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DRIVING THE DAY: According to Mike Allen, “Anthony Scaramucci, the charismatic investment pioneer who now is a top White House official, is showing rising West Wing clout. In New York this afternoon, he’ll hold two high-stakes meetings that reflect his internal juice: Mort Klein, close friend of Sheldon Adelson and national president of the Zionist Organization of America, will exchange views on Israel with Scaramucci, who has been a loyal friend to the pro-Israel community. Adelson wants to convey his views on Israel, including the movement of the embassy. “Mooch,” as Scaramucci is affectionately known, is director of the White House Office of Public Liaison and Intergovernmental Affairs, and will report today’s findings to Jared Kushner.” [Axios]

Our Take: This news struck us as odd considering Mort Klein was in DC all weekend. He could have easily met with Scaramucci or others and likely did. Why make a big public deal of this particular NYC meeting?

We asked Mort Klein… who told us: “Scaramucci has the same job as Valerie Jarrett had in the Obama White House. I am meeting with him to talk about Israel, about the dangers of a Palestinian state, about the extraordinary importance of moving the embassy, especially as a sign that Islamic terrorist threats will not control policy, and to talk about the Palestinian Authority’s war against Israel. I am speaking to as many Trump officials about these issues as I can. They have told me that they realize that ZOA is the Jewish organization that most promotes and reflects their views about the Arab-Islamic war against Israel. They know that almost all the other organizations support a Palestinian state, do not come out and say Jews have a right to live in Judea and Samaria. They have told me — one after another — that we are the only major Jewish group they understand reflects Trump’s views on these issues. So, they have reached out to me, they call me about Israel issues all the time, and my meeting with Scaramucci is just a continuation of a strong and enduring relationship between the Trump Administration and the ZOA and myself.”

As for why they didn’t meet in DC over the weekend: “Everybody was running around during the weekend, going from one party to another.”

Klein on Spicer’s statement about the embassy relocation: “They began to discuss this during the campaign. So that statement was really not quite accurate. Trump has been talking about this for many many months. They are very serious. I’ve been told by all the top officials that they are going to move the embassy. I have urged them to move as soon as possible.”

DRIVING THE CONVERSATION: “U.S. in ‘beginning stages’ of talks on Jerusalem embassy move: spokesman” by Warren Strobel and Matt Spetalnick: “”We are at the very beginning stages of even discussing this subject,” White House spokesman Sean Spicer said in a statement. Aides said no announcement of an embassy move was imminent.” [Reuters] • Chinese President Calls for East Jerusalem as Capital of Palestinian State [Haaretz] 

“Among Jerusalem Embassy Backers, Varying Views On When And How” by JI’s Aaron Magid: “The U.S. Embassy should be relocated “as soon as possible,” Mike Doran, a senior fellow at the Hudson Institute told Jewish Insider. “There will be some gnashing of teeth and rending of clothes and then it will be forgotten, but the longer we drag it out the more it becomes an issue,” he added… Professor Eugene Kontorovich… told Jewish Insider. “The law has said that the Embassy should be relocated to Jerusalem since 1995. So, 22 years too late is the latest it should be. I see absolutely no reason for delay.” However, Daniel Gordis, Senior Vice President at Shalem College, advocates for a more “gradual” approach. “If it happens in a month, or six months or a year, I don’t think makes much substantive difference,” he explained.

“Some argue that the Trump Administration should adopt a more minimalist approach to the transfer. “If the U.S. has a huge ribbon cutting ceremony with Bibi and Trump getting on the podium and making all sorts of pronouncements, I think it puts Saudi Arabia and the U.A.E. in a very uncomfortable position because they can’t not respond to something like that,” Gordis explained.” [JewishInsider] 

MK Sharren Haskel (Likud) tells us: “The fact that the United States will move its Embassy to what Israel has always considered and will forever consider as its capital will send a message to the rest of the world that Jerusalem is the capital of Israel, Jerusalem will always stay the capital of Israel. It would be greatly appreciated once they do it and, obviously, I hope they do it as soon as they can.”

Ayman Mohyeldin: “Sources to Joe Scarborough Trump admin won’t move US embassy to Jerusalem quickly. The big priority is a peace deal by gauging regional positions 1st.” [Twitter]  

Ben Jacobs: “Worth noting that the Obama Administration spent eight years in the “beginning stages” of discussing closing Guantanamo.” [Twitter] 

FLASHBACK 02-04-2001 — Bush aides cautious on moving U.S. Embassy in Israel: “Powell said there are no immediate plans to move the U.S. Embassy from Tel Aviv, but the administration was “studying it.” … In an interview with CNN, National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice… said there was no timetable for the embassy move… “Part of the process will be to talk to friends in the region to assess the possibilities of doing this,” Rice said. “But the commitment remains. The question of exactly when and how, I think, has to be judged within the context in which we find ourselves.”” [CNN] 

“US Ambassador Friedman to reside in Jerusalem” by Itamar Eichner: “In private talks, Friedman expressed his intention to live in Jerusalem regardless of the decision to move the embassy to Jerusalem. Friedman owns a spacious apartment in the Talbiyeh neighborhood of Jerusalem, which he visits several times per year.” [Ynet] 

“In Israel, marchers criticize talk of moving U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem” by Joshua Mitnick: “[Larry] Derfner also slammed Trump’s nominee for ambassador to Israel, real estate lawyer David Friedman, for referring to the liberal American Jewish political advocacy group J-Street as “kapos.” “We have to organize a boycott of him,’’ said Derfner, an Israeli American.” [LATimes]

HEARD ON FRIDAY — Trump to Chuck Schumer: “Here is one that is not at all controversial: David Friedman from New York you must know, right?” Schumer: “I’ve never met him.” Trump: “You sort of said that about me too… David is going to do a great job.” [YouTube]

“Trump speaks with Netanyahu” by Karen DeYoung: “Trump invited Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to visit him at the White House in early February, during a brief telephone call Sunday that Trump described as “very nice.” A White House statement said the two agreed to consult closely on regional issues, “including the threats posed by Iran.” It said Trump emphasized the close relationship between the two countries, promised to work toward Israeli-Palestinian peace… Netanyahu, in a statement released by his office, called the conversation “very warm.” He said he had “expressed his desire to work closely” with the administration, “with no daylight between” the two countries.” [WashPost; WSJ] • Trump Speaks With Netanyahu, Seeking to Thaw U.S. Relations [NYTimes]

Gil Hoffman: “Breaking: POTUS invites Netanyahu to DC next month. But will BB still be PM then? And will he still come 2 March AIPAC policy conference?” [Twitter]

VIEW FROM JERUSALEM: “Ministers Push Back Vote on Israeli Settlement Annexation Until Netanyahu-Trump Meet” by Barak Ravid: “Israeli ministers postponed a vote on a bill to annex the West Bank settlement of Ma’aleh Adumim on Sunday, agreeing to hold the vote after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu meets with U.S. President Donald Trump in Washington… Netanyahu told [Education Minister Naftali] Bennett that Trump’s advisers said no unilateral steps should be taken by Israel before the Netanyahu-Trump meeting, scheduled to take place in the first week of February, but rather to coordinate and cooperate. “I’m getting messages from Trump not to jump in head first,” Netanyahu told Bennett… On Saturday night, Netanyahu posted a video to his Facebook page stating that one of the main issue he would be bringing up with Trump in their first meeting was the Iranian threat.” [Haaretz; WashPost] • Netanyahu says he’ll lift restrictions on East Jerusalem construction [ToI]

“Trump Presidency Is Already Altering Israeli-Palestinian Politics” by Ian Fisher: “Amid the lack of clarity on Mr. Trump’s embassy intentions, Mr. Netanyahu engaged in a day of furious political positioning. On one hand, he is happy to have someone in the White House seemingly more like-minded on the Palestinian question than Mr. Obama was. But on the other, Mr. Trump’s advisers and his designated ambassador, David M. Friedman, a supporter of Israeli settlement in the occupied West Bank, are in some ways in closer political step with Mr. Netanyahu’s right-wing rivals. As such, Mr. Netanyahu tried to tamp down his rivals by positioning himself both as Mr. Trump’s main interlocutor as well as the champion of Jewish settlers in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.” [NYTimes]

Josh Block: “Nice. Currently on State Dept web site: “The U.S.-Israel Bilateral Relations Fact Sheet is currently being updated.”” [Twitter; State]

INAUGURATION SIGHTS & SOUNDS: “Trump takes office, vows an end to ‘American carnage’” by Philip Rucker, John Wagner and David A. Fahrenthold: “And as Trump promised to return power to “struggling families,” two of his wealthiest benefactors — casino mogul Sheldon Adelson and wife Miriam — were among the day’s guests of honor, scoring prime aisle seats behind Trump on the dais.” [WashPost] • Top 5 Jewish inauguration moments: Rabbi Hier, ‘America First,’ Chuck Schumer and more [JewishJournal]

“How Senator Schumer and Rabbi Hier Snuck Jewish Dissent Into the Trump Inaugural” by J.J. Goldberg:“It was left to the sole non-Christian, Rabbi Marvin Hier of the Simon Wiesenthal Center and Los Angeles Museum of Tolerance, to quote the parts of the Bible that remind us of our duties to our fellow human beings, our obligations as a society to the poor, the weak and powerless. Hier, a conservative-leaning Orthodox rabbi, has been under pressure for weeks from Jewish leftists to make a bold statement at the inaugural and speak up for social justice. I don’t think they expected the rabbi to deliver, but he did — elegantly.” [Forward]

“The new Washington elite schmoozes over lunch” by Alexander Bolton: “His closest allies, Vice President Pence, daughter Ivanka Trump, son-in-law Jared Kushner… GOP mega-donor Sheldon Adelson and political adviser Kellyanne Conway, were seated around the room… Schumer said that the finality of the moment reminded him of his daughter’s recent wedding.” [TheHill] 

“Sheldon and Miriam Adelson and the Ricketts family hosted a private inaugural party [Friday] night in a room decked out like a Vegas lounge with TVs framed in gold. The party took place at the Morning Consult office close to the White House. SPOTTED: Sylvie and Todd Ricketts, Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts, Kentucky Gov. Matt Bevin, Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.), Sen. Cory Gardner (R-Colo.), John Paulson, Paul Singer, Andy Abboud, Robin and Brian Baker, Rob Collins, Laura and Joel Kaplan, Campbell Brown and Dan Senor.” [Playbook] 

“Despite Sabbath, Ivanka Trump and Husband Celebrate Inauguration” by Maggie Haberman: “For Ivanka Trump and her husband, Jared Kushner, celebrating the presidential inauguration by attending the gatherings on Friday night posed an obstacle to their Orthodox Jewish observance of the Sabbath… A Jewish person who was briefed on the matter but not authorized to speak publicly about it said on Friday night that they were given an exemption under the principle in Jewish law of pikuach nefesh.” [NYTimes] 

Rabbi Jonathan Muskat: “For all I know, not attending this very momentous, festive event might be something that President Trump would take personally and remember for a long time and it is possible that Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner not attending might have adverse affects on their relationship with their father and father-in-law which might have adverse effects on the State of Israel.” [Facebook] 

TOP TALKER: “Is Donald Trump’s Insecurity a National Security Threat?” by Nick Bilton: “The bigger challenge is that Trump is facing an unprecedented challenge in his career. For the first time in his adult life, Donald J. Trump is going to have to stop focusing relentlessly on Donald J. Trump. And I’m not sure that he can do it. Worse, I fear that his inability to look beyond his stifling narcissism has grave national security ramifications.” [VanityFair]

“Rocky First Weekend for Trump Troubles Even His Top Aides” by Peter Baker, Glenn Thrush and Maggie Haberman: “To the extent that there was a plan to take advantage of the first days of his administration, when a president is usually at his maximum leverage, Mr. Trump threw it aside with a decision to lash out about crowd sizes at his swearing in and to rewrite the history of his dealings with intelligence agencies. The lack of discipline troubled even senior members of Mr. Trump’s circle, some of whom had urged him not to indulge his simmering resentment at what he saw as unfair news coverage.” [NYTimes]

–How It Happened: “Mr. Trump grew increasingly angry on Inauguration Day after reading a series of Twitter messages pointing out that the size of his inaugural crowd did not rival that of Mr. Obama’s in 2009. But he spent his Friday night in a whirlwind of celebration and affirmation. When he awoke on Saturday morning, after his first night in the Executive Mansion, the glow was gone, several people close to him said, and the new president was filled anew with a sense of injury.” [NYT] • A comparison we’ve been hearing often — Avital Chizhik on Trump: “Achashverosh incarnate” [Twitter]

“Justice Department blesses White House post for Kushner” by Josh Gerstein: “A 14-page opinion dated Friday from Justice’s Office of Legal Counsel asserts that a federal anti-nepotism law that applies to agencies across the executive branch does not cover the White House itself… “We believe that the President’s special hiring authority [in the 1978 law] permits him to make appointments to the White House Office that the anti-nepotism statute might otherwise forbid,” [Deputy Assistant Attorney General Daniel] Koffsky wrote in the opinion sent to White House Counsel Donald McGahn at his request.” [Politico; NYTimes] 

“Kushner’s Brother Goes From The Women’s March To The White House” by Nitasha Tiku: “On Saturday, Kushner was photographed amid Women’s March protesters in Washington, DC, and on Sunday he made a rare, if enigmatic, nod to the Trump administration by posting to Instagram a picture of himself and his brother standing below a photograph of John F. Kennedy at the White House. A source close to Kushner told BuzzFeed News: “Josh was at the White House with his family today to watch his brother being sworn in. Yesterday, he took a quick walk near his hotel, and someone took a picture of him.” However, according to The Washingtonian, Kushner, a lifelong Democrat who has donated to Democratic candidates, told fellow attendees at the Women’s March that he was there “observing.”” [BuzzFeed]

Spotted: Charles Kushner in the East Room for son Jared’s swearing-in [Pic] 

ICYMI: How Jared Kushner’s White House Deputy, Avrahm Berkowitz, Landed in the West Wing [JewishInsider] 

INTERVIEW: Oded Revivi, Chief Foreign Envoy of the Yesha Council spoke to JI’s Aaron Magid following his attendance at Trump’s inauguration: “For the first time, the Yesha council, which is an umbrella organization for all of the towns in the regional council of Judea and Samaria received an official invitation to come and take part. For us, it was a great sign of approval of interests that we are representing half a million people who live in Judea and Samaria and that was a basic reason why we have accepted the invitation and decided to form a delegation to come. The people who actually invited us asked to keep their names confidential. At the end of the day, the fact that we were sitting extremely close to the stage I think is a clear indication of the nature of the people who invited us.”

On his expectations of the Trump Administration: “We have got many people in the administration that we can basically reach. By, let’s say, two phone calls we can get to the President. There are many people who are in a very close circle of the new President who are big and longtime friends of Judea and Samaria, people who have studied in Judea and Samaria, and the people who are surrounding the President today are definitely aware and know the reality and the facts. Up until today, it was a long campaign. It was a celebration. Now we need to start working to make sure that not only America is great again but also Judea, Samaria and Israel are great again.”

HEARD OVER THE WEEKEND: NYT’s Peter Baker on Trump’s standing in Israel: “Israel, though – he’s very popular, I have to say. I’ve just got back from Jerusalem. That’s certainly one place in the world that they see his arrival as a – as a good thing. He’s going to support them, finally, in their view, after eight years of Barack Obama, who they did not feel was supportive.” [PBS] 

“Senior Israeli Diplomat Dore Gold Says Obama’s Arrogance Hurt Relationship W/Israel” by Jeff Dunetz: “The interview (in Hebrew) started with Gold relating a story from the funeral of Shimon Peres four months ago. He spoke of Prime Minister Netanyahu greeting each world leader who came to the funeral individually. As each leader left, Netanyahu shook their hands and exchanged a few niceties. Suddenly there was a phone call from Air Force One which along with the crew carried President Barack Obama, former President Bill Clinton, and Secretary of State John Kerry. Yoav Horowitz, Netanyahu’s chief of staff, answered the phone… “Tell your boss that if he wants a funeral like Peres’, he should begin to move, to go forward.” the American voice on the other end said. Horowitz passed on the message immediately. “Tell him,” Netanyahu responded, “that I give up the honor because I have no intention of participating in the funeral of my country.”” [TheLid; MakorRishon]

BUZZ ON BALFOUR: “The Netanyahu Investigations” by Gregg Carlstrom: “This all feels very much like 2008, when a similar swirl of controversy forced Ehud Olmert to resign, after being accused of accepting cash-filled envelopes from Morris Talansky, an American businessman, and spending the money on expensive cigars, watches, and other luxuries… “This government has reached the end. … National responsibility requires we return to the people for new elections,” said the opposition leader at the time, a certain Benjamin Netanyahu. But there’s a key difference here. Netanyahu, unlike Olmert at the time of his resignation, still enjoys the support of his coalition, casting doubt on the predictions of the doomsayers.” [TheAtlantic]

“‘Fire behind the smoke’: Probe of Netanyahu has Israelis worried” by William Booth: “Even a die-hard Netanyahu critic told The Washington Post that the evening broadcasts felt like “Chinese water torture.” The drip, drip, drip of alternatively embarrassing and damaging material continues… Life is unfair, but the probes are hurting Netanyahu with the public, at least in the short run.” [WashPost]

DNC WATCH: “Ralph Nader Slams Keith Ellison For ‘Toning Down’ His Stance on Israel” by Madina Toure: “When he started running for the chair of the DNC, he began changing: toning down his opinions, not repeating progressive positions,” Nader told the Observer… “And then he said that, because he was losing ground to the establishment who wanted former Secretary of Labor Perez to be the chair, he said, well he would quit his seat, won’t be a part-time chair, starts backing off on Israel-Palestine issue,” Nader continued. “So I think, do we have the real Keith Ellison or do we have a transformed, conditioned Keith Ellison so desperate for the position that he’s forgotten a lot of his own former courageous stands.” [Observer]

2018 WATCH: “J.B. Pritzker leans on Sacks, Steans as he explores governor’s run” by Natasha Korecki:“Michael Sacks, GCM Grosvenor CEO and a top personal adviser to Mayor Rahm Emanuel, called Pritzker “extraordinary” and offered his backing should Pritzker ultimately file campaign papers.” [Politico]

2020 WATCH: Booker walks 2020 tightrope” by Burgess Everett and Gabriel Debenedetti: “In interviews with over a dozen lawmakers, donors and operatives, Democrats say that whether he likes it or not, the 47-year-old senator is in the mix for the Democratic nomination in 2020 simply because of who he is — and what he’s doing now… “He obviously is interested in running for president, and he’s decided to position himself as vocally anti-Trump. There’s certainly an appetite for that,” said Bob Shrum, a veteran lead strategist for Democratic presidential campaigns.” [Politico] 

TOP-OP: “Machlochet L’Shem Shamayim: A More Perfect Argument” by Chanan Weissman: “Disagreements. Arguments. Quarrels. Disputes. Jews are not new to discord. We have a long and, perhaps, cherished history of expressing our differences… Yes, we were once strangers in a strange land, but we have never been strangers to a good argument. At its core, an argument for the sake of heaven is one whose objective is not the defeat of the other but rather the humble embrace of an ultimate truth. It’s less about “winning” an argument and more about solving a problem. And for those who embrace this values-based form of argument — sofah l’hitkayem, the end endures. The truth emerges. The disputants’ dignity is preserved. The community is strengthened.” [Sh’maNow]

** Good Monday 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] **

SPOTLIGHT: “Doomsday Prep for the Super-Rich” by Evan Osnos: “How many wealthy Americans are really making preparations for a catastrophe? It’s hard to know exactly; a lot of people don’t like to talk about it. (“Anonymity is priceless,” one hedge-fund manager told me, declining an interview.) Sometimes the topic emerges in unexpected ways. Reid Hoffman, the co-founder of LinkedIn and a prominent investor, recalls telling a friend that he was thinking of visiting New Zealand. “Oh, are you going to get apocalypse insurance?” the friend asked. “I’m, like, Huh?” Hoffman told me. New Zealand, he discovered, is a favored refuge in the event of a cataclysm.” [NewYorker]

PROFILE: “President, with an asterisk: Laurent Morali is the new head of Kushner Cos. But how much power does he really wield?” by Konrad Putzier: ““Am I the leader of the company?” Laurent Morali, the new president of Kushner Companies, repeated the question, then answered without a moment’s hesitation. “I am.” … Morali, a France native and Wall Street veteran, has been with Kushner Cos. for almost nine years… “I think Laurent has played the role, in a lot of people’s eyes, as day-to-day president of that company for a long time,” said one source familiar with the firm… “Jared was running the Observer, he was helping Ivanka with her stuff, he was helping his brother with Thrive (Capital) –Laurent was was always the guy nose-to-grindstone running the business.” David Hochfelder, a former top acquisitions executive at RFR Realty who worked with Kushner Cos. on its first Dumbo acquisition, said he spent more time with Morali than with Jared over the deal.” [TRD]

“Behind Closed Doors At Davos: “Make Elites Great Again” by Miriam Elder: “The hostess, Lally Graham Weymouth, a senior associate editor at The Washington Post and daughter of the late Katharine Graham, was calling on people around the room to share their thoughts when she hit upon David Rubinstein, the jovial co-founder of the Carlyle Group. His remarks were different — and, people in attendance said, made as a joke. Rubinstein, three people in attendance told BuzzFeed News, pleaded to those gathered that elites were people too. With feelings! And they deserved to be listened to.” [BuzzFeed] • Larry Summers: Disillusioned in Davos [Blog]

“Plasco Building disaster rekindles painful memories for L.A.’s Iranian Jews” by Karmel Melamed: “At a time when Iran was beginning to modernize, the building was not only a symbol of the country’s positive transformation, but it was also a powerful symbol of immense achievement of Iranian Jews. It was likewise a symbol of great pride for Iranian Jews who just four decades prior had been forced by the Qajar kings of Iran to live in poverty and in run-down ghettos… The Jewish community leaders in Iran’s worry about the Plasco building’s backlash was real because according to Shahrzad Elghanayan (Habib’s granddaughter), Iranian Shiite cleric Mahmoud Taleghani objected to the idea that a Jew had built the tallest building of its time in Iran.” [JewishJournal]

“Attack on Alt-Right Leader Has Internet Asking: Is It O.K. to Punch a Nazi?” by Liam Stack: “[Richard] Spencer, who is credited with coining the term alt-right… was punched in the head on Inauguration Day by a person clad in black as he was being interviewed by a journalist. At the time of the attack, Mr. Spencer was explaining the meaning of Pepe the Frog… Opponents of the punch tended to say that violence had no place in political debate. Supporters tended to say the punch was funny, and more than a few compared Mr. Spencer’s attacker to famous Nazi punchers from pop culture, like Indiana Jones and Captain America.” [NYTimes]

HOLLYWOOD: “Alternate Endings: Will interactive films be this century’s defining art form?” by Raffi Khatchadourian: “Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert, young directors who go by the joint film credit Daniels, are known for reality-warped miniatures—short films, music videos, commercials—that are eerie yet playful in mood… Perhaps it is no surprise, then, that when the Daniels were notified by their production company, several years ago, that an Israeli indie pop star living in New York wanted to hire them to experiment with technology that could alter fundamental assumptions of moviemaking, they took the call. The musician was Yoni Bloch, arguably the first Internet sensation on Israel’s music scene—a wispy, bespectacled songwriter from the Negev whose wry, angst-laden music went viral in the early aughts, leading to sold-out venues and a record deal.” [NewYorker]

SPORTS BLINK: “New England Patriots’ Owner, Still Sore at N.F.L., Has Payback in Sight” by Ken Belson and Ben Shpigel:“At the Super Bowl in Houston in two weeks, the N.F.L. may have no choice but to air a public and profound grudge on national television… Roger Goodell presenting the Lombardi Trophy to Robert K. Kraft, the owner of the Patriots. The moment would be delicious payback for Kraft, who is still simmering about the four-game suspension his quarterback, Tom Brady, served as a result of the cheating scandal known as Deflategate, after the underinflated footballs meant to give him a throwing advantage. Kraft largely kept quiet while the Brady case played out. But in a recent interview, he made clear that he remains annoyed by how his best player and team were pilloried.” [NYTimes]

“Tom Brady ad highlights Israeli-developed video tech” by Luke Tress: “Intel’s “Be the Player” technology will provide viewers with 360-degree replays of key moments in the game. Using the tagline “Intel 360 Replay makes anything look epic,” the commercial features triumphal music and dramatic views of Tom Brady getting out of bed, brushing his teeth and eating a dropped pancake off of the floor… For the Super Bowl, 38 cameras were installed throughout the stadium for the 360-degree reconstructions. Each clip will be around 15-30 seconds long and is around one terabyte of data. The technology was developed by Replay Technologies, founded in Israel in 2011.” [ToI]

SCENE LAST NIGHT IN LA: The Republican Jewish Coalition’s LA chapter held a book event for Tevi Troy’s “Shall We Wake the President?: Two Centuries of Disaster Management from the Oval Office” at Bart Kogan’s Westwood condo. Attendees included “How Trump Won” author Joel Pollak (just back from inauguration), his wife Julia, political strategist Julianne Shinto, and RJC LA’s Doris Ohayon. Troy noted that many people ask him if his book is about presidents who are disasters. “Half of those people think that the outgoing president is a disaster, half think the incoming president is a disaster, and Bill Kristol thinks both are true,” he answered.

WELCOME TO THE WORLD: Julianna Goldman, correspondent at CBS News and a Bloomberg alum, and Michael Gottlieb, a partner at Boies Schiller and Flexner, post on Facebook: “Introducing Abner Sam Gottlieb. He made his debut at 2:46 [Saturday] morning, weighing in at 8 lbs 4 oz (roughly half of which appears to be his head of hair).” [Pic] h/t Playbook

BIRTHDAYS: Real estate developer and minority owner of the NBA’s Brooklyn Nets, Bruce Ratner turns 72… Educational consultant, trade association and non-profit executive, previously an aide to Congresswoman Bella S. Abzug (D-NY), Peter D. Rosenstein turns 70… Manager of Innovative Strategies LLLP and JHJ Investment LLLP, board member of the Baltimore-based Zanvyl and Isabelle Krieger Fund, Howard K. Cohen turns 70… Israeli archaeologist, educator, on the faculty of Oxford Brookes University, Estee Dvorjetski turns 66… 41st Mayor of Los Angeles (2005-2013), now a candidate for Governor of California in 2018, Antonio Villaraigosa turns 64… Avner Solomon… Yochonon Donn, politics and local news editor at Hamodia (yesterday)…

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