Daily Kickoff
Former Sen. Norm Coleman posts on Facebook: “Dear Friends, David Ben-Gurion famously remarked that “Anyone who doesn’t believe in miracles is not a realist.” and throughout my entire life I have done my best to be a realist. My life has been an open book in so many ways – the good and the bad and at times, the ugly. Yet, there’s not a cup ever half empty in my life. No cloud without a silver lining… I, like millions I don’t know, and the many I do know, have cancer. I, like millions I don’t know, and the many I do know, have hopes for recovery today that we could have never envisioned 25 years ago – or even 10 years ago.” [Facebook]
SCENE YESTERDAY: According to a source, AIPAC’s Real Estate Division luncheon at the Grand Hyatt in New York City yesterday had over 1,000 attendees and raised around $7M. The lunch featured a discussion between Sen. Chris Coons (D) and Sen. Ben Sasse (R). Spotted: Sen. Robert Menendez, Rep. Charles Rangel, Rep. Carolyn Maloney, Ziel Feldman, Ralph Herzka, Raymond Gindi, Milton Cooper, Paul Pariser, Marty Burger, Joseph Moinian, Miki Naftali, Stanley Chera, Michael Shvo, Robert Reffkin, Ron Lieberman, Robert Lapidus. AIPAC’s fundraising haul proves that sometimes when you ‘lose’, you also win.
“If money is speech, this is what $26 billion sounds like” by Dana Milbank: “A few leave the ballroom. But most remain, listening dutifully. As well they should: Adelson paid for this microphone. Actually, he paid for the whole organization. The 82-year-old gambling tycoon pledged $12 million this year to the group, the Israeli American Council.” [WashPost]
Chemi Shalev: “Adelson’s IAC: American-Israeli Expat Society, AIPAC Foil or Both?” [Haaretz]
2016 WATCH: “A Bloomberg Run? Drums Are Beating” by Andrew Ross Sorkin: “Over the past several months, Michael R. Bloomberg has fielded the same phone call over and over again from his Wall Street friends: Why don’t you run for president? But Mr. Bloomberg, 73, who has expressed skepticism that a “short, Jewish, divorced billionaire” can be elected president, has explained repeatedly to anyone who will listen why he thinks it would be so challenging to win. And unlike other candidates, Mr. Bloomberg doesn’t want to run unless he can win.” [NYTimes]
“George W. Bush unleashes on Ted Cruz” by Eli Stokols: “I just don’t like the guy,” Bush said Sunday night, according to conversations with more than half a dozen donors who attended the event. The donors at the event were a mix of establishment stalwarts like former Gov. Bill Owens and business executive Larry Mizel as well as a number of young professionals, who were offered reduced $250 tickets at the last minute in an effort to fill the room.” [Politico]
Jeb on Hannity: “Frankly, the next President of the United States ought to be getting Israel’s back. We need to make sure we’re supporting Israel, providing them with the most sophisticated equipment as it relates to Iran, and one of the ways to do it is to show our support for Israel.” [YouTube]
Rand Paul to Jake Tapper: No “easy answer” to Israeli-Palestinian conflict, but Israel holds all of the cards on incremental change. [CNN; JI]
62% of Democratic voters say they only trust Hillary on foreign policy — a 42-point advantage over Biden and 53-points over Bernie Sanders. [CNN]
O CANADA: “Justin Trudeau and Liberal Party Prevail With Stunning Rout in Canada” by Ian Austen: “The nine-year reign of Prime Minister Stephen Harper and his Conservative Party came to a sudden and stunning end on Monday night at the hands of Justin Trudeau, the young leader of the Liberal Party.” [NYT; Bloomberg] • “In Canada election, support for Israel not up for discussion” [ToI]
BUSINESS BRIEFS: “Stuyvesant Town to Be Sold for $5.3 Billion” [NYT] • “Inside Snapchat CEO Evan Spiegel’s Entertainment Empire” [FastCompany] • “‘Corruption’ doc set to deliver death blow to Sheldon Silver” [NYPost] • “Haim Saban’s Univision beset by media world turbulence as it plans IPO” [LATimes]
SPOTLIGHT: “Pritzker brothers move beyond the family office model” by Stephen Foley:“The Pritzkers were Warren Buffett before Buffett was Warren Buffett. The Chicago family, which boasts 11 billionaires in its ranks, has been accumulating businesses for more than six decades, across an array of industries, from manufacturing to casinos to banking to cruise ships, as well as building the Hyatt hotels chain that remains the family’s trophy asset. The brothers are itching to do more but prefer not to call Pritzker Group a family office. “We’ve been at this quite a while and we don’t operate much like a family office,” says JB.” [FinancialTimes]
STARTUP NATION: “Israel’s Illusive Networks Lays False Clues to Trap Hackers” by Gwen Ackerman: “A Tel Aviv startup is banking on hackers’ greed and carelessness in its effort to defend computer networks. “We catch them with their pants down,” said Chief Executive Officer Shlomo Touboul. The tactic reduces to almost nil a cyberthief’s chance of extracting information, he said.” [Bloomberg] • “NYC And Tel-Aviv Present: The Battle Of The Ecosystems” [Forbes]
TALK OF THE TOWN: “In Long Island Hamlet, Home Buyers’ Rule Is a Relic of Its Nazi Past” by Nicholas Casey: “Here in this rural Long Island community, a Nazi summer camp once held parades before American flags and banners bearing swastikas. Nearby streets were named after Adolf Hitler, Joseph Goebbels and other leaders of Nazi-era Germany.” [NYT]
HOLLYWOOD: “Mazel Tov! James Franco Joined by Miley Cyrus, Seth Rogen & More at Star-Studded Bar Mitzvah” [Billboard]
DESSERT: “Thinking Inside The Box” by Joshua London: “Kosher wine has always made more sense on the dinner table than the picnic blanket, but that’s about to change. Now, you can get the hekshered stuff in a box.” [NYBluePrint]
“Israeli Restaurant Encourages Arab/Jewish Tolerance With Half-Off Hummus” by William Savage: “One Israeli restaurant thinks it may have finally found the solution to bringing about peace and tolerance in the Middle East: hummus. Amidst nearly two straight weeks of terrorist attacks, the Hummus Bar restaurant in the coastal city of Netanya has instated a unique method of trying to foster acceptance: giving a 50 percent discount on every plate of hummus at tables where Jews and Arabs sit together.” [FirstWeFeast]
