A new poll from the Associated Press says that Americans do not trust Congress or the major political parties.

First question, what is your confidence level as far as Congress is concerned?

• 4% - a great deal.

• 48% - only some.

• 46% - hardly any.

Confidence in the Republican Party:

• 8% - a great deal.

• 40% - only some.

• 51% - hardly any.

Confidence in the Democratic Party:

• 15% - a great deal.

• 41% - only some.

• 43% - hardly any.

Confidence in the president and executive branch:

• 15% - a great deal.

• 50% - only some.

• 33% - hardly any.

And finally, confidence in the military:

• 56% - a great deal.

• 37% - only some.  

• 7% - hardly any.

So you can see that the biggest loser in this poll is Congress with only four percent having a great deal of confidence in it.

Here's why:

You may remember last July, 32-year-old Kate Steinle was murdered in San Francisco.

She was out for a walk with her father when an illegal alien felon, convicted in the USA seven times and deported five times, shot her in the back.

The man, Mexican national Juan Francisco Lopez-Sanchez, had been released from jail by the San Francisco Sheriff's Department.

That despite the fact that ICE -- Homeland Security -- had asked San Francisco authorities to keep Sanchez incarcerated until they could pick him up.

The Sheriff's Department said "no," backed by the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, which actually voted not to cooperate with the feds on illegal alien crime.

So, I proposed Kate's Law, whereby any convicted aggravated felon who defies deportation could be immediately taken into custody and sentenced to a mandatory five years in a federal penitentiary first offense, 10 years second.

That would give law enforcement a powerful tool to sweep dangerous foreign nationals off the streets of America.

Yet Congress would not pass Kate's Law.

The despicable Harry Reid blocked Kate's Law in the Senate.

Then Republican Majority Leader Senator Mitch McConnell would not put the proposed law up for a vote stand alone, instead attaching it to a Sanctuary Cities bill McConnell knew would fail.

In the House there was confusion as well, and Kate's Law stalled.

If we as a country cannot pass a simple law to protect innocent people like Kate Steinle from foreign, aggravated felons, then Congress should go out of business.

That's how bad this situation is and that's why most Americans have lost confidence in the House and Senate.

The Steinle family is broken hearted of course and on Friday they announced they are suing the federal government, the city and county of San Francisco and the former sheriff there.

They are also suing Sanchez, the alleged triggerman.

In just a few moments "Is It Legal?" will have more on the lawsuit.

Summing up, I've been practicing journalism for more than 40 years and I have never seen federal, state and local authorities act so cowardly.

Kate Steinle is not alone.  Other Americans have been killed by illegal alien aggravated felons and Congress does nothing when it easily could.

Or am I wrong?

And that's the memo.