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From l to r: JAC member Lisa Bookstein, Senator Ben Cardin (D-MD),
and JAC's Director of Special Projects Linda Rae Sher. Cardin is the ranking member on the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations. He has always been a strong supporter of the U.S.-Israel relationship. |
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Week In Review Commentary
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We woke up the morning of Nov. 9, 2016 having elected Donald Trump as our nation's 45th President. There was
deep shock then, and there is deep shock now.
At that pivotal moment, our country changed in ways that we still struggle to understand.
Trump won because only 58 percent of eligible voters participated in the election; and he won because people thought he wouldn't win.
Complacency and apathy were the big enemy.
According to the Pew Research group, the U.S. trails most developed countries in voter turnout.
More than 75,000 Obama voters in Detroit did not bother to vote for Hillary Clinton. They didn't vote for Trump either. These people simply stayed home. If even a fraction of these voters went to the polls, Michigan would have stayed blue and possibly
changed the course of that fateful night.
Trump's presidency has been an
assault on women
, supported by an anti-women Congress. Elections have consequences. Yet 32.5 percent of unmarried women eligible to vote are not registered.
Today we pay the price for that disengagement. The rights we thought were secure - such as reproductive freedom - are in jeopardy. We are again
fighting battles we thought we won
because the officials who were elected are not on our side.
This week Trump chose to engage in spats with the NFL and its football players while the Senate tried to strip healthcare insurance from millions of people and eliminate insurance coverage for abortion services. Unfortunately, lost in this turmoil was Tuesday's
National Voters Registration Day.
Imagine how different this week would have been if everyone eligible to vote participated last November.
Roy Moore won the Alabama GOP primary Tuesday night. Moore has said
homosexuality should be against the law
; evolution is fake; terror attacks are caused by "godlessness;" and Muslims shouldn't serve in Congress.
Only
1
4 percent of those registered voted
in Alabama's primary.
The Alt-right's Steve Bannon supported Moore and has promised to field candidates, like Moore, in races across the country. If these candidates win, they will
impact your future
from Washington, DC. Elections matter.
WHAT CAN YOU DO?
Contact your county clerk to
become a deputy voter registrar.
Help register voters in your communities so in 2018 we will be ready to take back Congress. Remember: Every vote counts.
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House to Vote on 20-Week Abortion Ban
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Tell your Representative vote NO on
H.R. 36: Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act
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FACTS
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99 % of abortions occur before 21 weeks
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61% of all voters say abortions should be legal after 20 week
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Abortions later in pregnancy may involve rare, severe fetal anomalies and serious risks to the woman's health
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20-week bans are unconstitutional and a clear attempt to erode Roe v. Wade at the expense of women's health
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20-week bans could still criminalize doctors with imprisonment, fines, or both for providing constitutionally protected care
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It is important that a woman, her family, and her doctor have every medical option available
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If this bill becomes law, many women will be left with no safe and legal option after 20 weeks.
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Hamas's New Leader Radically Shifts Military Strategy
Seven months after Yahya Sinwar was elected as Hamas leader in the Gaza Strip, the ruthless hard-liner has become increasingly more pragmatic as he struggles to cope with the dire humanitarian situation in the enclave. He is regarded as one of the most uncompromising leaders of Hamas, who rejects any form of reconciliation with Israel.
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For Israel, Kurdish Statehood is a Way to Restrain Iran
Analysts believe Israel has much to gain strategically from Kurdish independence and would particularly find comfort in having a militarily effective ally bordering Iran that would diminish Tehran's influence over Iraq. Millions of Kurds appear to have voted for independence this week from Iraq in a controversial referendum that united neighboring countries and the world - except Israel - in vehement opposition.
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In Blow to Israel, Interpol Admits Palestine As Full Member
In a stinging diplomatic defeat for Israel, the world's largest international police organization accepted the "State of Palestine" as a full member. Israel had expressed concerns that the PA's membership in Interpol would result in sensitive information being leaked to Palestinian terror groups. It also reportedly fears Palestinian efforts via Interpol to mount legal challenges, including travel bans and extradition requests, against Israeli army officers and others for alleged war crimes.
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Facebook Mea Culpa Over Antisemitic Ad Categories
Sheryl Sandberg, chief operating officer of Facebook, announced new measures to police its targeted advertising business, after it was revealed that Facebook technology was allowing people to specifically target ads at users describing themselves as "Jew haters". In a public post on the social media site, she wrote of her "disgust... as a Jew, as a mother, and as a human being" at hearing that "if someone self-identified as a 'Jew-hater' or said they studied 'how to burn Jews' in their profile, those terms showed up as potential targeting options for [Facebook] advertisers."
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Germany Adopts International Definition of Anti-Semitism
Germany has formally accepted an international definition of anti-Semitism in a move designed to provide clarity for the prosecution of related crimes. The German Cabinet announced Wednesday that it unanimously adopted the working definition promoted by the International Alliance for Holocaust Remembrance, a body with 31 member states.
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House to Vote on Bill Banning Abortion After 20 Weeks
House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-California, announced a bill Tuesday that would ban late-term abortions. The House will vote on the "Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act," which would make performing or attempting an abortion illegal for women after 20 weeks of pregnancy, next week on October 3. Women who don't abide by the bill's regulations could face a fine and/or up to five years in prison.
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Federal Judge Strikes Down Restrictive Indiana Abortion Law Signed by Mike Pence
A federal judge has permanently blocked an Indiana law that prohibited women from seeking abortions in the case of fetal abnormalities, required abortion providers to tell women that such procedures are prohibited, and mandated that aborted fetuses be buried or cremated. According to decision, the fetal abnormality provisions violate women's rights under the Constitution and that the law does not recognize a fetus as a person.
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Providing Abortions in the Deep South
Willie Parker is an imposing ob-gyn who has been traveling across the deep South providing abortions since 2012. At times, he has been one of the few providers in the only abortion clinic for hundreds of miles. In his in-depth interview he said overturning Roe v Wade is a real possibility.
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Why Secular Advocates Say Alabama GOP Senate Pick Is Dangerous
Roy Moore's unabashed religious views and apparent disregard for the legal establishment have won hearts in the overwhelmingly Christian Alabama. But they have also raised a red flag for secular advocates who work to uphold the separation of church and state.
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A Trump Judicial Pick Said Transgender Children Are Proof That 'Satan's Plan is Working'
Before Jeff Mateer became President Trump's nominee for federal judgeship in Texas, he fought a local ordinance extending equal protections to members of the LGBT community and said the separation of church and state does not exist in the Constitution.
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The Gun Lobby's Latest Scheme: Make it Easier to Commit Crimes Quietly
The House of Representatives will soon vote on the SHARE Act, which includes a measure that would drastically roll back gun silencer regulations. Gun silencers would be available without a background check, making them available even to dangerous individuals. When silencers are used in shooting incidents, law enforcement has a much harder time locating the source of the shot, potentially intensifying the violence of a shooting.
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E.P.A. Threatens to Stop Funding Justice Dept. Environmental Work
Scott Pruitt, the Environmental Protection Agency administrator who has aggressively pushed to dismantle regulations and downsize the organization, is threatening to reach outside his agency and undermine the Justice Department's work enforcing antipollution laws, documents and interviews show.
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Supreme Court Set to Hear Case That Could End Partisan Gerrymandering
When an electoral map allows the party that received less than 49 percent of the vote to win more than 60 percent of the seats, that's a pretty clear sign that something has gone horribly wrong. Next week, the Supreme Court will consider whether to solve part of this problem in the case, Gill v. Whitford. The last, best hope to settle this issue once and for all comes down to crucial Justice Kennedy.
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Nine Thoughts After the Alabama Senate Runoff
A year ago, the idea that Roy Moore, a former Alabama Supreme Court chief justice, would be elected to the U.S. Senate was absurd. But he took one giant step closer to that reality with a convincing victory over appointed-Sen. Luther Strange. Although the result weren't really a surprise, it's still shocking to see a candidate supported by President Trump and Senate Majority Leader McConnell go down to a significant defeat. Here are some initial thoughts on the race.
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GOP Already Eyeing Next Chance to Revive Obamacare Repeal
The supposedly hard deadline at the end of the month to repeal Obamacare might not be so hard after all. With their latest attempt to dismantle the health law on track to fail, GOP senators are already raising the prospect of going after it again with the same powerful tools that currently let them pass legislation with just 50 votes. Facing a floundering repeal push, wrath from the base and a frustrated President Trump, Republicans may have no other choice but to keep pushing to uproot the law.
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Influx of Puerto Ricans After Hurricane Maria Could Tip Florida Toward Democrats
It could be quite politically significant that tens of thousands of Puerto Ricans, maybe more, are expected to permanently move into Florida as the result of Hurricane Maria. Puerto Ricans are American citizens and they tend to overwhelmingly support Democratic candidates. Frustration stemming from Trump's initially lackadaisical response to Hurricane Maria might make these new voters even more antagonistic to the GOP.
Read Full Article
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Biden Launches Daily News Podcast
Joe Biden is launching a weekday news podcast available on iTunes, Spotify, TuneIn, Amazon, and Google Assistant. Biden aims to discuss "a range of thoughts and opinions" and help listeners "broaden [their] perspectives and be better informed." Some believe that the podcast's launch signals Biden's willingness to run for president in 2020, which he has not yet ruled out.
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What Every American Needs to Know About Puerto Rico's Hurricane Disaster
This is a disaster that deserves more coverage and a swifter response - and both appear to have been impeded by widespread confusion about Puerto Rico's relationship to the United States and the severity of its current situation. 3.4 million US citizens live in Puerto Rico, and they are entitled to the same government response as any state.
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"Our most basic values & our role as a global leader are under attack by Pres Trump. It's incumbent upon us to safeguard & advance our ideals."
Senator Ben Cardin (D-MD)
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Meet Sen. Bill Nelson (D-FL)
Tuesday, October 10
3:30 PM
Chicago, IL
Contact the office for more details at 847-433-5999
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Meet Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN)
Thursday, October 12
5:30 PM - 7:30 PM
Chicago, IL
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A Special Evening with
Congressman Adam Schiff (CA-28)
Ranking Member, House Intelligence Committee
JAC will present the Shirley Byron Award
for outstanding leadership
to Rep. Schiff
Tuesday, October 17
Chicago, IL
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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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