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nytimes.com — In a case that has outraged immigration activists, county police outside Nashville, Tenn., arrested a pregnant undocumented worker and, when she was about to give birth, chained her to a hospital bed. Once she had given birth, the baby was taken away from her for two days and the father was denied contact. County officials were acting under a cooperation agreement signed in April 2007 with federal immigration authorities that gave immigration enforcement powers to county officers. These agreements are proliferating, empowering local law enforcement to use harsh tactics to crack down on illegal immigrants.

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ft.com — U.S. business leaders are ­stepping up a campaign against proposed labor law reforms, backed by the Democrats, that could significantly enhance the ability of unions to organize workers. The proposals would waive an employer’s right to insist on a secret workplace ballot on union representation. Instead, a union would only have to secure the signatures of a majority of workers in the proposed bargaining unit.

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iht.com — In order to ease a backlog of visa applications, immigration authorities have eased requirements for background checks by the FBI of immigrants seeking to become permanent United States residents.

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washingtonpost.com — At their annual retreat, Democrats are thinking smaller, much smaller than in 2007. They hope to leave Friday with the beginnings of a scaled-down plan to pass a handful of bills in the House — even if they cannot get through the Senate — and build a case for November that Democrats have been productive enough to warrant at least another two years in the majority.

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truthout.org — For the first time in 25 years, unions increased their share of membership among America's workers, adding about 310,000 new members to their numbers.

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