GOP senators skewer Tom Barrack
Plus, Columbia grapples with lack of pro-Israel faculty
Add JewishInsider on GoogleIn today’s Daily Kickoff, we talk to GOP lawmakers about U.S. Ambassador to Turkey Tom Barrack’s recent controversial comments on Israel and Turkey, and look at the limitations of the Trump administration’s executive order targeting the Muslim Brotherhood. We have the scoop on a settlement between the University of California, Berkeley and an Israeli professor who was rejected from a teaching position following the Oct. 7 attacks, and report on the Columbia University antisemitism task force’s new findings. Also in today’s Daily Kickoff: Doug Emhoff, Tony Dokoupil and Ronen Bar.
Today’s Daily Kickoff was curated by Jewish Insider Executive Editor Melissa Weiss and Israel editor Tamara Zieve with assists from Danielle Cohen-Kanik and Marc Rod. Have a tip? Email us here.
What We’re Watching
- Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar is meeting today with Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Washington.
- Senior congressional officials, including Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) are slated to attend a congressional menorah lighting this afternoon at the Capitol alongside Rabbi Levi Shemtov.
- Elsewhere on Capitol Hill, the House Foreign Affairs Committee is convening a meeting on the political dynamics of the West Bank with the Heritage Foundation’s Eugene Kontorovich, ZOA’s Mort Klein and the Center for Strategic and International Studies’ Jon Alterman.
- The Jewish Community Relations Council of Greater Washington is hosting the second in its series of DMV “Lox and Legislators” events. This morning’s event in Falls Church, Va., will include officials from Virginia, including Rep. James Walkinshaw (D-VA).
- The Aspen Institute is holding the DC edition of the Aspen Security Forum this afternoon. Speakers include Sen. Dave McCormick (R-PA), Reps. Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL), Jason Crow (D-CO) and Mike Turner (R-OH), and the American Jewish Committee’s Natan Gorod.
- In Atlantic City, N.J., the Orthodox Jewish Chamber of Commerce is hosting its annual flagship JBIZ expo at Harrah’s.
- And in the United Arab Emirates, former U.K. Prime Minister David Cameron is speaking today at Abu Dhabi Finance Week.
What You Should Know
A QUICK WORD WITH JI’S Josh Kraushaar
The leftward lurch of the Democratic Party over the last year can be documented in many ways: The sudden rise of Zohran Mamdani as mayor-elect of New York City, the surge of far-left candidates running on socialist, anti-Israel platforms and the party accommodating a panoply of activist views, including anti-Israel activism, instead of drawing red lines against extremism.
But all of these developments don’t directly impact the party’s electoral fortunes, especially since the surge of left-wing activism has mainly predominated in the most-progressive parts of the country, like New York City, Seattle and safe Democratic districts.
But now there are clear signs that Democratic voters are rallying behind out-of-the-mainstream, in-your-face candidates in battleground and even GOP-leaning states and districts, developments that are putting races out of play for a party that’s hoping to ride an anti-Trump wave back into power in next year’s midterms.
Nowhere is the party’s leftward evolution clearer than in Texas, a conservative-minded state where the Senate race was potentially competitive as a result of GOP infighting. Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) is facing a serious primary threat from the state’s right-wing, scandal-plagued attorney general, Ken Paxton. The Democratic thinking: If Paxton won the nomination, a mainstream candidate with a track record of winning persuadable voters could at least force Republicans to spend money to defend red-state turf next year.
To that end, Colin Allred, a former NFL player and center-left suburban lawmaker who was elected to the House in 2018 by winning over independents and some moderate Republicans, jumped into the race. Allred lost to Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) in 2024, but cut the GOP victory margin in the race to eight points — about half of President Donald Trump’s 14-point margin against Kamala Harris.
Allred’s brand of pragmatic politics was quickly overtaken this year by candidates drawing attention for their social media virality. Texas state Rep. James Talarico quickly emerged as an Allred alternative, offering a brand of TV-ready, populist progressivism that some party strategists thought could be a model for candidates looking to appeal to the base without insulting conservatives. Even though his voting record is liberal, the fact he went on Joe Rogan’s podcast and talked about faith drew him a niche following within the party.
But all that strategic posturing was rendered moot, after the polarizing and progressive Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-TX) announced her candidacy on Monday, emerging as a front-runner in the Democratic primary even as most strategists view her as a surefire loser in a general election — no matter who Republicans nominate. What’s concerning Democrats even more is that if she’s nominated, her long history of controversial comments could hurt Democrats looking to hang on for reelection in competitive districts.
PUSHING BACK
Tom Barrack’s controversial comments on Israel, Turkey confounding GOP lawmakers
Republican lawmakers are criticizing U.S. Ambassador to Turkey Tom Barrack over his recent comments questioning whether Israel is a democracy while voicing support for Turkey joining the proposed U.S.-led International Stabilization Force to operate in Gaza, Jewish Insider’s Emily Jacobs reports.
Republican reactions: Sen. John Kennedy (R-LA) told JI that Barrack was “very incorrect” with his musing about Israel’s standing as a democracy. “I think Israel is a democracy, and Israel is our only true friend in the Middle East,” Kennedy said. Asked for his reaction to Barrack’s public support for Turkey joining the ISF, the Louisiana senator replied: “I don’t trust Turkey.” Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) said about Barrack’s comments, “If I had to give you an example of a robust democracy, it would be Israel. If you don’t like the government, stick around a month, they’ll get a new one.”
BRANCH BY BRANCH
The limitations of Trump’s executive order targeting the Muslim Brotherhood
President Donald Trump’s recent executive order directing a review of Muslim Brotherhood chapters worldwide for potential terrorism designations is limited in scope, and leaves out scrutiny of Qatar and Turkey — a strategy that experts say reflects both legal realities and geopolitical constraints. Rather than apply a terrorist designation to the entire Muslim Brotherhood as a whole, Trump’s executive order first looks at individual branches, Jewish Insider’s Matthew Shea reports.
Reasoning: Michael Jacobson, a senior fellow at The Washington Institute for Near East Policy, said the approach “makes sense,” adding that a “one-size-fits-all” designation would be unproductive. He also noted that it will allow the administration to more effectively pursue chapters of the organization. David Adesnik, vice president of research at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, told JI that while a single designation done in “one fell swoop” might be appealing, it faces legal and factual challenges. “This is not a single unified organization,” said Adesnik. “There’s no headquarters, no address, no person who is the head. It’s very hard to make a terror designation if you’re not exactly sure who you’re designating.”
On the Hill: Speaking at an event on Capitol Hill on Tuesday, Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH), chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, offered his full support for legislation to designate the Muslim Brotherhood as a Foreign Terrorist Organization, as well as for the Antisemitism Awareness Act, both of which fall within his committee’s jurisdiction, Jewish Insider’s Marc Rod reports.
ACADEMIC DIVERSITY
Columbia antisemitism task force report finds all its Middle East faculty are anti-Zionist
The Columbia University task force overseeing efforts to combat antisemitism on campus released its fourth and final report on Tuesday, spotlighting Columbia’s lack of full-time Middle East faculty who are not explicitly anti-Zionist, Jewish Insider’s Haley Cohen reports. The absence of ideological diversity is having an impact on course offerings — in listening sessions, the task force said it heard from students that classes at the university more often than not treat Zionism as entirely illegitimate.
What it says: The report calls on the university to “work quickly to add more intellectual diversity to these offerings” and to “establish new chairs at a senior level in Middle East history, politics, political economy and policy.” Furthermore, it claims that “academic resources available for teaching and research on Jewish and Israeli topics at Columbia are insufficient, especially in comparison to the resources available for teaching and research on other parts of the Middle East. The University should work quickly and energetically to build up its capabilities here, through academically first-rate full time tenure line additions to the faculty and the curriculum.”
DOHA DEALINGS
FBI Director Patel signs security deals with Qatar, his former lobbying client
FBI Director Kash Patel signed bilateral security agreements with Qatar on Tuesday, in a move that is drawing renewed scrutiny to potential conflicts of interest surrounding his past lobbying for the Gulf emirate, the details of which he has failed to disclose, Jewish Insider’s Matthew Kassel reports.
Details from Doha: During a meeting in the Qatari capital of Doha, Patel signed two memorandums of understanding with his counterpart “to advance mechanisms of security cooperation and coordinate efforts in training, the exchange of information and capacity-building,” according to Qatari state media. “This step underscores the depth of the strategic partnership between the State of Qatar and the friendly United States of America, and bolsters our joint efforts in securing the 2026 FIFA World Cup,” Sheikh Khalifa bin Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani, the minister of interior and head of the country’s Internal Security Force, who met with Patel on Tuesday, said in a social media post. Neither Patel’s visit to Doha nor the agreements with Qatar have been publicly announced by the FBI.
PRIMARY MATCHUP
Dan Goldman prepares for looming showdown against Brad Lander
With Brad Lander’s announcement this morning of his primary challenge to Rep. Dan Goldman (D-NY), allies of the progressive New York City comptroller are feeling particularly bullish about his prospects. Lander, a former longtime city councilman, is widely known in Goldman’s left-leaning, heavily Jewish district, which covers Lower Manhattan as well as parts of Brooklyn. Polling has suggested a primary matchup would be competitive. Lander is also expected to notch a key endorsement from New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani, Jewish Insider’s Matthew Kassel reports.
Tough competition: But even as Lander now seeks to capitalize on the newfound momentum from Mamdani’s victory, some experts speculated that he could face more obstacles than his supporters have envisioned in his bid to unseat a two-term incumbent with vast personal wealth and who is nationally recognized as a top Democratic foe of President Donald Trump. “A Democratic primary for Congress during a midterm election in which the narrative will strongly focus on rebuking President Trump and his agenda means, for candidates, a heavy reliance on credibility taking on the president,” Jake Dilemani, a Democratic consultant, told JI on Tuesday.
SCOOP
UC Berkeley reaches settlement with Israeli dance professor in discrimination lawsuit
As part of a settlement reached on Wednesday, the University of California, Berkeley acknowledged it discriminated against an Israeli former professor, and offered suggestions to remedy the situation, two years after the school disinvited her from teaching a course on Israeli dance, Jewish Insider’s Haley Cohen has learned.
Background: Dance professor Yael Nativ filed a lawsuit against the UC Board of Regents in August, claiming that she was the victim of discrimination under California law. Nativ, a visiting professor who taught a course on contemporary Israeli dance in 2022 and reapplied for the 2024-25 school year, alleged that her application to return was denied due to her Israeli nationality and the climate on campus following the Oct. 7, 2023, terrorist attacks in Israel and ensuing war between Israel and Hamas. Nativ was represented in the suit by the Louis D. Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under Law.
Worthy Reads
The West and the Jews: In the Substack “Future of Jewish,” Nachum Kaplan argues that Western society’s failure to adequately address antisemitism will have consequences for generations. “The West will not lose its Jews in one dramatic moment. It will lose them through a slow drip of insult, a steady rise in fear, and a growing sense of no longer belonging. A key question is whether today’s Diaspora Jews will repeat the mistake of their forefathers and wait for catastrophe before acting. The tremors before the earthquake rumble louder each day. If Western nations lose their Jewish communities, they will forfeit things they never realized Jews had given them: parts of their moral compass, their historical memory of totalitarianism, a large portion of their intellectual class, and history’s finest early-warning system of civilizational decline.” [FutureofJewish]
Daylight Over Damascus: The Wall Street Journal’s Dov Lieber looks at the daylight between the U.S. and Israel over Syria as the U.S. looks to bolster Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa. “The U.S. is brokering talks on a security agreement between Syria and Israel that could lay the groundwork for a long-term peace, but they appear stalled. Amid a Gaza cease-fire and a new push to end fighting in Ukraine, Trump is calling on Israel to do that deal. … Israel took a lesson from the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks from Gaza that it can’t bargain away its security interests to please its neighbors or even Washington. It now sees U.S.-supported withdrawals from Gaza in 2005 and southern Lebanon in 2000 as mistakes that allowed militant groups Hamas and Hezbollah to prepare launchpads for cross-border attacks. ‘It’s easy to take the risk when you’re in Washington, but when you’re in the Golan Heights it’s much more risky. It’s too close,’ said Yaakov Amidror, a former Israeli national security adviser.” [WSJ]
Word on the Street
After repeatedly raising concerns about slow progress, a lack of transparency and a lack of accountability for Department of Homeland Security grant programs this year, including the Nonprofit Security Grant Program, Democrats on the House Homeland Security Committee introduced legislation on Tuesday that aims to put in place stricter guidelines for the management of such programs, Jewish Insider’s Marc Rod reports…
Semafor spotlights the key role that White House Special Envoy Steve Witkoff plays in the Trump administration’s diplomatic efforts, while the Washington Post looks at Jared Kushner’s “indispensible” role working alongside Witkoff…
Former Vice President Kamala Harris told The New York Times that she regretted not having done more to pressure Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over Israel’s conduct in the war against Hamas; Harris was one of the few senior Biden administration officials who did not make any trips to Israel during her time in office…
Former Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff, who is a partner at the Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP, was named in an amicus brief filing from the firm opposing a legal challenge to a newly signed California law meant to combat antisemitism in the state’s K-12 schools…
Democrat Eileen Higgins won the runoff in Miami’s mayoral election, and will be the first woman — and first Democrat in 28 years — to hold the position…
“CBS Morning” co-host Tony Dokoupil has reportedly been tapped to anchor “CBS Evening News,” with an announcement from the network’s editor-in-chief, Bari Weiss, and president, Tom Cibrowski, expected in the coming days…
Matt Gutman is joining CBS News as chief correspondent; he was previously a correspondent for ABC News…
Skydance Paramount CEO David Ellison is making inroads in his effort to move forward with a hostile takeover bid of Warner Bros. Discovery, meeting with investors this week who are warming to the idea…
Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk’s posthumously published book, Stop, in the Name of God: Why Honoring the Sabbath Will Transform Your Life, which was released on Tuesday, is already out of stock after having initially sold 60,000 copies on Amazon…
A federal judge ordered immigration authorities to reinstate the online record of Rümeysa Öztürk, who faced a deportation effort earlier this year over her co-authorship of an anti-Israel op-ed, so that the Tufts doctoral student could maintain her visa and resume her work at the university…
A 15th-century mahzor that had been owned by the Rothschild family before it was looted by the Nazis in 1938 and ultimately returned to the family last month will be put up for sale next year, where it is expected to fetch between $5-$7 million…
Israel’s Supreme Court granted the government’s request for a ninth extension in responding to a petition brought forth by journalists seeking access to the Gaza Strip…
In his first public remarks since leaving his position atop the Shin Bet, Ronen Bar called for the Israeli government to set up a commission of inquiry investigating the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas terror attacks…
The mother of journalist Austin Tice requested that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu allow her to review Israeli intelligence that might provide information on her son, who went missing in Syria in 2012…
The Financial Times looks at strained diplomatic ties between Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates over the civil conflict in Yemen in which Abu Dhabi and Riyadh are backing different groups…
Egypt and Iran are lodging complaints with FIFA after being assigned to play in the 2026 World Cup’s “Pride match” being held in Seattle; the June 26 match was chosen by local organizers to celebrate the LGBTQ community prior to last week’s draw that selected the matchup…
Iran began a new round of cloud-seeding operations in an effort to address severe drought conditions that have plagued the Islamic Republic in recent months…
Pic of the Day
Thai Ambassador to Israel Boonyarit Vichienpuntu spoke on Tuesday at a ceremony at Israel’s Ben Gurion Airport honoring Thai hostage Sudthisak Rinthalak, who was killed on Oct. 7, 2023, while working at Kibbutz Be’eri. His remains, which were returned to Israel from Gaza last week for identification, will be buried in Thailand in the coming days.
Birthdays
Former rabbi of Temple Beth Israel in Colleyville, Texas, he was held hostage in the synagogue in January 2022 and then rescued, Charlie Cytron-Walker turns 50…
Retired hedge fund manager, champion squash player, best-selling author and statistician, Victor Niederhoffer turns 82… Baltimore-based dairy cattle dealer, Abraham Gutman turns 81… Chairman and CEO of Verizon until retiring in 2011, Ivan Seidenberg turns 79… Owner of Judaica House and Cool Kippahs, both in Teaneck, N.J., Reuben Nayowitz… Progressive political activist, she headed the AmeriCorps VISTA program during the Carter administration, Margery Tabankin turns 77… U.S. senator (R-AR) since 2011, now serving as chairman of the Senate Agriculture Committee, John Nichols Boozman turns 75… Founding rabbi, now emeritus, of Congregation B’nai Tzedek in Potomac, Md., Stuart Weinblatt turns 73… Founder and CEO at Seppy’s Kosher Baked Goods in Pueblo, Colo., Elishevah Sepulveda… Real estate entrepreneur based in Palm Beach, Fla., Jeff Greene turns 71… New York real estate investor and developer, Joseph Chetrit turns 68… Senior fellow with the Independent Women’s Forum, she was the deputy special envoy to monitor and combat antisemitism during the Trump 45 administration, Ellie Cohanim turns 53… Head of Bloomberg Beta, Roy Bahat turns 49… Actress since she was 10 years old, known for her later roles in HBO’s “Entourage” and CBS’ “The Mentalist,” Emmanuelle Chriqui turns 48… Managing director for private-equity firm TPG, he is the husband of Chelsea Clinton, Marc Mezvinsky turns 48… General partner at Andreessen Horowitz, he was an SVP and general manager of Cisco’s security business, David A. Ulevitch turns 44… Screenwriter, best known for co-writing “Guardians of the Galaxy” (2014), “Captain Marvel” (2019) and “Pokémon Detective Pikachu” (2019), Nicole Perlman turns 44… Assistant managing editor for national security and justice at NBC News, Alex Koppelman… Co-founder and co-CEO of single-origin spice company, Burlap & Barrel (a public benefit corporation), Ethan Frisch… Assistant professor of health policy and management at Harvard School of Public Health, Ari Daniel Ne’eman… R&B, jazz and soul singer and songwriter, she performs as “Mishéll,” Irina Rosenfeld turns 37… Director of communications at Hughes Hubbard & Reed, Mitchell Rubenstein… Rabbi at Stony Brook Hebrew Congregation and the campus rabbi at Stony Brook Hillel, Philip Kaplan… Co-founder of Dojo, recently acquired by OfficeSpace Software / Vista Equity Partners, Daniel Goldstern… Actress, musician, fashion model and radio talk show host, Rachel Trachtenberg turns 32…
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