Latest news with #SaraJacobs
Politico
13-06-2025
- Health
- Politico
The post-Roe fight over data privacy
Hey everyone! I hope you are all having a lovely Pride Month. Thanks for reading Women Rule. We'll be on hiatus next week and back in your inbox on June 27. Reach out and say hello: klong@ and ecordover@ This week I had a chat with Rep. Sara Jacobs on her reintroduction of the My Body, My Data Act. The post-Roe era has elevated a new data privacy fight, as concerns grow over how reproductive and sexual health data is collected and disclosed. But the issue has been front of mind for Rep. Sara Jacobs for years, even prior to the Dobbs decision. The California Democrat reintroduced the My Body, My Data Act on Thursday, which aims to increase protections for those who use apps and sites that collect reproductive and sexual health data, such as period tracking apps. Jacobs points to certain instances where reproductive health data, which is not protected under HIPAA, has been used to investigate and prosecute users in states with strict abortion laws. Jacobs describes the push to protect reproductive and sexual health data as 'the abortion fight of the 21st century.' The bill, which was introduced in 2022 and then reintroduced the following year, would provide consumer protections for users who disclose their reproductive and sexual health data on apps and websites. This includes limiting the data that can be collected to only that which is necessary to provide a certain product or service, and bolstering transparency from companies on how that data is collected, retained and shared. Sens. Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii) and Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) sponsored the bill's Senate counterpart. The legislation was introduced twice before, first in 2022 and again the following year, but made little headway. And with a Republican-controlled Congress, the bill's reintroduction will likely result in a similar fate. Women Rule spoke with Jacobs on the reintroduction of the bill, which comes on the heels of the three-year anniversary of the Dobbs decision. This interview has been edited for length and clarity. I first wanted to talk a little bit about the bill. I think especially in a post-Roe world, there's growing concern over government tracking on period apps and other apps and sites related to reproductive and sexual health. I first introduced this bill because right after the opposite decision came down when Roe v. Wade was overturned, I started getting all these messages from friends and peers wondering what they should do about their period tracking apps, and I also use a period tracking app, and we started looking into it and there's basically no protections for this kind of reproductive and sexual health data. It's not covered under HIPAA, and so we're already seeing people try to use this data to go after people who are getting abortions and those helping them in states that have criminalized abortion. We know that they want to go after this data, and so I think it's incredibly important that we as Congress do something to protect this very sensitive data. Actually, there was a poll two years ago that showed that 2 in 3 Americans, including 54 percent of Republicans, support Congress making it illegal for apps and search engines to sell their reproductive health data. Why is it important for this bill to pass now? Well, in 2017, even before the overturning of Roe v. Wade, Mississippi police used Google search history to go after someone and alleged that she had an abortion. In 2022, the police used Facebook messages in Nebraska as part of an investigation into an abortion illegal under state law. More recently, a data broker sold cell phone and geolocation data to an anti-abortion political group that then used that information to dispense misinformation about reproductive health to people who had visited 600 abortion clinics in 48 states. And more Americans are turning to online clinics for medication abortions. Young people increasingly use the internet, live online, we are googling questions about medicine, we are using Ubers to get places, right? And all of this data can be misused, and we know the lengths that police and prosecutors will go to to try and intimidate or prosecute people for having abortions. With a Republican controlled Congress, it seems unlikely that the bill will pass, but have you received any support from across the aisle? Unfortunately, while I work in a bipartisan way with a lot of Republicans on data privacy, when it comes to this kind of data, they have been unwilling to engage even though they claim to support data privacy. We're coming up on the three-year anniversary of Roe v. Wade being overturned, and you've mentioned a few examples. Could you talk about how the Dobbs decision has impacted those who use these reproductive and self sexual health tracking apps and sites? Look, especially in states that have criminalized abortion — something like 1 in 3 women live in a state that has criminalized abortion in some way — there is an incredible amount of fear that even if they have a natural miscarriage they could be prosecuted because they Googled something once or that this kind of information can be used against [them] and weaponized against people. I think as we're seeing more and more states and as we know that at the end of the day this Republican Party wants a federal abortion ban, it's more important than ever that we protect people's data. Is there anything in particular about the My Body My Data Act that you would like to highlight? This is the abortion fight of the 21st century, right? Because it's about access and it's about how they're enforcing these really horrible laws. Americans are now becoming more aware of how their data is being used and stored, in part because of DOGE and what Elon Musk is doing. And we know that women are often trying to find the apps and services that claim to safeguard their data, but each individual person shouldn't have to try and figure this out on their own, and it shouldn't be up to companies to do the right thing. This is the exact kind of thing you need the government for, to protect very sensitive health data. And young people intrinsically understand this issue from both sides of the aisle. But part of what's hard is that so many of my colleagues do not understand this. There's just a bit of a mismatch between Congress and the American people on this issue. POLITICO Special Report How Kamala Harris Is Processing the LA Unrest by Melanie Mason for POLITICO: 'Harris has been choosy about when to weigh in publicly on politics since leaving Washington. So her statement on social media this week denouncing President Donald Trump's activation of the National Guard as a 'dangerous escalation' instantly lent itself to frenzied tea leaves reading. … For Harris, it was a natural issue to speak up on for several reasons, according to one of the people familiar with her thinking and granted anonymity to speak freely. First, she's coming at this as a lifelong Californian who came up in law enforcement and has made the rule of law a driving theme of her career. She also empathizes with the protesters, after growing up steeped in the civil rights protests of her childhood and campus anti-apartheid movement of the 1980s.' Trump's DOJ Indicted a Democratic Congresswoman. The Case Could Fall Apart. by Ankush Khardori for POLITICO: 'The decision to proceed with an indictment following the initial charges against the New Jersey Democrat comes at a politically volatile moment — following President Donald Trump's decision to deploy the National Guard and the Marines in response to protests in Los Angeles, and in the midst of ongoing wrangling over the scope and legality of the administration's deportation effort. In recent weeks, that effort has generated heartrending images from courthouse arrests and more admissions of mistaken deportations from the Justice Department. Meanwhile, the administration is moving to deport hundreds of thousands of people who entered the country legally under the last administration.' Phil Murphy Skated to the NJ Governor's Mansion. Mikie Sherrill Might Not Have it So Easy. by Matt Friedman and Madison Fernandez for POLITICO: 'Rep. Mikie Sherrill was the vanguard of the anti-Trump backlash in 2018. Just months after the political unknown declared her Democratic candidacy for Congress and began raising money at a fast clip, the 24-year Republican incumbent bowed out rather than face the first competitive general election of his career. Sherrill easily won what had long been a safe Republican district in a blue wave election that flipped the House. Now, Sherrill stands as Democrats' bulwark against a red tide after winning the party nomination for New Jersey governor Tuesday night.' Number of the Week More on that here. MUST READS Doctors Report the First Pregnancy Using a New AI Procedure by Alice Park for Time Magazine: 'Doctors at Columbia University Fertility Center have reported what they are calling the first pregnancy using a new AI system, in a couple that had been trying to start a family for nearly two decades. The pregnancy was possible due to an advance developed by the Columbia team, led by Dr. Zev Williams, director of the center, to address azoospermia, or a lack of detectable sperm in the ejaculate. Male factors account for about 40 percent of infertility in the U.S., and azoospermia is responsible for about 10 percent of those cases. Until recently, there was little doctors could do to address the lack of sperm needed to fertilize an egg, other than using donor sperm.' Domestic Abusers Could Have Easier Path to Getting Gun Rights Back Under Trump Proposal by Jennifer Gerson for The 19th: 'The Trump administration is proposing a change to how people convicted of crimes can have their gun rights restored, raising concerns over what this means for victims of domestic violence. The Democratic Women's Caucus and the Gun Violence Prevention Task Force of the U.S. House of Representatives sent a letter to Attorney General Pam Bondi and Robert Hinchman, senior counsel at the Department of Justice (DOJ), criticizing an interim final rule that would move the responsibility for determining if someone gets their gun rights back from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) to the Office of the Attorney General. While the ATF is part of the DOJ, the letter says the proposal would create 'an apparent lack of an objective, holistic process for making' these decisions.' Senate Democrats File Bill to Prevent Ban on Transgender Military Service by Luis Martinez for ABC News: 'The 'Fit to Serve Act' would prohibit the Defense Department from banning transgender service members from serving in the military. If passed, the law would prevent the DOD from denying access to healthcare on the basis of gender identity, and it would also prohibit the military from forcing service members to serve in their sex assigned at birth. It would also make it illegal for the military to discriminate against service members on the basis of gender identity.' QUOTE OF THE WEEK Read more here. on the move Fortune journalist Emma Hinchliffe was promoted to editor of the Most Powerful Women Daily newsletter at the publication, leading editorial for the 28-year-old franchise. Martina McLennan is now director of policy communications for economic and health policy at the Bipartisan Policy Center. She previously was communications director for Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.). (h/t POLITICO Influence) Cara Duckworth is now SVP of comms at USTelecom – The Broadband Association. She previously was chief corporate comms officer at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. (h/t POLITICO Playbook)
Fox News
12-05-2025
- Politics
- Fox News
House staffer victim of armed carjacking in popular Washington neighborhood
A senior staffer for California Rep. Sara Jacobs' office was the victim of an armed carjacking in a popular Washington, D.C., neighborhood on Friday afternoon, according to a Metropolitan Police Department report. Metro Police announced on Sunday two arrests in the armed carjacking that occurred on Friday afternoon in a Harris Teeter parking lot in Washington's Navy Yard neighborhood. In addition to the victim's personal items, the senior staffer's government-issued iPhone, MacBook, ID and Capitol parking pass were identified as missing in the police report obtained by Fox News Digital. Jacobs' office did not provide comment but confirmed the devices were immediately wiped. On Friday, around 12:08 p.m., the suspects approached the victim as they exited their car, demanding the victim's car keys, according to Metro Police. When the staffer refused, one of the suspects brandished a handgun and obtained the keys before the suspects fled the scene in the victim's vehicle, police said. Officers recovered the victim's car and a firearm on Saturday, and then arrested two suspects. According to police, a 15-year-old juvenile male of Washington was charged with armed carjacking, and a 14-year-old juvenile male of Maryland was charged with carrying a pistol without a license and unauthorized use of a vehicle. As of Sunday, police are still searching for two outstanding suspects whose photos were captured during the incident by surveillance cameras. Navy Yard is a popular Washington neighborhood located south of the U.S. Capitol and home to the Washington Nationals baseball stadium. While the neighborhood has transformed over the past decade into an urban hub for congressional staffers and young professionals, it has also been the subject of criticism for its crime. Department of Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said he was walking to the Navy Yard Metro Station for a transit safety event last month when he learned a Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) police officer had just been stabbed in the face. The WMATA confirmed the incident to Fox News Digital and said the suspect stabbed the officer "with a sharp metal object" after they did not pay their fare at the station. President Donald Trump vowed to clean up Washington while speaking at his "Make America Great Again" rallies on the 2024 campaign trail. Since returning to office this January, Trump has committed to creating a "crime-free capital." "We're cleaning up our city. We're cleaning up this great capital," the president said. "And we're not going to have crime, and we're not going to stand for crime," Trump said at the Department of Justice earlier this year. The Jacobs staffer did not respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment.
Yahoo
23-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Hundreds attend town hall hosted by Congresswoman Sara Jacobs
EL CAJON, Calif. (FOX 5/KUSI) — Congresswoman Sara Jacobs held a town hall in El Cajon Tuesday evening, giving an update on her work in Washington D.C. and also taking questions straight from constituents. Jacobs welcomed a room full of more than 300 constituents at Grossmont College. Many shared concern about the climate in the country under the current administration. 'We did Stonewall, we did women's rights, we did abortion. We've already gone through this. Why are we here again? So I want to hear what's going on at their level,' said Randye, who declined to give their last name. It wasn't just supporters of Jacobs, people of all political affiliations were eager to hear what she had to say. 'I'm an independent voter. I've never been to any protest, any political rally, nothing ever. I am worried that we are losing democracy and losing the rule of law,' said Bonnie, who also declined to give their last name. Jacobs represents California District 51, including San Diego, El Cajon, La Mesa and Lemon Grove. For those attending, government spending, Medicaid cuts and social issues were top of mind. 'I would like her to address what's the Democratic party is going to do about trying to get the budget under control and start taxing the super rich,' said Donald Chafetz. Gwyn Chafetz said, 'I'm very concerned about my parents. They're both on Medicare and social security and if those two are cut, that's a real challenge for our family.' Jacobs shared she voted no on the recent budget resolution and she will keep fighting to protect the programs the community relies on. Not everyone in the room necessarily voted for the Democratic congresswoman, but they came with the common goal of getting questions answered. 'Don't you want DOGE to find waste fraud and abuse? To me, that's something we should all be able to agree on. We all pay taxes. We don't want our money wasted,' Alison Smith said. Jacobs has proposed the 'Dilute DOGE Act,' saying the administration needs to come to Congress so lawmakers can 'do our job, go line by line through the budget, and actually make it more efficient.' Jacobs was at the border Tuesday morning for Lee Zeldin's visit and briefly touched on making sure the funds raised go toward long-term solutions. While immigration wasn't the focus of the town hall, Jacobs mentioned she is concerned about the lack of due process with those being sent to El Salvador. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
New York Times
10-03-2025
- Politics
- New York Times
What We Know About the Month-Old Migrant Mission at Guantánamo Bay
In little over a month, the Trump administration has moved fewer than 300 men from an immigration holding site in Texas to the U.S. military base at Guantánamo Bay. As of this past weekend, 40 migrants were at the base in Cuba. In some instances they have spent just days there, before being sent back to the United States without explanation. On Jan. 29, President Trump said the base would receive as many as 30,000 migrants awaiting deportation. The Defense and Homeland Security Departments began putting up tents for the expected arrivals, but the encampments are not yet open. Here are some of the things we have learned about the migrant mission so far. Is Guantánamo ready for 30,000 migrants? For now, the operation can hold just 225 immigration detainees at a time, according to a briefing provided to members of Congress who visited the base on Friday. A small dormitory-style building near the airport can house 50 men. The remainder could be held in a Pentagon prison facility, called Camp 6, that until January held people suspected of being members of Al Qaeda who were arrested during the war against terrorism. But construction on a vast tent city was halted weeks ago. U.S. forces and contractors installed about 195 tents that each has space for 10 to 12 cots, but nobody is occupying them. 'It seems clear there's no plan to get to 30,000 that's workable in any way,' said Representative Sara Jacobs, Democrat of California, who toured the facilities on Friday as part of a bipartisan delegation from the House Armed Services Committee. The tents currently do not meet basic Homeland Security health and safety needs for two reasons: They lack air conditioning, and mold has appeared inside some of them. More security measures are also needed in the tent area before it is ready to house individuals whom the Trump administration describes as 'criminal aliens.' A contractor has been found to upgrade the tents but no work has started, Ms. Jacobs said the delegation was told. What do we know about the migrants? At least 20 aircraft brought about 270 migrants to the base from an Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in El Paso between Feb. 4 and March 7. The first 178 were Venezuelans. All but one of them were cleared out on Feb. 20, flown to Honduras and then deported home. Another 58 were transferred back to the United States — 10 to Texas and the rest to an ICE site in Louisiana. Members of Congress were told that all of those held there this past weekend had final deportation orders and were from 20 different countries, including Colombia, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Guinea, Venezuela and Vietnam. Little is known about why these men in particular were chosen from the more than 40,000 immigration detainees who were in Homeland Security custody throughout the United States last week. How big and expensive is the operation? More than 1,000 security forces and civilians combined are assigned to the operation at Guantánamo Bay, including soldiers, sailors and Marines, ICE agents, contractors and members of the Coast Guard, the military has said. Some of the troops are military police who had been guarding U.S. service members at a brig-like facility at Joint Base Lewis-McChord in Washington State. Others are members of the 36th Medical Group out of Fort Bragg, N.C. The operation has so far cost $16 million, Ms. Jacobs said the delegation was told. It was not clear whether that figure included charter and military flights, she said. Why have so few migrants been held there? The administration may be recognizing that the base is less than an ideal way station. The tent city concept that the military was implementing for Mr. Trump's order was designed to shelter people from Caribbean nations who had fled political unrest or a natural disaster, as a humanitarian relief project. The administration says the men it is deporting are 'criminal aliens' who need stricter security measures. On March 2, 48 of the migrants who were sent there from Texas were suddenly transferred to ICE facilities near Alexandria, La., a major deportation hub. It is not known whether they remain in ICE custody or were subsequently deported. What don't we know about the operation? Many aspects of the operation have not been made public. For example, ICE sent nine migrants back to El Paso on Feb. 26, a day after Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth was at Guantánamo and observed nine migrants being led off a C-130 transport from El Paso during his visit. On March 4, ICE said it could not comment on that question 'due to pending civil litigation.' Some immigration advocates and civil liberties groups have asked a federal judge to order the administration to stop its 'cruel, unnecessary and illegal transfers to and detention at Guantánamo.' A court hearing is scheduled for Friday. Also unknown are the costs of using chartered aircraft to shuttle migrants to and from Guantánamo Bay. ICE has reported the figure at '$6,929 to $26,795 per flight hour, depending on aircraft requirements' for a 'special high-risk charter,' and $8,577 per flight hour for a daily scheduled charter. ICE spokesmen have said most of the migrants sent to Guantánamo are 'high-threat' detainees. The government has used the Global X charter firm to shuttle people between Texas, Cuba and Louisiana. But it is not known when the hourly fee begins — after it arrives at a U.S. base to pick up, or when it leaves a hub in Miami to fly to the base. In contrast, the Pentagon estimates the cost of operating a C-17 cargo plane, which has been used twice to transfer migrants to Guantánamo, at about $28,000 an hour and the slower C-130 J, which was used for more than a dozen flights, at $20,000 an hour. Is there a fear factor? At the pace of detentions so far, Ms. Jacobs said, there has been no need to house the detainees at Guantánamo Bay. 'It's entirely for the optics,' she said, to look tough and instill fear to deter people who are considering entering the United States illegally. When Mr. Hegseth visited the base, he said: 'I think the message is clear: If you break the law, if you are a criminal, you could find your way at Guantánamo Bay. You don't want to be at Guantánamo Bay, which is where we housed Al Qaeda after 9/11.'
Yahoo
02-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
What Trump's diplomacy disaster with Zelenskyy means for America
America's European allies are moving forward on a ceasefire plan for Ukraine and it's happening without the United States. Rep. Sara Jacobs joins The Weekend to discuss the fallout from President Trump's disastrous meeting with Ukraine's President.
