● The Live Briefing. Word on the street, clips, podcasts and quick updates — the items we’re tracking all day in our Live Briefing on the app (on Apple and Android) and website.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced the revocation of Syria’s designation as a State Sponsor of Terrorism; Rubio also said that the Trump administration was revoking the Specially Designated Global Terrorist designation of Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham — the group led by Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa until he assumed the presidency in January 2025…

The Treasury Department redesignated Hezbollah, already a Foreign Terrorist Organization, for acting as a proxy of the Iranian regime under the direction of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps; the department also sanctioned 10 individuals who were part of a network to transfer funds to Hezbollah utilizing couriers on commercial flights between Lebanon, Turkey, the UAE and Iran…

A dozen Senate Democrats called on Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Roger Wicker (R-MS) to hold a hearing on reports of deteriorating conditions for troops involved in the campaign against Iran…

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) rejected party criticism over his recent meeting with Jared Kushner, saying in a video that Kushner had requested the meeting, during which, according to The New York Times, the two discussed areas where Democrats and the Trump administration could find common ground should Democrats retake the House in the midterm elections…

Former Rep. Mike Rogers (R-MI) attended three AIPAC-hosted fundraisers in Los Angeles over the weekend and another on Monday; the events come following reports of an apparent dispute between Rogers and the pro-Israel group’s involvement in the race as he runs for U.S. Senate… 

Front Office Sports looks at former Washington Commanders owner Dan Snyder’s gradual disappearance from the limelight and NFL circles, three years after selling the team amid a slew of controversies and moving to London…

The Wall Street Journal spotlights watchmaker Vanguart, as the company fulfills an order from OpenAI CEO Sam Altman for seven custom timepieces with OpenAI branding…

Greenwich Village’s Chabad Loft is facing potential eviction amid a dispute with the landlord of the property that has housed the community for the last six years…

Russ & Daughters is partnering with West Elm on a dinnerware collection inspired by Jewish events and holidays…

The Montreal City Council passed a watered-down version of a resolution that had initially called for the suspension of diplomatic and institutional ties with Israel and included references to genocide and apartheid; the amended resolution, which passed 54-6, expressed support for Palestinians as well as all civilian victims of hostilities in the region…

Dutch public broadcaster Avrotros withdrew from next year’s Eurovision Song Contest, alleging that Israel’s participation violated the neutrality of the annual singing competition; following Avrotros’ withdrawal, the country’s coordinating body for broadcasters will now be able to select a different Dutch broadcaster to take its place…

Mossad head Roman Gofman attended Selichot prayers at the Western Wall in Jerusalem on Monday night…

The office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rebuked Knesset member Zvi Sukkot after the release of footage of the lawmaker destroying a monument to Palestinian terrorists in a village near Nablus; the statement from the PMO came shortly after the IDF condemned Sukkot’s actions, saying that the Religious Zionist party lawmaker deliberately misled IDF troops who were assigned to protect him…

Find more Worthy Reads in our Live Briefing via our app (on Apple and Android) and website.

Help With the Houthis: In The Wall Street Journal, Jamila Ali Raja, Yemen’s ambassador to Washington, argues that the country is “well-positioned” to counter the Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen if it has the support of the U.S. “Most Americans had never heard of the Houthis until they began firing missiles and drones at oil tankers. But the world should understand what they are: nonstate actors affiliated with Iran. It’s also important to understand what they aren’t: a legitimate governing force. They hold territory without carrying the obligations that come with it, and they answer to no one. Yemeni safety and security and the future of the country don’t figure in their calculations.” [WSJ]

Raskin’s Rationale: In The Free Press, former Attorney General Bill Barr questions the political motivations behind Rep. Jamie Raskin’s (D-MD) announcement last week that the lawmaker, the top Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee, plans to launch a probe into the Trump administration’s campus antisemitism investigations. “​​Partisan oversight investigations are nothing new in Washington. But this one is uniquely cynical. … What appears to have changed, then, is the direction in which the political winds are blowing. From New York to Michigan, anti-Zionism and antisemitism have paid good dividends for political candidates in Democratic primaries. Raskin may be trying to catch a tailwind into a House leadership position after November.” [FreePress]

Iran’s Hired Hands: In The New Yorker, Cora Engelbrecht does a deep dive into Iranian efforts to recruit local actors — from career criminals to teenagers — to carry out attacks on dissidents around the world. “The plot against [Iran International’s Pouria] Zeraati is part of a widening campaign by the Iranian government which involves hiring criminals — Russian mobsters, Hells Angels bikers, and even Swedish teen-agers — to attack its detractors and sow fear among Iranians in exile. … ‘Hired criminals are cheap, and they know how to blend in,’ Colin Clarke, the executive director at the Soufan Center, a global-security think tank, told me. ‘And Iran doesn’t seem to care if these guys get caught or can’t get the job done.’” [NewYorker]

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar (right) met in Jerusalem on Monday with North Macedonian Foreign Minister Timco Mucunski.

Howard Jacobson, British novelist known for writing comic novels that revolve around the dilemmas of Jewish characters, turns 84

Gene Simmons, bass guitarist and co-lead singer of Kiss, his birth name is Chaim Witz, known professionally as “The Demon,” turns 77

Deborah “Debbie” Matz, former chair of the National Credit Union Administration, she now serves on the board of directors of Stewart Title Co., turns 76

Lorin Fife, former chair of the board at the Jewish Community Foundation of Los Angeles

William Seth Hochman, president of The Joel Paul Group, a division of Merraine Group, specializing in executive recruitment for the nonprofit sector, turns 71

Elazar Stern, former head of the IDF’s Manpower Directorate, he resigned from the Yesh Atid party earlier this month to join the Yashar party, turns 70

Manfred “Fred” Haeusler, former program director at the St. Paul, Minn., Jewish community center

Michael Cohen, former Trump fixer, he was the key prosecution witness in the 2024 Trump criminal trial brought by the Manhattan DA, turns 60

Noam David Elkies, professor of mathematics at Harvard University (tenured at age 26, the youngest ever), pianist and chess national master, turns 60

Jon Husted, U.S. senator (R-OH), appointed in 2025 to fill the seat of VPOTUS JD Vance, turns 59

Jeffrey Scot Tweedy, musician, singer songwriter, author and record producer best known as the lead vocalist and guitarist of the band Wilco, turns 59

Richard Marceau, former Canadian MP, now SVP for strategic initiatives and general counsel at Canada’s Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs, turns 56

Ronn D. Torossian, author and founder of NYC-based 5W Public Relations, turns 52

Suzanne Schneider, regional marketing director at UJA-Federation of New York

Alicia Post, executive director at the Religious Zionists of America

Jaclyn Tohn, actor and musician best known for playing Melanie “MelRose” Rosen on the Netflix series “Glow,” turns 46

Sarah Schreiber, director of development for South Florida’s JVAC – Jewish Volunteer Ambulance Corps

Nate Loewentheil, founder and managing partner at Commonweal Ventures

Evan Hoffman, director of state and local government relations at multinational conglomerate Philips

Daniel Barash, managing director in the D.C. office of SKDK

Stacey Farber, Canadian actor, turns 39

Samuel Michelman, director of product marketing at LinkedIn

Ryan Kuhel, founder and CEO of DLP Labs

Jackie Rotman, founder and CEO at the Center for Intimacy Justice

Neal Rothschild, senior director of editorial strategy and operations at Axios

Jane Wasserman

Jenna Lifhits, investigative counsel for the House Education and the Workforce Committee

Adam Friedman, Talmudic scholar, he is an operations and accounting specialist at HealthSource Distributors

Eden Hason, Israeli singer-songwriter, turns 32

Carina Grossmann

Robert Cohen

BIRTHWEEK (was yesterday): Melanie Pell, chief engagement officer of the American Jewish Committee