Gas field gaslighting?
Plus, feds are on Kent's case
Add JewishInsider on Google👋 Good Thursday morning!
In today’s Daily Kickoff, we report on yesterday’s worldwide threats hearing with senior intelligence officials, and look at an effort to target Jordan Acker, a Jewish member of the University of Michigan Board of Regents who is up for reelection this year. We interview Katy Padilla Stout, a Democrat in Texas hoping that the GOP’s nomination of a far-right influencer with a history of antisemitic comments will help her flip a red congressional seat, and look at how far-left activists in Colorado are mobilizing against Sen. John Hickenlooper and Rep. Diana DeGette. Also in today’s Daily Kickoff: Sharon Nazarian, Adam Kaplan and Dan Shapiro.
Today’s Daily Kickoff was curated by JI 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
- The House Intelligence Committee is holding its rescheduled hearing on worldwide threats a day after a similar hearing in the Senate. More below.
- The Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs is expected to mark up — and potentially vote on — Sen. Markwayne Mullin’s (R-OK) nomination to head theDepartment of Homeland Security. Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY), the committee’s chair, has threatened to cancel the vote over personal clashes with Mullin, who has referred to Paul as a “freaking snake” — which he refused to apologize for at yesterday’s hearing. Paul has indicated that he will not back Mullin’s confirmation, but Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA), who also sits on the committee, said he’ll vote for Mullin, potentially getting the Oklahoma senator the requisite number of votes to move out of committee. More below on yesterday’s confirmation hearing.
- Antisemitic conspiracy theorist Candace Owens is slated to interview Joe Kent, who stepped down earlier this week as the head of the National Counterterrorism Center, at the Catholic Prayer for America gala in Washington. Last night, Kent gave his first interview since resigning to Tucker Carlson. More below.
- At least four people in Israel and the West Bank — including a foreign worker in Moshav Adanim and three Palestinian women in the village of Beit Awwa — were killed in overnight strikes from Iran.
What You Should Know
A QUICK WORD WITH JI’S LAHAV HARKOV
Current and former Israeli and U.S. officials suggested that an Israeli strike on an Iranian gas field on Wednesday that prompted the Islamic Republic to strike Qatar was coordinated with the White House — despite President Donald Trump’s claim that the U.S. “knew nothing about this particular attack.”
Trump made the remarks in a Truth Social post, in which he threatened that the U.S. would bomb the South Pars gas field, the Iranian portion of the larger field shared with Qatar, if Iran does not stop attacking Qatar.
“The United States knew nothing about this particular attack, and the country of Qatar was in no way, shape or form involved with it, nor did it have any idea that it was going to happen. Unfortunately, Iran did not know this … and unjustifiably and unfairly attacked a portion of Qatar’s [liquid natural gas] facility,” the president wrote.
If “Iran unwisely decides to attack a very innocent, in this case, Qatar,” he added, the U.S., “with or without the help or consent of Israel, will massively blow up the entirety of the South Pars Gas Field at an amount of strength and power that Iran has never seen or witnessed before.”
An Israeli official told Kan News, Israel’s public broadcaster, that the attack on the South Pars gas field was coordinated with the U.S.
Dan Shapiro, the former U.S. ambassador to Israel and Pentagon official in the Biden administration, wrote on X, “Trump can post whatever he likes. But there is zero, I mean zero, chance the IDF would conduct a strike in that location without giving CENTCOM full visibility.”
Gilad Erdan, a former Israeli ambassador to Washington and a former member of Israel’s Security Cabinet, told Jewish Insider that it was highly likely the U.S. knew about the strike, saying that Trump did not criticize Israel in his post, and “in the same breath” as saying the U.S. was unaware, “[Trump] himself threatened to erase the [gas] field.”
INTEL ASSESSMENT
Iranian regime is ‘intact but largely degraded’ amid strikes, DNI Tulsi Gabbard says
Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard said on Wednesday that the U.S. and Israeli operations against Iran have largely destroyed Tehran’s “power projection capabilities” in the region, but that the regime remains standing, if weakened, Jewish Insider’s Marc Rod reports.
Top lines: “The IC assesses the regime in Iran appears to be intact but largely degraded due to attacks on its leadership and military capabilities,” Gabbard said at a hearing of the Senate Intelligence Committee on worldwide threats. “Its conventional military power projection capabilities have largely been destroyed, leaving limited options. Iran’s strategic position has been significantly degraded.” The hearing also featured extensive back-and-forth over the war in Iran, the threats the U.S. faces from Iran and the intelligence community’s assessment of Iran’s activities and capabilities.
Doubling down: The Senate voted largely along party lines on Wednesday night to reject a procedural motion on an effort aiming to bring the U.S. operations in Iran to an immediate halt for the second time this month, JI’s Marc Rod reports.
HEARING SPOTLIGHT
Markwayne Mullin vows to improve security grant program in DHS nomination hearing
In his nomination hearing to be secretary of homeland security, Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-OK) said he will aim to “streamline the process” for grants, including the Nonprofit Security Grant Program (NSGP) aimed at helping harden religious institutions, amid heightened antisemitism and increased threats during the ongoing war in Iran, Jewish Insider’s Matthew Shea and Marc Rod report.
‘Laser focused’: When pressed by senators on the need to unlock NSGP funding in the wake of the violent attack at Temple Israel in suburban Detroit last week, Mullin agreed that the process should be streamlined and said he would aim to “cut out the redundancies” and “amount of paperwork.” Mullin said that while he may have political differences with some of the lawmakers on the committee, this issue “isn’t one” of them and that he would be “laser focused and get this resolved.”
Bonus: In The Hill, Nathan Diament, the executive director of the Orthodox Union Advocacy Center, calls on Congress to press Mullin to end the ongoing standoff over Department of Homeland Security funding, which includes NSGP funding, arguing that the Oklahoma senator’s “nomination is an opportunity for the administration to start anew, and focus on keeping vulnerable communities safe instead of political theatrics.”
KENT’S CLAIMS
In Carlson interview, Joe Kent doubles down on Israel conspiracy theories
Joe Kent, who resigned earlier this week from his role as director of the National Counterterrorism Center over his opposition to the war in Iran, offered a litany of baseless accusations about Israel while defending the Iranian regime in an appearance on Tucker Carlson’s program on Wednesday, Jewish Insider’s Emily Jacobs reports.
What he said: Kent doubled down in the interview on an allegation made in his resignation statement that Israel coerced the U.S. into the war for its own benefit. As evidence, Kent and Carlson — a friend of Kent’s and a leading critic of the Trump administration’s approach to Iran in the conservative movement — pointed to Secretary of State Marco Rubio saying earlier this month that the “imminent threat” that prompted the U.S. to take action was the foreknowledge that Israel was going to strike, likely resulting in retaliation against American targets by the Iranian regime. “So, the imminent threat that the secretary of state is describing is not from Iran, it’s from Israel” Carlson mused. “Exactly,” Kent replied.
Newfound allies: Michael Blake, who is mounting a primary challenge to Rep. Ritchie Torres (D-NY), praised Kent in an X post on Wednesday, saying, “An absolutely breathtaking, courageous and bold resignation letter stating that Iran posed NO IMMINENT THREAT to us and Trump made this decision due to the Israeli government and its American Lobby,” JI’s Marc Rod reports.
QUARREL ON THE QUAD
University of Michigan regent race revives campus fight over Israel
Since the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks in Israel in 2023, University of Michigan Regent Jordan Acker has become the target of the university’s anti-Israel activists, facing harassment and vandalism that Michigan leaders have called plainly antisemitic. Now Acker is up for reelection, along with regent Paul Brown. Both of them are Democrats who were elected to the board in 2018, and they each oppose divestment of university funds from Israeli companies. But the university’s anti-Israel activists are targeting only Acker, Jewish Insider’s Gabby Deutch reports.
Under fire: The activists are advocating for voters to unseat Acker and to vote instead for Amir Makled, a candidate who has aligned himself with anti-Israel activists and advocated for the university to divest from Israel. Only two of the three candidates will proceed to the general election, where they’ll go up against two Republicans. A flyer that was distributed at a recent Washtenaw County Democrats meeting in support of Makled called out only Acker for his support of Israel. “UM Regent Jordan Acker is up for re-election this year, and as one of the most vocally zionist regents who has personally advocated for the repression of pro Palestine voices at the university, we are mobilizing to unseat him from his position on the Board of Regents,” read the flyer, which featured a photo of Acker’s face crossed out with a red X.
EYE ON THE PRIZE
Democrat sees chance to flip red seat in Texas race against Brandon Herrera
Democrat Katy Padilla Stout, an attorney and former teacher in Texas’ 23rd Congressional District, sees an opportunity to flip the red seat that President Donald Trump won by 15 points in the last presidential election. Her path opened up with the GOP’s nomination of Brandon Herrera, a hard-right influencer who has repeatedly come under fire for social media videos in which he used imagery from and made light of the Nazi regime and the Holocaust, Jewish Insider’s Marc Rod reports. Herrera won the nomination following Rep. Tony Gonzales’ (R-TX) decision not to seek reelection amid scandal.
An opening: Padilla Stout told JI this week that she felt a “deep sense of disgust” with Herrera’s past videos. She dismissed his claims that the incidents were only intended in jest, calling the pattern “really concerning,” particularly when coupled with Herrera’s longtime membership in a neo-Confederate group. “Everybody who watched it understood that he was normalizing that and that it wasn’t funny, and it wasn’t about humor,” she said. “It was about doing something that was harmful to our society and desensitizing people.” A spokesperson for Herrera said the accusations against the GOP candidate were “manufactured through misleading video edits,” adding that Herrera “does not have an antisemitic bone in his body.”
ROCKY MOUNT REVOLT
Colorado far left mobilizes against John Hickenlooper, Diana DeGette
Far-left challengers to Sen. John Hickenlooper (D-CO) and Rep. Diana DeGette (D-CO) are picking up support in internal party proceedings in what some progressives are touting as a sign of the incumbents’ vulnerabilities, Jewish Insider’s Marc Rod reports.
Lay of the land: In the Senate race, Hickenlooper, facing state Sen. Julie Gonzales, a former member of the Democratic Socialists of America who has centered her campaign around criticism of Israel, dropped out of the Democratic caucus nominating process, choosing to qualify for the June primary through petition signatures instead. In DeGette’s district, far-left candidate Melat Kiros won nearly two-thirds of the Democratic Party delegates’ votes in Denver last weekend, nearly doubling DeGette’s support, and calling DeGette’s spot on the ballot into question. But local experts say those developments shouldn’t necessarily be read as signs that the two establishment Democrats are on their way out, noting that the state’s Democratic Party processes tend to favor more progressive candidates.
Worthy Reads
Blind Spots on the War: The Atlantic’s Eliot Cohen posits that advocates for and opponents of the war in Iran are failing on different counts — those who support the war have not shored up enough support for it, while those who oppose military action do not recognize the threat posed by the endurance of the Iranian regime. “When a war begins, our emotions often overtake our ability to analyze and judge. That is a problem not only for those who wage war, engaging either directly as combatants or indirectly as senior leaders, but for the rest of us. That partial eclipse of reason is on full display in the current Iran war, exacerbated by previously held beliefs about the leaders of the United States and Israel on the one hand, and about the Iranian regime on the other.” [TheAtlantic]
What the UAE Means: In The Wall Street Journal, Badr Jafar, the United Arab Emirates’ special envoy for business and philanthropy, argues that Iran’s targeting of the UAE, which has been the primary target of Tehran’s missile launches, underscores its importance as a hub for global business. “What Iran is attacking is an idea: that an open economy can flourish in one of the world’s most contested regions. That idea matters — and not only to the UAE. … The question for the global business community is whether the fundamental case for working and investing in this country has changed. It hasn’t. That case rests not on the absence of risk but on a demonstrated history of resilience, a uniquely diversified economic base, and an unmatched set of physical and financial assets that serve not only the Gulf but Asia, Africa and Europe alike.” [WSJ]
Strait Talk Express: In The New York Times, the Foundation for Defense of Democracies’ Mark Montgomery suggests that the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz and wrangling control of the waterway from Tehran are vital to the U.S.’ long-term strategic interests in the region and beyond. “The president should remember that China is watching. If pressure in the oil markets is enough to break America’s resolve and lead Mr. Trump to pull out of the war, Chinese leaders are that much more likely to conclude that our commitments to defend Taiwan are nothing but bluster. If the United States can hold firm for the next few weeks, it can fully degrade Iran’s war-making apparatus. This would usher in a multiyear interval of calm of the kind that neither sanctions nor diplomacy has been able to produce in over four decades.”[NYTimes]
Word on the Street
The FBI is investigating allegations that former National Counterterrorism Center head Joe Kent shared classified information; the monthslong investigation was already underway at the time of Kent’s resignation earlier this week…
The IRS and FBI are partnering on an effort to investigate links between nonprofit groups and domestic terrorism, following a December directive from the Justice Department instructing federal agencies to look into alleged “tax crimes” of extremist groups…
Adam Kaplan, the deputy inspector general of the U.S. Agency for International Development, said that his office will investigate U.N. staff for ties to Hamas, noting that previous vetting requirements by the aid agency exempted employees of the international body, Jewish Insider’s Matthew Shea reports…
Rep. Nancy Mace (R-SC) has reportedly angered the White House over her recent trip to the Middle East and efforts to conduct her own rescue missions of Americans stranded in the region, including her direct outreach to Saudi officials that bypassed the State Department…
Sen. Ruben Gallego (D-AZ) told Politico this week that he “wouldn’t take AIPAC money,” adding that his perspective had changed since he last accepted donations from pro-Israel groups in 2024…
Argentina assumed the presidency of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance for a one-year term…
Wisconsin’s state Senate passed legislation adopting IHRA’s working definition of antisemitism; the bill will now go to Gov. Tony Evers, a Democrat, for his signature…
Sharon Nazarian and her family’s philanthropic organization, the Younes & Soroya Nazarian Family Foundation, announced a new partnership with Hebrew Union College for a new initiative at University of Southern California’s Louchheim School for Judaic Studies focused on educating students about extremism, rising hate and antisemitism, JI’s Haley Cohen reports for eJewishPhilanthropy…
Authorities in the U.K. charged two people — an Iranian man and a British-Iranian dual citizen — with surveilling Jewish sites in London last summer on behalf of Iran…
Belgian lawmakers said the government would begin deploying military troops to protect Jewish sites in the country following an explosion last week at a synagogue in Liège…
The antisemitism commissioner in the German state of Brandenburg resigned from the far-left Die Linke party, of which he was a member for more than a decade, following the passing of a resolution condemning Zionism…
The New York Times looks at the ascendance of the far-right Alternative for Germany party, which is gaining popularity in the country ahead of federal elections this fall…
The Washington Post reports on growing anger at Hezbollah in Lebanon as Israel escalates its targeting of the terror group, amid Beirut’s failure to disarm it in accordance with the November 2024 ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon…
The Wall Street Journal spotlights the U.S.’ use of ground-based missiles that are being deployed for the first time…
NPR looks at the growing use of cheaply made drones in modern warfare and the challenges they pose to the U.S. and American allies that have not developed a robust enough defense system to fully fend off drone attacks…
Elbit Systems announced plans to develop laser weapons to be mounted onto fighter jets and military helicopters, but did not provide a timeline for the development…
Pic of the Day
Representatives from the J7 Jewish Communities met on Wednesday at the Anti-Defamation League’s headquarters in New York City with U.N. permanent representatives. Shown facing forward, from right, are French Amb. Jérôme Bonnafont, U.S. Amb. Jeff Bartos, Canadian Deputy Permanent Representative Michael Gort, Australian Amb. James Larsen and Argentine Amb. Jose Luis Fernandez Valoni.
Birthdays
Online producer, writer and director, who together with his brother Rafi, are best known for their React video series, Benny Fine (right) turns 45…
Chairman of the board of Americans for Democracy in the Middle-East, he is the rabbi of Temple Israel of the Poconos, in Stroudsburg, Pa., Daniel M. Zucker turns 77… Israeli politician, the daughter of slain Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, Dalia Rabin-Pelossof turns 76… Former executive editor of The New York Times, the first woman to ever hold that post, Jill Abramson turns 72… NYC-based real estate investor, he is one of three co-founders of the Tribeca Film Festival, Craig Hatkoff turns 72… Musician, composer, singer and songwriter, he was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and now lives in Jerusalem, Yehuda Julio Glantz turns 68… Actor, stand-up comedian and author, Fred Stoller turns 68… EVP of merchandising at American Signature Furniture, a Schottenstein company, Steven D. Rabe turns 66… Writer, critic and author, he writes often about klezmer, Jewish music and Bob Dylan, Seth Rogovoy… Retired partner at Latham & Watkins, Jonathan R. Rod turns 66… Neurologist in Naples, Fla., Brian D. Wolff, MD… Member of the New York state Assembly, Stacey Pheffer Amato turns 60… Former collegiate and professional tennis player, now first vice chair of Camp Ramah Darom, Stacey Schefflin Slomka turns 58… Dean of students at Reichman University (formerly known as IDC Herzliya), she was previously a member of the Knesset for the Yesh Atid party, Adi Koll turns 50… Brazilian-born entrepreneur and angel investor, he is one of the co-founders of Facebook, Eduardo Luiz Saverin turns 44… Former director of North American staff at Taglit-Birthright Israel, Aaron Bock… Member of the New York City Council, Lincoln P. Restler turns 42… Founder of two lines of jewelry, the Brave Collection in 2012, and Zahava (Golden, in Hebrew) in 2018, Jessica Hendricks Yee… Line producer at NBCUniversal in NYC, Emma Gottlieb… Discus thrower, he represented the USA at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo and the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, Samuel Harrison Mattis turns 32…
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