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HEARD AT MILKEN: In a panel yesterday on “Stewards of the Game: The Business Leaders Behind Major Sports,” Michael Milken interviewed Milwaukee Bucks co-owner Wesley Edens, NASCAR Chairman Brian France, Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick, New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft, and NBA Commissioner Emeritus David Stern.

“Football has always been my passion,” Kraft related in explaining why he bought the Patriots. Milken interjected, “Wait a minute. It was always your passion? I remember reading Bob that your father wanted you to become a Rabbi, is that true? (laughter)” Kraft answered, “Well my father was a very wise man, and a very spiritual person, but I don’t think people who love football and have ADD would be good Rabbis. So even though I was a middle child, it was one of the first times I went against my parents, times many.”

David Stern recalled a trip to Zambia and South Africa in 1993: “We went into a refugee camp and all the people there swept their dirt floors and put on their finest. And their finest was Chicago Bulls jerseys.” Robert Kraft: “It wasn’t because they lost the championship and sold them there for a discount? (laughter)” Stern: “No, actually that’s the difference between the NFL and the NBA. We would have donated them, the NFL would have sold them (laughter).” Kraft: “Such a magnanimous guy. Thank you (laughter)” Stern: “He [Kraft] is a good friend of longstanding. I wouldn’t say an old friend but that too (laughter)” Kraft: “Look in the mirror sweetheart. (laughter)” Watch the panel [Video]

According to a source at Frank Luntz’s panel on “The Verbal and Visual Language of America,” Luntz asked the crowd ‘How many of you are Jewish?’ When many hands were raised, Luntz joked ‘haven’t you all learned the lesson not to raise your hand?!’

Funniest Milken Moment: Member of the Japanese House of Representatives Yasuhide Nakayama, and former Chair of the Japan-Israel Parliamentary Friendship League, apologized during a panel on Next-Generation Warfare that his ‘English skills’ are not great. “I learned English from Hollywood movies,” Nakayama joked, adding “by myself” (laughter). “[Specifically] the movie called Beverly Hills Cop One (laughter) so this place is kind of a holy place for me” (laughter). [YouTube] • Later in the panel, Nakayama surprised the audience by tossing his phone behind him to demonstrate a future where we no longer use smartphones. “It’s ok, it’s a strong case.” (laughter) [YouTube]

SPOTTED at Milken: Larry Mizel sitting in the front row to see Eric Schmidt interview Governors John Hickenlooper, Rick Scott, Terry McAuliffe, and Scott Walker… Israeli Consul Gen. David Siegel chatting with Tony Pritzker and Joel Mowbray… Glass-U founder Daniel Fine showing off a pair of branded foldable sunglass to Robert Kraft [Pic]… Michael Buchman, Investment Director for the Conrad Hilton Foundation, who was recently listed on Trusted Insight’s Top 30 Foundation Rising Stars… Newseum President Jeffrey Herbst…

ACROSS THE POND: “Labour has secretly suspended 50 members for anti-Semitic and racist comments” by Kate McCann: “Senior sources reveal that Labour’s compliance unit has been swamped by the influx of hard-left supporters following Jeremy Corbyn’s election. The suspensions that have been made public so far are said to be just the tip of the iceberg.” [Telegraph]

DRIVING THE DAY: “Trump pushes Cruz to the brink” by Patrick Reis: “Indiana has turned into one of Ted Cruz’s last big chances to stop Donald Trump — and a huge opportunity for Trump to push Cruz his main remaining rival to the brink of defeat. If the polls are correct, Cruz will end Tuesday in big trouble.” [Politico]

“Cruz: Vote for Trump if you support the Iran Deal” by Jacob Kornbluh: “After predicting an upset in tomorrow’s primary, Cruz made the point that voters are facing a basic choice between himself, a candidate who stands with Israel and is committed to “rip to shreds” the Iran nuclear deal, to candidates “who will continue to abandon Israel.” “Both Hillary in Donald say they will keep in place this Iranian nuclear deal,” Cruz told reporters. “If you agree with the Iranian nuclear deal; if you think it’s a good idea to send $150 billion to Ayatollah Khamenei, a radical Islamist terrorist who chants ‘Death to America,’ then you should vote for Donald and Hillary.”” [JewishInsider]

Cruz on the radio — “Let Donald stand up and explain why he believes we should cut the military aid to Israel. That’s what he’s advocated – that we should make Israel pay big-time. I think that’s profoundly misguided.” [WBAA]

2016 Headline: “Glenn Beck Calls For 24-Hour Fast For Cruz Before Indiana Primary” [DailyCaller]

–@BenCJacobs: “Yom Cruzpur” [Twitter] • @cFidd: “FasTed” [Twitter]

“Cruz’s faltering campaign shows the risks of depending on a few wealthy donors” by Joseph Tanfani and Noah Bierman: “Now, at perhaps the most desperate moment in his quest to win the Republican nomination, Cruz is learning the perils of relying on strong-willed magnates who carry their own agendas and have demanded an unprecedented level of control in how their money is spent.” [LATimes]

“Trump, looking to general election, lunches with author of anti-Clinton books” by Philip Rucker: “It was the day before Indiana’s crucial Republican presidential primary, but Donald Trump was focused on only one person: Hillary Clinton. The confident business mogul strode into Shapiro’s Delicatessen here Monday for a quick lunch… The general election, Trump said, has “already started.” Then he and two aides sat down at a table for lunch with author Edward Klein, perhaps best known for his series of bombshell books spreading rumors and innuendo, much of it discredited, about the Clintons.” [WashPost]

TOP-OP: Amos Yadlin on the MOU: “Military aid, but at what price?” [YNet]

**Good Tuesday Morning! Enjoying the Daily Kickoff? Please share us with your friends & tell them to sign up at [JI].  Have a tip, scoop, or op-ed? We’d love to hear from you. Anything from hard news and punditry to the lighter stuff, including event coverage, job transitions, or even special birthdays, is much appreciated. Email [email protected]**
BUSINESS BRIEFS: “Billionaire fund manager Steve Cohen: ‘My worst fears were realized’ in February” [BusinessInsider; YouTube] • “Two Sigma Co-Founder David Siegel `Very Worried’ Machines Will Take Jobs” [Bloomberg] • “Schron destroying Trump Village store to make way for Coney Island tower, suit says [RealDeal] • “Sale of ex-Sony Building leaves a lot of unanswered questions” [NYPost] • “Russell Galbut scores $34M loan for new Baptist Health facility” [RealDeal] • “Sumner Redstone to Testify via Video in Health Care Case” [Yahoo]

TOP TALKER: “‘Burning Man for the 1%’: the desert party for the tech elite, with Eric Schmidt in a top hat” by Nellie Bowles: “This weekend, outside Las Vegas, a group of Burning Man veterans put on a festival called Further Future, now in its second year. Across 49 acres of Native American land over three days, with around 5,000 attendees, the event was the epitome of a new trend of so-called “transformational festivals” that are drawing technologists for what’s billed as a mix of fun and education. While tickets started at $350, many attendees opted for upgrades to fully staffed accommodation and fine dining.” [TheGuardian]

STARTUP SPOTLIGHT: “This New Tool Wants To Make The Off-Price Clothing Business Easier” by David Lumb: “INTURN launched 2.5 years ago to tackle the holistic challenge of the off-price inventory market, says INTURN cofounder and CEO Ronen Lazar. The INTURN team certainly learned from existing fashion industry software, but not much: The off-price market has so many different variables than the full-price market.” [FastCompany]

TRANSITION: “Alan P. Solow has joined Resolute Consulting as a partner. An experienced problem solver as a counselor, attorney and civic leader, Solow has represented a wide range of clients both in and outside the courtroom. “Over the past several years, I have had the opportunity to work with the Resolute team on a number of complex infrastructure projects,” said Solow. “Given our proven ability to collaborate and the impressive skills which Resolute brings to its work, I could not resist the opportunity to become part of the firm.””

OUT TODAY: “Rising Above, written by Gregory Zuckerman, a senior writer at the Wall Street Journal, will be published by Penguin’s children’s imprint, Philomel, on Tuesday. The book tells the behind-the scenes stories of how 11 sports stars, including Stephen Curry, Tim Howard, LeBron James and R.A. Dickey, overcame imposing obstacles and dealt with physical differences in their youth. Zuckerman, who was the author of the bestsellers The Frackers and The Greatest Trade Ever, wrote the book with his two sons to inspire, motivate and entertain young people and adults.”

Excerpt: “Facing a serious challenge early in life can be discouraging and even debilitating. Almost everyone, young and old, has a difference, something that sets her or him apart in a way that might seem like a weakness. Sometimes, though, these very setbacks and differences can be hidden gifts and surprising opportunities. Those are the lessons from Rising Above, which details the remarkable stories of how 11 athletes overcame their own challenges to become global superstars.” [Amazon]

“Accolades roll in for longtime Jewish advocate Joyce Garver Keller” by Jonah Rosenblum: “Accolades and praise came from around the state and from Washington, D.C., for Joyce Garver Keller, the longtime former Ohio Jewish Communities executive director, who died in her sleep May 2. She was 68. “To a great extent, she has put me on the path that I’m on now,” William Daroff said. “If she had looked at me as some 22 year-old snot-nose kid and hadn’t connected with me, I’m pretty certain that I would not be working in the Jewish community and would not be living a Jewishly engaged life. It really opened a door to a whole side of myself that I didn’t know existed.”” [CJNews; Dispatch]

Our Condolences to JI readers Aaron Keyak, co-founder of Bluelight Strategies, and Joshua Keyak on the passing of their father Jeffrey Keyak over the weekend.

DESSERT: “Some Non-Jews Think Manischewitz Wine Tastes Good, Befuddling Jews” by Serena Ng: “Manischewitz sales peak around Passover, though many shops see demand for the product year-round. “I can never keep it on the shelf for long,” says John Cristal, who works at a Bronx liquor store that sells up to half its Manischewitz stock to Filipino, Latino and African-American customers. Those specifically seeking out kosher wines, he says, increasingly prefer imported kosher dry wines.” [WSJ]

“Jewish Leader Asks Michelin to Taste Israeli Cuisine: The leader of an umbrella organization representing world Jewry has asked the Michelin travel guide company to evaluate Israeli restaurants with its famous rating system. In a letter to the Michelin Guide, World Jewish Congress President Ron Lauder says it is a “concerning omission” that Michelin does not have a guide to Israel’s “exceptional cuisine.”” [AP]

BIRTHDAYS: Physicist and Nobel Laureate, Steven Weinberg, professor at University of Texas at Austin, turns 83… Veteran of 13 NHL seasons, Jeff Halpern, who sat out an NHL hockey game to observe Yom Kippur, turns 40… Ben Ginsberg (h/t Playbook)…