| | Good Tuesday morning. In today’s Daily Kickoff , we report on the condemnation of Tucker Carlson by Jewish House Democrats over his platforming of a Holocaust denier, talk to Shari Redstone and Micah Goodman on the sidelines of the MEAD conference in Washington and cover the Republican Jewish Coalition’s $10 million ad buy targeting Jewish voters in swing states. Also in today’s Daily Kickoff : Dave McCormick, Brianna Wu and Rabbi Ari Berman. Spread the word! Invite your friends to sign up.👇 Share with a friend | - Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump debate tonight at 9 p.m. at Philadelphia’s National Constitution Center. The debate, which is hosted by ABC News, will be carried on all major broadcast and cable news networks.
- Secretary of State Tony Blinken is in London today, where he’s slated to meet with U.K. Foreign Minister David Lammy. The meeting comes a week after London announced it was suspending the sale of some arms to Israel. During a press briefing yesterday, senior White House spokesperson John Kirby said, “This isn't about twisting arms or trying to change minds. The British government has made their determination about arms provisions to — to Israel. We respect that. That's for them to speak to."
- New Hampshire Democrats Maggie Goodlander and Colin Van Ostern face off today in the primary to succeed Rep. Annie Kuster (D-NH).
- The inaugural Africa-Israel Parliamentary Summit kicks off today in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
- The Journey Summit is taking place in Tel Aviv today. Daniel Loeb, Eyal Waldman and Assaf Rappaport are slated to speak at the day-long gathering, hosted by EY.
| The first presidential debate between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump is tonight, and the stakes couldn’t be higher in a race that’s extremely close, Jewish Insider Editor-in-Chief Josh Kraushaar writes.
And while it’s unlikely to have the seismic impact of the June debate between President Joe Biden and Trump, it will be one of the last major opportunities for the Harris and Trump campaigns to move the political needle in their favor with tens of millions of Americans watching.
After enjoying a sustained bounce after emerging as the nominee, Harris’ support has stalled, according to the latest round of polling. Her convention bounce was muted, in part because of the political sugar high of the previous few weeks. She effectively consolidated the once-demoralized Democratic base around her campaign, but is still struggling to win over disillusioned swing voters dissatisfied with the Biden administration’s record.
A New York Times-Siena College poll, released over the weekend, showed Trump holding a one-point lead over Harris, 48-47% among likely voters — well within the margin of error, but also well short of where Harris needs to be polling nationally to feel comfortable about her chances winning a 270-vote Electoral College majority.
Two of the most telling results in the poll: Only a quarter of voters said they viewed Harris as the “change candidate” despite concerted efforts by the Harris campaign to paint her in that light during the Democratic convention. By contrast, over half of voters saw Trump as the candidate of change. More than 60% of voters said the next president should represent a change from the Biden administration.
And the poll found Harris is viewed as more ideologically extreme than Trump, despite the Harris campaign’s efforts to tie Trump to the right-wing Project 2025 policy document produced by the conservative Heritage Foundation. Only 32% of respondents said that Trump is “too conservative” while 44% believe that Harris is “too liberal or progressive.”
Harris had an opportunity to clearly make a moderate pivot by picking as her running mate Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, who boasts a centrist record and hails from a must-win state. Instead, she chose Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, preferring the candidate that offered a stylistic appeal to blue-collar white voters but who had a progressive governing record that did little to allay skeptics about any centrist commitments.
Because so many voters don’t have a good sense on how she’d govern, Harris has more to gain — or lose — from the high-stakes debate tonight. Will she defend the Biden administration’s record on the economy, foreign policy and immigration — or will she try and create some distance in response to inevitable Trump attacks?
Harris’ defining attribute in national political life has been her caution. She’s generally been a follower of liberal-minded conventional wisdom, even when it runs against her own political interests. Her unsuccessful 2020 presidential campaign, where she worked harder to compete for progressive voters at the expense of the moderate majority, is still leaving its mark four years later. She hasn't left much of a mark as vice president, with her most notable role as an emissary to progressive groups (especially with her outspoken abortion rights advocacy) — efforts that fortified support with the base, but not with the broader public.
Now she’s benefiting from a second look from voters and getting a sustained boost of momentum that could allow her to eke out a presidential victory. But if she remains risk-averse and doesn’t outright dismiss some of the most unpopular positions she once embraced, those good vibes in Chicago could turn into an off-key performance in Philadelphia. | tucker trouble Every Jewish House Democrat condemns Carlson's interview with Holocaust denier  CHIP SOMODEVILLA/GETTY IMAGES Every Jewish Democrat in the House signed onto a joint statement issued Monday night condemning Tucker Carlson for amplifying the views of a Holocaust denier and blasting Sen. J.D. Vance (R-OH), the Republican vice presidential nominee, for failing to denounce the interview, Jewish Insider’s Marc Rod and Emily Jacobs report.
On the Hill: The letter comes amid growing GOP alarm at the indulgence of antisemitism within their own ranks and concern about the political implications of the Trump campaign’s continued embrace of Carlson. Multiple GOP lawmakers told JI that Carlson and the interview could be a serious liability for the campaign and that the campaign needs to change course. Meanwhile, joint statements from every Jewish Democrat — ranging from some of the most conservative Democrats in the House to committed progressives — are rare.
Read the full story here. conference conversation What's giving Shari Redstone hope about the Middle East  BRUCE GLIKAS/GETTY IMAGES Inside a ballroom filled with diplomats, policy experts, foreign leaders and elected officials, one might question the presence of Shari Redstone, a Hollywood icon who was reported this week to have earned more than $500 million from the $8 billion sale of her family’s media empire. But Redstone, the outgoing non-executive chair of Paramount Global, was sitting front and center earlier this week at the inaugural Middle East-America Dialogue (MEAD) Summit in Washington, an exclusive bipartisan gathering. Her involvement with the confab, as one of its founding funders, started in an unusual place: PAW Patrol, Redstone told Jewish Insider’s Gabby Deutch in an interview on Monday. Ronnen Harary, the creator of PAW Patrol and the founder of Canadian children’s entertainment company Spin Master, introduced Redstone to the conference.
Seeking change: Redstone, who has long been a philanthropic supporter of Jewish causes, has spoken out about the rise in antisemitism after the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks. In Washington, she took an optimistic tone. “I have this line: content leads to conversation that leads to change. That's sort of the basis of a lot of the initiatives I do at home around antisemitism and racism and civics education,” Redstone said. “That's really what this conference is, [the] content of the conference that's leading to conversation that hopefully leads to change and some good solutions.”
Read the full interview here. Iranian threat Micah Goodman adopts Netanyahu's Iran narrative — but says the PM can't lead that war  courtesy In recent years, Israeli author and commentator Micah Goodman has come to be viewed by in-the-know American Jews as something of a symbolic stand-in for Israeli public opinion, a reliable translator of the views of Israeli centrists and the center-right to diaspora audiences. This makes the fact that Goodman is now encouraging Israel to agree to a cease-fire and hostage deal significant; he spent a good chunk of the war arguing against such a deal. On a quick trip to Washington this week for the Middle East-America Dialogue (MEAD) Summit, Goodman told Jewish Insider’s Gabby Deutch that he’s working out for himself a new understanding of Israel’s war with Hamas in Gaza.
Massive shift: “Here's the massive shift I think we're all going through. We’re starting to understand that this war in Gaza is not the last episode of the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict, but it's the first episode of the Israeli-Iran war,” said Goodman. This is a new position for Goodman, and he’s still figuring out exactly what he thinks of it. His evolving worldview on Iran starts with a recognition, in his view, that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu — who has been talking about the Iranian threat for many years — was right to do so. But what makes it tricky, Goodman added, is that he thinks Netanyahu is not the right leader to defeat Iran. “We need Bibi's narrative in order to overcome Bibi's politics,” he said.
Read the full interview here.
Open Mike: Also speaking at the MEAD summit yesterday, in a conversation with moderator Barak Ravid of Axios, former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo argued that a Trump presidency would have prevented Hamas’ and Iran’s attacks on Israel and that a second Trump administration would be more likely to prevent Tehran from obtaining nuclear weapons, Jewish Insider’s Marc Rod reports. saudi sights Tom Cotton says he doesn't think two-state solution is a priority for Saudi Arabia  MEAD Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR) on Monday downplayed the need for progress toward a two-state solution as a prerequisite for a widely sought-after normalization agreement between Israel and Saudi Arabia, Jewish Insider’s Marc Rod reports.
Quotable: “It's not a tenable situation for Israel to accept, and frankly, I'm not sure it's one that Saudi Arabia would really insist upon itself,” Cotton said at the inaugural MEAD Summit in Washington, D.C. “They don't view that — as far as I can tell — as the critical issue for them in the region. The critical issue, as it is for almost every nation, is Iran and Iran's predatory behavior.”
Read the full story here. republican reception McCormick holds fundraiser with top GOP Jewish leaders  ANNA MONEYMAKER/GETTY IMAGES Pennsylvania Senate candidate Dave McCormick, one of the leading GOP recruits, headlined a packed fundraiser with author and podcaster Dan Senor, Republican Jewish Coalition CEO Matt Brooks and former White House Press Secretary Ari Fleischer on Monday. More than 300 people paid as much as $1,000 to attend the reception. The hosting members contributed $6,600 apiece, Jewish Insider’s Emily Jacobs reports.
In attendance: An invitation for the event, obtained by JI, listed Jeff and Sheryl Bartos and Amir and Stacey Goldman as the primary hosts for the gathering. Other notable attendees included former GOP Sen. Pat Toomey; Amir Goldman, founder of Susquehanna Growth Equity; and Pennsylvania Treasurer Stacy Garrity. McCormick, who is running in the politically pivotal battleground of Pennsylvania, has made winning over Jewish voters who have become disillusioned with the Democratic Party a major focus of his campaign against Sen. Bob Casey (D-PA).
Read the full story here. ad attack RJC launches $10 million ad buy targeting swing-state Jews  ETHAN MILLER/GETTY IMAGES The Republican Jewish Coalition on Monday announced a $10 million ad buy targeting Jewish voters in five key swing states, set to begin running during the presidential debate on Tuesday evening, Jewish Insider’s Marc Rod reports.
About the campaign: RJC CEO Matt Brooks said in a statement that the ads, which link Vice President Kamala Harris to the far-left Squad and accuse her of defending antisemitism and anti-Israel forces, are “by far, the largest and most comprehensive effort ever to turn out the Jewish vote for [former] President Donald J. Trump.” The advertisements will be running on television, social media, streaming services and elsewhere online in Pennsylvania, Georgia, Nevada, Michigan and Arizona, and RJC said they are part of a $15 million effort to attract Jewish voters to Trump.
Read the full story here.
Bonus: Democratic Majority for Israel endorsed a new slate of candidates, including Dave Min, a California state senator, who was opposed by millions in United Democracy Project spending in his primary, and Sue Altman, a New Jersey progressive who once led the Working Families Party — which has been vocally critical of Israel on the national level — in the state. A source familiar with the situation said that DMFI initially had concerns with Min’s position paper and that communications broke down with his campaign before the primary, but Min and DMFI discussed areas where his position paper was unclear after the primary. The source said DMFI has no remaining concerns about Min and sees him as a reliable supporter of Israel. They also said Altman had made her support for Israel clear to both DMFI and WFP, and WFP chose to endorse her anyway. | The Other Protest Victims: The New Yorker’s Emma Green talks to the Columbia University campus workers who have faced the brunt of protesters’ property destruction. “While media coverage of campus demonstrations tends to focus on the top ranks of universities, the effects of the protests tend to be most keenly felt by lower-level workers. That’s what happened this spring, when a group of about fifty protesters barricaded themselves in Hamilton Hall, one of Columbia’s academic buildings. Four workers — three janitors and a public-safety officer — were inside when the takeover started, and they had to 'fight their way out,' according to the president of the Transport Union Workers local, Alex Molina, who also works as an electrician on campus. ‘After the building was taken back, there was a group that didn’t want to return to work,’ Molina told me. But ‘they didn’t have a choice. We have to feed our families.’ He said that union members are feeling uneasy going into the new school year. The union has asked for a written safety protocol, along with indemnification from legal liability if workers feel they have to defend themselves. But ‘nothing has ever been put out from the university,’ Molina said. ‘We’re not getting anything to assure us that we’re safe.’” [NewYorker]
Flex America’s Muscle: In The Free Press, former National Security Advisor H.R. McMaster urges the next presidential administration against a policy of de-escalation to address global and regional threats. “Regardless of the outcome of the election, the period of maximum danger may be the days between November 5, 2024 and January 20, 2025. Our enemies will see a President Biden who lacks the mental sharpness and energy to confront aggression. President Harris or Trump will confront a world in crisis. Alas, I also suspect that crises will extend to the homefront. It’s not hard to imagine one candidate winning a narrow victory and the loser claiming that the result was fraudulent or skewed by foreign interference. So what can we do? Support whoever is elected. Urge him or her to strengthen our nation, abandon the obsession with de-escalation, and convince the axis of aggressors that they can no longer pursue their objectives with impunity.” [FreePress]
Acts of Betrayal: In the Boston Globe, progressive activist Brianna Wu explains how her views on Israel have shifted in the 11 months since the Oct. 7 Hamas terror attacks and have put her at odds with many in the progressive movement. “No conflict demonstrates the toxic horror that progressivism has become more than the Israel-Hamas war. There’s no kind way to say it — many progressives have betrayed our Jewish friends and neighbors, many of whom stood with us in defeating the 2018 anti-trans bathroom ballot initiative, elevating Black Lives Matter, and donning knitted pink hats to stand for women’s rights. In my experience, every time progressives asked for help with canvassing, donating, or phone banking, Jewish friends on the left showed up in disproportionate numbers. Their mistake was thinking that progressives would be there for them. There was a character test and we on the left failed it. The friends that had stood with us every step of the way got the message: Jews don’t count.” [BostonGlobe]
Iran on the Debate Stage: In The Times of Israel, Anti-Defamation League CEO Jonathan Greenblatt calls on both presidential candidates to articulate policies to address Iranian threats. “All sides need to acknowledge the reality: the Islamic Republic has rebuffed appeals for détente and peace. Instead, the regime and its so-called Axis of Resistance is a direct threat to the US, our allies, and our interests. It is long overdue for a fact-based, non-partisan, reasoned conversation as to how we should confront and curb this rogue state before it obtains nuclear weapons and expands its militarism any further. Despite what some might claim, this is not empty alarmism. This is not warmongering. This is stating the obvious. Stopping Tehran and its terrorist proxies must be a central topic in the presidential debate this week. The candidates must be pressed for concrete plans. We need honest policies rooted in reality.” [TOI] | Be featured: Email us to inform the JI readership of your upcoming event, job opening, or other communication. | The Justice Department announced charges against two leaders of a white supremacist group who are alleged to have used the Telegram messaging app to solicit violence against Jews and other minorities…
Rep. Elissa Slotkin (D-MI), who is running for Senate, excluded Facebook users whose interests included Jewish studies from at least a dozen ads on the social media platform; at least a dozen ads specifically targeted users whose interests included the Qatar-run Al Jazeera network and Islamic studies…
New York City Mayor Eric Adams’ annual Jewish media roundtable, slated for yesterday, was postponed after Adams tested positive for COVID-19…
Israel’s Foreign Ministry is pushing members of Congress to press South Africa to drop its International Court of Justice case against Israel…
Larry Ellison will replace Shari Redstone as the top shareholder of Paramount following the upcoming acquisition by Skydance Media, which was founded by his son David…
American venture capital fund Andreessen Horowitz has upped its investment in Israeli companies and startups…
“The Bibi Files,” a film including leaked footage of police interrogating Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over corruption allegations, premiered yesterday at the Toronto International Film Festival…
Baltimore Orioles owner David Rubenstein said that the team is nearing an agreement to extend its ground lease of Camden Yards an additional 30 years…
Holocaust survivor and author Irene Kurtz threw out the first pitch at last night’s game between the New York Mets and the Toronto Blue Jays, with Team Israel’s Spencer Horwitz playing catcher; the night prior, Yeshiva University President Rabbi Ari Berman threw out the first pitch at Sunday’s Mets’ game against the Cincinnati Reds…
Israel ordered the evacuation of several residential areas in northern Gaza following rocket fire from those areas into Ashkelon…
The EU warned of potential sanctions against Iran if reports that Tehran had sent ballistic missiles to Russia are confirmed; Iran has denied that it sent the weapons to Moscow…
The Israeli Air Force conducted an aerial strike on a humanitarian area in Khan Younis in Gaza; Israel said the targets were “significant Hamas terrorists who were operating within a command-and-control center embedded inside the humanitarian area”...
Israel reportedly carried out airstrikes in Syria targeting weapons research facilities… |  ATTILA KISBENEDEK/AFP via Getty Images Hungarian-Israeli retired Olympic artistic gymnast Agnes Keleti, 103, met with French Ambassador to Hungary Jonathan Lacote on Monday at her home in Budapest. Keleti, a Holocaust survivor, was awarded France's Gold Medal of Youth, Sports and Associative Commitment. |  Jose Luis Magana/AP Chief foreign correspondent for Fox News based in Tel Aviv, his upcoming book, Black Saturday, covers the events of Oct. 7 and the war that followed, Trey Yingst turns 31...
Chairman of Shamrock Holdings, Roy Disney's private investment company, Stanley Gold turns 82... Retired realtor in Southern California, Dianne Varon... Former EVP and general counsel at Chicago's futures broker Rosenthal Collins Group, Gerald Fishman... Past president of Congregation Ahavas Israel in Passaic, N.J., Howard Penner... Retired coordinator at Truman Heartland Community Foundation, she had been a Hebrew teacher at Congregation Beth Torah in Overland Park, Kan., Henri Goettel... Houston attorney, and Republican party activist, Gary M. Polland turns 74... Denver attorney and politician, he served in the Colorado House of Representatives for eight years, Joel Judd turns 72... Executive assistant to the office managing partner of the E&Y office in Tampa, Nancy Carol Finkel... U.S. senator (R-WY), Cynthia Lummis turns 70... Retired VP at Goldman Sachs, now a part-time elementary school teacher, Matthew Fried... Real estate attorney in South Florida, Steven A. Greenspan... Writer, columnist and author of four NYT bestsellers, Amity Ruth Shlaes turns 64... Editor of Mideast Dig, Richard Behar... Former acting administrator of the DEA, now a senior counsel at D.C.'s Crowell & Moring, Charles Philip "Chuck" Rosenberg turns 64... Founder and managing director at Beacon Global Strategies, Andrew Shapiro... NYC trusts and estates attorney, Lawrence Ira Garbuz... Co-founder and partner of One Madison Group, Jonathan Soros turns 54... Television writer and producer whose work includes “The Big Bang Theory,” Eric Kaplan turns 53... Executive director of the Mid-Atlantic region of Agudath Israel, Ariel Sadwin... Writer, actress and comedian, she was a writer for “Saturday Night Live,” Sarah Schneider turns 41... Principal at Blue Zone Partners and managing partner at Precision Infrastructure Management, Charles Szold... PR strategist, Josh Nass... Jennifer Meyer... | | | | | |
