Cassidy said the deal leaves Iran stronger and sanctions-free, while senators including Tillis, Cruz and Scott pushed back on Trump's acceptance of Iranian ballistic missiles
Photo by Al Drago/Getty Images)
Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-LA) departs a meeting with Senate Republicans in the U.S. Capitol on June 28, 2025 in Washington, DC.
Add JewishInsider on GoogleSome Senate Republicans are breaking with President Donald Trump over his handling of Iran, pushing back on the memorandum of understanding’s significant financial relief to the regime and Trump’s comments on Wednesday that he is willing to accept an Iranian ballistic missile program and some level of nuclear enrichment.
“Reagan is rolling over in his grave,” retiring Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-LA) said on X. “Iran’s nuclear ambitions were not curbed, and they have learned that threatening the Strait of Hormuz works and will undoubtedly leverage it in the future. Now, Iran gets to build brand-new infrastructure under this deal.”
Cassidy recently voted in favor of war powers resolutions that aimed to prevent further combat operations in Iran. He’s retiring after being defeated by a Trump-backed primary challenger.
“Before the war, the Strait [of Hormuz] was open, Iran was being crushed by sanctions and 13 service members were still alive,” Cassidy said. “Now, 13 Americans are dead, families have paid billions at the pump, sanctions will be lifted, and the bombing has stopped. This is the worst foreign policy blunder in decades.”
He subsequently explained to reporters: “Iran went from having sanctions and now is having no sanctions. Hundreds of billions of dollars [are] being paid to it. Our allies are weaker. Our opponent is stronger. You say the strait’s open — the strait was open four months ago.”
Asked whether he thought the deal was worse than the Obama-era Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, Cassidy responded, “I didn’t like the JCPOA the first time. I don’t like it the second time.”
While Cassidy was perhaps the most strident critic, numerous Republican senators also expressed their disagreement with Trump’s comments, the deal, or both.
Given that eliminating Iran’s nuclear enrichment and ballistic missile capacity were stated objectives of the war, “$100 billion and 13 lives later, I’ll need to understand that rationalization,” Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC) told Jewish Insider of Trump’s comments.
He added later that the $300 billion reconstruction fund laid out in the MOU is “concerning,” though he called the deal preliminary and said he needed to see more details.
“I need to see it taken as a whole. I can’t be against it because I need to see the net. I need to see, have we accomplished what the president set out to accomplish?” Tillis continued. “If you remember, we were going to obliterate their military, we were going to take all of the uranium or any weapons grade uranium out of the country — we’re equivocating on that now. I just need to see what the new deal is now.”
He said that, given the costs of the war, “there needs to be some accountability for Iran. We can’t just walk out because we’re getting a bit skittish over the economic consequences of going to war to begin with.”
While Trump argued that Iran should be able to have ballistic missiles because others in the region do as well, Sen. Rick Scott (R-FL) said that the difference is that other countries in the region aren’t American adversaries.
“I would be fine [with them having missiles] if they didn’t want to kill Americans. I don’t care if Saudi Arabia has them, or if Israel has them because they don’t want to kill us,” Scott told JI. “But if somebody wants to kill me, I don’t want them to have a ballistic missile.”
Asked about the financial benefits Iran is set to receive under the deal, Scott said that he does not want any U.S. funding to support Iran, and that Iran should be paying the U.S. reparations instead.
“I’m not spending a dime for Iran. I want them to pay us for what we had to do,” Scott continued.
Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) warned against giving Iran a financial windfall, though he placed blame for the situation on those around the president, rather than Trump himself.
“History teaches that giving billions of dollars to theocratic lunatics who want to murder us is not a good idea,” Cruz said. “I think the President is receiving some very poor advice on this deal.”
Cruz said on his podcast that “if this deal is giving them $300 billion, that’s a mistake. I hope that is not the case.” But he also said that it is “absurd” to compare it to the JCPOA in light of the U.S. military action against Iran’s nuclear program.
“What I’m urging the president, what I’m saying to him, is don’t give away the victory. I don’t believe he’s doing so, I hope he’s not doing so, I hope his administration is not doing so,” Cruz said. “We have defeated their military, don’t suddenly come in with massive buckets of cash to let them rebuild and become a threat to America again.”
He added on X that the fact that Biden Iran Envoy Rob Malley supported the deal “may be the most serious criticism that can possibly be leveled against it.”
Sen. Pete Ricketts (R-NE) said that “it’s a bad idea to allow Iran to have a ballistic missile program,” though he said he was waiting to see what the text of the deal says on the issue of enrichment. Sen. Mike Rounds (R-SD) told JI, “I don’t feel the same way” as Trump on the missile and enrichment issues.
Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC), one of the most vocal supporters of the Iran war on Capitol Hill, offered his support for the MOU in a lengthy X post following a conversation with special envoy Steve Witkoff.
“It is my opinion that signing the MOU will be beneficial to the United States, in as much as the Strait of Hormuz will begin to open, and the hostilities with Iran will stop,” Graham said. “Whether or not the United States can reach an acceptable, verifiable deal with Iran regarding its nuclear program and other issues is yet to be determined, but I see little downside to trying.”
He added that the MOU would also be worthwhile as an “essential step” toward enabling the normalization of relations between Saudi Arabia and Israel, restoring economic stability and ending the war.
Despite that, Graham still broke with Trump on his comments on Iranian nuclear enrichment.
“I’m not OK with nuclear enrichment at all,” Graham said.
Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO), who has been one of the most vocal GOP advocates for bringing the war to a close, said that he’s “glad the strait is reopening” and “glad that their nuclear program is under rubble and presumably will stay that way.”
“I don’t really want to give them any money,” Hawley continued. “I discourage that. I would not want to do that. But, let’s see what happens and I wish the VP all the best of luck.”
Sen. Roger Wicker (R-MS), the chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, told JI he would continue to withhold comment on Iran, the same response he’s been offering to reporters on the deal throughout the week.
On the Democratic side, Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) said that the deal constituted “unconditional surrender … by us, not by Iran,” referencing Trump’s demands earlier in the war.
“There seems to be no objective of this war that has been accomplished and in fact has emboldened Iran internally and strengthened their standing in the world community,” Blumenthal continued. “They’ve taken the best punch we could give them and they seem bolder than ever.”
He said that the financial benefits Iran is set to receive under the MOU “will enable them to support their malign proxies in the region, causing more instability and bloodshed.”
Blumenthal said that Iran’s objectives of “death to America and death to Israel … will only be advanced by this huge amount of money and additional freedom they have to sell their oil with lifting sanctions.”
Kent has come under scrutiny for past links to white supremacists and neo-Nazis, promotion of conspiracy theories and echoing pro-Russia talking points
AP Photo/Jenny Kane
Former congressional candidate and counterterrorism official Joe Kent speaks during a debate at KATU studios on Monday, Oct. 7, 2024, in Portland, Ore.
Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC) voted with Democrats against Joe Kent, the administration’s controversial nominee to be director of the National Counterterrorism Center, though Kent was nevertheless confirmed on Wednesday with support from all other Senate Republicans.
Kent has come under scrutiny for past links to white supremacists and neo-Nazis, promotion of conspiracy theories and echoing of pro-Russia talking points, as well as his opposition to the U.S. strikes on the Houthis, though those issues did not feature prominently in his confirmation proceedings.
Tillis told Jewish Insider he voted against Kent because of his past comments on the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol. Kent has defended rioters involved in the attack, claimed the FBI was involved in the attack and said it should be dismantled.
“It’s the Jan. 6 tripwire,” Tillis said. “I don’t even get to the other things that I think probably add an argument. People make comments about conspiracy theory, all that stuff — [Jan. 6] is a red line for me. … I take personal[ly] dismissing something that endangered police officers. So — that simple.”
Tillis has declared his opposition to other Trump nominees for similar reasons, including effectively torpedoing the nomination of Ed Martin to be U.S. attorney for Washington, D.C.
Some Democrats raised concerns about Kent’s extremist ties ahead of the vote.
“I am deeply alarmed that Republicans are charging ahead to put it under the thumb of a conspiracy theorist who espouses white supremacist views, and is patently unqualified for this important role in just about every way imaginable,” Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA) said on the Senate floor. “There’s his track record chumming it up with white supremacists, from discussing campaign strategy with avowed white supremacist Nick Fuentes, to giving an interview to a guy who has defended Hitler, to rallying with the founder of a far-right paramilitary group, and let’s not forget the Proud Boy that he hired as a consultant!”
Democrats also raised concerns about reports that he had sought to manipulate intelligence reports to align with the administration’s political preferences.
Democratic Majority for Israel said that “We cannot trust someone who echoed Kremlin propaganda, courted white nationalists, and invoked antisemitic tropes. The Senate must reject him.”
Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR), the chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee, said on the Senate floor, “Mr. Kent has 20 years of military service and 11 combat deployments during the war on terror, as well as experience as a Green Beret and a CIA officer. Mr. Kent has dedicated his career to fighting terrorism and keeping Americans safe.”
He also highlighted the fact that Kent’s wife was killed while serving in Syria.
Plus, Israel's potential paths forward in Gaza
Ben Birchall/PA Images via Getty Images
Bob Vylan performing on the West Holts Stage, during the Glastonbury Festival at Worthy Farm in Somerset.
Good Monday morning.
In today’s Daily Kickoff, we look at Israel’s options in Gaza as it faces a degraded but not-yet-defeated Hamas, and report on the weekend incident at Glastonbury music festival in which a performer led a “death to the IDF” chant. We report on the increasingly cratering political center as Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC) and Rep. Don Bacon (R-NE) announce their departures from Capitol Hill, and look at government and Jewish communal concerns regarding Iranian “sleeper cells” in the U.S. Also in today’s Daily Kickoff: House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, Stephen Ross and Ari Emanuel.
What We’re Watching
- Israeli Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer is slated to arrive in Washington today for meetings with senior Trump administration officials. Among the topics expected to be covered is a potential visit to Washington next month by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
- The annual Christians United for Israel Summit kicked off in Washington on Sunday, and continues into this week. Dr. Miriam Adelson is slated to address attendees at this morning’s plenary session. This afternoon, Auburn men’s basketball coach Bruce Pearl (who is rumored to be considering a Senate bid in Alabama) will speak in conversation with CUFI Action Fund Chair Sandra Hagee Parker about his pro-Israel advocacy. Journalist Amir Tibon, whose book The Gates of Gaza recounts his family’s experience surviving the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas terror attacks, will speak later this afternoon. Hostage advocate Rachel Goldberg-Polin, whose son, Hersh, was killed by Hamas in captivity, will speak at this evening’s Night to Honor Israel reception.
- This morning at the Aspen Ideas Festival, CNN’s Fareed Zakaria, former CIA Director David Petraeus, former National Security Advisors Susan Rice and John Bolton will speak at a session focused on the “new world order.” Later in the morning, former Deputy National Security Advisor Anne Neuberger will speak on a panel about cyber defense. This afternoon, Daniel Lubetzky and Jeffrey Sonnenfeld will join a panel on “business leadership in a new era.”
- In Israel, Defense Minister Israel Katz is expected to hold an emergency meeting with security officials to address the recent spate of extremist settler violence in the West Bank.
What You Should Know
A QUICK WORD WITH JI’S LAHAV HARKOV
Two roads diverged for Israel’s Security Cabinet in a Sunday night meeting about Gaza, and since they could not travel both routes, the cabinet decided not to make a decision. The Security Cabinet met to discuss Israel’s next steps in Gaza after 633 days of war: ceasefire or escalation.
Some in the IDF high brass argued that the Gaza war’s objectives have been met — noting that the army had destroyed Hamas’ military infrastructure, killed nearly all of the senior Hamas commanders on its target list, dismantled tunnels, seized 60% of Gaza, blocked key smuggling routes — leaving Hamas weaker than it has been since its 2007 takeover of Gaza. They argued that now is the time to pursue an exit strategy, according to military analyst Amir Bohbot.
If there is no ceasefire, the IDF plans to continue its current operation in Gaza, calling up tens of thousands of IDF reservists and moving to conquer 80% of the territory. Officers in the cabinet meeting reportedly warned that doing so could bring about a large number of casualties, including some of the hostages. In the past week, the army has suffered near-daily losses of soldiers in Gaza.
President Donald Trump’s choice is clear: “MAKE THE DEAL IN GAZA. GET THE HOSTAGES BACK!!!” he wrote on Truth Social on Sunday. Two days earlier, he said there could be a ceasefire within a week.
But what a ceasefire would mean is less clear. The parties could agree to a temporary ceasefire, which Israelis have called the “Witkoff outline,” after Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff. Such a ceasefire would last 60 days, with the release of half of the remaining 50 hostages, 21 of whom are thought to be alive, in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners, including terrorists, and increased humanitarian aid flow into Gaza.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu denied a report last week that he and Trump discussed a sweeping plan to end the Gaza war and expand the Abraham Accords, but a source with knowledge of the matter told Jewish Insider on Monday that much of the details are, in fact, currently in talks, even if they may still be far from fruition.
BAD BEAT
Glastonbury organizers ‘appalled’ by ‘death to Israel’ chants at U.K. festival
The organizers of the annual Glastonbury music festival in the U.K. said they were “appalled” by chants calling for “death to the IDF” led over the weekend by the rap duo Bob Vylan during the five-day event, Jewish Insider’s Haley Cohen reports. “Their chants very much crossed a line and we are urgently reminding everyone involved in the production of the Festival that there is no place at Glastonbury for antisemitism, hate speech, or incitement to violence,” Emily Eavis, the daughter of Glastonbury co-founder Michael Eavis, wrote Sunday on Instagram. “With almost 4,000 performances at Glastonbury 2025, there will inevitably be artists and speakers appearing on our stages whose views we do not share. However, we are appalled by the statements made from the West Holts stage by Bob Vylan yesterday.”
En route to the U.S.A.: In a statement to JI, Leo Terrell, senior counsel to the assistant attorney general for civil rights who chairs the Justice Department’s task force to combat antisemitism, said that ahead of Bob Vylan’s upcoming U.S. tour, the task force will be reaching out to the Department of State “to determine what measures are available to address the situation and to prevent the promotion of violent antisemitic rhetoric in the United States.”
Bonus: The BBC acknowledged that it should have ended its livestream of Bob Vylan’s performance and denounced the “antisemitic sentiments” promoted by the rap duo.
CENTER FOLDS
Sen. Thom Tillis’ retirement another blow to the shrinking center on Capitol Hill
Sen. Thom Tillis’ (R-NC) sudden announcement on Sunday that he won’t seek reelection — following a threat by President Donald Trump to back a primary challenger — is kicking off one of the most competitive Senate contests of the 2026 cycle, and underscoring the precarious standing for moderate-minded lawmakers on Capitol Hill, Jewish Insider’s Emily Jacobs reports.
Bigger picture: Tillis, 64, who was first elected to the Senate in 2014, was already expected to face electoral headwinds from both directions in his bid for a third term. His pragmatic instincts angered right-winger Republicans back home while his willingness to ultimately support Trump’s agenda didn’t win him any goodwill with Democrats. Tillis is the second congressional Republican with a record of winning tough races to retire over the weekend, joining Rep. Don Bacon (R-NE), who decided to leave Washington amid growing partisanship and polarization. Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX), another accomplished legislator who occasionally has antagonized his right flank, is also facing a difficult primary campaign against a right-wing opponent, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton.
THREAT DETECTION
After U.S. strikes on Iran, officials warn of retaliation from ‘sleeper cells’ in the U.S.
In the aftermath of the U.S. strikes on Iran, officials and lawmakers are warning of potential threats from Iranian or Iran-affiliated “sleeper cells” embedded in the United States, a threat that could persist in spite of the ceasefire reached last week, Jewish Insider’s Marc Rod reports.
What they’re saying: Experts say that there is a real threat that Iran could seek to target the U.S. government, Jewish communities or other targets within the United States, either through networks of operatives in the country or individuals radicalized online against Israel and Jews. Matthew Levitt, the director of the counterterrorism and intelligence program at The Washington Institute for Near East Policy and a former counterterrorism official, told JI that homeland threats are very real, though he argued that the term “sleeper cells,” which he said invokes spy thriller TV shows, can trivialize the threat.
MESSAGE TO MAMDANI
Jeffries: Mamdani is ‘going to have to clarify his position’ on intifada slogan
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY), in some of his first comments on presumptive Democratic New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani’s controversial remarks, said on Sunday that the state legislator will “have to clarify” his position on the slogan “globalize the intifada,” which Mamdani has defended in recent weeks, Jewish Insider’s Marc Rod reports.
What he said: “‘Globalizing the intifada,’ by way of example, is not an acceptable phrase, and he’s going to have to clarify his position on that as he moves forward,” Jeffries said on ABC’s “This Week,” adding, “With respect to the Jewish communities that I represent, I think our nominee is going to have to convince folks that he is prepared to aggressively address the rise of antisemitism in the city of New York.” Jeffries made clear that he was not yet endorsing Mamdani.
Antisemitism watch: Former Rep. Kathy Manning (D-NC), now the board chair of Democratic Majority for Israel, blasted the North Carolina Democratic Party leadership for what she described as allowing anti-Israel rhetoric and antisemitism within the state party, in a statement first shared with JI.
kaine mutiny
Senate Democrats’ Iran war powers resolution fails
The Senate voted down Sen. Tim Kaine’s (D-VA) war powers resolution that would have blocked additional U.S. military action against Iran without congressional authorization on Friday evening, with nearly all Democrats voting in favor of the resolution, and almost all Republicans voting against it, Jewish Insider’s Marc Rod and Emily Jacobs report.
Final vote: The resolution failed, 53-47, with Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) being the only Republican to vote in favor and Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA) being the only Democrat to vote against. Kaine said in an address prior to the vote that while he acknowledged the need for U.S. military engagement in certain instances, any offensive actions required the approval of the legislative branch. In response, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC), one of the most vocal supporters of the strikes in the Senate, said that requiring congressional approval would be a “disaster for the country” and upend the military command structure.
Politics of damage assessment: House lawmakers, like their Senate counterparts, remain divided over the U.S.’ strikes on Iran following a classified briefing Friday morning, with Republicans praising the strikes and most Democrats remaining skeptical, Jewish Insider’s Marc Rod reports.
IRAN PIVOT
Trump suspends negotiations with Iran after defiant speech from ayatollah
President Donald Trump announced on Friday afternoon that he was suspending the possibility of sanctions relief efforts with Iran after Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei defiantly proclaimed victory over the U.S. and Israel in a videotaped message, Jewish Insider’s Jake Schlanger reports.
U-turn: “During the last few days, I was working on the possible removal of sanctions, and other things, which would have given a much better chance to Iran at a full, fast, and complete recovery – The sanctions are BITING! But no, instead I get [sic] hit with a statement of anger, hatred, and disgust, and immediately dropped all work on sanction relief, and more,” Trump said in a Truth Social post.
Tough talk: Rep. Brian Mast (R-FL), the chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, confronted the ambassadors of Rwanda, Jordan and Qatar, among other countries, over their relationships with U.S. adversaries in China and Iran, at a dinner last week, per a source familiar with the congressman’s remarks, Jewish Insider’s Marc Rod reports.
Worthy Reads
Axis of Instability: In The Atlantic, Leon Aron considers the benefits to the West afforded by the “asymmetric” relationship between Iran, Russia and China. “In calmer times, China, like Russia, is happy to use Iran as a battering ram against the U.S. and its allies. But when tensions turn into military confrontation and global stability is at risk, backing Iran looks like a far less sensible investment to Beijing than preserving its own economic and diplomatic relations with the West. … Since World War II, leaders of Western democracies have successfully collaborated in part because they have shared a common worldview. Whether Iran’s Islamic theocrats can say the same about Xi, the leader of an avowedly atheist state, or Putin, who now positions himself as the champion of Orthodox Christianity, is another question entirely.” [TheAtlantic]
Hostage Families’ Hopes: The Associated Press’ Melanie Lidman reports on the newfound hope among some hostage families that their loved ones could soon be freed from Gaza amid broader geopolitical developments that have undermined Hamas, its Iranian patron and its regional allies. “With Iran dealt a serious blow over nearly two weeks of fierce Israeli strikes, [Liran] Berman [whose brothers Ziv and Gali are hostages] believes Hamas, armed and financed by Iran, is at its most isolated since the war in Gaza began, and that might prompt the militant group to soften its negotiating positions. ‘Now it’s the time to pressure them and tell them, look, you are on your own. No one is coming to your help. This is it,’ Berman said. ‘I think the dominoes fell into place, and it’s time for diplomacy to reign now.’ [AP]
The Mamdani Risks: The Washington Post editorial board raises concerns about the candidacy of Zohran Mamdani, the presumptive Democratic nominee for mayor of New York City. “Zohran Mamdani, the charismatic 33-year-old who is now the front-runner to be the next mayor of New York, might seem like a breath of fresh air for a Democratic Party struggling to move past its aging establishment. In fact, New Yorkers should be worried that he would lead Gotham back to the bad old days of civic dysfunction, and Democrats should fear that he will discredit their next generation of party leaders, almost all of whom are better than this democratic socialist.” [WashPost]
A Win for Terror Victims: In The Wall Street Journal, Sander Gerber and Ezra Husney praise the Supreme Court ruling that will ultimately allow American victims of terror to sue the Palestinian Authority and Palestine Liberation Organization. “For nearly a decade, the Palestinian Authority occupied an unusual position in American constitutional law. Foreign states aren’t ‘persons’ entitled to due-process rights, and therefore states like Iran can be held liable for acts of international terrorism. But because the U.S. doesn’t recognize the Palestinian Authority as a sovereign state, it enjoyed constitutional due-process protections, which left Congress powerless to hold it accountable for terrorism. … With Israeli cooperation, the plaintiffs should eventually be able to collect damages by attaching Palestinian Authority tax revenue and assets. Then justice will truly have been done.” [WSJ]
Word on the Street
The White House is expected to host Kentucky state Sen. Aaron Reed in the coming weeks, as the Trump administration looks to recruit a challenger to Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY), who opposed the White House’s proposed budget reconciliation bill…
An upcoming book by Josh Dawsey, Tyler Pager and Isaac Arnsdorf focused on Trump’s 2024 reelection campaign reveals that Iran attempted to assassinate former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in a Paris hotel in 2022…
Sen. Bernie Moreno (R-OH) introduced a resolution nominating President Donald Trump for a Nobel Peace Prize for his handling of the Israel-Iran war…
The Senate Parliamentarian stripped the Educational Choice for Children Act, an educational scholarship tax credit program supported by Orthodox Jewish groups, out of Republicans’ budget reconciliation bill, ruling it noncompliant with restrictions on reconciliation bills…
Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) and 14 other Senate Republicans introduced a resolution supporting the U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran…
A group of House members introduced legislation on Friday that aims to bolster efforts by Holocaust survivors’ families to reclaim or receive recompense for art stolen from their relatives during World War II, addressing issues in past legislation that have hampered repatriation efforts in the courts, Jewish Insider‘s Marc Rod reports…
Rep. Michael Baumgartner (R-WA) and four other House Republicans introduced a resolution supporting the U.S. strikes on Iran…
The Federal Emergency Management Agency announced Friday that it had awarded $94.4 million in supplemental security grant funding to a total of 512 Jewish organizations nationwide, around half of a long-delayed supplemental funding round, Jewish Insider’s Marc Rod reports…
Miami Dolphins owner Stephen Ross is closing in on a deal to purchase a 45% stake in the Miami Open alongside a group led by Ari Emanuel…
A lawyer employed by the City of Ottawa was fired after being charged with vandalizing the Canadian capital’s Holocaust monument earlier this month…
International Atomic Energy Agency head Rafael Grossi said that while the U.S. strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities caused significant damage, they failed to destroy core components of the program and Tehran could restore enrichment capabilities within months…
Iran’s judiciary said that 71 people, including dozens of prison workers at the country’s notorious Evin prison, were killed last week in an Israeli strike on the facility’s front gates…
The Wall Street Journal looks at the targeting of specific Iranian sectors during Israel’s 12-day war with Iran, including the efforts of an anonymous pro-Israel hacking group to cripple Iran’s banking industry, as well as Israel’s “Operation Narnia,” which targeted Iranian nuclear scientists…
Iran’s internal security forces are increasingly cracking down on dissidents and regime opponents following the 12-day war with Israel…
The New York Times spotlights the Ukrainian family that relocated to Israel in 2022 to seek cancer treatment for the family’s young daughter; the girl, as well as her mother, grandmother and two cousins were killed in an Iranian ballistic missile strike on the Tel Aviv suburb of Bat Yam earlier this month…
Jonathan Mayers, a co-founder of the Bonnaroo music festival, died at 51…
Conductor and composer Lalo Schifrin, who composed the theme song to the “Mission: Impossible” TV series, died at 93…
Jack Kleinsinger, the founder of the long-running Highlights in Jazz concert series, died at 88…
Pic of the Day
U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee and his wife, Janet, donated blood during a visit on Sunday to Magen David Adom’s national headquarters in Ramla, Israel.
Birthdays
Staff writer at The Atlantic, author of 10 books and former Bush 43 speechwriter, David Frum turns 65…
Rapid City, S.D., resident, Leedel Chittim Williamson turns 81… Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., resident, podiatrist, Dr. David Peter Bartos… Executive coach to nonprofit leaders, he was the founding director of the Museum of Jewish Heritage, Dr. David Altshuler… Former New York State assemblyman for 36 years, Dov Hikind turns 75… Former Harvard professor and author of books on the Holocaust and antisemitism, Daniel Goldhagen turns 66… Chief Justice of the New Jersey Supreme Court, Stuart Jeff Rabner turns 65… Professor of astrophysics at McGill University, Victoria Michelle Kaspi turns 58… Founding executive director and now a senior advisor at JOIN for Justice: the Jewish Organizing Institute and Network, Karla Van Praag… Professor of Jewish studies at the University of Georgia, he is the co-editor of a handbook on 25 different Jewish languages, Aaron David Rubin turns 49… Columnist, author, poet and screenwriter, Matthew “Matthue” Roth turns 47… Former sports business analyst and reporter, now focused on the collectibles market, Darren Rovell turns 47… Reggae and alternative rock musician, known by his stage name Matisyahu, Matthew Paul Miller turns 46… Film and television actress, Elizabeth Anne (“Lizzy”) Caplan turns 43… Partner in OnMessage Public Strategies, Kyle J. Plotkin turns 43… Senior software engineer at Bloomberg LP, Noam Lustiger… Chief communications officer for Aleph Venture Capital, Erica Marom (Chernofsky)… Chief operating officer at the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, Stephanie Hausner… Head coach of the men’s lacrosse program at Long Island University, Jordan Levine turns 39… Rhythmic gymnast who represented the U.S. at the 2012 Olympic Games, now a fitness coach and personal trainer, Julie Ashley Zetlin turns 35… English teacher in Tel Aviv, Michal Adar… Area director for the North Shore of Long Island at AIPAC, Abbey Taub…
The pragmatic North Carolina senator was the second moderate Hill Republican this weekend to announce retirement plans amid growing polarization
Kent Nishimura/Getty Images
Sen. Thom TIllis (R-NC) speaks with reporters as he arrives for a vote at the U.S. Capitol on July 31, 2024 in Washington, DC.
Sen. Thom Tillis’ (R-NC) sudden announcement on Sunday that he won’t seek reelection is kicking off one of the most competitive Senate contests of the 2026 cycle, and underscoring the precarious standing for moderate-minded lawmakers on Capitol Hill.
Tillis, 64, who was first elected to the Senate in 2014, was already expected to face electoral headwinds from both directions in his bid for a third term. His pragmatic instincts angered right-winger Republicans back home while his willingness to ultimately support Trump’s agenda didn’t win him any goodwill with Democrats.
Tillis is the second congressional Republican with a record of winning tough races to retire over the weekend, joining Rep. Don Bacon (R-NE), who decided to leave Washington amid growing partisanship and polarization. Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX), another accomplished legislator who occasionally has antagonized his right flank, is also facing a difficult primary campaign against a right-wing opponent, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton.
North Carolina is one of the Democrats’ strongest opportunities to flip a GOP-held Senate seat next year, and party leaders are hoping former Gov. Roy Cooper decides to run for the open seat. The Cook Political Report said on Sunday it had moved the race from Lean Republican to the “Toss Up” category.
“Cooper — who would likely clear the Democratic field if he runs — faces the prospect of a much easier open seat contest, while Republicans could have to sort out a messy primary field to succeed Tillis that is sure to produce a nominee further to the right than the outgoing GOP senator,” the Cook Political Report’s Jessica Taylot wrote.
At least four Republicans have already confirmed they are considering entering the North Carolina Senate race, including Lara Trump, the president’s daughter-in-law and a North Carolina native; Rep. Pat Harrigan (R-NC), a freshman who was elected to succeed former GOP Rep. Patrick McHenry last year; Rep. Tim Moore (R-NC), who previously served as speaker of the North Carolina House of Representatives; and Rep. Greg Murphy (R-NC), a former urologist elected to the House in 2019.
A source close to Lara Trump, who is married to the president’s son Eric, told NBC News on Monday afternoon that she is “strongly considering jumping in the race.” Asked what the odds were that Trump would get in the race, the source replied: “I’d put it as high as one could be considering it. …The race will be over before it begins.”
Lara Trump, 42, has expressed interest in joining the Senate as far back as 2021, when former Sen. Richard Burr (R-NC) retired after becoming the subject of an insider trading probe, an investigation that ultimately ended without him facing criminal charges. She also discussed the possibility of filling the Senate vacancy in Florida left by Secretary of State Marco Rubio earlier this year, though that seat ultimately went to Sen. Ashley Moody (R-FL), the state’s attorney general.
Among the other GOP names being floated in the race to replace Tillis are Rep. Richard Hudson (R-NC), who chairs the National Republican Congressional Committee, and Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Whatley, who chaired the North Carolina GOP for five years prior to assuming his current role.
In a statement responding to the news of Tillis’ announcement, Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC), chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, Senate Republicans’ campaign arm, made no mention of the outgoing senator, instead restating the party’s intention to keep the seat in GOP hands.
“President Trump has won North Carolina three times, and the state’s been represented by two Republican senators for over a decade. That streak will continue in 2026 when North Carolinians elect a conservative leader committed to advancing an agenda of opportunity, prosperity, and security,” Scott said in a statement.
On the Democratic side, former Rep. Wiley Nickel (D-NC) has already launched his campaign, though major donors and national Democrats alike are urging Cooper to enter the race. The former two-term governor has told allies he expects to make a decision this summer.
“Thom Tillis’ decision not to run for reelection is another blow to Republicans’ chances as they face a midterm backlash that puts their majority at risk. Even Tillis admits the GOP plan to slash Medicaid and spike costs for families is toxic – and in 2026, Democrats will flip North Carolina’s Senate seat,” Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee spokesperson Maeve Coyle said.
Tillis’ decision to bow out of politics also has implications for the current Congress. The North Carolina senator suggested in his retirement announcement that he intends to vote his conscience when he has policy disagreements with the president, setting him up as a key swing vote during the remainder of his tenure.
“I look forward to solely focusing on producing meaningful results without the distraction of raising money or campaigning for another election. I look forward to having the pure freedom to call the balls and strikes as I see fit and representing the great people of North Carolina to the best of my ability,” Tillis said.
Republicans still maintain a 53-47 majority in the Senate, and are still strongly favored to maintain their majority in the upper chamber after next year’s midterms. Democrats need to flip four seats next year to win back the majority.
Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) is expected to be another top Democratic target, but Democrats don’t have a lot of other obvious pickup opportunities aside from North Carolina and Maine. Party leaders may target Texas, especially if Cornyn loses his primary, and are expected to challenge Sen. Joni Ernst (R-IA) in the now-reliably Republican state. Ohio and Florida’s Senate seats, both held by appointed Republicans, may also become competitive if Democrats recruit strong challengers.
Blumenthal: ‘Our bipartisan effort seeks to strengthen measures to bring long overdue justice to families whose cherished art was brazenly stolen by the Nazis’
J. Scott Applewhite/AP Photo
Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, center, is flanked by Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Dick Durbin, D-Ill., left, and Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., at the Capitol in Washington, Thursday, Nov. 14, 2024.
Sens. John Cornyn (R-TX) and Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) introduced bipartisan legislation last week aimed at eliminating loopholes used by museums and other stakeholders to continue possessing Nazi-looted artwork that Jewish families have been trying to recover.
Introduced on Thursday, the Holocaust Expropriated Art Recovery (HEAR) Act would expand on Cornyn’s 2016 legislation of the same name, which was passed at the time by unanimous consent, by ending the Dec. 31, 2026, sunset date on the original bill and strengthen the existing procedural protections to ensure that victims’ claims are not dismissed due to non-merit-based factors such as time constraints.
“The artwork wrongfully ripped from Jewish hands during the Holocaust bears witness to a chapter in history when evil persisted and the worst of humanity was on full display. I’m proud to introduce this legislation to support the Jewish people and Holocaust survivors by helping them recover art confiscated by the Nazis that they are rightfully owed and give them the justice and restitution they deserve,” Cornyn said in a statement.
“The theft of art by the Nazi regime was more than a pilfering of property — it was an act of inhumanity. Our bipartisan effort seeks to strengthen measures to bring long overdue justice to families whose cherished art was brazenly stolen by the Nazis,” Blumenthal said.
Many families of Holocaust victims in the U.S. who have located artwork from deceased relatives and sued to recover those items face the deadline at the end of next year before the statute of limitations sets in. Thousands of stolen works of art remain unreturned to their rightful owners from the Nazi plunder, and there are scores of ongoing cases to resolve disputes over ownership of those items.
“Unfortunately, many museums, governments, and institutions have contradicted Congress’ intent and obstructed justice by stonewalling legitimate claims, obscuring provenance, and employing aggressive legal tactics designed to exhaust and outlast Survivors and their families. Rather than embracing transparency and reconciliation, too many have chosen to entrench and litigate, effectively preserving possession of stolen works rather than returning them to their rightful owners,” a press release for the bill states.
Sens. Thom Tillis (R-NC), Cory Booker (D-NJ), Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), John Fetterman (D-PA), Eric Schmitt (R-MO) and Katie Britt (R-AL) co-sponsored the bill, which was endorsed by a number of Jewish organizations including Agudath Israel of America, the American Jewish Committee, Anti-Defamation League, Jewish Federations of North America, StandWithUs and World Jewish Congress, among others.
“This legislation helps to right a historic wrong committed during one of the darkest chapters in history. By eliminating unnecessary legal obstacles, the HEAR Act establishes a clear path to restitution for Holocaust survivors and their families, ensuring that art and cultural property stolen by the Nazis can finally be returned to their rightful owners,” Tillis said.
Fetterman said in a statement, “Eighty years after the Holocaust, we have a moral responsibility to do right by the victims of these atrocities and their families. I’m grateful to join my colleagues from both sides of the aisle in introducing the HEAR Act to help return artwork stolen by the Nazis to its rightful owners.”
In the House, Republicans are moving ahead on a series of investigations into the matter
Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images
Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) talks to members of the media as he makes his way to the Senate chamber at the U.S. Capitol on April 23, 2024 in Washington, DC.
Senate Judiciary Committee Republicans penned a letter to Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL) on Thursday to request that he hold a hearing on how the uptick in antisemitism on college campuses is violating the civil rights of Jewish students.
The letter was led by Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC), the top Republican on the committee, and signed by every Republican who serves on the panel, including Sens. Chuck Grassley (R-IA), John Cornyn (R-TX), Thom Tillis (R-NC), Ted Cruz (R-TX), Tom Cotton (R-AR), Josh Hawley (R-MO), John Kennedy (R-LA), and Marsha Blackburn (R-TN). They urged Durbin, who chairs the committee, to convene a hearing “on the civil rights violations of Jewish students” and “the proliferation of terrorist ideology — two issues that fall squarely within this Committee’s purview.”
“With this current state of inaction, it is incumbent upon this Committee to shed light on these civil rights violations,” the group wrote. “This Committee owes it to Jewish students, and all students who attend universities with modest hope of having a safe learning environment, to examine these civil rights violations.”
“Our committee should examine why more is not being done to protect the civil rights of innocent students across America,” they added. “We must also examine the threat to national security posed by the proliferation of radical Islamist ideology in the academy. These pressing issues demand our immediate attention.”
A spokesperson for Durbin did not immediately respond to JI’s request for comment on the letter, which came the same day as a missive from Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-LA) to Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) requesting a similar hearing before the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee.
Cassidy, the top Republican on the Senate HELP Committee, sent a letter to Sanders on Thursday urging him to convene a hearing in his capacity as committee chairman on the uptick in antisemitism on college campuses.
Cassidy’s letter, first obtained by Jewish Insider, marks the second time in six months that the Louisiana senator has written to Sanders requesting that he allow for a full committee hearing “on ensuring safe learning environments for Jewish students, as required by the Civil Rights Act of 1964.” Cassidy released a statement last week re-upping his call for a hearing, though he told JI that effort got no response.
“It is our duty to ensure federal officials are doing everything in their power to uphold the law and ensure students are not excluded from participation, denied the benefits of, or subject to discrimination at school based on race, color, or national origin,” Cassidy wrote to Sanders. “In the six months since my last letter requesting a hearing, the situation has only gotten worse.”
While Republicans have generally been more vocal about their concerns on the issue of antisemitism on college campuses, there have been bipartisan calls for action in the upper chamber.
Sens. Jacky Rosen (D-NV) and James Lankford (R-OK) have also asked Sanders to hold a hearing on antisemitism on college campuses in his capacity as HELP chairman. Similar to Cassidy, they have also not heard back from the Vermont senator.
Separately, Sens. Rick Scott (R-FL) and Roger Marshall (R-KS) requested a Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee hearing on Washington, D.C., Mayor Muriel Bowser’s response to protests at The George Washington University’s campus this week.
The duo penned a letter on Thursday to Sen. Gary Peters (D-MI), who chairs the committee, requesting he bring in Bowser and D.C. Metropolitan Police Chief Pamela Smith to testify on their respective responses to university requests to bring DCMP onto campus to clear out an anti-Israel encampment, requests Bowser denied.
On the House side, where Republicans are in the majority, House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) launched a chamber-wide effort to address all elements of the campus unrest.
Rep. Virginia Foxx (R-NC), who chairs the Education and Workforce Committee, revealed that in addition to her ongoing probes, she will have the presidents of three other schools testify next month on their responses to protests and instances of antisemitism on their campuses. The presidents of the University of California, Los Angeles; the University of Michigan; and Yale University will be brought in to testify before Foxx’s committee on May 23.
Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA), chair of the Energy and Commerce Committee, noted that her panel “oversees agencies that dole out massive amounts of taxpayer funded research grants… We will be increasing our oversight of institutions that have received public funding and cracking down on those who are in violation of the Civil Rights Act.”
House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan (R-OH) said that his panel was reaching out to the State Department and Homeland Security Department to find out “how many students on a visa have engaged in the radical activity we’ve seen now day after day on college campuses.”
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