Daily Kickoff
Good Thursday morning.
In today’s Daily Kickoff, we report from the Aspen Security Forum in Washington, and look at the records of Reps. Mikie Sherrill and Josh Gottheimer, the current front-runners in New Jersey’s Democratic gubernatorial primary. We talk to GOP senators about the obstacles facing Pete Hegseth as the incoming Trump administration’s nominee for defense secretary, and spotlight Adam Boehler, Trump’s choice to serve as hostage affairs envoy. Also in today’s Daily Kickoff: Maya Kornberg, Sam Fox and Jared Isaacman.
What We’re Watching
- We’re watching to see how Hamas will respond to a new cease-fire and hostage-release proposal submitted by Israel through Egyptian negotiators. The Gaza-based terror group has expressed willingness to consider a new proposal following the cease-fire reached last week between Israel and Hezbollah.
- Stateside, we’re keeping an eye on Pete Hegseth’s Capitol Hill meetings as the Trump administration’s choice for defense secretary works to win over GOP senators who have yet to say whether they’ll vote to confirm him. More below.
What You Should Know
A clear vein of apprehension tinged nearly every panel — as well as side conversations — at the Aspen Security Forum’s Washington, D.C., gathering yesterday afternoon, Jewish Insider’s Marc Rod reports, with speakers and panelists at the gathering of Washington internationalists concerned about how the incoming Trump administration will approach foreign policy and whether it will follow through on its America First instincts.
In her opening remarks, Anja Manuel, the executive director of the Aspen Strategy Group, said that the gathering aimed to “embrace change and the new things that are coming and… celebrate some important traditions.” She said that elections around the world this year had “called some old governing philosophies into question” but added, “amidst all this upheaval, we are here to celebrate what stays the same” — a commitment to bipartisanship, dialogue, civility and free expression.
Manuel’s remarks were followed by a panel on the presidential transition, during which speakers expressed diverging views on the status of the transition and the potential national security risks from the incoming administration.
Steven Hadley, a former national security advisor to President George W. Bush, said the Trump team is now on a path toward a more normal presidential transition process. He said that the recent sit-down between the President-elect Donald Trump and President Joe Biden laid the groundwork for a smoother transition, and noted that some nominees at the deputy secretary level have executive branch experience from the first Trump administration.
Susan Rice, an Obama White House national security advisor, expressed concern that few of the senior-level national security nominees in the incoming administration have executive experience, and warned that the Trump team is “on track for another failed transition,” given delays in finalizing transition agreements. She said that first-term Trump officials were similarly disinterested in transition briefings and activities.
Both Rice and Hadley warned that the incoming Trump administration faces a multitude of challenges in its first months, from the slew of global conflicts and crises to instability and democratic backsliding among U.S. allies to the possibility of a bird flu pandemic.
A panel of current and former European foreign policy leaders focused heavily on Europe’s ability and willingness, or lack thereof, to stand on its own and support Ukraine by itself if Trump follows through on his threats to back away from NATO and Ukraine.
Enrique Mora Benavente, the deputy secretary-general of the European External Action Service, said, “We are going to continue supporting Ukraine in every single respect. If allies do different things, we will be obliged to increase our effort and we will do it, because it’s not a question of choice.”
Clément Beaune, a former French minister of state for European affairs, predicted that the new administration would accelerate the formalization of internal European Union and EU-U.K. defense cooperation mechanisms.
Touching most directly on the incoming administration was a fireside chat featuring Vivek Ramaswamy, one of the incoming leaders of the newly created Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), an efficiency and cost-cutting commission Trump intends to establish, alongside Tesla CEO Elon Musk.
Ramaswamy said that DOGE would focus on “restor[ing] the idea that the people we elect to run the government are the ones who are making the most important decisions, rather than unelected federal bureaucrats,” beyond just cutting costs or the deficit, but largely stayed away from specifics.
On foreign policy, Ramaswamy said that DOGE would take a “zero-based budgeting mentality” to foreign aid — only providing aid in cases where it can be affirmatively justified — and pushing for more effective defense spending, with a focus on drones and hypersonics.
Ramaswamy also hinted at one way that the incoming administration may try to sidestep the Impoundment Control Act, which requires the executive branch to spend funds appropriated by Congress, referring repeatedly to exceptions in that law allowing the executive branch to withhold funding going toward waste, fraud and abuse.
garden state race
Gottheimer, Sherrill offer diverging post-Oct. 7 records
Support from New Jersey’s sizable Jewish community could be critical in the state’s upcoming gubernatorial primary, which features Reps. Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ) and Mikie Sherrill (D-NJ) as early front-runners. The two candidates’ records on Israel policy in the House — which feature notable differences — are poised to play a role in shaping the outcome of what’s set to be a highly contentious primary, Jewish Insider’s Marc Rod reports.
Head-to-head: Gottheimer has been among the most vocal Democrats in his support for Israel throughout his congressional career, but especially in the wake of the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas terror attacks, breaking frequently with the Biden administration and other Democrats. Sherrill’s record, some Jewish leaders in the state tell JI, is more mixed. She’s repeatedly been critical of Israeli operations in Gaza and accused Israel of failing to facilitate sufficient humanitarian aid, while also expressing support for Israel’s defense, the U.S.-Israel relationship and the release of hostages.
New York state of mind
Anti-Israel NYC councilwoman tests the limits of left-wing activism
Maya Kornberg, a Jewish Democrat in Brooklyn, launched a long-awaited campaign on Tuesday to challenge Shahana Hanif, a far-left New York City councilwoman who has faced backlash from Jewish constituents over her strident criticism of Israel amid accusations of insensitivity to reports of rising antisemitism, Jewish Insider’s Matthew Kassel reports. “I’ve dedicated my career to making democracy work better,” Kornberg, who leads elections and government research at the Brennan Center for Justice at the NYU School of Law, said in a statement, vowing to focus on “standing up against hate, providing reliable constituent services, and delivering meaningful change for every resident in every corner of the district.”
Fierce competition: The matchup sets the stage for what is expected to be a fiercely contested primary next June, pitting a pragmatic progressive who has been fundraising aggressively in recent months against an outspoken democratic socialist whose council district is home to one of the largest Jewish constituencies across the five boroughs. “Maya is smart, hardworking, and will work for all residents of District 39,” Cindy Greenberg, the chief executive of Repair the World, a Jewish nonprofit in New York, told JI on Wednesday. Last spring, Greenberg was among several Jewish leaders in the district who met privately with Hanif for a discussion that grew increasingly tense as they aired their concerns with her commentary on Israel and suggested some of her statements were stoking antisemitism.
rocky road to confirmation
Hegseth facing growing obstacles to confirmation amid personal controversies
President-elect Donald Trump’s nomination of Pete Hegseth to be defense secretary appears to be hitting some potentially insurmountable hurdles, with the longtime Fox News host struggling to win over undecided Senate Republicans as he faces numerous allegations about his interpersonal relationships and alcohol use. With no Democrats expected to vote to confirm Hegseth, Republicans can only afford to lose three of their own senators in order to push his nomination over the finish line. At least seven Republicans have privately said they won’t vote to confirm Hegseth, two senators familiar with the whip count tell Jewish Insider’s Emily Jacobs.
Predictions for Pete: Five GOP senators, two of whom are publicly supporting Hegseth’s nomination, say that the former Fox anchor’s path to confirmation is extremely slim. Three of those five predicted that the nomination would be pulled or Hegseth would withdraw by next week at the latest, despite his plans to meet with Trump at Mar-a-Lago and other senators at the Capitol in the coming days. “I don’t see how he survives through next week,” a senator who serves on Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell’s (R-KY) leadership team said.
Helping hand: Former Sen. Norm Coleman (R-MN) has been joining Hegseth on trips around Capitol Hill this week as Hegseth fights to save his nomination, Jewish Insider’s Matthew Kassel reports.
hostage negotiator
Trump names Adam Boehler hostage affairs envoy
President-elect Donald Trump named Adam Boehler as his special presidential envoy for hostage affairs on Wednesday, touting Boehler’s experience negotiating “with some of the toughest people in the [w]orld,” Jewish Insider’s Gabby Deutch reports.
Background: During the first Trump administration, Boehler served as the first CEO of the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation, a body that invests in low- and middle-income nations. Trump credited Boehler, who is Jewish, as a lead negotiator of the Abraham Accords in his Wednesday announcement. “Adam knows that NO ONE is tougher than the United States of America, at least when President Trump is its Leader. Adam will work tirelessly to bring our Great American Citizens HOME,” Trump wrote in a post on his Truth Social site. Boehler is now the CEO of a health-care company.
Aspen in D.C.
Van Hollen urges Biden to ‘send a message’ to Israel, region in final weeks in office
Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) urged President Joe Biden to take dramatic action to “send a message” to Israel in his final weeks in office, even if the incoming Trump administration might reverse such actions, Jewish Insider’s Marc Rod reports.
Menu of options: Van Hollen has urged Biden to sanction right-wing members of the Israeli government, trigger laws blocking offensive military aid to Israel and unilaterally recognize a Palestinian state, contingent on changes to the Palestinian Authority’s “pay-to-slay” martyr payment policy. “I think it is important that even in these final days, that the president takes some of these actions; some could be reversed by the Trump administration, and may well be reversed,” Van Hollen said in remarks at the Aspen Security Forum in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday. “But I think it’s important to send a message to the region, both to our Israeli partners, as well as to Palestinians and others in the region.”
Also heard at Aspen: U.N. Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed said yesterday that she believes the cease-fire agreement in Lebanon is holding, in spite of continued Hezbollah attacks on Israel, which have prompted Israeli strikes.
Worthy Reads
Trump and the Hostages: In the Washington Post, Foundation for Defense of Democracies CEO Mark Dubowitz suggests that President-elect Donald Trump’s call for the remaining hostages to be released from Gaza could accelerate efforts to secure their release. “Israel’s strength offers a rare chance to prioritize the return of hostages. A Channel 12 poll shows 71 percent of Israelis support ending the Gaza war in exchange for the hostages’ freedom, with only 15 percent opposed. Notably, 56 percent of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s right-wing bloc voters favor a hostage deal and ceasefire. President Joe Biden deserves credit for his efforts to secure the hostages’ release. But only Israel’s success in eliminating thousands of Hamas fighters and destroying the group’s leadership is what will force Hamas into serious negotiations. The threat issued by Trump on Monday, with luck, will have an accelerating effect. If a deal can indeed be made before he takes office, he can justifiably claim a share of the credit. This moment demands decisive leadership and bipartisan support — perhaps the last chance for the hostages and their families.” [WashPost]
Russia Stretched Thin: In the Financial Times, Hanna Notte posits that Russia does not have the bandwidth to fully back Iran and Syria in their respective military conflicts. “Last week, the Russians learnt the hard way that frozen conflicts like Syria are frozen only until they are not. Moscow had feared for months that Syria might get swept up in the regional aftershocks of October 7 and has seemed startled by the sheer scale and speed of the rebel offensive. It is true that the post-October 7 dynamics have yielded benefits to Russia by diverting western attention and resources from Ukraine to the Middle East. But they have brought considerable risks to a thinly-stretched Russia, too. Iran is weaker today than it was a year ago; Israel’s campaign against Hizbollah helped to establish conditions favourable to the Aleppo offensive; and Turkey, Russia’s partner in the Astana process, sensed an opening to settle unfinished business in Syria. Recommended Middle East war Syria caught up in Lebanon fallout So far, Russia’s regional setbacks are primarily tactical and of limited consequence for its Ukraine campaign. Whether they turn into strategic headaches will depend on the battlefield dynamics in Syria, on Israel’s appetite for further taking on Iran, and on the incoming Trump administration in the US.” [FT]
A Warning on War: The Free Press’ Jay Solomon talks to former national security officials about the challenges facing the incoming Trump administration. “The threat of a widening global conflict is being driven by factors reminiscent of events before the start of World War I, sources told me. This includes the breakdown in alliances and trading systems and the arrival of disruptive technologies like airplanes, telephones, and mechanized weapons. Today, there is no longer a consensus that free trade will bring countries closer together and forestall future wars. And the Covid-19 pandemic revealed the dangers of reliance on China for medical supplies. Trump’s threats to slap high tariffs on China and other countries also raise the specter of greater conflict. ‘What you learn when you study economic history is that long cycles do end and when they do, they end with war,’ said [Hudson Institute Senior Fellow David] Asher, who’s worked on Wall Street and said he has recently briefed financial institutions on the threat of a global conflict.” [FreePress]
Word on the Street
Rep. Mike Waltz (R-FL), the incoming administration’s national security advisor, met with Israeli Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer in Washington yesterday…
Steve Witkoff, President-elect Donald Trump’s incoming Middle East envoy, quietly traveled to Israel and Qatar late last month for meetings with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, respectively, to discuss efforts to reach a cease-fire between Israel and Hamas…
Businessman and space enthusiast Jared Isaacman was nominated to lead NASA in the incoming Trump administration…
The Senate passed by unanimous consent a bill that would start the process to bring the Weitzman National Museum of American Jewish History into the Smithsonian, sending the bill to the president’s desk…
Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-NY) dropped his bid for ranking member of the House Judiciary Committee, throwing his support behind Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-MD), who announced he was mounting a challenge to Nadler earlier this week…
New York state Sen. Simcha Felder will run for the New York City Council seat, centered in Borough Park, Brooklyn, being vacated by Kalman Yeger, who will resign following his successful bid for the state Assembly…
AT&T, JPMorgan Chase and Dunkin’ pulled their advertising from Twitch amid concerns over the platform’s hosting of antisemitic content creators; Chevron is mulling a pause in its advertising on the platform…
A Jewish student at UCLA filed a complaint with the school’s judicial board, alleging that the head of the student government’s cultural affairs committee refused to hire Jewish applicants and placed pro-Israel students on a “no-hire” list…
The Free Press’ Olivia Reingold reports on Students for Justice in Palestine’s campus organizing efforts while attending the 17th annual Convention for Palestine in Chicago…
Several hundred British academics signed onto an open letter to Oxford Chancellor William Hague that was organized by the Pinsker Center suggesting that anti-Israel attendees at a recent debate hosted by the Oxford Union over Israel’s actions in Gaza broke U.K. law by glorifying violence…
French Prime Minister Michel Barnier was ousted in a no-confidence vote, toppling the government just three months after Barnier took office…
Israel’s Defense Ministry will relax some restrictions on arms exports to allow Israeli arms manufacturers to meet the growing global demand for modern combat systems…
The IDF determined that six hostages whose bodies were recovered from Gaza over the summer after they were taken alive on Oct. 7, 2023, were likely shot and killed by their captors in February during Israeli air strikes targeting Hamas tunnels in Khan Younis…
The IDF said it recovered the body of hostage Itay Svirsky, who was declared dead earlier this year after being taken hostage on Oct. 7…
Amnesty International Israel rejected a new report from its parent organization that accused Israel of committing genocide; the Israeli branch of the international organization said it was not involved in the group’s research into Israeli actions in Gaza…
Eight Israeli settlers were arrested by the police and the Shin Bet after clashing with Israeli security officials and setting fire to Palestinian properties in the West Bank towns of Huwara and Beit Furik…
Iran granted Nobel Peace Prize laureate Narges Mohammadi a three-week prison furlough to recuperate from a recent surgery…
A 5.7-magnitude earthquake struck western Iran, injuring more than a dozen people but not causing significant damage…
The Iranian parliament passed a new, restrictive modesty law, despite opposition from President Masoud Pezeshkian…
Iran is mobilizing its regional proxies to provide support to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad as the Syrian leader faces advancing rebel forces that overtook Aleppo over the weekend…
Kan reporter Amichai Stein is joining i24’s Hebrew channel…
Former U.S. Ambassador to Belgium Sam Fox, who was a leader in the St. Louis Jewish community, died at 95…
Song of the Day
At an event held on Tuesday and initiated by relatives of slain American-Israeli hostage Omer Neutra, ZAKA volunteers participated in singing and prayer led by singer and composer Yishai Lapidot at Hostages Square in Tel Aviv.
“This evening, we had the privilege of meeting the families of the hostages and taking part in singing and prayer, with the melody of Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach to words we all hope to see fulfilled soon: ‘For You have redeemed my soul from death,'” said Moti Bokchin, a ZAKA spokesperson.
Birthdays
Emmy Award-winning senior personal technology columnist for The Wall Street Journal, Joanna Stern turns 40…
Nobel Prize-winning theoretical physicist, emeritus professor at Harvard and professor at Boston University, Sheldon Lee Glashow turns 92… St. Louis-based luxury senior living developer, Charles J. Deutsch turns 75… Professor in the school of journalism at the University of Tennessee Knoxville, Stuart Neil Brotman turns 72… Former U.S. ambassador to France and Monaco, she was a co-owner and CEO of the Los Angeles Dodgers, Jamie Luskin McCourt turns 71… Mediator and arbitrator for JAMS since 1989, Michael D. Young… Golfer on the PGA Tour and later a golf teaching professional, Anthony Irvin (Tony) Sills turns 69… Professor of Jewish history at Ben-Gurion University, she is focused on Sephardic heritage, Haviva Pedaya turns 67… Venture capitalist, speaker and investment advisor, Pascal Norman Levensohn turns 64… NYC-based author and clinical psychologist with specialties in aging and cancer, Mindy Greenstein, Ph.D…. Film, television and theater actress, Ilana Levine turns 61… Professor at the University of Chicago Law School, Eric A. Posner turns 59… Former manager of the Israel national baseball team including at the 2020 Olympics, Eric Holtz turns 59… Professor and Dean emeritus of Columbia Law School, he served as CEO of the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee and was once a law clerk for Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, David M. Schizer turns 56… Urologist in Westchester County, N.Y., Judd Boczko, M.D…. Ontario-born model and actress, Shalom Harlow turns 51… President of The LS Group, Lisa Spies… Co-founder and CEO of Axios, Roy Schwartz… Chief national correspondent for ABC News, Matthew A. Gutman turns 47… Acclaimed video game developer, Neil Druckmann turns 46… Musical songwriting and producing duo, identical twins Ryan and Dan Kowarsky turn 45… Communications and marketing consultant, Adam S. Rosenberg… Senior managing director at Liberty Strategic Capital, Eli H. Miller… Media correspondent for The New York Times, Michael Mendel Grynbaum… Israeli film and television music composer based in Los Angeles, Naama “Nami” Melumad turns 36… Reporter on the obituary desk of The New York Times, Alexander E. Traub… Chess master and commentator, Levy Rozman turns 29… Associate director of government affairs at VNS Health, Jonathan Shabshaikhes… Israeli model, she represented Israel at the 2017 Miss Universe pageant where her selfie with Miss Iraq set off an international incident, Adar Gandelsman turns 27…
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