Jack Cocchiarella has quickly gone from being a small-time digital strategist for Democratic candidates in Florida to a YouTuber who has scored interviews with important members of the Democratic Party.
In recent months, Cocchiarella has also adopted a stridently anti-Israel posture.
SCOOP | New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani spent the mayoral campaign distancing himself from the most radical anti-Israel elements of his leftist movement, but an examination of his wife’s social media activity reveals she liked multiple Instagram posts cheering on Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, assault.
The first State Department evacuation flight from Israel landed in Athens on Friday afternoon, where its passengers were greeted on the tarmac by U.S. Ambassador to Greece Kim Guilfoyle.
The U.S. and Israel have almost total control of Iranian airspace, the IDF’s chief of staff, Lt.-Gen. Eyal Zamir, said in a statement.
They “achieved near-complete air superiority over Iranian skies,” and the operation is entering its second phase, Zamir added.
More from @lahavharkov.bsky.social:
Trump accused Tucker Carlson 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.
Read today's #DailyKickoff:
👀 Mamdani’s wife liked posts celebrating Oct. 7
Full briefing 👇
ji.news/4tyw3
Arizona state Rep. Alma Hernandez, a Jewish Democrat and outspoken supporter of Israel, told Jewish Insider she was surprised and disappointed by Ruben Gallego’s endorsement of Platner.
“I’m disappointed as an Arizonan, as a woman and as a Jewish woman,” Hernandez continued.
In a surprise vote that baffled some observers in Washington, 53 House Democrats voted against a resolution “reaffirming Iran remains the largest state sponsor of terrorism.”
The ADL urged public figures to refrain from promoting antisemitic rhetoric amid the U.S. and Israel’s operation against Iran, as some leading Democrats have invoked anti-Israel sentiment since the war began six days ago.
A day after Republican senators blocked a vote to end the Iran war, the House voted 219-212 to defeat a similar war powers resolution, with four Democrats breaking with their party to oppose an immediate end to the war, and two Republicans voting with other Democrats to oppose military action.
Leading Middle East foreign policy experts warned that Iran’s decision to expand its response to the U.S.-Israeli attacks by striking Arab states could prove to be a major strategic miscalculation — one that risks isolating Tehran further and potentially drawing Gulf countries to take action.
Sen. Ruben Gallego has made himself a face of the Democratic opposition to the war in Iran.
And his outspoken commentary, which has repeatedly pinned blame for the operation on Israel, also coincide with his endorsement of Graham Platner, who has faced a series of scandals related to antisemitism.
Brandon Herrera, a social media influencer and right-wing Republican congressional candidate, took a step closer to Congress on Thursday as House leaders urged his opponent, Rep. Tony Gonzales, to drop out of the race.
Amid an increasing storm of controversy, Trump announced he was removing Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem from her post, replacing her with Sen. Markwayne Mullin.
Mullin could face a contentious path to confirmation.
Since the joint U.S.-Israeli operation against Iran began, Jewish communities worldwide have seen an increase in threats and harassment — including a 95% rise in violent online posts targeting Jews, according to a new report from a leading American Jewish safety and security organization.
Lawmakers are largely keeping an arm’s length from the administration’s reported discussions with Kurdish leaders in Iraq about supporting an armed offensive against the Iranian regime, as an on-the-ground force aligned with U.S. interests in the ongoing American and Israeli air campaign.
Some of the first repatriation flights carrying Israelis who had been stranded abroad were briefly held mid-flight on Thursday morning as Iranian missiles were fired at central Israel.
@lahavharkov.bsky.social reports:
Far-right 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.
Iran and Turkey moved to de-escalate tensions between them in the immediate aftermath of the downing of an Iranian missile over Turkey on Wednesday, but the development signals dangerous potential if the conflict heats up between them, experts said.
@lahavharkov.bsky.social reports:
Polls by two major Israeli research institutions found that more than 80% of Israelis support the war against Iran, while several U.S. polls found that a majority of Americans oppose it.
Polls also found there is a divide between self-identified MAGA-aligned Republicans and other Republicans.
Read today's #DailyKickoff:
🏃♂️ Newsom, Gallego veer left with 2028 in sight
Full briefing 👇
ji.news/4ttzy
ANALYSIS | All told, pro-Israel Democrats can express a bit of relief toward Tuesday night’s primary results.
Read the full analysis by Josh Kraushaar:
BREAKING | With the U.S.-Israel war in Iran widening, the Senate voted 53-47 — largely along party lines — to block a procedural vote on a war powers resolution that would have forced immediate withdrawal.
Sens. Rand Paul and John Fetterman broke with their respective parties as expected.
Sen. Andy Kim said that the responsibility for the operation “always falls squarely on President Trump. Regardless of what other countries are doing, he is the one that owns this.”
In the increasingly heated Illinois Democratic Senate primary, one claim has become a familiar refrain from Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton and her allies, that Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi “voted to thank” Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
But the attacks don’t tell the full story.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom said the U.S. should reconsider its military support for Israel, a marked evolution for a politician who traveled to Israel less than two weeks after the Oct. 7 terror attacks and who said in October that he would not consider eliminating U.S. military aid to Israel.
More than 80% of Israelis support the war against Iran, polls by two major Israeli research institutions found this week, while Americans were evenly split, according to a new Fox News poll.
@lahavharkov.bsky.social reports:
Following a classified briefing on Tuesday, Senate Republicans strongly rejected claims that Israel had effectively forced the U.S.’ hand into war with Iran or dictated the timeline of the conflict, claims that were fueled by comments on Monday by Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
Any replacement selected to replace Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed by Israel on the first day of the war with Iran, will be in Israel’s crosshairs, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz warned on Wednesday.
@lahavharkov.bsky.social reports:
On the fifth day of the joint U.S. and Israeli military campaign against Iran, Pete Hegseth announced the accomplishment of several key objectives, including that “the leader of the unit” responsible for the assassination attempt on Trump in November 2024 “has been hunted down and killed.”
