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You might want to get a tissue before reading further. Last week, someone unsubscribed from my newsletter because of my "extremist views, lack of open mindedness to what is wrong (on both sides), and clinging to partisan politics." About my funny video clips of the week he said nothing.

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You would think Republicans would love Rep. Liz Cheney (R-WY). They elected her to the #3 position in the House Republican caucus, she is bred from Republican royalty, and she stands for the stuff they love: "War. Torture. Drone strikes. Black sites. PATRIOT Act. Gitmo. Mass surveillance. Her dad."

Cheney was one of only 23 Republicans to vote against a resolution condemning antisemitism. That wasn't a problem for the GOP, but now she's committed an unforgivable sin: Telling the truth about Donald Trump's Big Lie that the election was stolen. That's where todays' GOP draws the line, and that's why House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) is planning to oust her. But Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL)? Republicans are cool with him.

Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) suggested that Republicans want a non-threatening female, and they want to push Cheney out "for a litany of very Republican reasons: she won’t lie, she isn’t humble enough, she’s like a girlfriend rooting for the wrong team, and more." But as Charles Blow explains, while it's good that Cheney is standing up for the truth in this instance, she is no hero: "The sword she’s falling on is one she has spent her political career brandishing."

The Biden administration continues to support the American Jewish community and Israel. In his Jewish American Heritage Month proclamation, Biden noted "two historic firsts, as America saw the Vice President take the oath of office alongside her Jewish spouse, and a Jewish American became the first Majority Leader of the United States Senate and the highest-ranking Jewish American elected official in our Nation’s history." (Jewish American Heritage Month is the product of legislation introduced by Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL) in 2005.)

Leading Jewish groups praised Biden's decision last week not to attend any events celebrating the 20th anniversary of the Durban Declaration due to their “anti-Israel sentiment.”

A Senate bill threatens sensitive Iran diplomacy. Ryan Costello has the details on a little-noticed provision in a lengthy bill aimed at setting U.S. policy toward China. This provision should be removed from the China bill, and if the Senate doesn't remove it, the House should remove it when it gets to the House.

Joe Countryman explains that Biden has a narrow window to reenter the Iran Deal, which "closed all pathways by which Iran could secretly build nuclear weapons," and hawkish Democrats should support reentry.

Countryman explains what the sanctions for the sake of sanctions crowd miss: "Pressure and punishment through sanctions are not the same as 'leverage.' In the real world of diplomacy, a key component of leverage is 'credibility'."

Thanks to Trump's withdrawal from the deal while Iran was in compliance, we must first reestablish credibility with Iran and our allies by getting back into the deal we walked away from, which will strengthen our ability to pursue strengthening and lengthening the deal, as well as addressing Iran's other malign activities.

Republicans continue to falsely accuse Biden nominees of antisemitism. Some hypocrisy is par for the course in politics, but for people who were silent when Trump appointed white nationalist Stephen Miller, neo-Nazi sympathizer Sebastian Gorka, and Steve Bannon to key positions to complain about Biden's nominees is chutzpadik par excellence.

Unlike Trump, who regularly engaged in antisemitic rhetoric, Biden has a record of opposition to antisemitism and support for Israel five decades long, a longer and stronger record on Israel than anyone ever elected president. While Biden's nominees should be judged on their merits, we should remember that they are charged with implementing Biden's policies, not the other way around.

Yet Republicans have falsely accused Samantha Power, Kristen Clarke, Colin Kahl, and Rob Malley of being anti-Israel or antisemitic. The latest victims of the Republican smear campaign are Sarah Margon and Kristen Clarke, who is still under attack.

Protecting the right to vote is a Jewish and American imperative. Richard Zelin, noting the ascendancy of extremism in the Republican Party, writes that "if the anti-democratic, if not authoritarian, forces that have been unleashed prevail and gain increased influence, then all [the progress Jews have made in America] will be placed in serious jeopardy."

The right to vote is the cornerstone of our democracy. Halie Soifer explains that the right to vote "remains under threat by an ongoing Republican campaign of disinformation, delegitimization and disenfranchisement" and that the answer to this threat is for Congress to pass the For the People Act and the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act.

Unfortunately, the Senate will not pass the reforms America needs until it abolishes the filibuster. Washington cannot function, writes Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney (D-NY), as long as 41 out of 100 senators can use the filibuster, "a shameful anti-democratic relic of Jim Crow," to block legislation. That might be fine with a Republican Party opposed to progress, but that's no way to run a democracy.

Oops! They did it again. Democratic Majority for Israel (DMFI) apologized for its tweet about Nancy Kaufman. 972 and JTA have details about this incident and this organization.

Last week's newsletter.

ICYMI. Searching for answers while running for the U.S. Senate.

Tweet of the Week. Andrea Junker.

Twitter Account of the Week. The biggest disgrace in Chicago journalism remains the Tribune's decision to give John Kass the perch vacated by Mike Royko in 1977. Now you can follow Kass Watch, a Twitter account that reads John Kass so you don't have to.

Twitter Thread of the Week. If the open letter from Jewish conservatives (lower case "c") claiming to be liberal has any value at all, it's that it provides a handy list of people whose opinions on current events we should take with a grain of salt, and it gets the treatment it deserves from Hadar Susskind, whose thread applies to other astroturf organizations too.

Video Clip of the Week. Honest Trailers--Oscars 2021.

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The Fine Print: This newsletter usually runs on Sunday mornings. If you receive it as an ICYMI on Wednesday it's because you didn't open the one sent on Sunday. Unless stated otherwise, my views do not necessarily reflect the views of any candidates or organizations that I support or am associated with. I reserve the right to change my mind as I learn more. Intelligent, well-informed people may disagree with me; read opposing views and decide for yourself. A link to an article doesn't mean that I agree with everything its author has ever said or that I even agree with everything in the article; it means that the article supports or elaborates on the point I was making. I take pride in accurately reporting the facts on which I base my opinions. Tell me if you spot any inaccuracies, typos, or other mistakes so that I can correct them in the next newsletter (and give you credit if you want it). Advertisements reflect the views of the advertisers, not necessarily of me, and advertisers are solely responsible for the content of their advertisements. I read, value, and encourage replies to my newsletters, but I don't always have time to acknowledge replies or to engage in one-on-one discussion. Don't expect a reply if your message is uncivil or if it's clear from your message that you haven't read the newsletter or clicked on the relevant links. © 2021 Steve Sheffey. All rights reserved.