• Voters in Florida’s 1st and 6th Congressional Districts head to the polls today to cast their ballots in the special elections to replace former Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) and National Security Advisor Mike Waltz, while voters in Wisconsin will vote in the state’s Supreme Court justice election. More below.
• The Senate Armed Services Committee is holding its confirmation hearing for Lt. Gen. Dan Caine, the Trump administration’s nominee to be chairman of the joint chiefs of staff.
• The House Foreign Affairs Committee will hold a hearing at 2 p.m. ET on Iran and the Trump administration’s “maximum pressure” campaign against Tehran. The Center for Strategic and International Studies’ Norman Roule, United Against Nuclear Iran’s Claire Jungman and The Washington Institute for Near East Policy’s Dana Stroul are slated to testify.
• Ambassador Deborah Lipstadt, who served as President Joe Biden’s antisemitism envoy, will be feted at a Georgetown farewell party this evening. The gathering is hosted by former U.S. Ambassador to Romania Alfred Moses and his wife, Fern Schad, as well as Aaron Keyak, who served as Lipstadt’s deputy special envoy, and Avi Goldgraber. Lipstadt is returning to Atlanta, where she will be back in her longtime position as a tenured professor at Emory University.
• The Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in the case of Fuld v. Palestine Liberation Organization today. Read more on the case here.
• Former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo is slated to give an address on antisemitism at the West Side Institutional Synagogue in New York City this evening.
• NFL team owners are meeting in Palm Beach, Fla., this week for their annual gathering.
• The Carnegie Endowment for International Peace is hosting a conversation this morning between CEIP’s Aaron David Miller, Israeli political strategist Dahlia Scheindlin and Palestinian public opinion researcher Khalil Shikaki.  
• The Middle East Institute is holding an event looking at the role that Arab nations could play in any “day-after” scenario in Gaza. MEI’s Brian Katulis will moderate the conversation between the Horizon Center for Political Studies and Media Outreach’s Ibrahim Dalalsha, journalist and commentator Nadav Eyal and the International Crisis Group’s Yasmine Farouk.

The Trump administration’s first political report card is coming out tonight — and many Republicans are bracing for some humbling results, Jewish Insider Editor-in-Chief Josh Kraushaar writes. 

Voters in Wisconsin — the ultimate battleground state — are heading to the polls to vote for a state Supreme Court justice in a race that has turned into a proxy battle between liberal and MAGA forces. And in Florida, Republicans are concerned that Democrats could run competitively in two of the most Trump-friendly House districts in the country, in a sign of the political winds shifting since last November’s election.

The biggest bellwether will be in Wisconsin, where an ostensibly nonpartisan judicial contest — between liberal Dane County judge Susan Crawford and conservative Waukesha County judge Brad Schimel for a seat on the state’s Supreme Court — has turned into a referendum on the Trump administration’s record and, in particular, DOGE architect Elon Musk.  

The billionaire Trump advisor traveled to Wisconsin last weekend to campaign for Schimel (and hand $1 million checks to supporters), after groups aligned with him poured in over $13 million into the race. Meanwhile, Crawford’s advertising has prominently featured Musk as a boogeyman, betting that his aggressive cuts to government will prove unpopular in a working-class swing state.

In addition to serving as a political bellwether, the race will determine the ideological bent of the state’s Supreme Court. A Schimel win will give conservatives a working majority, while a Crawford win allows liberals to maintain their narrow advantage.

Meanwhile, in Florida, two solidly conservative Republican seats have also become unlikely proving grounds for the Republican Party. Republicans have been alarmed by polling showing GOP state Sen. Randy Fine underperforming against Democrat Josh Weil in a Daytona Beach-area district that Trump carried by 30 points last year. 

Fine, who would be the fourth Jewish Republican in Congress, is expected to win in the 6th Congressional District, but the margin of victory will be consequential. If Republicans can’t win a ruby-red district by double digits, it will be a serious warning sign about the GOP’s precarious standing after President Donald Trump’s first two months in office. 

Under normal circumstances, Weil’s hard-left views would make him a poor candidate in any district, no less one with a significant Republican advantage. But with angry Democrats energized (he’s raised $10 million, mainly from small-dollar donors) and MAGA-aligned Republicans less likely to show up to vote without Trump on a ballot, Democrats are hoping to make a statement by keeping the race close. 

The other race to keep an eye on is the special election in Florida’s 1st District, which Trump carried by a whopping 37 points. Republican Jimmy Patronis, the former Florida CFO, is heavily favored to win, but the overall margin will also be instructive. (Early voting data suggest Democrats are cutting the GOP’s typical advantage by about half.)

The stormy political environment for Republicans — just two months into Trump’s second term — explains why he abruptly pulled Rep. Elise Stefanik’s (R-NY) nomination to serve as U.N. ambassador. Even though her upstate New York district is one of the most Republican in the state — one Trump carried by 21 points — Republicans didn’t want to risk a competitive race when their House majority is so narrow.

That said, if Republicans have to worry about solidly red districts at this early point in Trump’s presidency, they will have bigger worries than Stefanik’s seat. Not only would Democrats entertain the possibility of a blue midterm wave, but it will be more challenging for Republicans to stick together for tough votes, as more will worry about the political consequences back home.

Green Card Blues: The editorial board of The Free Press raises concerns about the lack of evidence provided by the federal government tying individuals it seeks to deport to activities that would qualify them for deportation. “In no universe should America — or any other sovereign nation — have to admit and host guests who violate its laws or seek its destruction. No one is entitled to a green card. And it’s the government’s prerogative to take it away. The problem is that the administration attempted to bypass a critically important step — one that seems to us essential for basic public trust in the rule of law. If the government wants to revoke the student visa or the green card of a permanent legal resident, as it did on March 8 with Mahmoud Khalil, then it should provide the evidence that these individuals engaged in the kind of antisocial and illegal activities [Secretary of State Marco] Rubio claims. The protocol cannot be: This student is a national security threat — trust us. But that is the kind of sloppiness that is typifying the Trump administration’s deportations thus far.” [FreePress]

The Ties That Bind:The Wall Street Journal’s Timothy Martin, Ming Li and Roque Ruiz spotlight the deepening relationship between China, Russia, Iran and North Korea — referred to as CRINK — as the four countries find themselves united in backing Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and in opposition to the U.S. “Cooperation between the four nations isn’t new. Russia and Iran allied to support the Assad regime in Syria, while China has long been North Korea’s main patron and Beijing and Moscow’s relationship has been deepening for years. But the war multiplied those ties and helped knit the quartet together. The four are ‘promoting alternative systems to compete with the United States, primarily in trade, finance and security,’ according to a recent assessment by U.S. spy agencies. Russia’s need to fuel its war effort has put Moscow at the center of the entente. It has turned to Chinese firms for goods critical for making the arms it needs in Ukraine. … Iran has provided Russia with drone expertise, giving it a critical boost in a conflict dominated by the use of unmanned aerial vehicles. Tehran has sent Shahed drones as well as blueprints and technical assistance for Russia to increase its own drone manufacturing. Military cooperation has gone hand-in-hand with economic ties.” [WSJ]

A new poll from the Associated Press/NORC found that a majority of Americans — 54% — disapprove of President Donald Trump’s handling of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict; two-thirds of those surveyed said that Israel was a close ally or friendly with the U.S….

Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Sen. Jim Risch (R-ID) told Jewish Insider’s Marc Rod that the committee plans to vote on former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee’s nomination to be U.S. ambassador to Israel this week; the committee has votes scheduled for Wednesday and Thursday…

The chairs of Senate Foreign Relations and House Foreign Affairs Committees are threatening to sanction the United Nations Human Rights Council and its members if the council moves forward on plans to create a new special body to investigate Israel, Jewish Insider’s Marc Rod reports…

Former Washington City Councilmember Trayon White, who was expelled following a federal bribery indictment, announced plans to run for his former seat in the city’s 8th Ward; White had faced criticism for a series of antisemitic comments and conspiracy theories he made and shared while in office…

A Cornell University student with British and Gambian citizenship opted to self-deport after his student visa was revoked over his participation in anti-Israel campus activities as well as his support for Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attacks on Israel…

The University of Chicago is conducting an investigation into a faculty member’s display of antisemitic signs in his campus office…

Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich resigned from the Cabinet on Monday and returned to the Knesset as part of a tactical move meant to preserve the size of his party’s parliamentary faction. Netanyahu is expected to reappoint Smotrich as finance minister in the coming days, but the move is not without risks: The appointment needs majority approval in the Knesset, and other coalition parties may block it, whether it be Otzma Yehudit because it lost a Knesset member due to Smotrich’s return, or United Torah Judaism over continuing disputes related to Haredi conscription to the IDF, Jewish Insider’s Lahav Harkov reports…

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps seized what Iranian state television said were two foreign tankers carrying nearly 800,000 gallons of fuel…

Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei threatened a severe response to any U.S. moves to attack Iran…

The Financial Times posits that the window for the U.S. and Iran to de-escalate tensions around Tehran’s nuclear program is narrowing…

Iran and global terrorist organizations, including ISIS, plan to target Jews and Israelis traveling during Passover, Israel’s National Security Council warned on Tuesday, Jewish Insider’s Lahav Harkov reports…

“Looking for Love,” the posthumously produced album by Aner Shapira, a victim of the Oct. 7 Hamas massacre at the Nova music festival, was launched at a concert in Jerusalem last week. Shapira is known for his actions during the onslaught, catching and throwing back seven grenades that Hamas terrorists threw into a roadside shelter, saving the lives of others before an eighth grenade killed him. Shapira’s best friend, Hersh Goldberg-Polin, was kidnapped, along with several others, from the same shelter and murdered in captivity in August.

Lawyer, turned political thriller novelist, Brad Meltzer turns 55…

Physicist and 1997 Nobel Prize laureate Claude Cohen-Tannoudji turns 92… Psychotherapist in South Florida, Annie Schlachet Garfield, LCSW… Former member of the Knesset for the Likud party, he is a nephew of Moshe Dayan, Uzi Dayan turns 77… Former Sephardic chief rabbi of Israel, Rabbi Shlomo Moshe Amar turns 77… Research professor at Boston University noted for her studies in relation to parrots, Irene Maxine Pepperberg, Ph.D. turns 76… Former president and CEO of the Michigan League for Public Policy, she was previously a Democratic member of the Michigan Senate, Gilda Z. Jacobs turns 76… Associate justice of the Supreme Court of the U.S. since 2006, Justice Samuel Anthony Alito Jr. turns 75… Professor at SUNY New Paltz, her writing is focused on presidential war powers and national security law, Nancy Kassop turns 75… Singer-songwriter best known as the original lead guitarist for Sha Na Na and as the youngest person, at age 18, to play on the main stage at Woodstock in 1969, Henry Gross turns 74… Producer and director for film and television including the “Men in Black” trilogy, Barry Sonnenfeld turns 72… Lecturer at Stony Brook University’s School of Journalism, he is a columnist for Straus Media, Jonathan P. Friedman… Six-term member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Florida, he is the founder of the Ben Gamla Charter School in Florida (2007) and now lives in Ra’anana, Israel, Peter Deutsch turns 68… President of Baltimore-based HealthSource Distributors, Jerry L. Wolasky turns 67… Author of over 200 children’s books, Mark Shulman turns 63… Former member of the Knesset for the Kadima party, she made aliyah from the Soviet Union in 1979, Yulia Shamalov-Berkovich turns 61… VP of the Euro-Asian Jewish Congress and a leader of the Jewish community of Kyiv, Alexander (Aaron) Levin turns 57… Israeli writer, speaker and blogger, Daniel Ravner turns 49… Senior policy advisor to then-VPOTUS Kamala Harris, earlier she was the COO at J Street, Jessica “Jess” Smith turns 48… Professor at Villanova University, he won a gold medal in soccer at the Pan American Maccabi Games in 2008, Bret Myers turns 45… Four-year star basketball player at the University of Maryland including a national championship (2006), she was drafted by the WNBA but played mostly in Israel, now a venture capitalist, Shay Doron turns 40… Film and television actor, Joshua Ryan Zuckerman turns 40… Associate at Debevoise & Plimpton, Noah L. Schwartz… Assistant secretary for public affairs at the U.S. Treasury, her grandmother is noted philanthropist Lynne Honickman, Julia Aviva Hahn turns 34… Ronald Lippman…

BIRTHWEEK: Founding director of the Illinois Holocaust Museum, Emmy Award recipient for the documentary ‘Skokie: Invaded But Not Conquered,’ and director of American Jewish Committee’s Los Angeles office, Rick Hirschhaut (was Monday)…