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Pulling back the curtains on wage-theft enforcement in MN; Trump's latest attack is on RFK, Jr; NM LGBTQ+ equality group endorses 2024 'Rock Star' candidates; Michigan's youth justice reforms: Expanded diversion, no fees.

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Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg says rebuilding Baltimore's Key Bridge will be challenging and expensive. An Alabama Democrat flips a state legislature seat and former Connecticut senator Joe Lieberman dies at 82.

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Historic wildfires could create housing and health issues for rural Texans, a Kentucky program helps prison parolees start a new life, and descendants of Nicodemus, Kansas celebrate the Black settlers who journeyed across the 1870s plains seeking self-governance.

DOJ Letter Roils Mayors' Conference

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Friday, January 26, 2018   

MT. VERNON, N.Y. – Some of the mayors attending the U.S. Conference of Mayors in Washington, D.C., were angered by a threatening letter from the Department of Justice.

On Wednesday, shortly before a scheduled meeting with President Donald Trump, a letter was delivered to 23 sanctuary cities around the country, threatening legal action to force them to prove they are cooperating with federal immigration authorities.

But Mount Vernon, New York, Mayor Rich Thomas, who is attending the conference, called that an "un-American attack" on those who are vulnerable, and a focus on fiction based issues.

"We need to focus on fixing our economy,” said Thomas. “We need to focus on fixing the potholes, fixing the high cost of living, and making sure that we have resources to protect our people, but also create new opportunities."

Attorney General Jeff Sessions argued sanctuary cities threaten public safety by shielding criminals. After the letter was received, many of the mayors boycotted the meeting with Trump.

The conference has addressed the multitude of issues facing cities across the country, from homelessness to education, from addiction to climate change. But Thomas said some changes in federal policy are making finding solutions more difficult.

"With the new tax code, there's a real challenge for cities in high tax states like New York to fund their infrastructure projects," said Thomas.

The tax code, passed at the end of last year, limits federal tax deductions for state and local income taxes and property taxes.

Thomas said in the current political climate, the challenge is to build bridges, not walls. And he said he believes the spirit of bipartisan cooperation found at the Conference of Mayors is an indication that it's possible.

"We are going to sit down around a table,” said Thomas. “And we're going to hash out a pathway to make sure we provide for our residents, and start fixing the problems in an affordable way."


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