May 22, 2020 
WEEK IN REVIEW
We will celebrate Memorial Day, the unofficial start of summer, in our new virtual world. There will be no parades and picnics. The streets and parks will be empty. We will need to remember on our own the men and women who believed that serving our country was an honor and privilege. 

Memorial Day is a time to honor those brave individuals. Their service was needed because of the threats our country faced and the risk to our democratic values. They were true patriots. Today's veterans remind us that pubic service to our country is a courageous and noble pursuit.

Our service people have kept us safe, but it's a never-ending challenge. The battlefield may have changed over the years, but we still face countless challenges and threats - some even from within our own country.

White-supremacy has surged, fueling growing antisemitism, religious, and racial hatred. Our classrooms and communities have been turned into killing fields from gun violence. Voter suppression prevents Americans from choosing leaders who can best keep them safe. The political division in our country keeps Congress from enacting meaningful legislation. Now, we all face the battle to end the Coronavirus pandemic.

In honor of our fallen soldiers and those that today are still sacrificing their time to defending our country, let's commit ourselves to improving our country. We need to return to the values that motivated these men and women to serve in the military.

Don't just remember them on Monday. Do more. Support candidates and vote in November so that America can continue to be the beacon of democracy.

Elections have consequences.

UPCOMING VIRTUAL EVENTS

Wednesday, May 27
Virtual Update on Women Running for Senate
with
Sen. Maggie Hassan (D-NH)
Chair of the DSCC Women's Senate Network
4:30 pm ET | 3:30 pm CT | 1:30 pm PT
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Tuesday, June 2
Virtual JACPAC 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 26
Virtual Reception with Vice President Joe Biden
moderated by Mayor Darrell Steinberg & former CA State Treasurer Phil Angelides
Time TBA
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Wednesday, May 27
Virtual Reception with VP Joe Biden & Mayor Pete Buttigieg
Time TBA
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Wednesday, May 27
Young Professionals Finance Council Launch
with Mayor Pete Buittigeig
9:00 pm ET | 8:00 pm CT | 6:00 pm PT
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Wednesday, May 27
West Coast Women for Biden Virtual Conversation 
with Jill Biden
featuring Sen. Dianne Feinstein, Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto, Rep. Katie Porter, San Francisco Mayor London Breed, & Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan
5:00 pm PT
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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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Thursday, May 28
 ♫ Rock Out on a Night In with VP Joe Biden ♫
featuring performances by
Joe Walsh, Sheryl Crow, David Crosby, Rufus Wainwright & more
Hosted by Sen. Tammy Duckworth & Whoopie Goldberg
Time TBA
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Thursday, May 28
Virtual Reception with former 
Deputy Secretary of State Tony Blinken
5:00 pm co-host precall
5:30 pm remarks & q&a
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Friday, May 29
Virtual Florida Women for Biden Reception with Jill Biden
2:00 pm ET
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Tuesday, June 2
Virtual Reception with Ambassadors Samantha Power 
and Susan Rice
6:00 pm
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Thursday, June 4
Chardonnay & Conversation with Jill Biden & Hillary Clinton
4:00 pm CT | 5:00 pm ET | 2:00 pm PT
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Tuesday, June 9
Virtual Reception with Vice President Joe Biden & 
Senator Kamala Harris
Time TBA
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Thursday, June 11
Women for Biden & Women's Leadership Forum 
Virtual Conversation
featuring 
Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, Connie Britton, 
and Alyssa Mastromonaco
7:30 pm ET |6:30 pm CT | 4:30 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
A Shaky Coalition Government Takes Office in Israel

After three inconclusive elections and more than a year of caretaker government, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his rival Benny Gantz took office in a deal to put aside their disagreements and share power in a unity government they say was necessitated by the coronavirus crisis. Netanyahu begins his fifth consecutive term as prime minister one week before he goes on trial for corruption charges. Under their coalition agreement, he and Gantz will switch places in 18 months, though Netanyahu will continue living in the prime minister's official residence.
Continued Reading

ANTI-SEMITISM & BDS
U.S. Religious Freedom Body Funding Research Project on Antisemitism in Europe 

A government-funded body on religious freedom is looking to launch a research project that examines antisemitism in Europe.  The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom, an independent body that tracks religious freedoms overseas and has members appointed by leadership from both houses of Congress and the president, has issued a tender for the  project .
Continued Reading

CHOICE
Could Coronavirus Make Telemedicine Abortion the New Normal?
 
Telemedicine abortion was  pioneered in the United States  to address provider shortages by bringing doctors into clinics via videoconference to regions where abortion access is limited. Now, the practice has become a way of bringing providers directly into patients' homes, bypassing clinics altogether. So, how does it work? Previously, a telemedicine abortion typically required patients to obtain an ultrasound or pelvic exam at the nearest medical facility to confirm a pregnancy. But in response to the coronavirus crisis, more clinics are offering "no-test" procedures wherein a patient answers a series of questions by phone with a doctor in order to date their pregnancy. 
Continued Reading

SEPARATION
 
Justice Department Warns California Coronavirus Rules May Violate Religious Freedoms

The measures Gov. Gavin Newsom enacted to slow the spread of the coronavirus and his plans to unwind them may discriminate against religious groups and violate their constitutional rights, the U.S. Justice Department warned in a letter.  In a three-page letter to the governor, Eric S. Dreiband, an assistant attorney general and the head of the Justice Department's civil rights division, said Newsom had shown "unequal treatment of faith communities" in restricting their abilities to gather and ultimately reopen.
BEYOND THE CORE
Why Trump's Crusade Against Voting by Mail Could Backfire on Republicans and Hurt the President's Own Voters

President Donald Trump kicked his crusade against absentee voting and voting by mail up a notch by threatening to withhold federal funds from two states, Michigan and Nevada, for making it easier for their citizens to receive their ballots by mail.  In his first tweet, he wrongly claimed that Michigan's secretary of state, Jocelyn Benson (whom he called "rogue"), was sending every registered voter an absentee ballot, saying it was "illegal" and threatening to cut off funding to the state. As was clearly marked on the envelopes, the state hadn't mailed ballots but instead applications for those ballots.
Continued Reading


POLITICAL BYTE
Congress Job Approval Highest Since 2009

For a second consecutive month, Congress' job approval rating remains elevated, at 31%. Congress last had an approval rating of 31% or better in early September 2009, during President Barack Obama's first year in office, when he worked with Democratic majorities in Congress. The latest congressional approval rating comes from a May 1-13 Gallup poll, conducted as the nation continues to deal with the coronavirus pandemic.
Continued Reading

BIDEN ROUNDUP
How the Biden Campaign Aims to Win Battleground States 
 
Joseph R. Biden Jr.'s presidential campaign, which has faced criticism from some Democrats worried about his team's general election readiness, is planning a substantial expansion of its operation and eyeing an ambitious battleground map even as the question of when Mr. Biden will resume in-person campaigning remains unclear. In an hourlong briefing with reporters on Friday, senior campaign officials pledged to have "over 600 organizing staff responsible for battleground states" in place by next month as they pursue an "expanded map" with Arizona at the "top of the list" of new opportunities.
Continued Reading


CORONAVIRUS
Could Dogs Help Detect COVID-19 in Humans?
 
Dogs have a remarkable sense of smell and scientists are studying whether our canine friends could help identify people infected with the  novel coronavirus.  Medical Detection Dogs, a British charity, has already succeeded in training dogs to detect the odor of malaria, cancer and Parkinson's disease. Now it's training dogs to spot the odor of COVID-19. The hope is that these dogs can reliably identify the presence of coronavirus. If successful, these sniffer dogs could be deployed at airports across the globe.
Continued Reading

FYI
Nancy Pelosi Proves Personal Style Is Still Important With Her Face Mask    
 
Nancy Pelosi is taking the global pandemic very seriously. As the Speaker of the House of Representatives and a congresswoman from San Francisco, Americans, by and large, look to her for guidance, especially in these trying times. For the past few months, she has been encouraging citizens to practice social distancing and wear masks so as to flatten the curve of the coronavirus outbreak. And she is using her wardrobe to get the point across.
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
"I would rather he (Trump) not be taking something that has not been approved by the scientists, especially in his age group and in his, shall we say, weight group, morbidly obese, they say. So I think it's not a good idea."
--Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) commenting on President Trump's taking hydroxychloroquine
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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