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JAC hosted Talking Points this week with Rep. Mike Quigley (IL-5), who discussed current legislative issues in Washington.
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Thank you to Lisa Moss for opening her home for Talking Points with Rep. Mike Quigley (IL-5).
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Week In Review Commentary
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Doug Jones' win Tuesday over Roy Moore gave us a
brief moment of hope. Finally it seemed that our country's moral compass was readjusted a bit. Alabama showed that when you vote your conscience, not your party, change can happen. But we still have a long way to go.
As we look toward 2018, candidates across the country are energized, knowing that
when they get out the vote, they win. Jones fought hard for the 10,000 votes that pushed him to victory.
Many have called Jones' victory, on the first night of Hanukkah, a miracle. It wasn't a miracle. It was simply
democracy in action. Despite the national attention, negativity of the campaign and voter suppression, Alabamians exercised their most basic right as a citizen - they voted. We need to see that played out in every state in the country next November.
JAC's mission is to support candidates like Jones. Your contributions to JAC enabled us to help send Jones to the Senate. When you make a direct candidate contribution through JAC,
your voice and power is magnified across the country. Your money is pooled together with other JAC women and given directly to JAC candidates.
This week the FCC reversed net neutrality, which poses a risk to our ability to access information on the internet; Congress is finalizing a tax bill that repeals the ACA insurance mandate and will cause millions of people to lose health insurance; and
the Sandy Hook community gathered to remember their young friends and family killed in their town's school shooting five years ago. To date, Congress has failed to pass any common sense gun laws.
We need Jones in the Senate now more than ever to fight to safeguard freedom of speech, protect healthcare for all, and keep our communities safe from gun violence. He will be a much-needed partner to fight Trump's and the GOP's extreme agenda. But we will need other voices, like Senate candidate
Rep. Jacky Rosen (D-NV), who will be the
first Jewish woman Senator elected from Nevada.
Hanukkah teaches us: against all odds, we can succeed. We didn't give up then and we can't give up now.
WHAT CAN YOU DO?
Renew your JAC membership and encourage your friends and family to JOIN JAC.
Register to vote and make sure everyone you know is registered as well.
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Call Your Senators and Represenative
202-224-3121
Tell Them to OPPOSE the #TaxScam:
The GOP Tax Bill will end the individual mandate for the ACA, causing millions to lose their health insurance, and resulting in sky-rocketing premiums for everyone else.
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President Trump's Jerusalem Decision Sparks Attacks, Protests and Fresh Diplomatic Rifts
In Jerusalem, a Palestinian stabbed and seriously wounded an Israeli security guard. In Beirut, Lebanese and Palestinian demonstrators clashed with security forces outside the U.S. Embassy. Arab foreign ministers meeting in Cairo demanded that the U.S. rescind its decision. French President Emmanuel Macron expressed "disapproval" calling it "dangerous for peace." Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said Trump's decision has disqualified the U.S. from its role as traditional mediator of peace talks.
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Israel and Saudi Arabia Can Halt Iran's March and Pull the Middle East Back from the Brink
At initial glance, it may seem that President Trump's announcement of U.S. recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital, is the main story line. But in reality the muted response-partial condemnation coming only from the older generation-is a sign that this is a merely a distraction from the much bigger picture, and the much more dramatic plot twists. For the first time in history, Israel and Saudi Arabia are singing very similar tunes with a chorus dominated by one word: Iran.
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Analysis: Islamic Summit on Jerusalem Showcases New Mideast Alliances
The Palestinian Authority President, Iranian President and Turkish President issued an emergency meeting for unity among Muslim nations to oppose U.S. recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital. However, the leaders of Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Bahrain, and the United Arab Emirates did not attend, sending a message that they would not be standing shoulder to shoulder with Iran.
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White Supremacists Denied Permits For Charlottesville Anniversary Rally
The organizers behind last summer's deadly "Unite the Right" rally in Charlottesville, VA are being denied permits to hold a second rally on its anniversary next year. Charlottesville said that a second rally could pose "a danger to public safety,"
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Anti-Semitism Rampant Among Muslim Refugees in Germany, Study Finds
Study also suggests refugees from persecuted minority communities are more likely to take a stand against anti-Semitism and for Israel. "Anti-Semitic thinking and stereotyping are very common, even among those who emphasize that they 'respect' Judaism or that there is no problem living together between Muslims, Christians and Jews in their countries of origin," per Gunther Jikeli report author.
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Merger Could Make Catholic Health Giant 'Too Big to Fail,' Threatening Reproductive Health
Two Catholic hospital giants are considering merging to create the largest hospital operator in the U.S., granting unrivaled power to a system that would restrict access to reproductive health care. The merger of Ascension and Providence St. Joseph Health will have financial and political clout making it difficult for people to suggest denying women reproductive health care is not appropriate.
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At Home and Abroad, Trump Moves to Broaden Abortion Fight
As a presidential candidate, Donald Trump vowed to restrict access to abortion. As president, he's started doing just that - and more, pursuing a far-reaching strategy to reshape the federal government's position on reproductive rights.Abortion supporters say the full impact of the changes has yet to be felt - and fear the worst is yet to come.
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Even in States With Progressive Policies, Shame Can Contribute to Reproductive Health-Care Obstacles
Many of the women's attitudes toward reproductive health can best be described as conflicts between familial and community-based stigma and the need for personal agency over health-care choices. Some described this stigma as gender inequality and a glorification of sex for men, coupled with judgment and stigmatization against women. And when it came to accessing contraception, women often framed it as a way to prevent abortions rather than preventing pregnancy: a subtle, but important, difference.
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Church-Politics Provision Removed from Tax Bill
Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR) released a statement announcing a provision allowing churches to endorse political candidates and still keep their tax-free status won't be in the final bill Tax Bill. The tax bill passed by the House calls for repeal of the Johnson Amendment, a law that bans tax-exempt charitable organizations such as churches from participating directly or indirectly in any political campaign or supporting a candidate. Repeal wasn't included in the Senate version of the bill.
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Sen. Chris Murphy (D-CT): Reflections on Newtown, Five Years Later
As I gather with family and community members in Newtown to remember the beauty that was extinguished from the earth five years ago today, I will not wallow in what has not been accomplished. Instead, I will remember the two simple words whispered to me by one Sandy Hook mom earlier this year. "Keep going." And five years later, we keep going. And we celebrate the miracles that continue to implausibly blossom all around us.
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Global Warming Played a Big Role in Hurricane Harvey's Record Rainfall
While scientists say man-made climate change didn't trigger Harvey, new studies calculate that a warmer, wetter world made it at least three times more likely that the stalled storm over Houston would flood the fourth most populous U.S. city. Researchers also said global warming often goosed aspects of Irma and Maria, two other destructive hurricanes this year.
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FCC Votes to Repeal Net Neutrality Rules, What It Means for You
The move, supported by the telecom industry, claims existing regulations threaten to hamper broadband investments & innovation. FCC plans to do away with rules barring internet providers from blocking or slowing down access to online content. They also would eliminate rule barring providers from prioritizing their own content. The repeal changes how customers are billed. Technology companies & consumer advocacy groups are afraid it is the end of internet we know.
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'We Are in a Trump-Driven Worst-Case Situation Right Now'
The president is the common thread between the recent Republican losses in Alabama, New Jersey, and Virginia. Roy Moore was a uniquely flawed and vulnerable candidate. But what should worry Republicans most about his loss to Democrat Doug Jones in Tuesday's U.S. Senate race in Alabama was how closely the result tracked with the GOP's big defeats last month in New Jersey and Virginia-not to mention how it followed the pattern of public reaction to Donald Trump's perpetually tumultuous presidency.
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MN Gov. Mark Dayton Appoints Tina Smith to U.S. Senate
Lt. Gov. Tina Smith accepted an appointment to the U.S. Senate, agreeing to replace Al Franken as one of Minnesota's most high-profile elected officials and vowing to protect the seat for Democrats in next year's special election. The pick sets in motion a packed, high-stakes election cycle. For the first time in a generation, Minnesota voters in 2018 will select a new governor and two U.S. senators, with those races expected to cost tens of millions of dollars.
Read Full Article
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Why the Russia Scandal Is Nothing Like Watergate
The political terrain is radically different than it was 40-plus years ago. To understand why the Watergate analogy is so rickety, look at what happened back in 1973-74 as if those events had taken place in today's political climate. The odds are very good that Nixon never would have left office.
Read Full Article
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The Republican Tax Bill That Could Actually Become Law, Explained
Congressional Republicans have reportedly struck a deal on tax reform, enabling them to pass a final bill shortly after the House and Senate each passed its own proposal. The combined proposal would slash corporate tax rates permanently, offer temporary cuts for individuals, and repeal the individual mandate in Obamacare, a $338 billion health care cut leaving 13 million more people uninsured by 2027. Most Americans will be worse off due to higher taxes and lower health care coverage.
Read Full Article
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Senate Unanimously Passes Bill to Help Holocaust Survivors Obtain Restitution, Seized Assets
The Senate unanimously passed a bill to help Holocaust survivors and the families of victims obtain restitution or the return of Holocaust-era assets. The Justice for Uncompensated Survivors Today, or JUST Act, which was introduced in February by Sens. Tammy Baldwin, D-WI, and Marco Rubio, RFL, received unanimous approval. The measure requires the State Department to report on the progress of certain European countries toward the return of or restitution for wrongfully confiscated or transferred Holocaust-era assets, including property, art and other movable property.
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A Boy Murdered for His Gelt and 4 other Wild Hanukkah Stories from the Past 100 Years
In celebration of the Festival of Lights, here are five unusual Hanukkah stories. Whether they testify to anti-Semitism, triumphs of Jewish life after the Holocaust or ways Jews and non-Jews connect, it's a picture of the 20th-century Jewish experience.
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"Tonight ... in this place, you helped bend that moral arc (of the universe) a little closer to justice and you did it, not only was it bent more, not only was its aim truer but you sent it right through the heart of the great state of Alabama in doing so."
Senator-elect Doug Jones (D-AL)
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SAVE THE DATE
JAC 2018 Annual Meeting
Washington, D.C.
Tuesday, March 13th - Wednesday, March 14th, 2018
Special Pre-Conference VIP Tour
Monday, March 12th, 2018
Smithsonian Institution
National Museum of African American History and Culture
_________________________________________________
Rep. Ted Deutch (FL-22)
Monday, December 18th
7:00 pm
Highland Park, IL
Call the JAC office to RSVP
847.433.5999
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Joint Action Committee for Political Affairs (JACPAC) is a pro-Israel PAC with a domestic agenda. We support a strong U.S.-Israel relationship and advocate for reproductive health and the separation of religion and state and incorporate other issues of importance to the Jewish community, including gun violence prevention and climate change. In addition to providing financial support for U.S. Senate and House campaigns, JACPAC educates our membership with outreach events designed to inform and activate their participation in the political process.
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Federal law requires political committees to report the name, mailing address, occupation and employer for each individual who contributed to JACPAC. Maximum contribution per person may not exceed $5,000 per calendar year. According to law, JACPAC cannot accept corporate contributions. Membership, gifts, or other payments to JACPAC are not deductible as charitable contributions for federal income tax purposes.
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