December 6, 2019
WEEK IN REVIEW
The security of our elections has been scrutinized since the 2016 election. It was also a prevalent theme during the House Intelligence Committee's recent impeachment hearing.

President Donald Trump and the GOP have suggested Ukraine meddled in the 2016 campaign. However, evidence points to the Russians. The fact that we are even discussing two foreign countries meddling in our election is reason for concern.

Following the Committee's release of its report on the impeachment case against Trump, Committee Chair Adam Schiff (D-CA) said that the President's actions seek to "undermine the integrity of the next election."

There is no denying that our election process, the bedrock of our democracy, was vulnerable to foreign interference - and still is. But Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (D-KY) refuses to take action.

"[Mitch McConnell] knows full well that blocking election security legislation makes it easier for Russia and other foreign powers to attack the next election," said Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR)  "And my sense is this is a price Mitch McConnell and Donald Trump are willing to accept."

The House has passed three election security bills. The most recent bill requires campaigns to report any illicit offers of assistance by foreign governments or agents and would take steps to ensure that online political advertisements are subject to the same rules as TV and radio ads.

The House passed $600 million to help states bolster election security. The Senate reluctantly passed $250 million for election security. The final amount will be negotiated by the House and Senate as part of a final spending bill. The Senate will not be eager to provide more funding.

At home voter suppression is also influencing our elections and weakening the process. This week the House approved a bill that would restore key sections of the Voting Rights Act to help prevent voter suppression in the South and other areas.

Our founding leaders established a representative form of government. This can only be achieved when everyone eligible to vote is allowed to participate - and when there is no foreign interference in our elections.

Voting matters. Elections matter.

 

Not sure who to donate to? Make a donation to JAC and we will use it to support our candidates.  
ISRAEL
Israeli Officials Said to Warn Jordan Valley Annexation Would Imperil Amman Ties              
    
Israeli military officials are reportedly warning that Jordan may take drastic steps if Israel continues to push for annexation of the West Bank's Jordan Valley, including possibly freezing a quarter-century-old peace treaty between the nations.
Continued Reading

ANTI-SEMITISM & BDS
Nearly 90 Pro-Israel Groups Call for DeVos to Prevent Federal Funding of Boycotts

Eighty-eight pro-Israel groups sent a letter to the Department of Education and Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos urging her to ensure that federal funding to universities isn't being used toward faculty members' political biases. The letter also notes that Middle East studies programs were five times more likely to sponsor pro-boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) speaking events if the programs featured at least one pro-BDS faculty member.  
Continued Reading


CHOICE
A New Federal Judge Appointed by Trump Has Fought Against Abortion, Fertility Treatments, and Surrogacy   
 
Senate Republicans voted to confirm Sarah Pitlyk, who has argued against in vitro fertilization and surrogacy and touted the (debunked) "eugenic origins of the birth control movement," to a lifetime judgeship on the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri. Sen. Susan Collins was the only Republican to vote against Pitlyk's nomination; all Democrats voted no as well. The American Bar Association unanimously determined Pitlyk was "not qualified" for the judgeship due to trial and litigation experience in September, yet the Senate Judiciary Committee moved forward anyway, continuing a pattern of selecting young, controversial, and under-qualified judges.    
Continued Reading


SEPARATION
States Could Soon Be Forced to Fund Religious Education

In January, the U.S. Supreme Court is set to hear a case that could result in states being required to use taxpayer money to fund religious education. The case, Espinoza v. Montana Department of Revenue, asks whether Montana must provide tax credits for scholarships to private religious schools. With the addition of Justices Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh to the Court, conservatives may finally have the Supreme Court that would give them what they want: a way to funnel taxpayer dollars into religious schools.
Continued Reading

BEYOND THE CORE
Gun Control Advocates Nervous as Supreme Court Takes up First 2nd Amendment Case in a Decade

The Supreme Court is set to wade into the highly charged gun control debate for the first time in nearly a decade, hearing oral arguments in a dispute over a New York City gun restriction that could have major implications for gun rights nationwide. The court has steadfastly declined to take up any gun rights cases since ruling in 2008's Washington, D.C. v. Heller that the Second Amendment provides a right to keep a handgun at home for self-defense, and later clarifying in 2010's McDonald v. Chicago that the right applies nationwide. Now the court's willingness to take the New York case - even though the law at issue was recently repealed - has gun rights supporters feeling optimistic that it could lead to a ruling about the right to bear arms outside the home. 
Continued Reading


POLITICAL BYTE
Beware of Mike Pence
by Connie Schultz 
 
In August 2018, I reviewed for The Washington Post a book about Pence by journalists Michael D'Antonio and Peter Eisner. Their in-depth reporting for "The Shadow President: The Truth About Mike Pence" led them to conclude that Pence is the most prominent "Christian supremacist" in the country. Now why, you might wonder, would a self-avowed Christian hitch his legacy to Trump, a racist, self-proclaimed sexual predator? Or, as the authors describe Trump, "a man whose immorality in the form of lying, cheating, and deceiving in every aspect of his life, from his marriage to his businesses, had made him a living exemplar of everything that Christianity and conservatism abhorred." Let's talk about this "nice guy." 
Continued Reading

 
FYI
Israeli Scientists Find Way to Treat Pancreatic Cancer in 14 Days              
 
A new treatment developed by Tel Aviv University could induce the destruction of pancreatic cancer cells, eradicating the number of cancerous cells by up to 90% after two weeks of daily injections of a small molecule known as PJ34. Pancreatic cancer is one of the hardest cancers to treat. Most people who are diagnosed with the disease do not even live five years after being diagnosed. 
Continued Reading


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.
 
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.
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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
"Sadly, but with confidence and humility, with allegiance to our founders and a heart full of love for America, today I am asking our chairmen to proceed with articles of impeachment. I commend our committee chairs and our members for their somber approach to actions which I wish the president had not made necessary."
 
--  Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA)
Events
 

An Afternoon at the Theater with JACPAC
What the Constitution Means to Me
Sunday, January 26th
Brunch & Political Update: 11:00 am - 12:30 pm
Showtime: 1:00 - 2:30 pm
Los Angeles, CA
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SAVE THE DATE
April 21-23, 2020
JAC's 2020 Annual Meeting
Celebrating 40 years of JAC
Washington, DC
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Want to host a JAC event? Contact the office and we will help organize it.
info@jacpac.org or 847.433.5999

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.
Paid for by Joint Action Committee for Political Affairs. Contributions or gifts are not tax deductible.  Federal law requires us to use our best efforts to collect and report the name, mailing address, occupation, and name of employer of individuals whose contributions exceed $200 in an election cycle. Corporate contributions and contributions from non-US citizens who are not lawfully admitted for permanent residence are prohibited. All contributions by individuals must be made from personal funds and may not be reimbursed or paid by another person.