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July 31, 2020 
WEEK IN REVIEW
As the nation celebrated and memorialized Rep. John Lewis' life this week, nearly every eulogy and commentary mentioned the Voting Rights Act. The House on Monday voted to rename H.R. 4, the Voting Rights Advancement Act of 2019, to the John Lewis Voting Right Act. No other American is as closely associated with the fight to protect voting rights than Lewis.

His death has shined an even brighter spotlight on the urgency to safeguard voting, which given the current political climate has never been more in doubt. More than 50 years after Congress passed the initial Voting Rights Act passed, Americans in neighborhoods across the country are still denied access to voting.

The landmark Voting Rights Act outlawed racially discriminatory barriers to voting. However a 2013 Supreme Court ruling struck down an important provision, Section 5, that would have allowed the federal government to create election laws in states with a history of voter discrimination. This paved the way for those and other states to enact voter suppression laws, such as voter ID.

Georgia voters this month faced faulty voting machines, long lines, and extended wait times to cast their ballots during their state's primary. The state had closed hundreds of polling places. If Section 5 was still intact, Georgia would have been required to clear its voting changes before enacting them.

H.R. 4 would restore key provisions of the Voting Rights Act that Supreme Court struck down. It passed the House, but sits dead in the Senate.

With Trump sinking lower in the polls, the GOP will ramp up their voter suppression efforts. There will be numerous barriers to voting this year, including Trump's disinformation campaign that voting by mail is not safe.

"I was beaten, my skull was fractured, and I was arrested more than 40 times so each and every one of us can register to vote. Do your part," Lewis said.

John Lewis will not be able to finish his fight for voting rights. It now becomes our battle. 

Register. Get your absentee ballot. Vote early and stay safe. Click here for more information. 
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UPCOMING VIRTUAL EVENTS
 
Tuesday, August 4
Election Security & Foreign Interference
with
Mieke Eoyang
VP of Third Way's National Security Program
    2:00 pm ET | 1:00 pm CT | 11:00 am
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Virtual Events to Support Joe Biden for President
 
 

Monday, August 3
Virtual Conversation on Antisemitism with
Sen. Jacky Rosen (D-NV) & Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA)
moderated by Jason Alexander
8:00 pm ET I 7:00 pm CT I 5:00 PT 
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Thursday, August 6
Virtual Conversation with Jane Fonda & Lily Tomlin
6:00 pm ET | 5:00 CT | 3:00 PT
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Tuesday, August 11
Virtual Conversation with Sen. Elizabeth Warren & 
Rep. Katie Porter
7:00 pm ET | 6:00pm CT | 4:00 pm
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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, Pompeo Put Trump Peace Plan Back on the Table

After weeks of silence on U.S. President Donald Trump's peace plan, Prime Minister  Benjamin Netanyahu  and U.S. Secretary of State  Mike Pompeo  put it back on the agenda in their remarks to the relaunch of the Knesset Christian Allies Caucus for the 23rd Knesset. Other Trump policies Pompeo listed were moving the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem, recognizing Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights and telling "the truth that Israeli civilian settlements in the West Bank are not per se inconsistent with international law."
Continued Reading

ANTI-SEMITISM & BDS
Republican Senator from Georgia Runs Campaign Ad Showing Jewish Challenger Jon Ossoff with Elongated Nose
 
Sen. David Perdue, a Georgia Republican, removed a campaign ad from Facebook that showed an image of his Jewish challenger, Jon Ossoff, with his nose apparently elongated.  Photos of Ossoff and New York Sen. Chuck Schumer, a fellow Democrat and also Jewish, appear under the heading in all capitals "Democrats are trying to buy Georgia! Help David Perdue Fight Back."  The ad follows a string of incidents shining a light on the anti-Semitic canard of Jews using money to control politics.  A spokeswoman for Perdue said in a statement that the ad was an "unintentional error" by an unnamed vendor outside of the campaign and the image has been removed from Facebook. The ad ran for five days before it was deleted.
Continued Reading

CHOICE
Abortion Rates Don't Drop When the Procedure Is Outlawed. But It Does Make It More Dangerous.
 
Anti-abortion advocates working to criminalize abortion in the United States and abroad will always be stymied by a crucial fact: People everywhere want, need and find ways to get abortions.  I observed this firsthand while working as a public health adviser in Asia, Africa and Latin America, and now  new research  from the Guttmacher Institute demonstrates just how misguided and dangerous it is to try to limit abortion access. The data shows that  abortion rates are roughly the same in countries  where abortion is broadly legal and in countries where it isn't. And abortion rates are actually four times higher in low-income countries where abortion is prohibited than in high-income countries where it is broadly legal.
Continued Reading

SEPARATION
 
Trump Campaign Adviser Jenna Ellis: Separation of Church and State Is a Liberal Lie

The notion that the United States observes a separation of church and state is a lie, according to President Donald Trump's senior campaign legal adviser.  "The left is going to tell you there's this separation of church and state, and that's just nowhere in the Constitution, nowhere in American law," Jenna Ellis declared during a Zoom event hosted by Asian Pacific Americans for Trump. "That's nothing that our founding principles ever, uh, derived whatsoever."
Continued Reading

BEYOND THE CORE
Anthony Tata Might Be Trump's Most Appalling Nominee Yet. 

The record of Anthony Tata, President Trump's nominee for undersecretary of defense for policy, should disqualify him from even being an intern at the Pentagon-let alone its third-highest-ranking official.  Tata - a prolific social-media troll and cable-news pundit - has clearly demonstrated that he lacks the character and experience needed to hold a position in which he would have an important say over our nation's defense policy, nuclear arsenal, and relationships with core allies and adversaries.
Continued Reading

POLITICAL BYTE
GOP and Democrats Are Far Apart on Coronavirus Relief - Here's What Happens Next
 
Senate Republicans'  release of a coronavirus relief package only started the thorny process of Congress crafting a bill to try to blunt the economic damage from the pandemic.  Now, GOP leaders and White House officials have to bridge a gulf between their priorities and the goals of top Democrats during talks in the coming days. While Congress will rush to strike a deal, leaders are not giving firm deadlines for when they aim to agree to and pass legislation.  "Unfortunately, we're pretty far apart right now, although I'm optimistic we could have a good solution at the end," Schumer said. Asked if the sides could reach a deal before the end of next week, he said: "I hope so, and that's what we're working for. We'll sit down. We're going to sit down again today. We'll sit down 24/7."
Continued Reading

BIDEN ROUNDUP
Joe Biden Is the Candidate for Israel

Biden would often tell me how his support for Israel was formed. He was a young kid sitting at the dinner table. It was around the time of the debate on the establishment of the modern state of Israel. His father was unable to comprehend how anyone could oppose this historic step. To this Irish American Catholic salesman, it was obvious why Israel had to exist. The establishment of a state for the Jewish people was the only way to fulfill the promise of "never again" after the tragedy of the Holocaust.  It was the first time Biden ever heard that phrase, and he never forgot the lesson. When Israel is in trouble, you simply cannot sit still. You have to act quickly. When I talked to Biden about Israel, the conversation always came back to that dinner table with his family. It is ingrained in his memory and imprinted on his soul. It is more than a pleasant story. It is the foundation for why Israel can always count on Biden in its hours of need.
Continued Reading

Vice President Biden Delivers Remarks on How We're Going to Build Back Better the Caring Economy
Vice President Biden Delivers Remarks on How We're Going to Build Back Better the Caring Economy


CORONAVIRUS
COVID-19 Conspiracy Theories Are Being Fed by Institutions Meant to Inform the Public

Conspiracy theories about the  coronavirus origin. have  swirled around since it began. Such theories tend to proliferate during times of crisis, as people search for elusive explanations at a time of tremendous uncertainty. But there's also something else that's keeping them alive: institutions in American life entrusted to inform the public have been amplifying them.  The latest example of this phenomenon was a controversial decision by Sinclair Broadcast Group  to air a new interview  with discredited researcher and conspiracy theorist Judy Mikovits, who suggests Dr. Anthony Fauci, may have created the coronavirus.
Continued Reading

FYI
John Lewis: Together, You
Can Redeem the Soul
of Our Nation
 
Though I am gone, I urge you to answer the highest calling of your heart and stand up for what you truly believe.  While my time here has now come to an end, I want you to know that in the last days and hours of my life you inspired me. You filled me with hope about the next chapter of the great American story when you used your power to make a difference in our society. Millions of people motivated simply by human compassion laid down the burdens of division. Around the country and the world you set aside race, class, age, language and nationality to demand respect for human dignity.
Continued Reading

The Last Word
"He (John Lewis) as much as anyone in our history brought this country a little bit closer to our highest ideas. And someday when we do finish that long journey toward freedom, whether it's years from now or decades, or even if it takes another two centuries, John Lewis will be a founding father of that fuller, fairer, better America."
-- Barack Obama
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.

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.