Pro-Immigration Republicans Keep Winning
Sen. Lamar Alexander wins TN primary, another immigration reform victory. W. Post: "His survival is a testament to an emerging political reality: Republicans who support reform can survive the conservative backlash ... Alexander is one of three Republican senators who voted for this session's sweeping reform bill ... then faced re-election this year. The other two -- Sens. Lindsey Graham (S.C.) and Susan Collins (Maine) -- also skated to primary wins ..."
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GOP "Civil War to Rage on" says Politico: "...when the crowing stops, veteran GOP operatives will find themselves right where they were before: back in hand-to-hand combat with movement conservatives, fighting for the heart and soul of the Republican Party ... The GOP establishment engaged early to find better candidates, dumped in gobs of money to fund air wars to defend struggling incumbents across the country and put boots on the ground in states to fend off tea party activists. They clocked notable victories in Idaho, Mississippi and Tennessee. At the same time, tea party and conservative outside groups are boasting of successfully defending Kansas Reps. Tim Huelskamp and Mike Pompeo in the Kansas primary earlier this week."
"The Economic Recovery, Not Gang Violence, Caused the Border Crisis" argues Prof. Raúl Hinojosa-Ojeda in TNR interview: "Migration is entirely driven by the business cycle. The global recession reduced migration to the U.S.; the economic recovery has prompted migration to resume. I predict that in the next three to four years, as the economy recovers even more, there will be twice as many children coming. Immigration is like a wave function, and this current rise is entirely driven by the decline in unemployment."
Influx slowing for now. Politico: "...that influx slowed down considerably last month, according to statistics released Thursday from the Department of Homeland Security. In July, 5,508 unaccompanied children were apprehended at the U.S.-Mexico border. That compares to the more than 10,000 minors who were caught in both May and June."
WH Touts Economy For Midterms
WH encourages Dems to run on growing economy. The Hill: "Congressional Democrats returning home to their districts ahead of this fall's midterm elections have been equipped with a 22-page economic report from top White House officials highlighting promising signs of rebound ... It highlights a string of recent positive economic indicators, including six consecutive months of more than 200,000 jobs added, last quarter's 4 percent growth in gross domestic product, and a six-year high in auto sales. [Also,] the document tells lawmakers that their 'efforts to pass legislation that rewards hard work with fair wages, invests in education, expands apprenticeship and job training, builds on our automobile and manufacturing boom, and ensures those at the top pay their fair share of taxes will continue to be critical to moving our country forward.'"
Inequality is harming growth, says NYT's Paul Krugman: "..., if you look systematically at the international evidence on inequality, redistribution, and growth — which is what researchers at the I.M.F. did — you find that lower levels of inequality are associated with faster, not slower, growth. [And] there’s no evidence that making the rich richer enriches the nation as a whole, but there’s strong evidence of benefits from making the poor less poor."
