<div dir="ltr">For informational purposes, N-G coverage this morning:<div><br></div><div><div class="gmail-article_head0" style="margin:0.4em 0px 0px;padding:0px;color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif,Georgia;font-size:16px"><p class="gmail-uptitle" style="margin:0px 15px 0px 0px;padding:0px 10px;font-size:1.2em;line-height:1.1em"><span style="margin:0px;padding:0px;line-height:normal;font-weight:bold">OPEN GOVERNMENT NIGHT</span></p><p class="gmail-maintitle" style="margin:0px 15px 0px 0px;padding:0px 10px;font-size:1.6em;color:rgb(154,61,61);line-height:1.1em"><span class="gmail-Fid_22" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;line-height:normal">‘PERIOD OF PROGRESS’</span></p><p class="gmail-subtitle" style="margin:0px 15px 0px 0px;padding:0px 10px;font-size:1.2em;line-height:1.1em"><span class="gmail-Fid_32" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;line-height:normal">Over 200 attend event to hear what Rep. Davis has to say</span></p></div><div class="gmail-article_body0" style="margin:10px 0px 0px;padding:0px;color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif,Georgia;font-size:16px"><div class="gmail-first gmail-column" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;width:403.991px;float:left"><div class="gmail-div_padding0" style="margin:0px;padding:3px"><p class="gmail-abody" style="margin:10px 15px 0px 0px;padding:0px 10px;font-size:1em;line-height:normal"><span class="gmail-Fid_0" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;line-height:normal">By TIM MITCHELL</span></p><p class="gmail-abody" style="margin:10px 15px 0px 0px;padding:0px 10px;font-size:1em;line-height:normal"><span class="gmail-Fid_1" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;line-height:normal"><a target="_blank" href="mailto:tmitchel@news-gazette.com" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;text-decoration-line:none;color:rgb(0,0,255)">tmitchel@news-gazette.com</a></span></p><p class="gmail-abody" style="margin:10px 15px 0px 0px;padding:0px 10px;font-size:1em;line-height:normal"><span class="gmail-Fid_2" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;line-height:normal">DECATUR — Facing a crowd that jeered and cheered, applauded and booed, Rodney Davis spent Monday evening answering questions about tweets, tariffs and other issues making headlines — both in central Illinois and beyond.</span></p><p class="gmail-abody" style="margin:10px 15px 0px 0px;padding:0px 10px;font-size:1em;line-height:normal"><span class="gmail-Fid_2" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;line-height:normal">The Republican U.S. representative from Taylorville appeared before a crowd of 245 people, ranging from college students to senior citizens and representing both sides of the aisle. They packed the auditorium at Decatur’s Richland Community College for what was billed as Davis’ first “Open Government Night,” costarring state Rep. Dan Caulkins, R-Decatur.</span></p><p class="gmail-abody" style="margin:10px 15px 0px 0px;padding:0px 10px;font-size:1em;line-height:normal"><span class="gmail-Fid_2" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;line-height:normal">“I attended because I wanted to hear what Rodney Davis had to say about women’s reproductive rights,” said Danielle Jones of Urbana.</span></p><p class="gmail-abody" style="margin:10px 15px 0px 0px;padding:0px 10px;font-size:1em;line-height:normal"><span class="gmail-Fid_2" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;line-height:normal">“I came because Congressman Davis is helping President (Donald) Trump</span></p><p class="gmail-abody" style="margin:10px 15px 0px 0px;padding:0px 10px;font-size:1em;line-height:normal"><span class="gmail-Fid_0" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;line-height:normal">Please see DAVIS, A-6</span></p><img src="http://us6lb-cdn.newsmemory.com/eebrowser/ipad/html5.check.2500/ajax-request.php?val=Image_5.jpg&action=loadImage&type=Image&pSetup=champaignnewsgazette&issue=20190730&crc=0730_a01_w-or9.pdf.0&edition=Champaign%20News-Gazette&mtime=083739&paperImage=champaignnewsgazette" width="37" height="37" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; cursor: pointer;"><p class="gmail-abody" style="margin:10px 15px 0px 0px;padding:0px 10px;font-size:1em;line-height:normal"><span class="gmail-Fid_28" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;line-height:normal">When today’s first of back-to-back Democratic debates (</span><span class="gmail-Fid_29" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;line-height:normal"> 7-9 p.m. both nights, CNN)</span><span class="gmail-Fid_28" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;line-height:normal"> is over,</span><span class="gmail-Fid_29" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;line-height:normal"> JIM BOHANNON’s</span><span class="gmail-Fid_28" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;line-height:normal"> national radio show begins on WDWS 1400-AM. So News-Gazette Media asked the host: What question would you ask the presidential hopefuls if you had the microphone?</span></p><img src="http://us6lb-cdn.newsmemory.com/eebrowser/ipad/html5.check.2500/ajax-request.php?val=Image_6.jpg&action=loadImage&type=Image&pSetup=champaignnewsgazette&issue=20190730&crc=0730_a01_w-or9.pdf.0&edition=Champaign%20News-Gazette&mtime=083739&paperImage=champaignnewsgazette" width="49" height="80" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; cursor: pointer;"><p class="gmail-abody" style="margin:10px 15px 0px 0px;padding:0px 10px;font-size:1em;line-height:normal"><span class="gmail-Fid_10" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;line-height:normal">“This country remains highly vulnerable to an electro-magnetic pulse attack. Simply</span></p></div></div><div class="gmail-last gmail-column" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;width:403.991px;float:left"><div class="gmail-div_padding0 gmail-split" style="margin:0px;padding:3px"><p class="gmail-abody gmail-split" style="margin:10px 15px 0px 0px;padding:0px 10px;font-size:1em;line-height:normal"><span class="gmail-Fid_0" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;line-height:normal">launching three small nukes</span><span class="gmail-Fid_10" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;line-height:normal"> into the upper atmosphere — from ships off the Atlantic Coast, the Pacific Coast and the Gulf of Mexico — could possibly generate sufficient radiation bursts to burn out anything electronic within the entire continental U.S. Such an attack —</span><span class="gmail-Fid_0" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;line-height:normal"> well within the capabilities of a North Korea,</span><span class="gmail-Fid_10" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;line-height:normal"> for example — could conceivably plunge this country into the 19th century, killing transportation, refrigeration and modern communications. The cost of retro-fitting the country’s electronics with shielding could probably be done for only a few billion dollars — a minor expense, indeed, given what’s at stake.</span></p><p class="gmail-abody" style="margin:10px 15px 0px 0px;padding:0px 10px;font-size:1em;line-height:normal"><span class="gmail-Fid_10" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;line-height:normal">“The question:</span><span class="gmail-Fid_0" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;line-height:normal"> What would your administration be prepared to do to prevent this?”</span></p><div id="gmail-imgArt0" class="gmail-imgArt gmail-dontsplit" style="margin:15px 0px 0px;padding:0px;display:inline-block;text-align:center;max-width:90%"><img src="http://us6lb-cdn.newsmemory.com/eebrowser/ipad/html5.check.2500/ajax-request.php?val=Image_9.jpg&action=loadImage&type=Image&pSetup=champaignnewsgazette&issue=20190730&crc=0730_a01_w-or9.pdf.0&edition=Champaign%20News-Gazette&mtime=083739&paperImage=champaignnewsgazette" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; cursor: pointer; max-width: 90%;"><img id="gmail-imgchild_0" class="gmail-imgchild" src="http://news-gazette.il.newsmemory.com/eebrowser/ipad/html5.check.2500/code/icons/usa/zoom_in.png" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; cursor: pointer; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; border-radius: 20px; right: 0px;"></div><p class="gmail-abody" style="margin:10px 15px 0px 0px;padding:0px 10px;font-size:1em;line-height:normal"><span class="gmail-Fid_21" style="margin:0px;padding:0px 10px;line-height:normal">U.S. Rep. Rodney Davis, R-Taylorville, answers a question with state Rep. Dan Caulkins, R-Decatur, on Monday during an ‘Open Government Night’ event on the campus of Richland Community College in Decatur.</span></p><p class="gmail-abody" style="margin:10px 15px 0px 0px;padding:0px 10px;font-size:1em;line-height:normal"><span class="gmail-Fid_20" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;line-height:normal">Clay Jackson/Herald & Review</span></p><br style="margin:0px;padding:0px"></div></div><br style="margin:0px;padding:0px;clear:both"></div><hr class="gmail-hr0" style="margin:0.8em 0px;padding:0px;width:807.997px;color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif,Georgia;font-size:16px"><div class="gmail-article_head1" style="margin:0.4em 0px 0px;padding:0px;color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif,Georgia;font-size:16px"></div><div class="gmail-article_body1" style="margin:10px 0px 0px;padding:0px;color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif,Georgia;font-size:16px"><div class="gmail-first gmail-column" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;width:403.991px;float:left"><div class="gmail-div_padding1" style="margin:0px;padding:3px"><p class="gmail-maintitle" style="margin:0px 15px 0px 0px;padding:0px 10px;font-size:1.6em;color:rgb(154,61,61);line-height:1.1em"><span style="margin:0px;padding:0px;line-height:normal;font-weight:bold">DAVIS</span></p><p class="gmail-abody" style="margin:10px 15px 0px 0px;padding:0px 10px;font-size:1em;line-height:normal"><span class="gmail-Fid_2" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;line-height:normal">Continued from A-<a style="margin:0px;padding:0px;color:blue"><b style="margin:0px;padding:0px">1</b></a></span></p><p class="gmail-abody" style="margin:10px 15px 0px 0px;padding:0px 10px;font-size:1em;line-height:normal"><span class="gmail-Fid_0" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;line-height:normal">make America great again,” said Juanita Green of Champaign.</span></p><p class="gmail-abody" style="margin:10px 15px 0px 0px;padding:0px 10px;font-size:1em;line-height:normal"><span class="gmail-Fid_0" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;line-height:normal">Over the 90-minute program, Davis fielded 22 questions submitted by audience members and screened by a moderator, Decatur Herald & Review Editor Chris Coates.</span></p><p class="gmail-abody" style="margin:10px 15px 0px 0px;padding:0px 10px;font-size:1em;line-height:normal"><span class="gmail-Fid_0" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;line-height:normal">“Constituent service is a big deal to me,” said Davis, who had come under fire in the past for not making himself available to voters — particularly to groups opposed to his policies in Champaign-Urbana.</span></p><p class="gmail-abody" style="margin:10px 15px 0px 0px;padding:0px 10px;font-size:1em;line-height:normal"><span class="gmail-Fid_0" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;line-height:normal">“We not only talk to constituents, but we act on their behalf,” added Davis, whose staff plans to hold similar events in other parts of his district. As of last week, a Champaign- Urbana date had yet not been discussed, according to a Davis spokeswoman.</span></p><p class="gmail-abody" style="margin:10px 15px 0px 0px;padding:0px 10px;font-size:1em;line-height:normal"><span class="gmail-Fid_0" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;line-height:normal">Monday’s event was reminiscent of an old-time vaudeville show, with fans and opponents of the congressman breaking in from time to time for applause or cat calls.</span></p><p class="gmail-abody" style="margin:10px 15px 0px 0px;padding:0px 10px;font-size:1em;line-height:normal"><span class="gmail-Fid_0" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;line-height:normal">A sampling of what Davis said: — On Trump’s recent tweets and chants from his supporters at rallies, some of which have been described as racist by political opponents and</span><span class="gmail-Fid_0" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;line-height:normal"> others: “We need to tweet a lot less and govern a lot more.”</span></p><p class="gmail-abody" style="margin:10px 15px 0px 0px;padding:0px 10px;font-size:1em;line-height:normal"><span class="gmail-Fid_0" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;line-height:normal">Speaking specifically about the president urging four non-white female Democratic members of Congress to go back to the countries they came from — three of the four were born in the U.S. — Davis said: “I do not think that was an appropriate thing to talk about.”</span></p><p class="gmail-abody" style="margin:10px 15px 0px 0px;padding:0px 10px;font-size:1em;line-height:normal"><span class="gmail-Fid_0" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;line-height:normal">— On the effects on soybean farmers of trade tariffs with China: “If the two sides sit down together, I think they can come up with an agreement that will alleviate the tariffs. The farmers of this country deserve all the help they can.”</span></p><p class="gmail-abody" style="margin:10px 15px 0px 0px;padding:0px 10px;font-size:1em;line-height:normal"><span class="gmail-Fid_0" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;line-height:normal">— On immigration: “I voted for and helped negotiate two immigration bills in the last Congress. One of those bills would have built a bordersecurity structure. It is not compassionate to not have a structure that will allow us to enforce our laws in this country.”</span></p><p class="gmail-abody" style="margin:10px 15px 0px 0px;padding:0px 10px;font-size:1em;line-height:normal"><span class="gmail-Fid_0" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;line-height:normal">— On armed violence in America: “It is pretty tough answering a gun violence question when you have experience having to run from bullets withouttalking about it,” Davis said, referring to a gunmanopening fire in 2017 during</span></p></div></div><div class="gmail-last gmail-column" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;width:403.991px;float:left"><div class="gmail-div_padding1 gmail-split" style="margin:0px;padding:3px"><p class="gmail-abody gmail-split" style="margin:10px 15px 0px 0px;padding:0px 10px;font-size:1em;line-height:normal"><span class="gmail-Fid_0 gmail-split" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;line-height:normal">a Team GOP softball practice in Virginia.</span></p><p class="gmail-abody" style="margin:10px 15px 0px 0px;padding:0px 10px;font-size:1em;line-height:normal"><span class="gmail-Fid_0" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;line-height:normal">“We were victims of gun violence from a crazed lunatic who was intoxicated by politics. We need to address the mental health crisis in this country.”</span></p><p class="gmail-abody" style="margin:10px 15px 0px 0px;padding:0px 10px;font-size:1em;line-height:normal"><span class="gmail-Fid_0" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;line-height:normal">— On the Affordable Care Act: “Thank you, Obama, for the 60 million Americans who still don’t have coverage.”</span></p><p class="gmail-abo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