Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s about-face came after President Donald Trump told him to scale back the attacks
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Smoke plumes rise following Israeli bombardment on the village of Khiam in southern Lebanon near the border with Israel, as seen from nearby Marjayoun, on March 16, 2026.
Add JewishInsider on GoogleIsrael is working to launch direct negotiations with Lebanon, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced on Thursday.
“In light of the repeated requests from Lebanon to open direct negotiations with Israel, I instructed the Security Cabinet yesterday to start direct negotiations with Lebanon as soon as possible,” Netanyahu said in a statement from his office.
Netanyahu’s announcement came as President Donald Trump said in a call with Israel’s Channel 13 that he told the prime minister to scale back its strikes on Lebanon.
A source familiar with the matter told Jewish Insider that talks would begin next week in Washington, with the U.S. facilitating. Israeli Ambassador to the U.S. Yechiel Leiter and his Lebanese counterpart, Nada Hamadeh Moawad, will represent their countries in the talks.
The negotiations, Netanyahu said, will focus on disarming Hezbollah and making peace between Israel and Lebanon.
“Israel appreciates the call today by Lebanon’s prime minister to demilitarize Beirut,” Netanyahu stated.
Minutes after Netanyahu’s announcement, Hezbollah shot rockets at northern Israel.
Earlier Thursday, the Lebanese cabinet told the armed forces to ensure its monopoly on force in Beirut, meaning that Hezbollah would not be able to operate in the city.
“The army and security forces are requested to immediately begin reinforcing the full imposition of state authority over Beirut Governorate and to monopolize weapons in the hands of legitimate authorities alone,” Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam said.
Meeting a day after Israel struck 100 targets in Beirut, the cabinet also decided to lodge a complaint against Israel with the United Nations Security Council. It called for Lebanon to be included in the current ceasefire in the Iran war.
Jerusalem and Washington have said that Israel’s war against Iranian proxy Hezbollah in Lebanon is not part of the ceasefire.
Israel and Lebanon reached a ceasefire deal at the end of 2024, which was brokered by the Biden administration and supported by the incoming Trump administration. As part of the agreement, the Lebanese Armed Forces were meant to ensure Hezbollah was disarmed south of the Litani River, however, proved incapable of doing so, and the Shi’ite terrorist group amassed arms and fighters near the Lebanon-Israel border.
The current round of fighting began soon after the war with Iran in late February, when Hezbollah began launching rockets, missiles and drones at Israel. Israel’s Foreign Ministry said on Thursday that the Iranian proxy had shot 6,500 projectiles at Israel in 40 days.
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun has called to hold direct negotiations with Israel repeatedly over the past five weeks, including on Thursday.
Sen. Lindsey Graham: ‘I look forward to the architects of this proposal, the Vice President and others, coming forward to Congress and explaining how a negotiated deal meets our national security objectives’
Office of Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC)
Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) and Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR) hold a joint press conference on Iranian nuclear negotiations at the U.S. Capitol on May 8, 2025.
Despite skepticism over the terms and reports of ongoing Iranian strikes, several prominent hawkish Republicans are voicing support for President Donald Trump’s fragile two-week ceasefire agreement with Iran.
Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC), among the most prominent backers of the war in the Senate, said in a post on X that a “diplomatic solution to end the reign of terror in Iran is the preferred outcome” but said he has concerns about the supposed 10-point plan presented by Iran, which would require the lifting of all U.S. sanctions on Iran, among other steps.
U.S. officials, including Vice President J.D. Vance, said the U.S. did not agree to that version of the deal, but that at least three versions of the Iranian proposal have circulated. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Wednesday that the original 10-point plan proposed by Iran was “fundamentally unserious” and was “literally thrown into the garbage by President Trump and his team.”
“I look forward to the architects of this proposal, the Vice President and others, coming forward to Congress and explaining how a negotiated deal meets our national security objectives in Iran,” Graham said.
He added that all of Iran’s enriched uranium must be turned over to the United States and that Iran cannot have any enrichment capacity.
“To those who say, Iran needs to save face by having a small enrichment program, I’m not remotely interested in providing face-saving cover to a regime that murders its own people, beats a 16-year-old girl to death for not wearing a headscarf appropriately, and is dripping in American blood,” Graham said.
Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) said on his podcast that he believes Trump was prepared to follow through on his threats against Iran, but agreed to hold off in response to Pakistan’s mediation efforts and Iran’s agreement to reopen the Strait of Hormuz as he had demanded.
“Many of the military objectives have been accomplished. The military has been degraded almost out of existence,” Cruz said, though he acknowledged that it doesn’t take much for Iran to disrupt trade in the Strait of Hormuz. “There’s virtually no military left. It’s like four guys with a slingshot sitting on the back of a camel.”
But Cruz said he would be skeptical that the ceasefire would hold if Iran’s attacks on its neighbors continued.
He said his definition of success in Iran would be taking away Iran’s ability to kill Americans and innocent people in the region and its ability to become a nuclear power. He said that full regime change is the responsibility of the Iranian people, not the United States.
Responding to a post by Trump about the agreement and the damage to Iran’s nuclear program, Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Tom Cotton (R-AR) said, “President Trump has always been crystal clear: there must be no uranium enrichment for Iran. And he’s absolutely right. That was a central flaw in Obama’s disastrous deal. Because the only reason Iran would demand to enrich uranium is to build a nuclear weapon.”
He didn’t address the substance of the ceasefire deal itself.
Sen. Kevin Cramer (R-ND) praised Trump’s execution of the war and the ceasefire, saying that the war had shown that the U.S. is the strongest nation and has the strongest military on the planet.
“He has made it clear – Iran will not get a nuclear weapon. And so, it’s really through his efforts that the U.S. not only secured a temporary ceasefire but more importantly, they obtained a commitment from Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz,” Cramer said in a statement. “That has been his short-term goal in recent days, and it’s an important goal that affects a lot of people, not just the United States but our Middle East friends and certainly Europe.”
He called on other allies to step up — and predicted they would following the ceasefire agreement. But he also urged continued caution.
“Now we have to keep our eyes wide open obviously, it’s not like the Iranian regime is good for keeping its word, but in my mind, this is a pretty good breakthrough,” Cramer continued. “I’m grateful for President Trump’s unwavering dedication to defending our country and holding our adversaries accountable, and frankly, holding some allies accountable as well. I certainly hope they learned from this lesson.”
Other senior Republicans haven’t commented on the ceasefire agreement yet.
Off Capitol Hill, some prominent right-wing voices who have had the president’s ear are taking a different view of the deal.
Conservative commentator Mark Levin emphasized that Iran violated the ceasefire deal shortly after it was signed. He accused Iran of trying to use the negotiations to “blackmail us and Israel” to allow Hezbollah to continue its attacks on Israel and divide the U.S. and its allies.
“The 2-week ceasefire is being violated right now by the Iranian-Nazi regime. Missiles are being fired into Israel and perhaps other countries in the region. Are they able to defend themselves?” he said on X. We have the right man as president, and I bet he’s furious about this.”
“But this will be the question throughout — that is, do we expect the Iranian regime to honor a deal, how will we monitor it, and how will we enforce it. These will all be very difficult issues to resolve,” he continued.
Responding to the 10-point Iranian proposal, Levin said simply, “Uh oh.”
Far-right influencer Laura Loomer said on X the deal is “a negative for our country” and “we didn’t really get anything out of it.”
Under the Iran Nuclear Agreement Review Act, passed in response to the Obama administration’s negotiations with Iran in 2015, any agreement pertaining to Iran’s nuclear capabilities must be submitted to Congress for its review, and Congress has the ability to vote to block any such agreement.
In spite of the ceasefire, Democrats are continuing to agitate for Trump’s removal from office and plan to pursue war powers resolutions to force an end to the war.
In a Dear Colleague letter on Wednesday, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) said that Democrats plan to attempt to pass a war powers resolution during a pro-forma session on Thursday by unanimous consent — an effort that is likely to fail.
Jeffries also said that Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-MD), the ranking member of the House Judiciary Committee, and committee Democrats plan to hold a briefing on Friday on “Trump administration accountability and the 25th Amendment” — indicating that the doomed push to remove Trump from office has backing from the top echelons of the Democratic Party.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) said that Democrats are planning to force a vote on a war powers resolution next week, the fourth since the war began on Feb. 28, when the Senate returns from its own recess.
In an interview with the New York Post, the president called the far-right podcaster ‘a low IQ person that has absolutely no idea what’s going on’
Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
Tucker Carlson speaks on stage on the fourth day of the Republican National Convention at the Fiserv Forum on July 18, 2024 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
President Donald Trump hit back at Tucker Carlson on Tuesday after the far-right podcaster used his most recent show to accuse the president of steering the U.S. toward nuclear war with Iran and to suggest, in apocalyptic terms, that Trump might be waging a stealth attack on Christianity.
In a phone interview with the New York Post, Trump described Carlson as a “low IQ” individual who frequently tries to speak with him by phone, adding that he has stopped responding to his calls.
“Tucker’s a low IQ person that has absolutely no idea what’s going on,” Trump told the outlet of Carlson. “He calls me all the time. I don’t respond to his calls. I don’t deal with him. I like dealing with smart people, not fools.”
The remarks came in response to a lengthy monologue Carlson delivered on his Monday podcast. There, Carlson excoriated Trump for issuing an expletive-filled Truth Social post on Easter, in which the president warned that the U.S. was prepared to bomb Iranian power plants and bridges if Tehran did not open the Strait of Hormuz.
Carlson called the post “vile on every level,” particularly for its language on a major Christian holiday, and framed it as the opening move toward nuclear conflict. He speculated that Trump might be pursuing something far larger than conventional military escalation — an effort to provoke Armageddon and undermine Christian faith.
“Is it possible that what you’re watching is a very stealthy yet incredibly effective attack on what, from a Christian perspective, is the true-faith belief in Jesus?” Carlson asked. “Is it possible the president sees this in bigger terms? Sees this as the fulfillment of something? An elevation to some higher office beyond president of the United States?”
“Is it just a conventional escalation ladder in a badly thought out war?” he continued. “Could it be something bigger? Is it possible what you’re watching is a very stealthy yet incredibly effective attack on what, from a Christian perspective, is the true faith: belief in Jesus?”
The former Fox News host then claimed that the reason the president did not put his hand directly on the Bible when being sworn in for his second term last January was because he “rejects” the “limits on human behavior” in the Bible.
Carlson went on to urge Trump administration officials to resign or refuse to obey orders if the president were to order them to strike Iran with a nuclear weapon.
“Those people who are in direct contact with the president need to say, ‘No, I’ll resign. I’ll do whatever I can do legally to stop this because this is insane, and if you give the order, I’m not carrying it out. Figure out the codes on the football yourself,’ because everything hangs in the balance right now,” he explained.
At least 50 House Democrats are calling for Trump’s immediate removal from office
Nathan Posner/Anadolu via Getty Images
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) speaks during his weekly press conference at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, DC on March 19, 2026.
Top Democrats across both chambers condemned President Donald Trump for threatening that “a whole civilization will die tonight” in Iran, with some pushing for Trump’s immediate removal from office over the threat and his conduct of the war.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) and other members of Democratic leadership including Reps. Katherine Clark (D-MA), Pete Aguilar (D-CA), Ted Lieu (D-CA), Joe Neguse (D-CO) and Suzan DelBene (D-WA), issued a statement calling Trump “unhinged” and saying that he risks bringing the country “into World War III” unless Congress reconvenes to vote to bring the war to an end.
“For years, Republicans have enabled and excused Donald Trump’s deeply dangerous and extreme behavior. Enough is enough,” the leaders said. “Our brave men and women in uniform have been put into harm’s way in the Middle East. Over a dozen have already been killed and hundreds injured. Gas prices are skyrocketing, the cost of living in America is out of control and billions of taxpayer dollars are being wasted on a reckless war of choice.”
In another joint statement, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and Sens. Chris Coons (D-DE), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Jack Reed (D-RI) and Brian Schatz (D-HI), who are the top Democrats on several relevant committees and subcommittees, similarly condemned Trump’s comments, saying they indicate an intent to commit war crimes.
“This is not strength. Intentionally destroying the power, water, or basic infrastructure upon which tens of millions of civilians depend to punish the very civilians who suffer at the hands of the Iranian regime would constitute a war crime, a betrayal of the values this nation was founded on, and a moral failure,” the lawmakers said. “It’s unconscionable to threaten the lives of so many people — grandparents, children, families — simply because they were born in Iran.”
They said that Trump’s comment “makes Americans less safe, further destabilizes our nation and economy, and puts at greater risk U.S. service members,” as well as makes a diplomatic solution — ”the only viable solution to this war” — harder to achieve.
In a separate statement, Rep. Greg Meeks (D-NY), the ranking member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, also said that Trump’s threat constitutes a war crime and an illegal action under international law which risks tens of millions of Iranian civilians, and potentially catastrophic after-effects.
“At this critical moment, the United States must pursue immediate de-escalation and a coordinated diplomatic strategy with our allies. We cannot allow Iran to simply reset to a dangerous status quo — but the answer is not to threaten war crimes and isolate us from every partner we need to end this conflict,” Meeks said. Trump’s threat is “recklessness that America and the region will pay for long after this president is gone,” he added.
Rep. Jared Moskowitz (D-FL), who prior to the war was one of the few Democrats who said he would oppose a war powers resolution — though he ultimately voted for it after the war began — demanded that the House immediately reconvene for a war powers vote. Moskowitz’s comments are a sign that Trump’s latest comments have crossed a line even for some of the most hawkish Democrats in the House.
“Speaker Johnson must immediately reconvene the House to vote on a war powers resolution. It’s beyond clear we are at war,” Moskowitz said. “The Speaker’s legacy will be that he made Congress so irrelevant that a president can threaten to wipe out a civilization while Congress is on vacation.”
Jeffries said Democrats plan to bring up another war powers resolution to halt the conflict in Iran, which stands a stronger chance of passing than a previous one, when the House returns from its recess. At least some of the Democrats who voted against the previous resolution are expected to support this one, and a small number of additional Republicans may join them.
Rep. Henry Cuellar (D-TX), one of four House Democrats who voted against the previous war powers resolution on the war in Iran last month, announced he will now support such an effort because the administration has failed to provide adequate answers about its goals and its exit strategy.
“[W]e must be careful with the language we use. Strength and destruction are not the same,” Cuellar added. “When the United States echoes the rhetoric of its adversaries, we risk weakening the values that have long defined our leadership.”
Several Democrats have described Trump’s comments as a threat to commit genocide.
Trump’s threat has also prompted growing calls from at least 70 House Democrats for his removal from office, either through impeachment or the invocation of the 25th Amendment, which allows the involuntary removal of a president from power if he is mentally or physically unfit to govern.
Sens. Ed Markey (D-MA) and Ron Wyden (D-OR) joined those calls.
“Donald Trump is deranged,” Wyden said. “He must be impeached and removed from office. Republicans who don’t stop him will have blood on their hands, and anyone who carries out an order to bomb civilian targets will be complicit in war crimes and will be held accountable.”
Markey called the president “unstable and a clear and present danger, not just to the American people but to the world” and said he “must be removed from office before he causes incalculable and unfathomable harm.” He said that a war powers resolution to stop the war is now insufficient to address the situation.
A small number of Republicans are also airing concerns with Trump’s threat.
Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), one of the few Republicans who has been openly skeptical of the war effort in Iran, said that Trump’s threat “cannot be excused away as an attempt to gain leverage in negotiations with Iran.”
“This type of rhetoric is an affront to the ideals our nation has sought to uphold and promote around the world for nearly 250 years. It undermines our long-standing role as a global beacon of freedom and directly endangers Americans both abroad and at home,” Murkowski said, calling for deescalation by both Trump and Iran, and insisting that the U.S. must draw a distinction between the Iranian regime and the Iranian people.
Rep. Nathaniel Moran (R-TX) said that, while he has supported the war thus far, “I do not support the destruction of a ‘whole civilization.’ That is not who we are, and it is not consistent with the principles that have long guided America.”
“[W]hat sets America apart is not only our strength, but how we use it. Our nation has always conducted military operations for just causes and through just and moral means. This must continue in the future; otherwise we forfeit our legitimacy to lead the world,” Moran said. “[H]ow we protect the lives of the innocent is just as important as how we engage the enemy.”
Rep. Kevin Kiley (I-CA), who recently left the Republican Party but remains part of the GOP caucus and has generally been hawkish on Iran, said that the U.S. “does not destroy civilizations. Nor do we threaten to do so as some sort of negotiating tactic.”
“Congress has a responsibility to conduct oversight with respect to ongoing military operations and our obligations under both U.S. law and international agreements to which we are a signatory,” Kiley said.
The president dialed in his daughter and son-in-law to speak to guests at an informal pre-gathering over speakerphone
Prominent Jewish figures and senior Trump administration officials gathered at the White House on Monday afternoon for an event hosted by President Donald Trump commemorating the Passover holiday.
Administration officials in attendance at the event, which was closed to the press and took place in the Indian Treaty Room, included Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick; White House Staff Secretary Will Scharf; James Blair, the White House deputy chief of staff for legislative, political and public affairs; Jacob Reses, chief of staff to Vice President JD Vance; Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin; Martin Marks, the White House Jewish liaison; and Rabbi Yehuda Kaploun, the Trump administration’s special envoy to monitor and combat antisemitism.
Marks delivered comments to the crowd remarking on the holiday and the Trump administration’s record of support for Israel, according to an attendee.
Others spotted at the event were Rabbi Moshe Margaretten, president of the Tzedek Association; Matt Brooks, CEO of the Republican Jewish Coalition; William Daroff, CEO of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations; Jeff Miller, chairman of the United States Holocaust Memorial Council; Jonathan Burkan, United States Holocaust Memorial Council member; Rabbi Levi Shemtov, the executive vice president of American Friends of Lubavitch (Chabad); Paul Packer, the former chairman of the U.S. Commission for the Preservation of America’s Heritage Abroad, Rabbi Chaim Dovid Zwiebel, executive vice president of Agudath Israel of America and Rabbi Meir Soloveichik, member of the Religious Liberty Commission and vice chair of the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom.
Jerry Wartski, a Holocaust survivor, and freed Israeli American hostage Edan Alexander were also in attendance.
Prior to the official reception, Trump invited about 20 guests to join him in the Oval Office. During the brief gathering, the president called Jared Kushner, an informal advisor to the White House and his son-in-law, and his daughter Ivanka. Kushner, who is Jewish, and Ivanka Trump, who converted to Judaism, spoke to attendees over speakerphone, one guest told Jewish Insider.
The president said at a lengthy press conference: ‘I can tell you they're negotiating, we think, in good faith. We're going to find out’
Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images
President Donald Trump conducts a news conference in the White House briefing room about the war in Iran on Monday, April 6, 2026.
President Donald Trump doubled down on his threats to escalate the war in Iran on Monday if Iranian leaders do not agree to a broad ceasefire deal that includes reopening the Strait of Hormuz by his Tuesday evening deadline, threatening that the U.S. would target every bridge and power plant still standing in the country.
Trump took a hawkish posture while speaking to reporters at the White House alongside senior U.S. defense officials about the ongoing war and diplomatic efforts to bring it to a close, warning that the U.S. has a plan to take out Iran’s entire transportation and energy infrastructure within “four hours” if Iran did not make a deal.
“I can tell you they’re negotiating, we think, in good faith. We’re going to find out. … After [8 p.m. ET on Tuesday], they’re going to have no bridges. They’re going to have no power plants. Stone ages,” Trump said, referring to the deadline he set for Iran to agree to his terms, which has now been postponed three times.
The president said he extended the deadline from Monday to Tuesday at 8 p.m. ET because he “thought it was inappropriate” to demand a response “the day after Easter.” The comment came hours after telling reporters at the annual White House Easter Egg Roll that the Tuesday deadline was final and unlikely to have any additional extensions.
“The entire country can be taken out in one night and that night might be tomorrow night,” Trump said from the briefing room. “We have a plan, because of the power of our military, [where] every bridge in Iran will be decimated by 12 o’clock tomorrow night, where every power plant in Iran will be out of business, burning, exploding and never to be used again. I mean complete demolition by 12 o’clock, and it’ll happen over a period of four hours if we want it to.”
“We don’t want that to happen. We may even get involved with helping them rebuild their nation. If that’s the case, the last thing we want to do is start with power plants, which are among the most expensive things, and bridges,” he continued. “So do I want to do that? No. Do I want to destroy their infrastructure? No. It will take them 100 years to rebuild. Right now, if we left today, it would take them 20 years to rebuild their country and it would never be as good as it was. The only way they’re going to be able to rebuild their country is to utilize the genius of the United States of America.”
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who took part in the press conference alongside Trump, told reporters on Monday that, “per the president’s direction, today will be the largest volume which strikes since day one of this operation. Tomorrow, even more than today, and then Iran has a choice. Choose wisely, because this president does not play around.”
Trump repeatedly reiterated his commitment to ensuring that Iran can never obtain a nuclear weapon — after saying the country’s nuclear program was “obliterated” last June — and said that any agreement between Iran and the U.S. would need to adhere to his terms, including the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz. “We have to have a deal that’s acceptable to me, and part of that deal is going to be [that] we want free traffic of oil and everything,” the president said.
“They’re not going to have a nuclear weapon,” Trump said of Iran, arguing that his actions were an insurance policy for the U.S. “if somebody that takes my place someday is weak and ineffective, which possibly that will happen, because we had numerous presidents that were weak, ineffective and afraid of Iran.”
The president described the Iranians as “very good bulls*** artists, that’s why for 47 years they’ve been bulls***ing other presidents,” while defending his decision to take military action against the regime.
“I think that 47 years of this stuff is long enough. They’re at the weakest point they’ve ever been,” Trump said, despite Iran’s continued missile strikes across the Gulf and in Israel. “In fact, the biggest problem we have in our negotiations is that they can’t communicate. … They have no method of communication. So we’re communicating like they used to communicate 2,000 years ago with children bringing a note back and forth.”
Plus, Joe Kent amplifies Iranian propaganda
Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images
President Donald Trump conducts a news conference in the White House briefing room about the war in Iran on Monday, April 6, 2026.
This P.M. edition is reserved for our premium subscribers — offering a forward-focused read on what we’re tracking now and what’s coming next. Please don’t hesitate to share your thoughts and feedback by replying to this email.
📡On Our Radar
Notable developments and interesting tidbits we’re tracking
Amid reports that Iran has rejected the U.S.’ ceasefire framework, President Donald Trump told reporters Tehran has made its own “significant” proposal, though it is “not good enough.”
Asked if he may push the deadline again for Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz or face increased U.S. military action — as he has already done three times — Trump said, “Highly unlikely. They’ve had plenty of time.”
Trump also claimed the U.S. had “sent guns, lot of guns” into Iran. “They were supposed to go to the people so they could fight back against these thugs. You know what happened? The people that they sent them to kept them, because they said, ‘What a beautiful gun. I think I’ll keep it,’” he said…
At a press conference this afternoon, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said today would mark “the largest volume of strikes since Day 1” of the Iran war, with more to come tomorrow.
Trump doubled down on his threats, warning that all of Iran “can be taken out in one night, and that night might be tomorrow night.” If Tehran does not acquiesce by his 8 p.m. ET deadline tomorrow, Trump said, “they’re going to have no bridges. They’re going to have no power plants. Stone ages.”
The president also floated the possibility of charging U.S. tolls to ships transiting the Strait of Hormuz once it is reopened and potentially seizing Iran’s oil. Trump and defense officials further detailed the harrowing rescue of a fighter jet pilot, who reportedly treated his own wounds while scaling mountainous terrain to evade capture after being downed over Iran…
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he spoke yesterday with Trump, who thanked him for Israel’s assistance in rescuing the pilot…
Joe Kent, the former director of the National Counterterrorism Center who resigned over his opposition to the Iran war, shared a post on social media on Saturday spreading false claims from Iranian state-linked media and Drop Site News that the U.S. was attempting to kill the servicemember whose fighter jet was shot down over Iran prior to him being rescued, Jewish Insider’s Matthew Shea reports.
The initial statement from Drop Site, a far-left news outlet sympathetic to Hamas and totalitarian regimes, cited a report by Tasnim News, which is linked to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, claiming that the U.S. had “lost hope” of recovering the airman and was instead “attempting to kill him”…
Rep. Pat Fallon (R-TX), who previously served in the Air Force, predicted that the U.S. will deploy ground troops into Iran: “I just don’t see any other way,” he said on Fox News. “I personally think it’s going to be boots — at least special ops, American special operators — on the ground, with allies in the region and air cover,” he said…
The U.S.-led Board of Peace is pressing Hamas to finalize a Gaza demilitarization agreement by the end of the week, The New York Times reports, which would require the terror group to give up its weapons and maps of its tunnel network in the enclave. Negotiators from both sides are expected to meet in Cairo, Egypt, tomorrow…
Democratic Michigan state Sen. Mallory McMorrow announced she raised more than $3 million in the first quarter of 2026 in her bid for U.S. Senate. “There was not a dime of corporate PAC donations, not a dime of AIPAC donations,” she said in a video. The pro-Israel group was the only organization she named.
While McMorrow’s opponents have not yet publicized their latest fundraising figures, her haul surpassed those of last quarter, when Rep. Haley Stevens (D-MI) led the pack with $2.1 million raised in the final quarter of 2025…
The Senate Leadership Fund, the Senate GOP’s top super PAC, revealed its $350 million plan to retain control of the upper chamber, focusing on defending incumbents in Ohio, North Carolina, Maine, Iowa and Alaska and seeking to flip seats in Michigan, Georgia and New Hampshire.
The funds will largely be used for ad campaigns, with the most money being spent to defend Sen. Jon Husted (R-OH), who must win his first Senate election for the remainder of his term against the likely Democratic nominee, former Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH)…
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky received a grand welcome upon touching down in Damascus yesterday for his first meeting with Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa. The two leaders “explored avenues for strengthening economic cooperation and the exchange of expertise,” al-Sharaa said…
Sovereign wealth funds from Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the UAE have signed equity commitments to the tune of $24 billion to back Paramount’s acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery, The Wall Street Journal reports…
⏩ Tomorrow’s Agenda, Today
An early look at tomorrow’s storylines and schedule to keep you a step ahead
Keep an eye out in Jewish Insider for a preview of tomorrow’s special election runoff in Georgia’s 14th Congressional District, where Republican military veteran and Israel supporter Clay Fuller is expected to win the ruby-red seat of former Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA).
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, will hold another press briefing on the Iran war tomorrow morning.
Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed will host rallies tomorrow at Michigan State University and the University of Michigan with guests including Rep. Summer Lee (D-PA) and antisemitic streamer Hasan Piker, a move which has drawn condemnation from some Democrats and sparked a broader debate about the mainstreaming of Piker within the party.
The Democratic National Committee will begin its five-day meeting in New Orleans tomorrow, where its resolutions committee will consider several resolutions condemning AIPAC and Israel, including calls for conditions on or a suspension of U.S. military aid to the Jewish state.
NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte will meet with Trump and administration officials in Washington on Wednesday, as the president continues to slam the organization for its refusal to engage in the Iran war.
In observance of Passover, we’ll be back in your inbox with the Daily Overtime on Monday, April 13. Chag Pesach Sameach!
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The request includes cuts of $1.3 billion to FEMA grant programs, a category which includes the Nonprofit Security Grant Program
Daniel SLIM / AFP via Getty Images
The White House is seen in Washington, DC, on December 17, 2025.
The Trump administration’s 2027 top-line budget request to Congress calls for significant funding increases for the Department of Defense, while pushing for cuts to certain programs at the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Department of Justice.
The budget request affirms President Donald Trump’s previously stated desire for a $1.5 trillion defense budget in 2027 — a $441 billion increase over 2026 funding levels.
The request urges cuts of $1.3 billion to non-disaster grant programs at FEMA, a category which includes the Nonprofit Security Grant Program, which has been critical to protecting Jewish community institutions and for which both lawmakers and Jewish community groups have sought increased funding.
The request does not specifically spell out how NSGP funding would be impacted, but states broadly that the budget “reduces wasteful FEMA grant programs, refocusing the agency on sound emergency management while encouraging States and communities to build resilience and use their unique local knowledge and resources in disaster response.”
The budget document does specifically lambast FEMA’s “Targeted Violence and Terrorism Prevention” program, which has support from some groups in the Jewish community, as having been “weaponized to target Americans exercising their First Amendment rights.”
At the DOJ, the administration again aims to eliminate the Community Relations Service, which has received support from some Jewish community groups in the past, charged with helping to mediate communal conflicts based on various forms of hatred and discrimination. It describes the program as a “woke [enterprise] that fails to serve the core function of the Department to fight crime and protect American communities.”
Lawmakers ultimately rejected efforts to fully defund CRS last year, though they did cut $4 million from the office’s budget.
“CRS has a long track record of supporting fringe leftist organizations such as Black Lives Matter and legitimizing riotous behavior that puts America’s police in the crosshairs,” the budget request continues.
The budget request also continues to push for the elimination of the Department of Education, though it doesn’t include a specific line item for the Office for Civil Rights, which is responsible for addressing, among other issues, antisemitism on college campuses. The administration had sought significant cuts to that office in 2026.
The administration called for $2.7 billion in cuts to the U.S.’ funding for international organizations including the United Nations, particularly taking aim at the United Nations regular budget and U.N. peacekeeping missions.
It specifically criticizes anti-Israel bias at the U.N.: The budget document states that the U.N. Human Rights Council and its commission of inquiry on Israel “has failed to uphold any semblance of impartiality or conduct objective investigations.”
The administration requested $15.2 million in additional funding for the Treasury Department’s Office of Terrorism and Financial Intelligence, “making key investments in critical cyber capabilities, sanctions targeting, and combating illicit financial activity” — with a focus on countering cartels.
More specific line-item requests should be released in the coming days.
Plus, inside Temple Israel's difficult road ahead
Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call via AP Images
UNITED STATES - JUNE 18: Democratic candidate for Georgia's 6th Congressional district Jon Ossoff speaks to campaign workers and volunteers at his campaign office in Chamblee, Ga., on Sunday, June 18, 2017. Ossify is facing off against Republican Karen Handel in the special election to fill the seat vacated by current HHS Secretary Tom Price will be held on Tuesday.
👋 Good Wednesday morning!
In today’s Daily Kickoff, we visit West Bloomfield Township, Mich., as the Jewish community reels from last month’s attack at a local synagogue, and report on antisemitic and conspiratorial rhetoric from Maureen Tkacik, a top editor at The American Prospect. We talk to former Rep. Mike Rogers about the GOP’s shifting attitudes toward Israel, and report on Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s pledge to reject defensive funding for Israel. Also in today’s Daily Kickoff: Bill Ackman, Amar’e Stoudemire and Joshua Kramer.
Ed. note: In observance of Passover, the next Daily Kickoff will arrive on Monday, April 6. Chag sameach!
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
- President Donald Trump will give a primetime address on the state of the war with Iran tonight at 9 p.m. ET. The president’s speech, which will be televised on the major networks, will take place hours after the start of the Passover holiday. Trump said last night that the U.S. would end operations in Iran in the next two to three weeks — regardless of whether a deal is reached with Tehran.
- The USS George H.W. Bush aircraft carrier strike group departed Norfolk, Va., on Tuesday for its scheduled deployment. The Navy did not say where the ship would be positioned, but the deployment comes as the USS Gerald R. Ford, which had previously been positioned in the Middle East, was taken out of service for repairs.
- Emergency responders in Israel treated 14 people, including an 11-year-old girl and a 13-year-old boy, for injuries this morning after Iran fired four missile barrages at Israel.
- In New Jersey, Democrat Analilia Mejia and Republican Joe Hathaway, candidates in the special election to succeed Gov. Mikie Sherrill in the state’s 11th Congressional District, will participate in a New Jersey Globe-sponsored debate this evening.
What You Should Know
A QUICK WORD WITH JI’S MARC ROD
Hasan Piker, the far-left, antisemitic streamer, was recently asked by Politico who his favorite presidential candidates are for the Democratic nomination in 2028. He offered a few unsurprising names: progressive Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) and Ro Khanna (D-CA), United Auto Workers President Shawn Fain… and Sen. Jon Ossoff (D-GA), the mild-mannered purple-state senator up for reelection this year.
Piker, in the interview, called Ossoff, “my dark-horse pick, depending on how he presents himself if he has ambitions for higher office.”
But does Ossoff, a Jewish senator who is facing a tough reelection in a state President Donald Trump carried twice, return Piker’s affections? His team has been unresponsive about his views on Piker, even as some leading Democrats have spoken out against the influencer and kept their distance.
Multiple spokespeople for Ossoff didn’t respond to several inquiries this week from JI.
Ossoff’s silence about Piker could strain his already rocky relationship with Georgia’s Jewish community. Key Jewish leaders and donors have repeatedly expressed outrage with the senator over his votes in favor of resolutions to block U.S. arms sales to Israel, and some have threatened to withhold support from his presidential campaigns.
ALTERED LIVES
They survived the Temple Israel attack. They can’t escape what followed
Pop. Pop. Pop. A preschool teacher at Temple Israel heard the shots, locked eyes with her co-teacher, and mouthed: Don’t show any emotion. Weeks later, every child who was in the building that day is safe. But the people who lived through the attack — and the broader Jewish community of Metro Detroit — are still grappling with trauma, shattered security and a world that has largely moved on, Jewish Insider’s Gabby Deutch reports from West Bloomfield, Mich. “People are traumatized, and there’s no way around it,” Rabbi Josh Bennett, who has been on the pulpit at Temple Israel for 33 years, told JI last week.
Second chances: Jeremy Moss, a Democratic state senator who is running for Congress this year, is the only Jewish member of the Michigan state Senate. He is also the only LGBTQ member of the Senate. He knows that those two parts of his identity are often treated differently. “In the past several years, when I talk about antisemitism, it feels like I’m talking alone, or that I’m challenged, or that I’m lectured, not necessarily by my colleagues, but lectured about what is antisemitism from others, rather than allowing my own experience to be accredited, to be valid,” he added. “It’s a very isolating, lonely feeling, and it really makes you realize how small the Jewish community is and how difficult it is to get our lived experience heard and supported.” The attack on Temple Israel, and the fact that no one died, offers a “second chance,” Moss said.
on the mike
Mike Rogers confronts changing GOP attitudes on Israel on the campaign trail
As former Rep. Mike Rogers (R-MI) campaigns for the open Senate seat in Michigan, he is not shy about his support for Israel. But he has lately encountered more people pushing back on American support for the Jewish state, and he is worried not enough is being done, including in his own party, to fight that trend. “I don’t think we have an effort to counter the [anti-Israel] narrative,” Rogers, a former chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, told Jewish Insider’s Gabby Deutch in an interview near Detroit last week.
Primary position: “You don’t have to love Israel, but you have to respect the fact that the nation is trying to defend itself and its people who have maybe, probably, the most horrific history of being treated in the world of any other race on planet earth,” Rogers said. Rogers is the only major Republican candidate in the Senate race, while three Democrats are locked in a tight battle for the nomination, with several months still to go until the August primary.
NEWSROOM NOISE
Top American Prospect editor peddles antisemitic conspiracy theories online
Maureen Tkacik, a top editor for The American Prospect, an influential progressive magazine in Washington, has made no secret of her self-avowed hatred of Israel, particularly in the wake of Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attacks and the ensuing war in Gaza. In recent months, however, she has increasingly entertained conspiracy theories about Israel, used antisemitic rhetoric and expressed her approval of far-right extremists stoking anti-Jewish sentiment, raising questions over her ongoing association with a periodical that had long been viewed as a paragon of modern liberalism, Jewish Insider’s Matthew Kassel reports.
Social media scrutiny: In some social media posts she has indicated that she believes it is possible Israel was involved in the assassinations of both President John F. Kennedy and conservative activist Charlie Kirk. “JFK did not want Israel to develop the nuclear weapons they still refuse to acknowledge having,” she wrote last month, in response to commentary from far-right commentator Tucker Carlson tacitly suggesting that Israel was behind the killing, a conspiracy theory that has recently gained renewed currency on the far right. In other posts, Tkacik has railed against “ZOG,” short for “Zionist Occupied Government,” which the American Jewish Committee and Anti-Defamation League have called a white supremacist conspiracy theory alleging that the United States is controlled by Jews.
TARGETED THREAT
Palestinian journalist calls for violence against pro-Israel commentator
An Ireland-based Palestinian journalist who has contributed to outlets including The Guardian, Al Jazeera, Drop Site, Middle East Eye, The New Arab and The Electronic Intifada shared posts on his Instagram story encouraging violence against an Irish pro-Israel commentator, Druze Israeli politicians and Israelis generally, Jewish Insider’s Marc Rod reports.
From Gaza to Ireland: Abubaker Abed had been based in Gaza and was evacuated during the war, ending up in Ireland. According to screenshots of Abed’s Instagram stories shared by others on X, he called for violence against Israelis and against Rachel Moiselle, a popular pro-Israel Irish commentator, in response to Israel’s passage this week of a death penalty law for Palestinian terrorists. The screenshots are no longer active on Abed’s account and could not be independently verified by JI. Abed did not respond to a request for comment.
AID ARGUMENT
Report: AOC says she’ll reject defensive funding for Israel, IHRA definition of antisemitism
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) reportedly committed on Tuesday to opposing “any spending on arms for Israel, including so-called defensive capabilities” for Israel as well as the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s working definition of antisemitism, according to an editor from City & State New York. The New York Democrat made the comments on a Democratic Socialists of America endorsement call on Tuesday evening, Jewish Insider’s Marc Rod reports.
Voting history: Though Ocasio-Cortez has not voted in favor of aid to Israel, she did vote against an amendment last year by then-Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) to cut funding for defensive systems such as Iron Dome, earning the ire of the far left. “I have not once ever voted to authorize funding to Israel, and I will never,” Ocasio-Cortez reportedly said during the forum. “The Israeli government should be able to finance their own weapons if they seek to arm themselves.”
DATING DILEMMAS
Nearly half of young Jewish American women are dating less over antisemitism fears
Nearly half (47%) of young Jewish women reported dating less as a result of increased antisemitism and other negative consequences of the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas terror attacks, according to a new survey by Jewish Women International, Jewish Insider’s Danielle Cohen-Kanik reports.
Survey says: Over one-third (36%) of respondents said they’ve ended existing romantic relationships due to these dynamics, while 18% said they’ve stopped online dating altogether. Many of the Jewish American women surveyed, who were between the ages of 20 and 34, reported other negative impacts to their romantic relationships including strained conversations (75%), arguments (53%) and decreased contact or connection (39%). Read the full story here.
Worthy Reads
Europe’s War Too: In Politico, Axel Springer CEO Mathias Döpfner rejects efforts in European capitals to distance the continent from the war in Iran. “Of course it is our war. It is far more our war than America’s. The infiltration of European societies by Islamist networks is further advanced and more acute here than in America. (And solidarity with Israel, whose very existence is under threat, ought to be far stronger in Germany than in the United States.) But even if one believed it was not our war, or even if one were disappointed not to have been briefed on the plans, there remains a potent strain of European society where proclaiming hatred of Donald Trump is greater than sound self-interest. In those circles, one can almost sense something like schadenfreude whenever something goes wrong for the Americans once again.” [Politico]
Wrong Man for the Job: In The Washington Post, the Foundation for Defense of Democracies’ Behnam Ben Taleblu raises concerns about the Trump administration’s willingness to engage with Iranian parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, as it mulls a Venezuela-like approach to Iran. “If Trump replicates his Venezuela decision and promotes a regime insider like Ghalibaf to the helm, he is unlikely to attain the stability and calm that he seeks in the Middle East. Iranians did not turn out in droves in January and give their lives for musical chairs or ornamental change in Tehran. They are not likely to stop protesting against a corrupt establishment that turned Iran into a failed state and is complicit in their killing.” [WashPost]
These Boots…: Wall Street Journal columnist William Galston considers the challenges facing the Trump administration as Washington weighs ground operations in Iran. “The prospects for negotiations reopening the strait and ending the war are dismal, and there is no guarantee that force can accomplish what diplomacy cannot. The U.S. is in no position, militarily or politically, to mount the kind of all-out invasion of Iran that brought down Saddam Hussein in Iraq. But anything less will probably allow the Iranian regime to survive, which it will trumpet as a victory against the Great Satan.”[WSJ]
Modern-Day Exodus: In Tablet, Rachel Sharansky Danziger, a daughter of refusenik Natan Sharansky, reflects on the retelling of the Passover story as she contemplates passing her own family’s stories to her children. “The Haggadah taught me how to tell my parents’ story, and how to give my kids the liberty to explore it for themselves. Time will tell what they’ll make of it. But in the meantime, my struggles with the latter taught me something about Passover in turn. Perhaps when the authors of the Haggadah told us to see ourselves as if we came out of Egypt, they meant something more than envisioning ourselves wearing tunics, marching out of Egypt with matzos in our sacks. Perhaps they meant that we should take this opportunity to experience what it means to become the authors of our own story.”[Tablet]
Word on the Street
President Donald Trump said he is considering pulling the U.S. out of NATO after members of the alliance failed to assist the U.S. in its military operations targeting Iran…
Arab officials told The Wall Street Journal that the United Arab Emirates is preparing to assist the U.S. in opening up the Strait of Hormuz by force…
The UAE’s Foreign Ministry denied the report, saying that the country “maintains a defensive posture focused on protecting its sovereignty, its people, and its infrastructure, and reserves its right to self-defence in response to ongoing unlawful and unprovoked attacks”…
Supporters of Iranian human rights activist Narges Mohammadi, who is imprisoned in Iran’s Zanjan prison, said the Nobel Peace Prize laureate suffered a heart attack last week and had been denied medical access…
Politico reporter Karl Mathiesen, who earlier this week published a glowing profile of U.N. Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese, deleted his X account after the resurfacing of his past social media posts, including questioning if “US reluctance to stand up to Israel” was because of the “Jewish lobby”…
American freelance journalist Shelly Kittleson was abducted in Baghdad; a U.S. official said Kittleson was taken by the Iran-backed Iraqi militia Kataib Hezbollah, which previously kidnapped Israeli-Russian researcher Elizabeth Tsurkov and held her for more than two years…
Argentina announced its designation of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as a terror organization, citing the group’s support for Hezbollah, which was behind the 1992 bombing of the Israeli Embassy in Buenos Aires and the 1994 bombing of the AMIA Jewish community center…
Michigan state Rep. Carrie Rheingans, who backed out of an upcoming rally with Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed over the participation of far-left streamer Hasan Piker, told the Michigan Advance that while she is still supporting El-Sayed in the primary, “I don’t appreciate many of Piker’s antisemitic comments. … Maybe Hasan Piker has some room to learn how his comments affect other people, but I have to say, Jews, Muslims, and Arabs in Michigan are hurting for a lot of really good reasons right now”…
A federal judge ordered the University of Pennsylvania on Tuesday to comply with a subpoena from the Trump administration requesting detailed information about Jewish university affiliates as part of the government’s crackdown on campus antisemitism, Jewish Insider’s Haley Cohen reports…
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani lifted City Hall’s ban on TikTok for use by government officials…
Mark Cuban said he regretted selling the Dallas Mavericks to the Adelson and Dumont families, saying he “made a lot of mistakes in the process” of the December 2023 sale…
“Denial,” the 2016 film starring Rachel Weisz about former antisemitism envoy Deborah Lipstadt’s legal battle against Holocaust denier David Irving, will be added to Netflix’s offerings this month…
ESPN reports that Israeli American basketball coach Amar’e Stoudemire will be inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame Class of 2026…
The U.K.’s Jewish Leadership Council condemned the decision by the organizers of the annual Wireless festival to have Kanye West, known as Ye, headline each night of the three-night festival, saying that West has “repeatedly used his platform to spread antisemitism and pro-Nazi messaging”…
The mayor of the British city of Bath resigned after controversy over his sharing of social media posts suggesting that the arson attack targeting Hatzola ambulances in London’s Golders Green suburb was an Israeli false flag operation…
Bill Ackman purchased a $20 million luxury apartment in Tel Aviv’s Rothschild 10 development…
Israel is ending all defense procurement from France, the Israeli Defense Ministry said, citing Paris’ hostile posture toward Jerusalem and a desire to increase domestic production and purchases from allies, Jewish Insider’s Matthew Shea reports…
Cleveland native Joshua Kramer was named the next CEO of Ohio Jewish Communities, succeeding Howie Beigelman; Kramer, who will assume the role in June, has led the American Jewish Committee’s New York regional office since 2021…
Director Slava Tsukerman, whose 1982 “Liquid Sky” became a cult classic, died at 86…
Pic of the Day
Men in the Israeli city of Bnei Brak on Tuesday burned pieces of leavened bread in preparation for the Passover holiday.
Birthdays
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 75…
Physicist and 1997 Nobel Prize laureate Claude Cohen-Tannoudji (the hyphenated last name means simply the Cohen family from Tangiers) turns 93… 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 78… Former Sephardic chief rabbi of Israel, Rabbi Shlomo Moshe Amar turns 78… Research professor at Boston University noted for her studies in relation to parrots, Irene Maxine Pepperberg, Ph.D. turns 77… 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 77… Associate justice of the Supreme Court of the U.S. since 2006, Justice Samuel Anthony Alito Jr. turns 76… Professor at SUNY New Paltz, her writing is focused on presidential war powers and national security law, Nancy Kassop turns 76… Producer and director for film and television including the “Men in Black” trilogy, he was originally a cinematographer for the Coen brothers, Barry Sonnenfeld turns 73… 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 69… President of Baltimore-based HealthSource Distributors, Jerry L. Wolasky turns 68… Author of over 200 children’s books, Mark Shulman turns 64… Former member of the Knesset for the Kadima party, she made aliyah from the Soviet Union in 1979, Yulia Shamalov-Berkovich turns 62… VP of the Euro-Asian Jewish Congress and a leader of the Jewish community of Kyiv, Ukraine, Alexander “Aaron” Levin turns 58… Lawyer, turned political thriller novelist, Brad Meltzer turns 56… Israeli writer, speaker and blogger, Daniel Ravner turns 50… Senior policy advisor to then-VPOTUS Kamala Harris, earlier she was the COO at J Street, Jessica “Jess” Smith turns 49… Professor at Villanova University, he won a gold medal in soccer at the Pan American Maccabi Games in 2008, Bret Myers turns 46… 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, Shay Doron turns 41… Film and television actor, Joshua Ryan Zuckerman turns 41… Associate at Debevoise & Plimpton, Noah L. Schwartz… Former assistant secretary for public affairs at the U.S. Treasury, her grandmother is noted philanthropist Lynne Honickman, Julia Aviva Hahn turns 35… Ronald Lippman…
Plus, judge rules against UPenn in antisemitism investigation
Haidar Mohammed Ali/Anadolu via Getty Images
Mourners carry the coffin of Kata'ib Hezbollah member on March 2, 2026 amid Kata'ib Hezbollah flags.
This P.M. edition is reserved for our premium subscribers — offering a forward-focused read on what we’re tracking now and what’s coming next. Please don’t hesitate to share your thoughts and feedback by replying to this email.
📡On Our Radar
Notable developments and interesting tidbits we’re tracking
President Donald Trump lashed out at European countries this morning for their posture during the war in Iran: He wrote on Truth Social that France is prohibiting planes with military supplies destined for Israel from flying over its territory, calling Paris “VERY UNHELPFUL … The U.S.A. will REMEMBER!”
Trump also named the U.K. among the countries “which refused to get involved in the decapitation of Iran” and are now struggling to acquire fuel due to the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz. “[G]o to the Strait, and just TAKE IT. You’ll have to start learning how to fight for yourself, the U.S.A. won’t be there to help you anymore, just like you weren’t there for us,” the president warned…
Trump told the New York Post about reports that he’s willing to end the war without reopening the Strait of Hormuz: “I don’t think about it, to be honest. My sole function was to make sure that they don’t have a nuclear weapon. They’re not going to have a nuclear weapon. When we leave the strait will automatically open.”
He similarly said to CBS News about removing Iran’s enriched uranium, “I don’t even think about it. I just know that, you know, that’s so deeply buried it’s gonna be very hard for anybody. … It’s pretty safe. But, you know, we’ll make a determination”…
During a press briefing this morning, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth revealed that he took a secret trip to the Middle East in recent days to meet with U.S. servicemembers, including Air Force intelligence analysts, Army troops and pilots.
CENTCOM also confirmed that Adm. Brad Cooper visited Israel earlier this week where he met with Defense Minister Israel Katz and Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir, the IDF’s chief of staff…
Israel is ending all arms purchases from France and “replacing it with domestic Israeli procurement or purchases from allied countries,” the Israeli Ministry of Defense said today, adding that there will be “no new professional engagement with the French military” in the latest rift in the deteriorating relationship between Jerusalem and Paris…
A week after Lebanon declared Iran’s ambassador to Beirut persona non grata and expelled him from the country, the ambassador has still refused to leave the embassy compound, and Iran has stated that the embassy remains open…
China and Pakistan, which has been the intermediary for indirect negotiations between the U.S. and Iran, put forward a ceasefire proposal that would see the immediate cessation of hostilities, the safeguarding of nonmilitary targets and the restoration of transit through global shipping lanes…
American journalist Shelly Kittleson was kidnapped in Baghdad, Iraq, today, according to the Iraqi interior ministry, reportedly by Kataib Hezbollah, the same group that held researcher Elizabeth Tsurkov for over 900 days. Kittleson is a freelance journalist primarily based in Europe who has written for outlets including Al-Monitor and Foreign Policy.
Dylan Johnson, assistant secretary of state for global public affairs, said in a statement that the State Department “is aware of the reported kidnapping” and had “previously fulfilled our duty to warn this individual of threats against them.” Johnson said an “individual with ties” to Kataib Hezbollah “has been taken into custody” in connection with the kidnapping and that the department will coordinate with the FBI to secure Kittleson’s release…
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani attended a dinner for Eid last week where he spoke with antisemitic streamer Hasan Piker, a conversation that Piker called “very productive” on a recent Twitch stream.
“No, he did not disavow me,” Piker said in response to a listener’s question. “‘Did you tell him to tune out the bad faith haters?’ I did,” Piker continued. Mamdani appeared on Piker’s Twitch for an interview during the mayoral campaign but has not met with him publicly since…
“Nope,” Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ) said in response to a video of Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) claiming that, “in many respects,” Piker “is doing a very good job.” “Hasan Piker is a proud antisemite … His voice should have no place in our political discourse and all elected officials should condemn his rhetoric,” Gottheimer wrote…
Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel, a Jewish Democrat, shared an image of a sign which read, “A Jewish data center has no home here,” displayed outside a town hall she held yesterday urging caution around the approval of data centers. “If you think antisemitism isn’t a problem in Michigan, think again,” Nessel wrote…
A new poll commissioned by former Maine state Sen. Troy Jackson, now a Democratic candidate for governor, found oyster farmer Graham Platner — whom Jackson is backing — nearly 40 points ahead of Gov. Janet Mills in the state’s Senate race (66-28%) among likely Democratic primary voters. The survey was conducted after Mills had started running ads against Platner based on his past controversial statements, a sign that her line of attack may not be persuading voters…
And another poll commissioned by the Senate Majority PAC, a Democratic group, found Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton leading in the heated Republican primary runoff for Senate against incumbent Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX), 47-42%…
A federal judge ruled that the University of Pennsylvania must comply with a subpoena from the Trump administration that seeks information about Jewish university affiliates, which the university had said resembled nefarious efforts by governments over history to gather lists of Jews…
⏩ Tomorrow’s Agenda, Today
An early look at tomorrow’s storylines and schedule to keep you a step ahead
Keep an eye out in Jewish Insider for a report from West Bloomfield, Mich., where JI’s Gabby Deutch sat down with community members still reeling from the attack on Temple Israel earlier this month.
Democrat Analilia Mejia and Republican Joe Hathaway will participate in a debate tomorrow evening ahead of the April 16 special election in New Jersey’s 11th Congressional District, after Mejia eked out a surprise victory in last month’s primary. While this race will decide who serves out the rest of Gov. Mikie Sherrill’s House term, the progressive Mejia is also running essentially unopposed by other Democrats for the full term.
In observance of Passover, we’ll be back in your inbox with the Daily Overtime on Monday, April 6. Chag Pesach Sameach!
Stories You May Have Missed
COMMUNITY TIGHTROPE
In Michigan Senate primary, McMorrow balances Jewish fears and Arab outreach after attack
In an interview with JI, the state senator described herself as someone who supports the U.S.-Israel relationship, but not unconditionally
DECISION TIME
Trump at a crossroads on Iran: Will he or won’t he send in troops?
As the president touts progress in talks with Tehran while escalating military pressure, analysts say the administration is keeping its options open — but will need to make a move soon
Plus, one AI rabbi down but more pop up
Emily Elconin/Getty Images
Caution tape near the front entrance of Temple Israel a day after an active shooter incident on March 13, 2026 in West Bloomfield, Michigan.
This P.M. edition is reserved for our premium subscribers — offering a forward-focused read on what we’re tracking now and what’s coming next. Please don’t hesitate to share your thoughts and feedback by replying to this email.
📡On Our Radar
Notable developments and interesting tidbits we’re tracking
President Donald Trump doubled down on threats to escalate the war in Iran while simultaneously heralding the success of ongoing negotiations: He claimed on Truth Social this morning that the U.S. is in “serious discussions” with a “new” and “more reasonable” Iranian regime and that “great progress has been made.”
“But,” he added, “if for any reason a deal is not shortly reached, which it probably will be, and if the Hormuz Strait is not immediately ‘Open for Business,’ we will conclude our lovely ‘stay’ in Iran by blowing up and completely obliterating all of their Electric Generating Plants, Oil Wells and Kharg Island (and possibly all desalinization plants!)”…
Trump confirmed to the New York Post that the U.S. is engaging with Iranian parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf and assessing whether he’s a reliable partner: “We’re gonna find out. I’ll let you know that in about a week.” He also said the U.S. believes new Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei is “probably” alive “but in extraordinarily bad shape” after he was injured in an airstrike…
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent claimed in a Fox News interview that the U.S. is “going to retake control of the straits and there will be freedom of navigation, whether it is through U.S. escorts or a multinational escort”…
A series of surveys released today reveal how Jews and Israelis are perceiving the war in Iran: A poll conducted by the Mellman Group found 55% of American Jews oppose the war while 32% are in favor. Another poll of American Jews, solicited by J Street, found 60% of respondents opposed and 40% in support.
In Israel, meanwhile, a poll released by the Israel Democracy Institute found that the war is losing some support among Israelis, Jewish Insider’s Lahav Harkov reports. In the first week of the war, 93% of Jewish Israelis supported continuing it, while in the latest poll — conducted nearly a month into the war — 78% support it. Nearly three times as many Israeli Jews (12%) now oppose the war as did at the beginning of March (4%)…
The FBI announced findings that the attack on Temple Israel in suburban Detroit earlier this month was “a Hezbollah-inspired act of terrorism purposely targeting the Jewish community and the largest Jewish temple in Michigan.” The brother of the assailant was a Hezbollah commander who had been killed in Lebanon by the IDF the week before the attack…
Michigan Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed told campaign staff that he did not want to take any public position on the killing of former Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei at the beginning of the war because “there are a lot of people in Dearborn who are sad,” according to meeting audio obtained by The Washington Free Beacon.
If asked by reporters, El-Sayed said his strategy would be to “go straight to pedophilia, frankly. I’ll just be like, ‘Pedophile president decides that he doesn’t like the front page news, so he decides to take us into another war’”…
Allies of New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani told Politico that the mayor’s dismissal of criticisms of his wife, Rama Duwaji, for her past extreme rhetoric and social media posts — calling her “a private person” — doesn’t comport with Duwaji’s very public profile.
“‘She is the first lady of New York City. She has a police detail and a government staff,’ said one of the elected officials, who believes Duwaji should explain herself publicly. ‘She would need to do an interview, better explain herself, and have her do some visits and meetings with key constituencies, like Jewish museums’”…
An AI-generated Instagram account, which featured a fake Orthodox rabbi spreading antisemitic conspiracies to its more than 1.4 million followers, was taken offline over the weekend following major backlash from Jewish groups and one Democratic lawmaker — yet several similar, hate-peddling accounts have emerged with little to no public action from Meta, JI’s Haley Cohen reports.
Several new Rabbi Goldman accounts started posting similar videos within the past two weeks — two of which already have followings of 18,500 and 10,000. Both remain active on Instagram and their bios state, “only Backup account for @rabbigoldman” and “old account got banned”…
The Knesset passed a controversial law today allowing courts to impose the death penalty on convicted terrorists found guilty of murder, JI’s Lahav Harkov reports.
The law, championed by National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, applies in military courts to non-Israeli residents of the West Bank — meaning, in the vast majority of cases, Palestinians. In civilian courts, the law permits applying the death penalty to those who “intentionally cause the death of a person with the aim of denying the existence of the State of Israel” — language which would also likely exclude Jewish assailants. Critics say it will likely be struck down by the High Court…
The Times of Israel breaks down the legislative maneuver used in Knesset by the coalition that caused opposition members to accidentally vote in favor of allocating 800 million shekels (~$250 million USD) to Haredi schools as they passed the state budget this morning…
In an interview on Israel’s Channel 12, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he has barely spoken to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu since their last meeting at the United Nations General Assembly in September 2023…
⏩ Tomorrow’s Agenda, Today
An early look at tomorrow’s storylines and schedule to keep you a step ahead
Keep an eye out in Jewish Insider for a look at the resolution coming under consideration by the Democratic National Committee that explicitly criticizes AIPAC’s political spending.
The House and Senate left for recess until mid-April, after failing to come to an agreement to fund the Department of Homeland Security, which has now reached its longest-ever shutdown. Calls have already begun from at least one Republican senator to bring Congress back into session sooner, but prospects for an early return are currently unclear.
Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ) will speak at Temple Emanu-El in New York City tomorrow about his new book, Stand, on the one-year anniversary of his delivery of the longest-ever speech on the Senate floor.
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SEAT SHAKE-UP
Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick’s scandal could send another Israel critic to Congress
The lawmaker, who may soon be expelled from the chamber, is already in a heated primary race with Elijah Manley, a young far-left candidate endorsed by TrackAIPAC
PHONE A FRIEND
Family of China-allied tech mogul embedded in Zohran Mamdani’s movement
The sister, niece and brother-in-law of Maoist magnate Neville ‘Roy’ Singham have gained influence in New York’s ascendant socialist movement
The lawmakers called it another example of Trump’s ‘troubling lack of strategic foresight’ in executing the war against Iran
Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images for VoteVets
Sens. Cory Booker (D-NJ), Tim Kaine (D-VA), Chris Murphy (D-CT) and Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) speak with veterans about the Iran war at Capitol Hill on March 18, 2026 in Washington, DC.
A group of 25 Senate Democrats criticized President Donald Trump on Friday for lifting sanctions on Russian and Iranian oil exports, sanctions which have seen broad bipartisan support.
“We write with deep concern and confusion over your administration’s recent decision to ease sanctions on Russian and Iranian oil exports,” the Democrats wrote in a letter to the president. “These actions speak once again to the troubling lack of strategic foresight that has marked your administration’s decision-making prior to and during its war of choice with Iran, jeopardizing the lives of our servicemembers across the region and raising costs for Americans here at home.”
The lawmakers accused Trump of “scrambling — and failing” to address the impacts of the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz amid the conflict, despite reported warnings that an attack on Iran would likely cause oil prices to spike.
And, they alleged, the sanctions waiver will provide a new revenue source of as much as $14 billion for “the very regime that U.S. servicemembers are risking their lives to strike” while having little impact on bringing down global oil prices.
They highlighted that Russia is already reportedly set to make $4.9 billion from rising oil prices, an amount further supplemented by the sanctions waivers, in spite of Russia’s support for Iran’s strikes on U.S. military forces.
“Relieving sanctions on U.S. adversaries during an active conflict is just the most recent indicator of an incoherent and disordered policy approach,” the letter continues. “Economic relief for Americans starts with the cessation of wars of choice, not the continuation of them.”
The lawmakers demanded public hearings by administration officials on the decision to provide sanctions relief.
The letter was signed by Sens. Tim Kaine (D-VA), Ruben Gallego (D-AZ), Jack Reed (D-RI), Cory Booker (D-NJ), Chris Murphy (D-CT), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Adam Schiff (D-CA), Chris Coons (D-DE), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Angus King (I-ME), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Angela Alsobrooks (D-MD), Michael Bennet (D-CO), Ron Wyden (D-OR), John Hickenlooper (D-CO), Andy Kim (D-NJ), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Elissa Slotkin (D-MI), Alex Padilla (D-CA), Gary Peters (D-MI), Mark Kelly (D-AZ), Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Mazie Hirono (D-HI).
Republicans, despite widespread support for the U.S. sanctions on Iran, have generally been downplaying the impacts of the sanctions relief, describing it as a careful measure to relieve oil price shocks that is designed to be temporary. Some have also echoed claims by the administration that they plan to intercept and freeze the revenues for Iran before they reach the regime’s coffers.
Plus, fake AI rabbis peddle antisemitism
Will Oliver/EPA/Bloomberg via Getty Images
Secretary of State Marco Rubio, President Donald Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth during a Cabinet meeting at the White House in Washington, DC, US, on Thursday, March 26, 2026.
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📡On Our Radar
Notable developments and interesting tidbits we’re tracking
President Donald Trump announced this afternoon that he’s extending his original five-day delay on strikes on Iran’s energy sector, which was set to expire tomorrow, by another 10 days. “As per Iranian Government request … I am pausing the period of Energy Plant destruction by 10 Days to Monday, April 6, 2026, at 8 P.M., Eastern Time,” he wrote on Truth Social, adding that negotiations continue and are “going very well”…
At a Cabinet meeting earlier today, Trump revealed that the “present” Iran had provided the U.S. earlier this week was allowing eight Pakistani-flagged oil tankers to pass safely through the Strait of Hormuz, which he said proved the U.S. was speaking with the “right people” in Iran with the authority to make such decisions.
Special Envoy Steve Witkoff, meanwhile, confirmed reports that the U.S. had presented Iran with a “15-point action list” as a starting offer in peace talks between the two countries, and that Pakistan is acting as mediator…
Speaking at the FII Priority summit in Miami, Jared Kushner said that, during his negotiations with Iran prior to the war, “We basically saw that there was no seriousness, and that they were trying to play different games to just get beyond President Trump in order to preserve their capabilities and pathway to get to a nuclear weapon in a way that would have been very, very hard to be stopped in the future”…
CENTCOM applauded an Israeli strike that killed Alireza Tangsiri, the commander of the IRGC Navy, and warned all IRGC Navy members to “immediately abandon their post and return home.” Tangsiri had been named a Specially Designated Global Terrorist by the U.S. in 2019 and was leading Iran’s efforts to shutter the Strait of Hormuz…
Even as U.S.-Iran negotiations continue, the U.S. is considering diverting weapons for Ukraine to the Middle East, The Washington Post reports, including air-defense interceptor missiles.
Ukraine has proved a stalwart ally to the Gulf as it comes under attack from Iran — around 200 Ukrainian military personnel have been deployed around the Middle East to help defend against Iranian drones and President Volodymyr Zelensky arrived in Saudi Arabia today for a surprise visit…
Resources are also being redirected to Gaza — the Trump administration has reportedly pulled $1.25 billion from international peacekeeping and disaster assistance programs for the Board of Peace’s operations, for which Trump had pledged $10 billion in U.S. funding…
An AI-generated Instagram account portraying an Orthodox-looking rabbi is pushing antisemitic conspiracy theories to its more than 1.4 million followers, and it’s not the only one, according to a study published Wednesday by Combat Antisemitism Movement.
Jewish Insider’s Haley Cohen reports: Researchers identified 12 AI-generated “rabbis” with a combined following of 2.1 million Instagram users, all of which promote classic antisemitic stereotypes. The “Rabbi Goldman” account features many of these, including one video in which the “rabbi,” wearing a tuxedo and seemingly seated in a luxury airplane, claims that Jews utilize empty private jets to evade taxes…
A new Emerson College poll of the Maine Senate race found oyster farmer Graham Platner with a nearly 30 point lead over Gov. Janet Mills (55-28%) in the Democratic primary. Both Platner and Mills lead Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) in the general election matchup, 48-41% and 46-43%, respectively…
California Gov. Gavin Newsom again reaffirmed his support for Israel in an interview with The Bulwark, likening his love for the country but strong disapproval of its current government with how he feels about the U.S…
Democrat Analilia Mejia and Republican Joe Hathaway will participate on April 1 in what is likely to be the only debate of the New Jersey 11th Congressional District’s special election, after the far-left Mejia won the Democratic nomination in a hotly contested primary last month. The New Jersey Globe, which is hosting the debate, acknowledged it had chosen to do so on the first night of Passover, in a district with a sizable Jewish population…
The College Republicans chapter at the University of Florida is suing the school, after a photo of one of its members doing what appeared to be a Nazi salute led to the chapter’s ban from campus.
The chapter argues that the ban violated its First Amendment rights as the member “expressed a viewpoint off-campus that was alleged by some to be anti-Semitic,” and claims it was deactivated in part because it recently hosted James Fishback, a candidate for Florida governor who has expressed antisemitic and anti-Israel views…
⏩ Tomorrow’s Agenda, Today
An early look at tomorrow’s storylines and schedule to keep you a step ahead
Keep an eye out in Jewish Insider for comments from Michigan state Sen. Mallory McMorrow on Israel and antisemitism as she seeks the Democratic nomination for U.S. Senate against Rep. Haley Stevens (D-MI) and Abdul El-Sayed.
President Donald Trump will provide closing remarks at the FII Priority summit in Miami tomorrow afternoon.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton will headline CPAC’s Ronald Reagan Dinner. His primary opponent, Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX), will not be making an appearance, despite the confab taking place in his home state and calls from its leadership for him to attend.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio is traveling to France to attend a meeting of G7 foreign ministers where he is expected to press allies on the Iran war — he told reporters as he departed today, echoing a line from Trump, that the countries involved “get far more of their fuel from” the Strait of Hormuz “than we do.”
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TROUBLE IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD
Gulf states slam Arab League countries for tepid response to Iranian aggression
Frustrated UAE leaders are questioning the ‘impotence’ of countries like Egypt — and warn that silence on Iranian aggression will push the Gulf closer to U.S., Israel
MICHIGAN MOMENT
Elissa Slotkin, Haley Stevens criticize El-Sayed over rallies with Hasan Piker
Stevens said that by associating with Piker, El-Sayed is ‘choosing to campaign with someone who has a history of antisemitic rhetoric’
Sen. James Lankford: ‘I think we’re not done. I don’t like calling it “won” until it’s done’
Andrew Harnik/Getty Images
Sen. James Lankford (R-OK) speaks during a news conference on Capitol Hill on May 1, 2024 in Washington, DC.
Several Senate Republicans this week declined to fully endorse President Donald Trump’s comments that the U.S. had “won” the war in Iran, arguing that there is still more to be done to fully degrade Iran’s capabilities to the extent necessary.
Trump told reporters in the Oval Office Tuesday, “You know, I don’t like to say this — this war has been won. The only one that likes to keep it going is the fake news. … We’ve won this war.” Trump also said Monday he would postpone strikes on Iran’s energy infrastructure to allow for “productive conversations” toward ending the war — an announcement that boosted markets and brought down oil prices.
“I think we’re not done. I don’t like calling it ‘won’ until it’s done,” Sen. James Lankford (R-OK) told Jewish Insider. “You can’t stop a war too soon, once it gets started, because then you’ve got to get right back to it again. You’ve got to finish it.”
Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) said he agreed with the president, but added, “we’ve done a good job of accomplishing our military objectives. We’re not quite there yet.”
Sen. Mike Rounds (R-SD) said, “I think what he means by that — and he happens to be correct — we have basically significantly reduced their ability to wage a lot of the … war. It doesn’t mean they’re not dangerous yet, but we’re getting there.”
Sen. Roger Wicker (R-MS), who chairs the Senate Armed Services Committee, quipped of Trump’s comments, “I think that’s probably hyperbole. It’d be the first time ever, but I think it may be hyperbole.”
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) hewed more closely to the president’s comments, while stopping short of declaring the war over. “Operation Epic Fury is almost done. I mean, I think the mission that was very clearly defined in the beginning, the objectives have been met,” Johnson told reporters on Wednesday.
Graham, one of the most vocal supporters of the war on Capitol Hill, who has been agitating for the U.S. to pursue full regime change in Iran, said that he would support — and even prefer — a diplomatic outcome.
“Not only do I support @POTUS and his team’s efforts to negotiate with Iran to find a solution to the threats this regime presents to the region and the world, I encourage it,” Graham said on X on Wednesday. “It is the outcome I seek, not the method. I have confidence in President Trump’s negotiating team to make sure that any deal would meet the military objectives laid out early on.”
Those goals, as articulated by Graham, are ending Iran’s ballistic missile program, support for terrorism and nuclear ambitions.
“If diplomacy can achieve these objectives, I would not only support it, but I would also prefer it because war literally is hell,” Graham continued.
Other Republicans are also backing the diplomatic push. Sen. Rick Scott (R-FL) told JI that the president would have better information on the U.S.’ progress toward its goals, but said that from what he has seen, the administration has “made a lot of progress.”
He also expressed support for the administration’s negotiations with Iran about ending the war.
“You always hope war ends,” Scott said. “I hope we’ve fulfilled our mission to destroy their ability to produce nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles.”
“The administration has been very clear that they are about degrading Iran’s missile capabilities, launchers, production facilities, stockpiles, taking out their navy and their nuclear facilities,” Sen. Pete Ricketts (R-NE) told JI. “When they reach a sufficient point, that’s when it’s time to cease the shooting, and hopefully someday the Iranian people will throw off the tyrants that rule them, and we can get a better administration.”
Plus, is Stevens losing steam in Michigan Senate race?
Anna Rose Layden/Getty Images
House Armed Services Committee Chairman Mike Rogers (R-AL) speaks to the press at the U.S. Capitol on October 17, 2025 in Washington, DC.
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📡On Our Radar
Notable developments and interesting tidbits we’re tracking
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt downplayed reports that Iran has rejected President Donald Trump’s ceasefire proposal, saying in a press briefing today that “talks continue” and “are productive.” She further confirmed, while cautioning against speculation, that there are “elements of truth” to the 15-point plan that has been reported.
About potential face-to-face negotiations, which International Atomic Energy Agency head Rafael Grossi said could take place in Pakistan as soon as this weekend, Leavitt said she “would not get ahead of our skis on reporting about any talks this weekend until you hear directly from us”…
Emerging from a classified House Armed Services Committee briefing on Iran, Chairman Mike Rogers (R-AL) expressed frustration that the administration isn’t forthcoming enough about its war plans. “We want to know more about what’s going on, what the options are and why they’re being considered, and we’re just not getting enough answers on those questions,” Rogers told reporters.
And Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Roger Wicker (R-MS), asked about his House colleague’s comments, said, “Let me put it this way: I can see why he might have said that.” It’s the latest sign of cracks in the GOP nearly a month into the war effort…
For the first time since the start of the war, the UAE — which has faced the brunt of Iran’s attacks — reported zero Iranian ballistic missile attacks today, raising questions about the Islamic Republic’s potentially dwindling supplies.
Yousef Al Otaiba, the Emirati ambassador to the U.S., called for a “conclusive outcome” to the war, as opposed to a “simple cease-fire.” Writing in The Wall Street Journal, he argued that “building a fence around the problem and wishing it goes away isn’t the answer. It would simply defer the next crisis”…
European authorities are investigating whether a new group that has claimed responsibility for several recent terror attacks on Jewish institutions across Europe, the Islamic Movement of the Righteous Companions, is a front for Iran, which has likely recruited people online to carry out the attacks on its behalf…
The Journal profiles Iranian parliament speaker Mohammad-Bagher Ghalibaf as he emerges as a potential leader and negotiating partner for the U.S., with one expert calling him a “wannabe strongman” who simultaneously has “the necessary credentials to deliver a potential deal with the Trump administration”…
An internal poll from the campaign of Michigan state Sen. Mallory McMorrow shows her leading the pack in the Democratic primary for U.S. Senate, followed by the far-left Abdul El-Sayed with Rep. Haley Stevens (D-MI) trailing in third place, a sign her campaign is struggling to build momentum. A fifth of potential primary voters still identified themselves as undecided.
Stevens’ campaign then released its own internal poll that showed her in first place, followed closely by El-Sayed with McMorrow in third, though the survey was conducted in mid-February…
As the Trump administration sues Harvard — again — over alleged civil rights violations and failure to address campus antisemitism, Rabbi Hirschy Zarchi, president of Harvard Chabad, told The Harvard Crimson that the school is in fact “taking the issue” of antisemitism “very seriously.”
“While there is much more to be done, the only plausible characterization of Harvard’s current leadership is as principled and effective in confronting and removing the intolerance which had taken root on campus over more than a decade,” added Jason Rubenstein, executive director of Harvard Hillel…
Asked at a recent event at Harvard’s Kennedy School whether the Biden administration could have done more to save lives in the war in Gaza, former Secretary of State Tony Blinken said, “Could we, should we have done things differently such that the suffering that people endured, the loss of the children you just listed and so many others could have been averted? The short answer is: Maybe yes.”
Blinken also called on people not to be “binary” in their thinking about the Middle East, Jewish Insider’s Gabby Deutch reports. With the Gaza war, he said, “Where did we start? We started with Oct. 7. We started with the most horrific massacre of Jews since the Holocaust. It’s very easy to say, ‘Oh, yeah, that’s a given.’ Except it wasn’t a given for Israelis and Israeli society”…
⏩ Tomorrow’s Agenda, Today
An early look at tomorrow’s storylines and schedule to keep you a step ahead
Keep an eye out in Jewish Insider for a look at the growing divide in the Democratic Party over engagement with antisemitic streamer Hasan Piker — and the questions it raises about the meaning of progressivism in the current political landscape.
The Atlantic Council and U.S.-Syria Business Council will host a symposium on Syria’s energy sector with keynote remarks from U.S. Special Envoy to Syria Tom Barrack. Also speaking are several oil executives and Jacob McGee, the State Department’s deputy assistant secretary for Israeli-Palestinian affairs.
The FII Priority Summit continues in Miami; among other sessions tomorrow, Jared Kushner will speak on U.S.-Gulf investment and Zach Witkoff, co-founder of World Liberty Financial and son of Special Envoy Steve Witkoff, will discuss crypto.
CPAC, which President Donald Trump is seemingly not attending for the first time in a decade, continues in Dallas. GOP candidates who are in attendance include Brandon Herrera, the far-right influencer running in Texas’ 23rd District; Michael Whatley, the front-runner in North Carolina’s open Senate race; Rep. Mike Collins (R-GA), running in a competitive primary to challenge Sen. Jon Ossoff (D-GA); Rep. Kevin Hern (R-OK), seeking the Senate seat vacated by new Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin; and Nate Morris, running to succeed retiring Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY).
The House Ethics Committee will hold a rare public hearing on Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick’s (D-FL) alleged ethics violations, including her laundering of funds from a FEMA-backed contract for her family business into her congressional campaign.
Stories You May Have Missed
STRAIT TALK
Senate Republicans express confidence, but say they haven’t heard plan for reopening Strait of Hormuz
Some disagree on who should claim ultimate responsibility for the strait — the U.S. or other countries in the region
GUARDING THE GATES
Rep. Brad Schneider, New Dems chair, urges Democrats to disavow Hasan Piker
Schneider called Piker ‘an unapologetic antisemite’ and warned ‘Democrats risk losing our credibility to condemn those on the right who traffic in bigotry’ if they continue to embrace him
Plus, media misdirection over AIPAC money
Shauna Clinton/Sportsfile for Web Summit Qatar via Getty Images
Hasan Piker during day two of Web Summit Qatar 2026 at the Doha Exhibition and Convention Center in Doha, Qatar.
This P.M. edition is reserved for our premium subscribers — offering a forward-focused read on what we’re tracking now and what’s coming next. Please don’t hesitate to share your thoughts and feedback by replying to this email.
📡On Our Radar
Notable developments and interesting tidbits we’re tracking
Rumblings of a potential peace summit between Washington and Tehran have begun — sources told Axios that the U.S. and several mediating countries are waiting for Iran to respond to a proposal for peace talks this Thursday, while President Donald Trump reposted a message from Pakistan offering to “be the host to facilitate meaningful and conclusive talks”…
Trump told reporters in the Oval Office this afternoon that “we’re dealing with the right people” in Iran because they “gave us a present, and the present arrived today. It was a very big present worth a tremendous amount of money,” but would only tease that it was “oil and gas related.” Asked if he is negotiating over who will control the Strait of Hormuz, Trump said, “No … we’ll have control of anything we want”…
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has encouraged Trump to continue the campaign against Iran and push towards toppling the regime, The New York Times reports, believing that Iran’s threat to the Gulf will only be removed through the transition of its government and not if the war results in a failed state. MBS has reportedly argued in favor of striking Iran’s energy infrastructure and putting U.S. troops on the ground…
The Pentagon is expected to announce the deployment of about 3,000 soldiers from the military’s 82nd Airborne Division to participate in the campaign against Iran, The Wall Street Journal reports, a move that opens the possibilities for boots on the ground, as the division is trained to parachute into hostile territory…
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said today that the IDF will now maintain control over a security zone south of the Litani River in Lebanon and prevent the return of Lebanese residents who have been evacuated from the area “until the security of northern [Israeli] residents is assured”…
Lebanese Minister of Foreign Affairs Youssef Raggi declared Iran’s ambassador to Beirut persona non grata and expelled him from the country, as Iranian proxy Hezbollah continues to fire on Israel against the Lebanese government’s orders.
Shortly after, an Iranian ballistic missile was launched towards Beirut for the first time — it was reportedly intercepted by a “foreign naval vessel,” presumably the U.S., though fragments struck Lebanese towns…
Secretary of State Marco Rubio is being dispatched to France later this week to discuss the Iran war, among other issues, with the U.S.’ G7 allies, including Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy and Japan, countries that have all declined to participate in the war effort…
Majed al-Ansari, spokesperson for the Qatari foreign ministry, said today that Qatar is not involved in mediating any U.S.-Iran negotiations, a shift for the country that has traditionally played the part of go-between. Al-Ansari said there has been no communication between Doha and Tehran since a phone call early in the conflict when Qatar made clear its anger with Iranian strikes on its territory…
Politico reports that several 2028 Democratic presidential hopefuls said they wouldn’t or haven’t taken money from AIPAC, including Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ), California Gov. Gavin Newsom, Sen. Ruben Gallego (D-AZ), Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, Sen. Elissa Slotkin (D-MI) and former Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel.
But while framing the statements as rejections of AIPAC and Israel, the outlet buried or declined to mention Booker’s rebuke of the Democratic Party’s singling out of the pro-Israel group, several respondents’ inability to accept funds from AIPAC since it only participates in congressional elections and Newsom’s own about-face on Israel, where in the same publication he walked back critical comments he’s made and said he’s “proud to support the state.”
AIPAC said in response that it has “never given to a presidential campaign” and that “singling out and excluding millions of pro-Israel Democrats” who are AIPAC members “is wrong and undemocratic”…
Michael Sacks — a prominent Democratic donor and supporter of former President Barack Obama who chaired the 2024 Democratic National Convention host committee — denounced Democratic criticism of AIPAC as a “thinly disguised effort to make support for Israel politically toxic in the Democratic Party, to chase Jews and their allies out of our big tent coalition.”
Sacks wrote in the Chicago Tribune, “Real leadership recognizes that we can hold complicated views about the Israeli government and still refuse to make Jewish identity and pro-Israel sentiment a political disqualifier in our party. We can defend the big tent when it is inconvenient, not just when it is easy”…
Jonathan Cowan, president of the moderate Democratic think tank Third Way, condemned far-left Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed for his upcoming rallies with antisemitic streamer Hasan Piker, Jewish Insider’s Danielle Cohen-Kanik reports.
“It is morally repugnant and strategically self-defeating for Democrats like Abdul El-Sayed and Members of Congress like Summer Lee to cozy up to antisemitic extremists like Hasan Piker,” Cowan said in a statement. “Anyone eager to campaign with Hasan Piker is, at best, comfortable overlooking his antisemitic and anti-American extremism and, at worst, endorsing it”…
El-Sayed stood by his controversial statement about the shooting attack at Temple Israel in suburban Detroit earlier this month, in which he condemned the attack but blamed Israel’s military campaign in Lebanon for the perpetrator’s actions (the attacker’s brother was a Hezbollah commander).
The statement “was a risk,” El-Sayed said on an internal campaign call, per Punchbowl News, “but leadership is being willing to say the thing if you believe it to be true that nobody else is going to say”…
⏩ Tomorrow’s Agenda, Today
An early look at tomorrow’s storylines and schedule to keep you a step ahead
Keep an eye out in Jewish Insider for coverage of another war powers resolution expected to receive a vote this evening in the Senate.
President Donald Trump will give the keynote speech at the National Republican Congressional Committee’s annual President’s Dinner in Washington.
The House Homeland Security Committee will hold a hearing assessing the impact of the Department of Homeland Security shutdown, as lawmakers make progress on negotiations to fund the agency.
D.C. councilmember and mayoral candidate Janeese Lewis George will rally alongside other members of the Democratic Socialists of America including Squad-member Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI), days after Lewis George held a private meeting with Jewish leaders to apologize for saying in a DSA questionnaire she would boycott events “promoting Zionism” and avoid the “Zionist lobby.”
Scholar of Jewish literature Ruth Wisse will deliver the annual Jefferson Lecture in the Humanities, the highest honor the federal government gives for intellectual achievement in the humanities, at the Kennedy Center in Washington.
The FII PRIORITY Summit, a high-profile investment and policy conference, will kick off in Miami, with speakers over the rest of the week including Trump; Donald Trump Jr.; Jared Kushner; White House Special Envoy Steve Witkoff; Dina Powell McCormick, president of Meta; Saudi Ambassador to the U.S. Princess Reema Bandar Al Saud; former Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin; Massad Boulos, senior White House advisor on the Middle East; and many more.
The Conservative Political Action Conference, known as CPAC, also begins tomorrow in Dallas.
The Jewish Book Council will hold the 75th National Jewish Book Awards Gala, hosted by entertainer Jonah Platt, at Temple Emanu-El in New York City.
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SECOND ACT
Former Rep. Jamaal Bowman finds work with Track AIPAC
The ousted New York lawmaker consulted for the far-left PAC, which is partially funded by Don Henley of The Eagles
PAIN TO POWER
From WhatsApp chats to City Hall, a new Jewish activism is born
In the wake of Oct. 7, some in the Jewish community turned to faith, philanthropy or federal advocacy. Others set their sights closer to home, organizing to shape school boards and influence city councils
Plus, Jewish activists look local to fight for their values
Michael Brochstein/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images
Ron Dermer, Israeli ambassador to the United States, seen speaking at an AIPAC Policy Conference in Washington, DC.
👋 Good Tuesday morning!
In today’s Daily Kickoff, we look at how Israel is responding to the Trump administration’s openness to negotiations with Iran, and spotlight the post-Oct. 7 rise in grassroots Jewish activist groups that seek to educate local officials and candidates about issues of importance to the Jewish community. We have the scoop on a private apology from a Washington, D.C., mayoral candidate to local Jewish leaders over her pledge to the Democratic Socialists of America to boycott Zionist events, and report on former Rep. Jamaal Bowman’s work with Citizens Against AIPAC Corruption, whose “AIPAC Tracker” targets candidates who have accepted campaign funds from a range of pro-Israel groups. Also in today’s Daily Kickoff: Sen. Richard Blumenthal, Nathan Benaich and Eli Wald.
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
- Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-OK) was confirmed last night as secretary of Homeland Security in a 54-45 vote, with Sens. John Fetterman (D-PA) and Martin Heinrich (D-NM) voting for Mullin and Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) voting against. He’ll be sworn in later this morning.
- Meanwhile, lawmakers on both sides of the aisle signaled movement toward resolving the stalemate over Department of Homeland Security funding after a group of Republicans spoke to President Donald Trump about the issue.
- The Hill & Valley Forum is taking place today in Washington. Jacob Helberg, a co-founder of the forum now serving as the State Department’s undersecretary of state for economic affairs, will kick off the daylong confab this morning, while House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) will deliver the keynote address in the afternoon. Others slated to speak at Hill & Valley include U.S. International Development Finance Corporation CEO Ben Black, NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman, Sens. Mike Rounds (R-SD), Chris Coons (D-DE), Maria Cantwell (D-WA), Todd Young (R-IN), Jim Banks (R-IN), Rick Scott (R-FL) and Mark Warner (D-VA); Reps. Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ), John Moolenaar (R-MI) and Riley Moore (R-WV); Palantir’s Mike Gallagher (himself a former member of Congress), JPMorgan Chase’s Jamie Dimon, Sequoia’s Shaun Maguire and Base Power Company’s Zach Dell.
What You Should Know
A QUICK WORD WITH JI’S LAHAV HARKOV
“We will safeguard our vital interests under all circumstances,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Monday, hours after President Donald Trump announced that the U.S. would suspend strikes on Iranian energy facilities to start negotiations.
In a Hebrew video statement, Netanyahu tried to reassure the Israeli public that the war would end in a way that made the previous three weeks — in which they, not Americans, ran with their children to bomb shelters multiple times a day — worth it. He vowed that Israel would be “continuing to strike in both Iran and Lebanon.”
“Earlier today, I spoke with our friend, President Trump,” Netanyahu said. “President Trump believes there is an opportunity to leverage the tremendous achievements we have reached alongside the U.S. military to realize the goals of the war through an agreement, an agreement that will safeguard our vital interests.”
Behind the scenes, however, the phone call was not enough to reassure Jerusalem that Washington had its interests in mind, and Netanyahu dispatched his closest advisor, Ron Dermer, to deter the Trump administration from reaching a “not good” deal, Israel’s Channel 12 reported.
Note the word choice: “not good.” If negotiations are genuine and this is not another mind game by the Trump administration, Israeli officials were not so optimistic in their briefings to Jewish Insider and Israeli media as to say there could be a good outcome from a deal that, de facto, would continue to recognize the mullahs’ regime — but perhaps a disaster could be averted.
Netanyahu used the term “vital interests” twice in his statement. The top interest on Dermer’s list is ensuring that the 440 kg of highly enriched uranium, the material that Iran boasted to White House Special Envoy Steve Witkoff was enough for 11 bombs, would be removed from Iran. According to Ynet, Witkoff made this demand clear, raising his voice on the phone to Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi before the latter’s first overture last week to return to the negotiating table.
PAIN TO POWER
From WhatsApp chats to City Hall, a new Jewish activism is born
A new class of Jewish American activists has emerged since the Oct, 7, 2023, Hamas attacks on Israel: people who were disappointed by the apathy or even outright hostility that some co-workers, teachers, neighbors and local elected officials demonstrated towards Jews and Israelis suffering in the aftermath of the massacres and who felt no one was doing what was needed to reach those leaders, Jewish Insider’s Gabby Deutch reports.
Meeting a need: “Even when we have special elections for things that seem totally unrelated, like the county assessor, which is in charge of property taxes and things like that, at this point, people are reaching out to us and saying, ‘Who do we vote for?’” said Bay Area Jewish Coalition co-founder Keren-Or Reiss, who was born in Israel and now lives in San Mateo, Calif., where she works as a product manager at a tech company. “Is there someone here who’s going to somehow use this platform to spread hate or to normalize antisemitism against us?”
SCOOP
DSA-backed D.C. mayoral candidate apologizes privately to Jewish leaders over pledging to boycott Zionist events
Janeese Lewis George, a Democratic Socialists of America-endorsed candidate for mayor of Washington, D.C., met with prominent local rabbis and Jewish community leaders last week amid fallout over a DSA questionnaire she filled out outlining her views on Israel and antisemitism, that was made public last month, two sources familiar with the meeting told Jewish Insider’s Gabby Deutch.
Questionnaire controversy: In the questionnaire, Lewis George pledged not to attend events focused on “promoting Zionism and apartheid.” She also said that she had attended a D.C. Jewish Community Relations Council event in December only to talk about opposing Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s deportation measures in the region, and that she did not agree with JCRC’s stances on Israel, Zionism and antisemitism. At the meeting, at the Orthodox Ohev Sholom Congregation in Shepherd Park, Lewis George apologized for her statements in the questionnaire, one of the event’s attendees told JI, and cried when someone in the meeting described feeling hurt by her answers in the questionnaire.
Bonus: In the Washington Jewish Week, Jewish Community Relations Council of Greater Washington CEO Ron Halber raises concerns about the DSA’s questionnaire, calling it “an outrageous and revolting display of religious discrimination. Candidates should not engage with this anti-Jewish loyalty oath, and candidates who have received the DSA endorsement should disavow it.”
SECOND ACT
Former Rep. Jamaal Bowman finds work with Track AIPAC
Former Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D-NY), who lost his bid for reelection in 2024 largely over his hostile views on Israel, now appears to be working for a political action committee linked to a radical anti-AIPAC social media account — a committee funded in part by soft-rock icon Don Henley, Jewish Insider’s Will Bredderman reports.
Paper trail: The latest disclosure filings from Citizens Against AIPAC Corruption, one of two PACs tied to the X account AIPAC Tracker and website Track AIPAC, show that it paid $7,000 to a Yonkers, N.Y.-based firm called JAB Advocates for “General Campaign Consulting.” JAB does not appear to be a registered company in New York, but its address in the filing belongs to Bowman, who lost a primary challenge for his seat covering parts of the Bronx and Westchester County to Rep. George Latimer (D-NY) in 2024. Bowman’s LinkedIn identifies him as JAB Advocates’ “Founder & Principal.”
BACKTRACK BLAKE
Ritchie Torres challenger Michael Blake flip-flops on BDS stance
Michael Blake, a far-left primary challenger to Rep. Ritchie Torres (D-NY) who has grounded his challenge largely in criticism of Torres’ pro-Israel stance, flipped his view on the anti-Israel Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement during his campaign, Jewish Insider’s Marc Rod and Will Bredderman report.
Flip-flop: In January, at a candidate forum, Blake affirmed his opposition to the BDS movement and highlighted anti-BDS legislation he helped sponsor as a state assemblyman. But in an X post on Friday, he reversed his position on the issue. “I oppose efforts that punish [BDS movement] participation,” Blake said on X. “My previous support of NY bills was wrong b/c I didn’t understand the harm incl. the ‘Palestine exception’ on speech & academic freedom for Palestinian rights. Gov’t must protect Free speech & reject retaliation & fear.”
POLICY REBUKE
Sen. Richard Blumenthal decries ‘stupid’ decision to ease Iranian oil sanctions
Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) lambasted the Trump administration for lifting sanctions on some Iranian oil last week, allowing the sale of 140 million barrels of oil currently at sea in a bid to bring down oil prices globally and potentially netting Iran $14 billion, Jewish Insider’s Marc Rod reports.
What he said: “The irony is, we worked so hard to get those sanctions imposed and Republicans pushed so diligently, and now literally in the flick of a pen, [President Donald] Trump lifts them with very little benefit to consumers in America and tremendous boost to Iran and Russia, both of them trying to kill our troops and saying ‘death to America’ and ‘death to Israel,’” Blumenthal told JI.
No comment: Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) did not directly address whether the degradation of Iran’s military infrastructure should be viewed as a positive outcome, instead emphasizing the war’s potential economic and geopolitical consequences, when asked by MS NOW’s Joe Scarborough on Monday’s edition of “Morning Joe” whether that degradation was a “good thing.”
CLEARED FIELD
N.J. progressive Analilia Mejia will not face serious Dem opposition in primary
Analilia Mejia, a progressive activist and organizer who won a surprise victory in the special election primary in New Jersey’s 11th Congressional District, looks to be on track to win the district’s regular election Democratic primary after several of her potential opponents declined to run, Jewish Insider’s Marc Rod reports.
Dropping out: Former Lt. Gov. Tahesha Way announced Sunday that she won’t run against Mejia for the seat, leaving Mejia with no major Democratic competition; other moderate candidates in the special election primary also declined to run again, and Assemblywoman Rosaura Bagolie briefly considered a run, but decided not to pursue a bid as elected Democrats in the state quickly coalesced behind Mejia. Way was the favorite of pro-Israel groups in the primary. Several of the other Democratic special election candidates pledged not to run for the full term if they lost the special election — but Way had not made such a promise.
Worthy Reads
The Mullahs’ Messenger: The Wall Street Journal’s Laurence Norman spotlights Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, who has led Tehran’s negotiations with the West on a variety of issues, including the nuclear talks that preceded the start of the war last month. “In the months leading up to the U.S. and Israeli campaign, senior Arab officials say Araghchi flitted between openness, at times joining friendly dinners, and menacing by appearing to imply Iran might attack its neighbors. At one point, he told Saudi officials that Iran would target the United Arab Emirates, which has an open split with Riyadh, if war broke out. At other moments, he suggested the kingdom was also in Iran’s sights if it didn’t prod Washington away from war, the officials said. Tehran eventually attacked both.” [WSJ]
Droning On: The Washington Post’s Damir Marusic considers how Iran’s use of mass-produced, low-cost weaponry could affect how the Pentagon plans for future military conflicts. “The Shaheds detonating around the Persian Gulf underline the point that the era of relying purely on exquisite, expensive weapons is over. Watching cheap drones tear apart Ukraine’s Western-provided air defenses should have been a wake-up call, but the problem remained theoretical. Washington carefully rationed what was sent to the Ukrainians without asking difficult questions about U.S. arsenals. Now, by depleting existing stocks, Trump is forcing the reckoning: Just how will the U.S. rebuild?” [WashPost]
Open Season: In UnHerd, Ben Judah, who served as special advisor to former U.K. Foreign Minister David Lammy, reflects on the recent instances of violent antisemitism targeting Diaspora Jewry, including in his community in London. “A war is being waged against the Jewish diaspora. It is being waged with bombs, shootings, harassment and intimidation. The attacks, and the fear of them, are a small side plot in a great Middle Eastern War. … Yet more than fear, I feel disappointment. For if ever me and my son, or any of us who pray here, were butchered by a gunman shouting ‘Free Palestine,’ many Western activists would equivocate, contextualize, or even say it served us right.” [UnHerd]
Word on the Street
Under Secretary of State for Economic Affairs Jacob Helberg said that the U.S. plans to contribute $250 million to a supply chain investment fund — part of the White House’s Pax Silica initiative — whose other participants include the United Arab Emirates, Israel and Qatar….
The Telegraph reports that outposts of British private schools based in Qatar are using course materials that whitewash the Holocaust…
Wesam Hassanein, who served as Vice President JD Vance’s Middle East affairs advisor, is departing government to join the lobbying firm Continental Strategy LLC; Hassanein said that he was “not leaving because I oppose the president’s decision on Iran — I’m 100% supportive of President Trump’s decision to deny Iran nuclear weapons,” adding, “We should have done what President Trump is doing years ago”…
President Donald Trump declined to say on Monday if he knew whether Joe Kent, who stepped down last week as director of the National Counterterrorism Center in protest of the war in Iran, was leaking classified information amid reports he is under investigation by the FBI for doing so, Jewish Insider’s Emily Jacobs reports…
Speaking at CERAWeek in Houston, former Defense Secretary James Mattis said the U.S. is “in a tough spot … and I can’t identify a lot of good options” regarding the situation in the Strait of Hormuz…
The Wall Street Journal looks at how Trump’s decision to enter talks with Iran — after giving Tehran a 48-hour deadline to reopen the Strait of Hormuz over the weekend — came about following a series of quiet talks among Arab states looking to find an off-ramp to the conflict, even as those countries remained skeptical that a quick end to the war was in sight…
In response to former French diplomat Gérard Araud’s comment that the United Arab Emirates — which has received the brunt of Iranian missile attacks since the start of the war — was “deepening your dependence on a country that has led yours into a disastrous conflict without caring about your interests,” Emirati Foreign Minister Abdullah bin Zayed replied, “We will never be blackmailed by terrorists”…
ABZ’s comments come as Gulf states, including the UAE and Saudi Arabia, reportedly consider becoming more deeply involved in the fight against Iran…
The Associated Press spotlights how surveillance systems have been increasingly used as a tool in warfare, spotlighting Israel’s access to Tehran’s network of street cameras, which allowed the IDF to conduct strikes that eliminated much of Iran’s top leadership on the first day of the war…
Politico profiles Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, who is quietly being considered by the Trump administration for a leadership role in a post-regime Iran…
The Financial Times explores how Palantir is becoming a “flashpoint” in midterm campaigns around the U.S. due to its work with federal immigration officials, prompting some sitting members of Congress and candidates with previous ties to the data intelligence firm to distance themselves…
In an interview with Politico, in which he was asked if he is a Zionist, California Gov. Gavin Newsom said he “revere[s]” the state of Israel” and is “proud to support” the Jewish state, but “deeply, deeply” opposes Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s leadership and indulgence of the far right. He also clarified that he does not consider Israel an apartheid state, and that his use of the phrase was in reference to a column by The New York Times’ Tom Friedman…
Estée Lauder is in talks with Spanish beauty conglomerate Puig to potentially merge into a single $40 billion company…
Nathan Benaich’s Air Street Capital raised $232 million for a new fund as it focuses on AI investments…
The Justice Department announced two new investigations against Harvard University — one probing the school’s compliance with a 2023 ruling striking down the use of affirmative action in admissions, and the other looking into complaints of antisemitism…
The New York Times looks at the rollout of a new initiative in dozens of New York City public schools to teach Jewish and Muslim American history…
Yad Vashem Chairman Dani Dayan met with Pope Leo XIV on Monday at the Vatican; Dayan gifted the pontiff a reproduction of Belgian-Jewish artist Carol Deutsch’s “Where Art Thou?” that was painted before Deutsch was murdered at Buchenwald in 1944…
BlueFuture LLC founder Eli Wald is joining Democratic Majority for Israel as chief development officer…
Venture capitalist Leonid Radvinsky, who acquired ownership of the OnlyFans website in 2018, died at 43…
David Simon, known as the “mall king” for leading his family’s real estate companies through three decades that saw the firm acquire more than 200 retail properties, died at 64…
Pic of the Day
U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer (third from left) met on Monday with representatives of London’s Jewish community hours after four Hatzola ambulances were set on fire in an antisemitic attack.
Birthdays
Former CEO of Microsoft, he is the owner of the NBA’s Los Angeles Clippers, Steve Ballmer turns 70…
Beverly Hills-based estate planning attorney, Ronald M. Kabrins turns 88… Co-owner of Baltimore-based Bond Distributing Company until 2022, Rochelle “Ronnie” Footlick… Member of the House of Lords and star of the U.K.’s version of “The Apprentice,” he was the chairman of Tottenham Hotspur, Baron Alan Sugar turns 79… Film and television actress and director, Donna Gail Pescow turns 72… Attorney in Tarzana, Calif., Paul Marshall Leven… AIPAC and Jewish community activist in Austin, Deborah E. Rudy… Owner of Joslynda Capital, Michael Weiss… Veteran of four NASA space shuttle missions, he had a mezuzah on his bunk in the space shuttle, Scott Jay “Doc” Horowitz turns 69… Professor emerita of art history at Hofstra University and widely published poet, Martha Hollander turns 67… Professional wrestler under a series of ring names including “The Star of David,” his wrestling career spanned from 1979-2000, Barry Horowitz turns 66… Former president of American Jewish University, the Newseum and Colgate University, Jeffrey Herbst turns 65… CEO of The Female Quotient, Shelley Zalis… Former official at UJA-Federation of New York and JDC, now at NYC’s 92NY, Laura Spitzer… Actor who is best known for his roles on the Fox medical drama series “House” and the USA Network’s science fiction drama “Colony,” Peter Jacobson turns 61… Founding partner and chief strategy officer at The Quiet Co., Fred Menachem… Veteran Israel-based journalist, now working for The Jerusalem Report, Ruth Marks Eglash… Actress, she appeared in every film of the “American Pie” film series from 1999-2012, Alyson Hannigan turns 52… Special counsel at Sullivan & Cromwell, Aharon Friedman… Chairman and CEO of Dorshei Torah v’Tzion and senior rabbi of the Hudson Yards Synagogue, Rabbi Jason Herman turns 49… Actor best known for his role as FBI Special Agent Aram Mojtabai in NBC’s “The Blacklist,” Amir Arison turns 48… Director of marketing at Window Nation, Eric Goldscher… Executive editor at Bloomberg Green, a vertical and print magazine focused on climate change, Aaron Rutkoff… Famed NYC photographer now working for the MTA, he is known for wearing vintage suits and hats daily, Marc A. Hermann turns 44… Pitching coach at San Jacinto College, he pitched for Team Israel in the 2017 World Baseball Classic and in the 2020 Olympics, Josh Zeid turns 39… Director of communications at the U.S. Global Leadership Coalition, Joshua D. Cohen… Venezuelan-born featured celebrity chef, she is a caterer and a private chef in Los Angeles, Deborah Benaim turns 38… Growth strategist at Fun and Function, Jenna Nelson Beltser… Three-time all-star hockey player, most recently with PWHL Boston of the Professional Women’s Hockey League, Kaleigh Fratkin turns 34… Former COO at Bnai Zion Media, Justin B. Hayet… Competitive pair skater for Israel at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, now a software development engineer for Amazon Web Services, Andrea “Anya” Davidovich turns 29…
Behind the scenes, the phone call between Trump and Netanyahu was not enough to reassure Jerusalem that Washington had its interests in mind
Roberto Schmidt/Getty Images
U.S. President Donald Trump speaks to reporters before boarding Air Force One at Palm Beach International Airport on March 23, 2026 in West Palm Beach, Florida.
“We will safeguard our vital interests under all circumstances,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Monday, hours after President Donald Trump announced that the U.S. would suspend strikes on Iranian energy facilities to start negotiations.
In a Hebrew video statement, Netanyahu tried to reassure the Israeli public that the war would end in a way that made the previous three weeks — in which they, not Americans, ran with their children to bomb shelters multiple times a day — worth it. He vowed that Israel would be “continuing to strike in both Iran and Lebanon.”
“Earlier today, I spoke with our friend, President Trump,” Netanyahu said. “President Trump believes there is an opportunity to leverage the tremendous achievements we have reached alongside the U.S. military to realize the goals of the war through an agreement, an agreement that will safeguard our vital interests.”
Behind the scenes, however, the phone call was not enough to reassure Jerusalem that Washington had its interests in mind, and Netanyahu dispatched his closest advisor, Ron Dermer, to deter the Trump administration from reaching a “not good” deal, Israel’s Channel 12 reported.
Note the word choice: “not good.” If negotiations are genuine and this is not another mind game by the Trump administration, Israeli officials were not so optimistic in their briefings to Jewish Insider and other Israeli media as to say there could be a good outcome from a deal that, de facto, would continue to recognize the mullahs’ regime — but perhaps a disaster could be averted.
Netanyahu used the term “vital interests” twice in his statement. The top interest on Dermer’s list is ensuring that the 440 kg of highly enriched uranium, the material that Iran boasted to White House Special Envoy Steve Witkoff was enough for 11 bombs, would be removed from Iran. According to Ynet, Witkoff made this demand clear, raising his voice on the phone to Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi before the latter’s first overture last week to return to the negotiating table.
Arguably, this war succeeded in its other aim of significantly diminishing the ballistic missile threat from Iran. The IDF and Netanyahu said last week that the Islamic Republic’s missile production capability has been destroyed. The White House said, “Iran’s ballistic missile capacity is functionally destroyed.” Yet Iran has hundreds of missiles that it continues to shoot, along with drones, at Israel and Gulf states each day. Plus, as IDF international spokesperson Lt. Col. Nadav Shoshani pointed out to JI last week, the Islamic Republic could engage in the “hyper-production” of ballistic missiles after the war, as it did following last year’s 12-day June war.
Neither Trump nor Netanyahu went so far in their statements in the last month to promise regime change; they generally said it was up to the Iranian people to take to the streets. Yet, Trump has claimed that regime change has happened because so many Iranian leaders have been killed. The Israeli position is more like what former Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman described on X: “The murderous Iranian regime does not hide its determination to destroy the State of Israel. We cannot leave an injured enemy that is only looking for revenge. We have a historic opportunity to solve the problem and topple the Ayatollahs’ regime. Otherwise, we’ll be back for another round with a much higher price.”
Which brings us to Netanyahu’s statement that Israel is “continuing to strike in both Iran and Lebanon.” He continued: “We are smashing the missile program and the nuclear program, and we continue to deal severe blows to Hezbollah.”
Israel is not the only country that views the fight as incomplete; Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates in recent days took further steps to support the U.S. in its fight against Iran, The Wall Street Journal reported. Riyadh let the U.S. use one of its air bases and the UAE shut down Iranian assets, warning it could freeze billions more dollars. Bahrain submitted a draft U.N. Security Council resolution calling to use force to keep the Strait of Hormuz open, Reuters reported.
Whether that will continue to be true if Trump makes a deal with the Islamic Republic, and whether the war in Lebanon will be able to go on as long as Israel seeks to push Hezbollah off of Israel’s border for the long term, remains to be seen.
In the past year, there have been instances of dissonance between the U.S. and Israeli timelines and war goals: There was the Witkoff-brokered deal with the Houthis, which surprised Jerusalem and only stopped attacks on U.S. ships, not strikes on Israeli civilian centers; and the end to last June’s 12-day war, when Israel sought to respond to an Iranian breach of the ceasefire, and Trump responded with an f-bomb and public demand that Israel stop.
This could be the third time in the past year that Trump reaches a deal, stymying Israel before its leadership felt the time was ripe to end the fight.
Plus, GOP losing hope in unseating Ossoff
Roberto Schmidt/Getty Images
President Donald Trump speaks to reporters before boarding Air Force One at Palm Beach International Airport on March 23, 2026 in West Palm Beach, Florida.
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📡On Our Radar
Notable developments and interesting tidbits we’re tracking
President Donald Trump revealed today that White House Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and advisor Jared Kushner have been negotiating with Iran amid the ongoing war, Jewish Insider’s Emily Jacobs reports, which played a role in Trump’s decision to delay by five days potential strikes on Iranian energy infrastructure.
“We have had very strong talks,” Trump told reporters. “Mr. Witkoff and Mr. Kushner had them. They went, I would say, perfectly. If they carry through with that, it’ll end that problem.” But the president kept the option of continued military action open: “If it goes well, we’re going to end up with settling this. Otherwise, we’ll just keep bombing our little hearts out,” he said.
At an event in Tennessee this afternoon, Trump added, “My whole life has been a negotiation, but with Iran we’ve been negotiating for a long time, and this time they mean business” and claimed the U.S. has taken out 90% of Iran’s missile launchers…
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a video statement that he spoke with Trump today about the negotiations, which the president believes could result in “an agreement that will safeguard our vital interests.”
“At the same time,” Netanyahu said, Israel is continuing to strike targets in Iran and Lebanon; the IDF announced it had struck several “regime headquarters” in Tehran and CENTCOM also said it continues “to aggressively strike Iranian military targets with precision munitions”…
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) declined to directly address whether the degradation of Iran’s military infrastructure should be viewed as a positive outcome, JI’s Matthew Shea reports, instead emphasizing the war’s potential economic and geopolitical consequences.
Asked on MS NOW’s “Morning Joe” if the degradation is a “good thing,” Schumer said it’s a “premature question. What is going to happen in the next several months? Is it worth it? Will the world economy collapse? … If you ask the American people, if you have the choice of degrading the military structure in Iran, but having gasoline be $6 a gallon and our economy falling into a deep recession where millions lose their job, what do you think?”…
The New York Times reports on the apparent failure of a plan by the Mossad to foment internal Iranian rebellion that could lead to the overthrow of the regime amid the ongoing war, as American and Israeli intelligence indicates the regime is weakened but intact…
UAE Foreign Minister Abdullah bin Zayed said Abu Dhabi will “never be blackmailed by terrorists,” in response to a post from French diplomat Gérard Araud who called the UAE’s further embrace of the U.S. amid bombardment from Iran “strange”…
The Associated Press examines Israel’s use of Iran’s network of surveillance cameras to carry out intelligence operations including the assassination of former Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei…
Asked if former intelligence official Joe Kent was leaking classified information, as he is reportedly under investigation by the FBI for doing, Trump said “that’s possible,” and largely derided Kent for his failed congressional campaigns and for remarrying “quickly” after his first wife was killed in 2019 while serving in Syria.
“I felt badly for him, so I told my people, ‘Reach out to him, give him a job at the White House.’ This is the thanks I get,” Trump told reporters. He also dismissed Kent’s opposition to the Iran war as an effort “to get publicity”…
Heritage Foundation President Kevin Roberts said that internal MAGA divisions over the Iran war, like those espoused by Kent, are “good” for the movement. “As it relates to tensions in the movement or disagreements about national security, actually, it’s good that those exist,” he told The Hill. But, Roberts said, he believes Trump “has executed [the war] perfectly, including not involving untrustworthy European, quote, unquote allies in the conversation”…
Politico looks at the decision of pro-Israel groups including AIPAC and the Republican Jewish Coalition not to spend money against Texas congressional candidate Brandon Herrera as they did during his first run for Congress, despite Herrera’s history of extreme views and antisemitic rhetoric. Trump endorsed Herrera last week after Rep. Tony Gonzales (R-TX) withdrew from the race…
New filings from the Federal Election Commission show that two super PACs rumored to be established by pro-Israel groups during the Illinois Democratic primaries were primarily funded by United Democracy Project, the AIPAC-affiliated super PAC, which spent more than $5.3 million through Elect Chicago Women and Affordable Chicago Now.
Among the other major donors who backed the two groups was prominent Democratic philanthropist Michael Sacks, who had lamented the rising “Jew hate” among candidates who refused to take money from donors affiliated with AIPAC earlier in the election…
Republicans are quietly losing hope in their ability to defeat Sen. Jon Ossoff (D-GA), a seat which the GOP had named as one of its main targets to flip, The Washington Post reports. “This guy’s no slouch,” Rep. Buddy Carter (R-GA), running in the GOP primary, told a crowd of Republican voters, calling Ossoff “articulate” and “handsome.”
Jewish leaders in Georgia told JI last year that Ossoff was making amends with their community after he had voted to block some aid to Israel, though the Jewish lawmaker is now drawing fresh controversy by adopting Rep. Ro Khanna’s (D-CA) rhetoric about the “Epstein class,” which some have identified as antisemitic…
⏩ Tomorrow’s Agenda, Today
An early look at tomorrow’s storylines and schedule to keep you a step ahead
Keep an eye out in Jewish Insider for a look at how the aftermath of the Oct. 7 attacks has sparked a wave of grassroots Jewish political activism across the U.S., as community members organize locally — from city councils to school boards — to respond to rising antisemitism and shape down-ballot races.
The Hill & Valley Forum, a summit focused on connecting government and the tech and innovation industries, will hold its annual gathering in Washington tomorrow with opening remarks by its co-founder, Jacob Helberg, now under secretary of state for economic affairs. Ahead of the summit, Helberg announced today that the U.S. will contribute $250 million alongside a consortium of countries involved in the Pax Silica initiative to invest in energy projects and critical minerals.
Also speaking tomorrow are Sens. Mike Rounds (R-SD), Chris Coons (D-DE), Todd Young (R-IN), Maria Cantwell (D-WA), Jim Banks (R-IN), Rick Scott (R-FL) and Mark Warner (D-VA); House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA); Reps. Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ) and John Moolenaar (R-MI); OpenAI COO Brad Lightcap; JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon; NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman; Palantir CTO Shyam Sankar; Michael Duffey, under secretary of defense for acquisition and sustainment; and Ben Black, CEO of the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation.
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IVY LEAGUE INQUIRY
Report on declining Jewish enrollment at Harvard raises alarm and sparks debate
The report’s author argued Harvard has been ‘ambivalent’ about its decreasing Jewish population, while other Jewish leaders cast doubt on its findings
He also said he was ‘not a fan’ of the former intelligence official and that he offered him the job after Kent’s failed congressional campaigns and the loss of his wife
Mandel NGAN / AFP via Getty Images
President Donald Trump speaks to the press upon returning to Joint Base Andrews in Maryland on January 13, 2026.
President Donald Trump declined to say on Monday if he knew whether Joe Kent, who stepped down last week as director of the National Counterterrorism Center in protest of the war in Iran, was leaking classified information amid reports he is under investigation by the FBI for doing so.
Trump made the comments while speaking to reporters from Palm Beach International Airport before boarding Air Force One, after being asked if he knew whether Kent was leaking classified materials. The president repeatedly derided Kent, a former Green Beret, for remarrying “quickly” after his first wife was killed in 2019 while serving in Syria and for his failed congressional campaigns.
“Now, I hear they’re looking at him for leaking. That’s possible,” Trump said, referencing Kent potentially being under FBI investigation. “But just so you understand, just to put it to rest, he lost twice badly. He also lost his wife. He’s remarried since. He lost his wife. I felt badly for him, so I told my people, ‘Reach out to him, give him a job at the White House.’ This is the thanks I get.”
“I take this guy, Joe Kent, who lost twice for Congress, pretty badly and tough, and he was devastated, and I know that he lost his wife,” he continued. “So instead of letting him live out his life, I brilliantly had my people call him and offer him a job in security, essentially, in the White House. And what does he do? He goes out and he says that Iran is not a threat, to get publicity.”
Trump explained that he is “not a fan” of Kent, criticizing him for what the president described as an ideological pivot on Iran policy. “He was all for everything. All of a sudden, he wasn’t,” Trump said. He also said he did not engage much with Kent and did not follow him on social media.
“I didn’t deal with him for the most part. I saw him a couple of times, but I never dealt with him at all. I had no idea his ideology was left or right, whatever it is,” Trump said. “I can say this: He said very strongly that Iran is not a threat. Iran has been a threat for 47 years and there’s not a country in the world that doesn’t agree with me on that.”
Media reports began circulating last Wednesday that the FBI began investigating Kent weeks ago, prior to his departure from the Trump administration, for allegedly leaking classified information related to Israel and Iran. Following his resignation, administration officials quickly began describing Kent as “a known leaker” who had been kept out of the president’s orbit and excluded from briefings.
The backchannel diplomacy led Trump to postpone potential strikes against Iran’s energy infrastructure
Roberto Schmidt/Getty Images
President Donald Trump speaks to reporters before boarding Air Force One at Palm Beach International Airport on March 23, 2026 in West Palm Beach, Florida.
President Donald Trump revealed on Monday that White House Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and advisor Jared Kushner have been negotiating with Iran amid the ongoing war, which played a role in Trump’s decision to delay by five days potential strikes on Iranian energy infrastructure in response to Iran’s threat to fully close the Strait of Hormuz.
“We have had very, very strong talks. We’ll see where they lead. We have major points of agreement, I would say almost all points of agreement. Perhaps that hasn’t been conveyed. The communication, as you know, has been blown to pieces. They were unable to talk to each other,” Trump told reporters from Palm Beach International Airport before boarding Air Force One.
“But we have had very strong talks,” Trump added. “Mr. Witkoff and Mr. Kushner had them. They went, I would say, perfectly. If they carry through with that, it’ll end that problem, that conflict, and I think it’ll end it very, very substantially.”
“We’re going to get together today, by probably phone because it’s very hard to find a country, it’s very hard for them to get out. But we’ll at some point very soon meet. We’re doing a five-day period. We’ll see how that goes,” Trump continued.
But the president kept the option of continued military action open: “If it goes well, we’re going to end up with settling this. Otherwise, we’ll just keep bombing our little hearts out,” he said.
Trump’s comments came hours after he announced that he was delaying his planned attacks on Iranian energy targets by five days based on the parties’ “very good and productive conversations regarding a complete and total resolution of our hostilities in the Middle East,” which he said will continue over the course of the week. The president announced the pivot about 12 hours before his 48-hour deadline to the Islamic Republic was set to expire.
Any future military action, Trump wrote, will be determined “subject to the success of the ongoing meetings and discussions.”
Axios reported on Monday morning that Turkey, Egypt and Pakistan had been “passing messages between the U.S. and Iran over the past two days in an effort to de-escalate” tensions and pause the fighting.
Officials from the three countries had separate conversations over the weekend with Witkoff and with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, the outlet reported, while sources said Witkoff and Kushner were negotiating directly with Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, speaker of the Iranian parliament.
Plus, Trump suspends strikes on Iranian energy targets
(Henry Nicholls / AFP via Getty Images)
Local residents gather next to a firetruck (behind) as firefighters secure an area in the Golders Green neighbourhood of north London on March 23, 2026, after volunteer ambulances run by a Jewish organisation were set on fire overnight.
👋 Good Monday morning!
In today’s Daily Kickoff, we look at the implications of Iran’s ballistic missile strikes targeting the U.S.-U.K. base in Diego Garcia, and break down a new poll of GOP voters that found overwhelming support for military action in Iran. We report on a meeting between the Congressional Progressive Staff Association and Columbia University protest leader Mohsen Mahdawi, and cover the creation of a new PAC created to push back against New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani and the Democratic Socialists of America. Also in today’s Daily Kickoff: Rep. Elise Stefanik, Michael Kotlikoff and Yossi Cohen.
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
- President Donald Trump posted on his Truth Social site minutes ago that the U.S. will postpone — for five days — strikes targeting Iranian energy infrastructure over Iran’s closure of the Strait of Hormuz, about 12 hours before his 48-hour deadline to the Islamic Republic was set to expire. The president cited “very good and productive conversations regarding a complete and total resolution of our hostilities in the Middle East,” which he said will continue over the course of the week.
- A final vote on Sen. Markwayne Mullin’s (R-OK) nomination to be secretary of homeland security is likely to take place today or tomorrow. Mullin is expected to be confirmed with support from at least two Democrats: Sens. John Fetterman (D-PA) and Martin Heinrich (D-NM), the latter of whom cited his “very honest and constructive working relationship” with the Oklahoma Republican in explaining his vote.
- The House and Senate are both expected to vote on war powers resolutions this week.
- Sara Netanyahu is slated to travel to Washington this week for a two-day summit being convened by First Lady Melania Trump for women — many who, like Netanyahu, are the spouses of heads of state — and technology companies focused on children’s empowerment. The summit kicks off on Tuesday at the State Department.
- Mrs. Netanyahu will be among a small number of people able to fly out of Israel’s Ben Gurion Airport after Israeli authorities on Sunday cut the maximum number of passengers allowed per flight from 150 to 50, amid ongoing missile fire from Iran.
- Senior Trump administration officials are heading to Houston this week for the annual CERAWeek conference, which kicks off today.
- Conservative radio host Mark Levin, a frequent critic of Tucker Carlson and other far-right figures, is slated to interview Joe Kent, who resigned last week as the head of the National Counterterrorism Center, on his program tonight.
- In New York tonight, author Matti Friedman will sit in conversation with Abigail Pogrebin at 92NY to discuss his new book, Out of the Sky: Heroism and Rebirth in Nazi Europe, a look at the young Jews from then-Mandatory Palestine who parachuted into Nazi Europe in an effort to assist Allied forces and rescue Jews.
- The Leffell Foundation’s fourth annual “Zionism: A New Conversation” conference is taking place in Florida today and tomorrow. Read more here.
What You Should Know
A QUICK WORD WITH JI’S MELISSA WEISS
Iran’s launch over the weekend of two ballistic missiles targeting the joint U.S.-U.K. Diego Garcia base in the Indian Ocean — hours after London said it would allow the U.S. to use the base to launch strikes on Iranian missile sites — deepened concerns that the Islamic Republic had not been forthcoming in the past about its weapons capabilities and set off alarms in Europe that the continent could find itself on the receiving end of Tehran’s long-range missiles.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said last month that the Islamic Republic only had ballistic missiles with the capacity to hit targets within a 2,000-km radius (approximately 1,200 miles) with the country’s state-run media quoting the diplomat as saying “We are not developing long-range missiles … we have limited the range below 2,000 kilometers.”
Diego Garcia is some 2,400 miles from Iran, twice as far as the distance Iran’s top diplomat had claimed the country’s missiles could reach. It’s further from Tehran than most major European capitals — meaning that the bulk of the European continent is potentially within striking range of Iran. (And, critically, without the types of air defenses and civilian protective measures that have been deployed multiple times a day in Israel for the last month.)
The discrepancy didn’t go unnoticed by current and former U.S. officials. Brett McGurk, who served as a senior national security official in the Biden administration, noted Araghchi’s February claim alongside a map showing Diego Garcia’s distance from Iran, saying that Araghchi’s blatant falsehood “speaks for itself.” In a rare show of agreement between the Trump administration and its predecessor, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and the White House’s rapid-response account shared McGurk’s post.
Though neither missile reached the Chagos Island base — one fell short and one was intercepted — the weekend launches have elevated concerns that Tehran has developed the capacity to strike deep inside Europe — most of which is much closer to the Islamic Republic than the Diego Garcia base in the middle of the Indian Ocean.
POLITICS PULSE
Republican voters embrace Trump on Israel and Iran, reject Tucker Carlson
Republican voters expressed strong support for President Donald Trump’s military action against Iran, and would decidedly prefer a GOP congressional candidate who advocates for the war’s aims, according to a new survey from pollster J.L. Partners. The poll, which surveyed 1,018 likely GOP voters between March 17-18, finds that an overwhelming share of Republicans (83%) support Trump’s war against Iran, with just 9% opposing. Nearly two-thirds (63%) of Republicans said they “strongly support” Trump’s war efforts, Jewish Insider’s Josh Kraushaar reports.
Additional findings: The poll also found a sizable share of Republicans holds negative views towards far-right, antisemitic podcaster Tucker Carlson, even as many media outlets claim he speaks for the MAGA movement. Only 40% of Republicans hold a favorable view of Carlson, while nearly one-quarter of respondents view him unfavorably. When GOP voters were asked whether they’d prefer a candidate endorsed by Trump or by Carlson and Megyn Kelly, a whopping 80% preferred a Trump-backed candidate, with just 7% siding with the podcasters. Asked whether voters trust Trump’s position on Iran or Carlson and Kelly’s view, 83% sided with Trump while just 6% sided with the far-right podcasters.
HILL HAPPY HOUR
Progressive congressional staff meet with Columbia protest leader Mohsen Mahdawi
The Congressional Progressive Staff Association, a congressional employee group for progressive staffers and prospective staffers, hosted a happy hour this week with Columbia University protest leader Mohsen Mahdawi, whom the administration has been trying for months to deport, Jewish Insider’s Marc Rod reports.
Background: The Department of Homeland Security has characterized Mahdawi, who has not been charged with a crime, as a “ringleader” in anti-Israel protests at Columbia and accused him of using “threatening rhetoric and intimidation” against Jewish students. The administration has also claimed that Mahdawi admitted to being involved in and supporting terrorist violence, including telling a gun shop owner more than a decade ago that he had “considerable firearm experience” and used guns to “kill Jews while he was in Palestine,” that he attempted to purchase a rifle and a machine gun, that he claimed to have made guns for Hezbollah and that he said that he enjoyed killing Jews.
PAC ATTACK
Rahm Emanuel ally launches PAC to battle Zohran Mamdani in New York
A veteran operative for former Chicago mayor and congressman Rahm Emanuel has established a new political action committee to fight New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani and the Democratic Socialists of America in the Big Apple — an effort that sources say could involve former city Comptroller Scott Stringer and aides to former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, Jewish Insider’s Will Bredderman reports.
Joining forces: The Next NYC PAC registered with the New York State Board of Elections on March 11, using the address of Gregory Goldner’s home in the Mid-North District of Chicago. Goldner, who helmed Cuomo’s mayoral campaign in the final weeks of the 2025 cycle and ran a PAC aimed at preventing the election of Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson two years prior, did not respond to repeated requests for comment. However, sources — who spoke anonymously with JI as Next NYC remains in its formative stages — said that it could fuse the political infrastructure of two candidates who failed to block Mamdani from City Hall last year: Cuomo and Stringer.
DIGGING IN
Graham Platner doubles down on anti-Israel rhetoric
Graham Platner, the progressive Maine Senate candidate, in a CNN interview that aired Sunday accused Israel of committing genocide and said the U.S. should cut off all aid, as well as dismissed concerns that bringing the Iran war to a halt would endanger U.S. forces in the region, Jewish Insider’s Marc Rod reports.
Notable quotable: “I fundamentally believe that a nation that is committing a genocide should not be a place that we are putting money. We should be leveraging the fact that we have a lot of power in this relationship due to our funding,” Platner said in the interview. “We should be leveraging that to, frankly, get the Israeli government to stop behaving in such an utterly atrocious fashion.”
SHIFTING STANCE
Rep. Greg Landsman now says he’ll vote for Iran war powers resolution, urges end to war
Rep. Greg Landsman (D-OH), one of the few House Democrats who has supported strikes on Iran and opposed a war powers resolution to bring it to an end earlier this month, now says he wants to see the war wrapped up, and will vote for an upcoming resolution to end the conflict, Jewish Insider’s Marc Rod reports.
Time up: “It’s time to finish the operation in Iran. It’s time to be done,” Landsman said in a statement on Friday. “No expansion of the original operation. No ground troops.” Landsman’s statement comes in advance of an anticipated vote on another war powers resolution to end the conflict this week, led by Rep. Greg Meeks (D-NY). Landsman said he plans to vote for the war powers resolution, and urged colleagues to do the same.
War worries: As the U.S. deploys thousands of Marines to the Middle East and President Donald Trump continues to send mixed messages about whether he plans for a ground invasion of Iran, Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO) told JI he’s hoping the administration does not take that step.
CAMPUS CRACKDOWN
Trump administration sues Harvard over ‘hostile’ environment for Jewish students
The Trump administration filed a new lawsuit against Harvard University on Friday, claiming that its leadership violated the civil rights of Jewish students by failing to address ongoing antisemitism that has roiled the Ivy League campus since the Oct. 7, 2023, terrorist attacks in Israel, Jewish Insider’s Haley Cohen reports.
What it says: In the 44-page lawsuit, filed in federal court in Boston, the Department of Justice said that Harvard unlawfully discriminated against Jewish students by its “intentional conduct and its deliberate indifference to discriminatory harassment of Jewish and Israeli students and creation of a hostile educational environment” since Oct. 7 and “up to the present day.” Jewish and Israeli students “were repeatedly denied access to educational facilities by antisemitic demonstrators. Fearful for their safety, Jewish students wore baseball caps to conceal their yarmulkes or kept out of sight, effectively denying them access to federally funded educational opportunities,” the lawsuit argues.
Leadership rebuke: Cornell President Michael Kotlikoff rejected a recent Student Assembly resolution calling for the university to boycott its partnership with an Israeli institution, the Technion in Haifa, stating that doing so would “fundamentally conflict with our core commitment to academic freedom” and noting the “political bias” within the resolution “is deeply disturbing.”
Worthy Reads
Aiding the Revolution: The Free Press’ Eli Lake looks at Israel’s efforts to align with Iranian opposition efforts. “The Iranian people have voted against the Islamic Republic with their feet since the first student uprisings at Tehran University in 1999. In 2009, Iranians protested a stolen presidential election. Since 2017, uprisings have sprouted throughout the country every few years, only to be crushed by the Basij and Revolutionary Guards. Israel is evening the odds for a revolution by putting its air force in the service of Iran’s dissidents. At least that’s the dream.” [FreePress]
U.K. Concern: In The Guardian, Jonathan Freedland raises concerns about attacks on Jewish institutions conducted under the guise of criticism of Israel. “Every minority faces discrimination – note Tory frontbencher Nick Timothy’s appalling attack on Muslim prayer this week – but next to no other diaspora community goes through this. People can’t stand Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine, but Russian Orthodox churches don’t require round-the-clock protection. People loathe Donald Trump and his bombing of Iran, but U.S.-branded stores on UK high streets are not smashed and daubed. As for British businesses with investment links to the U.S., including to U.S. security firms, those remain untouched. Israel and Jews are the exception.” [TheGuardian]
Word on the Street
Police in London are investigating a series of overnight fires that damaged four Hatzola Northwest emergency vehicles in Golders Green, one of the city’s most heavily Jewish suburbs; the U.K.-based Community Security Trust said that the Iran-linked Ashab al-Yamin, which said it was behind recent attacks in the Netherlands and Belgium, claimed responsibility for the string of arsons…
The Treasury Department announced sanctions on 10 individuals in Lebanon, Syria, Poland, Slovenia, Qatar and Canada accused of laundering more than $100 million in money, arms and telecommunications equipment to Hezbollah…
The U.S. reportedly rejected a proposal from Russia in which Moscow would end its intelligence sharing with Iran on the condition that Washington cease giving intelligence to Ukraine regarding Russia…
Axios looks at efforts by the CIA, Mossad and other intelligence agencies to assess the status of Iranian Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, who has not appeared in public since he was named his father’s successor earlier this month and is believed to have been injured in the strikes last month that killed the elder Khamenei…
One person was killed and another injured in Israel over the weekend, after two cars caught fire in the Upper Galilee from errant IDF shells that fell inside Israel, rather than Lebanon, an investigation by the military found on Monday. Over 100 people were injured in missile strikes from Iran and Hezbollah in Lebanon between Saturday night and Sunday morning, Jewish Insider’s Lahav Harkov reports…
The Wall Street Journal reports on concerns that the Houthis in Yemen could join the conflict, as the Iran-backed terror group, whose previous attacks on naval vessels in the Red Sea, ramps up its threatening rhetoric, including a warning from a senior Houthi official last week that “Yemen joining the conflict is only a matter of time”…
Nine Senate Democrats and more than 30 House Democrats wrote to the administration defending Columbia University protest leader Mahmoud Khalil, describing the protests in which he was involved as “overwhelmingly non-violent expressions of views in opposition to the conduct of the Israeli government in Gaza”…
Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY) was honored over the weekend at Chabad of Stamford, Conn., with the group’s inaugural Eishet Chayil Award…
The Wall Street Journal looks at frustrations among some progressive Senate Democrats — a group of eight legislators known as the “Fight Club” over Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer’s (D-NY) approach to the midterms as they mull a potential challenge to his leadership…
The Hill explores Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro’s vocal support for Israel in recent interviews as he mulls a 2028 presidential bid…
President Donald Trump, who spent the weekend in Florida, dropped into the anniversary party being hosted for Gary and Terri Schottenstein over the weekend at Mar-a-Lago…
The New York Times reviews Michael Kimmel’s “Playmakers,” as the distant relative of teddy bear inventors Morris and Rose Michtom looks at the major contributions of Jewish immigrants to the American toy industry…
A Reuters deep dive into decades-old Manhattan police records confirmed the identity of the graffiti artist Banksy…
Former Mossad head Yossi Cohen and Israel Canada controlling shareholders Barak Rosen and Asaf Touchmair are investing in the Israel-based UAV company Aerodrome Group…
Molecular biologist David Botstein, whose research laid the groundwork for the field of gene-mapping, died at 83…
Pic of the Day
Israeli judoka Raz Hershko won the gold medal at the women’s over 78 kg final at the Grand Slam judo tournament on Sunday in Tbilisi, Georgia.
Birthdays
Former NFL referee for 23 seasons, he is the only NFL head referee to officiate four Super Bowl games (1983, 1987, 1992 and 1995), Jerry Markbreit turns 91…
Actor, film director, television director and producer, Mark Rydell turns 97… Together with her husband, Theodore, she pledged $25 million to BBYO in 2019, Harriette Perlman turns 86… Mandolinist and composer of acoustic, instrumental, bluegrass and newgrass music, David Grisman turns 81… Writer and producer of television series, creator of “Deadwood” and co-creator of “NYPD Blue,” David Milch turns 81… Tel Aviv native, she has been a professor of music at the Juilliard School since 1993, Yoheved “Veda” Kaplinsky turns 79… Los Angeles-based psychologist and author, her first book is The Blessings of a Skinned Knee: Using Jewish Teachings to Raise Self-Reliant Children, Wendy Mogel turns 75… Designer of men’s and women’s footwear, clothing and accessories, Kenneth D. Cole turns 72… Former mayor of Austin, Texas, first elected in 2014 and reelected in 2018, Stephen Ira Adler turns 70… Former director of business development at Fannie Mae, she was also the president of the Jewish Federation of Howard County (Md.), Beth Millstein… Investor, author, financial commentator and radio personality, Peter Schiff turns 63… Russian-American businessman with holdings in oil, he is also a winemaker, Eugene Shvidler turns 62… Senior writer for “The Daily Show,” he is also the creator of 2018’s television series “Liberty Crossing,” Daniel Radosh turns 57… Managing partner of D.C.-based Stein Mitchell Beato & Missner, Jonathan Missner turns 57… French actress who has appeared in more than 30 films, her Holocaust survivor grandparents changed their name from Goldreich, Judith Godrèche turns 54… Client partner at Meta/Facebook working with the financial services and real estate industry verticals, Scott Shapiro… Member of the Maryland General Assembly since 2011, initially as a delegate and since 2016 as a state senator, Craig Zucker turns 51… Israeli actress, comedian and television host, Adi Ashkenazi turns 51… Three-time Grammy Award-winning record producer, audio engineer and songwriter, Ariel Rechtshaid turns 47… Writer and teacher in Los Angeles, Yehuda Martin Hausman… Staff reporter for The New York Times, Sarah Maslin Nir… Israeli singer-songwriter, actress and musician, she performs in Hebrew, French and Arabic, Riff Cohen turns 42… Chief of staff for the Commonwealth’s attorney in Fairfax County, Va., Benjamin Shnider… Former tennis coach at Chestnut Hill College in Philadelphia, as a player she won five singles and four doubles titles on the ITF Women’s Circuit, Julia Cohen turns 37… Former member of the National Israeli Rhythmic Gymnastics Team, she competed in the 2012 Olympic Games, Moran Buzovski turns 34… Television and film actress, Victoria Pedretti turns 31…
Plus, Temple Israel seeks to 'tell its story'
Andrew Harnik/Getty Images
Tulsi Gabbard is sworn in as Director of National Intelligence in the Oval Office at the White House on February 12, 2025 in Washington, DC.
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📡On Our Radar
Notable developments and interesting tidbits we’re tracking
Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard distanced herself — to a degree — from two of her isolationist-minded aides, Joe Kent and Dan Caldwell, who have taken a hostile stance to the U.S.’ Middle East policy, Jewish Insider’s Marc Rod reports.
Gabbard affirmed, after being pressed at a House Intelligence Committee hearing today, that the conspiratorial views about Israel espoused by Kent in his resignation letter earlier this week did concern her, and said about Caldwell that he would have no influence over intelligence reports at her agency.
Gabbard, who has previously been a vocal critic of military engagement with Iran, further acknowledged that her current position requires her to “check” her personal views “at the door”…
Reports of a potential $200 billion emergency funding request from the Pentagon for the war in Iran are drawing firm Democratic opposition and hedged responses from Republicans on the Hill: House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) said he’ll “look at” the request “but obviously it’s a dangerous time in the world and we have to adequately fund defense,” while Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) said he’d “hate to be the senator that denied the request if it made sense.” Rep. Pat Ryan (D-NY) responded with a simple “No,” while Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) called it a “nonstarter”…
The Senate is set to hold another round of votes on blocking U.S. arms transfers to Israel, after Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) filed three new joint resolutions of disapproval against $658.8 million in sales of over 20,000 bombs to Israel, JI’s Marc Rod reports.
A majority of the Democratic caucus — 27 lawmakers — voted to block at least one arms sale in July of last year, a significant jump in support from previous similar efforts; Israel’s standing in the party has largely declined since then amid Democratic criticism of the war with Iran…
During a meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi at the White House today, President Donald Trump reiterated that he had told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu not to attack Iranian oil facilities, after an Israeli strike on the South Pars gas field yesterday: “I told them, don’t do that. We didn’t discuss. … It’s coordinated, but on occasion, he’ll do something.”
Trump also put pressure on Takaichi to help secure the Strait of Hormuz, while European leaders released a joint statement “express[ing] our readiness to contribute to appropriate efforts to ensure safe passage through the Strait,” after repeatedly declining to get involved. A team of British military planners is now consulting with CENTCOM on options to assist short of military action, The New York Times reports…
Asked if he will deploy more U.S. troops in the region, Trump told reporters he’s “not putting troops anywhere. If I were, I certainly wouldn’t tell you — but I’m not putting troops”…
Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth compared Iran to Hamas in a briefing today, saying that, “just like Hamas and their tunnels,” Iran has “poured any aid, any economic development … into tunnels and rockets”…
A group of congressional Democrats is urging the State Department to restart chartered evacuation flights out of Israel and take additional steps to help U.S. citizens who wish to leave the country amid the ongoing war with Iran, JI’s Marc Rod reports.
The lawmakers described the State Department’s current partnership with El Al, which launched on March 13 with a limited number of special evacuation flights for U.S. citizens, as insufficient. The Israeli airline has currently suspended registration for the flights, and government-imposed security restrictions are limiting passenger capacity on each flight and reducing airport operations…
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said that the U.S. may lift sanctions on Iranian oil already at sea in order to blunt rising gas prices. “In essence, we will be using the Iranian barrels against the Iranians to keep the price down for the next 10 or 14 days as we continue this campaign,” he explained on Fox News…
Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan warned the kingdom is reaching a breaking point after continued Iranian attacks, saying “what little trust” Riyadh had with Tehran has “completely been shattered.”
On a potential Saudi military response, Prince Faisal said, “Do they have a day, two, a week? I’m not going to telegraph that.” It’s a notable shift for Riyadh, which had been pivoting away from its traditional allies and towards Iran and other Islamist countries prior to the war…
Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker condemned AIPAC after a primary cycle in which the pro-Israel group spent millions backing — and opposing — candidates across the state, calling it “an organization that was supporting Donald Trump and people who follow Donald Trump.”
Pritzker, a Jewish Democrat who was once an AIPAC donor himself, said it “really is not an organization that I think today I would want any part of.” He further echoed far-left sentiments that Israel dragged the U.S. into conflict with Iran, claiming Trump “simply follow[ed] Netanyahu into that war”…
Rep. Jared Moskowitz (D-FL) details his experience with a would-be assailant, a man described by authorities as a “ticking time bomb,” who was arrested near his home last year after police discovered an arsenal of weapons and a handwritten list of targets that included Jewish sites and Moskowitz.
“Besides the police presence outside his house, Moskowitz himself will not appear in parades and says he won’t speak at outdoor staged events. ‘It’s not worth it. I’d rather lose my election,’” the lawmaker told Roll Call…
Temple Israel in suburban Detroit released photos of the devastation to the building caused by an attacker last week, noting that it had “chosen thus far not to make [the photos] public” but are doing so now “to take back control of our narrative” after several were leaked to the media.
“We share these images because our community deserves to see our building through eyes of love, not through the lens of spectacle. This is our sacred space, and we will be the ones to tell its story,” the synagogue wrote…
The University of California, Berkeley reached a settlement in its lawsuit with the federal government, agreeing to pay $1 million and make changes to its discrimination policy following accusations that the university had failed to properly address campus antisemitism.
Among the policy changes, the school will clarify that the word “Zionist” cannot be used as a proxy for Jew or Israeli. The claims in the lawsuit predate the recent campus unrest over Israel’s war in Gaza, stemming from an incident in 2022 when student groups adopted policies saying they would not host Zionist speakers…
⏩ Tomorrow’s Agenda, Today
An early look at tomorrow’s storylines and schedule to keep you a step ahead
Keep an eye out in Jewish Insider for a look at the struggles facing international broadcasters Voice of America and Radio Free Europe in reaching Iranian citizens during the ongoing war due to budget cuts and roadblocks from the U.S. Agency for Global Media.
The House Appropriations Committee will hold a field hearing at the U.S. Mission to the U.N. in New York City on “accountability and reform” at the U.N.
We’ll be back in your inbox with the Daily Overtime on Monday. Shabbat Shalom!
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Trump made the remarks in a Truth Social post, in which he threatened that the U.S. would bomb the South Pars gas field if Iran does not stop attacking Qatar
Alex Wong/Getty Images
President Donald Trump speaks during the annual Friends of Ireland Luncheon at the U.S. Capitol on March 17, 2026 in Washington, DC.
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.”
“Trump knew (and approved),” Shapiro added. “Now he realizes it caused a major escalation with Iran’s (entirely unjustified) attacks on Gulf energy targets.”
Shapiro later clarified that the Israeli strike “could not have been carried [out] without U.S. knowledge and explicit or implicit approval.”
“It was predictable that strikes on Iranian energy facilities (by US or Israel) would lead to Iranian strikes on Gulf energy facilities,” he wrote. “There is a narrow window following the Israeli and Iranian strikes, and Trump’s Truth Social Post (untrue, but possibly useful in this context), to de-escalate away from further strikes on energy industry targets in either direction. That will still leave a very challenging situation to unwind, but [it] would be the best near-term development.”
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.”
Erdan noted that the South Pars gas field is “used for Iran’s domestic energy needs [and] doesn’t harm the international energy market.”
“Israel took upon itself to be at the front [of the situation] in my estimation because the field is also Qatari,” Erdan, who is also a senior fellow at the Misgav Institute for National Security, said. “Someone had to send the deterrent message about the energy field to the Iranians, that if they continue, then all options are open against them and they will be hurt badly.” (The writer is a senior fellow at the Misgav Institute and cohosts its podcast.)
Yaakov Katz, an Israeli military expert and author of While Israel Slept: How Hamas Surprised the Most Powerful Military in the Middle East, told JI that he agreed with Shapiro’s assessment. “There is no way Israel would attack such a strategic facility [without coordination] because they know it would draw the Iranians to attack the Gulf states,” he said.
Katz pointed to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s behavior since the war with Iran began late last month as further indication that Israel was unlikely to make such a move without coordinating with the U.S.: “Why would Netanyahu who behaved so carefully all throughout the war, coordinating with Trump to not upset him so he keeps the war going … do something that would anger Trump and potentially lead him to do something brash and declare the war is over?”
“It was coordinated, and now Trump is saying what he’s saying to distance himself, but it was done to send a message to the Iranians,” Katz added.
Also Thursday, Saudi Arabia released a statement with the foreign ministers from Azerbaijan, Jordan, the UAE, Bahrain, Pakistan, Turkey, Syria, Qatar, Kuwait, Lebanon and Egypt urging Iran to stop its attacks.
“The participants held Iran fully responsible for the losses and called on Iran to immediately and unconditionally cease its aggression and to comply with UN Security Council resolutions. The meeting also emphasized the dangers of supporting militias and destabilizing security, stressing that Iran must seriously reconsider its miscalculations,” the statement read.
If Iran continues, the foreign ministers stated, there will be “serious consequences for Iran and the security of the region, and will exact a heavy price, casting a shadow over its relations with the countries and peoples of the region, who will not stand idly by in the face of threats to their capabilities.”
Plus, JD Vance says he likes Joe Kent
Oliver Contreras/AFP via Getty Images
Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-OK), nominee to be Secretary of Homeland Security, testifies during a Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs confirmation hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, on March 18, 2026.
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Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard said during a Senate Intelligence Committee hearing today that the Iranian regime “appears to be intact but largely degraded,” Jewish Insider’s Marc Rod reports, as the U.S. and Israel continue to target Iranian leaders and assets. If it survives the war, she said, the regime would “seek to begin a yearslong effort to rebuild its military, missiles and UAV forces.”
Gabbard, a longtime opponent of war with Iran, repeatedly declined to say whether the intelligence community had assessed Iran to be an imminent threat to the United States, after her former deputy, Joe Kent, alleged in his resignation letter yesterday that no such threat existed. CIA Director John Ratcliffe, however, was clear in his view that “Iran has been a constant threat to the United States for an extended period of time, and posed an immediate threat at this time”…
Regarding Kent’s resignation over his opposition to the war in Iran and claims that Israel coerced the U.S. into the war, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said Kent “was not someone who was involved in … the president’s intelligence briefings over the last several months. Have not seen him here at the White House for quite some time.”
She said President Donald Trump finds it “disappointing” that Kent would “resign with a letter filled with falsehoods, accusing the president of the United States [of] being controlled by a foreign country. That’s both insulting and laughable.”
Vice President JD Vance told reporters, “I know Joe Kent a little bit. I like Joe Kent … It’s fine to disagree, but once the president makes a decision, it’s up to everybody who serves in his administration to make it as successful as possible. That’s how I do my job”…
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, JI’s Matthew Shea reports, vowing to work to “cut out the redundancies.”
“The amount of paperwork once you’re approved to get the funding flowing, and then the paperwork that’s followed up on is way too encompassing,” Mullin said. “Taking years to get reimbursed is not acceptable. Taking months to get reimbursed is not acceptable.” His hearing was otherwise colored by personal hostility with Homeland Security Committee Chair Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY), which could complicate Mullin’s path to nomination…
The Israeli Air Force reportedly struck the South Pars gas field in Iran, the largest in the world; Qatar, which owns half of the field, called it a “dangerous and irresponsible step.” The U.S. reportedly had knowledge of the operation, despite the Trump administration asking Israel earlier this month not to strike energy facilities…
Trump issued a veiled threat to American allies who have declined to assist in securing the Strait of Hormuz, musing on Truth Social, “I wonder what would happen if we ‘finished off’ what’s left of the Iranian Terror State, and let the Countries that use it, we don’t, be responsible for the so called ‘Strait?’ That would get some of our non-responsive ‘Allies’ in gear, and fast!!!”…
Michael Blake, the Democrat challenging Rep. Ritchie Torres (D-NY) whose campaign has focused extensively on criticism of Israel and AIPAC, expressed strong support for Kent’s resignation letter and his baseless claim of Israel’s role in initiating the war. “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,” Blake wrote on X…
Maine Senate candidate Graham Platner released an ad in response to one from his opponent, Gov. Janet Mills, highlighting social media comments he had made about sexual assault. “If I saw these ads, I’d have questions,” Platner says in the spot. “Maine, I’m asking you not to judge me for the worst thing I said on the internet on my worst day 14 years ago, but who I am today.”
Mills replied with another ad featuring an interview clip of Platner in which he said about his posts, “I made a lot of comments that I’m not, like, ashamed of. It’s not as though I have this ream of comments in which I look back and I’m like, oh my god, I was a terrible person back then”…
During an economic-focused visit to Detroit today, Vance remarked about the recent shooting attack at nearby Temple Israel, “When something happens to any member of our American family, and this particular incident happened to Jewish members of our American family, it is something that all of us have to stand up and say, it’s disgusting, it’s unacceptable”…
Also in response to the Temple Israel attack, Montgomery County, Md., a heavily Jewish suburb of Washington, announced it will provide $500,000 in supplemental funding for its Nonprofit Security Grant Program for current recipients over the next 90 days. It’s one of the few localities that provides its own funding in addition to the federal program…
⏩ Tomorrow’s Agenda, Today
An early look at tomorrow’s storylines and schedule to keep you a step ahead
Keep an eye out in Jewish Insider for a look at the far-left candidates running against establishment Democrats in Colorado.
The Senate will vote on another war powers resolution this evening aiming to stop the U.S. operation in Iran. The resolution, sponsored by Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ), is expected to fail largely along party lines, as the previous one did earlier this month.
Administration intelligence officials including DNI Tulsi Gabbard and CIA Director John Ratcliffe will appear before the House Intelligence Committee tomorrow for its rescheduled worldwide threats hearing.
The Senate’s Homeland Security & Governmental Affairs Committee is set to hold a vote on Sen. Markwayne Mullin’s (R-OK) nomination to be secretary of homeland security, though Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) threatened to cancel it over personal animosity and outstanding questions about a 2016 overseas trip that Mullin claims was classified. If a vote is held, Mullin will need the support of at least one Democrat on the committee in order to advance without Paul’s support, which Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA) has previously pledged to provide.
After his appearance this evening on far-right commentator Tucker Carlson’s podcast, Joe Kent will be interviewed tomorrow by Candace Owens, who similarly deals in antisemitic conspiracy theories, at the Catholic Prayer for America gala in Washington. Also appearing at the gala is Carrie Prejean Boller, the former beauty pageant queen who was removed from the White House’s Religious Liberty Commission after berating Jewish hearing witnesses over antisemitism.
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HORSESHOE POLITICS
Onetime Democratic critics elevate Joe Kent’s conspiratorial resignation letter
Democrats previously slammed Kent as an untrustworthy extremist in opposing his nomination. Now, amid his anti-Israel accusations, some argue he has a point
Plus, airlines push back direct flights to TLV
TIMOTHY A. CLARY / AFP via Getty Images
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani (2L), New York City Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch (2R) and Cardinal Timothy Dolan (R) participate in annual St. Patrick's Day Parade in New York on March 17, 2026.
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Notable developments and interesting tidbits we’re tracking
Joe Kent, director of the National Counterterrorism Center, resigned from his role today over opposition to the war in Iran, baselessly alleging that Israel had coerced the United States into what he characterized as a misguided military conflict, Jewish Insider’s Matthew Kassel reports.
In a letter to President Donald Trump, Kent, a former Green Beret who had reported to Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, wrote that he “cannot in good conscience support the ongoing war in Iran,” claiming that the Islamic Republic “posed no imminent threat to our nation, and it is clear that we started this war due to pressure from Israel and its powerful American lobby.”
Kent, a hard-right former congressional candidate with isolationist foreign policy leanings, has previously promoted conspiracy theories, echoed pro-Russia messaging and associated with white supremacists and neo-Nazis, among other controversies. He’s now expected to appear on the podcast of his ally and friend Tucker Carlson…
After being largely rejected by foreign leaders on his repeated calls to assist in the war with Iran, Trump claimed in a post on Truth Social that, “Because of the fact that we have had such Military Success, we no longer ‘need,’ or desire, the NATO Countries’ assistance — WE NEVER DID! … WE DO NOT NEED THE HELP OF ANYONE!”
Asked about the timeline of the war by reporters in the Oval Office this afternoon, Trump said, “We’re not ready to leave yet, but we will be leaving in the … very near future”…
Reports indicate Iran’s security forces, despite being badly battered by the U.S. and Israel, are conducting renewed crackdowns on the Iranian public and potential dissenters. At least 500 people have been arrested since the start of the war, and new security checkpoints are being deployed for regime oversight…
Major U.S. airlines have extended their suspensions of direct flights to Tel Aviv as the war continues, JI’s Haley Cohen reports, with both United and Delta airlines not offering any direct flights until June.
The first direct flight on United Airlines between Newark Liberty International Airport and Ben Gurion Airport is available on June 16, while the first direct New York to Tel Aviv flight on Delta Airlines is available June 1. United’s direct flights from Israel to Chicago O’Hare and Washington Dulles International Airport are also suspended…
U.S. Special Envoy to Syria Tom Barrack denied reports that the U.S. is encouraging Syria to deploy forces into eastern Lebanon to help disarm Hezbollah, as the IDF begins to carry out ground incursions in the south of the country…
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu continues to post “proof of life” videos on social media amid internet conspiracy theories that he has been killed and replaced by a look-alike…
Trump’s decision to withhold his endorsement in the Texas Senate GOP runoff all but guarantees that Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton will both appear on the May 26 runoff ballot, as neither have dropped out of the race ahead of this evening’s deadline…
Maine Gov. Janet Mills released her first attack ad against her Democratic primary rival in the race for U.S. Senate, oyster farmer Graham Platner, highlighting social media comments he made about sexual assault that have marred his campaign. In the ad, several women read disparaging comments made by Platner on Reddit over a decade ago relating to rape, and a picture of Platner’s Nazi tattoo — which he has since had covered — is displayed under a magnifying glass. “The closer you look, the worse it gets,” the ad’s narrator says…
The Wall Street Journal spotlights the gamble being made by Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker as he expends political capital (and actual capital) backing his lieutenant governor, Juliana Stratton, in the state’s Democratic primary for U.S. Senate taking place today. Pritzker’s involvement has drawn the ire of the Congressional Black Caucus, which is backing Rep. Robin Kelly (D-IL), even though both Stratton and Kelly are Black. The race is seen as a test of Pritzker’s political clout in his home state…
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani took the occasion of St. Patrick’s Day and the presence of former Irish President Mary Robinson in New York to accuse Israel of committing genocide and to praise Robinson’s controversial tenure as the United Nations’ high commissioner for human rights, JI’s Will Bredderman reports.
“I think also of how she stood steadfast alongside the people of Palestine,” the mayor said in listing Robinson’s accomplishments. “I say this as over the past few years as we’ve witnessed a genocide unfold before our eyes, there has been deafening silence from so many. For those who have long cared about universal human rights and the extension of them to Palestinians, silence, however, is nothing new. For Palestinians are so often left to weep alone. Yet former President Robinson has never been silent”…
⏩ Tomorrow’s Agenda, Today
An early look at tomorrow’s storylines and schedule to keep you a step ahead
Keep an eye out in Jewish Insider for a rundown of the results of Illinois’ Democratic primaries, where polls close at 8 p.m. ET.
Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard is expected to face questions over the departure of her deputy, Joe Kent, at the Senate Intelligence Committee’s hearing on worldwide threats, where she will testify alongside other intelligence agency heads. Gabbard said today after Kent’s resignation that, as commander-in-chief, Trump “concluded that … Iran posed an imminent threat and he took action based on that conclusion,” but did not say whether she agrees herself in that assessment, something she is likely to be pressed on tomorrow.
The Senate Foreign Relations Committee will receive a classified briefing on the war in Iran from State Department intelligence officials.
The Senate Homeland Security & Governmental Affairs Committee will hold a nomination hearing for Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-OK) to be secretary of homeland security after Trump’s ouster of Secretary Kristi Noem.
The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom will hold a hearing on rising antisemitism abroad.
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And Europe to Trump: Iran is 'not our war'
Peter W. Stevenson/The Washington Post via Getty Images
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro sits for an interview at the Pennsylvania State Capitol on June 11, 2025.
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📡On Our Radar
Notable developments and interesting tidbits we’re tracking
European countries are largely rebuffing President Donald Trump’s calls to join the war with Iran and help secure the largely impassable Strait of Hormuz. German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said today, “This is not our war; we did not start it,” while the French foreign ministry said, “Posture has not changed: defensive it is.” Poland, the U.K. and Italy similarly made clear they would not be participating in an offensive capacity…
On potential negotiations with Iran, Trump told reporters, “We don’t even know their leaders. We have people wanting to negotiate. We have no idea who they are.” He said new Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei is “badly disfigured” and noted it’s “unusual” he hasn’t recently been seen in public.
Khamenei narrowly survived an airstrike on his compound on Feb. 28 as he briefly stepped outside, according to leaked audio obtained by The Telegraph, which reportedly contains remarks by an official in the office of deceased Ayatollah Ali Khamenei to senior clerics…
IDF spokesperson Lt. Col. Nadav Shoshani denied reports that Israel is running low on missile interceptors, saying there is no “urgent problem” and that the military re-equips its supplies “in real time”…
Debris and missile fragments from Iranian attacks fell in the Old City of Jerusalem near several sensitive sites including the Western Wall Plaza and feet away from the Church of the Holy Sepulchre…
Twenty-three Democratic members of the House Foreign Affairs Committee wrote to Trump requesting a public hearing with Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner to understand their role in “lead[ing] diplomatic engagement with Iran”…
Representatives of the U.S.-led Board of Peace met with Hamas officials over the weekend in Cairo, Egypt, Reuters reports, in an effort to keep ceasefire negotiations on track even as the war with Iran proceeds. Aryeh Lightstone, an aide to Witkoff, reportedly represented the U.S. delegation, with more meetings expected this week…
Times of Israel reporter Emanuel Fabian chronicles his experience receiving death threats from users of the prediction market platform Polymarket over his reporting on a recent Iranian missile strike in the city of Beit Shemesh…
Trump announced that Susie Wiles, his White House chief of staff, has been diagnosed with early stage breast cancer and will receive treatment while remaining in her post…
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, a potential 2028 presidential contender, tested out his measured, pro-Israel messaging in a series of recent podcast interviews, Jewish Insider’s Gabby Deutch reports. In his appearances on “Pod Save America” and “Higher Learning,” Shapiro made the case that, as the starting point for any public political conversation about Israel, the fact of Israel’s right to exist as a Jewish state must be respected.
“I think what is dangerous here … is for those who think Israel doesn’t have a right to exist in [the] conversation. That to me is a recipe for permanent war,” Shapiro told “Higher Learning” host Van Lathan. He also pushed back on California Gov. Gavin Newsom, his potential 2028 opponent, for saying Israel could be described as an apartheid state…
Rep. Mike Lawler’s (R-NY) reelection campaign is employing a community activist, Darrell Davis, who has criticized Democratic politicians, including Rep. George Latimer (D-NY) and a county executive, for taking money from pro-Israel groups and traveling to Israel, Politico reports.
Davis accused Latimer of being on the receiving end of a “Jewish organized spending spree” and taking “about $30 million to buy a congressional seat, to represent the interests of Israel,” which he called “a horrific threat to democracy.” About Westchester County Executive Ken Jenkins’ trip to Israel, Davis wrote, “Why are they in Israel?? What more proof do people need that black Dems don’t give a sh*t about you. They are up for sale”…
The day before her primary election in Illinois’ 9th Congressional District, far-left social media influencer Kat Abughazaleh removed language from her campaign website claiming “There is no acceptable scenario that leaves Hamas in charge of the Gaza Strip,” after she had faced criticism from the Hamas-friendly outlet Drop Site News over its inclusion. Her site says that the earlier language on the page “did not accurately reflect Kat’s views or the values of this campaign”…
And the closing drama in the Illinois Senate Democratic primary is Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton’s claim that she received a deathbed endorsement from civil rights leader Rev. Jesse Jackson, which the Jackson family said today he had never finalized. The late reverend’s support is seen as meaningful in the race, which includes multiple prominent Black candidates, as well as Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL)…
The Atlantic spotlights one of the main obstacles facing Maine Gov. Janet Mills in her Democratic primary for U.S. Senate against oyster farmer Graham Platner: her age. Mills, 78, “does not have a dicey Reddit history or a recently covered-over Nazi tattoo” but is still trailing in the polls, even as Platner continues to be plagued by scandals. “One likely factor: If she is elected, Mills would be the oldest freshman senator in history”…
⏩ Tomorrow’s Agenda, Today
An early look at tomorrow’s storylines and schedule to keep you a step ahead
Keep an eye out in Jewish Insider for a look at the tense runoff in the Democratic primary for Texas’ 35th Congressional District, where a fringe conspiracy theorist eked out a narrow victory over a sheriff’s deputy backed by the pro-Israel establishment.
All eyes will be on the Prairie State tomorrow, as several high-profile Democratic primaries will be decided across Illinois. Read JI’s coverage of the races to watch.
On the Hill, the House Intelligence Committee will hold its annual hearing on worldwide threats, with testimony from Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, CIA Director John Ratcliffe, FBI Director Kash Patel, NSA Acting Director William Hartman and DIA Director James Adams.
The House Foreign Affairs Committee will hold a hearing on reforming U.S. defense sales.
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Analysts say close military coordination masks growing differences in domestic support and strategic priorities that could shape how long Washington and Jerusalem sustain the campaign
FADEL itani/AFP via Getty Images
A fireball rises from the site of an Israeli airstrike that targeted an area in Beirut's southern suburbs overnight March 10 to 11, 2026.
Over two weeks into the war with Iran, American and Israeli leaders’ public statements about the effort and their goals remain largely in sync, with President Donald Trump praising Israel on Sunday for helping secure the Strait of Hormuz, while other countries with greater oil interests in the region have yet to offer to help.
However, the populations of the two countries have markedly different views of the war, which is popular in Israel while most Americans oppose it, which likely puts Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on different timelines. That, in turn, could impact the level of cooperation moving forward.
Assaf Orion, a senior researcher at the Institute for National Security Studies at Tel Aviv University, said that “it’s clear that even though this is a joint operation embarked on together, there are significant differences. In the end, it depends on Trump.”
Dan Diker, president of the Jerusalem Center for Security and Foreign Affairs, said that “it is our sense [in Israel] that Trump is on the same page about staying the course” with goals including “the complete neutering and elimination of the ballistic and nuclear programs as we’ve known them, but also to locate and get rid of the 440 kilograms of highly enriched uranium,” as well as to “assist the regime to collapse and change.”
”Without regime change, this is all for naught,” Diker added. “[Israel] simply can’t live with this messianic, jihadist regime. This is our opportunity.”
The U.S. and Israel are cooperating more closely than ever before, Diker noted. “It’s a real partnership,” he explained. “We haven’t had that since the founding of the State [of Israel]. It had been a client, an ally, the little brother, not a full-fledged partner. [Secretary of Defense Pete] Hegseth said the only amazing air forces in the world are the U.S. and Israel — that’s quite a statement.”
“American and Israeli leaders are on the phone every single day — the president and prime minister, joint chiefs of staff, the defense ministers — it’s incredibly tightly coordinated, because we can’t afford surprises,” he added.
That close coordination has “a great deterrent effect … it scares the living daylights out of the Iranian regime. It encourages the [Iranian] people who are still at home in Iran” to rise up against the regime, Diker posited.
Orion noted that different goals between the U.S. and Israel may include the U.S.’ aim to destroy Iran’s navy, something Israel has not mentioned, and the types of missiles they are most concerned about. Israel seeks to destroy long-range missiles that can reach its shores, while U.S. forces in the Gulf are threatened by short-range missiles.
“Within those goals, there can be differences in the level of achievement, the understanding of how much is enough,” he said. “Iran is Israel’s number one priority. For the U.S., the number one priority is China. Iran is an existential threat to Israel, but is far from it for the U.S.”
“Israel is willing to take greater risks because of that threat assessment, while the U.S. has to explain why it’s taking this risk,” Orion added.
While one may think the U.S. could endure a longer war because of its larger size and economy, and because Israelis are the ones running for shelter multiple times a day, while Americans are not, Orion said that does not appear to be the case.
“In Israel, [leaders are] saying it will take as long as it takes, expressing a kind of patience, while the U.S. government speaks out against ‘forever wars.’ They can continue, but they are less forgiving of long wars than Israel at this time. … Though the Israeli population is under fire and U.S. troops are under fire, Israel is more willing to absorb losses because of the sense that it is being threatened,” he said.
Diker said the differences between the U.S. and Israel are mostly in their political timelines: “President Trump has midterms [in November] and Israel has national elections,” set for the end of October, but may be held earlier. “Both men understand the existential nature of the moment. … Both men know their legacies can be built on destroying the world’s most dangerous regime.”
Still, Diker said, “public opinion in Israel backs the prime minister on this war and public opinion in the U.S. is deeply divided on the war … and have over 50% of the public saying they don’t know what this war is about. … That gives Netanyahu more breathing room to finish what needs to be finished even if it takes more time. … [Israel] wants to make sure this regime is destroyed however long it takes.”
Trump, however, has to “withstand political pressure from home with regard to the more isolationist wing of the MAGA movement and the Republican Party as a whole. He has to tie things up in the coming few weeks,” Diker said.
In addition, the “real challenge” in the U.S. is “the economic war, a soft spot in American political culture. People are nervous about the stock market, the price of oil and have become very impatient.”
Looking at how the war may continue, Orion said that while the public does not know what targets remain in Iran, the IDF has said there are enough targets left to require three additional weeks — or more — of warfare.
At the same time, Israel and the U.S. have to “manage their inventory of bombs and interceptors,” Orion said. “Israel also has the Lebanese arena. [Americans] talk about how whatever they use in the Middle East can’t be used in [East] Asia.”
Diker noted that the U.S. started striking Kharg Island over the weekend, which has the potential to cut off 90% of Iran’s oil revenue. After that, he posited, there will need to be some boots on the ground, likely from the U.S., to locate and destroy Iran’s enriched uranium. If that is achieved, he said, the American role in the war will likely end.
Israel, in the meantime, will “help topple this regime in Iran. What we’ve accomplished is severe unprecedented degradation of the regime’s capabilities.” In addition, Israel will likely continue fighting Hezbollah in Lebanon.
Orion posited that it is unlikely that Israel would continue the war in Iran after the U.S. pulls out.
”The reason the U.S. would stop would be to open the Strait of Hormuz and attacks on oil interests. If Israel continues [bombing Iran], Iran will continue [to attack oil interests],” he said. “However, if the U.S. stops in Iran, Israel may continue in Lebanon with American approval.”
Diker said he thinks it is unlikely that the U.S. would “just pack up and go home.”
”They have to get this uranium out,” he said. “Trump has to be convinced that [Iran] cannot build a nuclear weapon, and he is not convinced of that yet. They still have the uranium and the regime is still operating, somehow.”
But with Iran maintaining various capabilities and continuing its attacks, other leading GOP senators say it would be premature to end the war now
Al Drago/Getty Images
Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO) speaks to reporters prior to the Senate Republicans weekly policy luncheon, in the US Capitol on March 25, 2025 in Washington, DC.
Both of Missouri’s Republican senators, Josh Hawley and Eric Schmitt, argued that the administration seems to have largely achieved its key objectives for the war in Iran — a posture that distinguishes him from most GOP colleagues and highlights subtle but emerging divisions among Republicans on the proper scope and duration of the war.
Pointing to comments by President Donald Trump saying that the war was substantially complete and that the U.S. had achieved its objectives, Hawley said on Fox News earlier this week, “I agree with what the president said last night. You look at all the success that we’ve had in the last 10 days. I mean, this thing is a victory. I think we should be hailing our military. We ought to be saying we’ve achieved our objectives here. … If this isn’t success, I don’t know what would be. … Now it’s time to declare victory.”
He also posited that Iran has nothing remaining with which to reconstitute its nuclear program — though the regime maintains a stockpile of enriched nuclear material which many experts argue cannot be fully secured without some form of on-the-ground presence.
Continuing a trend of making contradictory comments on the war’s timeline, Trump had said the same day that the U.S. could and would go much further in Iran, and that the U.S.’ aims could expand significantly.
Asked by Jewish Insider on Thursday about the metrics by which he was judging the success of the war, Hawley — who is one of the more prominent senators from the populist wing of the GOP — said he was referring to Trump’s own comments on the subject.
“I assume our overriding national security objective when it comes to Iran is to prevent them from getting nukes. And between our bombing last June and in the last … 12 days, I don’t know how they’re going to reconstitute their nuclear program anytime in, maybe, our lifetimes,” Hawley said.
“Our military has done an amazing job. I think it’s been an overwhelming display of force,” Hawley continued. “I know my Democrat colleagues, a bunch of them are saying, ‘This has accomplished nothing, nothing’s happened.’ It seems to me a lot has happened. And I think we should say that’s a good thing.”
Pressed on whether the war can be ended while Iran continues to fire missiles and drones at countries throughout the Middle East and is dropping mines in the Strait of Hormuz, Hawley said he would defer to Trump’s judgement on when to end the war.
“My point is just that I think the military has achieved a tremendous amount. It has ended [Iran’s] nuclear program for all intents and purposes. It has destroyed their navy. It has eliminated most of their ballistic missiles — those are good things,” he continued. “I’d be glad to take that [win].”
“Seems pretty good to me,” Hawley added.
Schmitt, who is also aligned with the populist wing of the party, likewise emphasized the progress the U.S. has made and pushed for a quick conclusion to the war.
“I know they’re way ahead of schedule. I’d look for a swift end to it,” Schmitt told JI. “I’m not interested in forever war in the Middle East, I don’t think the president is either. And I think that, again, they’ve laid out clear objectives and [are] making a lot of progress.”
Other Republicans are taking a distinctly different approach. Sen. Kevin Cramer (R-ND) told reporters on Thursday that “victory isn’t determined by declaration, it’s determined by the outcome.” He argued that the U.S. can’t and shouldn’t end the war prematurely.
“If you pull 90% of the weeds of our garden and you leave 10%, you’re going to have a weedy garden,” Cramer continued. “The last 10% are the hardest, in many cases.”
The North Dakota senator, who sits on the Senate Armed Services Committee, expressed surprise that the U.S. had not been better prepared to secure the Strait of Hormuz, calling it a potential “miscalculation” and saying that the attacks on ships in the critical waterway “could have been avoided.”
Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC), one of the most vocal supporters of the Iran war on Capitol Hill, said that he thinks there are “weeks more of this coming.”
“I don’t see this conflict ending today. I think the mission is to make sure they cannot regenerate, that they’re going to be beyond capable of building missiles to hit us, and they’ll never go back to the nuclear business,” Graham continued.
Also on Thursday, in a rare Senate floor speech, Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY), emphasized that the war against Iran cannot be decoupled from the global axis, including Russia and China, with which Iran is aligned.
Russia, McConnell emphasized, has reportedly been providing Iran with targeting intelligence. He criticized Special Envoy Steve Witkoff, who said earlier this week that he takes Russia at its word that it has not been doing that.
“I’ve warned successive presidents to take the Russian-Iranian axis, actually, more seriously,” McConnell said. He emphasized the supportive role that Ukraine has taken in helping to protect the U.S.’ allies in the Gulf, and criticized administration officials for not moving more quickly in pre-war discussions to acquire Ukrainian anti-drone technology.
He also urged lawmakers who oppose the war to nonetheless support an expected request for supplemental military funding as “an overdue opportunity to invest in urgent and strategic defense priorities.”
Plus, Ro Khanna defends Hasan Piker amid Mich. attack
Emily Elconin/Getty Images
Law enforcement respond near Temple Israel following reports of an active shooter on March 12, 2026 in West Bloomfield, Michigan.
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📡On Our Radar
Notable developments and interesting tidbits we’re tracking
A suspect was killed during an active shooter and car ramming incident at Temple Israel in the heavily Jewish Detroit suburb of West Bloomfield Township, Mich., this afternoon, Jewish Insider’s Haley Cohen reports.
Armed synagogue security engaged the suspect with gunfire, and a security guard who was knocked unconscious is expected to recover. A preschool that was in session at the time of the incident was evacuated safely. Authorities are continuing to investigate the suspect’s identity and motive.
“Everyone is safe. All 140 students in our Susan and Harold Loss Early Childhood Center, our amazing staff, our courageous teachers, and our heroic security personnel are all accounted for and safe,” the synagogue wrote on social media. “This note is coming to you before we know anything about our future programming or services, or any investigation. We wanted you to know we are safe, and we love you all”…
Mojtaba Khamenei, Iran’s new supreme leader, issued his first public statement today that indicates he’s as hard-line as his late father: Khamenei demanded the U.S. shut all its military bases in the Gulf immediately and said he’ll continue to target the Strait of Hormuz in order to “pressure the enemy.” His statement was read on state media indirectly by a presenter, as reports indicate the 56-year-old was injured in an Israeli strike and he has not been seen in public since.
President Donald Trump did not seem dissuaded — he posted on Truth Social, “when oil prices go up” the U.S. makes “a lot of money,” but “of far greater importance to me, as President, is stopping an evil Empire, Iran, from having Nuclear Weapons”…
Following a Republican convening this week focused on combating right-wing antisemitism, the center-left think tank Third Way urged fellow Democrats to follow the lead of Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) in calling out antisemitism within their own party.
“We certainly believe that Cruz was right and our side has a real antisemitism problem too that too many Democrats are failing to face squarely,” Matt Bennett, the group’s executive vice president for public affairs, told JI’s Gabby Deutch.
Similar comments from Third Way staff sparked a public clash with Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA), who defended controversial left-wing figures including antisemitic streamer Hasan Piker and said the true issue lies with the “neocons” in the party…
Less than a week until primary election day in Illinois’ 9th Congressional District, outside spending in the race is approaching $9 million, the majority of which is aimed at boosting state Sen. Laura Fine, a pro-Israel Democrat. Nearly half of all outside spending has come from the Elect Chicago Women super PAC, widely rumored to be connected to pro-Israel groups.
Another PAC rumored to be connected to AIPAC, Chicago Progressive Partnership, has spent over $1 million attacking anti-Israel social media influencer Kat Abughazaleh, including a new ad that spotlights her support from James “Fergie” Cox Chambers Jr., a communist political activist and scion of the billionaire Cox family often involved in radical-left causes…
A new poll commissioned by the far-left advocacy group Justice Democrats finds Rep. Steve Cohen (D-TN) in a competitive race for his seat — he’s now neck-and-neck with his primary opponent, state Rep. Justin Pearson. Pearson, a progressive legislator, gained public attention for being expelled from the Statehouse in 2023 for participating in a gun control protest on the floor…
Former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg endorsed Assemblyman Micah Lasher, his former staffer, in the hotly contested primary race for New York’s 12th Congressional District today, calling him “a key part of our team in City Hall.” Bloomberg plans to spend “millions of dollars” on a super PAC and ad campaign to boost Lasher, The New York Times reports, a notable effort by the popular former mayor to elevate Lasher among the pack…
Trump has delayed endorsing Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) in the Texas Senate runoff against Attorney General Ken Paxton, which Trump implied last week he would do imminently, instead using the potential endorsement to pressure Senate Republicans to change filibuster rules and pass his voter-ID bill. Paxton raised the stakes by saying he might drop out if the bill passes, a move that forced Cornyn to shift his stance on the filibuster…
The Boston Globe looks at Rep. Seth Moulton’s (D-MA) efforts to get on the Democratic primary ballot in his race against Sen. Ed Markey (D-MA), which will require him to receive support from 15% of delegates at the state Democratic Party’s upcoming convention. Moulton is attempting to recruit unregistered voters to become delegates in order to boost his chances, which observers are split on…
Politico uncovers the past political stances and writings of Morris Katz, the Democratic operative and anti-Israel whisperer now behind several high-profile progressive campaigns, when he lauded former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo and derided progressive icon Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT)…
Shortly after the organization elevated a new political director who is closely tied to neo-Nazi Nick Fuentes, College Republicans of America’s chapter at Georgetown University came under investigation by the school for a social media post in which it claimed “Muslims have no place in American society”…
The Wall Street Journal spotlights Adm. Brad Cooper, commander of CENTCOM, as he “stay[s] out of the politics of the war” in Iran “and remains focused on waging it”…
The Treasury Department issued sanctions against four “sham charity” groups in Turkey and Indonesia that it said are funneling money and resources to Hamas’ military wing, JI’s Marc Rod reports…
⏩ Tomorrow’s Agenda, Today
An early look at tomorrow’s storylines and schedule to keep you a step ahead
Keep an eye out in Jewish Insider for reaction to today’s attack on Michigan’s Temple Israel from Jewish leaders and leading lawmakers.
The South by Southwest festival will hold its annual #openShabbat experience for Jews in tech, film and music tomorrow in Austin, Texas.
A Saturday fundraiser for Rep. Zach Nunn (R-IA) with an appearance by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth in Nunn’s home district in Iowa has been canceled; the event, called “Top Nunn” in reference to the “Top Gun” movies, had drawn scrutiny after several soldiers who had been stationed in Nunn’s district were killed in the course of the war with Iran.
The Jewish Funders Network international conference starts Sunday in San Diego.
HaZamir: The International Jewish Teen Choir performs at Lincoln Center in New York City on Sunday evening.
The Zionist Organization of America will host its Florida Superstar Gala Sunday evening, where it will honor Pastor John Hagee, founder of Christians United for Israel; Justice Department official Leo Terrell; and Rep. Randy Fine (R-FL), among others.
We’ll be back in your inbox with the Daily Overtime on Monday. Shabbat Shalom!
Stories You May Have Missed
POLITICAL TIGHTROPE
Pro-Israel Democrats walking a fine line on U.S. operation in Iran
Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz said she would likely have voted to authorize force against Iran if the administration had approached Congress properly before launching the war
FEELING THE HEAT
UAE, more than Israel, absorbing bulk of Iranian strikes in war’s early weeks
Republican senators argued to JI that the war will ultimately be to the Gulf’s benefit, even if they’re feeling the pain now
Plus, Israel strikes back after 200-missile Hezbollah barrage
Zach D Roberts/NurPhoto via Getty Images
Nick Fuentes, the leader of a Christian based extremist white nationalist group speaks to his followers, 'the Groypers.' in Washington D.C. on November 14, 2020
👋 Good Thursday morning!
In today’s Daily Kickoff, we look at the ties between neo-Nazi influencer Nick Fuentes and Kai Schwemmer, the newly named political director of College Republicans of America, and spotlight the pro-Israel positions taken by Clay Fuller, who is expected to succeed Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene following next month’s runoff in Georgia. We report on the escalation between Israel and Hezbollah following the terror group’s launching last night of 200 missiles at Israel, and look at the degree to which the United Arab Emirates is absorbing much of Tehran’s missile and drone attacks. Also in today’s Daily Kickoff: Howard Schultz, Adm. Brad Cooper and Dorothy McAuliffe.
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 Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee is holding a hearing this morning on the influence of foreign funding in higher education. National Association of Scholars President Peter Wood, Foundation for Defense of Democracies Senior Fellow Craig Singleton and The Asia Society’s Robert Daly are slated to testify.
- The annual weeklong SXSW festival kicks off today in Austin, Texas. Mahmoud Khalil, the controversial former leader of Columbia’s anti-Israel protest movement who is facing possible deportation over his activities, will, according to the festival schedule, participate in a conversation this weekend “on the cost of dissent,” alongside his lawyer and The Guardian’s Betsy Reed. More below.
- First in JI: The Republican Jewish Coalition is set to announce endorsements of 16 House Republicans running for reelection, mostly in swing districts: Reps. Tom Barrett (R-MI), Rob Bresnahan (R-PA), Juan Ciscomani (R-AZ), Gabe Evans (R-CO), Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA), Tom Kean Jr. (R-NJ), Mike Lawler (R-NY), Ryan Mackenzie (R-PA), Mariannette Miller-Meeks (R-IA), Zach Nunn (R-IA), David Valadao (R-CA) and Derrick Van Orden (R-WI).
- RJC also endorsed the four incumbent Jewish House Republicans: Reps. David Kustoff (R-TN), Max Miller (R-OH), Randy Fine (R-FL) and Craig Goldman (R-TX) — the largest group of Jewish Republicans in the House since the 1980s, Jewish Insider’s Marc Rod reports.
What You Should Know
A QUICK WORD WITH JI’S MATTHEW KASSEL
In a low-profile electoral upset that defied the difficult national political environment facing the GOP, a Republican candidate declared victory this week in a down-ballot race for a seat on the Prince William Board of County Supervisors in Virginia — for the first time in nearly 40 years.
But while Republicans are now rejoicing over their narrow win, it otherwise largely demonstrated how Democratic leaders effectively sacrificed the seat to the GOP rather than elevate an extremist member of their own party who had claimed the nomination.
The result underscored the extent to which local Democrats had swiftly mobilized to oppose their own nominee, Muhammed Casim, who faced backlash over a series of recently uncovered past social media comments in which he used racist, misogynistic and antisemitic language. The posts, written more than a decade ago, used the n-word as well as demeaning rhetoric targeting women. He also accused Israel of genocide and promoted a conspiratorial post about U.S. financial assistance to the Jewish state, among other extreme comments.
More broadly, the outcome is an atypical example of how the Democratic Party worked to meaningfully confront extremism within its own ranks, even if its efforts came at the expense of an easily winnable local seat that instead flipped to Republicans for the first time in decades.
Casim apologized for his comments but refused bipartisan calls to drop out of the race, which had motivated a Democratic challenger to launch a write-in campaign that ultimately helped siphon votes away from his embattled bid. He lost to Republican Jeannie LaCroix by a margin of 258 votes. Write-in candidates pulled in 744 votes — a relatively sizable total that appeared to have made a difference in the closely contested race.
“Opposing antisemitism, racism or misogyny isn’t a partisan position,” Marc Broklawski, a Jewish vice chair of the Virginia Democratic Party, told Jewish Insider on Wednesday. “It’s a floor, not a ceiling, and the least we should expect from any party, official candidate or voter. When Democrats hold that floor even when it’s costly, that’s something to be proud of. When we don’t, voters notice that too.”
NORTHERN FRONT
Israel expands strikes in Lebanon after major Hezbollah barrage
Israel continued extensive strikes on Lebanon on Thursday morning, after Hezbollah shot about 200 projectiles at northern Israel the night before. About 120 of the rockets and missiles crossed from Lebanon into Israel during the Wednesday night barrage, with those not intercepted mostly striking Israel’s north, Jewish Insider’s Lahav Harkov reports.
State of play: The Magen David Adom emergency service treated two individuals with mild injuries following the missile fire from Lebanon. A home, with the exception of its safe room, was destroyed, and two others were damaged in Moshav Haniel in Emek Hefer, a region of Israel 70 miles from the Lebanon border. Soon after, Iran launched missiles at Israel, a move officials said likely indicated that the two Wednesday night barrages were coordinated between Tehran and Beirut. A senior Israeli official briefed the media on Thursday morning that a significant expansion of operations in Lebanon would soon take place, but did not say whether that would include a broad ground invasion.
Bonus: In Al Arabiya, former White House Middle East envoy Jason Greenblatt calls on Beirut to decisively crack down on and disarm Hezbollah, arguing that the Iranian proxy is at a particularly weak moment: “The aura of invincibility that Hezbollah cultivated for decades has faded. The pillars that sustained Hezbollah for years, money from Tehran, military dominance and political intimidation, have dramatically weakened.”
CAMPUS CONTROVERSY
Conservative students alarmed about College Republicans leader with Nick Fuentes ties
Some pro-Israel conservative students are voicing concern over the College Republicans of America’s new political director, citing his ties to neo-Nazi influencer Nick Fuentes as evidence of the party’s increasingly “alarming” shift towards extremism, Jewish Insider’s Haley Cohen reports. Kai Schwemmer was tapped last week as political director of the campus group, which has grown to more than 200 active chapters across U.S. universities since it was established in 2023 as an offshoot from the College Republican National Committee.
Friend of Fuentes: Schwemmer, known on social media as Kai Klips, has a channel on Fuentes’ invitation-only streaming platform Cozy, which he launched with far-right conspiracy theorist Alex Jones. Schwemmer appeared in a 2021 video promoting Fuentes’ “White Boy Summer” tour and was featured as a “special guest” at Fuentes’ 2022 APFAC III conference, the progressive advocacy organization People for the American Way reported. Schwemmer has also been outspoken about his affiliation with Fuentes’ political movement, “America First.” “It’s alarming but not surprising,” College Republicans of America would select a Fuentes ally as its leader, Felipe Avila, a senior studying nursing at Catholic University of America, who identifies as conservative, told JI.
FRESH PERSPECTIVE
Israel supporter Clay Fuller expected to replace MTG on Capitol Hill
Clay Fuller, a veteran and district attorney, is expected to succeed former Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) in the House, bringing a pro-Israel voice to replace one of the House’s most anti-Israel Republicans, Jewish Insider’s Marc Rod reports. Fuller led all Republicans on the all-party primary ballot in Georgia’s 14th Congressional District, winning 35% of the vote. Even though he finished narrowly behind Democrat and military veteran Shawn Harris, the Republican vote is likely to consolidate behind Fuller in next month’s runoff election.
Fuller’s positions: Fuller has expressed support for Israel and for the U.S. strikes on Iran. “President Trump tried the peace route with Iran not once, not twice, but THREE separate times — and they refused. He’s the peace President, but you can’t negotiate with a death cult,” Fuller said in a post on X last month, emphasizing he had supported operations against Iran during his time in the military and that the regime and its proxies had killed many Americans. The day after Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attacks on Israel, Fuller blasted the Biden administration for unfreezing $6 billion in Iranian funds as part of an earlier hostage deal, highlighting Iran’s support to Hamas.
President’s pitch: President Donald Trump ripped into Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) during a campaign rally in Hebron, Ky., on Wednesday to support Ed Gallrein, his endorsed candidate to take on the incumbent, describing Massie as “disloyal,” a “loser,” the “worst person” and a “disaster as a congressman,” JI’s Emily Jacobs reports.
ON THE TRAIL
Pro-Israel Democrats walking a fine line on U.S. operation in Iran
Remarks by pro-Israel stalwarts Reps. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL) and Brad Schneider (D-IL) on a Jewish Democratic Council of America webinar on Wednesday highlighted the delicate line that some pro-Israel Democratic lawmakers are walking on the war in Iran, Jewish Insider’s Marc Rod reports.
Notable quotable: “I can tell you assuredly: had I been presented with an Authorization for Use of Military Force, that made sense, and that we were properly briefed, and there was a demonstrative, imminent threat — which we have really yet to be shown — I am someone on our side of the aisle that likely would have voted for an AUMF if all of those things were in place,” Wasserman Schultz said. “Instead, [President Donald Trump] has blown an opportunity to go in in the most prepared way. … I have been careful about just blanket-ly condemning everything [Trump is] doing here, but most certainly, the way that we got into this was really unacceptable, and my constituents are very concerned.”
Friendly fire: A former top Obama administration foreign policy official said on Wednesday that any Democratic lawmakers who vote to support U.S. strikes on Iran should be primaried. “If you vote for the funding of this war, you should be primaried. I don’t want you in the Democratic Party,” said Ben Rhodes, co-host of the “Pod Save the World” podcast and former deputy national security advisor under President Barack Obama, JI’s Gabby Deutch reports.
CENTER STAGE
Mahmoud Khalil to speak at South by Southwest festival
Columbia University anti-Israel protest leader Mahmoud Khalil is scheduled to speak at this week’s annual South by Southwest (SXSW) festival in Austin, Texas, Jewish Insider’s Haley Cohen reports. Khalil will participate on Sunday in a conversation “on the cost of dissent,” with The Guardian Editor Betsy Reed and Baher Azmy, legal director of the Center For Constitutional Rights who was a lawyer for Khalil in his deportation proceedings, according to the SXSW schedule.
Details: The weeklong festival each March convenes around 300,000 guests, including film and media professionals, executives and politicians to discuss culture, technology and innovation. “Khalil joins The Guardian for an unflinching conversation on his ordeal, the system that tried to silence him, and the personal and political stakes of resistance,” SXSW’s website states. At Columbia, Khalil was a key organizer of the anti-Israel encampment in April 2024, a two-week demonstration in the center of campus during Israel’s war in Gaza.
FEELING THE HEAT
UAE, more than Israel, absorbing bulk of Iranian strikes in war’s early weeks
As Iran retaliates against the U.S. and Israel’s joint military campaign, findings have revealed that the United Arab Emirates — not Israel — has thus far faced the majority of Tehran’s missile and drone attacks, Jewish Insider’s Matthew Shea and Marc Rod report. As of March 11, the UAE’s Ministry of Defense reported that its air defenses had “engaged” 268 ballistic missiles, 15 cruise missiles and 1,514 UAVs.
Bearing the brunt: Iranian strikes have targeted American assets in the country, such as the U.S. consulate in Dubai, but also a range of civilian targets, including Dubai International Airport, where a drone attack wounded four people. Reports have indicated that Abu Dhabi has faced more than three times the number of Iranian drones and missiles launched toward Israel. The attacks come as Gulf allies are running short on missile interceptors. Sens. Mike Rounds (R-SD) and Rick Scott (R-FL) argued to JI on Wednesday that, ultimately, the U.S. campaign against Iran will be to the benefit of the UAE and other Gulf allies, even if they’re feeling pain in the short term.
Winds of change: Despite Qatar’s anger with Iran over the regime’s continued attacks on its territory and civilian infrastructure, experts are divided over whether the conflict will ultimately force Doha to reconsider its long-standing policy of hosting Iranian-backed Hamas officials, JI’s Matthew Shea reports.
Worthy Reads
The War on Antisemitism: In Time, State Department antisemitism envoy Rabbi Yehuda Kaploun explains the Trump administration’s approach to fighting antisemitism. “Antisemitism proliferates from an ever-multiplying list of sources: voices from all sides of the political spectrum spew antisemitic rhetoric; foreign terrorist organizations espouse violent antisemitic ideologies; and online radicalization increasingly incites real-world antisemitic attacks against Jewish individuals and institutions globally.” [Time]
This War Has Roots: In The Washington Post, Geoffrey Corn and Orde Kittrie argue that the U.S.-Israeli war against Iran is a continuation of hostilities that have been ongoing for years. “International law does not require a distinct self-defense justification for every attack conducted once the right of self-defense is triggered. Once that right is initiated, military action is justified to achieve the overall self-defense objective, in this case terminating Iran’s capacity to strike the United States and its allies. … These facts justify the conclusion that the U.S. and Iran were already engaged in an armed conflict when the current round began. As a result, international law does not require the U.S. to refrain from further military action against Iran until just before the IRGC launches another assault.” [WashPost]
Risk Assessment: The Wall Street Journal‘s Yaroslav Trofimov looks at the risks Washington and American allies face if the war ends with the Iranian regime intact. “But leaving in place Iran’s theocratic regime — angry, defiant and in possession of its nuclear stockpile and what remains of its arsenal of missiles and drones — would essentially grant Tehran control over the world’s energy markets. It would also sacrifice the security of America’s partners and allies, and possibly make another, more devastating, regional war likely.” [WSJ]
Get Out of Jail Free: The Atlantic’s Graeme Wood considers the utility of former Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who has evolved from being the face of the Islamic Republic to an opponent of the regime and was rumored to have been killed by Israel early in the war. “ Contrary to early reports, Ahmadinejad is alive, his associates say. … The circumstances of his survival may prove significant as the war drags on. Whatever the intent, Ahmadinejad’s associates say the strike was in effect a jailbreak operation that freed the former president from regime control. Their description of the chaotic sequence of events that began before the war suggests that Ahmadinejad has friends on the outside.” [TheAtlantic]
Word on the Street
President Donald Trump announced his endorsement of Brandon Herrera, the far-right social media influencer who is the presumptive Republican nominee in Texas’ 23rd Congressional District, following Rep. Tony Gonzales’ (R-TX) announcement that he was dropping his reelection bid, Jewish Insider’s Marc Rod reports…
The Cook Political Report moved the Pennsylvania governor’s race from “Likely Democrat” to “Solid Democrat,” citing Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro’s 60% approval rating, cash on hand and significant polling lead over his Republican challenger, state Treasurer Stacy Garrity…
Dorothy McAuliffe, the wife of former Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe, announced her bid for Congress in a potential new district that is expected to favor Democrats, the status of which will be determined in a statewide vote next month…
Nearly all Senate Democrats wrote to Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth on Wednesday to raise “grave concern” about a strike on a girl’s school that killed at least 168 people in the opening phase of the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran, Jewish Insider’s Marc Rod reports…
The letter came amid findings from a preliminary U.S. military investigation indicating that the U.S. was at fault for the bombing, which took place on the same block as a number of buildings used by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps…
Federal and state officials in California sought to assuage concerns after the FBI’s Los Angeles division sent out a bulletin that Iran could conduct retaliatory drone attacks on the West Coast, with a law-enforcement official telling CBS News that there was no credible intelligence that prompted the bulletin, which had predated the Iran war…
The Department of Justice is probing Iran’s use of Binance to evade U.S. and international sanctions after an internal investigation at the cryptocurrency company found that the platform had been used to funnel more than $1 billion to terror proxies…
The New York Times reports on Iran’s use of cluster bombs to strike Israel in violation of international law…
The Swiss Embassy in Tehran, which has historically served as an interlocutor for U.S. interests in the Islamic Republic, announced it is temporarily closing, citing “the war in the Middle East and the increasing security risk,” but “will continue to maintain an open line of communication” between Washington and Tehran…
The Wall Street Journal spotlights CENTCOM head Adm. Brad Cooper, whom associates described as “thoughtful, decisive and cool under pressure” as he leads U.S. operations in the Middle East…
Yeshiva University is establishing the first new dental school in Manhattan in more than a century, with plans to enroll 150 students in an accelerated three-year program on its Midtown Manhattan campus…
Starbucks owner Howard Schultz became the latest executive to relocate to South Florida, purchasing a $44 million penthouse in Surfside, Fla….
The California Department of Education filed a lawsuit against the Oakland Unified School District, alleging that administrators failed to address “pervasive antisemitism” in schools in the Bay Area district following a directive in January to do so…
A judge in the U.K. tossed out the government’s appeal of a court ruling dismissing its case against Irish band Kneecap over a group member’s support for Hezbollah; the lower court had dismissed the case over a governmental procedural error…
Google completed its $32 billion purchase of Israeli cybersecurity startup Wiz, started in 2020 by Unit 8200 veterans Assaf Rappaport, Yinon Costica, Ami Luttwak and Roy Reznik; the deal marks the largest purchase of an Israeli-founded company in nearly a decade…
Iran’s sports minister said that the Islamic Republic’s national soccer team could not play in this summer’s World Cup, a number of games of which are being played in the U.S….
Spain is permanently withdrawing its ambassador from Israel, months after Ambassador Ana Maria Salomon Perez was recalled to Madrid; the country’s embassy in Israel going forward will be led by a charge d’affaires…
Bloomberg looks at Israeli efforts to establish an intelligence base on the coast of Somaliland months after Israel became the first country to formally recognize the African nation, which is separated from the Yemen-based Houthis by the Gulf of Aden…
Axios reports on the role that hackers are increasingly playing in the war between the U.S., Israel and Iran, following a cyberattack on Wednesday targeting the U.S.-based medical device company Stryker that disabled employees’ phones and laptops…
The Qatari-backed Irth Capital Management submitted a bid to take over Papa Johns, in a deal that would give the pizza chain a $1.5 billion valuation…
Bernard Haykel is joining the Foundation for Defense of Democracies as a senior fellow…
Angelika Saleh, the namesake of the Angelika Film Center, which she opened in 1989 with her then-husband, Joseph Saleh, died at 90…
Pic of the Day
UJA-Federation of New York announced last night it was committing $1.3 million to build the Shalva Sharabi Family Center in Ashkelon, Israel, a new center dedicated in memory of the wife and daughters of former hostage Eli Sharabi, who were killed during Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attacks. The pledge for the center, which will support individuals with disabilities and trauma victims, was made at Shalva’s 36th anniversary gala, held at Gotham Hall in Manhattan, Jewish Insider’s Haley Cohen reports for eJewishPhilanthropy.
Birthdays
Born in Haifa, he served as president of the Central Bank of Brazil and is now president of the Inter-American Development Bank, Ilan Goldfajn turns 60…
Photographer, musician and author of 15 children’s books, Arlene Weiss Alda turns 93… Carol Margolis… Retired U.S. Sen. Mitt Romney (R-UT) turns 79… Director, producer and screenwriter of movies and television including directing the first of “The Fast and the Furious” film franchise, Rob Cohen turns 77… British sculptor, he won the 2017 $1 million Genesis Prize for “commitment to Jewish values, the Jewish community and the State of Israel,” Sir Anish Kapoor turns 72… Pitching coach who has worked for the Yankees, Reds, Braves, Marlins, Cubs and Padres, Larry Rothschild turns 72… Past president of AIPAC, he is the founder and CEO of R.A. Cohen & Associates, Robert A. Cohen… Former member of the Knesset for the Likud party, he is from the Israeli Druze community, Ayoob Kara turns 71… Founder of hedge fund Lone Pine Capital, Stephen Mandel turns 70… Sales representative at Paychex, Lynne Blumenthal… Director of constituency engagement at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, Diane Saltzman… Senior attorney in the D.C. office of Squire Patton Boggs, Stacey Grundman… Sportscaster for ESPN and a host of “SportsCenter,” Steve Levy turns 61… U.S. Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) turns 58… Chief Washington correspondent for CNN and co-host of the Sunday morning program “State of the Union,” Jacob Paul “Jake” Tapper turns 57… Founder and CEO at Miller Strategies, Jeff Miller… Israeli film and television actor, Tzachi Halevy turns 51… SVP of communications at the Alliance for Automotive Innovation, Brian T. Weiss… Founder and publisher of Fleishigs, a kosher food magazine, Shlomo Klein… Actor and comedian, Samm Levine turns 44… Writer, artist and social media personality, she is best known for her Daf Reactions series of videos explaining passages from the Talmud posted to TikTok, Miriam P. Anzovin… Senior public affairs specialist at the Association of American Medical Colleges, Talia Schmidt… Member of Congress (D-NY-15) since 2021, Ritchie Torres turns 38… Senior Middle East intelligence specialist at Vcheck, Aaron Magid… Founder and CEO of Serotonin and co-founder and president of Mojito, Amanda Gutterman Cassatt turns 35… CEO and co-founder of Wonder Media Network, Jennifer Manning Kaplan… Figure skater who won the 2016 World Junior championship, he competed for Israel at the 2018 Winter Olympics, Daniel Samohin turns 28… Israeli internet personality, model and singer, Anna Zak turns 25…
Trump says Herrera is ‘strongly supported by many Highly Respected MAGA Warriors’
screenshot
Brandon Herrera pictured here in a video about Nazi guns.
President Donald Trump on Wednesday announced his endorsement of Brandon Herrera, the far-right social media influencer who is the presumptive Republican nominee in Texas’ 23rd Congressional District.
Herrera has faced condemnation for videos he posted that featured imagery, music and jokes related to the Nazis and the Holocaust. He also spoke on a podcast last year about owning a copy of Mein Kampf, though he said he does not share the views expressed in Adolf Hitler’s manifesto.
Trump previously backed Herrera’s opponent, incumbent Rep. Tony Gonzales (R-TX), who dropped out of the race last week amid an escalating scandal.
“Brandon is strongly supported by many Highly Respected MAGA Warriors in Texas, and Republicans in the U.S. House,” Trump said on Truth Social on Wednesday. Herrera has been backed by the House Freedom Caucus’ affiliated PAC.
“As your next Congressman, he will work tirelessly to advance our MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN Agenda,” Trump continued. “Brandon Herrera has my Complete and Total Endorsement to be the next Representative from Texas’ 23rd Congressional District — HE WILL NEVER LET YOU DOWN!”
Trump’s endorsement of Herrera marks a sharp turnabout for the president. Just a month ago, a lawyer for the president sent Herrera a cease-and-desist demanding he stop using Trump’s image in campaign advertisements, calling the ads misleading in light of Trump’s then-endorsement of Gonzales.
Herrera, who has generally taken an anti-interventionist stance on foreign policy issues, including opposing supplemental aid to Israel in 2024, said at the start of the U.S. strikes on Iran that he hopes that “If there must be military action, let it be QUICK, effective, and please God keep our service members safe.”
He said on X in June 2025, the day before the start of the 12-day war between Israel and Iran, which the U.S. eventually joined, “I don’t want to go to war with Iran. I don’t want to be involved in the Middle East. But if you decide to f*** with us (like they did last time), I wish you a very happy sunk Navy.”
Herrera has faced condemnation and opposition in the past from groups including the Republican Jewish Coalition. Asked last week about Herrera’s comments that resurfaced last week about Mein Kampf, the RJC affirmed its continued opposition to Herrera.
“The RJC has a long-standing policy of speaking out against those who traffic in Nazi ideology, and this is another case,” spokesperson Sam Markstein told Jewish Insider. “The RJC opposed Mr. Herrera in 2024, and he will not get our support now.”
Plus, Israel considers building Somaliland base
Cheriss May/NurPhoto via Getty Images
Ben Rhodes, then-deputy national security advisor to President Barack Obama, participates in an interview with press at the White House in on Wednesday, December 14, 2016.
This P.M. edition is reserved for our premium subscribers — offering a forward-focused read on what we’re tracking now and what’s coming next. Please don’t hesitate to share your thoughts and feedback by replying to this email.
📡On Our Radar
Notable developments and interesting tidbits we’re tracking
The Strait of Hormuz continues to be a key site of conflict in the U.S. and Israeli war against Iran — a spokesperson for the Iranian Armed Forces said in a video statement that the regime “will never allow even a single liter of oil to pass through the Strait of Hormuz for the benefit of America, the Zionists or their partners,” shortly after several ships were struck by missiles while passing through or near the strait…
The International Energy Agency announced its member countries will release 400 million barrels of oil from their emergency reserves in order to blunt the impacts of the war, the largest emergency release in history…
President Donald Trump told Axios that the war will end “soon” because there’s “practically nothing left to target” in Iran. U.S. and Israeli officials are reportedly preparing for at least two more weeks of hostilities…
Jewish Insider’s Matthew Shea speaks to experts and former Trump administration officials about Qatar’s potentially changing calculus on hosting Iranian-backed Hamas leaders as Tehran continues to attack the Gulf state…
A preliminary U.S. military investigation has found the deadly strike on a school in Iran was caused by the U.S. as it was targeting a nearby Iranian base, sources told The New York Times…
The FBI recently warned California police departments that Iran may launch a drone attack in the state, ABC News reports. As of last month, “Iran allegedly aspired to conduct a surprise attack using unmanned aerial vehicles from an unidentified vessel off the coast of the United State Homeland, specifically against unspecified targets in California, in the event that the U.S. conducted strikes against Iran,” the bureau’s alert read…
Israel is considering building a base in Somaliland, which it recently recognized as an independent country, in order to combat the threat of the Houthis, which are based in Yemen just across the Gulf of Aden…
Iran will not participate in the 2026 World Cup after the U.S. “assassinated our leader,” Iran’s sports minister told state media, shortly after Trump said he would still “welcome” the team’s participation. Iran’s national men’s soccer team was set to compete in June in Los Angeles and Seattle; several athletes from the country’s women’s team recently defected to Australia after playing in a match there…
Spain permanently withdrew its ambassador to Israel, as the countries’ already tense relations worsen over Madrid’s opposition to the war in Iran…
House Republican leadership discussed ways to incorporate an expected emergency supplemental for the U.S. military into the budget reconciliation process, Politico reports, rather than attempting to rally support from Senate Democrats for the 60-vote threshold that would otherwise be required in the Senate on a stand-alone vote. The move would also sidestep a vote that could be politically challenging for some House Republicans…
Former Obama administration official Ben Rhodes, a leading Israel critic on the left, said on an episode of his “Pod Save the World” podcast that Democrats who vote in favor of funding for the war with Iran “should be primaried. I don’t want you in the Democratic Party.”
Rhodes and co-host Tommy Vietor referenced the four Democrats who voted against a war powers resolution in the House as ripe for primary challenges. Left unsaid: Three of the four — Reps. Greg Landsman (D-OH), Henry Cuellar (D-TX) and Jared Golden (D-ME) — represent GOP-leaning seats that would likely flip with a more progressive Democratic candidate…
In a sign of the political gulfs between the Israeli and American left, Yair Zivan, who is an advisor to Israeli Opposition Leader Yair Lapid, pushed back on Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) after the senator criticized Israeli operations in Lebanon.
“Senator, I work for the Leader of the Opposition in Israel and I’m writing this from a bomb shelter with my children. Israel is under attack by fanatical terrorists who want to murder us. It never ceases to amaze that your humanity never seems to extend to Israeli lives,” Zivan wrote on X…
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro said he called New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani to “check in on him and his wife to make sure they’re doing okay” after the attempted terror attack outside Mamdani’s official residence over the weekend. “As someone who’s had to deal with political violence, I know it can take a toll,” Shapiro said. The governor previously spoke with Mamdani after his win in November to express concerns over his rhetoric about Israel…
⏩ Tomorrow’s Agenda, Today
An early look at tomorrow’s storylines and schedule to keep you a step ahead
Keep an eye out in Jewish Insider for a look at the far-right ties of the new political director of College Republicans of America.
The Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee will hold a hearing on foreign influence in American higher education, including testimony from the Foundation for Defense of Democracies’ Craig Singleton.
The annual weeklong South by Southwest festival kicks off tomorrow in Austin, Texas. Appearing at the summit, whose 300,000 attendees include many film and media professionals, is anti-Israel protest leader Mahmoud Khalil, who will speak about “the system that tried to silence him, and the personal and political stakes of resistance.”
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PRIMARY PRESSURE
DMFI focusing ire on anti-Israel Democrats running in swing districts
The pro-Israel Democratic group warns that nominating far-left candidates will cost the party winnable seats against GOP incumbents
DEMOCRATIC DIVIDE
John Fetterman again offers scathing criticism of his own party’s foreign policy views
The Pennsylvania senator told JI about the U.S. military operation’s successes: ‘Why can’t a single Democrat agree that this is a good thing for the world and the region?’
Sen. Tommy Tuberville, who also sits on the Armed Services Committee, which was briefed Tuesday morning, strongly denied that ground troops would be necessary
Jemal Countess/Getty Images for Fair Share America
Sen. Richard Blumenthal speaks at a rally at the Capitol on April 10, 2025 in Washington, DC.
Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), following a classified briefing for the Senate Armed Services Committee on the war in Iran on Tuesday morning, said he’s concerned that the U.S. is headed toward putting troops in Iran — echoing and elevating concerns he voiced following a classified briefing last week.
But other colleagues have, at this point, not affirmed Blumenthal’s view.
“If you look at the administration’s objectives, most especially regime change, there’s no way to accomplish it from 30,000 feet,” Blumenthal told Jewish Insider. “Every military expert seems to agree that it requires troops in Iran, and likely, as well, destruction of the nuclear material that Iran has right now will require some presence of personnel.”
He said that comments by President Donald Trump and administration officials about the future of the campaign and about loosening rules of engagement have further fed into his concerns.
“There is an air of recklessness that leads me to be very fearful — not to mention what I’ve heard in the classified briefings,” Blumenthal said.
Other colleagues on the Armed Services Committee aren’t backing up Blumenthal’s concerns at this point.
“I don’t know,” Sen. Gary Peters (D-MI) said, when asked if he agrees with Blumenthal that ground troops are likely to be deployed.
Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) forcefully denied to JI the idea that the U.S. would put troops on the ground in Iran.
“That’s interesting,” Sen. Mike Rounds (R-SD) said, when asked about Blumenthal’s comments.
Sen. John Kennedy (R-LA), who is not on the Armed Services Committee, said that Blumenthal “is my friend” but he “needs to back off the crank. That’s not going to happen.”
A ground operation would likely be a red-line for at least some lawmakers — on both sides of the aisle — currently supporting the war effort.
Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA), the most vocal Democratic supporter of the war effort, told JI he would not support a ground operation, a position he said he believes most Americans agree with.
“I’m not supporting a boots on the ground thing — the vast, vast, vast [majority of] Americans are there — but I support what’s happened” so far, Fetterman said. “I’ll be the first guy to say, ‘Look, I’m not aware of any single person that would support boots on the ground.’ I just watched [Defense Secretary Pete] Hegseth’s interview where he says they’re never going to make it about nation-building or anything.”
The Pennsylvania senator also said he plans to support any request from the administration for supplemental funding relating to the ongoing operation, adding that he took umbrage with the notion of lawmakers on either side of the aisle voting down aid for U.S. forces in an ongoing combat mission.
“If it comes up, I will vote for it,” Fetterman told JI of a supplemental package. “And I would dare anyone to vote against providing our military what’s required at this point.”
A growing number of Democrats are coming out against such supplemental funding.
“They’re saying they have more than ample resources and munitions right now. I have no idea why they would need a supplemental, so I’m certainly not writing a blank check, and they’ve given us no specificity as to why a supplemental is required,” Blumenthal told JI.
“What’s more, Trump is saying he’s not going to sign any legislation anyway until there’s the SAVE AMERICA Act, which is a preposterous position, but why should we consider a supplemental when he’s going to veto it anyway?” he continued.
Also on Tuesday, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and Sens. Jack Reed (D-RI) and Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) wrote to Trump calling on him to send Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Hegseth to immediately testify publicly on the war effort.
They need to “come and answer for their failures and explain to the American people what the hell is going on,” Schumer said at a press conference. “That’s what people are asking in drug stores and bowling alleys and office buildings: What is going on? No one can understand it from what the Trump administration and Trump himself are saying.”
The Pennsylvania senator told JI about the U.S. military operation’s successes: ‘Why can’t a single Democrat agree that this is a good thing for the world and the region?’
Lev Radin/Pacific Press/LightRocket via Getty Images
Senator John Fetterman speaks during the grand opening of The Altneu synagogue.
Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA) is criticizing his fellow Democrats over their opposition to President Donald Trump’s decision to launch the U.S. war in Iran, arguing that his party should celebrate efforts to bring down the Iranian regime and its military and nuclear capabilities as a “positive development.”
Fetterman, the most vocal pro-Israel Democrat in the Senate, has been one of the leading advocates for striking Iran directly since Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attacks on Israel. He backed Trump’s decision to strike Iran’s nuclear facilities amid the 12-day war with Israel last year, criticizing Democrats at the time for speaking out against the operation, and has since emerged as one of the staunchest Iran hawks in the Democratic Party.
The Pennsylvania senator said, since leading Democrats have long argued that Iran should never have the ability to get a nuclear weapon, criticism from the party of the joint U.S.-Israel efforts to degrade their military capabilities is hypocritical.
“First, let’s get to history. Every single Democratic presidential candidate or Democratic president all agreed, we can never allow Iran to acquire a nuclear bomb. Everyone has run the gamut: sanctions, treaties, proxies, other kinds of negotiations. It never worked,” Fetterman told Jewish Insider in an interview on Tuesday. “But you know what it actually produced? Nine hundred pounds of just pure, weapons-grade uranium.”
“When the country that wants death to America and wants to destroy Israel could have been months away from developing a nuclear weapon, and every single Democratic candidate for president all agreed we can never allow them [to do so], why can’t we just acknowledge what’s happened?” he asked. “It’s a profound development. I don’t get it. I know what the [Democratic] base demands right now: condemn and criticize.”
He said that Democrats should be able and willing to praise the operation for degrading Iran’s regime and its capabilities.
“Why can’t a Democrat call this a positive development given everything that Iran is responsible for and what their ambitions are?” Fetterman said. “This is effectively us destroying the Nazi regime and Hitler before they could’ve even begun. So, to your readers, whether in Israel or here, I ask: Why is that a problem?”
Fetterman also said that the media and fellow Democrats are ignoring what he characterized as the apparent successes and effectiveness of the U.S.-Israel strikes.
“Iran’s capabilities have been effectively ended. Right now, the missile strikes are down by 90 percent. Their Navy is gone. They can’t even project any force at this point,” Fetterman said. “Why do The New York Times and other left-wing media keep making it seem that the region is on fire when this is the breaking free of Iran? Why can’t a single Democrat agree that this is a good thing for the world and the region?”
Fetterman also blasted recent comments from former Vice President Kamala Harris and California Gov. Gavin Newsom, potential 2028 Democratic presidential contenders, criticizing Trump’s decision to launch the U.S. war in Iran and questioning the future of the U.S.-Israel relationship. The Pennsylvania senator said he was not surprised by the mainstreaming of opposition to Israel within the Democratic Party, predicting that the shift away from supporting Israel would continue.
“I expect at the end that our party is going to continue to back away from the moral clarity of Israel. If you are describing Israel as an apartheid state, or you have people in leadership [doing so], that’s profoundly disappointing but unsurprising,” Fetterman said.
Plus, CNN walks back coverage downplaying NYC terror attempt
JULIEN DE ROSA / AFP via Getty Images
A person points at a page on the Marinetraffic website that shows commercial boats traffic on the edge of the Strait of Hormuz near the Iranian coast, in Paris on March 4, 2026.
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📡On Our Radar
Notable developments and interesting tidbits we’re tracking
President Donald Trump denied reports that U.S. intelligence has found Iran is taking steps to deploy mines in the Strait of Hormuz, but said if it has been done, “we want them removed, IMMEDIATELY!” If not, he warned, “the Military consequences to Iran will be at a level never seen before,” and if they are removed, “it will be a giant step in the right direction.”
Shortly after, Trump confirmed the U.S. has “hit, and completely destroyed, 10 inactive mine laying boats and/or ships.”
Aramco, the world’s top oil exporter out of Saudi Arabia, warned oil markets will face “catastrophic consequences” if the strait continues to be impacted by the war. “While we have faced disruptions in the past, this one by far is the biggest crisis the region’s oil and gas industry has faced,” CEO Amin Nasser told reporters…
The White House asked Israel not to target any more Iranian energy facilities, Axios reports, citing harm to Iranian civilians, the hope to cooperate with the Iranian oil industry after the war and potential for Tehran to retaliate against Gulf states…
Around 140 U.S. servicemembers have been injured in the course of the campaign against Iran, Defense Department spokesperson Sean Parnell said today, the majority of whom have already returned to service…
After receiving a classified briefing in the Senate Armed Services Committee, Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) told reporters, “I emerged from this briefing as dissatisfied and angry, frankly, as I have from any past briefing in my 15 years in the Senate. … We seem to be on a path toward deploying American troops on the ground in Iran.”
Blumenthal continued, “There is also, as disturbingly as anything else, the specter of active Russian aid to Iran … with intelligence and perhaps with other means, and China also may be assisting”…
The U.S. ordered the departure of its diplomats and their families from southern Turkey after two attempted Iranian missile strikes in the area; it’s the first mandated departure of U.S. officials outside of the Gulf and Lebanon since the start of the war…
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issued a statement to the “people of Iran” hinting at a coming opportunity for a popular uprising. He wrote on X, “We are waging a historic war for liberty. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity for you to remove the Ayatollah regime and gain your freedom. … In the coming days we will create the conditions for you to grasp your destiny. … When the time is right, and that time is fast approaching, we will pass the torch to you”…
CNN significantly changed a story and removed a social media post today that downplayed the attempted terror attack outside Gracie Mansion, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s official residence, over the weekend, initially writing that the suspects traveled from Pennsylvania for “what could’ve been a normal day” during the city’s “abnormally warm weather.”
CNN later deleted its post on X and added an editor’s note to its story, saying that the language “failed to reflect the gravity of the incident thereby breaching the editorial standards we require for all our reporting”…
The NYPD evacuated Carl Schurz Park near the mayor’s mansion today after a suspicious device was found in the vicinity; it was determined to be “non-threatening”…
Secure Community Network said there was no known threat to the Jewish community following an active shooter incident Tuesday afternoon near the Agudath Israel of Baltimore synagogue, during which a Baltimore Police officer and a suspect were shot in what appeared to be a domestic incident…
A week ahead of Illinois’ primary election, a new poll conducted by an outside group backing Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL) shows the congressman with a double-digit lead in the race for Senate, up 11 points over his next closest competitor, Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton. Over 87,000 early votes have already been cast in the race, 40,000 votes more than had been cast at the same point in early voting during the 2022 primaries…
Morris Katz, the Democratic strategist who has shaped the campaigns of progressive politicians hostile to Israel including Mamdani and Maine Senate candidate Graham Platner, is now behind the campaign of another populist Democrat: Allison Ziogas, a first-time candidate attempting to unseat Rep. Nicole Malliotakis (R-NY). Trump won 61% of the vote in Malliotakis’ Staten Island–based district in 2024, making it difficult for any Democrat to prevail…
The Anti-Defamation League released its 2026 Campus Antisemitism Report Card, which showed a “clear upward trend” in universities taking steps to address antisemitism, the organization said. Almost two dozen schools received A grades.
UCLA Chancellor Julio Frenk celebrated his university’s improvement from a D to a B, but said in a statement, “a grade is a waypoint, not a destination. … While we have made clear progress in addressing antisemitism, we have more to do in our shared goal of eradicating it in its entirety”…
⏩ Tomorrow’s Agenda, Today
An early look at tomorrow’s storylines and schedule to keep you a step ahead
Keep an eye out in Jewish Insider for a look at a late flurry of spending against far-left social media influencer Kat Abughazaleh in Illinois’ 9th Congressional District, as pro-Israel groups indicate concern that the virulently anti-Israel Democrat could win the seat.
President Donald Trump will host an event in Hebron, Ky., tomorrow, with Republican congressional candidate Ed Gallrein in attendance. Gallrein is challenging Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) with Trump’s endorsement — Massie will not be attending the event, which is taking place in his district.
Fox News’ Bret Baier will speak in conversation with journalist Gary Rosenblatt at Temple Emanu-El’s Streicker Center in New York City.
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SCOOP
Ann Arbor mayoral candidate featured Hamas supporter in campaign video
Local DSA chair Justin Yuan wrote on social media, ‘Love Hamas. Simple as’
BLUEGRASS BATTLE
Thomas Massie’s opposition to Iran war could cost him reelection
President Trump is set to rally with Massie’s opponent this week
President threatens further attacks if Iran blocks Strait of Hormuz; teases nation-building effort
The White House via X Account/Anadolu via Getty Images
U.S. President Donald J. Trump sits at a table monitoring military operations during Operation Epic Fury against Iran, with U.S. flags visible behind him, in Washington, United States, on March 02, 2026.
President Donald Trump drew two contradictory timelines for the ongoing war in Iran in remarks on Monday, saying that the conflict was both drawing to a close and in its early stages.
In a call with CBS News, Trump said, “The war is very complete, pretty much. [Iran has] no navy, no communications; they’ve got no air force. Their missiles are down to a scatter. Their drones are being blown up all over the place, including the manufacturing of drones. … There’s nothing left in a military sense.”
The war has progressed faster than initially expected, the president added: “We’re very far ahead of schedule.”
Also Monday, the Department of Defense posted on X that “we have only just begun to fight, with a graphic of a missile interceptor and the text: “No Mercy.”
At a news conference after his CBS News interview, Trump was asked whether the war is “very complete” or “just beginning.”
“I think you could say both,” the president responded. “It’s the beginning of building a new country. We could call it a tremendous success right now, or we could go further.”
“And we’re going to go further,” Trump added.
In his interview with CBS, Trump considered further steps, saying that he is “thinking about taking … over” the Strait of Hormuz.
The president later posted on Truth Social: “If Iran does anything that stops the flow of Oil within the Strait of Hormuz, they will be hit by the United States of America TWENTY TIMES HARDER than they have been hit thus far.”
The Strait of Hormuz is the only passage by sea from the Gulf to the open ocean and a critical chokepoint in the global energy market.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, meanwhile, said during a visit to Israel’s National Health Command Center on Monday that “our aspiration is to enable the Iranian people to cast off the yoke of tyranny; ultimately, it is up to them.”
“If we succeed together with the Iranian people, we will bring about a permanent end to the extent that such things exist in the lives of nations,” Netanyahu added. “We will bring about change, and we are already bringing about a massive shift in Israel’s international standing.”
The IDF Home Front Command reported only six missile launches from Iran to Israel in the past 24 hours, a significant slowdown from previous days of the war.
The IDF continued to strike targets in Iran, including a missile launcher, 10 minutes after it fired at Israel.
On Monday night, the IAF completed a wave of strikes against six major Iranian military airfields, destroying Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps aircraft, including combat helicopters.
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun reached out to the U.S. to start direct talks with Israel on “permanent arrangements for security and stability on [its] borders.” He called for a “complete truce” ending Israeli military activity, and lamented that Hezbollah — which Beirut had agreed to disarm as one of the terms of its 2024 ceasefire with Israel — “wanted to achieve the fall of the State of Lebanon, under aggression and chaos.”
Israeli strikes on Hezbollah in Lebanon continued, with overnight attacks on command centers and the facilities of the Al-Quard Al-Hassan Association, which funds the Iran-backed terrorist group and works with cash, as well as a cell of Hezbollah terrorists approaching IDF soldiers and a structure in which commanders of the elite Radwan Force were said to be gathering.
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar met with U.N. Special Coordinator for Lebanon Jeanine Hennis in Jerusalem on Monday. In his readout of the meeting, he noted that Hezbollah joined the war on Iran’s side “against the interest of Lebanon.”
“Over the past week there have been more attacks against Israel from Lebanese territory than from Iran,” Sa’ar said. “Weakening Hezbollah is a mutual interest of both Israel and Lebanon. I also said that Hezbollah initiated an attack against us and no member of the international community is acting to stop it besides us.”
Sa’ar and Hennis also discussed Israel’s decision not to evacuate residents from its northern border towns, in contrast with October 2023, and said that “the deployment of IDF troops in the border area is critical for preventing an invasion of Hezbollah’s ground forces and attacks against Israeli citizens and communities.”
The IDF estimated in recent days that over half a million Lebanese residents evacuated southern Lebanon.
Magen David Adom emergency services reported treating 76 people as a result of Monday’s missile attacks, two of whom were killed and 18 injured by missile debris.
Since the start of Operation Lion’s Roar, there have been 14 fatalities. MDA reported treating 667 people for injuries resulting from missile attacks, 511 of whom were injured making their way to shelter or in traffic accidents when stopping for a missile alert.
The president also predicted the operation would be a ‘short-term excursion’
Roberto Schmidt/Getty Images
Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff listens as U.S. President Donald Trump speaks to reporters during a news conference at Trump National Doral Miami on March 9, 2026 in Doral, Florida.
President Donald Trump said repeatedly on Monday that he believed the Iranian regime was going to “take over the Middle East” and would have obtained a nuclear weapon “within weeks” had he not ordered the U.S. military operation against Iran.
Trump made the comments from his Doral, Fla., golf club at a press conference while defending his decision to have the U.S. launch its military operation in Iran, noting that Iran had a “number of missiles they were able to buy and make over the last six months, and those missiles were aimed at various countries.”
“When you look at over 1,000 missiles shot at, like the UAE, they were looking to take over the Middle East,” Trump said. “We got there first. We’re lucky.”
“If I didn’t hit them first, they were going to hit our allies first,” he continued. Had the U.S. not struck Iranian nuclear sites last June, “that was definite, because they would’ve had a nuclear weapon within a matter of weeks.”
Trump said that negotiations between the U.S. and Iran on the latter’s nuclear ambitions had reached a stalemate last year because the Iranians told Special Envoy Steve Witkoff “essentially, in a real nutshell, we want to continue to build nuclear weapons.”
“The situation was very quickly approaching the point of no return, and the United States found it intolerable. In my opinion, based on what Steve and Jared [Kushner] and [Secretary of Defense] Pete [Hegseth] and others were telling me, [Secretary of State] Marco [Rubio] was so involved, I thought that they were going to attack us,” Trump said. “If we didn’t do this at the time we did it, I think they had a mind to attack us.”
Trump, who is in Doral for the House Republicans’ retreat, made similar comments while discussing the ongoing U.S. military operation in Iran earlier Monday in a speech to Republican lawmakers and donors.
“Within a week, they [Iran] were going to attack us,” he told the crowd at the Republican Members Issues Conference.
In comments at the retreat and the presser, Trump touted the progress made in the nine days since the U.S. first struck Iran as evidence that the operation had been a “tremendous success” thus far.
“We’re achieving major strides toward completing our military objective, and some people could say they’re pretty well complete. We’ve wiped every single force in Iran out very completely,” Trump told reporters, adding that “most of Iran’s naval power has been sunk” and the regime’s “drones are way down.”
“We continue to target Iran’s drone and missile capability,” he continued. “We’ve struck over 5,000 targets to date, some of them very major targets, and we’ve left some of the most important targets for later, in case we need to do it. If we hit them, it’s going to take many years for them to be rebuilt, having to do with electricity production and many other things. So we’re not looking to do that if we don’t have to.””
About the future of Iran’s leadership, Trump said, “We want to be involved. We don’t want another president that maybe wouldn’t be willing to do what I’m willing to do, for the good of the world, for the good of our nation, to be stuck with a situation in five years or 10 years.”
Speaking to attendees at the GOP retreat, the president described the U.S. attacks on Iran as a “little excursion” that he expected would “be a short-term” operation.
“We took a little excursion because we felt we had to do that to get rid of some evil,” Trump said. “And I think it’s going to be a short-term excursion.”
Trump also acknowledged the broader differences between himself and Vice President JD Vance on foreign policy matters at the presser, but said that Vance was supportive of his decision to strike Iran.
“We get along very well on this. He was, I would say, philosophically a little bit different than me. I think he was maybe less enthusiastic about going, but he was quite enthusiastic.”
Plus, Trump says Iran operation 'very complete'
Sean Gallup/Getty Images
Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) speaks at the 62nd Munich Security Conference on February 13, 2026 in Munich, Germany.
This P.M. edition is reserved for our premium subscribers — offering a forward-focused read on what we’re tracking now and what’s coming next. Please don’t hesitate to share your thoughts and feedback by replying to this email.
📡On Our Radar
Notable developments and interesting tidbits we’re tracking
President Donald Trump praised Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese for assisting the members of Iran’s women’s soccer team, who are in Australia competing in the Women’s Asian Cup, amid fears for their persecution should they be forced to return home.
The president had called for Albanese to grant the athletes political asylum, saying they would “most likely be killed” if they were repatriated to Iran, and later commended him for “doing a very good job having to do with this rather delicate situation,” with five athletes “already taken care of, and the rest are on their way”…
Trump disputed reports that the U.S. is preparing to deploy ground troops to secure nuclear material at the Isfahan enrichment site in Iran, telling the New York Post, “We haven’t made any decision on that. We’re nowhere near it.” He also told CBS News that “the war is very complete, pretty much,” and the U.S. is “very far” ahead of his initial four-to-five-week timeline…
Trump has communicated to aides that he would support the assassination of Mojtaba Khamenei, Iran’s new supreme leader, if Khamenei does not acquiesce to U.S. demands, including ending Iran’s nuclear program, U.S. officials told The Wall Street Journal…
The Lebanese government has requested direct negotiations with Israel, sending the message through U.S. Ambassador to Turkey Tom Barrack, Axios reports. Washington and Jerusalem were reportedly skeptical about the idea, with Beirut thus far failing to disarm or rein in Hezbollah activities as the terror group continues to launch missiles into Israel…
NATO missile defense systems intercepted another Iranian missile heading for Turkey, a spokesperson announced today, the second time Iran has attempted to strike the NATO country’s territory…
Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) threatened to impose “consequences” on Saudi Arabia for its unwillingness to join the U.S. campaign against Iran, as the U.S. evacuates its embassy in Riyadh and the kingdom continues to endure Iranian attacks, which have so far resulted in the deaths of two civilians and one U.S. servicemember. “Question — why should America do a defense agreement with a country like the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia that is unwilling to join a fight of mutual interest?” Graham wrote on X…
Talks to advance Trump’s 20-point peace plan in Gaza, including the issue of Hamas’ disarmament, have been at a standstill during the campaign against Iran, Reuters reports, as Gulf countries that pledged funds to help rebuild the enclave have come under fire and flight disruptions have prevented mediators from traveling…
The criminal complaint filed in the Southern District of New York today against the two Pennsylvania men who allegedly hurled improvised explosive devices toward a protest against New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani on Saturday stated that both men explicitly identified ISIS as their inspiration, Jewish Insider’s Will Bredderman reports.
“This isn’t a religion that just stands when people talk about the blessed name of the Prophet [Muhammad],” Emir Balat, 18, told police, according to the charging documents. He also said he had hoped to pull off something “even bigger” than the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing, which he noted had caused “only three deaths”…
The White House moved today to designate the Sudanese Muslim Brotherhood as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist entity and announced plans to impose a Foreign Terrorist Organization designation on March 16, JI’s Matthew Shea reports, in the Trump administration’s latest crackdown against Muslim Brotherhood affiliates…
A new poll from the campaign of Rushern Baker, former executive of Maryland’s Prince George’s County, found him leading the crowded Democratic field seeking to succeed retiring Rep. Steny Hoyer (D-MD). Though a plurality of likely primary voters (28%) said they’re still undecided, Baker polled at 22% compared to former U.S. Capitol Police officer Harry Dunn’s 15% and Hoyer-endorsed state Del. Adrian Boafo’s 3%…
Rep. Kevin Kiley of California officially switched his party affiliation from Republican to independent — he had filed for reelection as an independent, but said today he would leave the party for the rest of his term as well. The move narrows the GOP majority even further, 217-214, but Kiley said he’ll continue to caucus with Republicans, blunting the impact…
Politico looks at the flurry of independent candidates seeking to unseat congressional Republicans in GOP-leaning districts, clashing with local Democratic establishments in the process…
⏩ Tomorrow’s Agenda, Today
An early look at tomorrow’s storylines and schedule to keep you a step ahead
Keep an eye out in Jewish Insider — we’ll have a profile of Dario Amodei, the Jewish CEO of Anthropic, which sued the Pentagon today over its decision to label the AI company a “supply chain risk.”
The Senate Armed Services Committee is expected to receive a classified briefing on the status of the U.S. and Israeli campaign against Iran.
The Republican Jewish Coalition and conservative magazine National Review will hold a daylong symposium on antisemitism, with remarks from Sens. Jim Banks (R-IN), Tom Cotton (R-AR) and Ted Cruz (R-TX); Noah Pollak, senior advisor at the Department of Education; Kenneth Marcus, founder of the Louis D. Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under Law; Rabbi Yehuda Kaploun, the State Department’s antisemitism envoy; Leo Terrell, senior counsel to the assistant attorney general for civil rights; and Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick.
Georgia’s 14th Congressional District will hold its special election to fill the seat vacated by Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA), with more than a dozen candidates on the all-party ballot. The district leans strongly Republican but the GOP field is split among nine candidates, raising the possibility that the Democratic front-runner — retired Army Brig. Gen. Shawn Harris — could slip into the April runoff.
Stories You May Have Missed
SCOOP
Zohran Mamdani’s wife liked social media posts celebrating Oct. 7 attacks
NYC First Lady Rama Duwaji showed support for far-left orgs applauding Hamas rampage
POWER PLAYER
The progressive operative nudging Democrats toward a hostile line on Israel
Ad maker Morris Katz has been instrumental in elevating Israel antagonists into office as part of a move to reshape the Democratic Party
Plus, Gottheimer pans Newsom
Brian Stukes/Getty Images
State Sen. Sharif Street attends a rally outside the Philadelphia Criminal Justice Center on April 16, 2018 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
👋 Good Monday morning!
In today’s Daily Kickoff, we report on the latest in the war with Iran, including a missile attack this morning in which at least one person in Israel were killed, and cover a move by Senate Democrats to introduce five additional war powers resolutions after a similar effort last week failed to get enough support. We profile Pennsylvania state Sen. Sharif Street as the pro-Israel Democrat, who is Black and Muslim, mounts a bid for Congress, and report on concerns from members of the House Education & Workforce Committee that Evanston, Ill., Mayor Daniel Biss, who is running for Congress, “severely downplayed antisemitism” at Northwestern University while in a briefing with committee members. Also in today’s Daily Kickoff: Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al Thani, Gov. Josh Shapiro and Alon Penzel.
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
- Secretary of State Marco Rubio is set to deliver remarks at 9 a.m. ET at a flag-raising ceremony at the State Department commemorating hostages and wrongful detainees.
- House Republicans are holding their annual policy retreat in Doral, Fla., with President Donald Trump slated to address the gathering at 5 p.m. ET. Also slated to speak at the retreat are Ben Shapiro and CNN’s Scott Jennings.
- EU Council President Antonio Costa and EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen are holding a call today with Middle East leaders to discuss the ongoing war in the region.
- Team Israel faces off against the Dominican Republic in the World Baseball Classic at noon ET today in Miami. The Israeli team, which lost 11-3 on Saturday against Venezuela, came back to beat Nicaragua 5-0 on Sunday.
What You Should Know
A QUICK WORD WITH JI’S MELISSA WEISS
Recent days have offered a tale of two New York public officials’ wives and a revealing look at inconsistent standards from some mainstream media outlets on how they scrutinize the families of elected officials depending on the political viewpoints expressed.
The first was a New York Times story focused on the pro-Israel social media posts of Rep. Dan Goldman’s (D-NY) wife. Under the headline “Congressman Faces Questions About Wife’s Social Media Stances on Israel,” the Times wrote of the instances — believed to be 10 in all — that Corinne Goldman, who served as treasurer on her husband’s campaign, liked posts related to the Israel-Hamas war in the weeks after the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas terror attacks, including one comparing “Jews for Palestine” to “Chickens for KFC.”
Days later, Jewish Insider uncovered the social media activity of Rama Duwaji, the Syrian-American wife of New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, in the days after the attacks. That activity included liking posts that unambiguously celebrated Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attacks — as they were underway — and included still images from the attacks, in which more than 1,200 were killed and 251 taken hostage.
In his first public statement addressing JI’s reporting, Mamdani said his wife — who less than a month ago was the subject of a cover profile and photo shoot for The Cut — was a “private person.”
It was a response that was unsatisfactory to some. Deborah Lipstadt, the Biden administration’s special envoy to monitor and combat antisemitism, responded to Mamdani’s statement by rhetorically asking, “But Jessica Tisch has to apologize when her brother says something?” — referring to the NYPD commissioner’s recent apology over her brother’s assertion that Mamdani was an “enemy of the Jewish people.”
The Times, which covered Mamdani’s response, changed its headline on the story at least twice after publication, from “Mamdani Says His Wife’s Views on Gaza Are No One’s Business,” to “Mamdani Defends Wife Amid Criticism of her Support for Palestinian Cause,” before eventually landing on “After Social Media Scrutiny, Mamdani Says His Wife Is a ‘Private Person.’”
In response to the second headline, Tel Aviv-based research analyst Daniel Paul Rubenstein wrote on X that he “did not expect to see the New York Times refer to the October 7 Massacre as an expression of the ‘Palestinian Cause’ – but here we are.”
DEATH TOLL RISES
Iranian missile kills two in central Israel as war continues
One person was killed in an Iranian missile attack that struck a construction site in the city of Yehud in central Israel, volunteer emergency service Magen David Adom reported on Monday. MDA pronounced the victim, a man who appeared to be about 40 years old, dead at the scene. Another man, believed to be around the same age, was evacuated to the nearest hospital in serious and unstable condition. Both were foreign workers, Jewish Insider’s Lahav Harkov reports.
Northern front: In Lebanon, two IDF soldiers were killed over the weekend by a missile fired by Hezbollah. The soldiers were retrieving a vehicle from a position in southern Lebanon at the time they were killed, the IDF Spokesperson’s Office said. One soldier, combat engineer Maher Hatar, 38, was the first Druze soldier killed in the war. The second soldier’s identity has not been cleared for publication.
On the bench: President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pushed back on Saturday against reports that they were working with Kurdish leaders to launch a ground invasion of Iran, Jewish Insider’s Lahav Harkov reports.
WORD ON THE STREET
Pro-Israel Muslim Democrat walks political tightrope in Philly primary
Sharif Street is walking a unique political path. The Pennsylvania state senator running for a House seat in the heart of deep-blue Philadelphia is Black and Muslim, and has staked out positions largely supportive of Israel, Jewish Insider’s Marc Rod reports.
What he said: Street traveled to Israel with the American Jewish Committee in 2017 “to gain some understanding” of the complexities facing Israelis and Palestinians. He has indicated that he would not support conditions on U.S. aid to Israel, saying that the two allies need an “open dialogue,” yet he refers to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as a war criminal. Street’s nuances on Israel — he backs a strong U.S.-Israel relationship, while also urging a compassionate approach to the Palestinians — offer a sharp contrast with his most prominent rival in the Democratic primary, a strident antagonist of Israel. Street also argues that media portrayals have flattened the American Muslim community and failed to accurately portray their diverse views on the Middle East and relationships with the Jewish community.
RENEWED SCRUTNIY
Texas GOP candidate Brandon Herrera discussed owning a copy of Mein Kampf on podcast
Brandon Herrera, the presumptive Republican nominee in Texas’ 23rd Congressional District, spoke on a podcast in 2024 — after his first run for the House — about owning a copy of Mein Kampf, Nazi leader Adolf Hitler’s manifesto, earning him a fresh rebuke from the Republican Jewish Coalition, Jewish Insider’s Marc Rod reports.
Podcast playback: During a 2024 appearance on the “Unsubscribe” podcast, another guest joked that he had been deeply involved in communism until he had read another book, producing a copy of Mein Kampf. Herrera, who appeared to immediately recognize the book when others on the podcast did not, promptly turned to his phone to produce a picture of his own copy of the Nazi manifesto. “That’s my copy at my house next to a bunch of the German stick grenades,” Herrera said. “I got the 1939 edition printed in English just because I thought it was wild that you couldn’t buy it on Amazon but you could buy The Communist Manifesto and Das Kapital,” he added, making a confused face.
ON DECK
Senate Dems introduce series of new war powers resolutions on Iran
Senate Democrats introduced a series of five new war powers resolutions seeking to block military action in Iran on Thursday, a day after the Senate voted along mostly partisan lines to block an effort to immediately halt the operation, Jewish Insider’s Marc Rod reports.
The latest: Having a series of war powers resolutions already introduced could allow Democrats to continue teeing up a series of votes on the war, or allow them to have several resolutions in reserve to vote on as the situation in Iran evolves. War powers resolutions are subject to a 10-day waiting period between their introduction and when senators can force votes on them.
ON DEFENSE
House Education Committee, in briefing, says Daniel Biss ‘severely downplayed antisemitism’
In a briefing for the House Education & Workforce Committee on his response to the anti-Israel protest encampment at Northwestern University in 2024, Evanston, Ill., Mayor Daniel Biss “severely downplayed” the situation on that campus and antisemitism across the country, the committee said, Jewish Insider’s Marc Rod reports.
Readout: “In his briefing with the Committee today, Mr. Biss severely downplayed antisemitism at Northwestern after October 7th. He told the Committee that the great majority of his Jewish friends in the Northwestern community had no concerns about it,” a committee spokesperson told JI. “He further stated that Northwestern should not have received an F on the Anti-Defamation League’s college report card. He even accused the Committee of alarmism that is not warranted by the facts when it comes to antisemitism at the university after the October 7th attacks.” Biss, meanwhile, has dismissed the committee’s questioning of him as a smear campaign. “From the start, this ‘briefing’ was a flimsy attempt to weaponize the very real threat of antisemitism to attack me and support my opponent. It failed,” Biss said in a statement.
sending signals
Independent Senate candidate Dan Osborn touted endorsement from anti-Israel group
Dan Osborn, a Democratic-aligned independent candidate running for Senate in Nebraska, received and touted an endorsement from a lobbying group that aims to alter U.S. policy toward Israel, in part by electing candidates critical of the U.S.-Israel relationship, Jewish Insider’s Marc Rod reports.
What happened: A New Policy PAC was founded by Josh Paul, a former State Department official who left government in protest of U.S. support for Israel after Oct. 7, 2023, and since joined the anti-Israel group DAWN and become a vocal critic of Israel. A New Policy’s advocacy arm has accused Israel of genocide, urges cutting off and conditioning U.S. aid to Israel; and opposes the Antisemitism Awareness Act and the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s working definition of antisemitism.
Worthy Reads
Risky Business: The Financial Times’ Jacob Judah, Bob Haslett and Alan Smith spotlight Iran’s dwindling number of “indispensable” ballistic-missile launchers and the crews who man them. “When an Iranian ballistic missile launcher breaks cover to dash towards a firing site, its tiny cabin suddenly becomes one of the world’s most perilous places. … Iranian ballistic missile crews are among the most ideologically committed within the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. They operate from mountain hide-outs known in Iran as ‘missile cities’ whose cavernous networks of tunnels wind deep underground.” [FT]
Nobel or Not: In The Wall Street Journal, Joshua Muravchik argues that President Donald Trump’s foreign policy legacy could be solidified by his actions against U.S. adversaries, regardless of whether he is awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. “Reagan never won the Nobel, but in contrast to Mr. Obama and Carter, he greatly advanced world peace and Americans’ safety by bringing low the Soviet Union’s ‘evil empire.’ Mr. Trump could achieve an analogous triumph if he succeeds in undoing the regime in Iran and perhaps the one in Cuba, too. … The downfall of Iran’s regime would blow a gaping hole in this anti-American coalition. It would weaken radical Islam everywhere. Socialism, an idea that had bounced around for nearly a century, became a serious force only when Vladimir Lenin turned Russia into the world’s first socialist state.” [WSJ]
Beijing’s Bad Bet: In The Washington Post, the Hudson Institute’s Miles Yu posits that Beijing’s strategy of investing in Iran for more than a decade as it seeks to gain a foothold in the region has “collapsed” amid the U.S. and Israeli war against Tehran. “[Iran’s] capacity to destabilize the region on China’s behalf has been curtailed. Belt and Road projects tied to Iranian ports, rail corridors and energy infrastructure now face heightened instability and security risk. The vision of a secure overland energy corridor insulated from U.S. naval power has been reduced to uncertainty. China had bet on a confident, defiant and nuclear-ambitious Iran. Instead, it is left with a battered partner whose utility has sharply diminished.” [WashPost]
Word on the Street
In his first comments to the media since the start of the war with Iran, Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al Thani said that Tehran’s decision to strike Arab countries was a “dangerous miscalculation” and that he felt “a big sense of betrayal” by the move…
In a leaked Telegram message, former Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammed Javad Zarif said that Israel and the United Arab Emirates are “one and the same” and that Tehran’s strategy should be to “focus on destroying the bridge between Saudi Arabia and Bahrain in order to create real deterrence against mischief in the island”…
Russia is reportedly providing intelligence to Iran to target U.S. troops in the Middle East…
Azerbaijan said it foiled an Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps plot to sabotage a number of sites in the country, including the Israeli Embassy in Baku, a synagogue, the leader of a group known as the “Mountain Jews” and the country’s Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline…
Two ships owned by an Iranian company under U.S., European and British sanctions departed the Chinese port in Zhuhai known for its storage of chemicals used to make rocket fuel…
The New York Times looks at the concerns of Western officials and nuclear experts over the location and fate of 18-20 canisters of enriched uranium that are believed to still be intact and in Iran…
A Pakistani man was convicted in a U.S. federal court of plotting with Iran to assassinate U.S. officials, including President Donald Trump…
The U.S. began evacuation flights of U.S. citizens from Israel on Friday, Jewish Insider’s Haley Cohen reports…
Sens. Brian Schatz (D-HI), Patty Murray (D-WA), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Jack Reed (D-RI), Mark Warner (D-VA) and Chris Coons (D-DE) released a statement calling on the Department of Defense to “fully and impartially” investigate a strike on an Iranian school on the first day of the war in which more than 100 people, including students, were killed…
The move comes as satellite images and footage increasingly indicate that the U.S. struck the school, which was located near an Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps installation, despite Trump’s claim that Iran was responsible for the strike…
Rep. Greg Meeks (D-NY), the ranking member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, again criticized the administration for bypassing normal congressional review processes to approve a $650 million sale of 20,000 bombs to Israel…
Rep. Maxine Waters (D-CA) and 17 Democratic co-sponsors, mostly progressives, introduced legislation requiring stronger oversight of and regular reporting to Congress and the public on the food supply for Palestinians in Gaza…
A group of House Democrats —Reps. Jared Moskowitz (D-FL), Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL), Pramila Jayapal (D-WA), Val Hoyle (D-OR), Mike Thompson (D-CA), Norma Torres (D-CA), Ilhan Omar (D-MN), Sara Jacobs (D-CA), Chrissy Houlahan (D-PA) and Sam Liccardo (D-CA) — called on House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) to cancel the House’s recess this week as long as the war in Iran is ongoing…
Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ) called out California Gov. Gavin Newsom, a leading 2028 presidential contender, for recent comments characterizing Israel as an apartheid state and questioning future military aid, Jewish Insider’s Marc Rod reports; “Is it really worth throwing Jews under the bus to advance your political ambitions?” Gottheimer said on X this weekend…
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro wrote a letter to Attorney General Pam Bondi urging her office to investigate the death of a 19-year-old Palestinian American man who was killed last month in a confrontation with Israeli settlers in the West Bank…
A federal judge nullified a number of actions taken by the U.S. Agency for Global Media, which oversees Voice of America, ruling that Kari Lake was unlawfully serving as the agency’s head when the decisions, which included mass layoffs, were made…
Federal officials will lead the investigation into an incident at a weekend demonstration outside Gracie Mansion in which a homemade explosive device was flung into a crowd of protesters, allegedly by at least once person who told officials they were an ISIS sympathizer…
Two Toronto-area synagogues were damaged by gunfire late Friday and early Saturday following an earlier shooting at another area synagogue last week, Jewish Insider’s Haley Cohen reports…
Police in Liège, Belgium, are investigating an explosion that occurred at a local synagogue this morning, in what a local official called a “violent act of antisemitism”…
The U.K.’s Luton Airport apologized and will institute antisemitism awareness training after an incident in which Israeli author Alon Penzel, who was traveling back to Israel, encountered a member of airport security who made disparaging comments to him…
Authorities in the U.K. are investigating a report of antisemitism during a soccer match in which supporters of the Thorpe St Andrew School allegedly jeered the players from JFS, the U.K.’s largest Jewish school…
Pic of the Day
Team Israel bested the Nicaraguan national team 5-0 on Sunday in its first-ever shutout game at the 2026 World Baseball Classic in Miami. Former Red Sox infielder Kevin Youkilis (center) is serving at the team’s bench manager.
Birthdays
Rhodes scholar, Harvard Law graduate, author and political journalist, Michael Kinsley turns 75…
President at Adelson Family Foundation since 2007 and a board member of Prizmah, Michael Bohnen turns 79… Sag Harbor, L.I.,-based painter, sculptor and printmaker, Eric Fischl turns 78… Host of Public Radio International’s “Science Friday,” Ira Flatow turns 77… Member of the Knesset from 1989-2021, he has served in many cabinet roles and as chairman of Israel Aerospace Industries, Amir Peretz turns 74… President and CEO of NYC’s flagship public TV station WNET, Neal Shapiro turns 68… Professor emeritus of economics at NYU, nicknamed “Dr. Doom,” Nouriel Roubini turns 68… Susan Liebman… NYC-based attorney, Gordon Platt… Private equity and venture capital investor, Howie Fialkov… Founder and head of the Chabad house at Harvard University, Rabbi Hirschy Zarchi… Former Canadian minister of mental health and addictions, Ya’ara Saks turns 53… VP and head of global communications and public affairs for Meta / Facebook, David I. Ginsberg… Senior fellow at Harvard University’s Mossavar-Rahmani Center for Business and Government, Matthew Vogel… Former CEO of the Trevor Project, now CEO of the Malnutrition Advocacy Fund, Amit Paley… Co-founder and CEO at ImpactTechNation, he is also a co-founder of the political party Wake-Up Jerusalem (Hitorerut B’Yerushalayim), Hanan Rubin… Israeli-born singer, now one-half of the world music duo Shlomit & RebbeSoul, Shlomit Levi turns 43… News editor in the U.S. bureau of Jewish News Syndicate, Menachem Wecker… Partner in the Los Angeles law firm of Bocarsly Emden, Rachel Rosner… Political strategist for the Democratic Party, she is a co-host of “The Five” on the Fox News Channel, Jessica Tarlov turns 42… Senior advisor to North Carolina Gov. Josh Stein, Alissa “Sadie” Weiner… CEO at New Orleans-based QED Hospitality, Emery Whalen… Pitcher for Team Israel at the 2017 World Baseball Classic, he now plays in the Mexican League, Jared Lakind turns 34… Founding partner of Mothership Strategies, Jacob “Jake” Austin Lipsett… Manager of education and outreach at inSIGHT Through Education, Marla Topiol… First-round pick in the 2020 NHL Entry Draft, now playing for the NHL’s Nashville Predators, Ozzy Wiesblatt turns 24… Stephen Lent…
In Lebanon, two IDF soldiers were killed over the weekend by a missile fired by Hezbollah
Magen David Adom
The site of a missile strike in central Israel, March 9, 2026
One person was killed in an Iranian missile attack that struck a construction site in the city of Yehud in central Israel, volunteer emergency service Magen David Adom reported on Monday.
MDA pronounced the victim, a man who appeared to be about 40 years old, dead at the scene. Another man, believed to be around the same age, was evacuated to the nearest hospital in serious and unstable condition. Both were foreign workers.
“It was a difficult scene,” MDA paramedic Liz Goral said. “The two casualties were lying unconscious and suffering from severe shrapnel injuries to their bodies. After performing resuscitation efforts, we had to pronounce the death of a man, approximately 40 years old, and we evacuated the second casualty in serious condition.”
The Hatzalah volunteer emergency services reported three additional injuries in the area.
Missile strikes on Israel caused significant property damage over the weekend in Tel Aviv and Rishon LeZion, a large city in central Israel. Overnight Sunday, a woman in the Rishon Lezion area was treated for a head injury after being hit by flying rocks.
Since the beginning of Operation Lion’s Roar, there have been 13 fatalities. Emergency service Magen David Adom has treated 622 injured people, the majority of whom were injured making their way to shelter or in traffic accidents related to stopping suddenly for missile sirens.
IDF International Media Spokesperson Nadav Shoshani said in a briefing on Monday that though “the amount [of missiles] in each barrage is going down, they are still dangerous. We have seen what one missile can do … some of them carry warheads that weigh a ton. We have seen Iran use weapons that constitute war crimes – cluster munitions – almost on a daily basis.”
Saudi Arabia had its first two fatalities from the Iranian attacks over the weekend: an Indian national and a Bangladeshi national, both of whom were in residential areas when they were killed. The State Department ordered diplomats at the U.S. Embassy in Riyadh, which faced several attacks by Iran last week, to leave the Gulf state.
In Lebanon, two IDF soldiers were killed over the weekend by a missile fired by Hezbollah. The soldiers were retrieving a vehicle from a position in southern Lebanon at the time they were killed, the IDF Spokesperson’s Office said. One soldier, combat engineer Maher Hatar, 38, was the first Druze soldier killed in the war. The second soldier’s identity has not been cleared for publication.
Shoshani said that in the week since Hezbollah joined Iran’s attacks on Israel, they have launched hundreds of rockets and UAVs at Israel.
“Hezbollah is present in southern Lebanon,” Shoshani said. “The IDF is standing between the terrorists and [Israeli] civilians. … Hezbollah has spent decades amassing weapons, and even though we spent the last 2.5 years degrading those weapons, they still are able to threaten our civilians.”
The IDF conducted a raid in southern Lebanon on Sunday night, Shoshani said, emphasizing that it was limited and “not the beginning of a ground maneuver.”
The IDF also struck Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Quds Force commanders based in Beirut over the weekend.
Also over the weekend, IDF soldiers unsuccessfully searched a cemetery in Lebanon for the remains of Ron Arad, an Israeli Air Force navigator who disappeared in 1986. The IDF said that there were no clashes with Hezbollah and that soldiers were not fired upon, while Lebanon’s health ministry reported that dozens of people were killed in the operation.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that “the operation … did not yield the findings we were looking for, but the commitment of the state of Israel and my own commitment to complete all the missions regarding our captives and missing is absolute and constant. So it has been and so it shall be.”
Arad’s widow, Tami, expressed misgivings about the operation in a Facebook post: “Our desire to know what happened to Ron stops as soon as there is a risk to IDF soldiers. In our view, the sanctity of life comes before the commitment to return the remains of a fighter for burial. This is our worldview regarding our loved one who disappeared some 40 years ago. … We appreciate the state of Israel’s commitment and at the same time we ask … do not instruct [to begin] operations with even a minimal risk to the fighters.”
White House Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, President Donald Trump’s informal advisor, are set to visit Israel on Tuesday, a Trump administration source confirmed to Jewish Insider overnight. Later, unconfirmed reports on Monday said that the trip was called off.
The scheduled visit comes after Israel bombed Iranian oil facilities over the weekend. Israel notified the U.S. in advance of the strikes, but Washington reportedly misunderstood the extent of the planned attacks, which went further than the White House expected.
Shoshani said that the fuel depot was connected to the IRGC.
Over the weekend, the IDF also struck an Iranian Internal Security command center in Isfahan, as well as a base used by the IRGC, IRGC police and the Basij paramilitary force. In another wave of strikes, the IDF hit the IRGC Space Agency, which included the command-and-control structure for the Khayyam satellite used to monitor Israel.
“The strikes were completed as part of the phase of deepening the damage to the core arrays and foundations of the Iranian regime,” the IDF Spokesperson’s Office said.
In addition, the IDF struck F14 fighter jets at Isfahan airport, along with detection and air defense systems and two major ballistic and cruise missile production sites in Parchin and Shahrud.
The IDF also killed Abu al-Qassem Baba’iyan, head of the military office of the Iranian supreme leader and the chief of staff of the emergency command, who was responsible for coordinating between the Iranian regime’s military groups to attack Israel. His predecessor, Ali Shadmani, was killed by Israel in last year’s war with Iran.
The Islamic Republic officially confirmed on Sunday that Mojtaba Khamenei, a son of assassinated Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, would succeed his father. Trump said last week that appointing the younger Khamenei was “unacceptable,” and that he would play a significant role in choosing the country’s next leader. Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz has said that “any leader appointed by the Iranian terror regime will be a clear target for elimination.”
This post has been edited to correct the number of fatalities that occurred on March 9.
Lt.-Gen. Eyal Zamir said Israel is entering the war’s second phase with ‘additional surprises’ as Trump says he’ll pick Iranian leader – or else
ABIR SULTAN/POOL/AFP via Getty Images
Israel's military chief Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir salutes during the funeral of Lieutenant Hadar Goldin who was killed during the six-week 2014 war in Gaza, at a military cemetery in Kfar Saba on November 11, 2025.
The U.S. and Israel have almost total control of Iranian airspace, IDF Chief of Staff, Lt.-Gen. Eyal Zamir said in a video statement on Thursday.
They “achieved near-complete air superiority over Iranian skies,” and Operation Roaring Lion, as Israel named the war with Iran, is entering its second phase, Zamir said.
The war is moving, he said, from the initial phase — beginning with Saturday’s “surprise strike” and followed by additional sorties to establish air superiority and degrade Iran’s ballistic missile array — to “further dismantle the regime and its military capabilities.”
“We have additional surprises ahead, which I do not intend to disclose. We will pursue our enemies, all of them, and we will overtake them,” Zamir added, paraphrasing Psalms 18:38.
Zamir said he is in “continuous contact with my American counterparts. We are fighting based on shared interests and shared values. We are fighting shoulder to shoulder. Through synchronized action, we are stripping the regime of its military capabilities, strategically isolating them and bringing them to a point of weakness unlike any it has known. This is truly historic cooperation״
The IDF Spokesperson’s Office said on Thursday that the military had struck over 300 of the Islamic Republic’s ballistic missile launchers and advanced defense systems in over 113 waves of strikes in western and central Iran, neutralizing 80% of Iran’s aerial-defense systems and over 60% of its ballistic missile launchers.
CENTCOM chief Adm. Brad Cooper said in a press conference on Thursday that Iranian ballistic missile attacks have decreased by 90% since Operation Epic Fury, the White House’s name for the operation, began on Saturday, with drone attacks declining by 83%.
The U.S. military has bombed nearly 200 targets inside Iran, including dropping 2,000-pound penetrator bombs targeting Iranian ballistic missile launchers stored underground, and sunk over 30 Iranian navy ships.
“We’re not just hitting what they have, we’re destroying their ability to rebuild. And so, as we transition to the next phase of this operation, we will systemically dismantle Iran’s missile production capability for the future, and that’s absolutely in progress,” Cooper said.
President Donald Trump told Politico on Thursday, “We’re taking out a threat to the United States of America, major threat, … and doing it like nobody’s ever seen before.”
Iran has “no navy. They have no air force. They have no detection of air. It’s all wiped out. Their radar is all wiped out. Their military is decimated. All they have is guts,” the president said.
Trump also said he plans to have a decisive influence on the next leader of Iran. “I’m going to have a big impact [on Iran’s future leadership], or they’re not going to have any settlement, because we’re not going to have to do this again,” Trump said. “We’ll work with the people and the regime to make sure that somebody gets there that can nicely build Iran but without nuclear weapons.”
The U.S. plans to “work with them to help make the proper choice,” so that the next Iranian leader will not “lead to having to do this [war] again in another 10 years.”
Trump said that Mojtaba Khamenei, the son of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed on the first day of the war, was a poor choice: “The reason the father wouldn’t give it to the son is they say he’s incompetent.”
Also on Thursday, the IDF launched its 26th wave of strikes in the Dahieh neighborhood of Beirut —a stronghold of the Hezbollah terrorist militia — hitting over 500 targets, including some in residential buildings in the Lebanese capital that the military said were used for terrorist infrastructure and UAV storage.
“Hezbollah made a strategic error,” Zamir said in his video statement, “[and] despite it directly conflicting with the interests of the Lebanese people, chose to join the campaign. Hezbollah is paying a heavy price.”
Israel killed the head of Hezbollah’s firepower array, known as Fidaa, whom Zamir said was “responsible for the deaths of many Israelis.”
“We will not let up on the objective of disarming Hezbollah,” Zamir added.
Magen David Adom emergency services reported 44 people injured amid attacks from Iran and Lebanon on Thursday through early Friday morning, all while making their way to shelters. MDA treated and evacuated 502 casualties from the start of Operation Lion’s Roar, including 359 injured on their way to shelter and five traffic accidents during sirens; there have been 12 fatalities.
Trump called out the commentator after he characterized the U.S.-Israeli operation in Iran as ‘absolutely disgusting and evil’
Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
President Donald Trump shakes hands with Tucker Carlson at the conclusion of a conversation during Carlson's Live Tour at the Desert Diamond Arena on October 31, 2024 in Phoenix, Arizona.
President Donald Trump accused Tucker Carlson on Thursday of having “lost his way” following recent criticism from the commentator of the U.S. military operation in Iran, asserting that the former Fox News host was not representing the views of the Make America Great Again movement.
Trump made the comments while speaking to ABC News’ Jonathan Karl on Thursday afternoon after being asked about Carlson’s characterization of the ongoing U.S.-Israeli operation as “absolutely disgusting and evil” and his broader attacks on the Trump administration’s friendly relationship with Israel.
“Tucker has lost his way,” Trump said. “I knew that a long time ago, and he’s not MAGA. MAGA is saving our country. MAGA is making our country great again. MAGA is America first, and Tucker is none of those things. And Tucker is really not smart enough to understand that.”
In response, Carlson told Status News, “There are times I get annoyed with Trump, right now definitely included, but I’ll always love him no matter what he says about me.”
The president told journalist Rachael Bade on Monday that Carlson’s vocal opposition to his strikes on Iran had “no impact” on him, adding that Carlson “can say whatever he wants.”
“MAGA is Trump — MAGA’s not the other two,” he added, referring to Carlson and Megyn Kelly.
The criticism came less than a day after Carlson dropped a new episode of his podcast in which he accused the Chabad Lubavitch movement of seeking to start a “religious war” to facilitate the destruction of al-Aqsa Mosque and the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem in order to build the Third Temple on top of its ruins.
Carlson claimed in the episode that the goal of the Hasidic sect’s movement is the rebuilding of the Temple, based solely on the fact that Orthodox Jews believe that the Temple will be rebuilt when the Messiah comes, a prophetic vision that has been a part of daily Jewish prayer for two millennia. He failed to mention, however, that no mainstream Jewish denomination, including the Hasidic and the Orthodox, advocates for the destruction of the al-Aqsa Mosque, one of Islam’s holiest sites, in order to build the Temple.
Rabbi Levi Shemtov, executive vice president of American Friends of Lubavitch (Chabad), the D.C.-based Chabad which engages with foreign and domestic political leaders, told Jewish Insider late Thursday that he welcomed Trump’s rejection of Carlson’s embrace of anti-Israel and antisemitic ideas.
“With regard to Tucker Carlson, the president must have come to the conclusion that while difficult and perhaps unpleasant, his own statement earlier today was necessary,” Shemtov told JI. “In a more perfect world, Tucker might recognize that some of his expressed beliefs simply do not coincide with established facts and historic Jewish beliefs. He might also realize that Israel and the Jewish people are merely an appetizer for the voracious hateful appetite of the Iranian regime. America and the West would be the main course.”
Rabbi Shlomo Litvin, a Chabad rabbi in Lexington who leads the Kentucky Jewish Council, told JI that Carlson’s attacks on the Hasidic group had prompted an outpouring of support from Jewish and non-Jewish supporters.
“This is not someone stumbling. These are intentional choices. They are choices that are intended to make Jews around the world feel unsafe, and they had the exact opposite reaction,” Litvin said of Carlson. “There were more positive tweets about Chabad today than there have been since I’ve been on Twitter, which is, I think, 15 years. There has never been as many positive tweets about Chabad in a day as there are right now.”
Plus, Kristi Noem gets the boot
Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images
Reps. Thomas Massie, (R-KY), left, and Ro Khanna, (D-CA), conduct a news conference outside a Department of Justice office in NoMa on Monday, February 9, 2026.
Good Thursday afternoon,
This P.M. edition is reserved for our premium subscribers — offering a forward-focused read on what we’re tracking now and what’s coming next.
It’s me again — Danielle Cohen-Kanik, U.S. editor at Jewish Insider and curator, along with assists from my colleagues, of the Daily Overtime. Please don’t hesitate to share your thoughts and feedback by replying to this email.
📡On Our Radar
Notable developments and interesting tidbits we’re tracking
President Donald Trump announced he’s replacing Kristi Noem as homeland security secretary with Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-OK), after Noem had rankled the president and some Republican members of Congress with her oversight of widespread turmoil at the agency, among other issues. Mullin still needs to be confirmed by the Senate to assume the post.
Mullin, if confirmed, would take the helm of DHS amid its continued partial shutdown, and as it has repeatedly come under fire for its handling of issues related to antisemitism from lawmakers and Jewish community groups. Noem, meanwhile, will become special envoy to a new security initiative for the Western Hemisphere being launched by Trump this weekend…
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) and other GOP leadership called on Rep. Tony Gonzales (R-TX) to drop out of his reelection race, after the lawmaker admitted yesterday to having an affair with a staffer who later committed suicide. Gonzales is headed to a May runoff with his primary opponent, social media influencer Brandon Herrera; if Gonzales does step aside, Herrera, who has a history of antisemitic posts about the Holocaust, is all but guaranteed the GOP nomination in a solidly Republican district…
Trump said he “[has] to be involved in the appointment” of the next Iranian leader, in an interview with Axios, “like with Delcy [Rodriguez] in Venezuela.” He called Mojtaba Khamenei, son of the late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei who has emerged as his father’s likely successor, “unacceptable.” The president’s comments seem to widen the administration’s stated war aims, which have thus far focused on eliminating Iran’s naval, air and nuclear assets.
Trump also insisted in the interview that Israeli President Isaac Herzog issue a pardon for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “today,” as he wants Netanyahu “to focus on the war and not on the f**king court case. I want the only pressure on Bibi to be the fighting against Iran”…
Some Democratic lawmakers — including Sens. Jack Reed (D-RI), Gary Peters (D-MI), Tim Kaine (D-VA) and Elissa Slotkin (D-MI) — told Politico they won’t “rule out” voting in favor of an emergency supplemental funding request to shore up the military should one come from the administration amid the campaign against Iran, despite widespread Democratic condemnation of the White House’s failure to consult Congress beforehand…
A vote on a war powers resolution to stop the military campaign in Iran failed in the House this afternoon 219-212, with two Republicans — Reps. Thomas Massie (R-KY) and Warren Davison (R-OH) — crossing the aisle in support and four Democrats — Reps. Greg Landsman (D-OH), Henry Cuellar (D-TX), Jared Golden (D-ME) and Juan Vargas (D-CA) — breaking with their party to oppose it.
Reps. Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ) and Jared Moskowitz (D-FL) both changed their positions and voted in favor of the resolution, weeks after Moskowitz told Jewish Insider — before the campaign began — that its sponsors “should just rename [the resolution] the Ayatollah Protection Act because that’s what it does.” Asked by JI about the shift in his stance today, Moskowitz answered, “I didn’t flip at all. Circumstances have changed since my first statement”…
Antisemitic podcaster Tucker Carlson’s latest extreme rhetoric took aim at the Chabad Lubavitch movement, with sweeping conspiratorial language accusing the Hasidic sect of seeking to start a “religious war” amid the U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran, JI’s Gabby Deutch reports.
Carlson argued in an episode of his show that dropped last night that Jews see the war against Iran as an opportunity to feud with Islam and to target Christians. Carlson’s remarks prompted outrage among Chabad’s backers, who pointed out that Chabad emissaries have for decades played a crucial role in connecting American Jews to their faith and to each other…
In a conversation with ABC News, Trump said this afternoon that Tucker “has lost his way. I knew that a long time ago, and he’s not MAGA. MAGA is saving our country. … Tucker is really not smart enough to understand that”…
In a discussion with the New York Post, Trump railed against European countries which have continued to oppose the campaign against Iran, calling Spain “a loser” and the U.K. “very disappointing.” Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, meanwhile, said today that the Iran war is a “failure” of the international order, but would not “categorically rule out” Canada’s participation…
Iran’s indiscriminate attacks are bringing allies together worldwide: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he’s deploying specialists to assist the U.S. after Washington requested “specific support in protection” against Iranian Shahed drones, which Ukraine has been battling for several years as Russia has regularly deployed them, and the European Union and Gulf Cooperation Council held a joint meeting to discuss Iran’s “unjustifiable, unprovoked, and unlawful attacks”…
The New York Times profiles Lt.-Gen. Eyal Zamir, the IDF’s chief of staff, as he helps lead Israel’s efforts in the campaign against Iran…
⏩ Tomorrow’s Agenda, Today
An early look at tomorrow’s storylines and schedule to keep you a step ahead
Keep an eye out in Jewish Insider for a look at Jack Cocchiarella, the progressive Gen Z podcaster who has made a name for himself hosting high-profile Democratic candidates — including California Gov. Gavin Newsom in New Hampshire tonight — and who has recently taken a turn towards bashing Israel.
Team Israel will play its first games of the 2026 World Baseball Classic on Saturday against Venezuela and on Sunday against Nicaragua.
Also Sunday, AJ Edelman, the Israeli Olympic bobsled team pilot, will speak in conversation with Neil Goldman at Chabad of West Village in New York.
Birthright Israel’s Excelerate26 summit is also taking place in New York this weekend, with keynote speeches on Sunday from Robert Kraft, owner of the New England Patriots; Anne Neuberger, former deputy national security advisor during the Biden administration; and Sheryl Sandberg, former COO of Meta.
We’ll be back in your inbox with the Daily Overtime on Monday. Shabbat Shalom!
Stories You May Have Missed
MILITARY UPDATE
Day 6: Repatriation flights briefly delayed in the air as Iran shoots missiles at Israel
Tehran also attacked Azerbaijan for the first time, launching drones that injured two at Nakhchivan International Airport
ABOUT-FACE
Ruben Gallego transforms from pro-Israel moderate to face of antiwar opposition
The Arizona senator’s outspoken commentary has repeatedly placed blame for the military operation on Israel, leading one Jewish Democrat to pull her support
Protecting the country from terror threats sparked by the Iran war likely to be a major focus for the new homeland security secretary
Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images
Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-OK) speaks to reporters as he arrives at the U.S. Capitol Building on March 05, 2026 in Washington, DC.
Amid an increasing storm of controversy, President Donald Trump announced Thursday he was removing Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem from her post, replacing her with Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-OK).
Noem has come under fire for a series of issues, including her handling of immigration enforcement operations, her response to immigration agents’ shootings of two U.S. citizens, an alleged affair with a senior aide and what critics have characterized as self-promotion. Most recently, Noem claimed under oath this week that Trump had personally approved a $200 million ad campaign starring Noem herself, something that Trump has since publicly denied.
Trump said on Truth Social that the switch would take place effective March 31 — though Mullin will still need to face Senate confirmation proceedings.
Mullin could face a contentious path to confirmation. DHS remains without full funding in a partial shutdown — a result of Democratic outrage over immigration operations. Democratic lawmakers will likely grill Mullin during confirmation proceedings, and many would likely vote against him in protest of Trump’s immigration policies. But Mullin’s stature in the Senate and familiarity with his colleagues could give him an inside track to confirmation, as opposed to other potential picks.
Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA), the top Democrat on the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Subcommittee on Border Management, Federal Workforce and Regulatory Affairs, told Jewish Insider on Thursday that he would vote to confirm Mullin. Fetterman, who was one of seven Democrats who voted to confirm Noem last January, publicly urged Trump to consider firing Noem and nominating Mullin in her place earlier Thursday.
Fetterman was the only Democrat to immediately commit to supporting Mullin’s nomination, and expressed skepticism that many of his Democratic colleagues would consider doing the same in a post on X announcing his plan to vote for Mullin.
The sometimes-combative Mullin could face some issues on his own side of the aisle as well — the Senate Homeland Security Committee, which would oversee his confirmation, is chaired by Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY), whom Mullin recently called a “freaking snake,” saying he had told Paul he understood why a neighbor attacked the Kentucky senator in 2017, breaking several of his ribs.
Oklahoma Republican Gov. Kevin Stitt similarly cheered the news of Mullin’s nomination, saying in a statement, “Markwayne Mullin has been a fighter for Oklahoma and will fight to keep our nation secure. There isn’t a better choice to lead the Department of Homeland Security..”
Stitt, who is responsible for appointing Mullin’s replacement in the Senate to serve through the next election, added that he “will be looking to appoint a strong, small government conservative voice to support President Trump and protect Oklahomans’ way of life.” Under Oklahoma law, his appointee will not be permitted to run for the seat in the next election.
With the central role of immigration in Trump’s messaging and political agenda, immigration enforcement would likely remain at the top of the priority list for any DHS director he selects. But the war in Iran has raised concerns about homeland threats linked to or inspired by the Iranian regime.
Noem told senators in a hearing this week that the administration was preparing for potential homeland attacks by Iran, including “revetting” individuals who entered the country during the Biden administration.
Mullin, in the Senate, has been hawkish on Iran and its proxies, and is a stalwart supporter of Trump, but has been less involved in discussions related to antisemitism domestically — though he indicated he would have been supportive of the Antisemitism Awareness Act.
He said after a House hearing where three college presidents refused to say that calling for the genocide of Jews would be banned under their policies, “The rise of antisemitism on college campuses was on full display yesterday as Ivy League presidents refused to say whether calling for the mass murder of Jewish people constitutes harassment on their campuses. This vile, hateful, and cowardly behavior is completely despicable.”
The 48-year-old senator took office in 2023, after serving a decade in the House.
“We look forward to working with Mr. Mullin when he takes the helm at DHS to support the security of the Jewish community and all American faith communit[ies],” Nathan Diament, the executive director of the Orthodox Union Advocacy Center, told JI.
Noem is the first Cabinet official to leave her post during the second Trump administration. Observers generally see Trump as less eager to remove top aides during his second term, an effort to counter the perception of chaos that pervaded his first term in office from frequent high-level turnover.
Under Noem, DHS has repeatedly come under fire for its handling of issues related to antisemitism from lawmakers on both sides of the aisle and Jewish community groups, though it’s not clear to what extent Noem was directly involved in those issues.
The department added new conditions to Nonprofit Security Grant Program funding which may compel religious institutions to agree to eliminate Diversity, Equity and Inclusion programs and cooperate with immigration enforcement efforts in order to qualify for funding.
NSGP funding itself has also repeatedly been delayed and waylaid, with unclear deadlines provided to grantees and the state agencies that administer the grant program. Lawmakers have said that they also have not received information usually provided to them about the program. It remains unclear whether grants from the 2025 grant cycle have been awarded yet.
Applications for 2025 grants also opened months late, and funding from supplemental grant rounds that organizations applied for in 2024 was delayed by months, well into 2025.
Noem instituted a policy at DHS that required her personal signoff on any expenditures of more than $100,000, which may have contributed to the slowdowns in NSGP funding.
Mullin, as a member of the House, voted with a majority of Republicans against the bipartisan Nonprofit Security Grant Improvement Act, which proposed increased funding for the program and a dedicated structure at DHS to oversee and manage the growing program, but does not otherwise appear to have been actively involved in discussions around the program.
Separately, DHS has repeatedly come under scrutiny over guidelines issued by the Coast Guard regarding displays of swastikas and nooses. Previous policy had described such displays as banned hate symbols, whereas a new policy first reported in November characterized them instead as “potentially divisive” and mandated a lesser investigation.
The Coast Guard assured lawmakers that the policy would be corrected, but weeks later, the Guard apparently broke that pledge and instituted the “potentially divisive” language anyway. Days later, it again walked back the policy change.
Throughout, Noem and the department denied any wrongdoing and attacked critics.
Noem, a former South Dakota governor, is now rumored to be considering a primary challenge to Sen. Mike Rounds (R-SD), a moderate Republican and pro-Israel stalwart. She is also believed to have presidential ambitions. For now, Noem will become special envoy to a new security initiative for the Western Hemisphere being launched by Trump on Saturday, the president said in his Truth Social post.
Plus, Qatar rebuffs Iranian diplomacy
Kayla Bartkowski/Getty Images
Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) speaks with press in the Hart Senate Office Building on April 07, 2025 in Washington, DC.
Good Wednesday afternoon,
This P.M. edition is reserved for our premium subscribers — offering a forward-focused read on what we’re tracking now and what’s coming next.
It’s me again — Danielle Cohen-Kanik, U.S. editor at Jewish Insider and curator, along with assists from my colleagues, of the Daily Overtime. Please don’t hesitate to share your thoughts and feedback by replying to this email.
📡On Our Radar
Notable developments and interesting tidbits we’re tracking
On the fifth day of the joint U.S.-Israeli military campaign against Iran, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth announced the accomplishment of several key objectives, Jewish Insider’s Matthew Shea reports, including that “the leader of the unit” responsible for the assassination attempt on President Donald Trump in November 2024 “has been hunted down and killed.”
Hegseth also revealed that an American submarine sank an Iranian warship by torpedo, the first time such a thing has been accomplished since World War II. Responding to concerns over whether the U.S. will be able to maintain enough munitions throughout the conflict, Hegseth dismissed “stories and speculation,” instead asserting: “Iran cannot outlast us”…
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi called Qatar’s foreign minister, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, to insist that Iranian drones and missiles attacking Qatar are really directed at U.S. assets and “not intended to target the Gulf state.”
Al Thani “categorically rejected” that claim, according to Qatar’s foreign ministry, “citing the civilian and residential areas inside the country struck by the attacks.” He told Araghchi that Iran’s actions do not “indicate any genuine desire for de-escalation or resolution” and are trying to drag Qatar into a war “that is not theirs”…
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called the White House Monday to ask about intelligence that indicated the U.S. might be communicating with Iran, Axios reports, which administration officials told him was false. A New York Times report found that Iran’s Ministry of Intelligence had indirectly sent a message to the CIA attempting to start negotiations to end hostilities…
NATO air defense systems shot down an Iranian missile that was flying through Iraq and Syria on its way toward Turkey, the Turkish defense ministry said this morning. It’s the first attack by Iran on a NATO country’s territory. The U.K. and France, also NATO countries, are sending additional planes and warships to the region after Iran targeted a British base in Cyprus…
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, asked about reports of the U.S. arming Kurdish militias to assist in regime change in Iran, told reporters that Trump has spoken to Kurdish leaders in recent days about the U.S. military base in northern Iraq, but “any report suggesting that the president has agreed to any such plan” about arming the Kurds “is completely false and should not be written”…
Leavitt also said that the U.S. is now coordinating with Spain on the military operation in Iran, after Trump threatened yesterday to cut off all trade with Madrid over its refusal to let the U.S. use military bases on its soil and its lack of defense spending. Spain categorically denied that it is cooperating with the U.S. or has changed its position at all…
Secretary of State Marco Rubio held phone calls with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, Cypriot Foreign Minister Constantinos Kombos and Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani about the campaign against Iran. Turkey and Cyprus have both faced attacks by Iranian projectiles, while Italy summoned its Iranian ambassador to protest the attack on Cyprus…
Trump indicated he’s close to offering his endorsement to Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX), who beat expectations by finishing ahead of right-wing Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton in yesterday’s primary. While both Republicans are headed to a May runoff, a Trump endorsement would make Cornyn the clear favorite to win the Republican nomination — and alleviate a lot of GOP anxiety over the possibility that a scandal-plagued Paxton could lose to state Rep. James Talarico, the newly minted Democratic nominee…
In North Carolina, Rep. Valerie Foushee (D-NC) holds a narrow lead over her far-left opponent, Durham County Commissioner Nida Allam, who has indicated she will seek a recount. Foushee said in a statement that she would “welcome the opportunity” for a recount and is “confident that the Democratic voters of North Carolina will have nominated me to serve a third term”…
Hegseth will headline a fundraiser next week for Rep. Zach Nunn (R-IA), after four servicemembers who were previously stationed in his district were killed by an Iranian drone in Kuwait on Sunday. Nunn, who has been a staunch ally of Israel in the House, is facing a competitive reelection race as Democrats target his seat in their attempt to take back the chamber…
⏩ Tomorrow’s Agenda, Today
An early look at tomorrow’s storylines and schedule to keep you a step ahead
Keep an eye out in Jewish Insider for a breakdown of the Senate’s consideration of the Iranian war powers resolution, led by Sens. Tim Kaine (D-VA) and Rand Paul (R-KY), which is currently on track to fail on a procedural vote.
The House Foreign Affairs Committee will hold a hearing on “advancing national security through diplomacy” with Sarah Rogers, the under secretary of state for public diplomacy.
The Muslim World League will host an interfaith iftar gathering on Capitol Hill.
Stories You May Have Missed
IN THE CROSSHAIRS
Day 5: Israel vows to eliminate Khamenei’s successor
Also Wednesday, an Israeli F-35I fighter jet shot down an Iranian YAK-130 fighter jet over Tehran, marking the first time an F-35 jet shot down a manned fighter aircraft, IDF says
PUSHING BACK
After classified briefing, senators reject claims Israel forced U.S. into Iran war
Republicans and some Democrats insisted Trump made the decision, while other Democrats said that the timing of the onset of hostilities was impacted by Israel’s plans
Plus, Alex Soros boosts antisemitic conspiracy theorist
Samuel Corum/Sipa/Bloomberg via Getty Images
Friedrich Merz, Germany's chancellor, center left, and US President Donald Trump during a meeting in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC, US, on Tuesday, March 3, 2026.
Good Tuesday afternoon,
This P.M. edition is reserved for our premium subscribers — offering a forward-focused read on what we’re tracking now and what’s coming next.
It’s me again — Danielle Cohen-Kanik, U.S. editor at Jewish Insider and curator, along with assists from my colleagues, of the Daily Overtime. Please don’t hesitate to share your thoughts and feedback by replying to this email.
📡On Our Radar
Notable developments and interesting tidbits we’re tracking
The Trump administration emphatically denied reports, based on partial comments made by Secretary of State Marco Rubio yesterday, that Israel forced the U.S. to launch the operation against Iran.
“If anything, I might’ve forced Israel’s hand,” President Donald Trump told reporters while meeting with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz in the Oval Office today. “You see, we were having negotiations with these lunatics, and it was my opinion that they [Iran] were going to attack first.”
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth boosted the president’s comments, saying, “This is 100% correct,” while Rubio insisted his original remarks were misrepresented…
Trump continues to share optimistic assessments of the war’s progress: he told Politico that Iran is running out of missile launchers while claiming the U.S. has “a virtually unlimited supply” of weapons, saying, “wars can be fought ‘forever,’ and very successfully, using just these supplies”…
The Israeli Air Force struck a building where senior clerics had gathered to elect Iran’s next supreme leader, Israeli Ambassador to the U.S. Yechiel Leiter told CNN, “and there’s a very good chance that the electors won’t be readily available for any further meetings”…
Trump is open to backing militias in Iran who will work to mount regime change, U.S. officials told The Wall Street Journal, after he held phone calls with Kurdish leaders who maintain armed groups along the Iran-Iraq border.
Trump has wavered in recent comments on his vision for the future of Iran, saying today that “somebody from within” might be the best option to lead, rather than individuals like exiled former crown prince, Reza Pahlavi. At the same time, Trump told reporters, “Most of the people we had in mind are dead. And now we have another group, they may be dead also. Pretty soon we’re not gonna know anybody”…
Trump ordered the U.S. Development Finance Corporation to provide political risk insurance for all maritime trade traveling through the Gulf, as oil traffic has essentially halted and energy prices have soared. The U.S. Navy will also, if necessary, begin physically escorting tankers through the Strait of Hormuz, Trump said…
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky offered his country’s assistance to the UAE, as the Gulf country has been targeted by over 1,000 Iranian drones and missiles since the operation began Saturday. Ukraine has become particularly skilled in combating Iranian Shahed drones, something the UAE has little experience with, as Russia has regularly used them in its attacks on Ukraine…
The U.S. Embassy in Saudi Arabia was struck with two Iranian drones, with no casualties reported; the embassy was closed, along with U.S. embassies in Kuwait and Beirut. The State Department ordered the mandatory departure of all non-emergency personnel in several countries and has begun “actively securing military aircraft and charter flights for American citizens who wish to leave” the region…
The International Atomic Energy Agency confirmed that Iran’s underground Natanz nuclear enrichment plant was struck in the course of hostilities in recent days. Trump has claimed the site was rendered inoperable during the U.S.’ June 2025 strikes…
Alex Soros, one of the progressive movement’s most influential donors, boosted a social media post today about U.S. casualties in the war with Iran from Max Blumenthal, a prominent anti-Israel conspiracy theorist, Jewish Insider‘s Matthew Kassel reports.
Soros also praised Spain for its refusal to allow the U.S. to use joint bases on its soil, calling Madrid the “leader of the free world” and reprimanding other European countries for not doing the same…
After issuing a statement solely attacking the U.S. and Israel over the campaign against Iran — which provoked backlash from members of the Iranian dissident and diaspora communities — New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani acknowledged the “systematic repression” of the Iranian people by the regime, while declining to criticize the late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, JI’s Will Bredderman reports.
Even as he acknowledged Tehran’s bloody suppression of protesters, Mamdani did not directly answer a reporter’s question at a press conference today about whether the Middle Eastern nation was better off without the radical cleric who ruled for nearly 37 years…
Amazon Web Services operations are “significantly impaired” after three of its data centers in the Middle East were struck by Iranian drones — two directly hit in the UAE and one sustaining damage in Bahrain. The strikes “caused structural damage, disrupted power delivery to our infrastructure, and in some cases required fire suppression activities that resulted in additional water damage,” AWS said…
⏩ Tomorrow’s Agenda, Today
An early look at tomorrow’s storylines and schedule to keep you a step ahead
Keep an eye out in Jewish Insider for a look at the results of today’s high-stakes primary elections in North Carolina and Texas and their implications for pro-Israel voters.
The Heritage Foundation will hold an event to launch its 2026 “Index of U.S. Military Strength” with remarks from Sen. Jim Banks (R-IN) and Reps. August Pfluger (R-TX), Pat Harrigan (R-TX) and Matt Van Epps (R-TN).
The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom will release its annual report tomorrow on Capitol Hill.
Stories You May Have Missed
SQUARING OFF
Mamdani allies, deep-pocketed donors mobilize millions for anti-AIPAC effort
A trio of Mamdani backers united with tech and real estate investors to boost anti-Israel candidates
PARTY PERSPECTIVE
Democrats argue eliminating top Iranian leaders increases dangers to Iranians, Israel, U.S.
Speaking at J Street’s national summit, Sen. Tim Kaine also said ‘virtually all’ Democratic senators now seek the group’s endorsement
Plus, Mamdani allies bankroll a $10M anti-AIPAC effort
Fatemeh Bahrami/Anadolu via Getty Images
Smoke rises from the area after it was targeted in attacks as a series of explosions are heard in Tehran, Iran on March 01, 2026.
👋 Good Tuesday morning, and happy Purim 🎭
In today’s Daily Kickoff, we report on the latest developments in the Middle East as the conflict with Iran enters its fourth day, and preview the primaries taking place today in Texas and North Carolina. We report on the split on Capitol Hill over the Trump administration’s military moves against Iran, and spotlight the backers of the newly created American Priorities PAC, which has ties to allies of New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani and is opposing pro-Israel candidates. Also in today’s Daily Kickoff: the Yeshiva University men’s basketball team, Zach Yadegari and Kate Schmier.
Today’s Daily Kickoff was curated by JI Executive Editor Melissa Weiss and Israel Editor Tamara Zieve, with an assist from Danielle Cohen-Kanik. Have a tip? Email us here.
What We’re Watching
- We are monitoring developments across the Middle East as the U.S. and Israel continue to strike Iranian targets, Iran launches attacks against population centers in Israel and Israel strikes Hezbollah targets in Lebanon. Multiple sirens have sounded across central Israel, including Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, throughout the morning as the IDF intercepted the barrages being fired from Iran.
- German Chancellor Friedrich Merz is in Washington today. He’ll meet with President Donald Trump at 11 a.m.
- On Capitol Hill, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, CIA Director John Ratcliffe, and Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, are expected to brief members of the Senate and House on the war in Iran.
- Elsewhere on the Hill, Elbridge Colby, the Pentagon’s under secretary of defense for policy, is testifying before the Senate Armed Services Committee on the Trump administration’s national defense strategy.
- The Capitol Jewish Forum is hosting its annual Purim celebration on the Hill this afternoon, with more than a dozen Jewish legislators, including Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), slated to attend.
- The first primaries of the 2026 election cycle are also taking place today. In North Carolina, Rep. Valerie Foushee (D-NC) is facing far-left anti-Israel activist Nida Allam. Read more below.
- In the Texas Senate primary, Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-TX) faces state Sen. James Talarico; On the Republican side, Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) faces primary challenges from Rep. Wesley Hunt (R-TX) and scandal-plagued right-wing Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton. Read more here and here.
- In the state’s 23rd Congressional District, Rep. Tony Gonzales (R-TX), also plagued by scandal amid allegations he had an affair with a staffer who later died by suicide, faces his second primary challenge from right-wing social media influencer Brandon Herrera. Read more here.
- Rep. Al Green (D-TX), who has become a consistent detractor of Israel in the House, faces newly elected Rep. Christian Menefee (D-TX), who has built solid relationships with the Houston-area Jewish community. Read more here.
- Rep. Dan Crenshaw (R-TX), a Republican hawk, faces a serious challenge from state Rep. Steve Toth, who is running to his right. Both candidates have been supportive of Israel.
- And Rep. Julie Johnson (D-TX) faces a difficult renomination fight against former Rep. Colin Allred (D-TX), who vacated the seat to run unsuccessfully for the Senate in 2024.
- It’s also primary day in Arkansas and Mississippi — but there are no major congressional primaries of note in either state.
What You Should Know
A QUICK WORD WITH JI’S MARC ROD
In the closing message of her campaign ahead of the North Carolina Democratic primary today, Durham County Commissioner Nida Allam, a far-left antagonist of Israel, is leaning into criticism of the war against Iran.
“President Trump just used our taxpayer dollars to bomb a school in Iran, killing over 100 elementary school children and starting another endless war abroad. This is reprehensible, and I strongly condemn it, as should every elected official,” Allam said in a direct-to-camera video ad posted on social media on Monday — despite no evidence that the U.S. or Israel were responsible for the strike.
Allam, who is Muslim, vowed that she would never accept support from defense contractors or pro-Israel groups, and said she “opposed these ‘forever wars’ my entire career, and I hope to earn your vote to be your proudly uncompromised pro-peace leader in Washington.”
By contrast, Rep. Valerie Foushee (D-NC), aiming to fend off a primary challenge from Allam, offered a condemnation of the “brutal and repressive” Iranian regime in a statement on Monday, while arguing that its “abuses do not give the president the authority to launch military strikes without Congressional approval.” She said Congress must vote to bring the war to an end.
In an initial statement on X over the weekend, Foushee issued an unequivocal condemnation of the operation, calling it “an unconstitutional escalation that risks dragging the United States into another catastrophic and endless war in the Middle East” that “ignores the will of the American people and recklessly puts our servicemembers in harm’s way” — without making mention of the Iranian regime.
Political observers said the Iran conflict could give late momentum to Allam. Given the leftward lean of the 4th Congressional District and Allam’s positioning to the left of Foushee — particularly on Middle East policy — it could very well make a difference,” Chris Cooper, a political scientist at Western Carolina University, told JI’s Matthew Kassel on Monday. “Thousands of votes have already been cast, but for late deciders, this is exactly the kind of issue that could help tilt a voter to one side or the other. It’s hard to get more salient than war.”
In 2022, Foushee won the seat in the 4th Congressional District against Allam with significant backing from the AIPAC-linked United Democracy Project super PAC, but Foushee has taken a more critical posture towards Israel over the last year. This year, significant outside spending has flowed into the race on both sides.
STATE OF PLAY
Day 4: Decrease in Iranian missile strikes on Israel result of targeting launchers, IDF says
A notable decrease in the number and frequency of Iranian missile strikes at Israel is the result of a focused strategy of hunting and taking out its launchers, Lt.-Col. Nadav Shoshani, the IDF’s spokesperson for international media, said on Tuesday, Jewish Insider’s Lahav Harkov reports. “The missile and launcher hunt is happening in real time,” Shoshani told reporters. “We have been able to narrow [Iran’s] capability to fire missiles toward us. … We are putting our focus on continuing to do so in the coming days.”
Military update: “We were able to take out dozens of launchers,” since the operation began on Saturday, Shoshani said, adding that Iran currently has “a lack of capability to fire in large amounts” and that there is a diminished rate of fire. At the same time, he noted that part of the reduction in missile launchers may be attributed to Iran trying to ensure it can keep the war going over the coming weeks.
SUSTAINED CAMPAIGN
Trump, defense officials keep Iran operation open-ended
President Donald Trump and senior U.S. defense officials laid out an open-ended timeline for the ongoing operation against Iran on Monday, announcing more U.S. forces are headed to the region to carry out the American and Israeli campaign aimed at dismantling Tehran’s long-range strike capabilities and nuclear ambitions, Jewish Insider’s Matthew Shea and Emily Jacobs report.
Trump talk: Speaking to reporters at the White House on Monday morning, Trump said that U.S. forces were “already substantially ahead of our time projections” with their mission in Iran, but added that the American military was prepared to continue the operation beyond his initial four-to-five week timeline. “Whatever the time is, it’s OK. Whatever it takes,” Trump said at a Medal of Honor ceremony. “Right from the beginning, we projected four to five weeks, but we have capability to go far longer than that. We’ll do it.”
Caine’s comments: Adm. Brad Cooper, head of CENTCOM, “will receive additional forces even today,” said Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, during a separate press briefing alongside Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. “This rapid buildup of forces demonstrated the joint forces ability to adapt and project power at the time and place of our nation’s choosing.” Caine also made clear the weekend barrage was only the beginning.
Team effort: In his first interview since the U.S. and Israel launched their joint military campaign against Iran, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu defended the timing of the operation’s launch and rebuffed the notion that he decisively pushed Trump to take action, JI’s Matthew Shea reports.
DUELING NARRATIVES
Congressional leaders split over whether U.S. faced imminent threat from Iran
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) and Senate Intelligence Committee Vice Chairman Sen. Mark Warner (D-VA) emerged from a classified briefing with Cabinet officials on Monday split over whether the U.S. faced an imminent threat from Iran that necessitated and permitted the president to take military action under U.S. statute and the Constitution, Jewish Insider’s Marc Rod reports.
Johnson’s takeaway: “The most critical point is that this was a defensive measure, a defensive operation,” Johnson said. “Israel was determined to act in their own defense here, with or without American support. Why? Because Israel faced what they deemed to be an existential threat. Iran was building missiles at a radical, rapid clip, to the point where our allies in the region do not keep up.”
Warner’s worry: Warner said that the war is “a war of choice that has been acknowledged by others [that] was dictated by Israel’s goals and timelines. Israel is a great ally of America. I stand firmly with Israel, but I believe at the end of the day, when we are talking about putting American soldiers in harm’s way, when we have American casualties and expectations of more, there needs to be the proof of an imminent threat to American interests. I still don’t think that standard has been met.”
SQUARING OFF
Mamdani allies, deep-pocketed donors mobilize millions for anti-AIPAC effort
Three figures linked to New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani — two Silicon Valley entrepreneurs and a Brooklyn political operative — have joined forces with a bevy of wealthy business leaders to pump millions into a new political action committee dedicated to battling AIPAC, Jewish Insider’s Will Bredderman reports.
Follow the money: American Priorities PAC has raised $2,050,000 to date and spent a quarter of it so far boosting Democrat Nida Allam, a vocal detractor of Israel, in her bid to oust Rep. Valerie Foushee (D-NC) in North Carolina’s 4th Congressional District. Filings with the Federal Election Commission show another $67,000 has gone toward promoting the candidacy of the Rev. Frederick Haynes III, the pastor of Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-TX), who is running for her House seat as she seeks the Senate. It’s all part of a plan to spend a minimum of $10 million countering candidates who have received past support from AIPAC, as NBC News previously reported. A spokesperson for the PAC refused to answer questions about its fundraising and decision-making practices, though they denied Mamdani was in any way involved.
Bonus: Politico talks to government watchdogs about Mamdani’s continued use of the messaging app Signal for official business, despite the platform’s encryption protocols and self-deleting capabilities being incompatible with freedom of information laws.
DEMS DEMAND
Democratic lawmakers rally support for war powers resolutions at J Street conference
Democratic members of Congress addressing J Street’s national convention in Washington on Monday used the occasion to rally support for long-shot resolutions coming before the House and Senate this week that will attempt to end U.S. military strikes against Iran, Jewish Insider’s Gabby Deutch reports.
On the record: “The president’s refusal to pursue consent from Congress, as required by the Constitution, is perhaps his most grievous assault on democracy, and we should not let it stand,” Sen. Chris Murphy (D-CT) said to the 1,500 activists gathered at J Street’s morning plenary. Rep. Sean Casten (D-IL) told the crowd that he expects to see “very robust, possibly unanimous support” from congressional Democrats on the measures, which would put an immediate end to U.S. operations against Iran.
Read the full story here with additional comments from Rep. Madeleine Dean (D-PA) and Sen. Brian Schatz (D-HI).
More from Murphy: Addressing the conference, Murphy leaned on Jewish history to tailor his case to fight President Donald Trump specifically to American Jews. “The answer to thousands of years of the Jewish people’s faith being decided by emperors and queens and czars is not and cannot simply be the State of Israel. No, the rest of the answer is simple. It’s democracy,” he said.
Also spotted at the conference: Former New York City Comptroller Brad Lander, who is mounting a primary challenge against Rep. Dan Goldman (D-NY), and leaning into sharp criticism of Israel as part of his campaign.
Worthy Reads
Theory of Regime Change: In The Washington Post, Rob Satloff, the executive director of The Washington Institute for Near East Policy, considers the history of failed regime-change efforts in the Middle East as President Donald Trump calls for Iranians to rise up against their government. “On one end of the spectrum, will he, like [Franklin] Roosevelt, find an Iranian Delcy Rodríguez, leaving the structure of the regime intact under a new, more pliant leader? Or will he, like the first Bush, content himself with inflicting massive damage to Iran’s offensive military capability and choose an expedient path to end the war? Or, on the other end of the spectrum, will he, like the second Bush, get stuck in the muck of Iranian nation-building, triggering problems that we can’t even imagine today?” [WashPost]
The Warrior Prime Minister: The Atlantic’s Yair Rosenberg posits that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s long-standing reluctance to pursue military options against adversaries ended with the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas terror attacks, as Israel began to more aggressively pursue its enemies. “Before this seismic shift, Netanyahu’s longevity as prime minister was built on a foundation of conflict avoidance. That posture appealed to a risk-averse electorate. Under his premiership, Israeli voters who were comfortable with the status quo could rest easy knowing that their leader would be unlikely to upset it. … With each successful escalation, Netanyahu’s willingness to use force to settle Israel’s scores increased.” [TheAtlantic]
Remembering 1979: The Wall Street Journal’s Matthew Hennessey suggests that support for U.S. military action in Iran is generational, noting that young Americans have little memory of Iran’s years of targeting American interests. “But I was born in the 1970s. I remember the shocking barbarism of the fatwa against Mr. Rushdie. I remember the Iranian-backed Hezbollah terrorism of the 1980s, the 1994 suicide attack on the Jewish community center in Buenos Aires, the 1996 Khobar Towers bombing. … The livestreamers will say this war is about oil. The Substackers will say it started with Mosaddegh. To them, this is an academic debate, something they heard about on a podcast once. Any American over 50 knows who started it.” [WSJ]
Drive for Democracy: In The New York Times, the Hoover Institution’s Abbas Milani considers Iran’s leadership quagmire, arguing that former Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini’s 1979 takeover of the country was done under a “bait-and-switch” that rallied Iranians around the cause of democracy while establishing a radical theocratic regime. “The right question today is: What are the ideas for democratic governance, for fixing the economy, for keeping centrifugal forces at bay and for maintaining sovereignty and good relations with the world around which Iranians (inside the country and out) can unite, and how can they do so in a way that will deliver Iran out of political paralysis and economic morass?” [NYTimes]
Word on the Street
President Donald Trump slammed commentators Tucker Carlson and Megyn Kelly, who have criticized the administration’s military strikes targeting Iran; Trump told journalist Rachael Bade that Carlson “can say whatever he wants; it has no impact on me” and that “MAGA is Trump — MAGA’s not the other two,” referring to Carlson and Kelly…
The Financial Times does a deep dive into the yearslong effort by Israel to track the movements of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed on Saturday, and other senior members of the Iranian regime; among the tactics used by Israel was the hacking of traffic cameras around Tehran, which allowed Israeli intelligence officials access to regime movements around the capital…
The Supreme Court blocked an effort to redraw Rep. Nicole Malliotakis’ (R-NY) 11th Congressional District — the sole Republican-leaning district in New York City — that encompasses Staten Island and parts of Brooklyn; the move preserves the existing districts in the city, including NY-10, where Rep. Dan Goldman (D-NY) is facing a primary challenge from former New York City Comptroller Brad Lander…
Federal prosecutors are filing an additional charge of damaging religious property against the man accused of ramming a car into the headquarters of Chabad-Lubavitch in Brooklyn in January…
The FBI is investigating recent antisemitic emails that were sent to members of Stanford University’s Jewish community, including more than half a dozen Jewish student leaders…
The Yeshiva University Maccabees are again heading to the Division III NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament after the team’s 79-72 win over the Farmingdale State Rams over the weekend secured their position as Skyline Conference champions…
MyFitnessPal acquired calorie-counting app Cal Al, including 19-year-old CEO and co-founder Zach Yadegari and the startup’s six additional employees…
The Wall Street Journal spotlights Blue Owl Capital co-founders Doug Ostrover and Marc Lipschultz as the firm faces financial challenges tied to upheaval in the broader credit market…
Meta’s Mark Zuckerberg and his wife, Priscilla Chan, bought an under-construction mansion in South Florida’s Indian Creek for $170 million, setting a new record in Miami-Dade County…
A new report from the Jewish Representative Council of Ireland found that Irish Jews self-reported 146 incidents involving antisemitism between July 2025 and January 2026…
Kate Schmier is joining the Jewish Book Council as director of publishing relations…
London retailer and fashion designer Bernard Lewis, the founder of Little Island, died at 100…
Pic of the Day
President Donald Trump posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor on Monday to Army Master Sgt. Roderick “Roddie” W. Edmonds, a World War II soldier whose defiance of a Nazi order saved more than 200 Jewish American prisoners of war, Jewish Insider’s Matthew Shea reports. Edmonds’ son, Chris Edmonds, accepted the award on his father’s behalf.
Birthdays
Vocalist for indie-pop band Lucius, Jess Wolfe turns 40…
Australian residential property developer, colloquially known as “High-Rise Harry,” Harry Triguboff turns 93… Former justice of the Supreme Court of Israel, Dalia Dorner turns 92… Author of 32 books and the editor emeritus of Dissent magazine, Michael Laban Walzer turns 91… Researcher in Yiddish language at Sweden’s Lund University’s Centre for Languages and Literature, Henrik Lewis-Guttermann turns 77… Best-selling and Pulitzer Prize-winning biographer of financiers and politicians, Ron Chernow turns 77… President of CBS News until 2021, now president of See It Now Studios, Susan Zirinsky turns 74… Retired chief investment officer of Neuberger Berman, he served as president of AIPAC, Michael Kassen… Fashion designer and businessman, he is the founder and former CEO of an eponymous company, Steve Madden turns 68… NPR personality and the host and producer of the radio and television show “This American Life,” Ira Jeffrey Glass turns 67… Former director of policy for New York state under Gov. Andrew Cuomo, David Yassky turns 62… Israeli economist and diplomat, he served as Israel’s first ambassador to the UAE, Amir Hayek turns 62… MLB pitcher until 2001, his 557 appearances rank second in career games pitched by a Jewish pitcher, Scott David Radinsky turns 58… Co-founder and co-president of Clarity Capital, David Steinhardt turns 57… EVP and general counsel at Eli Lilly and Company, Anat Hakim… Founder of Bunk1, a provider of parent-engagement software for summer camps, he is a co-owner of the Miami Marlins, Ari Jack Ackerman… President and founder of Heppin Biosciences, Brett S. Abrahams, Ph.D. turns 53… Screenwriter and columnist in the Israeli newspaper Globes, Efrat Abramov turns 46… British rabbi who has run for mayor of London and of Manchester, Shneur Zalman Odze turns 45… Acting U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York for the first 24 days of the Trump 47 administration, Danielle R. Sassoon turns 40… Senior communications manager for Uber, she was the press secretary for former New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, Freddi Goldstein… Manager of public policy for hate speech at TikTok, Erica H. Mindel… Member of AJR, an indie pop multi-instrumentalist trio, together with his two brothers, Ryan Metzger turns 32…
'We were able to take out dozens of launchers,’ IDF spokesperson says
Jack GUEZ/AFP via Getty Images
Rocket trails from Israel's Iron Dome missile defense system are seen over Tel Aviv on February 28, 2026.
A notable decrease in the number and frequency of Iranian missile strikes at Israel is the result of a focused strategy of hunting and aiming at launchers, Lt.-Col. Nadav Shoshani, the IDF’s spokesperson for international media, said on Tuesday.
“The missile and launcher hunt is happening in real time,” Shoshani told reporters. “We have been able to narrow [Iran’s] capability to fire missiles toward us. … We are putting our focus on continuing to do so in the coming days.”
“We were able to take out dozens of launchers,” since the operation began on Saturday, Shoshani said.
Shoshani said that Iran currently has “a lack of capability to fire in large amounts” and that there is a diminished rate of fire.
“I’m sure all of you in Israel can feel it,” he added. “We have significantly limited their ability to fire toward our civilians and other civilians in the region.”
At the same time, Shoshani said part of the reduction in missile launchers may be attributed to Iran trying to ensure it can keep the war going over the coming weeks.
The IDF is also prepared for the war to continue for weeks, but “it is early to give estimates,” Shoshani said, adding that “we are in a more positive scenario than [what] we looked at in the beginning of the war.”
Israel has also destroyed hundreds of Iranian missiles, but “launchers, that’s the real thing that’s important,” the spokesperson said.
Shoshani did not have readily available information on how many missiles Iran has shot, because the Islamic Republic attacked several countries in the region and not just Israel.
Asked if he expects Israeli boots on the ground in Iran, following President Donald Trump’s remarks about deploying U.S. ground troops “if necessary,” Shoshani said he does not see such a scenario as realistic for Israel.
Most of the targets the IDF struck were found after Operation Rising Lion began on Saturday, including radar and detection arrays, surface-to-air missile launchers, surface-to-surface missile launchers and related infrastructure, command and control centers, strategic military bases in Tehran, and facilities belonging to the regime’s repression and enforcement mechanisms.
Among those targets was the Iranian regime leadership’s compound in Tehran, which includes the presidential office, national security council and a training facility for military officers.
Israel’s “aerial superiority now allows the IDF to continuously strike the Iranian regime’s terror infrastructure — including its command-and-control centers and other high-value assets — not merely through isolated sorties, but through sustained operations, fundamentally shifting the operational reality in Operation Roaring Lion and enabling the IDF and the Israeli Air Force to operate freely in Iranian airspace,” the military spokesperson’s office said.
About 30 female aircrew members, including pilots and navigators, have taken part in the strikes on Iran in recent days.
Combat Navigator Maj. S, whose name was kept anonymous by the IDF Spokesperson’s Unit, said that she and her crew “prepared for this operation for a long time — hours of training and briefings.”
Maj.-Gen. Shlomi Binder, the IDF’s intelligence chief, said on Monday, “In 40 seconds, we eliminated more than 40 of the most important people in Iran … and we are not finished. … We intend to add to the list every day.”
“We are sending a very clear message to our enemies — there is no place where we will not find them,” Binder added. “Anyone who chooses to engage in such actions against the state of Israel, against the residents of the state of Israel, against our future here, we will find them, and we will eliminate them.”
As Israeli strikes in Lebanon continue as far north as Beirut, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said the IDF will move to “take control of additional strategic positions in Lebanon in order to prevent attacks on Israeli border communities.”
The IDF holds five positions in southern Lebanon, as permitted by the U.S.-negotiated late-2024 ceasefire, and Katz said he “authorized the IDF to advance and secure additional strategic areas in Lebanon, and from there to defend the border communities.”
Shoshani said that while Israel’s main goal is to “remove the existential threat” emanating from Iran, it is doing “we are acting defensively on the northern front in order to focus our effort on Iran.”
He also noted that “Hezbollah’s main lifeline is Iran,” and said that in the last year, Iran sent over $1 billion to its proxies, with Hezbollah getting the majority of the money.
Israel does not plan to evacuate civilians from towns on the Lebanon border as it did in October 2023, though they have been dealing with frequent drone and rocket attacks in recent days, Shoshani said.
The IDF struck over 70 weapons storage facilities, launch sites and missile launchers in Lebanon on Monday, the military said.
One target was Hezbollah’s intelligence headquarters. The IDF killed Hussein Makled, Hezbollah’s chief intelligence official, a role he took on after Israel eliminated his predecessor in November 2024.
The IDF also said it eliminated the commander of Palestinian Islamic Jihad in Lebanon, Abu Hamza Rami, who was “responsible for advancing and carrying out hundreds of terrorist attacks against IDF troops and Israeli civilians.”
Another target was the Al-Qard Al-Hassan Association, which Hezbollah has said provides social services to the people of Lebanon. Al-Qard Al-Hassan has been sanctioned by the U.S. and others since 2007, and as such, deals exclusively in cash, which the IDF sought to destroy.
According to the IDF, “the terrorist organization uses these services to create economic dependency on the association and to exploit public funds for the purchase of weapons and the payment of salaries to its operatives.”
Also on Monday, the IDF Home Front Command extended restrictions until Saturday night, including closing schools and nonessential workplaces, and prohibiting large gatherings.
Two major missile barrages hit Israel on Tuesday, with two injured in the first one in Israel’s north, and no casualties in the second. Overnight Monday, Magen David Adom released its final casualty count for an Iranian missile strike on Beersheba, where 21 were injured. Since Operation Roaring Lion was launched on Saturday, there have been at least 371 casualties, including 12 fatalities and two severely injured.
Iran continued its strikes around the Gulf on Monday, with a drone causing minor damage to a U.S. Embassy building in Riyadh. Among the sites damaged by Iranian projectiles were three Amazon facilities in the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain.
Trump briefed leaders of two main Kurdish factions in Iraq on what may come next in the war, a step that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had encouraged him to take, Axios reported. Kurdish groups throughout the Middle East have had close security and intelligence ties with Israel for decades. The Kurdistan Freedom Party has also accused Iran of targeting them with missiles and drones.
‘You don’t have to drag him into anything. Donald Trump is the strongest leader in the world. He does what he thinks is right for America,’ Netanyahu said in his first interview since the operation began
SAUL LOEB/AFP via Getty Images
President Donald Trump shakes hands with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during a meeting in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC, on April 7, 2025.
In his first interview since the U.S. and Israel launched their joint military campaign against Iran, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu defended the timing of the operation’s launch and rebuffed the notion that he decisively pushed President Donald Trump to take action.
“The reason that we had to act now is because after we hit [Iran’s] nuclear sites and their ballistic missile program [in June 2025] … they started building new sites, new places, underground bunkers that would make their ballistic missile program and their atomic bomb program immune within months,” Netanyahu told Fox News host Sean Hannity on his show Monday night. “If no action was taken now, no action could be taken in the future.”
Without undertaking military operations, Netanyahu warned that Iran would be able to “target” and “blackmail America” and argued that Tehran could threaten the U.S. and Israel “and everyone in between.” He added that the moment was also opportune due to the Iranian regime being “at the weakest point that it’s been since it hijacked Iran from the brave Iranian people 47 years ago.”
When asked about allegations from critics of the operation that he had “dragged” the U.S. into a wider conflict with Iran, Netanyahu dismissed the notion, calling it “ridiculous.” He said that Trump made the decision on his own because he “understands” the threat Iran poses to the U.S.
“You don’t have to drag him into anything,” said Netanyahu. “Donald Trump is the strongest leader in the world. He does what he thinks is right for America.”
In comments Monday afternoon, both Secretary of State Rubio and House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) suggested it was Israel’s determination to strike Iran, which would have prompted Iranian retaliation against U.S. assets, that necessitated U.S. preemptive action.
Netanyahu did not offer a timeline for how long he expects the joint operation to last; however, he emphasized that it will be “quick and decisive” and not an “endless war” as some critics have alleged.
“You’re not going to have an endless war,” said Netanyahu. “This is going to be a quick and decisive action, and we’re going to create the conditions first for the Iranian people to get control of their destiny, to form their own democratically elected government, which will make Iran different altogether. It may take some time, but it’s not going to take years.”
The prime minister argued that the current military confrontation is intended not only to neutralize an immediate threat but to reshape the region’s long-term trajectory, describing it as a potential “gateway to peace.”
“I think it changes the world,” Netanyahu said, arguing that dismantling Iran’s regime would remove what he called the Middle East’s primary driver of instability. “Iran has been the main engine of war over these years. Ninety-five percent of all the problems you see in the Middle East are generated by Iran and the worldwide terror network that they built.”
“When you take away Iran [Iranian leadership] — let the people of Iran have the opportunity to act and liberate themselves, free themselves from the work of this terror machine — you get a different future,” he added.
Rubio and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, however, have insisted that the U.S. objective in Iran is more constrained. The White House has asserted it is not seeking regime change, instead emphasizing that American action is narrowly focused on dismantling Tehran’s nuclear program, ballistic missile capabilities and naval assets.
Still, Netanyahu embraced a broader vision, suggesting that the fall of the Iranian regime would fundamentally reshape the region and open the door to normalization agreements and “many peace treaties” with Arab and Muslim-majority countries. He specifically pointed to Saudi Arabia as a potential partner.
“Saudi Arabia will have a lot to gain,” Netanyahu said. “All these countries around Iran are threatened by Iran. I think they [Arab countries] want to see this regime go down, even if they don’t publicly say that.”
“If Iran [Iranian leadership] is removed, that’s a great boon to Saudi Arabia, a great boon to these other countries, and I think peace between Israel and Saudi Arabia would be really possible — and probably very close — once this thing happens.”
Murphy: ‘Not a single one of us is safe from a future that mirrors the thousands of years of persecution that the Jewish people, with no self-determination, suffered under’
Jemal Countess/Getty Images for Fair Share America
Sen. Chris Murphy (D-CT) speaks at the U.S. Capitol on April 10, 2025 in Washington, DC.
Since the beginning of President Donald Trump’s second term, Sen. Chris Murphy (D-CT) has routinely adopted the argument that Trump poses a unique threat to American democracy. In an address on Monday at the J Street conference in Washington, Murphy leaned on Jewish history to tailor his case to fight Trump specifically to American Jews.
Murphy, who is considered a possible 2028 presidential candidate, invoked three pivotal moments in Jewish history that he said should inspire American Jews to speak out against what he described as Trump’s efforts to undercut democratic norms and procedures: the Bar Kokhba revolt against the Roman empire that led to the displacement of the Jewish diaspora; the Spanish Inquisition in 1492 that saw Jews flee Spain rather than face conversion or death; and pogroms under imperial Russia in which Jews had no recourse against state-sanctioned violence.
If American Jewry doesn’t stand up to Trump, Murphy said, they risk facing a similar fate in the United States.
“We are here today because we believe that this tragic history requires our world to make a home for the Jewish people in the Holy Land. That place is Israel. That place will always be Israel,” said Murphy, who has taken a harsher stance toward Israel in recent years. “When we criticize the government of Israel, when we speak up against its policies in places like Gaza or the West Bank, it is because we love Israel. It is out of our love for Israel and our belief that its current leaders are jeopardizing the future survival of that state.”
Yet he argued that the existence of a Jewish state should not preclude American Jews from fighting for the future of their own country.
“The answer to thousands of years of the Jewish people’s faith being decided by emperors and queens and czars is not and cannot simply be the State of Israel. No, the rest of the answer is simple. It’s democracy,” said Murphy. “In a working democracy, Jewish citizens are not subjects. They are not petitioners. They’re not guests to be expelled at the whim of a monarch. They are, you are, we are citizens.”
In the speech, Murphy criticized the U.S. attacks on Iran, saying Trump “launched an illegal war that the American people do not want” and that it amounts to “his most grievous assault on democracy.” But Murphy mostly used the stage to raise the alarm about democracy generally, saying America is “in the middle” of “a totalitarian takeover” and rallying J Street’s attendees to work to save it.
“You are here at maybe the most pivotal moment of all of our lifetimes when it comes to the preservation of self-determination, essential to the American project, essential to the future of the Jewish people all over the country,” said Murphy.
He closed by using a story about former Israeli Prime Minister Golda Meir as a call to action. Murphy described her attendance at the 1938 Evian Conference on the shores of Lake Geneva, where 32 nations — led by President Franklin Delano Roosevelt — discussed the plight of Jews in Europe. Meir attended as a Zionist representative of British Mandatory Palestine.
“She was assigned the status of observer, forced to watch in silence as one by one the representatives of 32 nations rose to express their deepest sympathy for the Jewish people in Europe, and then one by one explained why their countries could not take them in,” said Murphy. “Years later, reflecting on what her experience at that pivotal conference had taught her, she put it simply. The Jews should not be dependent on anyone giving them permission to stay alive.”
But where Meir used that sentiment to justify her support for Zionism, Murphy argued that it should also apply to American Jews living in the diaspora.
“Today, Jews in America and a multitude of other groups that are still facing discrimination and bias are not observers like Golda Meir was in the late 1930s. In our democracy, however imperfect, we have self-determination,” said Murphy.
“What a gift to be alive,” Murphy offered in closing, “when our mission is to save a country and to remember that without self-governance and self-determination, not a single one of us is safe from a future that mirrors the thousands of years of persecution that the Jewish people, with no self-determination, suffered under.”
Edmonds refused to identify Jewish prisoners of war to SS soldiers, saving over 200 lives
Jim Lo Scalzo/EPA/Bloomberg via Getty Images
President Donald Trump presents Chris Edmonds with the Medal of Honor on behalf of his father, Army Master Sergeant Roderick Edmonds, during a ceremony in the East Room of the White House in Washington, DC, US, on Monday, March 2, 2026.
President Donald Trump posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor on Monday to Army Master Sgt. Roderick “Roddie” W. Edmonds, a World War II soldier whose defiance of a Nazi order saved more than 200 Jewish American prisoners of war.
“In 1941 Roddie Edmonds of Knoxville, Tenn., enlisted in the U.S. Army and soon rose to one of the youngest master sergeants in the military,” Trump said during the White House ceremony. “In 1944, he sailed to Europe to fight in World War II … and soon found himself on the front lines of the Battle of the Bulge.”
During the battle, Edmonds and his unit were captured by German forces and interned at Stalag IXA, a prisoner-of-war camp in Germany. As the senior non-commissioned officer among more than 1,200 American POWs, Edmonds was responsible for the welfare of his fellow soldiers.
Trump recounted the pivotal moment that would define Edmonds’ wartime legacy: on January 26, 1945, an SS officer ordered “only American Jews” to assemble for roll call the next morning, warning that anyone who disobeyed would be shot.
“There were more than 200 Jewish American soldiers in the camp,” Trump said. “Roddie knew their separation from the group would mean certain death, so that night, he summoned his team and devised a plan.”
Edmonds directed his senior leaders to have all 1,200 American prisoners present themselves for roll call. The next morning, the American soldiers “fell in line together, shoulder to shoulder.” The action enraged the Nazi commandant, who Trump said “pressed the barrel between Sgt. Edmonds’ eyes,” and demanded that Edmonds identify the Jewish soldiers or be shot.
“Staring right back into the raging face of evil, Sergeant Edmonds replied fearlessly: ‘We are all Jews here,’” said Trump. Edmonds also invoked the Geneva Convention, warning the commandant that executing prisoners for refusing to identify their religion would constitute a war crime.
“The Nazi officer lowered his weapon and the soldiers erupted,” said Trump. “With total disregard for his own life, Roddie had saved over 200 of his fellow service members and their camp was liberated two months later.”
Edmonds’ actions have been recognized as extraordinary moral courage. In 2015, Israel’s Yad Vashem awarded him the title Righteous Among the Nations, the highest honor for non-Jews who risked their lives to save Jews during the Holocaust. Edmonds is one of only five Americans on that list and the sole U.S. serviceman so honored.
Edmonds died in 1985 without ever having received official recognition for the actions that saved hundreds of lives. In fact, the events had remained unknown, even to his family, until uncovered decades later by his son, Chris Edmonds.
More than eight decades later, Trump said the Medal of Honor “so courageously earned” by Edmonds will not be forgotten. Edmonds’ son accepted the medal on his father’s behalf.
Plus, Tehran takes aim at global energy
Fatemeh Bahrami/Anadolu via Getty Images
Smoke rises from the area after it was targeted in attacks as a series of explosions are heard in Tehran, Iran on March 01, 2026.
Good Monday afternoon,
This P.M. edition is reserved for our premium subscribers — offering a forward-focused read on what we’re tracking now and what’s coming next.
It’s me again — Danielle Cohen-Kanik, U.S. editor at Jewish Insider and curator, along with assists from my colleagues, of the Daily Overtime. Please don’t hesitate to share your thoughts and feedback by replying to this email.
📡On Our Radar
Notable developments and interesting tidbits we’re tracking
President Donald Trump and senior U.S. defense officials laid out an open-ended timeline for the ongoing bombing campaign against Iran in several press briefings and interviews today, Jewish Insider’s Matthew Shea and Emily Jacobs report.
Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth both declined to rule out a U.S. ground invasion of Iran, while Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Dan Caine announced more American troops are en route to the region. “Every president says, ‘There will be no boots on the ground.’ I don’t say it. I say ‘probably don’t need them,’ [or] ‘if they were necessary,’” Trump told the New York Post.
The president repeatedly said the operation is “ahead of schedule,” but added that the U.S. military is prepared to continue the campaign beyond his initial four-to-five-week timeline. Trump also told CNN that the “big wave” of strikes on Iran “hasn’t even happened. The big one is coming soon”…
On the American public’s perception of the strikes, Trump said, “I think that the polling is very good, but I don’t care about polling. I have to do the right thing. This should have been done a long time ago.” A new CNN poll found that 41% of Americans support the strikes against Iran, while 59% disapprove…
After Hezbollah jumped into the conflict by launching strikes on Israel overnight, prompting Israeli fire on Hezbollah targets in Lebanon in return, Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam banned the terror group’s “military activities,” restricting it “to the political sphere.”
Salam said the group’s actions are now “illegal” and called on the Lebanese Armed Forces to “prevent any attacks originating from Lebanese territory,” a long-awaited show of resolve from Beirut. The LAF has struggled to disarm Hezbollah forces since the signing of a ceasefire agreement with Israel in November 2024…
On a ground invasion of Lebanon, IDF spokesperson Brig. Gen. Effie Defrin said, similarly to the U.S. position on Iran, “all options are on the table”…
U.S. casualties in the course of the operation increased today to six servicemembers…
Qatar’s Ministry of Defense condemned attacks by Iran on a power plant and an oil facility in the country, further indicating Tehran is setting its sights on civilian and energy infrastructure. The targeted energy plant, Ras Laffan, is responsible for around a fifth of all global natural gas production — Qatar halted production after the strike which, along with decreased passage through the vital Strait of Hormuz, sent oil prices soaring…
Iran continues to sustain heavy losses: The U.S. said it has sunk all 11 of Iran’s warships in the Gulf of Oman while Qatar shot down two Iranian SU-24 tactical bombers, which were developed by Russia; the UAE also intercepted around 150 Iranian drones and 15 missiles today in addition to hundreds over the weekend…
U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer reiterated in an address to parliament today that Britain will not be joining the strikes on Iran but will allow the U.S. to use its bases for “defensive actions,” noting that Iran has already struck a military base in Bahrain that houses around 300 British troops. “France and Germany are also prepared to enable U.S. action to destroy Iran’s capability to fire missiles and drones from the source,” Starmer added.
Trump said he was “very disappointed” with Starmer in an interview with The Telegraph, saying the prime minister “took far too long” in deciding to allow U.S. forces to utilize its bases…
NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte praised the campaign, calling it “really important … because it is taking out, degrading the capacity of Iran to get its hands on nuclear capability, the ballistic missile capability.” But, he said, “there are absolutely no plans whatsoever for NATO to get dragged into this”…
GOP lawmakers are pushing Democrats to agree to a funding deal for the still-shuttered Department of Homeland Security, as hostilities with Iran raise concerns about domestic terror threats…
The war is also making its way into some of the most heated primary races unfolding across the country: In North Carolina’s 4th Congressional District, anti-Israel activist Nida Allam, who is challenging Rep. Valerie Foushee (D-NC), put out a new campaign ad just before tomorrow’s primary slamming “Trump and Netanyahu’s reckless war.”
Allam accused the administration of using “our taxpayer dollars to bomb a school in Iran, killing over 100 elementary school children,” even though there has been no proof that the U.S. was responsible for the strike…
Some pro-Israel Democratic candidates in Illinois also took harsh stances against the Iran operation: state Sen. Laura Fine, running in Illinois’ 9th Congressional District, called for Trump’s impeachment, while Cook County Commissioner Donna Miller, running in the 2nd District, and Chicago Treasurer Melissa Conyears-Ervin, running in the 7th District, called the strikes “reckless” and “immoral,” respectively…
⏩ Tomorrow’s Agenda, Today
An early look at tomorrow’s storylines and schedule to keep you a step ahead
Keep an eye out in Jewish Insider for a rundown of the high-profile primaries on the ballot tomorrow in North Carolina and Texas.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz will meet with President Donald Trump at the White House for a conversation that was set to focus on negotiations between Russia and Ukraine but will likely be overshadowed by the ongoing operation against Iran. Germany joined the U.K. and France over the weekend in offering a supportive but cautious stance on the hostilities.
It will be a busy day on the Hill, where administration officials including Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, CIA Director John Ratcliffe and Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Dan Caine will hold all-member briefings on Iran for the House and Senate. Rubio is briefing the Gang of Eight again this afternoon, and national security committees in both chambers were briefed over the weekend.
Elbridge Colby, the under secretary of defense for policy, will brief the Senate Armed Services Committee on the Pentagon’s National Defense Strategy; Colby has previously drawn bipartisan ire from the committee over a lack of consultation by his team and alleged rogue decision-making on a range of issues by his office.
The Senate Judiciary Committee will hold a hearing on oversight of the Department of Homeland Security with testimony from Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem.
The Capitol Jewish Forum will host its annual Capitol Hill Purim celebration, attended by a number of Jewish lawmakers.
Stories You May Have Missed
WEIGHING IN
As Iran war continues, Senate and House set for long-shot votes to cut it short
The resolutions are unlikely to pass; if they do, they will need two-thirds support to override an inevitable presidential veto
CLOSING RANKS
Arab states unite as Iran strikes every member of Gulf Cooperation Council
UAE and Saudi leaders spoke by phone; the GCC affirmed its ‘right to respond’
Plus, conflict expands as Hezbollah strikes Israel
Plumes of smoke rise following reported explosions allegedly near Iran's Ministry of Intelligence on Araqi Street in Tehran on March 1, 2026, after Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, was killed a day earlier in a large U.S. and Israeli attack, prompting a new wave of retaliatory missile strikes from Iran. (Photo by Mowj / Middle East Images / AFP via Getty Images)
👋 Good Monday morning!
In today’s Daily Kickoff, we report on the ongoing joint U.S.-Israeli military operations against Iran that began Saturday morning, and look at the responses from Gulf states, Capitol Hill and U.S. allies as the conflict enters its third day. We cover Columbia University’s effort to distance itself from the Columbia University Apartheid Divest group that called for “death to America” over the weekend, and report on Maine Senate candidate Graham Platner’s recent appearance on a podcast hosted by antisemitic conspiracy theorist Nate Cornacchia. Also in today’s Daily Kickoff: Simone Rodan-Benzaquen, Sen. Chris Van Hollen and Jean-Luc Mélenchon.
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
- Purim begins tonight, in which Jews around the world will read from the Book of Esther and recount the Jewish people’s victory over Haman in ancient Persia.
- Our teams in Israel, New York and Washington are covering the latest news and reports as the U.S. and Israel carry out operations targeting Iran, and as the Islamic Republic launches strikes across the region, with the majority targeting Israel and the United Arab Emirates. More below.
- Overnight, Hezbollah launched its first attacks on Israel in more than a year, firing projectiles toward population centers in northern Israel and prompting retaliatory Israeli strikes on Hezbollah targets in Lebanon. More below.
- The International Atomic Energy Agency is convening a special session of its Board of Governors in Vienna today, which was requested by Russia to focus on the joint U.S.-Israeli military operations targeting Iran, following a board meeting that was scheduled prior to the start of the weekend hostilities.
- President Donald Trump will posthumously award the Medal of Honor to Master Sgt. Roddie Edmonds, who during World War II saved the lives of the hundreds of Jewish soldiers under his command at a POW camp in Nazi Germany. Trump is expected to take questions from the media at the event.
- The J Street national conference continues today in Washington. More below.
What You Should Know
A QUICK WORD WITH JI’S MELISSA WEISS
As joint U.S.-Israeli operations against Iran and the Islamic Republic’s ballistic missile and drone attacks continue into a third day, all parties are planning for what could be a conflict that stretches across weeks, despite the decapitation of nearly all of Iran’s senior-most officials in the opening salvos of the war.
On his Truth Social site, President Donald Trump doubled down on his push for Iranian protesters to take action, calling on “all Iranian patriots who yearn for freedom to seize this moment, to be brave, be bold, be heroic and take back your country. America is with you. I made a promise to you, and I fulfilled that promise. The rest will be up to you, but we’ll be there to help.”
Trump said on Sunday that the U.S. had sunk nine Iranian warships and destroyed Tehran’s naval headquarters as it works to dismantle the country’s entire naval fleet.
The president told numerous media outlets over the weekend that the time frame for operations would take four to five weeks, but said that Iranian officials “want to talk, and I have agreed to talk, so I will be talking to them.” Read more here.
Ali Larijani, the head of Iran’s National Security Council, refuted the claim, saying, “We will not negotiate with the United States.”
With the status of talks and any potential off-ramps in question, strikes continue in Israel and Iran, with Iranian proxy Hezbollah entering the hostilities early this morning with missile barrages targeting northern Israel.
The last 48 hours have scrambled and deepened alliances across the Middle East as a number of Arab states coalesced behind the U.S. In a joint statement released Sunday night, the U.S., Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates slammed Iran’s “indiscriminate and reckless missile and drone attacks against sovereign territories across the region” and said the countries “stand united in defense of our citizens, sovereignty, and territory, and reaffirm our right to self-defense in the face of these attacks.”
NORTHERN FRONT
Day 3: Israel-Iran conflict expands to southern Lebanon
Israel expanded its war effort against Iran to southern Lebanon on Monday after Iranian proxy Hezbollah launched rockets and drones at Israel overnight, Jewish Insider’s Lahav Harkov reports.
What he said: “We have launched an offensive campaign against Hezbollah,” Lt.-Gen. Eyal Zamir, the IDF’s chief of staff, said in a situational assessment on Monday. “We are not only operating defensively — we are now going on the offensive as well. We must prepare for many prolonged days of combat ahead.” The war against Iran and Hezbollah “requires strong defensive readiness and sustained offensive readiness, operating in continuous waves while constantly utilizing opportunities,” Zamir said.
By the numbers: The U.S. and Israel have suffered casualties throughout the weekend, including 12 civilians killed in Israel and three U.S. servicemembers killed during operations. Three U.S. F-15 fighter jets were accidentally shot down in a friendly fire incident over Kuwait late last night, CENTCOM announced, but all pilots ejected safely.
More from Zamir: The U.S. and Israeli militaries planned attacks on Iran for months, marking “unprecedented cooperation,” Zamir said on Saturday, hours after the launch of what Israel has called Operation Roaring Lion and the U.S. has called Operation Epic Fury, JI’s Lahav Harkov reports.
WEIGHING IN
As Iran war continues, Senate and House set for long-shot votes to cut it short
As the U.S.-Israel air war against Iran continues, the Senate and House are set to vote this week on war powers resolutions that would aim to cut the operations short, Jewish Insider’s Marc Rod reports.
On the agenda: The resolutions, if passed, would force the administration to end the war, withdraw forces and cease operations against the Iranian regime. It’s almost certain that the resolution will not pass the Senate; the House vote may be closer but it is also not likely to pass. And even if the resolutions were to pass, they would not have the two-thirds support necessary to overcome an inevitable presidential veto. But the resolutions will be an opportunity for Democrats — and a small number of Republicans — to go on record demonstrating their opposition to the war and dissatisfaction with the administration’s approach. The Senate is expected to vote on Tuesday or Wednesday, with the House voting on Wednesday or Thursday.
Congressional reax: A number of Republican lawmakers rallied behind President Donald Trump’s military strikes against Iran on Saturday, while leading Democrats expressed quick and strident opposition to the operations, JI’s Marc Rod reports.
closing ranks
Arab states unite as Iran strikes every member of Gulf Cooperation Council
Major Gulf powers are coming together in rare lockstep amid Iran’s strikes around the region, with the United Arab Emirates closing its embassy in Iran and the Gulf Cooperation Council declaring it retains the right to respond. After the U.S. and Israel launched a major operation against Iran on Saturday, the regime struck sites in at least nine countries around the Middle East, including Israel, Jordan, Syria and every member of the Gulf Cooperation Council — Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE, Jewish Insider’s Danielle Cohen-Kanik reports. Despite claiming it is aiming at U.S. military assets in the region, Iran has struck widely at civilian infrastructure, including hotels, residential neighborhoods and airports in the UAE, Bahrain, Kuwait and Iraq.
Putting differences aside: On Saturday, the first day of the operation, UAE President Mohamed bin Zayed spoke by phone with Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to discuss Iran’s aggression and their response, a significant development and sign of the seriousness of the issue amid a regional rift between the two major powers. On Sunday, the ministerial council of the GCC held a meeting over video conference and issued a statement strongly condemning Iran’s attacks and affirming the countries’ “legal right to respond.”
Allies assemble: President Donald Trump’s decision to launch a military campaign against Iran has earned unexpected support from Western leaders who have otherwise sparred with Trump, particularly on trade policy. Canada and Australia, both of which are led by liberal parties, robustly backed the strikes that began on Saturday morning, JI’s Gabby Deutch reports.
TAKING AIM
Chris Van Hollen, in J Street address, calls AIPAC anti-American
Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) took aim at the pro-Israel advocacy group AIPAC during an address on Sunday morning at the opening plenary of J Street’s convention in Washington and accused it of being un-American. Van Hollen elicited a loud chorus of boos in response to his description of AIPAC’s opposition to legislation he had sponsored seeking to place conditions on U.S. military assistance to Israel, Jewish Insider’s Gabby Deutch reports from the conference.
What he said: “I put forward months and months ago a proposal that said, with respect to any country, any country that receives U.S. military assistance — has to agree to, No. 1, comply by American law and by international law. You know who came out against that? AIPAC came out against that,” Van Hollen said. Read more here.
Two-way street: The first speaker on the conference’s main stage on Sunday, Rabbi Rick Jacobs, the president of the Union for Reform Judaism, took an unusual departure from J Street’s position on the U.S.-Israeli operations against Iran by noting that the organization’s positions are not the only ones that should be taken seriously in the Jewish community. J Street quickly came out against the attacks. “I’m certain that many in this gathering agree, as a matter of principle and foreign policy, with the J Street statement,” Jacobs said. “Many in our congregations might also agree. But America’s Jewish congregations are diverse, filled with good, moral people who differ on complex issues, as those raised by the Iran attacks.”
Info wars: The Congressional Progressive Caucus organized an “emergency convening” on Saturday evening for members to receive a briefing on Iran from the Quincy Institute’s Trita Parsi and former Obama administration official Ben Rhodes, according to an invitation obtained by JI’s Marc Rod.
PROBLEMATIC PODCAST
Platner sat for lengthy interview with antisemitic conspiracy theorist, said he was ‘longtime fan’ of his show
Weeks before Graham Platner promoted an antisemitic conspiracy theorist in a now-deleted social media post on Thursday, the controversial Maine Senate candidate appeared on a popular YouTube show whose host has spread specious claims about Jews and Israel, Jewish Insider’s Matthew Kassel reports. Platner faced blowback last week for boosting a social media comment about a looming war with Iran by Stew Peters, a neo-Nazi influencer who has frequently espoused antisemitic tropes and engaged in Holocaust denial. Platner’s team said the post was made in error and “immediately” removed it after learning it elevated a “despicable account.”
Yes, but: In late January, Platner sat for a lengthy online interview with Nate Cornacchia, a retired Green Beret who has also promoted antisemitic conspiracy theories. Near the end of their hour-long conversation, Platner, a fellow military veteran, called himself “a longtime fan” of Cornacchia’s YouTube channel, “Valhalla VFT,” and said it was “an absolute pleasure being” on the show.
Endorsement alert: Platner picked up the endorsement of Sen. Ruben Gallego (D-AZ), who became the second sitting senator to endorse the far-left candidate after Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT).
CREATING DISTANCE
Columbia denies connection to student group posting ‘death to America’ over Iran strikes
Columbia University distanced itself from Columbia University Apartheid Divest, a coalition of over 80 university student groups, after it posted “death to America” in Farsi in response to U.S. strikes on Iran, denying that current students are behind the account, Jewish Insider’s Haley Cohen reports.
Back and forth: “Marg bar Amrika,” CUAD posted on X on Saturday after U.S. and Israel’s joint strikes killed Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the country’s supreme leader — using a phrase that was frequently invoked by Khamenei. The post was deleted, but CUAD doubled down, writing in a new post, “X forced us to delete our ‘marg bar amrika’ tweet in order to gain back access to our account but the sentiment still stands.” Columbia responded that “the group that calls itself ‘CUAD’ is not a recognized student group, or affiliated in any way with the University.”
Bonus: Columbia reached a settlement with Jewish students, represented by the StandWithUs Center for Legal Justice, Students Against Antisemitism and Kasowitz LLP, in which the school says it will commit “to additional programming on antisemitism and scholarships for students who have worked, studied or lived in Israel.”
Worthy Reads
Misjudging Trump: In The New York Times, Gen. Kenneth F. McKenzie Jr., the former head of U.S. Central Command, posits that Iran “misjudged” President Donald Trump’s willingness to deviate from decades of U.S. foreign policy vis-à-vis Tehran. “For decades, Iran managed to bluff American presidents. It deterred attacks from a superpower and carried out proxy campaigns against its neighbors and Israel. Our strikes on Iran on Saturday are evidence that this long-term strategy of negotiating in bad faith is bankrupt. The military campaign underway is the direct result of Iranian leaders’ foot-dragging, obfuscation and delay tactics. … The president is the unique advantage we have in the region. For the first time in decades, American military power in the Middle East deployed against Iran is coupled with a commander in chief who isn’t afraid to use it.” [NYTimes]
A Gulf Between Them: The Wall Street Journal’s Yaroslav Trofimov talks to diplomats and analysts who suggest that Iran erred in its calculus that targeting Arab nations would increase pressure to end U.S. and Israeli strikes on the Islamic Republic. “Gulf states, rattled by volleys of Iranian drones and missiles targeting their hotels, ports and airports, are concluding the Iranian peril must be confronted. Rather than seeking an offramp, the prevailing mood in the Gulf — at least for now — is that the Iranian regime can’t be allowed to get away with this unprecedented onslaught on its neighbors. … Meanwhile, [Saudi political analyst Ali Shihabi] added, Iranian attacks on Gulf states have removed any embarrassment that these monarchies had in cooperating with the U.S. military campaign. It is unlikely that Saudi Arabia, the U.A.E. and other Gulf states will just keep absorbing Iranian blows for long, officials in the region said. One possibility is to start targeting missile and drone launch sites inside Iran.” [WSJ]
Equal Partners: The Atlantic’s Eliot Cohen considers the key role that “sophisticated, creative, and bold allies, such as Israel,” are playing in operations against Iran. “Today, however, the Israeli air force is equipped with the latest American aircraft and its own and American munitions, and is operating on a scale that no U.S. European ally could match in this theater. That is an astonishing thing. … Behind the sounds of jets and explosions lies another dimension of this war, and one in which the Israelis, who have been preparing for this for decades, are equal partners with the United States. It is a campaign in the shadows, composed of intelligence gathering, assassination, covert action, and special operations.” [TheAtlantic]
Word on the Street
Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides said that an Iranian attack drone hit a British air base in Cyprus overnight, causing limited damage and no casualties; two additional drones were intercepted on Monday morning, according to Cypriot authorities…
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani slammed joint U.S.-Israeli airstrikes on Iran in a statement Saturday — without placing fault with Tehran in his reaction; Mamdani’s statement reiterated his police department’s earlier pledge to boost local security, and also attacked Israel and the United States for “an illegal war of aggression,” Jewish Insider’s Will Bredderman reports…
As California’s gubernatorial race heats up, five leading candidates said at a forum on Thursday that they are committed to deepening the state’s partnership with Israel and fighting efforts to boycott the Jewish state, Jewish Insider’s Gabby Deutch reports…
The FBI is probing whether a deadly shooting that occurred in Austin, Texas, over the weekend was prompted by the U.S. strikes on Iran, with sources saying that the suspect, a 53-year-old Senegalese immigrant, was wearing a sweatshirt that said “Property of Allah” over a T-shirt with an Iranian flag design…
The University of Toronto is investigating instructional materials used by the dean of the university’s dentistry school that displayed antisemitic imagery; in an apology email, Anil Kishen said he used the images “without appreciating” their context and potential impact on the Jewish community…
U.K. authorities arrested a man accused of vandalizing a statue of Winston Churchill in London’s Parliament Square last week with graffiti branding the British leader a “Zionist war criminal”; additional charges were levied against the man for his membership in the Palestine Action group, whose status as a terror organization is in limbo following a court’s ruling that the government’s designation was illegal…
Jean-Luc Mélenchon, the leader of the far-left La France Insoumise party, is facing accusations of antisemitism over a speech last week in Lyon in which he mocked the pronunciation of Jeffrey Epstein’s name…
Simone Rodan-Benzaquen, formerly the head of the American Jewish Committee’s Europe operations, is joining the Foundation for Defense of Democracies as the think tank’s senior envoy to Europe…
Historian Donald Makovsky, the father of JINSA’s Michael Makovsky and The Washington Institute’s David Makovsky, died last week…
Singer and songwriter Neil Sedaka died at 86…
Philanthropist and art collector Iris Cantor died at 95…
Pic of the Day
Members of the Iranian diaspora in the Westwood neighborhood of Los Angeles celebrated on Sunday the death of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Birthdays
Former culture reporter for The New York Times, David L. Itzkoff turns 50…
Restaurateur, lawyer, financier and former owner of Braniff International Airlines, Jeffrey Chodorow turns 76… Comedian, actress and writer, she was part of the original cast of NBC’s “Saturday Night Live,” Laraine Newman turns 74… Former U.S. senator from Wisconsin, Russ Feingold turns 73… Member of the Knesset for the National Unity Party, Alon Natan Schuster turns 69… Anesthesiologist in Skokie, Ill., Samuel M. Parnass, M.D…. Director of Judaism and Israel education at the Jewish Community Relations Council of Minnesota and the Dakotas, Sally G. Abrams… Member of the New York State Assembly, Alec Brook-Krasny turns 68… Consultant in public affairs, Mitch Bainwol turns 67… Author and reporter for The New York Times where she covers power players in New York City, Katherine “Katie” Rosman turns 54… Executive director of the Jewish Orthodox Feminist Alliance, Daphne Lazar-Price… Editor and director of communications at Twin Cities, Minnesota’s TC Jewfolk (a Jewish news, events and culture online media hub), Lonny Goldsmith… Israeli hip-hop singer and rapper better known as Mooki, Daniel Neyburger turns 51… Former member of the Knesset for the Kadima party, Yuval Zellner turns 48… Director of marketing at Window Nation, Eric Goldscher… Chief of staff for Rep. Maxwell Alejandro Frost (D-FL-10), Yuri Beckelman… Israeli journalist and radio newscaster, Dr. Hila Chaya Korach turns 42… VP at This Machine Filmworks in Los Angeles, Sally Rosen Phillips… Founding member of CoS Mastermind Network, a vetted community of chiefs of staff, Kaylee Berger Porco… Project manager at Halo Development, Donni Lurman…
The president predicted a four to five week timeline for the military campaign against Iran in several interviews over the weekend
Daniel Torok/White House via Getty Images
President Donald Trump oversees "Operation Epic Fury" at Mar-a-Lago on February 28, 2026 in Palm Beach, Florida.
President Donald Trump said over the weekend that Iran’s new leadership has made overtures to restart diplomatic negotiations with the U.S. — which he plans to accept — after Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed during Israeli and U.S. strikes in the country.
Still, the president warned that strikes would continue until their objectives had been achieved.
Trump made the comments while speaking to The Atlantic on Sunday morning, one of a series of interviews he gave after launching a joint military operation against Iran alongside Israel on Saturday. The president has been touting Operation Epic Fury to journalists as an immediate success, arguing that the removal of Khamenei and 47 others in senior Iranian leadership has provided a window for diplomacy as the U.S. military operation swiftly advances.
“They want to talk, and I have agreed to talk, so I will be talking to them,” Trump told The Atlantic. “They should have done it sooner. They should have given what was very practical and easy to do sooner. They waited too long.”
The commander-in-chief declined to say when he plans to begin engaging with the Iranians, instead noting that most of the Iranians involved in past negotiations with the U.S. are now deceased.
“Most of those people are gone. Some of the people we were dealing with are gone, because that was a big — that was a big hit,” Trump said. “They should have done it sooner. They could have made a deal. They should’ve done it sooner. They played too cute.”
Asked if he was willing to extend the bombing campaign in order to support a popular uprising in Iran, should it unfold, the president was similarly coy, telling the outlet: “I have to look at the situation at the time it happens … You can’t give an answer to that question.”
In a video posted to his Truth Social platform on Sunday afternoon, however, Trump spoke directly to the protesters, calling upon “all Iranian patriots who yearn for freedom to seize this moment, to be brave, be bold, be heroic and take back your country. America is with you. I made a promise to you, and I fulfilled that promise. The rest will be up to you, but we’ll be there to help.”
Further illuminating his thinking, Trump wrote on Truth Social on Saturday shortly after the killing of Khamenei, “We are hearing that many of their IRGC, Military, and other Security and Police Forces, no longer want to fight, and are looking for Immunity from us … Hopefully, the IRGC and Police will peacefully merge with the Iranian Patriots, and work together as a unit to bring back the Country to the Greatness it deserves. That process should soon be starting.”
“The heavy and pinpoint bombing, however, will continue, uninterrupted throughout the week or, as long as necessary to achieve our objective” of world peace, he wrote.
In an interview on Saturday evening with CBS News’ Robert Costa, Trump said he believes that the joint U.S.-Israeli attacks on Iran that killed Khamenei made diplomacy “much easier now than it was a day ago, obviously, because they are getting beat up badly.”
As for the military operation itself, Trump suggested in subsequent conversations on Sunday with The Daily Mail and The New York Times that the U.S. could be involved for another four to five weeks.
“It’s always been a four-week process. We figured it will be four weeks or so,” Trump told the U.K. tabloid. “It’s always been about a four week process so — as strong as it is, it’s a big country, it’ll take four weeks or less.”
He repeated the four to five week timeline in interviews with Axios’ Barak Ravid on Saturday and The New York Times on Sunday.
“I can go long and take over the whole thing,” Trump told Ravid by phone, “or end it in two or three days and tell the Iranians: ‘See you again in a few years if you start rebuilding [your nuclear and missile programs].’”
Trump later predicted to Ravid that, “In any case, it will take them several years to recover from this attack.”
Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Tom Cotton (R-AR) echoed the president’s predictions, telling CBS’ “Face the Nation” on Sunday that Trump has “no plan for any kind of large-scale ground force inside Iran.”
“The president has been clear that what we should expect to see is an extended air and naval campaign that’s designed not only to continue to set back Iran’s nuclear ambitions, but most importantly, to destroy its vast missile arsenal, many more missiles than the United States and Israel have air defenses combined, as well as the missile launchers and its missile manufacturing capability,” said Cotton, one of the president’s more hawkish GOP allies on Capitol Hill.
“Now obviously one risk of that kind of campaign is that an aircraft could be shot down, and the president would never leave a pilot behind,” he continued. “So no doubt we have combat search and rescue assets in the region that are prepared to go in and extract any downed pilot. But barring that kind of unusual circumstance, the president has no plan for any kind of large-scale ground force inside of Iran.”
Canada and Australia immediately offered support; European leaders signaled changing views amid Iran’s indiscriminate attacks in the region
Kay Nietfeld/picture alliance via Getty Images
French President Emmanuel Macron (l-r), German Chancellor Friedrich Merz (CDU) and Keir Starmer, Prime Minister of Great Britain, meet in The Hague at the delegation hotel on the sidelines of the NATO summit for trilateral talks in the E3 format.
President Donald Trump’s decision to launch a military campaign against Iran has earned unexpected support from Western leaders who have otherwise sparred with Trump, particularly on trade policy. Canada and Australia, both of which are led by liberal parties, robustly backed the strikes that began on Saturday morning.
“We support the United States acting to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon and to prevent Iran continuing to threaten international peace and security,” Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said in a statement on Saturday.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, speaking to reporters during a trip to India, also threw his support behind the U.S.: “Canada supports the United States acting to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon and to prevent its regime from further threatening international peace and security,” he said.
Meanwhile, three powerful European allies known as the E3 — France, Germany and the United Kingdom — were more circumspect after the military campaign began, with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz calling on Saturday for nuclear negotiations to resume.
But by late Sunday, as Iran doubled down on its campaign of retaliation against American and Western assets across the Middle East, the E3 nations inched toward support for Washington with a statement strongly calling on Iran to cease its “indiscriminate and disproportionate missile attacks.”
“We call on Iran to stop these reckless attacks immediately. We will take steps to defend our interests and those of our allies in the region, potentially through enabling necessary and proportionate defensive action to destroy Iran’s capability to fire missiles and drones at their source,” the E3 leaders said. “We have agreed to work together with the U.S. and allies in the region on this matter.”
Meanwhile, security tightens in NYC as NYPD and Gov. Hochul boost presence around Jewish and Iranian institutions
Kyle Mazza/Anadolu via Getty Images
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani slammed joint U.S.-Israeli airstrikes on Iran in a statement Saturday — without placing fault with Tehran in his reaction.
Mamdani released a statement that reiterated his police department’s earlier pledge to boost local security, and also attacked Israel and the United States for “an illegal war of aggression.” But unlike other Democrats who have spoken out against the air campaign, he mentioned neither the atrocities committed by the Iranian regime against its own citizens, nor President Donald Trump, with whom he met just days ago.
“Today’s military strikes on Iran — carried out by the United States and Israel — mark a catastrophic escalation in an illegal war of aggression. Bombing cities. Killing civilians. Opening a new theater of war,” he wrote. “Americans do not want this. They do not want another war in pursuit of regime change. They want relief from the affordability crisis. They want peace.”
The NYPD declared Saturday morning it was “closely monitoring” the situation in the Middle East and working with federal and international law enforcement. It further promised pre-emptive steps to increase security at potential targets, though it did not indicate whether it was aware of any specific threat.
“As is our protocol and out of an abundance of caution, we will be enhancing patrols to sensitive locations throughout the city, including diplomatic, cultural, religious, and other relevant sites,” the department tweeted.
The NYPD did not respond to queries about specific actions, but videos on social media showed members of the department’s Counter-Terrorism Task Force at Manhattan’s iconic Temple Emanu-El as well as outside the Iranian consulate.
Gov. Kathy Hochul similarly vowed that she would deploy state troopers to guard vulnerable sites, even as she said “there were no specific, credible threats to New York.” She noted the impending start of Purim Monday night as cause to coordinate with the leaders of the Jewish community.
“State Police are increasing their presence at religious, diplomatic, and cultural sites statewide in coordination with federal, state, and local law enforcement partners,” the Democrat wrote in a statement. “Additionally, in advance of the Jewish holiday of Purim, State Police remain alert and have already begun outreach to religious organizations to offer support.”
Meanwhile, organizations affiliated with China-based left-wing tech tycoon Neville Roy Singham — known for promoting geopolitical narratives favorable to Beijing and its allies in Moscow and Tehran — including the People’s Forum and CODE PINK kicked off a protest against the strikes in Times Square on Saturday afternoon.
Joining them, according to promotional materials, are the Democratic Socialists of America, the Palestinian Youth Movement, and the National Iranian American Council, known as the country’s de facto lobbying group in the United States.
President Donald Trump confirmed the news, calling Khamenei ‘one of the most evil people in history’
Iranian Leader Press Office / Handout/Anadolu via Getty Images
Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei makes remarks in Tehran, Iran, on May 20, 2025.
President Donald Trump confirmed on Saturday that Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the supreme leader of Iran and the country’s highest political and religious authority, was killed during Israeli and U.S. strikes in the country.
“Khamenei, one of the most evil people in History, is dead. This is not only Justice for the people of Iran, but for all Great Americans, and those people from many Countries throughout the World, that have been killed or mutilated by Khamenei and his gang of bloodthirsty THUGS,” Trump wrote.
Israeli media reported he was killed in an Israeli strike on his compound in Tehran. He was 86.
Khamenei had led Iran since 1989, succeeding Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, who took over the country as part of his Islamic Revolution in 1979. Over more than three decades in power, he oversaw major shifts in Iran’s domestic politics, military posture and regional strategy, moves that resulted in the Islamic Republic becoming the world’s leading exporter of terrorism through proxies such as Hamas and Hezbollah.
As supreme leader, Khamenei exercised ultimate authority over the armed forces, judiciary, state broadcasting and key political appointments. He maintained final say over defense and foreign policy, including Iran’s nuclear program, and appointed top commanders of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
The IRGC became the primary instrument of Khamenei’s rule. He cultivated and empowered it for decades, and the IRGC in turn underwrote his domestic authority and Iran’s regional ambitions across Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Yemen and Gaza through what he called the “Axis of Resistance.”
His foreign policy was defined by two poles of opposition: the United States, which he called Iran’s “No. 1 enemy,” and Israel, whose destruction he repeatedly called for in rhetoric that mixed geopolitical calculation with antisemitic tropes. Under his leadership, Iran became what the U.S. State Department designated the world’s foremost state sponsor of terrorism.
No successor has been publicly named, and with much of the IRGC’s senior leadership also reported killed in Saturday’s strikes, the question of who fills the vacuum left by Khamenei will mark a pivotal moment in Iran’s history.
Plus, Mamdani makes surprise WH visit
Umman Foreign Ministry/Handout/Anadolu via Getty Images
Special Envoy Steve Witkoff (C) advisor Jared Kushner (L) meet with Omani Foreign Minister Badr bin Hamad Al Busaidi (R), who is mediating between the parties in the third round of Iran-U.S. negotiations held in Geneva, Switzerland, on February 26, 2026.
Good Thursday afternoon!
This P.M. edition is reserved for our premium subscribers — offering a forward-focused read on what we’re tracking now and what’s coming next.
It’s me again — Danielle Cohen-Kanik, U.S. editor at Jewish Insider and curator, along with assists from my colleagues, of the Daily Overtime. Please don’t hesitate to share your thoughts and feedback by replying to this email.
📡On Our Radar
Notable developments and interesting tidbits we’re tracking
U.S.-Iran negotiations wrapped up for the day in Geneva without a decisive result: Omani Foreign Minister Badr Albusaidi said the sides had made “significant progress” while Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told state media they negotiated “very seriously,” but no agreement was reached.
Araghchi said technical experts will meet on Monday in Vienna at the International Atomic Energy Agency and fourth round negotiations will take place later next week, after consultations in both capitals…
Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters yesterday that Iran “poses a very grave threat to the United States” and is trying to reconstitute its nuclear program. “After their nuclear program was obliterated, they were told not to try to restart it, and here they are. You can see them always trying to rebuild elements of it. They’re not enriching right now, but they’re trying to get to the point where they ultimately can.”
Beyond the nuclear issue, Rubio said, Iran also has “conventional weapons that are solely designed to attack America and attack Americans. … These things have to be addressed.” While the current talks are focused solely on Tehran’s nuclear program, “it’s also important to remember that Iran refuses to talk about ballistic missiles to us or to anyone, and that’s a big problem”…
House Democratic leaders said in a joint statement today that they plan to force a vote “as soon as Congress reconvenes next week” on a resolution blocking military action against Iran without congressional authorization, Jewish Insider’s Marc Rod reports. Three Democrats have already indicated they will oppose the resolution, with other defections likely to follow…
U.S. forces raided a ship last month and seized cargo heading from China to Iran, officials told The Wall Street Journal, part of a broader effort to head off Iran’s covert arms purchases after the 12-day war last June. The cargo was reportedly intended for Iranian companies that procure weapons for the regime’s missile program…
The Journal interviews fighter pilots involved in the U.S. bombing campaign against the Houthis last spring, as military assets are once again amassing in the Middle East for a potential operation against Iran…
Maine Senate candidate Graham Platner amplified a social media post today from a far-right conspiracy theorist well-known for viciously antisemitic commentary — before quickly deleting the statement, JI’s Matthew Kassel reports. In a comment on X, Platner approvingly boosted a remark opposing war with Iran from Stew Peters, who has said Judaism is “satanic” and a “death cult,” promoted blood libels and called for a “final solution” to mass-deport American Jews…
The issue is particularly sensitive for Platner, who earlier in his campaign faced scrutiny over a Nazi tattoo on his chest, which he has since had covered. He was pressed today on a YouTube call-in show about his knowledge of the tattoo’s symbolism because of his self-identification as a WWII history enthusiast.
“I was well aware that they [Nazis] used a similar-looking thing,” Platner said. “You have to admit it’s not a ‘similar-looking thing,’ it’s the same thing. … Anyone who’s remotely a WWII buff knows what that is,” the caller replied. Platner answered, “I’m not going to apologize for something that I didn’t know about or do”…
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani made an unannounced visit to the White House to meet with President Donald Trump today. Among other issues, the two discussed housing and immigration activities…
The family of Francesca Albanese, the U.N. special rapporteur for Israel and the Palestinian territories, sued Trump and other administration officials yesterday in district court, alleging that the sanctions imposed on Albanese by the U.S. violate her First, Fourth and Fifth Amendment rights…
Israeli President Isaac Herzog and Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar attended an iftar meal to break the Ramadan fast hosted by UAE Ambassador to Israel Mohamed Al Khaja in Tel Aviv, where Herzog said that the “members of the Abraham Accords should be treated in an upgraded manner as they pursue the noble cause of peace.”
“And this I say especially,” Herzog continued, “when there are nations who are spreading hate, spreading blasphemy against nations who seek peace — against the Emiratis, against the Israelis,” ostensibly referring to Saudi Arabia…
As Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi wrapped up his trip to Israel today, the two countries signed 16 memorandums of understanding to expand cooperation in fields including agriculture and AI. Modi also met with the cast of “Fauda”…
⏩ Tomorrow’s Agenda, Today
An early look at tomorrow’s storylines and schedule to keep you a step ahead
Keep an eye out in Jewish Insider for a profile of Sam Bregman, the Jewish cowboy-hat wearing former district attorney running for governor of New Mexico.
ADL’s Desert Region will hold its annual conference at Arizona State University, with speakers including ADL CEO Jonathan Greenblatt, Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs, Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego and state Rep. Alma Hernandez.
J Street’s annual conference will kick off Saturday in Washington. Speakers will include former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, Sens. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Brian Schatz (D-HI), Adam Schiff (D-CA), Tim Kaine (D-VA) and Chris Murphy (D-CT) and Reps. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), Sara Jacobs (D-CA), Sean Casten (D-IL) and Madeleine Dean (D-PA). J Street’s PAC will hold an event with Roy Cooper, the former governor of North Carolina now running for Senate, and phone banking sessions for Evanston, Ill., Mayor Daniel Biss, running for the House.
We’ll be back in your inbox with the Daily Overtime on Monday. Shabbat Shalom!
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