| | Good Thursday morning.
In today’s Daily Kickoff, we cover the release earlier today of three Israeli and five Thai hostages, and report on President Donald Trump’s executive order targeting campus antisemitism. We also talk to Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey about his bid for a third and final term, and report on Israeli Ambassador to the U.S. Yechiel Leiter’s first week in Washington. Also in today’s Daily Kickoff: Eugene Kontorovich, Dan Loeb and Mark Levine.
Spread the word! Invite your friends to sign up.👇 Share with a friend | - Earlier today, Israelis Arbel Yehoud, Gadi Moses and Agam Berger, as well as five Thai hostages, were freed after more than 15 months in captivity. Read more here.
- Steve Witkoff, the White House’s Middle East envoy, is in Israel today. Earlier today, Witkoff, who met this morning with the four hostages who were freed last weekend, met with hostage families in Tel Aviv.
- We're also following the tragic details of a plane crash late Wednesday just outside Washington at Reagan National Airport after an American Airlines flight from Kansas carrying 64 people collided in midair with a U.S. Army helicopter. Many of the passengers and crew are feared dead; rescue and recovery efforts are ongoing. It's the first major commercial airline crash in the U.S. since 2009.
- Former Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, the nominee for director of national intelligence, will testify before the Senate Intelligence Committee at 10 a.m. This afternoon, the Senate Judiciary Committee will hold the confirmation hearing for Kash Patel, Trump’s choice for FBI director. More below.
- This morning, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee will vote to advance the nomination of Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY) to be U.N. ambassador.
- Today is the deadline for the U.N. Relief and Works Agency, which works with Palestinians, to cease its operations in the West Bank, Gaza and east Jerusalem following the passage of Knesset legislation in October banning the agency from operating in Israel.
- Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Aragchi is in Doha, Qatar, today for meetings with senior Qatari officials.
| Former Rep. Tulsi Gabbard and Kash Patel, President Donald Trump’s nominees for director of national intelligence and director of the FBI, are set to come before the Senate Intelligence and Judiciary Committees today, in what are likely to be high-drama proceedings, Jewish Insider’s Marc Rod reports.
Gabbard is one of the most imperiled of Trump’s nominees, with a series of concerns about her past meetings with former Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad (and praise of the brutal dictator); her past opposition to critical government surveillance powers; her reported lack of preparation for private meetings with senators; her support for pardoning Edward Snowden; questions about potential meetings with Hezbollah or Hezbollah-affiliated Lebanese leaders; her perceived affinity for Russia; the sect (described by some as a cult) in which she was raised; other questionable contacts and more.
Expect questions on a range of those issues — particularly her trip to Syria and Lebanon — to come up at her hearing, from both Democrats and some Republicans who remain skeptical of the nomination.
Democrats say they’re taking a similar approach to the hearing as they did for Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, with many of them prepared to focus their questions on different specific issues.
Gabbard has also embraced a much more dovish foreign policy approach than leading national security officials in the first Trump administration, including on Israel and Iran, supporting the Iran deal and opposing the strike that killed Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani.
In her prepared opening statement, she touts her political independence and “refusal to be anyone’s puppet.”
Sen. Mark Warner (D-VA), the Senate Intelligence Committee’s leading Democrat, will “argue that foreign allies may not be able to trust the United States with sensitive intelligence information if Gabbard is confirmed,” according to Punchbowl News.
Sen. James Lankford (R-OK), who had praised Gabbard’s apparent change of heart on government surveillance powers, noted to reporters that they’d spent multiple hours in his office working through a range of questions. Asked by JI whether he thinks Gabbard is on track for confirmation, he responded “ask me somewhere around Friday.”
Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME), a potential swing vote, said she has more questions for Gabbard at her hearing tomorrow based on a private discussion, adding that she would not make a decision on Gabbard’s nomination until after her hearing.
But don’t bet against Gabbard yet. She’s won over once skeptical Republicans on the committee and key figures, such as Senate Intelligence Committee Chair Tom Cotton (R-AR) and former Chairman Sen. Richard Burr (R-NC).
Patel, an outspoken Trump loyalist, is likely to be confirmed, though he’ll almost certainly face grilling from Democrats about whether he’ll seek to weaponize the FBI against his and Trump’s perceived political enemies, as he has suggested in past writings and media appearances.
He may face questions over his past public comments offering support for conspiracy theories, including QAnon, his support for those convicted for their involvement in the Jan. 6, 2021, U.S. Capitol riot and his qualifications to lead the FBI.
Trump’s decision to revoke federal protection from a host of former senior officials threatened by the Iranian regime could also come up, as could Patel’s largely unknown approach to tackling homeland threats from Iran and foreign terrorist groups, domestic violent extremist groups and growing antisemitic threats to Jewish communities and institutions.
Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL), the top Judiciary Committee Democrat, described Patel’s book, Government Gangsters, where he outlined a desire for retribution against political enemies, as “his playbook for his political life: give him 38,000 FBI agents and let him seek retribution against those who’ve wronged him and disrespected him. That is not what the FBI is all about … I want to give him a chance to explain the unexplainable.”
Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC), a member of the Judiciary Committee with a reputation for bipartisanship, is firmly in Patel’s corner, and is set to introduce him in the committee. | executive edict Trump to ‘marshal all federal resources’ to fight antisemitism with new executive order  Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Wednesday focused on countering antisemitism, in what the White House described as an effort to “marshal all federal resources” to “combat the explosion of antisemitism on our campuses and in our streets since Oct. 7, 2023.” The executive order requires every federal department and agency to review criminal and civil authorities that could be used to fight antisemitism, with a requirement to report back to the White House within 60 days, Jewish Insider’s Gabby Deutch reports.
In the text: “I will issue clear orders to my attorney general to aggressively prosecute terroristic threats, arson, vandalism and violence against American Jews,” Trump said in a fact sheet accompanying the order. “I will be the best friend Jewish Americans have ever had in the White House.” Trump also pledged to deport “pro-jihadist” foreign students who broke the law during anti-Israel protests, although the order did not detail how he would do that.
Read the full story here.
Communal response: Several major Jewish organizations welcomed the executive order on Wednesday adopting a whole-of-government approach to fight antisemitism, Jewish Insider’s Haley Cohen and Marc Rod report. ambassador in action New Israeli Ambassador Yechiel Leiter makes first trip to Capitol Hill  COURTESY OF THE OFFICE OF SEN. TED CRUZ Yechiel Leiter, the new Israeli ambassador to the United States who began his term in Washington last week, made his first trip to Capitol Hill as ambassador on Wednesday, a source familiar with the visit told Jewish Insider’s Marc Rod.
New in town: The trip included meetings with lawmakers on both sides of the aisle, the source said. One of Leiter’s meetings was with Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX). Leiter was spotted by JI on the Senate side of the U.S. Capitol. Another one of Leiter’s early stops in Washington was the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum on Monday, where he delivered a speech marking International Holocaust Remembrance Day.
Read the full story here. scoop Jewish organizations urge pediatricians to retract letter of support for Hamas doctor  BSIP/UIG Via Getty Images In early January, the American Academy of Pediatrics — the largest professional body for pediatricians in the U.S. — wrote a letter to former Secretary of State Tony Blinken calling on the State Department to look into the situation of a Gazan doctor who was detained by the Israeli military. Now, several major Jewish organizations are calling on the AAP to issue a retraction to their letter, given Dr. Hassam Abu Safiya’s affiliation with the terrorist group Hamas, Jewish Insider’s Gabby Deutch reports.
Integrity at risk: The Anti-Defamation League, the American Jewish Medical Association, Hadassah and StandWithUs wrote in a Tuesday letter obtained by JI that the AAP’s failure to mention that Abu Safiya has been determined by “Israeli authorities and other sources” to be a member of Hamas risks “fundamentally compromising the integrity of the Academy.”
Read the full story here. masking matters New York Legislature takes up amended mask ban legislation  LANA BELLAMY/ALBANY TIMES UNION VIA GETTY IMAGES A newly proposed mask ban bill aimed in part at addressing a recent uptick in antisemitic incidents in New York is emerging as a potential flashpoint in Albany’s fledgling legislative session, even as it has won outspoken support from a wide range of Jewish leaders and civil rights groups, Jewish Insider’s Matthew Kassel reports.
Updated: The legislation, introduced last week by state Sen. James Skoufis and Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz, would reinstate a previous ban repealed during the COVID pandemic, while adding “masked harassment” as a new criminal violation, and also expanding the definition of aggravated harassment in the second degree to include acts of masked intimidation and violence. It includes several carve-outs for people who wear masks for religious, health or occupational reasons.
Read the full story here. into the frey Jacob Frey’s unfinished business in Minneapolis  STEPHEN MATUREN/GETTY IMAGES Jacob Frey, the mayor of Minneapolis, said on Wednesday he will seek a third and final term in office, as the Jewish Democrat prepares to face a growing number of challengers in the November election. “Our city has come through adversity together, and Minneapolis is coming back with real results,” he told Jewish Insider’s Matthew Kassel. “But the job is not finished yet, and I am running to finish the job and to set up the next mayor and our city residents for success for decades to come.”
Speaking out: In his seven years as mayor, Frey, 43, has clashed with the far left on such issues as policing and Israel’s war with Hamas. He has said he drew closer to his Jewish identity amid a surge in antisemitism after the Oct. 7 attacks. “As a Jewish person and as a Jewish mayor, I’ve seen horrid incidents play out without a lot of pushback,” he told JI. “I’m going to stand up for a community I happen to be a member of that has seen quite a bit of discrimination.”
Read the full story here. campus beat U.S. civil rights commission to launch investigation of campus antisemitism  JASON REDMOND/AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES The independent U.S. Commission on Civil Rights voted unanimously on Jan. 17 to open a yearlong investigation into the rise of antisemitism on college campuses, which is set to include a probe of how the Department of Education and Department of Justice have responded to the growing crisis, Jewish Insider’s Marc Rod reports.
About the probe: The commission, a bipartisan body charged with making recommendations to Congress and the administration, whose members are appointed by the president and Congress, will prepare a report for release in 2026. The commission’s vote comes after a request from a bipartisan group of House members led by Reps. Jake Auchincloss (D-MA) and Kevin Kiley (R-CA). The investigation is set to be led by former Rep. Mondaire Jones (D-NY) and attorney Peter Kirsanow, a Republican, who were both appointed by congressional leaders to the commission.
Read the full story here.
Blocked appointment: As George Mason University contends with several major incidents of antisemitism on its campus, Democrats in the Virginia State Senate rejected Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s renomination of Ken Marcus, one of the country’s leading antisemitism experts — who has been advising the university — to its board of visitors, Jewish Insider’s Haley Cohen reports. | Envoy Anxiety: In The Hill, the Foundation for Defense of Democracies’ Rich Goldberg and Max Meizlish call on the Trump administration to revoke the credentials of South Africa’s new ambassador in Washington, citing Ebrahim Rasool’s support for Hamas and his ANC party’s deepening relationships with authoritarian nations. “Rasool’s track record represents all that is wrong with South Africa’s foreign policy under the ANC. He has hosted senior Hamas operatives. He has reportedly praised Hamas founder Sheikh Ahmed Yassin as “one of the greatest inspirations.” Just two weeks before the Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas terror attack against Israel, Rasool gloated about receiving a signed keffiyeh from the group’s former political leader, Ismail Haniyeh, whom Israel assassinated last July. … By rejecting Rasool, Trump has a rare chance to combat the ANC’s toxic foreign policy while affirming America’s commitment to a better future for South Africa. The ANC’s declining majority has opened the door to more pro-Western voices — those who want to rebuild the country’s economy, fight corruption and forge stronger ties with the West.” [TheHill]
Comfort Food: In The Forward, Refael Hasid, the owner of an Israeli restaurant in New York that was vandalized last week, reflects on the response to the incident. “‘Home,’ for me, means embodying the story of Israeli food. I was born and raised in Petah Tikvah, where I learned that Israel, as a young nation, has been shaped by a medley of cultures, cuisines, and traditions from more than 100 countries across the Mediterranean, Middle East, Europe and beyond. Our food at Miriam is made with the deepest respect for the diverse history, and cultures, that inform the cuisine with which I was raised. It’s always devastating to see hate find its way into spaces dedicated to joy and connection. Yet, while this act of vandalism hurt me deeply, it also reaffirmed the mission I’ve worked so hard to enact. I knew I had a choice to make. I could let this act define the narrative of Miriam, or I could use it as an opportunity to amplify the values of neighborliness, warmth and inclusion that we represent. For me, the decision was clear. Instead of focusing on the negativity, I choose to focus on the outpouring of support we receive from the community. Local residents, regular customers, and even strangers who had never before set foot in the restaurant are reaching out with words of encouragement. The overwhelming response reminds me why I started this journey in the first place. It reaffirms my belief that the majority of people — regardless of their background — desire unity.” [TheForward] | Transform Your Mornings With Trade. Each week, I settled for whatever coffee was on sale, missing out on true flavor. Then I discovered Trade, a specialty coffee marketplace featuring over 450 handpicked roasts from passionate small-batch roasters worldwide. My perfect cup was just a quiz away! Freshly roasted and delivered within 48 hours, Trade has completely transformed my mornings, and I’m so excited to share it with you. As a Jewish Insider reader, enjoy an exclusive 30% off your first month when you subscribe today. Take the quiz and find your perfect coffee today.
Be featured: Email us to inform the JI readership of your upcoming event, job opening, or other communication. | President Donald Trump issued an executive order that prioritizes and frees up federal funding for school choice programs, a move that religious groups, including the Orthodox Union and Agudath Israel, applauded. “It’s been a priority issue for our community for many years and we look forward to empowering parents to make the best decisions for their kids’ education,” said Nathan Diament, executive director of the OU Advocacy Center…
Trump restored a 2020 executive order protecting public monuments against vandalism, citing “pro-Hamas-related vandalism” and “related assaults on Federal officers and employees following October 7, 2023”…
Republicans are strategizing on how to push Trump to restore security details for former administration officials who have been targeted by Iranian assassination plots; the president revoked the details last week…
The Senate Judiciary Committee advanced, along a party-line vote, the nomination of Pam Bondi to be attorney general; the Senate will vote to confirm her in the coming days…
Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) is backing Wisconsin Democratic Party Chair Ben Wikler to head the Democratic National Committee ahead of next month’s leadership vote…
Rep. Ritchie Torres (D-NY) endorsed Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine in New York City’s comptroller race…
Former Sen. Bob Menendez (D-NJ) was sentenced to 11 years in prison after being convicted of taking bribes and acting as an Egyptian agent…
Third Point’s Dan Loeb unveiled his 10% stake in Soho House as he raised concerns about a deal backed by Ron Burkle that would take the company private…
The New York Times looks at how some universities have begun taking action against anti-Israel activity on campus…
Law professor Eugene Kontorovich is joining the Heritage Foundation as a senior research fellow…
Anne Bayefsky, the director of the Touro Institute on Human Rights and the Holocaust, slammed the United Nations as a “pathological global purveyor of antisemitism” that “took the opportunity this year, as in the past, to masquerade as on the right side of history” by holding an International Holocaust Remembrance Day event earlier this week…
Australian officials in Sydney are warning of an uptick in antisemitic violence, following three separate incidents of antisemitic vandalism overnight, a day after a trailer with explosives was found on the property of an individual who had previously been arrested following investigations into antisemitic violence…
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said that Israeli forces would remain indefinitely on the summit of Mt. Hermon, between Israel and Syria…
Katz spoke to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth yesterday for what the Pentagon called an “introductory call” to “to reaffirm the unbreakable bond between the United States and Israel”...
Freelance journalist Ben Jacobs is joining Politico… |  IDF Spokesperson Released hostages Liri Albag, Naama Levy, Daniella Gilboa and Karina Ariev watched the release Thursday morning of Agam Berger, who was taken hostage with them at the Nahal Oz base on Oct. 7, at Beilinson Hospital. |  courtesy Newly sworn in as administrator of the EPA, Lee Zeldin turns 45 today. Zeldin, who represented New York's 1st Congressional District from 2015-2023, was sworn in by Justice Brett Kavanaugh on a Chumash, after being confirmed by the Senate 56-42.
Chairman of The Cordish Companies, David S. Cordish turns 85... Artist who paints biblical narratives based upon her Torah study, Barbara "Willy" Mendes turns 77... Professor at the school of pharmacy at Hebrew University, Meir Bialer turns 77... Teacher and community leader, Judith Friedman Rosen turns 73... Broadcaster for MLB's Oakland Athletics and author of two baseball related books, Kenneth Louis Korach turns 73... Upton, Wyo., resident, Heather Graf... VP of corporate engagement at the Parker Jewish Institute for Health Care and Rehabilitation in New Hyde Park, N.Y., Linda Scacco... CEO of the Jewish National Fund, Russell F. Robinson turns 69... Member of the California State Senate from 2014 until 2019, now a member of the Nevada State Senate, Jeffrey Earle Stone turns 69... Philadelphia-area psychologist, Dr. Rachel Ginzberg... Managing partner of lobbying and law firm Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck, Richard B. Benenson... Director of public relations for the Chabad-Lubavitch movement, Zalman Shmotkin turns 56... Associate professor in the electrical engineering department at the Technion Israel Institute of Technology, Guy Gilboa turns 54... Israeli singer, songwriter and music producer, Assaf Amdursky turns 54... Publicist, manager and socialite, she runs an eponymous NYC PR and management firm, Elizabeth "Lizzie" Grubman turns 54... Special projects editor at The Week Junior, Bari Nan Cohen Rothchild... At-large member of the Montgomery County (Md.) Council, Evan M. Glass turns 48... Dallas resident, Gisele Marie Rogers... Senior advisor at the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation, Joshua M. Kram... National correspondent for ABC News Radio, Steven Portnoy turns 44... Israeli actor, director and author, he is known for starring in "Shtisel" and as the host of the popular reality TV show, "The Voice Israel," Michael Aloni turns 41... CEO at Harvesting Media and host of the “Kosher Money” podcast, Eli Langer... Media professional and communications strategist, Alyona Minkovski turns 39... Member of the Connecticut House of Representatives since 2019, he is the eldest son of U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Matthew S. Blumenthal turns 39... Partner in Avalanche VC and strategic advisor at Array Education, Eric Scott Lavin... Former deputy national security advisor to VPOTUS Kamala Harris, Rebecca Friedman Lissner turns 38... Sports Illustrated model, Kate Lynne Bock Love turns 37... Senior principal at Publicis Sapient, Max Delahanty... Professional ice hockey defenseman, he played on Team USA at the 2018 Winter Olympics and is currently playing with EHC Red Bull München, Jonathon Blum turns 36... Principal at Blue Wolf Capital Partners, Jared Isenstein... Ice hockey forward for four seasons at Northeastern University, she is now playing in the Professional Women's Hockey League, Chelsey Goldberg turns 32... Digital marketing manager in South Florida, Alexa Smith... | | | | | |
