Good Tuesday morning.
In today’s Daily Kickoff, we talk to Middle East experts about the dynamic between the U.S. and Israel on strategy in the region as President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu diverge on how to address Iran and its proxies, and have the scoop on the newest additions to the House Foreign Affairs Committee. We report on the who’s who of notables at last night’s NBA Finals game in New York, and talk to friends and colleagues of Tisch family matriarch Billie Tisch, who died on Sunday. Also in today’s Daily Kickoff: Sam Bankman-Fried, Ms. Rachel and Dan Loeb.
Today’s Daily Kickoff was curated by JI Executive Editor Melissa Weiss and Israel Editor Tamara Zieve, with assists from Danielle Cohen-Kanik and Marc Rod. Have a tip? Email us here.
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- Voters in Maine head to the polls today to cast their ballots in the state’s primary races, including the Democratic primary for Senate, where embattled oyster farmer Graham Platner is expected to win the nomination following Gov. Janet Mills’ suspension of her campaign earlier this spring. We’ll be watching the margin by which Platner, who has been dogged by a series of scandals ranging from a Nazi tattoo to comments supporting Hamas tactics to past volatile romantic relationships, wins tonight — which will indicate his strength going into the general election against one of the Senate’s most moderate Republicans, Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME).
- We’ll also be keeping an eye on primaries in Nevada, North Dakota and South Carolina.
- In the Middle East, Lebanese media reported Israeli airstrikes near Tyre in southern Lebanon on Tuesday morning after the IDF issued an evacuation order to residents of the city. On Monday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that, though Israel is “holding its fire” against Iran, Jerusalem has “a full right to self-defense” and is “exercising it to the extent necessary.” Two Israeli sources told CNN that Jerusalem planned to continue its operations against Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon.
- The House Judiciary Committee is holding a hearing on the Southern Poverty Law Center. The hearing comes two months after the Department of Justice charged the group with fraud in connection with now-defunct efforts to spend upwards of $3 million to pay informants at extremist groups.
- The House Appropriations Committee is holding markups this morning on the 2027 budgets for the Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Labor.
- Elsewhere in Washington, Chabad-Lubavitch’s Living Legacy International Conference, which kicked off last night, resumes this morning with a congressional leadership breakfast followed by events at the Library of Congress, a luncheon at the State Department, a roundtable with Jewish leaders from around the world this afternoon and a gala dinner in the evening.
- Agudath Israel of America is holding a dinner to dedicate its new Washington office and pay tribute to Rabbi Abba Cohen, the longtime head of the group’s DC operations.
- The Atlantic Council’s Global Energy Forum kicks off today in Washington. Energy Secretary Chris Wright, Sens. Bill Cassidy (R-LA), Chris Coons (D-DE), Martin Heinrich (D-NM), Alan Armstrong (R-OK); Reps. Ami Bera (D-CA), Young Kim (R-CA); Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy, Development Finance Corporation CEO Ben Black and TWG Global’s Amos Hochstein are slated to speak at the two-day gathering.
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A QUICK WORD WITH JI'S JOSH KRAUSHAAR |
Domestic politics isn’t always the best lens through which to evaluate foreign policy decisions.
But in assessing why President Donald Trump has gone to significant lengths to prevent Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu from striking back against Iran’s attacks, and why Netanyahu went ahead with the first wave of military strikes before standing down, it’s instructive to understand how the domestic politics in the U.S. and Israel are diverging.
The joint U.S.-Israel military operation against Iran, which began on Feb. 28 and has evolved into a very tenuous ceasefire since April 8, has not achieved many of the military goals outlined by both sides. Iran’s extremist leadership is still in place, it still maintains its nuclear ambitions and retains its nuclear material, and its ballistic missile stockpiles, while damaged, still remain.
On the Lebanese front, Hezbollah continues to threaten Israel’s north and not abide by any of the diplomatic agreements recently negotiated between Israel and the Lebanese government.
As a result of the limited achievements so far, public support for renewing military action against Iran has been low among the American public, and the overall operation is receiving lukewarm backing from Republicans.
Over two-thirds of voters in a recent Economist/YouGov poll said the U.S. “should make a deal to end the war in Iran as quickly as possible,” with just 11% disagreeing. Over half of Republicans shared the same sentiment of ending the war, with just 21% opposing.
Support for the war itself was much higher among Republicans than Democrats or independents, but still less than typical partisan support for Trump’s actions, with 67% of GOP voters backing the war in Iran and 20% opposing. (Among all voters, just 28% said they supported the war against Iran, with 60% opposing.)
These polling numbers explain why Trump, ever cognizant of public opinion especially in the run-up to a consequential midterm election, is trying to avoid reengaging with Iran militarily — even as he desperately seeks for some diplomatic off-ramp that Iran isn’t giving him.
In fact, it’s Trump’s very transparent desperation for a deal with Iran — and apparent unwillingness to go back to war —that’s emboldening Iran to continue its rejectionism to the point where it launched ballistic missiles at Israel over the weekend, feeling confident Trump would constrain Israel from any sustained response (which he did).
Read the rest of ‘What You Should Know’ here.
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Experts warn Trump’s attempts to restrain Israel undermine leverage in Iran talks |
Middle East experts warned on Monday that the Trump administration’s attempts to prevent Israel's military retaliation against Iran and its pursuit of a swift diplomatic breakthrough with Tehran are exposing a fundamental breakdown in strategic alignment between Washington and Jerusalem. This dynamic is actively undermining American leverage and hardening Tehran's resolve both at the negotiating table and on the battlefield, the analysts argued, Jewish Insider’s Matthew Shea reports.
Trump and Tehran: Speaking at a webinar hosted by the Jewish Institute for National Security of America, Amb. Eric Edelman, a distinguished fellow at JINSA and former White House official, said that the president’s behavior makes the U.S. appear "desperate for a deal.” Ari Cicurel, an assistant director of foreign policy at JINSA, agreed that the administration's apparent urgency to reach a deal removes vital military deterrence to back up U.S. diplomacy. “The president has signaled that he is highly prioritizing reaching some deal, and is willing to restrain Israel in order to do that,” Cicurel told JI.
Read the full story here.
On the Hill: Sen. Roger Wicker (R-MS), the chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said on Monday that he would support President Donald Trump abandoning diplomatic talks with Iran and resuming military operations, JI’s Marc Rod and Emily Jacobs report.
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Will Avila Chevalier’s ‘beyond the pale’ views sink the DSA challenger’s campaign against Espaillat? |
As Darializa Avila Chevalier mounts an insurgent campaign against Rep. Adriano Espaillat (D-NY) in Upper Manhattan, the democratic socialist has faced mounting scrutiny over past controversial posts that have surfaced in recent days, raising questions about whether the negative publicity will blunt her chances in the June 23 primary election. Some strategists suggested that her incendiary views could get overlooked amid a national political landscape favoring extreme, anti-establishment sentiments now fueling the rise of several far-left candidates in Democratic primaries around the country, Jewish Insider’s Matthew Kassel reports.
Sign of the times: “It seems to not matter in a way that it would have been a deal-breaker 15 or 20 years ago,” Chris Coffey, a Democratic strategist in New York City who is not involved in the primary, told JI on Monday. “This race feels like our new outlier, where some of the things she’s said are so far beyond the pale.”
Read the full story here.
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Controversial influencer Ms. Rachel set to be hosted by Congressional Dads Caucus |
The Congressional Dads Caucus is hosting children’s influencer Rachel Griffin-Accurso, better known as Ms. Rachel, as a featured guest at a reception in Washington on Tuesday, according to an invitation obtained by Jewish Insider’s Marc Rod. Griffin-Accurso has faced scrutiny and criticism over antisemitic activity and for hosting a pro-Hamas Palestinian journalist on her social media accounts.
Background: Griffin-Accurso is one of 10 “special guests,” including “leaders, advocates, creators, entertainers, and changemakers who are helping redefine fatherhood and caregiving in America,” at the Tuesday reception. The reception is co-hosted by the Dads Caucus, founded by Rep. Jimmy Gomez (D-CA), to advocate for policies including childcare affordability and accessibility, paid family leave and the child tax credit, ahead of the group’s Dad Ambassador Awards. The event is co-hosted by Equimundo, which describes itself as a nonprofit focused on promoting gender equality and preventing violence.
Read the full story here.
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Democrats to name Reps. Bell, Wasserman Schultz and Pocan to Foreign Affairs Committee |
House Democrats are set to name Reps. Wesley Bell (D-MO), Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL) and Mark Pocan (D-WI) to the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Jewish Insider’s Marc Rod has learned.
Lineup changes: Bell and Wasserman Schultz are both strong supporters of Israel, while Pocan is an outspoken critic, joining a panel that features outspoken voices on both sides of the Israel policy debate. None of the three offices responded to requests for comment. Rep. Max Miller (R-OH), a Jewish Republican and strong supporter of Israel, also recently joined the panel.
Read the full story here.
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A who's who of notables packed Madison Square Garden for Game 3 of the NBA Finals |
White House Special Envoy Steve Witkoff, EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin and Boris Epshteyn, the personal attorney to President Donald Trump, joined the president in a luxury suite at Madison Square Garden on Monday night for Game 3 of the NBA Finals, where the Knicks lost to the San Antonio Spurs on home turf, 115-111, Jewish Insider’s Melissa Weiss reports.
Spotted: Courtside, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick sat with his wife, Allison, across the aisle from rappers Fat Joe and DJ Khaled. Elsewhere at MSG, former U.S. Ambassador to Japan Rahm Emanuel, WME Group CEO Ari Emanuel, Mark Shapiro, Larry David, David Zaslav and Robert Kraft were seated courtside for the game. Former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg also sat courtside — and found himself face-to-face with Jose Alvarado as the Knicks guard crashed into spectators while trying to save the ball from going out of bounds.
Read the full story here.
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'SMARTEST, NICEST PERSON IN THE ROOM' |
Colleagues mourn philanthropist Wilma ‘Billie’ Tisch |
When Louise Greilsheimer thinks about Billie Tisch, she thinks about the way a room felt after she left it. “When you walked in a room, she didn’t strike you,” Greilsheimer told eJewishPhilanthropy’s Nira Dayanim, “but when you left, you knew that she was probably the smartest and nicest person in the room.” Tisch — a billionaire philanthropist, matriarch of one of New York’s most prominent Jewish families and the first woman ever elected president of the Federation of Jewish Philanthropies of New York — died on Sunday at her home in Manhattan. She was 98.
Legacy: Tisch was the last surviving member of her family’s original quartet of philanthropists, whose combined legacy is reflected in a wide range of educational, cultural and medical institutions carrying the Tisch name, and in decades of sustained support for Jewish organizations throughout New York City.
Read the full obituary here and sign up for eJewishPhilanthropy’s Your Daily Phil newsletter here.
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High Seas Hostage Diplomacy: For CNN, Brett McGurk, who served as the White House’s coordinator for the Middle East in the Biden administration, posits that Iran is applying the same tactics to negotiations over reopening the Strait of Hormuz as it did to talks over hostages held in the Islamic Republic. “For Iran, [holding the Strait] is possession. It now has something the US (and for that matter, the rest of the world) wants. And it will not give it up unless and until America pays an exorbitant price. In Tehran’s eyes, the strait has now become the most valuable hostage it has ever possessed. … The question in Washington is when a deal might be concluded following exchanges of texts through mediators. The question in Tehran is simply whether Trump will pay the price they are demanding. It’s the classic dynamic of a hostage negotiation.” [CNN]
Broad Daylight: The Financial Times explores the divide between President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. “Dahlia Scheindlin, a Tel Aviv-based pollster and political analyst, said there was also an element of ‘political theatre’ to the public disagreements. ‘Trump is basically trying to show the American public that he’s trying to keep the war from re-escalating and he’s trying to keep America from getting involved again,’ she said. ‘And Netanyahu looks good to his domestic audience because he’s defying Trump.’” [FT]
Boycotts and Battlefields: In The Washington Post, Aaron Kaplowitz, president of the United States-Israel Business Alliance, argues that efforts to boycott Israeli defense technology, as some European countries have done on the basis of “moral leadership,” risks forgoing technology that is effective on the battlefield. “According to defense officials, governments that have announced boycotts on Israeli weapons makers are placing orders anyway. That is what governing by perception looks like: Speeches for the activist base. Procurement contracts in the back office. European defense ministries understand what they cannot say in public. Israeli systems are battle-tested in real time against adaptive enemies, and there are not many alternatives that perform as well. The defense systems a nation procures depends on what has the best capabilities.” [WashPost]
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Be featured: Email us to inform the JI readership of your upcoming event, job opening or other communication.
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Vice President JD Vance was asked by Fox News host Jesse Watters about reports that Israel was spying on the U.S. and engaging in military operations in Lebanon, responding that “The Israelis and I, the Israelis and the United States, we have a lot of shared interests, but we also have some situations where our interests diverge. While Israel obviously has objectives it has, the U.S. main objective in Iran is that Iran doesn’t have a nuclear weapon… We’ve created this space necessary where the president believes, and I think he’s right, that we can get the long-term settlement to an Iran nuclear deal. Israel may like that, they may not like that… this is in the best interest of the United States of America”...
President Donald Trump nominated Todd Blanche to be attorney general; Blanche has been serving in the role in an acting capacity since former AG Pam Bondi departed the position in April…
A State Department report submitted to Congress last month accuses Russia, Iran and China of weaponizing antisemitic imagery and rhetoric “across physical and cyber domains”...
Two crew members of a U.S. Army Apache helicopter were rescued after it went down in the Strait of Hormuz; the cause of the helicopter’s downing remains under investigation…
Thirty-eight Senate Democrats, led by Sens. Adam Schiff (D-CA), Tim Kaine (D-VA) and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), demanded the administration provide Congress with the legal opinion backing its determination that U.S. hostilities against Iran have ended, given the ongoing strikes and U.S. presence in the region...
By voice votes, the House passed legislation requiring the Trump administration to determine whether various Iranian clerics, and other Iranian entities meet the standards to face U.S. sanctions, and requiring the State Department to brief Congress on antisemitism in Europe…
Eighty-five House Democrats led by Reps. Mark Pocan (D-WI) and Jan Schakowsky (D-IL) urged the administration to act to halt construction of the E1 settlement project in the West Bank…
Third Point founder Dan Loeb hosted Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent on Monday at his hedge fund’s Manhattan office, according to a photo posted on Loeb’s Instagram account…
Axios reports that Paramount executives have engaged in preliminary conversations for a business-side counterpart to CBS News Editor-in-Chief Bari Weiss…
Federal officials arrested a New Jersey man on charges of attempting to provide support to the Islamic State; authorities said that Mohamed Sagha had displayed an interest in attacking a Jewish site or National Guard station in the state…
Under the headline “The New York Primary That Is All About Israel,” The Wall Street Journal looks at the degree to which debate over Israel and U.S. policy in the Middle East is “dividing neighbors and consuming” New York’s 10th Congressional District, where Rep. Dan Goldman (D-NY) is facing a tough primary challenge from former New York City Comptroller Brad Lander…
Los Angeles City Councilmember Nithya Raman, a far-left Democrat, edged out Republican Spencer Pratt for the second runoff spot in the race for Los Angeles mayor; Raman will face incumbent Mayor Karen Bass, also a Democrat, in November…
In a Wall Street Journal opinion piece, Meta President Dina Powell McCormick and Mike Rowe, the CEO of the mikeroweWORKS Foundation, announce the launch of America’s Workforce Academy, a partnership between Meta and a number of partner groups to train would-be workers on AI technology…
Meta accused NSO Group of attempting to hack its WhatsApp messaging service in violation of a court order prohibiting the Israeli spyware firm from doing so…
FTX co-founder Sam Bankman-Fried submitted a formal request to the Justice Department’s Pardon Attorney Office seeking a presidential pardon after serving more than two years of a 25-year term for overseeing a fraudulent cryptocurrency empire…
Richmond, Calif., Mayor Eduardo Martinez is expected to lose his bid for reelection after coming under fire for sharing antisemitic conspiracy theories, including a post that the terror attack at a Sydney, Australia, Hanukkah celebration was an Israeli false flag operation; Martinez trails at least two other candidates in the race, leaving him short of the runoff…
In a letter to Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, members of the J7 — leading Jewish groups from Argentina, Australia, Canada, France, Germany, the U.K. and the U.S. — raise concerns about rising antisemitism in Canada and call on Ottawa to take a “whole-of-government effort” and address what the body sees as Canada’s “lack of urgency, coordination, and enforcement” as well as “of real action” to address antisemitism…
Karim Khan, the chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, was suspended on Monday over allegations of sexual misconduct with a female aide; the ICC’s Assembly of States Parties will hold a special session to determine the future of Khan’s employment by the court…
The Wall Street Journal looks at the precarious situation in Lebanon as Beirut, backed by Washington and amid talks with Israel, seeks to degrade Hezbollah as the Iranian-backed group maintains its deep entrenchment in the country’s military and politics…
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JAMAL AWAD/PICTURE ALLIANCE VIA GETTY IMAGES
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An Israeli man on Monday visited the wreckage of an Iranian missile near the West Bank city of Jericho, following strikes from Iran earlier in the day targeting Israel.
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ETHAN MILLER/GETTY IMAGES
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Producer, director, playwright and screenwriter, he has won an Academy Award, five Primetime Emmy Awards and three Golden Globes, Aaron Benjamin Sorkin turns 65...
Former executive director of the Jewish Federation of Greater Dallas, Walter Julius Levy turns 104... Journalist for 30 years at CBS and NBC who then became the founding director of Harvard's Shorenstein Center, then a fellow at GWU, Marvin Kalb turns 96... Retired Israeli diplomat who served as ambassador to Italy and France and world chairman of Keren Hayesod - United Israel Appeal, Aviezer "Avi" Pazner turns 89... Author of 12 books, journalist, lecturer and social activist, founding editor of Ms. Magazine, Letty Cottin Pogrebin turns 87... British businessman, co-founder with his brother Maurice of advertising agency Saatchi & Saatchi which became the largest in the world, noted for his art collection and for founding Saatchi Gallery, Charles Saatchi turns 83... Diplomat and Shakespeare historian, he was the longtime national editor of Washingtonian magazine, Kenneth Adelman turns 80... Founder of Commonwealth Financial Network (a broker/dealer network) and former chairman of Southworth Development (a golf and leisure business), Joseph Deitch turns 76... Professional mediator, for years she was a syndicated advice columnist in Jewish newspapers, Wendy J. Belzberg... Israel's former minister of defense and deputy prime minister, Benny Gantz turns 67... Canadian journalist, author, documentary film producer and television personality, Steven Hillel Paikin turns 66... Former lead singer of the Israeli pop rock band Mashina, Yuval Banay turns 64... CEO of Jewish Women’s International, Meredith Jacobs... Managing director at Major, Lindsey & Africa, Craig Appelbaum... EVP of Jewish Funders Network, Rabbi Rebecca Sirbu... Screenwriter, director and producer, Hayden Schlossberg turns 48... Founder and CEO of Delve, an AI platform for public affairs, he was previously a Bush 43 White House Jewish liaison, Jeff Berkowitz... NYC-based writer, actor and entrepreneur, he is a co-founder of Swish Beverages, David Oliver Cohen turns 46... Jerusalem-born Academy Award-winning actor, producer and director, Natalie Portman turns 45... Online producer, writer and director, who together with his brother Benny founded the "React" video series, Rafi Fine turns 43... Multimedia artist known for her work in photography, makeup, hairstyling and textile crafts, Anna Marie Tendler turns 41... Composer and lyricist, in 2024 he became the 20th person to complete the EGOT, an acronym for the Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony Awards, Benj Pasek turns 41... Israeli tech entrepreneur, he is the founder and CEO of A.Team, Raphael Ouzan turns 39... Director of the Yale Journalism Initiative, her book, A Flower Traveled In My Blood, was published last year, Haley Cohen Gilliland... Deputy assistant secretary for strategic communications at the Department of Homeland Security during the Biden administration, Jeff Solnet... Ice hockey player for the NHL's Edmonton Oilers and best-selling author of children's books, Zachary Martin Hyman turns 34... Serial entrepreneur, founder and CEO of Setscale, Daniel Fine...
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