Reports: WaPo's Jason Rezaian convicted in Iran http://t.co/8H5bVnPY5K | AP Photo pic.twitter.com/D1MH9fICXI

— POLITICO (@politico) October 12, 2015

For people who might not have followed the story as it unfolded there’s an easier explanation for why Iran is holding Jason Rezaian.   The underpinning is Iran knowing the U.S. State Department and CNN collaborate to use media as a tool to advance U.S. foreign policy objectives.

In December 2014 CNN ran and episode of Anthony Bourdain Parts Unknown filmed in Iran. It seemed innocuous at the time, yet as with all things Turner Broadcasting, it also seemed to be another set up for a larger political agenda item. (more…)

There is a lot of talk from the White House of President Obama vetoing this bill.

WASHINGTON DC – Senate Democrats on Wednesday joined with Republicans to approve an annual defense bill, defying a veto threat from President Obama.

The Senate voted 70-27 in favor of the $612 billion National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), a wide-ranging measure that would set policy and spending priorities for the Pentagon. Twenty Democrats voted yes, as did Sen. Angus King (Maine), an Independent who caucuses with Democrats.

While the vote total would be enough for Republicans to override Obama’s promised veto, Democratic leaders insist that some of their members would vote differently if asked to override the president. (more…)

Wall Street wants the TPP deal.  The Obama administration wants the TPP deal.  The U.S. Chamber of Commerce wants the TPP deal.  Rupert Murdoch wants the TPP deal.  Fox News wants the TPP deal.  Jeb Bush, Marco Rubio, Carly Fiorina, Mike Huckabee, Chris Christie, John Kasich, Bobby Jindal, Scott Walker, Rick Perry all approve the TPP deal.  Candidates Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio supported fast track trade authority for the TPP deal.
The TPP deal is exceptionally bad for U.S. manufacturing and jobs.

(Via Reuters)  The United States and 11 other Pacific Rim countries have reached a sweeping deal to set up a free-trade zone for 40 percent of the world’s economy, but the accord on Monday faced initial skepticism in the U.S. Congress.
The Trans-Pacific Partnership is the most ambitious trade pact in a generation and could reshape industries and influence the cost of products from cheese to cancer treatments, presenting key issues also for drug companies and automakers.
Tired negotiators worked round the clock over the weekend to settle tough issues such as monopoly rights for new biotech drugs. A demand by New Zealand for greater access for its dairy exports was only settled at 5 a.m. EDT (0900 GMT) on Monday. (more…)

Our favorite ideological cabinet member appeared on CBS this morning replete with new linguistic skills.  Listen to question at 01:58, and within the answer: “de-conflict” … it reappears a few minutes later in another retort.
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(more…)

If you thought Secretary Kerry’s 2013 “Jobs for Jihadists” program was goofy, wait until you read about this one. 
The U.S. federal government is announcing a new program called CVE (Counter Violent Extremism) in Minneapolis Minnesota.  Under the U.S. program, authorized by President Obama, Somali Muslims living in Minnesota will be paid not to go on terror rampages. or blow themselves up. 

…”Led by a taskforce of 15 Somali Americans and a traditional community grant-making organization, the Counter Violent Extremism (CVE) program is the brainchild of the chief federal prosecutor for Minnesota, Andrew Luger. […]  The goal is to prevent youth recruitment by overseas extremist groups such as Isis or al-Shabaab”…. 

Any individual found engaged in an act of violent jihad will have their monthly payment stopped, and all federal income subsides removed. They’re calling it “crime prevention“, so there’s always that….
(VIA GUARDIAN) Hibaaq Osman has a glow that changes the energy in a room, or in her case, the energy of the restaurant her family owns in Karmel mall, the oldest Somali mall in Minneapolis. The cafe is right near the mosque on the top floor of the building, past rows of entrepreneurs selling wares in individual stalls, sipping hot drinks in small cups and chatting in Somali.
Osman retains her glow, even in anger. And after a press conference held outside the mosque, she is upset. (more…)

President Obama has a tendency to lie about things when he uses the term “smidgens”.

WASHINGTON DC – President Obama said he is personally hurt by the anti-semitism accusations he has faced since signing the nuclear deal with Iran.
Obama told the Jewish publication Forward “there’s not a smidgen of evidence” to back up the charge.
“Oh, of course,” he said. “And there’s not a smidgen of evidence for it, other than the fact that there have been times where I’ve disagreed with a particular Israeli government’s position on a particular issue.”
The president is seeking to soothe tensions with the Jewish community over the Iran nuclear deal, which is opposed by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and many U.S. Jewish groups.
Obama’s critics have slammed him for negotiating with the Iranian regime, which denies the Holocaust and funds terrorist groups such as Hamas and Hezbollah. (read more)

Remember this moment years from now when everyone wonders why Russia has replaced the U.S. in the sphere of influence.  Egyptian President Fattah el-Sisi met with King Abdullah II of Jordan during a scheduled visit to Moscow.  Both President el-Sisi and King Abdullah have been blocked from visits to the White House.

EGYPT – According to Egyptian presidency spokesperson Alaa Youssef, the two Arab leaders discussed counter-terrorism strategies and acknowledged the importance of regional and international alliances in combatting threats posed by extremist and terrorist organisations in the Middle East. El-Sisi and Abdullah II also acknowledged the importance of military cooperation between their own countries and across the wider Arab world.

[…]  Regarding Libya, the two leaders renewed their support to the elected Libyan government and the national Libyan army, while advocating a political solution in the country. The heads of state also agreed on the importance of supporting the Iraqi government in its efforts to achieve stability and unity in the country. (more…)

In the grand scheme of all things current this might seem a little insignificant.  But for those who are intent on knowing the “why” behind the activity from DC it is a Biden-esque deal.
For months I have been trying to identify “the play”, “the juice”, that Tom Donohue held over President Obama and the White House regarding the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal.

What play could Tom Donohue possibly hold that was so significant it would force Obama to defy his left-wing base and support a trade deal that only benefits Donohue and the Wall Street interests he represents.
The Mitch McConnell support was a no-brainer, the GOPe machine is in the back pocket of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, and Tom Donohue, and has been for a long time.
The TPP trade deal was, and is, antithetical to U.S. main street business interests – but I couldn’t figure out why President Obama was willing to buck Elizabeth Warren, Bernie Sanders, and the like-minded anti-Wall Street ideologues. (more…)

Here comes the beginning of the second holy grail goal of the Obama administration. This one comes with guarantees of billions for Chicago Jesus and his ideological co-horts. Get ready for “Carbon Trading” in the U.S. energy sector along a similar vein to the historical “Mortgage Trading” in the housing sector.

Listen closely tomorrow and you’ll hear some familiar catch phrases. Remember “if you like your plan you can keep your plan”, or “if you like your doctor you can keep your doctor”, or “it will save the average family $2,500 per year on health insurance premiums”, or “we have to pass the bill (regulation) to find out what’s in it” etc… the nouns will change, the verbs and adjectives will remain the same.

WASHINGTON DC – President Barack Obama will Monday unveil what he called the “biggest, most important step we’ve ever taken” to fight climate change, a sensitive issue central to his legacy.

The White House will release the final version of America’s Clean Power Plan, a set of environmental rules and regulations that will home in on the pollution from the nation’s power plants, setting limits on power-plant carbon emissions.

Laying out how climate change was a threat to the health, well being and security of millions of Americans, and adding that time was of the essence, Obama said in a video released early Sunday: “Climate change is not a problem for another generation. Not anymore.” (more…)

Orlando Florida holds the largest single geographic population of Puerto Rican ex-pats.

(Via Business Insider) Puerto Rico will miss a payment on debt due Aug. 1, the governor’s chief of staff said on Friday, an event that will be considered a default by investors as the commonwealth lurches towards what could be one of the largest U.S. municipal debt restructurings in history.

The missed payment will mark the first default by the commonwealth and shows the depth of the island’s economic and cashflow problems. Puerto Rico Governor Alejandro Garcia Padilla shocked investors in June when he said the island’s debt, totaling $72 billion, was unpayable and required restructuring.

According to a 2014 bond offering statement, Puerto Rico has never defaulted on the payment of principal or interest of debt. (more…)