May 15, 2020 
WEEK IN REVIEW
Time is running out. Our election is only 171 days away, and we have done little to ensure that our elections are secure from foreign influence. 

A recent bipartisan report from the Senate Intelligence Committee concluded that in 2016 all 50 states were likely targeted by Russian operatives seeking access to election infrastructure, at least one major election vendor was successfully breached, and that future attacks should be expected. Cyberattacks against political campaigns tied to both Russia and Iran have continued.

The coronavirus sweeping our country has created the perfect opportunity for Russians and other bad actors to infiltrate our elections. We are preoccupied with the pandemic and our ailing economy. Congress is focus on helping the millions of Americans impacted by coronavirus. While Trump is demeaning and discrediting his own experts and medical community, the Russians are using their time to further compromise the November election. They are fervently working to exploit our weakness and the divide in this country that Trump has encouraged.

In February, intelligence officials warned House lawmakers that Russia is interfering in the 2020 campaign to try to get Trump re-elected. That month the Senate, under Mitch McConnell's directions, blocked three election security bills. 

Some of the provisions in those bills included: a mandate that every ballot in the United States have a paper backup; requiring campaigns to report contacts with foreign officials; automatic sanctions for nations that interfere in elections; and more.

The Senate did eventually agree to a minimal amount of funding for election security. It was far short of the House's recommendation; and that was just a beginning to what is really needed to guarantee the safety of our elections. 

The most recent stimulus package does contain $3.6 billion for states to help prepare for the elections, such as expanding early voting and mail-in-ballots. But we also need to make sure that when and how we vote is not compromised by foreign parties.

Call Congress (202-224-3121) and urge your Senators to pass election security legislation. 

Our elections and our democracy belong to the American people - not the Russians or other bad actors.

Elections and election security matter.

Source: Brennan Center

 
UPCOMING VIRTUAL EVENTS

Monday, May 18
Virtual Update with
Rep. Val Demings (D-FL)
2:00 pm CT | 3:00 pm ET
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Thursday, May 21
Virtual JAC Fundraiser for
Cal Cunningham
Candidate for U.S. Senate from NC
2:00 pm CT | 3:00 pm ET
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Tuesday, June 2
Virtual Fundraiser in support of
John Hickelooper for U.S. Senate (D-CO)
4:30 pm CT | 5:30 pm ET | 3:30 pm MT | 2:30 pm PT
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Virtual Events to Support Joe Biden for President
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Tuesday, May 19
Virtual Fireside Chat with Vice President Joe Biden &
the American Jewish Community
Time TBA
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Tuesday, May 10
Virtual Conversation with Hillary Rodham Clinton & 
DNC Chair Tom Perez
6:00 pm PT | 8:00 pm CT
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Tuesday, May 26
Virtual Reception moderated by Mayor Darrell Steinberg &
former CA State Treasurer Phil Angelides
Time TBA
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Wednesday, May 27
Virtual Reception with VP Biden & Mayor Pete Buttigieg
Time TBA
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Thursday, May 28
Virtual Converation with Sen. Amy Klobuchar & 
DNC Chair Tom Perez
7:00 pm ET | 6:00 pm CT | 4:00 pm PT
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Please note: Login links for Biden for President events are sent out directly by the campaign. 
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Watch your inbox for more online events.
ISRAEL
Netanyahu May Still Head Israel's Government. but It's a Big Change Nonetheless.

The government to be sworn in Sunday by Israel's parliament will be the fifth under Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, but one that could be unlike any he has led before.  The delicately constructed compromises of the "emergency unity coalition"  place Netanyahu's former rival Benny Gantz on an almost equal footing in the cabinet room, disperse ministries across the political spectrum and include built-in constraints because of the novel coronavirus  pandemic.
Continued Reading

ANTI-SEMITISM & BDS
Senate Passes Never Again Education Act 

The Senate passed the Never Again Education Act, which authorizes the disbursement of $10 million over the next five years to further Holocaust-related programming and educational materials in middle and high schools.  H.R. 943's passage was delayed last Thursday when Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) put a hold on the legislation shortly after it was discharged from the Senate's Energy and Natural Resources Committee. "It's very rare for a substantive bill to move like this without going through committee," said a Hill aide "[Lee] and his staff wanted to review the text."
Continued Reading

CHOICE
One Supreme Court Decision Could Shut Down Abortion Clinics in 15 States
 
The U.S. Supreme Court's upcoming decision in June Medical Services v. Russo could give anti-choice politicians in 15 states the green light to drastically reduce abortion access. If the conservative justices ignore precedent to rule in favor of Louisiana's admitting privileges requirement, a wave of laws designed to shutter abortion clinics under the guise of patient safety could sweep large swaths of the South and Midwest.
Continued Reading

SEPARATION
 
Religious Far Right Mounts Anti-Abortion Attack on COVID-19 Vaccine

As universities and pharmaceutical companies race to put out the first COVID-19 vaccine , some sectors of the religious right are gearing up to fight it, based on tenuous ties to what they call "the abortion industry" and a biblical teaching about "the mark of the beast."    
Continued Reading

BEYOND THE CORE
Senate Democrats Push for Regulation of 'Ghost Guns'

With U.S. gun sales soaring during the coronavirus pandemic, a group of 15 Senate Democrats is introducing legislation calling for new restrictions on untraceable "ghost guns."  Made using gun kits or by 3D printing - and sometimes referred to as "80 percent guns" because they haven't reached a level of manufacturing that meets the legal definition of a firearm - these weapons have no serial numbers, as compared to guns sold by federally licensed gun dealers. There's also no requirement to obtain a federal background check for anyone who buys a kit and builds such a weapon, and they can be sold by unlicensed dealers.
Continued Reading


POLITICAL BYTE
Supreme Court Seems Reluctant to Unbind 'Faithless Electors' Who Could 'Create Chaos' in Presidential Contests

The justices of the Supreme Court seemed reluctant Wednesday to tamper with the system America uses to choose its president, based on their comments during oral arguments over the workings of the Electoral College.  The issue in the two "faithless elector " cases is a simple one: Are the 538 presidential electors free agents , or must they vote in accordance with the election results in their states? If they are free to vote as they wish, a small group of them, or even a single one in a tight contest, could decide who wins .
Continued Reading

BIDEN ROUNDUP
Biden, Sanders Name Leaders of Their 'Unity Task Forces' - Including AOC 
 
Former Vice President Joe Biden and Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders named the co-chairs and members of their joint task forces meant to shore up Democratic Party unity ahead of November's general election.  The announcement follows through on a pledge the two men made last month - when Sanders, the runner-up in the Democratic presidential primary, endorsed  Biden, the party's presumptive nominee - to establish working groups to advise the Biden campaign on six key policy areas: climate change, criminal justice reform, economy, education, health care, and immigration.
Continued Reading


CORONAVIRUS
The Four Men Responsible for America's COVID-19 Test Disaster
 
Despite months of alarms that the coronavirus was lurking at our doorstep, the Trump administration failed to mount an urgent response until the nation was engulfed and overwhelmed by the pandemic The government leaders who failed to safeguard the nation are CDC Director Redfield; FDA Commissioner Stephen Hahn; Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar; and of course, President Trump. Together, these men had the power to change the direction of this pandemic, to lessen its impact on the economy, and constrain the death toll from COVID-19. Each failed, in a series of errors and mismanagement that grew into a singular catastrophe - or as Jared Kushner described it on Fox & Friends, "a great success story." 
Continued Reading

FYI
Michael Jordan, from an Israeli Hoopster Perspective    
 
There are very few players who have had the distinction of playing with Michael Jordan on the Chicago Bulls and starred in Israel hoops. One of those players happens to be Gene Banks, who starred for Maccabi Rishon Lezion  between 1990-1992 after featuring with Jordan's Bulls from 1985-1987.
The Jerusalem Post  caught up with the 60-year-old Banks this month to reminisce and look back on his noteworthy career that saw him make an impact on the hardwood in the Holy Land and beyond.
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 [email protected]. We will be happy to help organize a JACII in your city.

The Last Word
" We're the 116th Congress.  That's 231 years of this body modernizing w/ the times. This is an unprecedented crisis. But we are not w/o the tools of the 21st Century to adjust.  We must embrace, not resist, secure tech. that can let us meet the challenges of this global pandemic."

- Rep. Ted Deutch (D-FL)
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.