Ed note: It’s finally here. Election day 2016. Thank you to all our amazing readers for joining us on this journey over the past three years. We hope you have found our work valuable, thought-provoking, and at the very least a reliable time-saver. If so, please consider supporting us today — with either adonation, or by telling your friends to sign up, or both — as we look to build off this momentum for the post-election season. Thank you! 

ELECTION DAY: “Clinton Takes Sunny Approach as Trump Has Dark Warnings” by Michael Barbaro, Ashley Parker and Amy Chozick: “As she embarked on a four-state tour, Mrs. Clinton gave a sunny and optimistic summation of her candidacy for the White House. “Tomorrow, you can vote for a hopeful, inclusive, big-hearted America,” she told a crowd in Pittsburgh. Mr. Trump, who campaigned in five states on Monday, took a harsher approach, assailing the “crooked media,” attacking a “corrupt Washington establishment” and mocking Mrs. Clinton over and over. “It’s a rigged, rigged system,” he declared in Raleigh, N.C. “And now it’s up to the American people to deliver the justice that we deserve at the ballot box tomorrow.”” [NYTimes] 

Trump at campaign rally in Florida: “We have to stand strong with the state of Israel in their fight against Islamic terrorism. Barack Obama was the worst thing that ever happened to Israel. The worst thing that ever happened to Israel. Barack Obama was a disaster for Israel — and believe me, the Iran deal, where we made them rich. we also gave them a direct path right to nuclear weapons ,but we will be working with Israel very closely; very, very closely.” [JewishInsider] 

“Gingrich, Giuliani, Priebus Eyed for Top Jobs in Trump White House” by Katy Tur and Benjy Sarlin: “Rudy Giuliani for attorney general, Newt Gingrich for secretary of state, retired Lt. Gen Michael Flynn for defense secretary or national security adviser, Trump finance chairman Steve Mnuchin for Treasury secretary, and Republican National Committee finance chair Lew Eisenberg for commerce secretary. Reince Priebus, the current RNC chairman, is under consideration as Trump’s chief of staff.”[NBCNews]

“Will the last Trump ad be the final straw?”by Rob Eshman: “The fact that Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, who is Jewish, is part of the team pushing “Protocols” doesn’t mean it’s not anti-Semitic. It just means Kushner is ruthless. Appealing to the basest instincts of the base is the way to bite into Hillary’s white voters, and Kushner will do anything — anything — to win. In the short run, it has made Jared Kushner — not Trump’s own sons — the closest Trump advisor.  Daddy likes winners, and in Trump’s world, a winner is someone who backstabs his own People for a few more votes in Pennsylvania.”[JewishJournal] • “I Loved the New York Observer. Now It’s Complicit in the Trump Campaign” by Leon Neyfakh [Slate]

“2016’s Big Reveal” by Bret Stephens: “Donald Trump is a demagogue. Period. The fervor of his crowds recalls Nasser’s Egypt. His convictions are illiberal. His manners are disgusting. His temper is frightening. It ought to have been the job of thoughtful conservatives in this season to point this out, time and again. If they can’t do that, what good are they?” [WSJ] 

Dana Milbank: “When the election returns come in Tuesday night, it will be Nov. 9 in Germany — the 78th anniversary of Kristallnacht, the “Night of Broken Glass” at the start of the Holocaust when Nazis vandalized synagogues and businesses.” [WashPost] 

CLOSING ARGUMENTS — Laura Rosenberger on behalf of the Clinton campaign: “What we have on the ballot is not just two candidates, but two very different visions of America, what it means to be American, and what we want our future as a country to be. As Hillary has been saying for some time, she believes that we are ‘Stronger Together.’ That of course we face challenges, but the best way to address them is by bringing everyone together to develop real solutions. I think that is, obviously, critical when it comes to everything from making our economy work for everyone, not just for those at the top, when it comes to keep our country safe, and to combating the threats that we face; and when it comes to making sure that we continue to strengthen our country from the inside, to see our diversity as a real asset and to hold true to our values that we have always held dear, whether that’s freedom of religion, freedom of speech, freedom of the press, but also that all men and women are created equal, and that is truly the foundation of who we are as a country. That’s what is on the ballot. Donald Trump offers a dark and divisive vision of America, one that would take us backwards and one that would hurt a lot of people.”

“I think particularly for the Jewish community, this election has been a wakeup call – about some of the forces that still exist in this country that we, as a community, need to see. That’s why I am really proud that Hillary has stood up strongly against the BDS movement, she’s been very outspoken about anti-Semitism, Islamophobia, racism, and the anti-immigrant sentiment because we know that these are all interconnected, and this is something that is a testament to her in what she believes in, that she’s been such a forceful voice in speaking out all this divisive and violent rhetoric.”

On Israel: “Hillary has spoken at length about Israel her entire campaign. Hillary has a long record, from her time as First Lady of Arkansas when she brought the HIPPY program that she was so inspired by. She knows the depth and the connection between the American and Israeli people, she knows how much we can learn from each other, and that bond is something that is really personal to her. When she was a senator, she was a fierce champion for Israel, something that continued when she was secretary of state. And so, not only has she consistently spoken about Israel on the campaign trail, it is something that she’s got a record to actually show on everything that she has done. She has been very clear that she believes that Israel’s security is a direct and enduring national interest of the United States. She believes that America needs to be engaged in the Middle East to help bring about peace, stability and security, and she believes that there will always be differences that the two countries will have, but that we need to make sure that those differences are managed quietly, and that our adversaries are never able to drive a wedge between us.”

David Friedman on behalf of the Trump campaign: “I would ask Jewish voters to focus on two things. The first is Israel. The Republican platform, which could have never been enacted without the support of Donald Trump, is the most pro-Israel platform in the history of either party, in the history of this country. He has followed through with additional statements and more detailed policy points over the recent past… Some of those points are frankly unique and massively better, not only than Hillary Clinton but even when compared to George W. Bush – no daylight between the countries, Jerusalem as the indivisible capital of Israel, moving the embassy to Jerusalem, maintaining an overwhelmingly superior military profile for Israel relative to its enemies, and no longer burdening Israel, when it is called to defend itself, with obsolete notions of proportionate force. Also, rejecting the notion that Israel is occupying today in Judea and Samaria, punishing the BDS movement, not imposing on Israel a settlement against its will, and not funding the Palestinian Authority without absolute assurances that it’s no longer providing stipends to terrorists.”

“Point number two is to look at America’s profile relative to the rest of the world. The Obama administration and Hillary Clinton can’t walk away from that because she was Secretary of State for 4 of those 8 years, and she’s said absolutely nothing during the course of her campaign to distinguish herself or to distinguish her presidency from an Obama presidency. The Clinton-Obama foreign policy has wreaked massive damage everywhere in the world, from the Middle East to Eastern Europe to the South China Sea to South America to obviously the rise of ISIS to the nuclearization of Iran in just a short 9 years. You can’t point to any place in the world which is safer, more secure, less of a threat than it was 8 years ago. The single most prominent reason for all of that is that American has projected weakness to the rest of the world. It’s a small world, and when the world is this unstable and risky, Jews everywhere are less safe and they’re less secure. The Trump administration is going to reverse all of that. We’re not going to lead from behind. We’re going to lead from the front. That should be very important to people everywhere, but it’s of course important to Jews, because when the United States is weak, Israel is weak, and frankly, Jews everywhere have reason to be concerned.”

On criticism of Trump’s closing argument ad: “Lloyd Blankfein is being criticized because he runs a bank that has extraordinarily close ties to Hillary Clinton and has paid her almost $1 million to give speeches that Hillary Clinton tried to keep secret. He criticized Janet Yellen because he has been critical of how the Federal Reserve monitors the U.S. monetary policy. It has nothing to do with her being Jewish. In fact, I doubt people even know that Janet Yellen is Jewish. George Soros, number 1, most people don’t even know that he’s Jewish. He doesn’t have a Jewish name. He’s done nothing to positively identify with the Jewish community at any point in his life. Soros has done more to vilify the state of Israel and to fund anti-Israel propaganda machines than almost any individual on the face of the earth. The idea that by criticizing George Soros I am anti-Semitic, or I’m indicating anti-Semitic tendencies, when George Soros is himself one of the great enemies of the Jewish people and the state of Israel, turns the world on its head.”Read the full interview [JewishInsider] 

“RJC All in For Donald Trump and His Campaign” by Josh Marshall: “Less than two hours ago, the Republican Jewish Coalition sent out an email to members. Zero mention of the Trump ad, full-throated endorsement of Donald Trump. “With less than 72 hours to go in the election, I strongly encourage you to vote for ALL Republicans this Tuesday. Your vote counts and electing Donald Trump and Mike Pence will put an end to Hillary Clinton’s history of corruption and progressive agenda from being in the White House… If we have resounding wins on Tuesday night it will be because we stood together and supported the ENTIRE Republican ticket. If we don’t stand together, Hillary Clinton will be our next President and we will lose control of Congress.”” [TPM] 

RJC’s spokesman Fred Brown: “We’re a Republican organization, election day is [today], and we encourage Republicans to vote.”

“The collapsing political triangle linking Adelson, Netanyahu and Trump” by Anshel Pfeffer: “There is no clear indication that Netanyahu would choose Clinton over Trump. But the fact remains that while visits to Israel were mooted, and even scheduled, at least twice during the last year, Trump’s Boeing 757 never touched down at Ben-Gurion International Airport. And while no official reason was given for the cancellations, sources in Jerusalem maintain that it was Netanyahu who was not eager to be seen hosting Trump… Netanyahu respects and fears Hillary Clinton, much more than he ever did Barack Obama. He may be starting to realize that for him as prime minister, and for Israel’s interests, the Trump-supporting Adelson has finally become more of a liability than an asset.” [Haaretz] • Herzog Accuses Netanyahu of Interfering in U.S. Election [JewishInsider] 

“Trump or Clinton? Israelis fret, but either is a likely ally” by Luke Baker: Analysts say that standoff-ish approach is likely to continue whether Clinton or Trump becomes president, and there are other reasons for Israel to expect a warmer embrace from the next administration than it has had from Obama… When it comes to policy, Israeli analysts see Clinton as having a better handle on the issues, and the people who are likely to handle the Middle East if she is elected are more familiar faces than those in Trump’s circle.” [Reuters] • Israelis think Trump better for them, back Clinton anyway – poll [ToI] 

“This Time, Hamas Doesn’t Endorse” by Sheera Frenkel and Ben Smith: “It’s been a tradition for the past several American elections: At some point, a conservative journalist named Aaron Klein calls leaders of the Palestinian group Hamas, they tell him they’re supporting the Democrat, and he goes with a headline along the lines of: “Mideast terror leaders to U.S.: Vote Democrat.” But this year, Klein hasn’t reported who Hamas leadership favors. So BuzzFeed News thought we’d fill the gap on this strange election tradition, and rang up a handful of Hamas leaders and spokespeople to ask their opinion. Their answer: Unlike in years past, they don’t see much difference.” [BuzzFeed]

“These Israeli Americans Think Donald Trump Will Be Good For Jews” by Merav Safir:“When asked about the concerns of anti-Semitism surrounding Trump’s campaign, especially the support from Duke, ROI staffer Sheila Weiner tells Bustle, they are “superfluous to what the main things that the people here really care about.” Weiner adds that, “Nobody likes that David Duke supports him, but that’s really irrelevant, it has nothing to do with anything, there are so many more important issues.” [Bustle] 

“College Classmate Recalls Clinton’s Campus Activism for Women, Minorities” by Judy Maltz: “Clinton’s battle for minority rights at Wellesley also included Jewish students. “At the time, there was a policy that many of us found upsetting,” relays [Chana] Sperber. “Blacks were made to room with blacks, and Jews were made to room with Jews, even if you didn’t ask to. That policy was eliminated with Hillary’s help.” Also problematic for Jewish students like herself was a ban imposed on bringing special foods, matzo and challah for example, into the dining hall. “Little things like that, Hillary got involved in, too,” says Sperber. But perhaps Clinton’s biggest contribution to Jewish campus life at the time, as she recalls, was helping the Jewish students set up a local Hillel chapter with a salaried director.” [Haaretz;Facebook]

“Which Chicagoans would a President Hillary Clinton take to D.C.?” by Greg Hinz: “At the top of everyone’s list is J.B. Pritzker, the tech investor, hotel scion, longtime Hillary Clinton activist and brother of Obama’s commerce secretary, Penny Pritzker. I recently asked J.B. through an intermediary if he’d be using Penny’s old desk at commerce or bring his own. He laughed and declined comment. But lots of folks here think some cabinet-level job is in the offing… Also drawing note are other top Clinton fundraisers: media exec Fred Eychaner, attorney Lee Miller and Laura Ricketts, part owner of the World Series champion Chicago Cubs and an LGBT activist… I’ve already reported on chatter that Mayor Rahm Emanuel could end up as ambassador to Israel.” [CrainsChicago] 

“Is Twitter to Blame for The Madness of This Year’s Presidential Race?” by Katie Glueck: “I have many friends and colleagues who faced racist, anti-Semitic, and sexist online assaults, and even threats, from Twitter trolls. And yet. It turned out Twitter could be a surprisingly supportive platform for those of us on the cutthroat campaign trail. When I was on the Ted Cruz beat, before moving on to the general election, reporters from rival publications would tweet out one another’s stories, giving credit to competitors. Twitter offered a platform for camaraderie and instant communication, too.” [T&CMag] 

“Trump Surrogate Responds To Accusations Of Anti-Semitism: ‘I Was Raised Jewish’” by Betsy Rothstein: “I am laughing about it on one hand because it is funny and I’m loving some of the comments,” Hughes told The Mirror in a phone call Monday. “On the other hand, there was a really great point that was made that is being missed in all of it. This is a great distraction. I wished it didn’t happen. To throw anti-Semitic [attacks] at me is offensive to my very Jewish mother. Yes, I was raised Jewish. I’m evangelical. My mother is a practicing Jew. It’s really complicated. I was raised in a very pro-Israel household. I can laugh about it. I think with ‘Make America Grapes Again’ and this I’m going to have a very stiff drink at the end. Everyone makes gaffes. We’re all on our last bit of energy.” [DailyCaller] 

BUSINESS BRIEFS: David Tepper slams Donald Trump for being selfish, calls him ‘father of lies’[CNBC] • One of Silicon Valley’s Most Prominent Investors Ben Horowitz Is Joining Lyft’s Board of Directors [Fortune] • David Bistricer snags UWS rental building for $173M [TRD] • City tweaks 421-a to include housing for homeless New Yorkers [Curbed] • Asia Society Board of Trustees announced the election of Isaac (Yitz) Applbaum [AsiaSociety] • Netflix purchases rights to hit Israeli drama ‘Fauda’[ToI] • Microsoft, Dell, Salesforce sample WeWork space [SeattleTimes]

SPOTLIGHT: “Disgraced Hedge Fund Manager Focuses on Aiding Veterans” by Paul Sullivan: “His burst of veteran-focused philanthropy can easily be seen as an attempt at personal redemption. In 2013, as the federal government was closing in on SAC Capital, Mr. [Steven A.] Cohen began to give to veterans’ charities, with a $17 million gift for research into post-traumatic stress at the New York University Langone Medical Center for a clinic for military families. By this spring he had committed $325 million to the effort through the Cohen Veterans Network, which runs clinics to offer treatment, and Cohen Biosciences, which does scientific research. He is expanding them, quickly adding clinics and providing the funds to make the research arm a player.” [NYTimes] 

LongRead — “Hell Is Other Lawyers” by Paul Barrett: “Paul Napoli and Marc Bern were mass-tort stars, but after Napoli was hospitalized with terminal leukemia his partner overhauled the firm without his consent. Then Napoli recovered—and things got brutal.” [Businessweek]

“Tune In Tel Aviv Conference Founder Debunks 5 Myths About Israel’s Music Scene” by Jeremy Hulsh: “With Tune In Tel Aviv, Israel’s international music conference and showcase, kicking off its sixth edition on Nov. 9, and welcoming more than 100 acts and nearly 1,000 delegates to the city, a wide array of issues will soon be addressed. Among them: further developing Israel’s music export potential, enhancing the live music experience through new festival concepts and how to make use of the country’s flourishing technology scene.” [Billboard]

KAFE KNESSET — by Tal Shalev & Amir Tibon: Stealing the spotlight momentarily from the US elections, the latest chapter in the “Bibi vs. the Israeli media” saga emerged last night on prime time TV, with a special expose on Netanyahu broadcast by Channel 2’s top Israeli investigative show, Uvda.  The show, hosted by one of the most respected journalists in Israel, Ilana Dayan, opened its 23th season with an in-depth look into Netanyahu’s “aquarium” – the inner circle of advisors, including exclusive interviews with former advisors, as well as unflattering and alarming descriptions of Sara Netanyahu’s involvement behind the scenes.

But the scandalous revelations were only the promo for the real television moments that ended the show, in what has been hailed on Twitter as an “Edward Murrow” moment for Israeli journalism. For 6 minutes Dayan gave a dramatic monologue, reading out the Prime Minister’s Office response to her report, which dismissed the claims as “recycled gossip and vicious lies,” launching a scathing attack on Dayan. “The time has come to unmask Ilana Dayan,” the response read, accusing her of being part of a “concerted frenzy aiming to topple Netanyahu,” and portraying her as an enemy of the state, drawing direct lines with every political crime in the country, including connections with Ehud Olmert, the extreme left, Haaretz and the New Israel Fund. She was also accused of sweet-talking Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas in a recent interview and persecuting Israeli soldiers. Dayan read all of these accusation out loud, staging a magnificent monologue.

The video of Dayan reading out the PM’s reaction has since gone viral and become the talk of the town. Former PM Ehud Barak tweeted “He’s completely lost it, Psychiatrists would say it begins with a P,”  and the Zionist Union appealed to the Attorney General to investigate the language the PMO’s office used in their response as incitement. MK Shelly Yacimovich called the incident “One of the defining moments in the history of the press in Israel.” And journalists on Twitter celebrated with a hashtag, #jesuisIlana. However, in Netanyahu’s own camp, his response was hailed and Dayan was slammed as a Leftist who aspires to oust Netanyahu. Culture Minister Miri Regev put out a special statement endorsing Netanyahu and his wife and praising him for “redefining the rules of the game.” Pundits pointed out that Netanyahu had distracted many from the Uvda show itself, as the discourse focused on his reaction and not on the troubling revelations. As Netanyahu is in the midst of planning far reaching media reforms, it appears that the battle between him and the press has only just begun.

BIRTHDAYS: United States Attorney for New Jersey (1971-1973), then US District Court Judge (1973-1987), now a criminal defense attorney, Herbert Jay Stern turns 80… Allan Waxman… Chartered Financial Analyst in the San Francisco Bay Area, Michael Sosebee… Michelle Silverstein… President of University Women at LA’s American Jewish University, Allison Gingold… Annie Korzen… Senior Director of Bono’s ONE Campaign in North America and currently on leave for three weeks running Hillary Clinton’s campaign in Chester, PA, Laurie Moskowitz turns 52 (h/t Steve Rabinowitz)… Wayne Berman, Senior Advisor for Global Government Affairs to the Blackstone Group…