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Ed note: Over the past few weeks, as Congress has worked on the Taylor Force Act legislation, there have been a series of conversations between the White House and Congress. We were not present for those discussions but this week a number of participants who were privy to the conversations have expressed differing views on what exemptions to the legislation were proposed, by whom and with what motives. Below are the various viewpoints of those who spoke with us.

WHAT THE WHITE HOUSE IS SAYING — After Jewish Insider’s Aaron Magid reported on Monday, citing several Congressional sources, that White House advisor Jason Greenblatt urged Congress to include wastewater exemptions in the Taylor Force Act, senior White House official Victoria Coates pushed back and attempted to clarify the administration’s stance towards the legislation. Coates told the Free Beacon on Wednesday, “The Trump administration strongly supports the Taylor Force Act, and the White House has communicated that support to Congress and in public statements.” The former staffer for Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) added, “Reports to the contrary, including that anyone at the White House tried to water this legislation down, are false.”

WHAT CAPITOL HILL SOURCES ARE SAYING — “If this administration really wanted this bill to be signed into law quickly, they would be using their muscle to tell the House to markup either the SFRC version or Senate Ops bill so we could clear it on hotline and the House could pass their bill and it could be at the President’s desk in a few weeks,” one well-informed Congressional aide told us earlier in the week.

On Wednesday, the House Foreign Affairs Committee passed an updated version of the Taylor Force Act. The revised bill includes exemptions for specific US programs to the Palestinians including the East Jerusalem Hospital Network, childhood vaccines and wastewater projects. These carve outs would be targeted and limited to tangible initiatives. However, aides in two Congressional offices tell Jewish Insider that earlier this month senior White House official Victoria Coates recommended an additional exemption for programs that would promote regional cooperation.

“Victoria Coates asked for this regional cooperation language, which is ridiculous. That is the most undefined, wide expansive waiver exemption that you could possibly give the administration. It’s not even a national security exemption. Literally, it could be anything,” one of the staffers stressed. In the end, the House Foreign Affairs Committee did not include the regional cooperation exemption on Wednesday.

“The fact that the administration is weighing in to make changes, at this point after we have done all of the work on the Senate side, I just get the feeling that they (the White House) are just dragging their feet,” the Congressional source charged.

When asked for comment yesterday, White House spokesman Josh Raffel replied: “The White House strongly supports the Taylor Force Act, we have not lobbied to water it down and never asked for an exemption contingent on regional cooperation. We look forward to continuing to work with Congress on this issue. It is disappointing to continue to see such false and misleading information about our involvement with and support of the Taylor Force Act.”

Noah Pollak, a strong supporter of the Taylor Force Act, tells us: “The administration doesn’t oppose TFA in principle, but it does view its timing as inconvenient to the effort to restart negotiations. This White House, like past White Houses, wishes to pursue its foreign policy goals without interference from Congress. But every exemption that is added to the bill frees up money for the PA to spend on terrorism, and communicates to the Palestinians that the US doesn’t really mean it when we say terrorism is unacceptable. I believe the only morally and politically defensible position is zero exemptions.”

Last night, House Foreign Affairs Chairman Ed Royce emailed us the following statement: “The administration shares our goal of stopping the Palestinian Authority’s abhorrent ‘pay to slay’ scheme that incentivizes terrorism. This bill, as approved by the committee, is a strong, effective measure that is capable of clearing the Senate and moving to the president’s desk. We appreciate the productive role the White House has played in this process, and look forward to seeing the Taylor Force bill on the House floor.”

DRIVING THE CONVO: “Israel is nervous about the Syria ceasefire deal” by Barak Ravid: “Israeli leaders are worried about the ceasefire deal in southern Syria signed last weekend between the U.S., Russia and Jordan. That’s because the deal will allow Iranian-backed forces to position themselves as close as 3.5 miles from the Israeli border in the Golan Heights. But they also think it sends an alarming signal about the Trump administration’s policies. Israeli officials see the deal as a sign that the Trump administration is too eager to pull out of the Middle East, and not willing to back up its rhetoric about confronting Iran’s negative regional behavior with action.”

“Less publicly, Israeli officials admit they failed to convince Russia and the U.S. to draft a deal that will address Israeli concerns more seriously. While they are not surprised with the Russians, they are disappointed with the way the Trump administration handled the Syria deal. As one Israeli official told me: “America has turned into a rumor in the Middle East. It’s gone. There is nothing.” The only comfort Israeli officials have is that, while it doesn’t want to take action itself, the Trump administration is giving Israel a “green light” to continue its military strikes against Hezbollah and Iran in Syria. “We will just have to take care of it on our own”, an Israeli official told me.” [Axios]

DEADLINE APPROACHING — On December 1st, President Trump is expected to renew on a presidential waiver suspending the relocation of the U.S. Embassy in Tel Aviv for another six months. “The president has always made it very clear that it is a matter of when, not if. We have no news to share at this time,” a White House official said last week. In an interview set to be broadcast on the JBS television network, Ambassador David Friedman says that he is “pretty confident” that the embassy will be moved to Jerusalem during Trump’s first term. [Video] 

ON NAZIS, ISRAEL DOESN’T SIDE WITH U.S. AT UN: “The United States has voted against a yearly resolution that condemns the glorification of Nazism, though it doesn’t like Nazis… The Russian-drafted resolution was approved Thursday by the [United Nations] General Assembly’s human rights committee on a vote of 125-2, with 51 abstentions… Despite U.S. pressure to vote “no,” Israel supported the resolution.” [AP]

REPORT: Saudi Arabia king to step down and hand over the crown to his 32-year-old son — by Ryan Parry and Josh Boswell: “The move is seen as the final step in 32-year-old Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s power grab, which began earlier this month with the arrests of more than 40 princes and government ministers in a corruption probe… ‘Unless something dramatic happens, King Salman will announce the appointment of MBS as King of Saudi Arabia next week,’ said the source. ‘King Salman will play the role of the queen of England. He will only keep the title “Custodian of the Holy Shrines.”

“The high level source said once crowned king, the prince will shift his focus to Iran… with fears military action is possible. He will also enlist the help of the Israeli military to crush Hezbollah, the Lebanese militia supported by Iran, according to the source… ‘MBS can not confront Hezbollah in Lebanon without Israel. Plan B is to fight Hezbollah in Syria,’ said the source.” [DailyMail]

–Martin Indyk tweets about the Daily Mail story: “Not a well-sourced piece but it’s going to happen sooner than later: Saudi Arabia’s King Salman set to hand over the crown to his son.”

“Details of Abbas’ mysterious Saudi trip still scarce” by Adnan Abu Amer: “A Palestinian official told Donia al-Watan… that the Saudi visit seems to have troubled Abbas, who feels that some Arab parties are trying to unseat him or push him to resign… Ibrahim Habib, dean of scientific research at the Ribat University College affiliated with Gaza’s Interior Ministry, told Al-Monitor, “Abbas is under Arab and international pressure to settle the Palestinian cause. But he is smart, stubborn and elusive. He will not raise the white flag, even if he fails to face Saudi pressure… He would rather weaken Israel’s position globally without resigning to prevent any party from taking steps to strip him of his legitimacy.”” [Al-Monitor] 

REX UPDATE: “Tillerson Got a Lot of Face Time With Trump on the Asia Trip” by Nick Wadhams: “[Rex] Tillerson frequently briefed the president alone at the start of the day… He sat at the president’s side at most of his bilateral meetings with other world leaders and rode with Trump in his armored limousine as they crisscrossed Beijing… Tillerson’s trip with Trump is unlikely to erase the rumors that United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley wants his job or that CIA Director Mike Pompeo might get it. But the secretary of state has burnished his credentials as a defender of Trump’s unconventional approach to world affairs.” [Bloomberg]

“Regrets? Chris Christie Has a Few” by Josh Dawsey: “Two days after Trump’s surprise win, Steve Bannon and Christie were seen arguing for several hours in a glass office in the transition headquarters in New York. Bannon was firing him as chair of the transition… He wanted to know who was behind it, and he suspected Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner… “Oh, I asked,” Christie said, referring to Bannon. “He didn’t answer. But [based on] subsequent conversations I’ve had with the president, I just don’t believe this was the president’s decision.” … He declined to take a shot at Kushner when asked about the Trump son-in-law’s diminished White House role. “I would never underestimate Jared’s ability to be involved in whatever he wants to do be involved in,” Christie said.” [Politico]

“Al Franken Issues Apology After Accusation of Forcible Kissing and Groping” by Nicholas Fandos: “[Sen] Franken almost immediately released an apology to the newscaster, Leeann Tweeden, who said that Mr. Franken forcibly kissed her during a rehearsal and groped her for a photo as she slept… Response from Republicans and Democrats alike was swift and unsparing. Mitch McConnell… and Chuck Schumer… the Senate leaders, wasted no time before forwarding the matter to the Senate Ethics Committee — a move supported by Democrats, including Mr. Franken… While his fellow senators rushed to rebuke him, Mr. Franken hunkered down out of sight, skipping four votes in the Senate and the Democrats’ regularly scheduled luncheon.” [NYTimes]

“Trump chimes in on Franken sexual harassment, dubs him ‘Al Frankenstein’” by Kristen East: “President Donald Trump has a new nickname for Al Franken, hours after the Minnesota senator was accused of sexual misconduct: Al Frankenstein. “The Al Frankenstien picture is really bad, speaks a thousand words. Where do his hands go in pictures 2, 3, 4, 5 & 6 while she sleeps? …..” Trump tweeted.” [Politico]

“Democrats Missed A Chance To Draw A Line In The Sand On Sexual Misconduct” by Nate Silver: “If Franken were to resign, it probably wouldn’t cost Democrats a Senate seat. Instead, an interim replacement would be named by Minnesota Gov. Mark Dayton — a Democrat who would almost certainly appoint another Democrat… In other words, I thought the Democrats had an opportunity to maintain the moral high ground without having to pay a political price for it.” [FiveThirtyEight] 

WHITE HOUSE PRESS RELEASE DEPT. — White House sent around Bernie Marcus’ op-ed in favor of the tax bill… “Tax bills give small businesses plenty to be thankful for: Small businesses and legislators should not let their pursuit of better tax legislation mar this good one. These bills give small-business owners, and all Americans, much to be thankful for this Thanksgiving. Anything else would be gravy.” [TheHill]

2018 WATCH: “Stacey Abrams’ stance on Israel under scrutiny in race for [Georgia] governor” by Greg Bluestein: “Steve Berman, founder of OA Development, wrote in the Atlanta Jewish Times that he was disappointed that Abrams was one of only a handful of legislators to speak against the [anti-BDS] bill on the Georgia House floor… Abrams published a lengthy response to the op-ed on Medium… calling herself an “unwavering ally” to the Jewish community… Abrams’ campaign pointed to Lois Frank, a well-known activist in the Jewish community who vouched for the candidate’s “longstanding ties to our community.” [AJCPolitics]

ALABAMA SPECIAL ELECTION: “All hail Roy Moore at ‘pro-family’ rally, while accusations pile up” by Christopher Wilson: “Rabbi Noson Leiter said during Thursday’s event that Moore would stand up against “gay terrorists” and the “LGBT rights mafia.” Leiter had previously blamed Hurricane Sandy on the legalization of gay marriage in New York state.” [YahooNews]

“Jon Stewart Returns to ‘Daily Show’ to Mock Anti-Semitic Roy Moore Robocalls” by Matt Wilstein: “I’m going to go out of a limb and say that this ‘Bernie Bernstein’ is not a real Washington Post reporter,” host Trevor Noah said after playing the call… “I don’t even know what that accent was,” he added. “It sounded like a guy trying to do a New York Jewish voice based on hearing a friend describe a Woody Allen movie.” Just then, Noah received a call from “Bernstein,” a “real person,” who happened to be calling from backstage. After revealing the caller to be his predecessor, Noah discovered that Stewart was just finding another elaborate way to promote this Saturday’s Night of Too Many Stars benefit. “You don’t need anti-Semitism to come on the show, you could have just asked me,” Noah said. “I don’t need it, I just like it that way,” Stewart replied.” [DailyBeast; Mediaite]

** Good Friday 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: Nvidia Hires Uber Executive, Targets Mobileye[TheInformation] • Stephen Ross on Amazon HQ2: “I don’t think New York has a chance” [RealDeal] • Stephen Feinberg, The Reclusive Financier Moving From Weapons to German Banking [Bloomberg] • Jeff Zucker’s CNN vs. Ben Smith’s BuzzFeed: A media spat for the digital age [CJR] • PDVSA Looks Like a ‘Zero’ to Man Who Ran Elliott’s Argentina Bet [Bloomberg] 

TRANSITION — President Donald Trump has appointed Paul Packer, a veteran hedge fund manager from New York, as the new chairman of the U.S. Commission for the Preservation of America’s Heritage Abroad, replacing Leslie Weiss. The commission was established by President Ronald Reagan in 1985 to encourage, sponsor and facilitate the preservation and restoration of monuments, cemeteries, historic buildings and other sites that are important and associated with the heritage of US citizens. [JPost] 

TOP TALKER: “Why Was the ‘Jewish Nobel’ Snatched From Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Given to Natalie Portman?” by Yossi Verter: “The central [Genesis] prize was supposed to go to Justice Ginsburg. She was informed of the decision a few weeks ago by the prize committee. She was delighted… But a public announcement did not follow… According to a source close to the committee, someone remembered that in 2016, the justice had lashed out sharply against then-presidential candidate Donald Trump… The incriminating information was made known to the Prime Minister’s Bureau. Major panic. How would Trump react when he saw a photo of his good pal Bibi presenting the most important prize in the Jewish world to the justice he abhors, a liberal icon and a declared supporter of Hillary Clinton? Heaven help us. Several days of frantic running around between offices and officials ensued, until the prize was taken from Ginsburg and transferred to Portman.”

“Another committee source maintains that this is not the reason that Ginsburg was denied the award. This source says that the committee’s legal adviser discovered that U.S. judges are barred from receiving monetary prizes from a foreign country, even if they re-distribute the sum to others. Accordingly, with great regret and despite the unpleasantness, the original decision was overturned. But why wasn’t such a basic point as that checked at an earlier stage, and why would the justice herself not have pointed it out to the committee?” [Haaretz]

TALK OF THE TOWN:“Rabbis’ Dinner Has Outgrown New York City Venues” by Charles Passy: “The Chabad-Lubavitch… conference’s Sundaynight dinner, attended by roughly 5,000 rabbis plus guests, has turned into such an oversize affair that Chabad says it could no longer find a suitable venue to stage it within New York City. The solution: Head to Bayonne, N.J. Lighting for the event is also an issue. The rabbis wear wide-brimmed hats, which can result in a shadow being cast on the faces of any speakers at the event’s stage. Chabad plans to prevent that by lighting the stage from below. The move to New Jersey has created a transportation dilemma. Rabbis will have to make it by bus from Chabad’s Brooklyn headquarters starting in the afternoon. Should they hit a major traffic snag, they may not be able to recite the middle-of-the-day (or “mincha”) prayers in a proper space. Chabad has arranged for a “mincha stop” along the bus route just in case.” [WSJ] 

“Refugee who fled Iraq buys a home… in Baghdad” by Rosa Doherty: “A Jewish refugee from Iraq has done the unthinkable — gone back to Baghdad and bought a house there. Edwin Shuker, a 72 year-old north Londoner, is one of five families who tell their story as part of a new film called Remember Baghdad… The house he has bought in Bagdad is more “symbolic than anything else,” as he lives most of the time in Finchley, north London. But he says: “I try to visit when the security situation allows.”” [TheJC]

REMEMBERING: “Democratic megadonor, Houston trial lawyer Steve Mostyn has died” by Morgon Smith and Jay Root: “Steve Mostyn, a top Democratic donor and prominent Houston trial lawyer, has died. He was 46. According to a statement released by his wife, Amber, Mostyn died Wednesday after “a sudden onset and battle with a mental health issue.” She did not disclose the cause of death.” [TexasTribune] • Flashback to 2014: Mega-donor Steve Mostyn sponsors kosher chili cookoff at Houston Rodeo [WashExaminer] 

PROFILE: “The Biggest Mouth in Wrestling” by Thomas Golianopoulos: “As Brock Lesnar’s spokesperson, Paul Heyman is one of WWE’s most essential figures and one of wrestling history’s greatest mavericks. But how much longer can the Beast and his boisterous advocate dominate WWE? … Just as he smoothed things over with [Ric] Flair, Heyman made new enemies. Executives called him the “New York Jew” behind his back. But by the end of 1991, after returning from another suspension, the Jewish guy from New York was leading the top heel faction in the industry, the Dangerous Alliance. New management then demanded he take a pay cut. He declined, was written off television, and then, once again, he sued Turner… Heyman claimed victory once the parties settled.” [TheRinger]

STARTUP SPOTLIGHT: “Hims Is Basically Glossier for Dudes” by Cheryl Wischhover: “Hims just closed on $7 million in Series A funding, according to TechCrunch. Among several others, it also counts as investors Josh Kushner’s (brother of Jared) Thrive Capital and Kirsten Green’s Forerunner Ventures. Dudum says of Kushner and Green, “From day zero, those two individuals are unfortunately receiving text messages from me, probably on a daily basis, of screenshots of copy or ideas, and we’re constantly going back and forth with new products we should be rolling out, how we should be communicating, other markets we should be playing in, and how to approach it.”” [Racked]

>WINE OF THE WEEK — Recanati 2014 Special Reserve Red — by Yitz Applbaum: I try to bring Israeli wine with me when I travel because I believe that Israeli wines infuse spirituality into any meal, especially when the wines become a topic of conversation. On a recent fishing trip to the Rogue River in Oregon, I tested this hypothesis. It is a challenge to describe the immense beauty of the place, and it is even more impossible to describe my state of mind after four days without email. A once in a lifetime experience on many levels.

I was with a group who were new to Israeli wines, and I decided to bring along the Recanati 2014 Special Reserve Red. An amazing wine. It is aged for 24 months in new French oak. The wine is toasty, deep, and envelops one’s palate. There are intense cherry flavors on the mid palate and deep plum on the finish. This wine is ready to drink tonight and will continue to drink well again in 10 years. Drink this wine with large quantities of freshly caught steelhead trout that are barbecued. [Recanati]

DESSERT — San Francisco’s Longest Running Comedy Show Celebrates 25 Years: “Kung Pao Kosher Comedy returns to the stage this Christmas season. Expect the comic styles of Cathy Ladman, Gary Gulman, and Wendy Liebman, and Kung Pao Kosher’s very own, Lisa Geduldig will be hosting the entire evening. This unique event will be seating in “family-style” tables of 10 only… The comedy is kosher, but the food is not.” [NBCBayArea]

MAZEL TOV to JI-ers Caroline Klatt (Retail & E-commerce) and Andrew Schoen (Venture Capital) on being named to Forbes 2018 30 Under 30 Lists

WEEKEND BIRTHDAYS — FRIDAY: Philanthropist and director of the William Davidson Foundation, Karen Davidson… Biochemist who was awarded the 1986 Nobel Prize in Medicine, Stanley Cohen turns 95… Rabbi of Agudath Israel of Baltimore since 1981, Rabbi Moshe Heinemann turns 80… Original creator and producer of Saturday Night Live, Lorne Michaels(born Lorne Lipowitz) turns 73…  Global editorial director of the Huffington Post Media Group and NBC News analyst, Howard Fineman turns 69… CEO of Feeding America, a nationwide network of 200 food banks, previously CEO of Independent Sector, a leadership network for nonprofits, South African born Diana Aviv turns 66… Daniel Gastaldi turns 60… Author, journalist, he lectures in the graduate journalism program at Stanford University, Gary M. Pomerantz turns 57… Attorney and business executive who once played on the South African national teams in both cricket and field hockey, Mandy Yachad turns 57… National Security Advisor to President Obama (2013-2017) after an earlier posting as President Obama’s Ambassador to the UN (2009-2013), Susan Rice turns 53… “The Travelling Rabbi” of the South African Jewish Board of Deputies who serves 13 sub-Saharan countries, Moshe Silberhaft turns 50… Former Microsoft executive, a leading “bundler” for both of Barack Obama’s presidential campaigns, she served as US Ambassador to Switzerland and Liechtenstein (2014-2017), Suzan G. LeVine turns 48… Managing editor and Washington bureau chief of Talking Points Memo, David Kurtz turns 48… Supervising talent producer for the Chelsea Handler Show on Netflix, Michele Tasoff turns 48… EVP at JDA Frontline, a DC-based public affairs firm, Ralph Posner turns 47… Legislative Assistant to US Senator Kamala Harris, Halie Soifer turns 39… Partner at AKPD Message and Media, Isaac Baker turns 38… National security reporter for The Wall Street Journal, Felicia Schwartz turns 26 (h/ts to Playbook)… Zack Teichman… 

SATURDAY: Israeli theoretical physicist, who at age 27 became a professor and then later President of the Weizmann Institute, Haim Harari turns 77… Richard Gorman turns 77… Lecturer at Boston University School of Law, formerly SVP and General Counsel of Fidelity Management & Research Company, Eric D. Roiter turns 69… Israeli cantor and actor, known for serving as the cantor of the Hampton Synagogue and his Broadway performance as Jean Valjean in Les Misérables, David “Dudu” Fisher turns 66… Author and singer-songwriter, Barry Louis Polisar turns 63… Former mayor of Dallas, Texas (2002-2007), Laura Miller turns 59… Moroccan-born, member of the Knesset since 2003 for the Shas party, Yaakov Margi turns 57… NYC-based writer, activist and performer, Shira Dicker turns 57… Domestic affairs correspondent for The New York Times, Sheryl Gay Stolberg turns 56… Retired Baltimore attorney who devotes her time to philanthropy and pro-Israel activism, Laurie Luskin turns 54… Development and communications coordinator for the Orthodox Union and the Teach Advocacy Network, Talia Fadis turns 30… Roberta Goldstein…

SUNDAY: Award winning television and radio host including the eponymous “Larry King Live” nightly show on CNN from 1985 to 2010, Larry King (born Lawrence Harvey Zeiger) turns 84… Retired New York State Supreme Court judge, whose tenure on the television program “The People’s Court” was far shorter than that of his wife “Judge Judy,” Jerry Sheindlin turns 84… Attorney, investment banker and major fundraiser for the Democratic party, he served as US Ambassador to the United Kingdom (2009-2013), Louis B. Susman turns 80… Professor of Chemistry at Stanford University, Richard Zare turns 78… Fifteen term member as a Democrat in the US House of Representatives from New York (1983-2013), Gary Ackerman turns 75… Fashion designer Calvin Klein turns 75… Following a 27-year career as a Professor at Princeton, she became President of the University of Pennsylvania, Amy Gutmann turns 68… Los Angeles based real estate investor, Sydney Cetner turns 68… Patricia Fiden turns 64… Member of the California State Senate since 2014, Robert Myles “Bob” Hertzberg turns 63… University professor of Jewish history, literature and law at Yeshiva University, Rabbi Dr. Ephraim Kanarfogel turns 62… Hollywood screenwriter, producer, director, and lyricist, best known as the writer of “Being John Malkovich,” Charlie Kaufman turns 59… Angel investor, investment banker and President of Sunrise Financial Group, Nathan Low turns 57… Member of the Knesset (2003-2016) originally for the Likud party and then as head of the Kulanu party, he has served as Israel’s Minister of Finance since 2015, Moshe Kahlon turns 57… Vice President of the Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Foundation and director of its Washington, DC office, Lisa Eisen turns 54… Author of over 30 books, television host and Chabad Rabbi in Oxford, England (1988-99), Rabbi Shmuley Boteach turns 51… Senior Director of the Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Foundation, Seth Cohen turns 44… Member of the New York State Assembly since 2005, Andrew D. Hevesiturns 44… Digital director and executive editor of Time Magazine, Samuel Jacobs turns 32…

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