The New York Times begins digging into some of the quid-pro-quo elements outlined in the upcoming book “Clinton Cash”. A review of a Russian bid to control U.S. Uranium mine interests exposes millions of undisclosed donations to the Clinton Family Foundation which occur during critical timeframes requiring coincidental approval by Secretary Clinton.
New York Times […] Beyond mines in Kazakhstan that are among the most lucrative in the world, the sale gave the Russians control of one-fifth of all uranium production capacity in the United States. Since uranium is considered a strategic asset, with implications for national security, the deal had to be approved by a committee composed of representatives from a number of United States government agencies. Among the agencies that eventually signed off was the State Department, then headed by Mr. Clinton’s wife, Hillary Rodham Clinton.
As the Russians gradually assumed control of Uranium One in three separate transactions from 2009 to 2013, Canadian records show, a flow of cash made its way to the Clinton Foundation. Uranium One’s chairman used his family foundation to make four donations totaling $2.35 million. Those contributions were not publicly disclosed by the Clintons, despite an agreement Mrs. Clinton had struck with the Obama White House to publicly identify all donors. Other people with ties to the company made donations as well.
(more…)

Several outlets are now reporting on an open letter to President Obama supposedly from the nephew of Iran’s Supreme Leader.  The letter was posted on an Iranian website (khodnevis.org) today from Dr. Mahmoud Moradkhani — the nephew of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Mr. President
I am presenting this open letter as one of the serious opponents of the Islamic republic of Iran on behalf of the like-minded opposition groups and myself. Because of my knowledge of this regime, especially of Ali Khamenei who is my uncle (my mother’s brother), I see it as my duty to inform you about this regime and the issue of nuclear negotiations with the Islamic regime of Iran.
Let me at first inform you that the regime that falsely calls itself a republic came to power in 1979 by deceiving Iranian people and the world through provoking Iranian people against the regime of Mohammad Reza Pahlavi and gaining the support of the world community. (more…)

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.

Was something, something important to the administration, coming on the horizon which would benefit from some pro-Iranian sentiment blasted into the U.S. psyche.   Something which might be known as a 2015 ‘Iranian Nuclear Deal’, perhaps.
Was it just happenstance that Bourdain interviewed Washington Post reporter Jason Rezaian and his wife, Yeganeh Salehi  -also a journalist- who was arrested less than two weeks after the segment was filmed.

Coincidence?

TODAY Jason Rezaian charged by Iran with: (more…)

This could be a bigger deal that what originally appears on the surface. It’s one of those things that make other things make sense.

For several years people have wondered what would be the specific benefit to foreign entities sending millions of dollars to the Clinton Family Foundation while Hillary was Secretary of State.

Obviously most of the outside interest is directed toward inquiry and concern of a quid-pro-quo relationship between the State Dept and the donor itself.
However, HotAir shares a specific example that might actually make more sense when considering the contributions on a larger context.
The U.S. State Dept is responsible for oversight of sanctions imposed against nation states like Iran and Cuba. If an entity, individual or nation state, wanted to engage in a business deal in direct violation of those sanctions, and do business with Iran or Cuba, a direct donation to the head of the body who would be in charge of the oversight might help your efforts. (more…)

The tone of the same old Hillary Clinton political outlook did not take long to surface. Today on Meet The Press New York Mayor Deblasio was given an opportunity to endorse Hillary 2016. De Blasio said he would not yet endorse her:

Immediately the Hillary Clinton attack machine jumped into action: (more…)

Garry Kasparov: Negative impact. I think we are now facing disaster beyond belief. Obama should understand that normalization of relations with any country means a two-way street. And now we can see it in only one way. The deal with Iran, we hear two opposite stories. And not just about little things here or there; not commas and a couple letters.

You know, the fundamental differences in most of the substantial points in the deal. Then he shakes hands with Raul Castro. Shaking hands with a dictator, you know a hand covered in blood. You have to get something in exchange. There are still hundreds and hundreds of political prisoners in Cuba. It seems Obama wants his PR opportunities and he’s furiously defending his policy attacking GOP, attacking… while offering an olive branch to those who are attacking the values of the free world around the globe.

NEW YORK […] She’s been on the national stage for a quarter-century, though because of all the drama, it feels like we’ve lived through several lifetimes with her. Along the way, she’s reinvented herself more often than Madonna. While the spectacle of an aging hoofer trying to keep up with the kids is riveting, the kicks aren’t what they used to be and the odor of desperation is unavoidable.

A presidential campaign headquarters in hipster Brooklyn — really? Announcing on Twitter — really? As Joan Rivers might have advised, Oh, Grow Up!

The sweaty effort to appear fresh reinforces the suspicion that Hillary senses danger in the argument that she’s awfully close to her expiration date. It’s not merely a matter of age, though she will be 69 come next Inauguration Day, which would put her close to Ronald Reagan’s record.

The real issue is Clinton fatigue, a national exhaustion from having been-there-done-that too many times. Her husband’s popularity counts for something, but she’s already milked that cow dry.  (read more)

The deal is what we say it is, until it isn’t what it’s not; and then it becomes something the Iranians say it is.

Gotcha.

Two judicial rulings yesterday, one in Obama’s favor and one against. However, the ruling released late last night shows a crafty piece of judicial chess.

The first ruling yesterday was a 5th Circuit Court of Appeals decision in Mississippi VS DHS (more here). The 5th circuit ruled against the State of Mississippi, and in favor of the Obama DOJ, by essentially ruling the State failed to prove a burden of harm.

The second aspect inherent within the same 5th CCA ruling disregarded concerns of ICE/DHS retaliation -against border patrol enforcement- by asserting DHS rules forbid the retaliation; ergo the concerns were unfounded.

In the second issue, the ICE agents’ argument that they would receive retribution if they detained an illegal immigrant eligible for DACA, the court sided with ICE and DHS referencing handbooks and rules which forbid the administration from retribution.  (link)

However, in the second case, the ruling late last night, Texas vs DHS, under the authority of Judge Andrew Hanen, the expanded Obama Executive Action was blocked from implementation in February.

Judge Hanen issued an emergency injunction stopping the expanded deferment authorization as  outlined in President Obama’s November 2014 executive action.

Since the initial ruling the DOJ was now arguing for a lifting of that injunction, and Judge Hanen was having none of it.

A significant statement from Judge Hanen toward the DOJ attorneys was his admonishment for their prior misrepresentations to the court regarding implementation taking place.  The DOJ had previously stated in court that DHS was not implementing the new “expanded executive action” yet, and any injunction would stop any adverse action.

It was later discovered –by an admission to the court– that DHS had, in actuality, already begun to implement the November “executive action”. Judge Hanen was understandably angered by the misrepresentation. (more…)

In an irony befitting only a rabid President Obama supporter, the USPS is releasing a stamp to honor Maya Angelou. The only problem is the quote accompanying the image of Mrs. Angelou is not actually hers – it’s a fraud.

The stamp features the quote: “A bird doesn’t sing because it has an answer, it sings because it has a song.” Apparently the USPS was trying to highlight a 1969 book authored by Angelou titled “I know why the caged bird sings“.

But the actual quote does not belong to Angelou. The quotation on the stamp is from “A Cup of Sun”, a 1967 poetry collection by children’s author Joan Walsh Anglund. When Anglund was contacted by the Washington Post she admitted the quotation was actually from her own writing, and not from Maya Angelou. (more…)