weekend, calling for a ceasefire in Gaza. When the protesters refused to leave, a brawl ensued, leaving Bobbie Johnson, a local party activist, hospitalized with two black eyes, according to Bridge Michigan, a local news site.

No arrests have been made, but Detroit Police are investigating the incident, reported WXYZ, a local ABC affiliate.

The annual holiday party for Democratic activists in Michigans 13th Congressional District began as usual at a local restaurant. Then, Congressman Shri Thanedar, who represents the district in the House of Representatives, rose to speak.

After about thirty seconds, a woman with a megaphone disrupted the event, loudly calling for a ceasefire in Gaza. Alongside her were 20 to 30 other protesters, Bridge Michigan reported, who refused to move when the event organizers and the restaurant managers repeatedly asked them to leave.

They were being disruptive, and they were not supposed to be there, Jonathan Kinloch, who chairs the local Democratic party, told media. The owner asked them to leave, I asked them to leave, they refused to leave, so they were removed from a place they had no business and no legal right to be in.

A melee broke out when party guests attempted to force the protesters out of the restaurant. I started it, Sterling Jackson, a guest at the holiday party, said. I couldnt believe they were doing this, and nobody was doing anything.

Before long, a protester punched Bobbie Johnson, a local community leader, in the face. Valeria Berra, one of the protesters, said she was shoved against the bar, and another protesters glasses broke amid the chaos. Bernice Smith, 90, was filmed hitting protesters with her cane, an act she insists was self-defense.

That moment and much of the fighting were captured on cell phone cameras and uploaded to social media. Kinloch posted a video to X that shows activists and party guests shoving each other and shouting in each others faces while Christmas music plays in the background and a handful of activists shout ceasefire now!

A longer video, found on the WXYZ website, begins shortly after the initial disruption, as the protesters begin to chant, Shri, Shri, you cant hide, we charge you with genocide! Soon, protesters begin to shove and grab each other, and the scene quickly devolves into chaos. Those who were invited to the party succeeded in pushing the protesters out of the building. A few of them attempted to re-enter while the rest were chanting, Shame on you! from outside.

Once removed from the restaurant, protesters proceeded to bang on its windows, an act that Smith denounced to the press: They had their boots and shoes, banging up against the windows, and you can imagine how that sounds, and how fearful the people were, especially the senior people that was there.

In the aftermath of the event, those who had organized it denounced the disruption as not just wrong, but counterproductive. This is not going to give you support for your cause, Thanedar said. I welcome them to come to my office, I welcome them to invite me to town halls where I can come, and we can have a dialogue.

Kinloch had a similar message. Its not productive.

Addressing the matter of race, raised by many of those involvedon both sidesthe local Democratic party chairman added: At the end of the day, Ive got a whole bunch of Black issues... I have great conversations with Arab communities, even after what happened Saturday.

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Pro-Palestinian protesters clash with Democrats at holiday party - The Jerusalem Post

By LINCOLN MEMORIAL SHRINE AND MUSEUM

Two hundred years after his birth, the life and legacy of Abraham Lincoln continues to fascinate and inspire. Born into poverty on the edge of an untamed frontier, his rise from obscurity to greatness has become a symbol of the universal hope that we can all improve our circumstances in life.

The election of 1860 might have been the most pivotal in American history. Abraham Lincoln, the candidate of the 6-year-old Republican Party, ran on a platform of keeping slavery completely out of the new territories that had been annexed from Mexico 11 years earlier. The dominant Democratic Party split into two factions over the slavery extension issue. Northern Democrats who felt the residents of the territories themselves should decide nominated Illinois Senator Stephen Douglas, Lincolns longtime rival, as their standard bearer. Southern Democrats who wanted slavery extended regardless of the residents desires nominated Vice President John Breckinridge of Kentucky. A fourth candidate, John Bell, ran as a compromise candidate under the Keep the Union together at all costs banner of the Constitutional Union Party. The campaign was heated. Lincoln and the Republicans were not even on the ballot in the states of the Deep South. Although Lincoln only won 40% of the popular vote, the split in the Democratic Party enabled him to secure a comfortable majority in the Electoral College.

California was one of the states that would have opted for the Democrat had they run only one candidate. The map below demonstrates county-by-county results, indicating the percentage of the popular vote earned by the winning candidate in each county. Shades of red are for Lincoln, shades of blue are for Northern Democrat Douglas, shades of green are for Southern Democrat John Breckinridge, shades of yellow are for Constitutional Unionist Bell and shades of purple for the non-Republican/Democratic Fusion candidates. Grey are counties with no results. (South Carolina voted overwhelmingly for Breckinridge but county results were unavailable). Note that San Bernardino County voted narrowly for Lincoln.

More at this link: https://www.lincolnshrine.org/exhibits/election-of-1860/

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That time Democrats removed Abe Lincoln from the ballot - Must Read Alaska

ANALYSIS While Bethlehem is best known as the birthplace of Jesus and the focal point of the Christmas story, a handful of Bethlehems around the country help tell the story of the election cycle.

These Bethlehems are more than just a place to get Christmas cards adorned with a Bethlehem postmark: Theyre areas whose voters will help decide the fight for the majority in the House and Senate, as well as the White House.

Heres a rundown of the state of play in some of the Bethlehems across the country:

Located just east of Allentown in Northampton and Lehigh counties and at the heart of the 7th District, Bethlehem, Pa. (population 76,000) is the largest and one of the most consequential Bethlehems in the United States.

After winning reelection with just 51 percent in 2022 in a district Joe Biden barely carried in 2020, Rep. Susan Wild is one of the most vulnerable Democrats in Congress. Republicans have to sort through a crowded primary, but its the type of race that could give Democrats a headache if Bidens standing doesnt improve. Inside Elections rates the race as Tilt Democratic.

Bethlehem, Conn., is near the center of the competitive race in Connecticuts 5th District. Republican George Logan, a former state senator, nearly defeated Democratic Rep. Jahana Hayes in 2022 and is back for a rematch.

Bethlehem has been a small (population 3,385) Republican stronghold thats voted for every GOP presidential nominee since 1964. Republican David Sullivan defeated Hayes in Bethlehem 58 percent to 41 percent (1,342 votes to 943 votes) in 2020, and Logan expanded that margin of victory to 62 percent to 38 percent (1,203 votes to 740 votes) two years later, even though both Republicans lost districtwide. Inside Elections rates the 2024 race as Lean Democratic, and Hayes must win for Democrats to have a chance at winning back the majority.

If Democrats are going to retain their majority in the Senate, Ohio Sen. Sherrod Brown needs to hold his own in Stark County, including Bethlehem Township (population 5,520). The Buckeye State, including northeast Ohio, has been shifting toward Republicans. Brown won Stark County by nearly 15 points over GOP Sen. Mike DeWine in 2006. Six years later, the senators margin in Stark County narrowed to 4 points over Republican Josh Mandel. And, in 2018, Brown lost Stark County to GOP Rep. Jim Renacci by 1.5 points.

Browns 2024 race is rated as a Toss-up by Inside Elections, and hell need to avoid getting wiped out in GOP-leaning areas in order to have a chance. Democrats need him to win a fourth term because Republicans are on the doorstep of a majority with a likely takeover in West Virginia.

Georgias 10th District isnt on the House battleground of competitive races, but the area could be consequential in the presidential race. A Little Town Under the Star, Bethlehem, Ga. (population 732) is located 24 miles west of Athens and 50 miles east of Atlanta.

The district is currently represented by GOP Rep. Mike Collins, who succeeded GOP Rep. Jody B. Hice, former senior pastor of Bethlehem First Baptist Church. Last cycle, Collins won a competitive primary for the open seat and won the general election by nearly 30 points. His 2024 race is rated Solid Republican by Inside Elections. But in one of the biggest presidential battlegrounds, the margin in districts such as the 10th will be important. Donald Trump won the 10th by 26 points when he carried Georgia in 2016 but by just 18 points when he lost the state to Biden in 2020.

Bethlehem (population 2,484) is located in Grafton County, in the White Mountains of New Hampshires 2nd District. The race for that seat is rated Likely Democratic, but GOP strategists dont spend much time or energy on challenging Democratic Rep. Ann McLane Kuster. But Biden, who in addition to weak approval numbers nationally may have angered the states voters with his unsuccessful push to have South Carolina hold the first presidential primary, could struggle to win the district at the top of the ticket. Biden carried the 2nd District with just 52 percent in 2020, which could give the GOP a shot at a takeover late in the cycle.

Surprisingly, there are a lot more Bethlehems in the United States, but its even more of a stretch to make them politically consequential.

Bethlehem, Ky., is in Henry County, where Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear narrowed his loss from 14 points in 2019 to 10 points in 2023 en route to his reelection victory. But Henry County is represented by GOP Rep. Thomas Massie in the 4th District, which is rated Solid Republican.

Bethlehem, Ind. (population 245) along the Ohio River is represented by GOP Rep. Erin Houchin in the 9th District, whose reelection race also is rated Solid Republican.

Bethlehem, Md., is the birthplace of former Republican Williams Oswald Mills, who represented the 1st District from 1971 until his death in 1973. The 1st District, which covers eastern Maryland, is still Republican territory and is currently represented by GOP Rep. Andy Harris. The 2024 race is rated Solid Republican.

Nathan L. Gonzales is an an elections analyst with CQ Roll Call.

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Election roads go through Bethlehem(s) - Roll Call