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Former Watergate Prosecutor, MSNBC Contributor & Legal Analyst
Jill Wine-Banks shared her insights about the Mueller investigation with JAC members at its Talking Points event. (l to r: Ilene Tucker and Jill Wine-Banks)
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JAC members gather to listen to Jill Wine-Banks, who was the only woman on the Watergate prosecution team. She discussed some similarities between Watergate and the current situation with Trump and Russian meddling in our elections.
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JAC met with Rep. Raul Ruiz (D-CA). As an Emergency Room doctor, Raul knows how important it is for people to have access to quality, affordable health care.
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Week In Review Commentary
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In 1789, the country was still finding its way after its independence. Thomas Jefferson and other leaders, who became known as the Founding Fathers, felt more was needed to guarantee the survival of the newly formed democracy. They gathered in Philadelphia for more than three months to write the U.S. Constitution, which contained the ideals they felt should define our country.
Since that time, our country has been challenged in ways the writers never could have imagined. Each time, we find the resolve and strength to emerge. While our democracy, which seems on the tipping point, continues because of the Constitution.
Today our nation is in chaos, from the Oval office, to Congress, to our communities, to our climate. Even our standing in the world has suffered. Nothing seems to be working.
The Constitution created three equal branches of government forming a system of checks and balances. That is our only safeguard against perpetual chaos. President Trump's agenda goes unchecked in the Congress and the Senate his party controls, and with the judges he appoints. This is dangerous to our country.
The Members of Congress standing in the way of keeping our children safe and protecting the values laid out in the Constitution were democratically elected. In 2018 we have the chance to vote them out.
The young students in Florida are getting their first taste of democracy. They have reawakened us to the power of our voice, actions and vote. Let's hope their anger and frustration will embolden each of us to restore the balance in this country by electing candidates who will uphold the values defined in Philadelphia more than 225 years ago.
You have the power. If you can't vote them out of office, choose a JAC-supported candidate who will defeat them. Donate now.
Elections matter.
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It's Time for Background Checks
on ALL Gun Sales
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Call Your Senators
202-224-3121
Tell your Senators to:
Co-sponsor S.2009
The Bipartisan Thompson-King Expanded Background Check Bill
______________________
Facts:
Covers gun sales through internet, classified ads and gun shows
Strengthens the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS)
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Israel Said Frustrated with U.S. Inaction on Iran Entrenchment in Syria
A rift between Israel and the United States regarding Iranian entrenchment in Syria appears to be widening, ahead of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's scheduled meeting
on Monday
with US President Donald Trump. Israeli officials have reportedly been complaining the Americans aren't doing enough to limit Tehran's influence in neighboring Syria.
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With Iran Operating in Syria, Israel Girds Itself for 'First Northern War'
Israel will have to face two fronts at the same time: one in Syria, one in Lebanon," said a former Israeli national security advisor. The concern is that the next conflict could see Israel locked in what some in the region are now calling the "First Northern War" - a military engagement of the kind Israel hasn't seen since the Yom Kippur War of 1973 involving Arab states, led by Syria and Egypt.
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Americans In Israel Warned to 'Keep a Low Profile' After Announcement on Embassy's Move
U.S. Diplomatic mission issued a warning to American citizens to avoid anticipated demonstrations & anti-American protests. Embassy is relocating in May to coincide with Israel's 70th anniversary.
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PayPal Closes Second Illegal French BDS Account
For the second time in 30 days, the U.S.-based online payment service giant PayPal shut down the account of a French organization advocating for the boycott, divestment, sanctions (BDS) campaign targeting Israel. the PayPal account of the BDS organization Jewish French Union for Peace (UJFP) was no longer permitting financial donations.
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Another Republican Pushes Holocaust Myths to Bash Gun Control Measures
Alaska Rep. Don Young became the latest Republican to perpetuate the discredited myth that Nazi gun control contributed to the deaths of millions of Jews during the Holocaust. "How many millions of people were shot and killed because they were unarmed? Fifty million in Russia. How many Jews were put in the ovens because they were unarmed?" NRA Executive VP Wayne LaPierre delivered a speech that played on anti-Semitic stereotypes which singled out Jews as the enemies of America.
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Mike Pence Believes Access to Legal & Safe Abortion Will End 'In Our Time'
"I just know in my heart this will be the generation that restores life in America," Pence said during a speech to anti-abortion activists. Organizations like NARAL pushed back against the VP's remarks. "The comments made by Pence are indicative of how this Administration is trying to 'normalize' the idea of a world in which women don't get to decide their own destinies or control their own bodies."
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Trump Official Says Unaccompanied Minors Don't Have Constitutional Right to Abortions
The Trump administration official who has denied abortions to unaccompanied minors in U.S. custody said he does not believe they have a constitutional right to the procedure. Scott Lloyd, the director of the Department of Health and Human Services's Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR), which cares for minors who enter the country without their parents, denied seven abortion requests between March and Dec. 19, 2017.
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Another Appeals Court Rules That Firing People for Being Gay Is Discrimination
The full 13-member bench of the Second Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964's ban on sex discrimination at the workplace covers discrimination based on sexual orientation. The decision is an important step forward on the long and winding road toward equal legal rights for LGBTQ people.
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Pelosi Optimistic About Gun Control Bill Short of Assault Weapons Ban
House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi was optimistic about the chances that a Republican-controlled Congress could pass comprehensive gun safety legislation, signaling that the current debate is different than past ones that have led to inaction. Those include banning bump stocks and allowing gun violence restraining orders.
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Limits on Federal Gun Research Spur States to Step In
The lack of federal funding for gun-related research leaves policymakers without basic information that would help inform policy decisions. Some states are filling the gap. As deaths from mass shootings have mounted across the United States, some states are moving to collect hard data to guide their decisions about guns - even as the federal government has retreated from such research in the face of pressure from pro-gun groups.
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Arctic Warming: Scientists Alarmed By 'Crazy' Temperature Rises
An alarming heatwave in the sunless winter Arctic is causing blizzards in Europe and forcing scientists to reconsider their forecasts of climate change. The primary concern is that global warming is eroding the polar vortex, the powerful winds that once insulated the frozen north.
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EPA Reorganization Will Merge Science Office
The National Center for Environmental Research (NCER) will no longer exist as a standalone entity following plans to combine three EPA offices. NCER is known for its handling of fellowships that study the effects of chemicals on children's health.
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Conservative Dems Target Rural Voters with New Task Force
The Blue Dog Democrats launched a working group aimed at promoting bipartisan policies to resonate with voters in pockets of the country where the post-recession recovery has lagged. "If Democrats are serious about winning back majorities, we need to start by winning back the trust of the hardworking men and women in small towns across our country," Cheri Bustos (D-IL) said.
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Could Gun Control Flip the House to Democrats?
As a renewed, nationwide push for gun control faces an uphill battle in Congress, some progressive outside groups are prodding Democrats to make gun restrictions a driving issue in the midterms. But other Democrats worry nationalizing the issue in midterms would undercut some vulnerable members in rural areas from Ohio and Indiana to Montana and California's Yosemite Valley.
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Prince William to Visit Israel This Summer, in First Official Trip by UK Royal
Prince William will travel to Israel this summer, in the first-ever official visit by the British royal family to the Jewish state. While royals have traveled to Israel in the past, no member of the British monarchy has ever come to country on an official tour. The official visit will be the first in Israel's almost 70-year existence, during which time nearly every other country in the world has been visited by a representative of the Crown.
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Bipartisanship Through Beer
Craig Purser, CEO of National Beer Wholesalers Association, came to Washington as a college intern. "One of the things that concerns me... is the decreasing level of civility," he said. Despite his work for Republicans, he feels the two parties can work together. Booze helps the bonding process.
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"When you see corporations putting people over their profits, it's well past the time that elected officials put people over their politics."
Rep. Stephanie Murphy (D-FL)
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SAVE THE DATE
JAC 2018 Annual Meeting
Washington, D.C.
Tuesday, March 13th - Wednesday, March 14th, 2018
Special Pre-Conference VIP Tour
Monday, March 12th, 2018
Smithsonian Institution
National Museum of African American History and Culture
_________________________________________________
Reception for Senate Candidate
Rep. Jacky Rosen (D-NV)
featuring Sen. Ben Cardin (D-MD)
Tuesday, March 6th
6 pm - 7:30 PM
Chevy Chase, MD
_________________________________________________
Dinner for Senate Candidate
Rep. Jacky Rosen (D-NV)
Thursday, March 8th
6:30 pm
Chicago
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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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