Daily Kickoff
DRIVING THE DAY: “Iran talks hit final stage but deal remains elusive” by Matthew Lee and George Jahn: “Disputes over attempts to probe Tehran’s alleged work on nuclear weapons unexpectedly persisted at Iran nuclear talks on Monday, diplomats said, threatening plans to wrap up a deal by midnight — the latest in a series of deadlines for the negotiations. The diplomats said two other issues still needed final agreement — Iran’s demand for a lifting of a U.N. arms embargo and its insistence that any U.N. Security Council resolution approving the nuclear deal be written in a way that stops describing Iran’s nuclear activities as illegal.” [AP]
Bloomberg Report:
“Resolving one of the remaining obstacles to a deal, a political agreement was reached Sunday to lift a United Nations arms embargo, said a senior diplomat involved in the talks. The language of a new UN Security Council resolution is still being drafted. Other last-minute technical and legal complexities meant an accord was impossible to conclude on Sunday, said four officials at the talks. The draft has swollen in recent days to about 100 pages from 80.” [Bloomberg; TheCable]TWEETS: @JeffreyGoldberg — “Hard to imagine people like Chuck Schumer agreeing to a lifting of a terror-related arms embargo on Iran.” [Twitter] • RJC’s Matt Brooks responds — “Wanna make a little wager- dinner at the winner’s choice?” [Twitter] • Gentlemen, since both of you will see this, we can host…
Rep. Ted Deutch on the Bloomberg report: “If this report is true and there is an agreement to lift the arms embargo, it will mean more arms for terrorists.” [Twitter]
Bibi: “Iran does not hide its intention to continue its murderous aggression even against those with whom it is negotiating. Perhaps there is someone among the great powers who is prepared to capitulate to this reality that Iran is dictating, which includes its unending calls for the destruction of Israel – we will not pay the price for this.” [Statement] • “Lapid: Netanyahu’s campaign against Iran deal is a colossal failure” [JPost]
“Battle to thwart Iran nuke deal not over, Foreign Ministry chief Dore Gold vows” by Raphael Ahren: “Israel is going to actively lobby American congressmen to oppose the nuclear deal with Iran, Foreign Ministry director-general Dore Gold made clear, in his first major interview since taking up the post last month. While Israel needs to express its concerns with civility, he stressed, the government is gearing up to firmly advocate its position in discussions with all the relevant players in the US government.” [ToI]
Key Senator — “Corker: Iran Nuclear Talks Have “Been on A Downward Trend for Some Time” [MeetThePress] • “Senators warn Kerry of ‘hard sell’ at home over Iran nuclear deal” [JPost; Reuters]
2016 WATCH: “Trusted Hillary Clinton Aide Has a Full Plate” by Laura Meckler: “Jake Sullivan, a 38-year-old who rose to prominence in Mrs. Clinton’s State Department, now has the challenge of distilling advice from across the Democratic Party. The resulting plan will be the foundation of a Monday policy speech in which Mrs. Clinton intends to lay out her vision… “He engages with his critics, and that’s rare,” said Mark Dubowitz. Mrs. Clinton in 2012 sent Mr. Sullivan and another aide to Oman to meet secretly with Iran officials to gauge whether they were serious about potential compromises with the West. He concluded they were, setting the stage for the current talks.” [WSJ] • At 10am, Clinton will deliver an economic policy speech at The New School in NYC [CSPAN] • Will she also address Iran?
“Still Reeling From Son’s Death, Biden Weighs Future” by Peter Baker: “Six weeks after the death of his elder son, Mr. Biden has thrown himself back into his work, meeting with foreign leaders, giving speeches and even cheering on the women’s national soccer team in its victory over Japan in the World Cup… Even without the heartbreak of loss, this was bound to be a crossroads moment for a vice president who has spent four decades in Washington only to find an uncertain path ahead. He has not ruled out running for president again, and some friends are nudging him to, even if the political math does not seem to favor it.” [NYTimes]
HAPPENING TODAY: Christians United For Israel’s 10th Annual Summit in D.C. Speakers include 2016 candidates Jeb Bush, Ted Cruz, Lindsey Graham, Mike Huckabee, George Pataki, Rick Santorum. Other notable speakers are Elie Wiesel, Malcolm Hoenlein, Dennis Prager, Bret Stephens, Yoram Hazony, Amb. Ron Dermer, Sen. Tim Scott, Sen. Tom Cotton, Sen. John Cornyn, Rep. Trent Franks, Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, Rep. Louie Gohmert. [CUFI; LiveStream]
Preview — by Jennifer Rubin: “CUFI will be forming a lobbying and political entity (a 501(c)(4) group, in IRS parlance), CUFI Action Fund, that aims to do for Israel what the NRA does for Second Amendment rights. It will announce the move to more than 5,000 members who have gathered in Washington for its annual national conference. The operation will be headed by evangelical heavyweight and longtime pro-Israel advocate Gary Bauer.” [WashPost]
Rick Perry in Iowa today will appear at a roundtable in West Des Moines for “Iowans Supporting Israel” at Strategic America, Westown Parkway [DesMoinesRegister]
“Campbell Brown’s Site Devoted to Education Overhaul to Hold Presidential Forums” by Maggie Haberman: “The Republican forum will be first, in August, and Jeb Bush, who has made education a signature issue in his campaign, is among those who have committed to attending. So have Gov. Scott Walker of Wisconsin, Gov. Bobby Jindal of Louisiana and Carly Fiorina, the former Hewlett Packard chief executive. The Democratic candidates will meet in October in Iowa in an event hosted in conjunction with the Des Moines Register, Ms. Brown said.” [FirstDraft]
Scott Walker announces run for president in a new video [YouTube; Politico] • Will hold a formal announcement event later today in event in Waukesha, Wisconsin. [CSPAN]
FL SEN: “This Moonbat Could Cost Hillary Florida” by David Freedlander: “He is the Democrats’ Donald Trump—a brash, base-pleasing, bomb-throwing firebrand unafraid to drop a few verbal hand grenades inside the party’s tent. But now that Alan Grayson is set to embark on a campaign for Florida’s vacant Senate seat, some Democrats fear that the Orlando-based Congressman could complicate Hillary Clinton’s efforts to win a state that has proven crucial to winning the White House.” [DailyBeast]
“Race already on for 2016 House seat in key swing district” by Frank Eltman: “It’s one of America’s quintessential congressional swing districts. For seven decades, five Republicans and five Democrats have alternately held the House seat representing the 1st Congressional District on eastern Long Island. With the election still 16 months away, Democrats are already maneuvering for a shot at another turnover, lining up to challenge freshman incumbent Republican and Iraq war veteran Lee Zeldin. Most are expecting a withering battle that could cost more than the nearly $15 million spent a year ago.” [AP]
BUSINESS BRIEFS: “When This Man — Stephen Joseph — Is Irked, He Might Just File a Suit”[NYTimes] • “Sam Zell Pledges $60 Million to University of Michigan” [Bloomberg; FreePress] • Martin Franklin’s Platform, a Chemicals Firm, to Buy U.K. Rival” [WSJ] • “The Israeli bond boom: NYC developers increasingly turn to land of milk and honey for low-interest capital” [RealDeal] • “Tel Aviv Cloud-based Physical Security Startup Octopus Raises $2.5M From Singulariteam” [TechCrunch] • “Stewart Butterfield of Slack: Is Empathy on Your Résumé?” [NYTimes]
Sun Valley Scene: Mark Zuckerberg threw an exclusive party on Saturday night at Whiskey Jacques with Scott Jordon, Drew Houston, Max Levchin, Jack Dorsey, Brian Chesky, Mark Pincus, Dick Costolo.[Twitter]
PROFILE: “At The NSA, A Rising Star’s Commitment To Faith — And Public Service” by Tom Gjelten: “A rising star at the agency, Anne Neuberger, 39, has worked at the Pentagon, helped plan the U.S. military’s Cyber Command and served as NSA liaison to private tech companies. But what makes her story unique is where she came from and how it helps explain her rise to the top of the U.S. national security establishment… Some Orthodox Jewish women find professional success only after breaking with their community, but not Neuberger. She married an Orthodox man, whom she met on a parent-arranged date. They keep kosher. Neuberger leaves the NSA every Friday in time to observe the Jewish Sabbath, before sunset.”
“She says she has found that a commitment to ultra-Orthodoxy does not have to be a career impediment, even in the decidedly non-Jewish environment of the NSA. “They are two different worlds,” she says, “and I think that the joy is where you can bring different things between them.” “The discipline and rigor, the restrictions on what one can eat, the restrictions on how one behaves, I hope I bring that in values, living true to one’s values, trying to bring that integrity into the way you approach your job each day and how you interact with people, every single day,” she says. Neuberger’s point: Her professional achievements have come not in spite of her faith. They’ve come because of it.” [NPR]
STARTUP NATION: “Unit 8200: Israel’s cyber spy agency” by John Reed: “Magshimim serves as a feeder system for potential recruits to Unit 8200, the Israeli military’s legendary high-tech spy agency, considered by intelligence analysts to be one of the most formidable of its kind in the world. With a female IDF minder at my side, I listened as the teenagers described their projects. More than half were boys but there were girls too, and 8200 is open to both…. Magshimim itself is difficult to get into. Funded by the Israeli state and the Rashi Foundation, a private outfit devoted to helping underprivileged youth, it targets gifted children in Israel’s poorer south and north.” [FinancialTimes]
“The Holy Land’s Surprising Wave of Tourism” by Nicolas Parasie: “Israel, the Palestinian territories and Jordan, which roughly make up the biblical Holy Land, are enjoying an unlikely wave of religion-based tourism even as the Middle East’s wars and terrorist attacks scare away most leisure visitors. Ironically, the uptick coincides with an exodus of Arab Christians from the region fleeing Islamist extremists.” [WSJ]
HAPPENING TODAY: “The Aspen Jewish Community Center will host five distinguished American, Palestinian and Israeli diplomats — with decades of experience negotiating Palestinian-Israeli and Middle-East issues — today to address the critical question “Is Peace Possible?” Diplomats include Dr. Samih Abid, Hon. Daniel C. Kurtzer, Nidal Foqaha, Hon. Dr. Yosef “Yossi” Beilin, Hon. Dan Meridor.” [AspenTimes]
“An Unpopular Man: Norman Finkelstein was a rock star of the pro-Palestinian movement. Then he came out against BDS.” by Jordan M. Smith: “A few years ago, Finkelstein tells me, he made $40,000 in speaking fees from 80 talks to Palestinian Solidarity groups around North America. “This past year when I went to my accountant, he said, ‘I think there’s a mistake, because there’s only $2,000.” He laughs. “I told him there was no error. He said, ‘What happened?’ I thought to myself: Am I going to explain to him BDS?”… Indeed, the response from Israel’s supporters to Finkelstein’s comments ranged from glee at the infighting among Palestinian advocates to puzzlement at what they see as Finkelstein’s newfound reasonableness.” [NewRepublic]
“Can States Fund BDS?” by Eugene Kontorovich: “Abe Foxman says that banning the use of public money to support companies that boycott Israel is unconstitutional and illegal. Is he right?”[TabletMag] • Clicker — “The Only Abe Foxman Interview You Need To Read” by Tuvia Tenenbom[Forward] • Foxman Op: “With Jews’ power comes responsibility” [WashPost]
LongRead: “Death Of A Prosecutor: Alberto Nisman accused Iran and Argentina of colluding to bury a terrorist attack. Did it get him killed?” by Dexter Filkins: “Suicide or murder? Jacoby said that that was the wrong question: “Now, even if the truth is that he committed suicide, nobody will ever believe it.” By Jewish tradition, people who kill themselves are sometimes denied a proper burial; in the cemetery in La Tablada, suicides have been relegated to a far corner. After some discussion, Nisman’s body was buried not with those who killed themselves but with the victims of the AMIA attack.” [NewYorker]
TALK OF OUR NATION: “World War II History, Captured in a Private’s Letters to His Wife” by James Barron: “Yesterday we visited something that you might have already read about in the newspaper or heard about over the radio,” the letter began. “Not very far from here there is a concentration camp.” Another letter, dated 13 days later, added a detail: “The name of the camp is Buchenwald located near Weimar here in Germany.” The letters were from Pvt. Hyman Schulman, the aide to Rabbi Herschel Schacter, the first Jewish chaplain to enter Buchenwald. Private Schulman wrote to his wife, Sandy, nearly every day, just as he had since his induction in 1942. [NYTimes]
HOLLYWOOD: “Meet Gal Gadot, Our New Wonder Woman” by Laura Jacobs: “Gal Gadot was born in a suburb of Rosh HaAyin, Israel. After she graduated from high school, during the time before she was to start her two years in the Israel Defense Forces, Gadot was asked to enter the competition for Miss Israel. Thinking it would be an experience she could tell her grandchildren about, she said yes, and then, “extremely surprised,” won. After the service Gadot started law school, but a few months later she was invited to audition for a James Bond film. She didn’t get the part, but she did land the role of the rather Bond Girl-ish Gisele in Fast & Furious.” [VanityFair]
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