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After weeks of deliberations, congressional Democrats and the White House are close to finalizing an immigration overhaul bill that would reshape U.S. immigration laws and allow millions of immigrants living in the country without authorization to obtain legal status, according to a 66-page section by section summary of the legislation obtained by CBS News.

The proposal, which sources said could be officially unveiled as early as Thursday, would create a two-tier legalization program which would automatically make farmworkers, Temporary Protected Status (TPS) holders and undocumented immigrants who came to the U.S. as children eligible for green cards, according to the draft text. After three years, they could apply to become U.S. citizens.

All other eligible unauthorized immigrants would be able to request temporary deportation relief and work permits while being placed on an eight-year pathway towards U.S. citizenship. Petitioners would all need to undergo background and national security checks, as well as file taxes and pay application fees.

According to the draft text shared with congressional staff, the plan would not benefit new arrivals, as all prospective applicants would need to prove they were in the U.S. before January 1, 2021. The secretary of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) would be allowed to issue humanitarian waivers to this requirement for immigrants deported during the Trump administration as long as they prove they lived in the U.S. for at least three years before their deportation.

California Congresswoman Linda Snchez and New Jersey Senator Bob Menendez, two Democrats with past experience crafting immigration policy, will introduce the proposal in the House and Senate, respectively.

The bill, based on parameters unveiled by the Biden administration last month, is expected to be championed by the White House as one of President Biden's domestic policy priorities during his first year in office. However, the sweeping proposal will need to garner unanimous Democratic support and at least 10 Republican votes in the Senate under current Senate rules a threshold that has previously doomed other immigration reform plans.

In addition to the legalization provisions, the bill would scrap Clinton-era sanctions that bar undocumented immigrants who leave the U.S. from reentering the country for three or 10 years, as well as curb the president's power to issue categorical bans on groups of immigrants. It would also substitute all references to "alien" in immigration laws with the term "noncitizen."

Another centerpiece of the bill is an expansion of legal immigration. The plan would raise the current per-country caps for family and employment-based immigrant visas and reassign unused visas. It would render spouses and children of green card holders "immediate family members," exempting them from the per-country caps.

The bill would increase the annual allocation of employment-based visas from 140,000 to 170,000, as well as the yearly ceiling for diversity visas from 55,000 to 80,000. An additional 10,000 visas would be reserved for a pilot program designed for immigrants who will contribute to the economic development of local communities.

The plan would give the Biden administration $1 billion annually between 2022 and 2025 to finance efforts to reduce the violence, poverty, crime and corruption that fuel U.S.-bound migration from Central America. It would also require the establishment of processing centers in the region where Central Americans, including at-risk children, could apply for parole or refugee status to come to the U.S. legally.

Other provisions ask DHS to implement "smart" border security measures and allocate funds to expand the infrastructure that ports of entry have to process asylum applicants and intercept illicit drugs. The department would be required to issue new guidelines governing the care and processing of migrant children.

The plan would also allocate 30,000 visas for victims of serious crimes who assist law enforcement; eliminate the current 1-year deadline asylum-seekers have to apply for U.S. refuge; and instruct DHS to expand alternatives to detention for migrants in deportation proceedings, particularly families with children.

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Democrats close to finalizing Biden-backed immigration overhaul bill - CBS News

Nevada Democrats introduced a bill on Monday that would change the states presidential nominating contest from a caucus to a primary and dislodge New Hampshire from its position as the first in the nation to hold its primary. In an interview with The New York Times on Thursday, outgoing DNC Chair Tom Perez said, A diverse state or states need to be first. In this installment of the FiveThirtyEight Politics podcast, the crew discusses whether any potential changes could reshape the nominating process. They also consider why Republican senators voted the way they did on whether to convict former President Donald Trump. And, finally, they check in on the efforts in California to recall Gov. Gavin Newsom.

You can listen to the episode by clicking the play button in the audio player above or by downloading it in iTunes, the ESPN App or your favorite podcast platform. If you are new to podcasts, learn how to listen.

The FiveThirtyEight Politics podcast is recorded Mondays and Thursdays. Help new listeners discover the show by leaving us a rating and review on iTunes. Have a comment, question or suggestion for good polling vs. bad polling? Get in touch by email, on Twitter or in the comments.

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Politics Podcast: Why Democrats Are Done With Iowa And New Hampshire - FiveThirtyEight

The second impeachment of former President Donald TrumpDonald TrumpBiden: 'I'm tired of talking about Trump' Hacker claims to have stolen files from law firm tied to Trump: WSJ Texas governor faces criticism over handling of winter storm fallout MORE ended as predictably as the first: an acquittal based on evidence that was never actually presented.Even when their eyes were riveted to the grotesque footage of armed insurrectionists invading the Capitol, Republican senators were silently weighing much heavier evidence: When you defy Donald Trump, you may not survive a primary.

They watchedthemselves on video monitors running for their lives; but all they could think about was running in the next election, or, in the case of some, for president.

For now, it appears that the attempt to stop Trump from seeking office has failed. There is talk about other options, including the application of the 14th Amendment, which bars virtually anyone who took an oath to the Constitution and engaged in insurrection from holding office.

But there is another way Democrats can ensure that Trump cannot run in 2024. They can defeat him in 2021 with policies that deliver meaningful relief. That means focusing the energies of government on continuing to vaccinate the country. As of Sunday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)reportedthat roughly 38.3 million people had received at least one dose of COVID-9 vaccine.More than 70 million doses have been distributed.The U.S. is now administering about 1.5 million doses each day, a goal set by President BidenJoe BidenBiden balks at K student loan forgiveness plan Biden offers to help woman in obtaining vaccine for son with preexisting condition Biden optimistic US will be in 'very different circumstance' with pandemic by Christmas MORE when he took office. If, in 2024, COVID-19 is a nightmarish memory instead of a daily crisis, a Trump candidacy will be weakened.

It also means restoring the economy by making the leap from PPP (Paycheck Protection Program) to BBB (Build Back Better) initiatives.In 2008, the last time Democrats won the White House andmajorities in the House and Senate, the economy was in meltdown. Across suburbia, home foreclosure signs sprouted among the dandelions; the automobile and airline industries were in free fall. Congress passed, and the president signed, measures that saved theeconomy,butmanyweretempered byanxietiesover political optics and deficits.As aresult,too many Americans could not feel the impact. It was like reviving someones pulse without any movement of muscles.Lesson learned.Now there can be no whittling down of the investments necessary to bring the economy back to pre-COVID levels. Yes, we should be cautious about deficits and inflation; but unless we fuel this recovery now, it will sputter later.

One way to revive an economy, proven throughout our history, is to build things. When the federal government helps to finance infrastructure, jobs are created and dollars are pumped into the economy by an expanded workforce that enjoys greater economic mobility. Read Felix Rohatyns excellent bookBold Endeavorsif you want to understand the essential ingredients to building and rebuilding an economy,from the Erie Canal to the interstate highway system. Every dollar of infrastructure investment creates about 50,000 jobs and returns $6 to the economy. Infrastructure investments have another salutary effect: When people see their roads paved, their trains running on time, their water supplies pure, they become more optimistic about the future. TrumpsAmerican carnage will not sell when voters feel both progress and prosperous.

And here is an unorthodox idea: Democrats should support efforts by principled conservative Republicans to reclaim their party. Democrats have a vested interest in the restoration of true conservatism to the GOP. We may disagree on much, but we do agree on the norms of democracy. Governance requires negotiation; and as has been said, you cant negotiate with terrorists. The way to depower the Trump movement is to empower his Republican adversaries. In other words, help leaders such as Sens. Mitt RomneyWillard (Mitt) Mitt RomneyState parties seek to punish anti-Trump Republicans Philly GOP commissioner on censures: 'I would suggest they censure Republican elected officials who are lying' Cotton, Romney introduce bill pairing minimum wage increase with tighter citizenship verification MORE (R-Utah) and Lisa MurkowskiLisa Ann MurkowskiTrump unloads on McConnell, promises MAGA primary challengers State parties seek to punish anti-Trump Republicans Juan Williams: Bring sanity back to the GOP MORE (R-Alaska) to deliver tangibly to their constituents.

Pundits are dour on the prospects of House and Senate Democratsprotectingtheir slim majorities inthemidtermelections. But this political cycle is more Roosevelt in 1934 and Bush in 2002 than Trump in 2024.In those prior moments, the presidents party gained seats in the midterm elections (which has happened only five times in history) and established a strong foundation for their own reelections. How? Voters looked around at the evidence and rewarded the party in power. Now it is up to Democrats to build their case so that COVID-19 and a troubled economy as well as Donald Trump become a distant memory.

Steve IsraelSteven (Steve) J. IsraelBiden doubles down on normal at White House Biden faces monumental task healing divided country The Hill's Morning Report - Trump impeached again; now what? MORE represented New York in the House of Representatives over eight terms and was chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee from 2011 to 2015. He is director of the Institute of Politics and Global Affairs at Cornell University. You can follow him on Twitter@RepSteveIsrael.

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How Democrats can ensure Trump never runs again | TheHill - The Hill

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During his first few weeks in office, President Joe Biden has reversed the ban on transgender people in the military and directed U.S. government agencies operating abroad to protect the human rights of LGBTQ people worldwide.

But LGBTQ advocates and lawmakers in Texas face a much tougher battle in the Republican-controlled Legislature affirming LGBTQ peoples rights and protecting them from discrimination.

This legislative session, some legislators are trying to pass bills that would prohibit conversion therapy and discrimination against LGBTQ Texans. Theyre also trying to prevent laws that would ban transgender girls and women from joining single-sex sports teams in public schools and universities or laws that could keep doctors from providing care affirming childrens gender identity.

In June, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that federal civil rights law prevents employment discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity. Biden has said he will prioritize The Equality Act, which would go a step further and prohibit similar discrimination in housing, public education and other places.

State Rep. Jessica Gonzlez, D-Dallas, said the fate of congressional attempts at expanding federal protections is uncertain. While the Supreme Court has ruled on employment nondiscrimination, she said the state Legislature still needs to put laws on the books that protect LGBT Texans from more forms of discrimination.

She plans to introduce a bill that would provide protections for LGBTQ Texans from discrimination in employment, public accommodations and housing. The bill will boost the economy by attracting more businesses to Texas if the state affords its LGBTQ employees equal protections, she said.

We're facing a global pandemic, and aside from passing nondiscrimination legislation because its the right thing to do, there is good policy there, said Gonzlez, the vice chair of the Texas House LGBTQ Caucus. There's solid research behind it that shows ... our state will reap economic benefits for being inclusive and embracing diversity.

A statewide nondiscrimination law would lead to billions in both annual state and local government revenues by 2025 and hundreds of thousands of jobs by 2045, according to a 2020 study from The Perryman Group, an economic research firm in Waco.

Jessica Shortall, managing director of Texas Competes, a statewide coalition of businesses promoting equality, said the nondiscrimination bill will also impact tourism. She said that a lack of discrimination protections could also dissuade people from visiting the state whose lawmakers four years ago spent a regular and special legislative session debating the failed bathroom bill. That legislation sought to limit which public restrooms transgender Texans can use.

When we come out of the pandemic, every state and every city is going to be fiercely competing to win tourism back, which has taken one of the biggest hits in terms of industries in this pandemic, Shortall said. It's every city, every state for itself fighting for this business ... and knowing that we're going to end this practice of targeting LGBTQ people and trans people in particular would make Texas cities and Texas as a state more competitive for tourism.

Some Democratic lawmakers and LGBTQ advocates acknowledge that the bills theyre pushing may not become law in the Republican-dominated state Legislature after Democrats underperformed their own expectations in November and made no gains in the House.

Democrats also hoped the bipartisanship of having at least two Republicans sign on to the bill would increase its odds, but they lost one of their GOP allies in former state Rep. Sarah Davis of West University Place, who was ousted in the 2020 election.

Despite the outcome of the elections in November and Democrats hoping to gain some seats to hopefully make it a little bit easier for us, our priority legislation hasn't changed as far as the people who are supporting this bill, Gonzlez said.

If Democrats cant change the law, they hope to at least have hearings for bills that would amplify the voices of LGBTQ Texans to gather support and educate others in the state.

State Rep. Celia Israel, D-Austin, filed House Bill 560, which would penalize state-licensed counselors and therapists who engage in conversion therapy with children. She has filed a similar version of the bill every session since her first in 2015, and the bill was debated in a public hearing for the first time during the last session.

The Legislature is built not to be a very productive body. But if you can have a robust hearing and have heartfelt testimony, that really resonates. That in it of itself is a victory, said Israel, a founding member of the Texas House LGBTQ Caucus. It can be a reminder to the opposition that when you promote this kind of stuff, you're promoting hatred and division, and that's not the Texas that we all want.

While previous legislative sessions included heated disputes over bills that targeted LGBTQ people, members of the caucus are hopeful about future progress made in the Texas House under the leadership of the new House Speaker Dade Phelan, R-Beaumont.

During the 2019 session, the Texas Senate advanced legislation that would have restricted how local governments regulate private businesses. The upper chamber drew ire from LGBTQ advocates after taking out a measure that would have explicitly kept local nondiscrimination ordinances in place.

Phelan, the former chair of the House Committee on State Affairs, notably advanced a House bill with the protections for LGBTQ workers added back, but the bill died after the two chambers couldnt reconcile the differences.

Phelan said during an interview in 2019 with Evan Smith, CEO of the Texas Tribune, that he wanted to send a message to the House that nondiscrimination language is important.

Im kind of done talking about bashing on the gay community, Phelan said during the interview. Its completely unacceptable.

Even if pro-LGBTQ bills get a hearing and pass the Texas House, they will likely face challenges in Lt. Gov. Dan Patricks Senate. Patrick, whose spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment, previously championed the battle in 2017 to pass the bathroom bill.

While trying to get bills over the finish line, LGBTQ advocates and caucus members are also turning their efforts to trying to prevent lawmakers from passing legislation that they say is discriminatory. One of the bills includes House Bill 1458 by State Rep. Valoree Swanson, R-Spring, which would ban transgender women from playing on single-sex sports teams designated for girls and women at public K-12 schools and universities.

One study shows that hormones do not have a significant performance advantage for transgender women in distance running, and there has been no significant recorded dominance of transgender athletes in womens sports.

Dan Quinn, spokesperson for the nonpartisan Texas Freedom Network, said he hopes the Legislature provides protections against discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity, but he also is preparing to fight bills that would promote discrimination against transgender Texans.

After the year we've all gone through with COVID and all the other challenges we face, it seems unconscionable that we would be going into a session which we have to be concerned that lawmakers are going to be passing bills that promote discrimination against anybody, whether they're LGBTQ or not, Quinn said.

Disclosure: Texas Freedom Network has been a financial supporter of The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that is funded in part by donations from members, foundations and corporate sponsors. Financial supporters play no role in the Tribune's journalism. Find a complete list of them here.

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Texas Democrats push for LGBTQ protections and ban on conversion therapy - The Texas Tribune

Do you think that the D.N.C. should have devoted more attention and resources to down-ballot contests given the results in state legislative and congressional races?

The thing about this election cycle that is really regrettable is that we had record turnout. And we should be celebrating that on a bipartisan basis, because we did really well. We won the presidency. We have the House. We have the Senate. And Republicans won in a number of critical races. Thats undeniable. They won a number of Senate seats. They won a number of congressional seats. And they won because a lot of their people turned out. And instead, what Donald Trump and the far right chose to do is to invest in this fiction that there was some sort of massive voter fraud, which is inaccurate.

The reality is we won a series of really important races. And they won a number of down-ballot races. Those are the facts of 2020. And thats why were absolutely drilling down deeper to answer the question of how did we do well for Mark Kelly and Joe Biden in Arizona and not so well in some of the State House and State Senate races. Really important question. It certainly wasnt for lack of investment. And thats why were looking to understand what else do we have to do.

Why was Latino support for Democrats so much softer in 2020 after four years of Trump than it was in 2016 and elections before that?

Do we need to do more with Latino voters? Absolutely. And I am very committed to that. We did more than the party has ever done. But again, every cycle, we need to build on what we did before. And thats exactly what we will do. The misinformation campaigns in South Florida were very real. And they involved both domestic and foreign actors.

And the appeals to socialism in South Florida were more successful. They made those same socialism arguments in Arizona. But they fell flat. And they fell flat, in no small measure, because we had a really aggressive and longstanding organizing infrastructure in Arizona that enabled us to counteract that.

Will the 2022 and 2024 elections be a referendum on President Bidens handling of the pandemic and the economy?

What voters are going to ask themselves is the same question they always ask. Am I better off than I was two years ago? Am I seeing results that are improving my life? As they are able to return to normalcy, whatever normalcy is going to look like post-Covid, I think that they will appreciate that Joe Biden and Kamala Harris led during this crisis.

Should Iowa and New Hampshire keep going first in the presidential nominating process?

That will be up to the D.N.C.s Rules and Bylaws Committee.

Im aware. But what does the private citizen Tom Perez think?

A diverse state or states need to be first. The difference between going first and going third is really important. We know the importance of momentum in Democratic primaries.

Ill try one more time. Could you make a case for defending Iowa and New Hampshire going first?

The status quo is clearly unacceptable. To simply say, Lets just continue doing this because this is how weve always done it, well, Iowa started going as an early caucus state, I believe, in 1972. The world has changed a lot since 1972 to 2020 and 2024. And so the notion that we need to do it because this is how weve always done it is a woefully insufficient justification for going first again.

This is the Democratic Party of 2020. Its different from the Democratic Party in how we were in 1972. And we need to reflect that change. And so I am confident that the status quo is not going to survive.

How far down the road are you in thinking about running for governor of Maryland?

Im seriously considering a run for governor in Maryland.

We need a governor who can really build strong relationships with the Biden administration, will build strong relationships with every one of the jurisdictions in Maryland.

Marylanders are just like everybody else. We want an end to this pandemic. We want to put kids back to school. We want to put people back to work. The pandemic has disproportionately touched women and communities of color in Maryland. And Ive had the fortune of working in local government, and with the nonprofit faith communities and state government there.

So Im currently listening. Im on a listening tour in Maryland. And I think we need leadership, really, with a bold vision of inclusion and opportunity because ZIP code should never determine destiny in any community across America.

Has Larry Hogan been a good governor for Maryland?

I appreciate the fact that Larry Hogan has said critical things about Donald Trump. I appreciate that. What we really need, I think, in Maryland is leaders who will sweat the details of governance. The pandemic rollout, the vaccination process has been nothing less than chaotic in Maryland. Weve had an unemployment insurance crisis, people waiting months and months to get their unemployment benefits. Thats just a failure of leadership at a state level.

I didnt hear a yes or no on Hogan.

I applaud that he tried to get some tests from South Korea. But then it turned out that the tests didnt work. And he covered it up. And theres always going to be moments where mistakes are made. And good leaders fess up to those mistakes. But he tried to sweep it under the rug.

Again, its great to see a governor who criticizes Donald Trump. But we need governors who do a hell of a lot more than just criticize.

What would you be doing differently to accelerate vaccine distribution and reopen schools faster?

I would be on the phone every day with county executives making sure: What do you need? What do you not have? What do you have? What can we do? I would be relentlessly reaching out to our colleagues in the federal government to say: Heres what we need. Heres whats going on. I would have a war room set up and, again, every single day, say: You value what you measure. You measure what you value. What are we doing?

Donald Trump is partly to blame for this. He was a disaster. But you look at other states other states have been able to work around that and are doing better. Our vaccination rates do not compare well. Were the richest state in the United States Maryland but we have way too many people who are on the outside looking in.

You said good leaders admit their mistakes. What were the biggest mistakes you made at the D.N.C.?

I wish that we could have won more elections. And so Im looking back at what we did and some of the races we didnt win. I was really frustrated in January and early February of 2017, because Donald Trump was in power and he was issuing all sorts of executive actions that were turning life upside down for so many people. That was in the middle of the D.N.C. race because the election wasnt set until the end of February. So we got a late start. And I think that was a mistake.

It was frustrating to see Feb. 27, a month into the administration, and Im just showing up at work for the first time. So I think we have to be very mindful. And if there are periods of time in the future where were in a similar situation, where weve lost the White House, we better make sure we start early because I had to play a lot of catch-up. And that was a mistake.

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Tom Perez on Democrats Mistakes and Why Iowa Shouldnt Go First - The New York Times