Daily Kickoff
TOP TALKER: “Major nations hold talks on ending U.N sanctions on Iran” by Louis Charbonneau: “A senior U.S. administration official confirmed that the discussions were underway. Officials said a U.N. resolution could help protect any nuclear deal against attempts by Republicans in U.S. Congress to sabotage it. Since violation of U.N. demands that Iran halt enrichment provide a legal basis for sanctioning Tehran, a new resolution could make new sanction moves difficult. Some eight U.N. resolutions – four of them imposing sanctions – ban Iran from uranium enrichment and other sensitive atomic work and bar it from buying and selling atomic technology and anything linked to ballistic missiles. Iran sees their removal as crucial as U.N. measures are a legal basis for more stringent U.S. and European Union measures to be enforced.” [Reuters]
Sen. Bob Corker in a letter to President Obama: “Enabling the United Nations to consider an agreement or portions of it, while simultaneously threatening to veto legislation that would enable Congress to do the same, is a direct affront to the American people and seeks to undermine Congress’s appropriate role.” [Letter] • “GOP Goes Ballistic Over Plan to Take The Iran Nuke Deal to the U.N.” [DailyBeast]
“U.S. “Has No Intention” Of Using United Nations To Cement Iran Deal” by Hayes Brown:“The U.S. has “no intention” of using the United Nations to lock into place any potential deal with Iran over its nuclear program, a senior U.S. official said on Thursday.” [BuzzFeed]
Former Obama Advisor Dennis Ross: “The US and the other world powers negotiating with Iran on its nuclear program need to decide in advance on precisely how they would respond to the range of potential violations of any deal, and the Obama administration should also have Congress agree on the consequences of such violations.” [ToI]
Mitt Romney Op: “It would take uncommon courage for President Obama to scotch a deal with Iran. The Iranians undoubtedly know this, of course, which is why they have been such reluctant, resistant and effective negotiators. Turning down a weak deal may be too much to expect from a president who walked back from his own red line in Syria, but we can hope.” [USA Today]
Politico Caucus: “Iran-letter backlash spreads to early states” by James Hohmann: ‘Policywise, the deal Obama is trying to cut is a bad one. Politically speaking, however, the letter has been a disaster.’ [Politico] • “European allies join in criticism of Republican letter to Iran” [WashPost] • “Ayatollah Ali Khamenei says GOP warning represents ‘collapse in political ethics’” [WSJ]
NYTIMES IN TIME FOR ISRAELEX: “Netanyahu and the Settlements” gets the ‘snow fall’ treatment — by Jodi Rudoren and Jeremy Ashkenas: “Singing and dancing greeted a triumphant Benjamin Netanyahu when he visited Eli, then a young settlement of 959 residents, shortly after first becoming Israel’s prime minister in 1996. “We will be here permanently forever,” he declared in nearby Ariel that day, promising to renew the internationally contentious construction of Jewish communities across the land Palestinians plan as their future state. Struggling for settlers’ support ahead of Israel’s March 17 elections, Mr. Netanyahu returned last month to Eli, now a boomtown of more than 4,000 people that sprawls across six hilltops amid Palestinian villages and farmland.” [NYTimes] • NPR Morning Edition: “Like The Israeli-Palestinian Peace Process, Area C Is Complicated” [NPR]
“Forget the Knesset. I’ll See You at The Hague” by Grant Rumley: “Israeli elections are just days away. But Mahmoud Abbas and the Palestinian Authority are less interested in who wins than how they’ll take Israel to court.” [ForeignPolicy]
—RoundUp: “5 Things to Watch in Israel’s Elections” by Aaron David Miller [WSJ] • Economist Editorial: “Bibi’s a bad deal” [Economist] • Liel Leibovitz: “What Israel’s Upcoming Elections Are Really About: It’s not security or the economy or even that speech to Congress. It’s about two competing visions of the Jewish state.” [TabletMag] • Israel’s business community [Bloomberg] • “Israel Parties Courting Haredim May Hurt Bid to Get Them Working” [Bloomberg] • “Bibi Using Congressional Address In New Campaign Ad, Just As Critics Warned” [HuffPost]
2016 WATCH: “Jeb’s supporters conveyed to the likely 2016 presidential candidate yesterday that they are eager to raise $100 million as soon as possible, according to two people with knowledge of the breakfast hosted by Woody Johnson and Stephen Schwarzman.” [CNN] • Jeb’s New Hampshire test today[Bloomberg] • “Martin O’Malley tests the waters in N.H.” [BostonGlobe] • “Democratic Donors Urge Quick Launch to Clinton Campaign” [NationalJournal] • “Fiorina Shapes Herself as G.O.P. Foil to Clinton” [NYTimes] • “Marco Rubio lands another top Romney aide for likely 2016 campaign” [WashPost]
“Like Father, Like Son? James Baker, Who Was Tough On Israel Under George H.W. Bush, Will Now Advise Jeb” by Samantha Lachman: “Bush’s former secretary of state, will be the most senior Republican ex-official ever to speak at a J Street Conference when he delivers the keynote at the advocacy group’s gala dinner later this month… Given J Street’s relatively moderate views on Israel, Baker’s speech will be significant for another reason: He is advising former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush (R) on foreign policy in the lead-up to Bush’s likely 2016 presidential bid.” [HuffPost]
OVERHEARD — yesterday at Politics & Eggs: Rick Perry telling a New Hampshire voter, “I was in Poland, visiting Auschwitz” during Ebola [CSPAN] H/T Howard Mortman
“Former U.S. Rep. Gabby Giffords finds strength, direction in Judaism” by Aron Chilewich:“Invoking a commitment to public service as an example of tikkun olam, or “repairing the world,” former astronaut and U.S. Navy Capt. Mark Kelly told a large, captivated audience at USC about the journey he and his wife have been on since a 2011 assassination attempt on Giffords…”
“And if any of you guys were to come to our house in Tucson, one of the first things Gabby may do if you haven’t been there before is take you over to the freezer and pull out the blue Tupperware where she keeps the real skull. It’s pretty incredible,” he added. “But it shows you Gabby’s attitude about this, and the fact when bad things happen to good people, you can get past them. And it was Gabby’s strength that she drew from her Jewish values that allowed her to do this.” [JewishJournal]
Valerie Jarrett: “I intend to stay at the White House until the lights go off. Why would I miss a single second of this?” [NYTimes]
Watch the trailer of the Vice interview with President Obama on foreign policy [ViceNews]
TALK OF THE TOWN: “Former congressional candidate Elan Carr to run for county supervisor” by Jared Sichel: “Following an unsuccessful bid for Congress in November, Los Angeles County Deputy District Attorney Elan Carr told the Journal on March 10 that he will run in 2016 for Los Angeles County Supervisor in the county’s northernmost 5th District. He made the decision public Thursday morning.” [JewishJournal]
BUSINESS BRIEFS: “Leumi Partners, Stifel team up on Israeli investment banking” [Reuters] • “TV host fired at Haim Saban’s Univision after Michelle Obama remark” [Variety] • Gary Barnett sold the Belnord building on the UWS to Ziel Feldman for $575 million [WSJ] • “Zuckerberg Lawsuit Documents Show Animosity With Would-Be Neighbor” [NYTimes; Fortune] • “Battle of the billionaires: How Dan Loeb outbid Carl Icahn at 15 Central Park West” [RealDeal]
LongRead: “How the AP Botched Its Investigation of Civilian Deaths in the Israel-Hamas War” by Richard Behar and Gary Weiss: “Posed photographs. Intentional miscategorizations. Buried corrections. One-sided sourcing. Cherry-picked quotes. And a just-plain-wrong conclusion about “most” Gaza casualties being civilians.” [Observer]
“A memorable march” — at AIPAC’s Policy Conference by Michael Buchman about his 89-year-old grandfather Andrew Gardner: “My grandfather’s journey from marching in morning lineups in a concentration camp and a death-march, to today, marching to hear a speech from the Prime Minister of the State of Israel and climbing the steps of the United States Capitol to meet with members of Congress and lobby on behalf of the US-Israel relationship is truly remarkable. It inspires me, and rightfully inspires so many others.” [JewishJournal]
DESSERT: “At Manischewitz, the Private Equity Owner Keeps Kosher” by William Alden:“Private equity firms have plenty to worry about when buying companies, including improving revenue and keeping costs in check. But what about keeping kosher? Yaakov Y. Horowitz, the chief rabbi of the Manischewitz Company, the matzo maker, is responsible for ensuring that the company stays true to its Jewish principles under its new private equity owner, Sankaty Advisors, an arm of the private equity giant Bain Capital, which bought the company a year ago.” [DealBook]
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