Daily Kickoff
Good Tuesday morning.
In today’s Daily Kickoff, we preview former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee’s confirmation hearing to be U.S. ambassador to Israel, and talk to Senate Republicans about White House Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff’s recent comments about Hamas. We also report on Vice President J.D. Vance’s opposition to recent U.S. strikes targeting the Houthis in Yemen, and look at the IDF’s military strategy in Gaza as fighting resumes in the enclave. Also in today’s Daily Kickoff: Daniel Hernandez, Rep. Mike Lawler and Alina Habba.
What We’re Watching
- We’re keeping an eye on the fallout from yesterday’s Atlantic report that journalist Jeffrey Goldberg was added to a Signal group of high-level Trump administration officials ahead of U.S. strikes on Houthi targets in Yemen. More below.
- The Senate Foreign Relations Committee will hold the confirmation hearing this morning for former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, the Trump administration’s nominee to be U.S. ambassador to Israel. More below.
- The Senate Intelligence Committee is holding a hearing on global threats this morning. Witnesses include Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, FBI Director Kash Patel and CIA Director John Ratcliffe.
- The annual Chabad Young Professionals Gala is taking place tonight in New York City. Joe and Tayler Lonsdale, Shaun and Liana Maguire and Adam Shapiro will be honored at the event.
- The Jewish Funders Network’s annual conference wraps up this afternoon in Nashville, Tenn. Read more from eJewishPhilanthropy’s Judah Ari Gross on the conversations happening in Music City.
What You Should Know
The zeitgeist in Washington is that the Democrats are deeply in disarray. The party has no obvious leader, it’s divided between pragmatists and progressives and its brand is battered.
But take one step back from the conventional wisdom of the moment, and it’s easy to forget that the party in power — not the opposition party — typically faces the most political exposure. And the headlines of the last week aren’t a particularly good omen for President Donald Trump and the GOP’s political future, Jewish Insider Editor-in-Chief Josh Kraushaar writes.
Let’s start with the bombshell news to start the week. The president’s national security advisor, Mike Waltz, accidentally invited Atlantic Editor-in-Chief Jeffrey Goldberg to an unclassified Signal chat discussing war plans against the Houthis. The president’s national security team, along with other key advisors — including the vice president — didn’t seem to think it was necessary to maintain typical operational security protections to ensure highly sensitive details wouldn’t be intercepted. (Waltz’s head is now on the chopping block, according to reports.)
It’s one of the rare stories in a news cycle that broke through the nonstop clutter. There were very few Republicans — even from the typical partisan chorus — defending the administration’s jaw-dropping disregard for protecting American military secrets.
That development overshadowed what should be another remarkable controversy. The president’s top diplomatic negotiator in Russia-Ukraine negotiations, Steve Witkoff, went on Tucker Carlson’s podcast last week and echoed talking points used by Russian dictator Vladimir Putin to justify Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. (Timestamps from the Atlantic story indicate that Witkoff, who was also active in the group chat, was in Moscow at the time that war plans were being discussed, suggesting further communication compromises if Witkoff brought his phone with him to Moscow.)
“I don’t regard Putin as a bad guy,”Witkoff told Carlson. “That is a complicated situation, that war and all the ingredients that led up to it.”
You don’t need to be a pollster to appreciate that Putin is still deeply loathed by the vast majority of Americans. A Quinnipiac poll conducted this month shows the Russian president with a dismal 7% favorability rating, with 81% viewing him unfavorably. (Among Republicans, the loathing is similar, with 8% viewing him favorably and 75% unfavorably.) Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s favorability in the U.S. is relatively healthy, with 43% viewing him favorably and 33% unfavorably.
It’s not hard to imagine that Trump’s efforts to normalize the U.S. relationship with Russia and diminish support for Ukraine could lead to setbacks for Ukraine on the battlefield. If Ukraine ends up losing ground to Russia on Trump’s watch, expect the president to take a political hit — similar to how former President Joe Biden’s approval ratings dropped after Afghanistan fell to the Taliban.
The economy, meanwhile, remains the biggest threat to Trump’s political standing. His imposition on tariffs against our allies threatens to inflate the prices of everyday goods, at a time when many Americans are already frustrated over rising costs. Economic experts have increased the risk of a recession as a result of the growing economic uncertainty.
In a reversal from voters’ solid perception of his economic skills as a candidate, Trump’s approval on the economy has worsened since taking office. Even in polls where his overall ratings are respectable, the public perception of his economic stewardship is lower than it was throughout his first term.
There are plenty of other vulnerabilities that thoughtful Democrats could exploit, from Elon Musk overreaching with his aggressive cuts to government services to the administration’s ever-intensifying war against the judiciary.
Elections are the best, most objective test of a party’s standing — and there are several key contests coming up that will indicate whether Trump is losing some political altitude.
Next Tuesday, voters in Wisconsin will go to the polls to elect either a Trump-backed conservative judge (Brad Schimel) or a liberal challenger (Susan Crawford) for an open seat on the state Supreme Court. Given that the battleground-state contest has been nationalized (and Musk is emerging as the Democrats’ boogeyman), with millions from outside groups pouring into the ostensibly nonpartisan election, the results will be an early temperature check of the country’s political mood.
That same day in Florida, there will be two special elections in solidly Republican congressional districts to fill the seats of Waltz and former Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL). Republicans were showing an unusual degree of angst this week in the race to fill Waltz’s seat even though it’s a red district where Trump won nearly two-thirds of the vote last November. (The GOP nominee is state lawmaker Randy Fine, seeking to become the fourth Jewish Republican congressman.)
Follow the scoreboard next Tuesday. Underwhelming GOP showings in these off-year contests would signal that, far from being in disarray, Democrats could have a foothold to success by acting as the principled, mainstream opposition party.
opposing views
Jewish groups at odds ahead of Huckabee nomination hearing
Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee’s confirmation hearing to be U.S. ambassador to Israel is opening rifts in the Jewish community, with groups representing the Orthodox and Reform movements openly at odds over Huckabee’s background and past views, Jewish Insider’s Marc Rod and Emily Jacobs report.
What he’ll say: In written testimony for his Tuesday hearing before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee obtained by JI, Huckabee — whose comments claiming that the West Bank is rightfully part of Israel, supporting West Bank settlements and asserting that there’s “no such thing as a Palestinian” have been a source of controversy — emphasized that he will be speaking for the administration as an ambassador, not advancing his own views. Huckabee will ask the committee to work in a prompt and bipartisan manner to confirm him, as it did former Ambassador Jack Lew, noting that the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas and the hostage situation make his confirmation urgent.
Opposing views: While not explicitly endorsing Huckabee, the Orthodox Union Advocacy Center argued in a letter to the leaders of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee that Huckabee’s views in opposition to a two-state solution and supporting Israeli sovereignty over the West Bank, which Huckabee refers to as Judea and Samaria, are in agreement with those of “many American Jews.” The letter comes in direct response to a letter last month from the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism, expressing concerns about Huckabee’s nomination and record. Huckabee’s past views, the RAC argued, “[run] counter to U.S. interests in advancing the causes of peace and regional security.”
Read the full story here.
witkoff worries
Republican lawmakers increasingly uneasy aboutWitkoff’s performance in envoy role
Republicans on Capitol Hill are growing increasingly wary of Steve Witkoff, President Donald Trump’s Middle East envoy, over his approach to handling Hamas and his continued efforts to bolster the U.S.-Qatar relationship. Those concerns were exacerbated over the weekend after Witkoff suggested to Tucker Carlson in an episode of Carlson’s podcast that Hamas could end up being “involved politically” in Gaza if and when the terrorist group demilitarizes. Witkoff also ruffled feathers when he spoke about Trump’s recent outreach to Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, adopting Tehran’s rhetoric about creating “a verification program” rather than using the Trump administration’s language about “dismantlement,” Jewish Insider’s Emily Jacobs reports.
On Hamas: Asked about Witkoff’s comments on Hamas, Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) told JI on Monday, “I don’t agree. I mean, that isn’t the only thing he said that I disagree with.” Cornyn, who is up for reelection this cycle, added that he took issue with Witkoff “acting like [Russian President Vladimir] Putin is somebody you can trust and how he characterizes Russia.” Sen. John Kennedy (R-LA) also took issue with Witkoff’s suggestions about Hamas, telling JI, “No, I don’t agree with that. I think Hamas is evil. I think the only way to stop Hamas is to stop Hamas. And I think [Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu, both as a moral principle and as a political principle, is going to do everything he can to annihilate them.”
Bonus: The editorial board of The Wall Street Journal addressed Witkoff’s recent comments in an editorial headlined “Steve Witkoff Takes the Kremlin’s Side,” noting that “the Administration’s propensity to fall for Russian propaganda is something else. Certainly no one would accuse them of following in Churchill’s footsteps. Whether they follow in Neville Chamberlain’s will depend on what the final details are in the peace accord that Messrs. Witkoff and Trump are negotiating.”
Vance’s view
Vance voiced doubt about Houthi strikes in private messages with Cabinet officials
Vice President J.D. Vance expressed deep reservations about the U.S. conducting strikes against Houthi targets in Yemen earlier this month in a private group chat with other senior administration officials, according to a bombshell report in The Atlantic, Jewish Insider’s Emily Jacobs and Marc Rod report.
What he said: “Team, I am out for the day doing an economic event in Michigan. But I think we are making a mistake,” Vance reportedly texted the group on the morning of March 14. “3 percent of US trade runs through the suez. 40 percent of European trade does. There is a real risk that the public doesn’t understand this or why it’s necessary. The strongest reason to do this is, as POTUS said, to send a message.” Vance also described the strikes as “inconsistent with [the administration’s] message on Europe” and said they would constitute “bailing out Europe.” The comments underscore the split between Vance’s position and the prevailing foreign policy view in the Trump administration, with the vice president more aligned with an isolationist wing of GOP foreign policy circles that has sought to expand its influence.
terror on trial
IDF prepares for long operation in Gaza with goal of fully defeating Hamas
With ground troops and tanks returning to Gaza, Israel is hoping military pressure will force Hamas to free more hostages, while preparing to oust the Palestinian terror group from power, even if it requires a lengthy war, insiders and experts told Jewish Insider’s Lahav Harkov. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu revealed some of his thinking to new recruits to the IDF Armored Corps on Sunday, telling them that Israel is “winning because we understand that, to defeat our enemies, those who are closing in on us, we must break through with crushing force … The tremendous crushing force is the tank corps.” The prime minister vowed that Israel “will complete … victory as soon as possible.”
Fighting forecast: A source in the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, who was briefed after the fighting restarted, told JI that while it may take many months to fully remove Hamas from power in Gaza, Netanyahu is likely to agree to a ceasefire as soon as the terrorist group is willing to release a “reasonable” number of the remaining 59 hostages taken on Oct. 7, 2023, of which as many as 24 are believed to be alive. Michael Makovsky, president and CEO of the hawkish Jewish Institute for National Security of America, who met with senior officials and military figures in Israel last week, told JI that Israel is trying to put pressure on Hamas to release hostages. “They’ll see in the next couple of weeks,” Makovsky said. “If they can get more live hostages, as many as they can, then there can be a ceasefire for a while.” At the same time, he said he was not optimistic that all the hostages would be released: “I don’t know why Hamas would do that.”
Bonus:The Wall Street Journal looks at the IDF’s efforts to target senior Hamas officials in its latest incursions into Gaza.
open mike
Rep. Mike Lawler, Dem challenger spar over antisemitism accusations
Rep. Mike Lawler (R-NY) and a Democratic challenger, Beth Davidson, traded barbs last week, with Lawler accusing Davidson, who is Jewish, of turning a blind eye to antisemitism and Davidson accusing Lawler of stoking antisemitism against her, Jewish Insider’s Marc Rod reports. The back-and-forth began when Lawler posted photos from a rally Davidson addressed over the weekend, including a poster showing Lawler, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) depicted as marionettes alongside the AIPAC logo — an antisemitic trope. Another protester was pictured holding a Trump mask with a Hitler mustache drawn on, with the phrase “Heil no!”
Back and forth: “This week, [Davidson] organized a rally with antisemites and Nazi symbolism,” Lawler wrote. “You should be apologizing for fueling this kind of hate and division in our community.” The district, likely critical to Democrats’ hopes of retaking the House, has one of the largest Jewish constituencies in the country, and Lawler has made antisemitism and Israel policy a priority during his time in office. Davidson fired back that Lawler was himself fueling antisemitism. “This is disturbing, dangerous, and very telling — stoking anti-Semitism against a Jewish woman because you’re scared to run against her,” Davidson said. “You try to bully plenty of Jews like this Mike, but it’s not going to work on me, and I will call you out every time … I know you’ve had a bad press week, but stop trying to make supporting Israel and the Jewish community partisan. Enough.”
Jumping in: Former National Security Council official Cait Conley, an Army veteran, announced her entry into the Democratic primary in Lawler’s district.
campus chorus
Columbia University protests continue as administration negotiates with White House
Pro-Israel students returned to Columbia University from spring break on Monday cautiously optimistic that ongoing negotiations between university leaders and the Trump administration would herald an end to the antisemitic demonstrations that have roiled the campus since the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas terror attacks. Instead, students were greeted with familiar protests and disruptions. Dozens of masked demonstrators overtook campus, hanging a large “Free Palestine” sign from a building and chanting so loudly it could be heard from inside classrooms, Jewish Insider’s Haley Cohen reports.
In the works: The negotiations, which were announced on Friday and include rules around the wearing of masks on campus as well as oversight of the school’s Middle Eastern studies department, are a first step toward restoring $400 million in federal funding, according to both the university and the White House. Jewish leaders, both on and off Columbia’s campus, remain skeptical over whether the concessions will bring a new normal to campus — noting that any changes will come down to the implementation of the agreed-upon terms.
Bonus: Columbia’s interim president, Katrina Armstrong, met with faculty over the weekend to discuss the deal reached between the school’s administrators and the Trump administration.
Worthy Reads
A White House Divided: In The Free Press, Matthew Continetti considers how the Atlantic report on the Trump administration’s Houthi strike plans showcases the degree to which senior administration officials are divided on how to approach Iran. “President Trump will have to choose. Two months into his second term, Trump’s Iran policy mirrors his first: maximum pressure coupled with conflict avoidance and the prospect of negotiations. Except now there’s a chorus inside and outside the government clamoring for a deal that would let the world’s worst state sponsor of terrorism off the hook. The debate is framed as a personnel fight. [Middle East envoy Steve] Witkoff against [National Security Advisor Mike] Waltz. J.D. Vance versus Witkoff’s critics. Congressional hawks alarmed at Trump Pentagon officials with ties to the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft — the think tank funded by Charles Koch and George Soros whose executive vice president once led the pro-Tehran National Iranian American Council. Yet Trump’s conflicting diplomatic and military impulses are not staffing problems. They are personal ones. Trump prefers tariffs to troops. Force is his last resort. He prides himself on being a rare president who starts no wars. And his opposition to ‘forever wars’ binds together his unwieldy coalition.” [FreePress]
Syria at a Crossroads:The Atlantic’s Robert Worth spotlights the challenges facing new Syrian leader Ahmed al-Sharaa, a former jihadist now charged with leading the war-torn country following the overthrow of the Assad regime. “Syrians are faced with a peculiar predicament: They have little choice but to trust a former terrorist with one of the most daunting state-building jobs in history. The risks of violence and religious hatred that he and his allies embody are now more vivid than ever. But the fact remains that Sharaa is Syria’s most powerful figure and its best shot at unity. He proved the point just after the massacres on the coast in March by reaching a deal to extend his government’s sovereignty to the Kurdish northeast, the last major region to resist his authority. The task before Sharaa is staggering in its scale. It starts with the reconstruction of a pulverized country that is destitute and still cut off from the world by the sanctions levied against the Assad regime. Sharaa must convince the West that he is a reliable partner, despite the jihadist noises that some of his subordinates still make. He must also complete the job of taming and disarming the country’s disparate rebel factions, some of them jihadists with fresh Syrian blood on their hands.” [TheAtlantic]
And Justice for All?: The New York Times’ Patrick Kingsley reports on tensions in Israel following Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s renewed push toward judicial reform, as the country prepares for waves of military call-ups to resume fighting in Gaza. “To Mr. Netanyahu and his supporters, the moves are a legitimate effort to rein in unelected bureaucrats and judicial officials who have stymied the will of an elected government. ‘The leftist Deep State weaponizes the justice system to thwart the people’s will,’ Mr. Netanyahu wrote on social media last week. But to his critics, Mr. Netanyahu’s decisions constitute, at best, a huge conflict of interest for a prime minister currently standing trial for corruption. At worst, they are an attempted putsch against the judicial branches of government. Mr. Netanyahu has further spurred domestic anger by breaking the cease-fire with Hamas in Gaza; the return to war endangers not only Palestinians but up to 60 Israeli hostages still held in the territory. In returning to war, Mr. Netanyahu has also drawn retaliation from Hamas’s allies in Lebanon and Yemen. And he has tested the patience and resolve of tens of thousands of exhausted military reservists who will be required to sustain what was already Israel’s longest war.” [NYTimes]
Wiz’s Withdrawal: Haaretz’s Rachel Fink looks at the potential tax implications of the decision by Wiz’s founders, including CEO Assaf Rappaport, to register the company, which was recently acquired by Alphabet for $32 billion, in the U.S. rather than Israel. “A longtime critic of the Netanyahu government, [Rappaport] emerged as a prominent leader in Israel’s high-tech protest movement during the 2023 fight against the judicial overhaul. As part of that effort, Rappaport publicly announced that Wiz would begin moving its funds out of Israeli banks and into accounts abroad — a largely symbolic move at the time, but one that reflected the broader tech sector’s alarm over the government’s direction. … While Wiz’s 2023 act of protest was largely symbolic, the company’s original business structure now has real implications for Israel’s tax base. From its founding, Wiz was registered as a U.S. company, with headquarters in New York and its Tel Aviv R&D center operating as a subsidiary — a choice that may significantly reduce the tax revenue Israel receives from the historic deal.” [Haaretz]
Moscow in the Middle: In The Hill, Khusanboy Kotibjonov cautions against President Donald Trump’s efforts to use Russian President Vladimir Putin as an intermediary in Washington’s nuclear negotiations with Iran. “Putin gains nothing by threatening his Iranian allies. In fact, Moscow and Tehran’s strategic partnership has grown stronger precisely because of shared opposition to American influence. Trump is wrong to assume that Russia can be manipulated into serving U.S. interests, ignoring the deepening alignment between the two authoritarian powers. By mistaking rivalry for leverage, Trump risks not only empowering Putin but also destabilizing the Middle East further, ensuring his diplomatic strategy ends in failure. … However, the fundamental flaw in Trump’s approach is outsourcing U.S. strategic interests to Putin, a leader who thrives on geopolitical instability. Putin has no incentive to push Iran toward an agreement that benefits Washington, especially now that Tehran has become Moscow’s crucial military and economic ally.” [TheHill]
Word on the Street
President Donald Trump named attorney Alina Habba, who since January has served as White House counsel, interim U.S. attorney for the District of New Jersey…
Antisemitism experts and Jewish officials from a range of political and organizational backgrounds are set to testify at the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee’s hearing on campus antisemitism on Thursday, the committee announced, Jewish Insider’s Marc Rod reports…
Politico reports that National Security Advisor Mike Waltz’s future in the administration may be in jeopardy following the inclusion of Atlantic Editor-in-Chief Jeffrey Goldberg in a Signal group chat with senior administration officials planning a strike on the Houthis in Yemen…
Former Arizona state Rep. Daniel Hernandez Jr. announced his bid for the congressional seat formerly held by Rep. Raúl Grijalva (D-AZ), who died earlier this month; Hernandez, who was an intern for former Rep. Gabby Giffords (D-AZ) and is credited with saving her life after a 2011 mass shooting at a district event, previously ran for Congress in a Tuscon-area district in 2022…
A South Korean-born Columbia student with legal permanent resident status who disrupted an Israeli history class earlier this semester sued the Trump administration over efforts by immigration officials to detain and deport her…
The Wall Street Journal reports on efforts by university administrators to bring on new lobbyists and forge relationships in Washington amid moves by the Trump administration to crack down on educational institutions it sees as pushing radical agendas…
The New York Times does a deep dive into the backgrounds of the two young men who were arrested in 2022 in connection with a foiled plan to attack New York City Jewish institutions…
DNA-testing company 23andMe filed for bankruptcy following a series of financial setbacks; CEO Anne Wojcicki resigned from her position, but will maintain a seat on the board…
The Jewish Fertility Foundation is seeing what its CEO called “unprecedented” demand in grant requests from the Washington area, amid funding cuts and federal layoffs across government sectors that are affecting Jewish women seeking IVF treatment, eJewishPhilanthropy’s Nira Dayanim reports…
Vanity Fair interviews Gawker founder Nick Denton about his decision to move to Hungary, his relationship with Peter Thiel and his opinion of Elon Musk…
Israel intercepted a ballistic missile fired by the Iran-backed Houthis last night; the missile triggered sirens across central Israel…
A co-director of the Oscar-winning “No Other Land” documentary, Hamdan Ballal, was arrested during clashes between Israeli settlers and Palestinian activists in the West Bank…
Iraq’s oil minister accused Iran of using forged Iraqi documents on Iranian oil tankers that were seized by U.S. authorities…
Director Marty Callner, who directed music videos for Cher, Bon Jovi and Twisted Sister, among others, died at 78…
Pic of the Day
EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas listens to Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar during a visit on Monday to the Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial in Jerusalem.
Birthdays
Emmy Award-winning actress, producer, and designer, best known for her leading role on the HBO television series “Sex and the City,” reprised in two later films, Sarah Jessica Parker turns 60…
Retired film and book critic, Gene Shalit turns 99… Pulpit rabbi, rosh yeshiva, historian, author and lecturer, he served as rabbinic administrator of the Orthodox Union’s kashrut division, then made aliyah in 1997, Rabbi Berel Wein turns 91… Feminist, journalist and social activist, Gloria Steinem turns 91… Mayor of Las Vegas, she was elected in 2011 and reelected in 2015 and 2019, her husband had been mayor from 1999 until 2011, Carolyn Goodman turns 86… Actor and director, best known for his role as Det. David Starsky on the 1970’s television series “Starsky & Hutch,” Paul Michael Glaser turns 82… Senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, Aaron David Miller turns 76… Former member of the Knesset for the Yisrael Beiteinu party and then Israel’s ambassador to Belarus, Yosef Shagal turns 76… Chair of Eastern Savings Bank in Hunt Valley, Md., and past chair of The Associated: Jewish Federation of Baltimore, Beth H. Goldsmith… Internationally recognized Orthodox rabbinic leader, Rabbi Asher Zelig Weiss turns 72… Property manager and CPA in Los Angeles, Glynis Gerber… Founding director of the initiative on communication and sustainability at Columbia University’s Earth Institute, Andrew C. Revkin turns 69… Columbus, Ohio-based consultant in the sleep medicine field, Cynthia S. Levy… Executive director at Plum Community Center in Pittsburgh, Karen Hochberg… CEO and co-chief investment officer of Kintegral Asset Management, Mony Mordehai Rueven turns 68… Film producer, she served as co-chair of Sony Pictures Entertainment, Amy Pascal turns 67… Senior correspondent for Kaiser Health News, Arthur Allen… Retired IDF major general, from 2014 to 2018 he served as head of COGAT (Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories), Yoav (Poli) Mordechai turns 61… Founding director of ATID and its WebYeshiva program, he is the editor of the Rabbinical Council’s journal Tradition, Rabbi Jeffrey Saks turns 56… Former prime minister of Israel, Naftali Bennett turns 53… East Side director and fellowship director at the Manhattan Jewish Experience, Rabbi Avi Heller turns 52… Managing director of ARI Investment Partners, Cheston David Mizel… Partner at D.C.-based Mehlman Consulting, focused on health-care policy, Lauren Aronson… VP of public engagement at Oxfam America, Alissa C. Rooney… YouTube personality, filmmaker, co-founder of the multimedia company Beme, and founder of 368 coworking space, Casey Neistat turns 44… Actress, comedian and author, Jenny Slate turns 43… Deputy Washington bureau chief at The Associated Press, Steven Sloan… Founder and editor of The Free Press and author of How to Fight Anti-Semitism, Bari Weiss turns 41… Iraqi-born Chaldean Catholic, her husband is Jewish, President Donald Trump named her interim U.S. attorney for New Jersey on Monday, Alina Habba turns 41… Communications strategist based in Chicago, Meredith Shiner… Chief political officer of Democratic Majority for Israel, Joel Wanger… Legislative director for Sen. Jacky Rosen (D-NV), Grant Cameron Dubler… Senior manager of pricing analytics at American Express, Jordan Rossman… Winner of the 2025 Academy Award for Best Actress, known professionally as Mikey Madison, Mikaela Madison Rosberg turns 26…
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