June 8, 2018
JAC interns Naomi White, Sarah Rosen and Taylor Shuman help put the finishing touches on JAC's Power of Women Luncheon to be held in Chicago on Monday, June 11th. This year's luncheon theme is: SEE Something, SAY Something, DO Something.
As we inch towards the midterm elections in November, we cannot let early Democratic primary victories lull us into complacency. We still have a long way to go and still need to encourage more people to vote.

Primaries generally bring out the base, those voters who are more engaged and who are extremely partisan. Since primaries are not a contest between two candidates of different parties, the results are a more direct proxy for partisanship preference.

This year voter turnout has been higher than other midterm elections - certainly something that gives us hope. People are more engaged than ever before. Every aspect of their lives have been negatively impacted by the Trump administration. These voters understand that the only way to change policy is to vote for candidates who stand for their values.

Almost half of voters in a new poll say they want to elect congressional candidates in the midterms who will serve as a check to President Trump's power in Washington. But still, many choose to stay home, giving up their voice to others.

This week in Montana, a state that went for Trump by more than 55 points, the Democrats turned out in record numbers. It was the highest number of voters in a century. The Democratic turnout more than doubled in New Jersey; the same in Iowa. In California's 49th Congressional District, a district that has had GOP representative since 2000, the Democrats voted in higher numbers than the Republicans.

The 2016 election had the lowest voter participation in 20 years, according to USA TODAY, with only 55 percent of voting age citizens casting a ballot. The turnout was even lower among young Americans, only 50 percent of whom voted in 2016, according to the Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement.

Those that didn't vote are not immune to policies and court decisions that impact their health care, taxes, and safety. If we don't vote and if we don't encourage our friends and family to vote, then we all share in the responsibility of failed policies. Your vote is the only way to protect our democracy.

Elections matter. Elections have consequences.


source: The Hill 
TAKE ACTION

STOP THE GAG RULE! 
  

Donald Trump Wants to Prevent Women from Receiving Complete Healthcare Information from their Doctors

Proposed new rules would: 
  • Prevent doctors from referring patients for abortion
  • Force doctors to violate medical ethics
  • Prevent patients from coming to Planned Parenthood
  • Cut funds to any health care provider that refers their patients for abortions
The comment period is now open. Click below and add your comment in opposition to the gag rule.

Tell the Dept. of Health & Human Services to stop the gag rule. Healthcare is our choice. 
 
#StopTheGagRule #DontGagMe

ISRAEL
New Clashes as Palestinians Mass at Israel-Gaza Border

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said approximately 10,000 Palestinian rioters had massed in five locations along the Gaza border fence. The military said Palestinians were sending flaming kites over the border to start fires on the Israeli side. According to the IDF,  troops are responding with riot dispersal means and are operating in accordance with the rules of engagement in order to protect security infrastructure and defend Israeli civilians in the communities surrounding the Gaza Strip from the attempted terror attacks led by the Hamas terror organization.
JNF Threatens to Sue Hamas in International Courts for Kite Arson Damage

The Jewish National Fund threatened to sue Hamas in an international court for severe damages caused to land it owns in the Gaza border area by incendiary kites sent into Israel, as well as by firing rockets and mortar shells. Since the "March of Return" protests began along the Gaza border at the end of March, hundreds of kites and helium balloons have been flown into Israel outfitted with Molotov cocktails and containers of burning fuel, setting fire to large swaths of land.
Merkel Backs Israel's Demand That Iranian Troops Be Removed From Syria  

German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Monday told Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that she agrees with Israel's demand that Iranian troops be removed from Syria, especially the area close to the Israeli border. "Iran's regional influence is worrying," she said, adding that her government would use "diplomatic" means to counter it.
ANTI-SEMITISM & BDS
Defining Anti-Semitism
 
Rep. Ted Deutsch (D-Fla.) last month was a primary sponsor, along with a bipartisan group of legislators that includes Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.), of a bill that would define anti-Semitism. The provisions of the Anti-Semitism Awareness Act of 2018, similar to a bill that passed in the Senate two years ago but not in the House, would formally add the State Department's definition of anti-Semitism to provisions of Title VI of the 1964 Civil Rights Act.
Argentina Cancels Soccer Game Against Israel Amid BDS Campaign

Israel was in uproar Wednesday over Argentina's abrupt cancellation of a World Cup warm-up soccer match following pro-Palestinian protests, with some of the country's leaders accusing star Lionel Messi and his teammates of caving to terrorism.
CHOICE
U.S. High Court Throws out Immigrant Teen Abortion Ruling

The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday threw out a lower court ruling that let a pregnant illegal immigrant minor held in federal immigration custody obtain an abortion last year at age 17 over the objections of President Donald Trump's administration. A 1973 Supreme Court ruling legalized abortion nationwide. One of the issues raised by the current case is whether illegal immigrant women have the same right to an abortion as American citizens and legal residents.
Abortion Refusal Laws Are Not About Religion, but About Control
 
Isolating abortion providers from the medical community has been the longstanding strategy to limit resources and access to these providers. The ownership of hospitals by religious organizations has further pushed providing abortion care - even at serious and fatal risks to the woman - out to independent clinics with no or few connections to the hospital. But abortion care is not any different from any other private medical treatment. In fact, it's just that. Abortion is health care.
Despite Trump's Anti-Abortion Polices, the Number of Abortions Aren't Decreasing
 
Many of the policies that Trump's administration are advancing do not actually reduce abortions. The global gag rule, for instance, is associated with increases in the number of abortions that take place in other countries. So it is not preventing abortions, it is simply making them more dangerous and costing an untold number of women's lives. Likewise, Trump took aim at the successful Teen Pregnancy Prevention Program in a move courts are now calling illegal.
SEPARATION
Jerry Falwell's University Political Influence Grows 

Jerry Falwell's Liberty University's political relevance has grown considerably in recent years, and the Republican president has taken several steps to cultivate a close relationship with the evangelical school in Virginia, including delivering its commencement address last year. Falwell, meanwhile, has remained one of Trump's most steadfast supporters. Liberty's affection for Trump is poised to reach a whole new level.     
BEYOND THE CORE
DeVos: Trump School Safety Panel Won't Look at Guns

Education Secretary Betsy DeVos told lawmakers Tuesday that the Trump administration's school safety commission will not study potential changes to gun laws. DeVos was asked by Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) whether the commission, formed after the Parkland, Fla. high school shooting earlier this year, would examine guns. "That is not part of the commission's charge per se," DeVos, who chairs the commission, responded. Her comments sparked objections from advocates for greater gun safety, including a parent of a student killed in the Florida shooting.
The Law Is Not up to Donald Trump. It May Be up to Merrick Garland

The question of limits on presidential power will likely be decided by the courts. By "the courts," I mean two: The D.C. Court of Appeals, the most important federal circuit court in the country, and of course the Supreme Court. Who is the current chief judge of the DC Circuit? Answer: Merrick Garland. Watch out, Republicans. You may wish you'd have let him get to the Supreme Court after all.
What's Next for LGBTQ and Abortion Rights 

After Monday's Supreme Court decisions,  two big cases about some of the most divisive issues in America, resolved very little. But that's how the Supreme Court works. Sometimes we get gay marriage approved and anti-abortion laws struck down, other times we get very narrow rulings based on very particular facts. The latter is this week's story. 
POLITICAL BYTE
Donald Trump Sounds Just Like the Monarch the Constitution Was Written to Thwart
  
James Madison, the essential author of the Constitution, counseled that "If the president be connected in any suspicious manner with any persons, and there be grounds to believe he will shelter himself; the house of representatives can impeach him: They can remove him if found guilty." This, explained Madison, "is a great security." The impeachment power does provide great security-if it is understood, respected, and asserted when presidents imagine that they are monarchs.
Women Won Big in Tuesday's Primary Elections 
 
A record-breaking number of women are running for -- and winning  spots on ballots in this year's primary elections. Of the 92 women who participated in Tuesday's eight primaries, at least 36 of them have emerged victorious. More than 500 women have so far filed to run in primaries this year, according to the Center for American Women and Politics. That number represents a 67 percent jump from 2016. More than 110 of those women have won their races, 30 of them in California alone. Most of the women running are Democrats.
Trump Seeks to Reorganize the Federal Government
 
The Trump administration is preparing to release a sweeping plan for reorganizing the federal government that includes a major consolidation of welfare programs - and a renaming of the Health and Human Services Department. The White House seeks to move safety-net programs, including food stamps, into HHS. The plan would also propose changing the name of the department, while separately seeking cuts at USAID and the State Department.
FYI
Why Robert Kennedy's Assassination Still Matters to the Jewish Community
 
Fifty years later, it is worth remembering that moment, and it is worth remembering the life and legacy of Senator Robert Kennedy. Especially for American Jews. Kennedy's assassin was a Palestinian resident of Silwan in East Jerusalem. He chose to kill Kennedy on that exact date because it coincided with the first anniversary of Israel's stunning victory during the Six-Day War. Sirhan hated Kennedy because he had supported Israel. Robert Kennedy was the first American victim of modern Arab terrorism.
JAC II
Introducing JACII, a JAC group for young professionals, advocates, and those young at heart who are looking to get involved. Groups have started in Detroit, Chicago, and Los Angeles.

The LA chapter's first event will host Elissa Slotkin, candidate for the U.S. House in Michigan's 8th district on June 10th. 

Events will feature elected officials and speakers in lively settings. JACII is by and for young people. Now is the perfect time to get involved. 

Know someone who would be interested in joining or hosting a meeting? Let us know at info@jacpac.org. We will be happy to help organize a JACII in your city.
The Last Word
"Didn't you guys burn down the White House?"

Donald Trump response to Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau who pressed Trump on national security justification for tariffs. Britain was responsible for the fire during the War of 1812. Canada was not a nation until 1867.
    
Meet & Greet
Lauren Baer
Candidate for U.S. Congress FL-18
Wednesday, June 13
4:00 pm
Highland Park, IL
Contact the JAC office for details
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.
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.