Mamdani’s day of reckoning
Plus, GOP lawmakers speak out against WH's Hezbollah stance
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In today’s Daily Kickoff, we speak with former White House officials and Middle East experts about the Trump administration’s move to lift sanctions on Iranian oil sales through August, and report on the concerns of Senate Republicans over the U.S. effort to halt Israeli operations against Hezbollah. We report on New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s intervention in today’s New York primaries, as well as the mayor’s comments doubling down on his rhetorical assault on AIPAC. We also report on a highly charged telephone call between President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, as revealed in a new book by Maggie Haberman and Jonathan Swan. Also in today’s Daily Kickoff: Sen. Susan Collins, Rep. Steny Hoyer and Ambassador Yehuda Kaploun.
Today’s Daily Kickoff was curated by JI Israel Editor Tamara Zieve and U.S. Editor Danielle Cohen-Kanik, with an assist from Marc Rod. Have a tip? Email us here.
What We’re Watching
- Voters in Maryland, New York and Utah are heading to the polls for their primaries today. The biggest races to watch are in New York, where New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani has endorsed three far-left, anti-Israel candidates running against Reps. Dan Goldman (D-NY), Adriano Espaillat (D-NY) and Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso. We’re also closely watching the hotly contested Democratic primary to succeed retiring Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-NY), in a Manhattan district with the largest Jewish constituency in the country.
- In Maryland, we’re keeping a close eye on the race to replace former House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-MD), where state Del. Adrian Boafo, endorsed by the outgoing congressman and a strong ally of Israel, has emerged as the favorite. See more below.
- Israeli and Lebanese representatives are expected to begin multiday talks in Washington in a continuation of the countries’ direct negotiations, starting with a joint military and political session, days after the U.S. and Iran said they had established a “deconfliction cell” to end military operations in Lebanon without Israel’s involvement.
- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu asserted multiple times on Monday that the IDF retains the right to act against Hezbollah in southern Lebanon if necessary, as Axios reported that the Israeli government fears the U.S. is limiting its freedom of action through its negotiations with Iran. On Tuesday morning, the IDF said it struck armed terrorists operating close to Israeli soldiers in Ali al-Taher Ridge area in southern Lebanon.
- Secretary of State Marco Rubio is departing for a three-day trip to the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait and Bahrain to discuss issues including the memorandum of understanding with Iran and transit through the Strait of Hormuz.
- Orthodox Union Advocacy will hold its annual lobbying day on the Hill, including a luncheon with senators from both parties.
What You Should Know
A QUICK WORD WITH JI’S matthew kassel
As Rep. Steny Hoyer (D-MD) prepares to step down at the end of his current term, the former Democratic House majority leader is staking his pro-Israel legacy on a little-known candidate who he hopes will uphold his long-standing commitment to maintaining a close relationship with the Jewish state.
In throwing his support behind Adrian Boafo, a 32-year-old Maryland state delegate who is among two dozen Democratic candidates running in Maryland’s 5th Congressional District primary on Tuesday, Hoyer, 87, is using his connections to establishment party leaders and ties with pro-Israel groups to boost his hand-picked choice to the nomination for a safely blue seat.
United Democracy Project, AIPAC’s super PAC, has emerged as the biggest spender in the race, investing more than $5.7 million as part of an aggressive effort to promote Boafo launched by Hoyer and his allies.
The well-funded foray is a useful illustration of the degree to which planning and organization helped put Boafo in contention for the seat Hoyer has held for 45 years, in contrast with recent primaries where UDP and other pro-Israel advocacy groups have been relatively cautious with their engagement while being outflanked by the far left.
A UDP source, granted anonymity to speak candidly about the race, said polling showed Boafo was not in the lead when Hoyer endorsed him in January. “It’s a super close race that could go either way,” the source told Jewish Insider on Monday, stressing a high level of undecided primary voters. “Many candidates are in contention.”
EASY MONEY
Middle East experts warn Trump administration is surrendering leverage with Iran oil waiver
Former White House officials and Middle East experts are expressing concern over the Trump administration’s move to lift sanctions on Iranian oil sales through August, warning that Tehran will gain significant revenue it could use for malign activities before it demonstrates concrete progress on its diplomatic commitments, Jewish Insider’s Matthew Shea reports. The move was made in response to Tehran’s agreement to open the Strait of Hormuz and allow international nuclear inspectors into the country following weekend talks in Switzerland, according to Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, a claim which Iranian officials have denied.
Airing concerns: When asked whether the Iranians could use the profits from oil sales for malign activity, President Donald Trump said “they’re not supposed to be doing that,” and that Tehran is meant to use the income to purchase agricultural goods from the U.S. “Why give them the money to stabilize the regime and start rebuilding their military before they have done anything at all on their nuclear program?” Elliott Abrams, who served as special envoy for Iran during the first Trump administration, asked. “Why do we just get promises while they get billions?”
Talking to terror: Vice President JD Vance on Monday backed Iran’s participation in bringing about the end of the military conflict between Israel and Hezbollah, while talking at a press conference in Switzerland. “Of course, Israel has to respond to that,” he said of Hezbollah attacks on northern Israeli towns, “but … we could actually have a better and more peaceful situation if Israel responds in the context of a conversation that’s ongoing between Hezbollah, Lebanon, Israel and other partners in the region.”
SKEPTICAL SENATORS
Senate Republicans take issue with administration’s effort to curb Israeli operations against Hezbollah
Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) said that Israel’s right to self-defense must be protected in U.S. talks with Iran, after administration officials publicly urged Israel to cease operations against Hezbollah as part of the recent memorandum of understanding — even though Israel, Hezbollah and Lebanon are not parties to that agreement, Jewish Insider’s Emily Jacobs and Marc Rod report.
Lebanon lens: “I just want to make sure that Israel is able to defend itself, and I think whatever happens as a result of these talks, that is something that needs to be maintained,” Thune said. “Hopefully the U.S.-Israeli relationship will remain such that we fully understand their need to be able to defend themselves, and right now on their northern border, they’re being attacked daily.” Other Senate Republicans also took issue with the administration’s efforts to halt anti-Hezbollah operations, as well as with the lifting of sanctions on Iran.
Read the full story here with additional comments from Sens. John Cornyn (R-TX), James Lankford (R-OK), Bill Cassidy (R-LA), Ted Budd (R-NC), John Kennedy (R-LA), Chris Coons (D-DE) and Tim Kaine (D-VA).
Standing strong: Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) accused Maine Democratic Senate nominee Graham Platner of antisemitism and defended her support for Israel in a Fox News interview on Monday, JI’s Marc Rod reports. “I remain a very strong supporter of Israel, the one democracy in the Middle East, our true ally in the Middle East,” Collins said when asked about increasing hostility to Israel and AIPAC among the American public.
BOOK BOMBSHELL
Trump told Netanyahu ‘all the Jews are sick of you,’ days before Gaza deal, new book reveals
President Donald Trump grew so frustrated with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during last September’s negotiations over a U.S.-brokered deal to end the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza, that Trump cursed and yelled at Netanyahu in a phone call days before the agreement was announced publicly, according to a new book, Jewish Insider’s Gabby Deutch reports.
Tense talk: “Everybody’s sick of you, Bibi,” Trump said in a phone call with Netanyahu, Jared Kushner and White House Special Envoy Steve Witkoff, according to a book published on Tuesday by New York Times journalists Maggie Haberman and Jonathan Swan chronicling the first year of Trump’s second term. “All the Jews are sick of you. Even the two Jews on this call are sick of you.”
Elsewhere: The White House’s “Rapid Response” X account boosted an Al Jazeera video interview about U.S.-Iran negotiations with Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, calling it “the real story from people actually in the room,” JI’s Emily Jacobs reports.
RABBI ROADBLOCK
Another Mamdani primary election test: Keeping a rabbi out of the state Legislature
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s intervention in a state-level race in Manhattan could also reverberate through the city’s Jewish community and beyond. The mayor has inserted himself in the costly fight between Rabbi Stephanie Ruskay and lawyer Eli Northrup for the 69th Assembly District on the Upper West Side, spurning a key Jewish ally in the process, Jewish Insider’s Will Bredderman reports.
Picking sides: Rival left-of-center Jewish factions have lined up behind each candidate: the anti-Zionist Jews for Racial and Economic Justice behind public defender Eli Northrup, and a suite of long-standing Jewish elected officials — including City Comptroller Mark Levine and his predecessor Scott Stringer — with Rabbi Stephanie Ruskay, associate dean of The Rabbinical School at the Jewish Theological Seminary. Ruskay’s prominent backers include her longtime friend and mentor, former Manhattan Borough President Ruth Messinger, one of Mamdani’s most prominent Jewish supporters. Multiple sources told JI that Messinger had personally asked the mayor not to get involved in the race, but Mamdani did so anyway, even releasing one of his signature social media videos featuring Northrup.
Doubling down: Mamdani doubled down on his rhetorical assault on AIPAC on Monday, after Jewish groups over the weekend criticized his comments about the pro-Israel organization at a Thursday rally last week that they argued evoked classic antisemitic tropes.
ACROSS THE POND
Starmer’s resignation puts Burnham’s record on Israel, antisemitism in the spotlight
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s resignation on Monday set up a leadership battle within the Labour Party and raised the question of how his likely successor will deal with one of the issues that brought Starmer to office in the first place: combating antisemitism. Starmer’s successor is likely to be Andy Burnham, a newly sworn-in Labour MP representing a district that includes parts of the Greater Manchester region in the north of England. He spent the last nine years as mayor of Greater Manchester, home to the second-largest Jewish community in the U.K, Jewish Insider’s Gabby Deutch reports.
Community approach: Jewish community leaders in Manchester have close ties with Burnham, whom they view as an ally. He earned praise for strongly supporting the community after a terror attack on Manchester’s Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation last year on Yom Kippur, in which two congregants were murdered. Burnham’s record on Israel is relatively short — he has not brought Middle East politics into his mayoralty in the way that some other local leaders have focused on the issue. “I think he’ll be strong on antisemitism, on Holocaust education and on tackling Jew hatred, but it remains to be seen about Israel. I don’t think he’ll change the government’s position much, if at all,” said Raphi Bloom, director of fundraising and marketing at the Fed, a Jewish social services charity in Manchester.
moco moment
Montgomery County, Md., exec candidates clash over antisemitism records as Jewish vote looms large
Ahead of Tuesday’s primary election for executive of Montgomery County, Md., progressives have largely broken for Montgomery County Councilmember Will Jawando, leaving the more moderate Councilmembers Andrew Friedson and Evan Glass to jockey for the remaining undecided voters, Jewish Insider’s Christina Sher reports. The vote of the Jewish community — which is, according to a source familiar with the race, expected to account for more than one-fifth of primary turnout in the county with Maryland’s largest Jewish population — could be especially critical.
Eye on antisemitism: Jewish leaders have raised the alarm on antisemitism in the deep-blue county — which saw the highest rate of incidents in the state in 2025 — and the particular issue of antisemitism in the area’s public schools. Ron Halber, CEO of the Jewish Community Relations Council of Greater Washington, told JI that Jawando, Glass and Friedson “have all denounced antisemitism during their eight-year terms in the council” and said he hopes that other community leaders “awake from their slumber” to speak out against hate without needing to be prompted by the Jewish community.
Worthy Reads
AI Accuracy?: ForumAI CEO Campbell Brown writes in The Wall Street Journal about AI models’ limitations in assessing accurate information. “We tested the major AI models on three dimensions this group identified as the foundation of trustworthy information: quality of sources, factual accuracy and whether they present a response with real balance or just the appearance of it. We found serious gaps: The models misstated public opinion on political topics and attributed quotations to people who didn’t say them … The most revealing failures were much subtler. When we asked the major models something as basic as what form of government the U.S. has, one of them, Claude Opus 4.7, cited Global Times, a Chinese state-run tabloid.” [WSJ]
MOU As Rough Draft: In Newsweek, former White House Middle East Special Envoy Jason Greenblatt offers a conflicted but measured assessment of the U.S.-Iran memorandum of understanding, drawing from his diplomatic experience during Trump’s first term. “I read the 14 points of the U.S.-Iran memorandum of understanding (MOU) the way I used to read drafts in the White House and, before that, for two decades at The Trump Organization: pen in hand, marking up every clause … My honest reaction, reading it that way, is that I have serious questions about its structure and its terms … And yet I know how incomplete my reaction is, coming from someone standing outside the room. I spent three years watching the gap between what the public saw and what was actually happening behind closed doors, and I learned that the view from outside the room almost always misses things the people inside knew or were reaching for.” [Newsweek]
Trump’s ‘Surrender’: Former Rep. Kathy Manning (D-NC), now board chair of Democratic Majority for Israel, slams President Donald Trump’s memorandum of understanding with Iran as a mirage obfuscating his negotiation failures. “Like the arsonist who wants credit for putting out the fire he started, Mr. Trump now claims victory with a deal that pauses Iran’s use of a previously unused weapon — a weapon that may be as powerful as its nuclear threat — the closing of the Strait of Hormuz. Add to that the release of hundreds of billions of dollars to Iran and you have the real Art of the Deal: surrender and betrayal of the American people, the Gulf States, Israel, and our NATO allies.” [Substack]
What Greenspan Meant: Greg Ip, The Wall Street Journal’s chief economics commentator, reflects on the impact Alan Greenspan, who died on Monday, left on the country and on Ip personally, after years covering him as he reported on the Federal Reserve. “He was introverted, but came alive when the topic of conversation interested him. Luckily, our interests overlapped. For my fellow journalists and me, Greenspan wasn’t just a news subject but a bottomless well of insight and ideas. And he loved that role. I came away from every meeting with Greenspan smarter. Admonished for not knowing Knut Wicksell’s theory of the natural rate of interest, I quickly brushed up. After a discussion of Keynesian prescriptions for preventing depression in the 1940s, he sent me to read George Terborgh, an obscure economist with a contrarian and bullish view on American potential.” [WSJ]
Word on the Street
The FBI announced the arrest of two more individuals who allegedly plotted to attack members of Congress connected to the “pro-Israel lobby” at the UFC event at the White House last week, joining five other suspects charged with conspiracy to commit murder…
Three people were killed in a shooting attack in Côte-des-Neiges, a heavily Jewish neighborhood in Montreal. A civilian, a police officer and the suspect were confirmed dead by Montreal police, while one other police officer was seriously injured but in stable condition, Jewish Insider’s Haley Cohen and Tamara Zieve report…
The Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division is investigating a Brooklyn cafe after it banned Rep. Dan Goldman (D-NY) from its store, posting discriminatory messages online that accused the congressman of enabling genocide and tying him to AIPAC, JI’s Haley Cohen reports…
The coffee shop is owned by Parviz Mukhamadkulov, who, the Free Beacon reported, is a donor to scandal-plagued Maine Democratic Senate nominee Graham Platner…
Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA) announced last week that he had been endorsed by the anti-Israel group TrackAIPAC, which has faced widespread accusations of antisemitism, after becoming the first politician or candidate to sign a new “pledge” promulgated by the group, JI’s Marc Rod reports…
Conservative commentator Ben Shapiro called Vice President JD Vance’s conduct in negotiations with Iran over the weekend “humiliating,” slamming Vance — while continuing to praise President Donald Trump — on his show on Monday for “looking weak in front of the Qataris, the Pakistanis and most of all, the Iranians”…
Three men killed in a small plane crash in Bowie, Md., on Saturday night have been identified as Israeli citizens, JI’s Haley Cohen reports…
Israeli defense contractor Elbit Systems announced it would phase out its use of Chinese-manufactured vehicles, following similar moves by other entities including the IDF and Rafael as the vehicles are increasingly viewed as a security risk by both Jerusalem and Washington…
Shin Bet chief David Zini has instructed officials to prepare for a potential attack in Israel’s southern resort city, warning that “the next October 7 will be in Eilat,” Haaretz reports, citing security sources…
An independent U.N. inquiry found that Israeli forces deliberately targeted Palestinian children, resulting in genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes in Gaza, and war crimes in the West Bank. The Israeli Foreign Ministry rejected the report as a “libelous sham,” and said it “lacks any credible verification mechanism for its claims” and ignores “Hamas’ cynical use of Palestinian children as human shields”…
A federal investigation found that the condominium collapse in Surfside, Fla., almost exactly five years ago, that killed 98 people began with a structural failure in the building’s garage three weeks earlier…
The New York Times spotlights “Food Network” star Ina Garten’s foray into podcasting with her forthcoming show “Happy Hour With Ina Garten,” after Vox Media secured the in-demand contract in a seven-figure deal…
Alan Greenspan — the influential economist who led the Federal Reserve for 19 years across four presidencies — died on Monday at 100, JI’s Haley Cohen reports…
Music executive Clive Davis, who championed the careers of stars including Whitney Houston, Aretha Franklin and Barry Manilow, died on Monday at 94…
Pic of the Day
Ambassador Yehuda Kaploun, the Trump administration’s special envoy to monitor and combat antisemitism, said on Monday that his office, under President Donald Trump, had been given a broader remit across the federal government, including assisting in the recent arrest and indictment of an alleged mastermind of attacks on Jewish communities in Europe and the U.S.
Kaploun said at an Orthodox Union conference in Washington that his office had worked with the Department of Justice, FBI, intelligence community and the White House to help bring to justice Mohammed Al-Saadi, an Iranian Iraqi Kata-ib Hizballah operative allegedly involved in more than two dozen attacks and attempted attacks across Europe and the U.S., Jewish Insider’s Marc Rod reports.
Birthdays
Ethiopian-born Israeli model who won the title of Miss Israel in 2013, Yityish “Titi” Aynaw turns 35…
Real estate developer and co-founder of Tishman Speyer, Jerry Speyer turns 86… Associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States, Justice Clarence Thomas turns 78… Senior advisor at Eurasia Group, a political risk consultancy, he is the author of 24 books on foreign affairs, global politics and travel, Robert D. Kaplan turns 74… Novelist and journalist, Roy Hoffman turns 73… Los Angeles-based socialite, restaurateur and breast cancer fundraiser, a 2008 Lifetime Television movie starring Renée Zellweger portrayed her cancer-fighting efforts, Lilly Tartikoff Karatz turns 73… Klezmer expert, violinist, composer, filmmaker, writer, photographer and playwright, Yale Strom turns 69… Senior director of health policy at the National Consumers League until 2024, Robin Strongin… President of the Harrington Discovery Institute at University Hospitals, Dr. Jonathan Solomon Stamler turns 67… Sports memorabilia marketer, in 2009 his firm sold all of the seats, signs and lockers from the old Yankee Stadium, Brandon Steiner turns 67… Member of the Pennsylvania state Senate until 2020, now president of Cannabis GPO, Daylin Leach turns 65… Editorial director of Ben Yehuda Press, Lawrence Yudelson… Former teacher for 19 years at Golda Och Academy in West Orange, N.J., she is on Hadassah’s 2025 list of 18 American Zionist Women You Should Know, Stephanie Z. Bonder… Israeli-American professor, journalist and filmmaker, Boaz Dvir turns 59… Film and television actor, her Hebrew name is Bat-Sheva, Selma Blair Beitner turns 54… U.S. special envoy for hostage response, Adam Seth Boehler turns 53… EVP and general manager of the NFL’s Philadelphia Eagles, Howie Roseman turns 51… President and COO of D1 Capital Partners, he was deputy director of the White House National Economic Council in the Trump 45 administration, Jeremy Katz… Founder of Innovation: Africa, which uses Israeli solar technology to bring electricity and solar-powered water pumps to impoverished African villages, Sivan Borowich-Ya’ari turns 48… Actor and comedian, best known for playing Dr. Bernadette Rostenkowski-Wolowitz on CBS’ sitcom “The Big Bang Theory,” Melissa Rauch turns 46… Actor, singer and model, Marielle Jaffe turns 37… Executive assistant to the CEO at Jazz, Gila Bublick turns 37… Western regional major gifts director at United Hatzalah of Israel, Ely Benhamo… Recent MBA graduate at Columbia Business School, Josh Lauder…
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