State Department Confirms Iran Compliant With Nuclear Deal, but Warns Tehran Still on Notice

Heritage

"With a new White House, many have wondered about the fate of the 2015 nuclear agreement made between the Obama administration and Iran. 

"The Trump administration’s stance on the agreement became a little clearer on Tuesday when the administration notified Congress that Iran is complying with the terms of the agreement, and that the United States would therefore extend the sanctions relief granted to Iran as part of that agreement.

"Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, in a letter to House Speaker Paul Ryan, wrote that Iran remained compliant with the agreement, but that the administration was concerned about Tehran’s support for terrorism and is reviewing whether to continue suspending sanctions, as required under the deal. 

"Congress mandated that the State Department must notify it every 90 days about Iran’s compliance with its nuclear obligations. Tuesday’s letter was the first such notification by the Trump administration.

"Significantly, Tillerson also added:

President Donald J. Trump has directed a National Security Council-led interagency review of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action that will evaluate whether suspension of sanctions related to Iran pursuant to the [agreement] is vital to the national security interests of the United States.

"This statement casts doubt on whether the administration will continue to grant Iran sanctions relief in the future. At a minimum, it reinforces the administration’s previous warning that Tehran is “on notice” about its malign behavior.

"The bottom line is that the Trump administration has approved 90 days more of sanctions relief for Iran. But the pending policy review may lead the president to withdraw this concession in the future."

More here:

• Trump Administration Slaps Sanctions on Iran for Missile Test and Other Provocations
• Iran Is Wrong: Trump Can Absolutely Overturn the Nuclear Deal
• Obama’s Legacy Is Likely to Be Nuclear-Armed Iran
• The Dangerous Regional Implications of the Iran Nuclear Agreement
• The Nuclear Deal Has Not Changed Iran

Trump asks Obama surgeon general to resign, replaces him with a black nurse: Libs slam her credentials

It’s not until the last paragraph that the New York Times mentions that Sylvia Trent-Adams has a Ph.D. and was a nurse officer in the Army who had served as deputy surgeon general.

BizPacReview  "For President Trump, no good deed goes unpunished.  
"Trump asked Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy, an Obama holdover, to step down. In his place, the president promoted Deputy Surgeon General Sylvia Trent-Adams as acting surgeon general. 
"Instead of applauding President Trump for elevating a black, female nurse to the post, leftists attacked Dr. Trent-Adams’ credentials, saying she’s “just a nurse.” Obviously, Trump’s promotion of a black woman doesn’t fit the liberal media narrative that he’s a “racist misogynist.”       

The disses started with liberal media outlets like ABC News, which tepidly announced in a snide tweet: “Dr. Vivek Murthy — an Obama appointee — resigns as Surgeon General, replaced by deputy Sylvia Trent-Adams, a nurse.”  

" 'Actually, she’s a nurse with a Ph.D., so you can call her “Doctor.”' 

"Similarly, the New York Times — the so-called bastion of social justice activism — bleated in a snobby headline: “Nurse Replaces Surgeon General After Obama Appointee Resigns.' ”  

"No one doubted Trent-Adams’ credentials (or lack of a medical degree) when she was deputy surgeon general under Obama. If she was qualified to be second in line to the Surgeon General’s post then, why is she suddenly unqualified now? Is it simply because Trump promoted her?  

"Meanwhile, “tolerant, open-minded” liberals immediately trashed Trent-Adams as unqualified." . . .

Why can’t the Clintons just go away?

NY Post

"Since losing the most winnable presidential election in modern American history, Hillary Clinton has, among other things: given a series of high-profile speeches, joined Gov. Cuomo at his public unveiling of tuition-free college, refused to rule out a run for mayor of New York and issued an online video message exhorting fellow Democrats to fight on in her name.

“ 'The challenges we face,” she said, “as a country and a party, are real.”

"Clearly, Hillary still sees herself as the leader of the Democratic Party. And why shouldn’t she? Democrats have been locked in an abusive relationship with the Clintons for decades, enabling, explaining, convincing themselves that next time will be different. Party faithful hew to Hillary’s excuses for losing to Donald Trump: It’s James Comey’s fault, plus the Russians, white supremacists, misogynists, the deplorables and immobilized millennials, among other things." . . .

"Trump’s Latest OBAMA LEGACY SMACKDOWN Just Happened "

By Tiffany Layne at The BlackSphere  "So Trump tackles another issue plaguing everyday Americans. Thus, once again Trump undoes the damage done by Obama.

"In 2009, Obama signed a presidential memo eliminating a tariff on Israel. The former agreement protected American dairy farmers and raised money for the American economy. Obama’s memo removed import surcharges on dairy products from Israel.

"Obama can’t call the memo a free trade effort, either. During that same time period, Israel was blocking the import of many American goods such as orange juice. Thus, Obama was never a friend to the American farmer.

"During that same time period, Israel was blocking the import of many American goods such as orange juice.

"Just a week shy of the 100-day mark, Trump is undoubtedly the curve-buster in the class of presidents.

"Trump has kept promise after promise. In fact, he’s kept so many promises we’ve made a list." . . .

"If we could give Trump a report card for his first 100 days, he just made straight A’s for his America First Agenda!"

Too many clown cars colliding this week.

"People who weren’t at the White House this week:"

Power Line Blog  "Too many clown cars colliding this week. Today is Earth Day (yawn), and also some kind of self-parodying science march, which will do for science with the woman’s march in January did for feminism. (But how will they outdo the hats?) I’m following the Berkeley/Ann Coulter drama in real time; stay tuned for updates. And Monday is Trump Day 100. Given that Trump has done everything contrary to the usual presidential story line, I expect he’s right that the traditional 100 Day mark doesn’t mean that much. And then there’s the Norks. . .

Meanwhile here at home. . . 

Crazy or just stupid? Maxine Waters's claim that she didn’t call for Trump’s impeachment is too much even for MSNBC

Mad Max

Thomas Lifson  "What could possibly motivate Maxine Waters to claim twice that she never called for Donald Trump's impeachment when the video evidence is so compelling?  It is one thing for conservative websites to call her out, but even MSNBC, the broadcast leader in Trump-hatred, is taking notice of the absolute falsity of her claim.

"Yesterday, in an on-air discussion among Hallie Jackson, Craig Melvin, and Mark Murray, the California congresswoman was explicitly called out for her denial of reality:" . . .

Video from Youtube:

. . . "But most people get their news from video feeds, either via television or computer, especially social media.  If Waters expected the media to cover for her, she is plain stupid – when compelling video proves her claim to be absurd.

"If it is Alzheimer's that is starting to afflict her memory, then I have compassion.  There is no political aspect to this terrible disease, and the congresswoman deserves the excellent medical care to which her membership in Congress entitles her.

"But unfortunately, there is no cure for Alzheimer's, just as there is no cure for stupid.  So it may not really matter all that much which is the source of her outrageous claims." 

Charles Krauthammer: With North Korea, We Do Have Cards To Play

Investors.com  "The crisis with North Korea may appear trumped up. It's not. Given that Pyongyang has had nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles for more than a decade, why the panic now? Because North Korea is headed for a nuclear breakout. The regime has openly declared that it is racing to develop an intercontinental ballistic missile that can reach the United States — and thus destroy an American city at a Kim Jong Un push of a button.

 "The North Koreans are not bluffing. They've made significant progress with solid-fuel rockets, which are more quickly deployable and thus more easily hidden and less subject to detection and pre-emption.

"At the same time, Pyongyang has been steadily adding to its supply of nuclear weapons. Today it has an estimated 10 to 16. By 2020, it could very well have a hundred. (For context: the British are thought to have about 200.)

"Hence the crisis. We simply cannot concede to Kim Jong Un the capacity to annihilate American cities.

"Some will argue for deterrence. If it held off the Russians and the Chinese for all these years, why not the North Koreans? First, because deterrence, even with a rational adversary like the old Soviet Union, is never a sure thing. We came pretty close to nuclear war in October 1962.

"And second, because North Korea's regime is bizarre in the extreme, a hermit kingdom run by a weird, utterly ruthless and highly erratic god-king. You can't count on Caligula. The regime is savage and cult-like; its people, robotic. Karen Elliott House once noted that while Saddam Hussein's Iraq was a prison, North Korea was an ant colony." . . .

Dems, Tell Hillary to Go Back to the Woods; A.B. Stoddard

A.B. Stoddard  "Before Hillary Clinton puts more miles on her comeback tour, Democrats should let her know she’s done enough damage and it’s time to pack it in. That won’t stop her, since even after losing to Donald Trump she fancies herself some misunderstood martyr, but it might slow her down a bit. 

"While they crawl out of the wilderness that both Clinton and President Obama left them in, any moments Democrats spend amusing their failed 2016 nominee as she tries to find a way back to some sort of relevance is more than wasted energy -- it’s self-sabotage.  

"Last week Clinton sat in sanguine reflection at a carefully timed interview at a Women in the World Summit event and blamed everyone but herself for her staggering loss five months ago. After telling New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof that personally she’s just fine, but that “as an American, I’m pretty worried,” she listed the causes for her loss: WikiLeaks, for publishing real emails about her campaign; Russia, for interfering in the campaign; FBI Director James Comey; and misogyny. When asked about future office, she did not rule it out, repeating that she wants to do “interesting things” and has “no plans” to ever run again. It was, well, Clintonian in its predictability.  

"Days after her remarks, a devastating tell-all was published that renders the same conclusion -- no matter how badly things go, it’s never on Hillary. In “Shattered: Inside Hillary Clinton’s Doomed Campaign,” a new, second book on Clinton by Jonathan Allen and Amie Parnes, the toxic Clinton cloud returned, worse than ever before. The book portrays the distrust and dysfunction inside the bunker of a campaign where Clinton never took any blame, and aides were terrified to attempt to break through her denial with suggestions for any course corrections. Huma Abedin, the candidate’s closest aide, “couldn’t be counted on to relay constructive criticism to Hillary without pointing a finger at the critic,” the authors write." . . .

On Bill O'Reilly (UPDATED)

I personally had trouble liking the guy because of his constant interruptions of guests whose opinions I wanted to hear and his hawking of his merchandise, (even though the proceeds were said to help charities). But here is a sample of opinion on O'Reilly's departure that interested me:

The NY Times called O'Reilly a "cable news giant"  Posted today, but it's a fait accompli, a done deal: You Can’t Fire Bill O’Reilly  . . . "But whatever the truth of the allegations against him, they are clouded by an organized campaign to target his advertisers and get him off the air.

"And they are celebrating their victory, not over O’Reilly, but over us. Because O’Reilly’s fans are their targets. His platform. our platform. We count on O’Reilly for gutsy and penetrating television news. The kind you cannot get on any other network. Or any other show on his now former network.

"O’Reilly’s adversaries — our adversaries — hate, yes hate, how he so easily sees through their hoax of the month, whether that be global warming, evil bankers, sympathetic criminals, Black Lives Matter, Cops Lives Don’t Matter, lower taxes, fewer sex offenders, real borders, and free people with guns and money to use as they choose." . . .

Destroying Bill O'Reilly . . . Let me be clear that I don't support sexual harassment or the mistreatment of anyone in the work environment.

"I do see a lot of selective indignation, especially when the allegations came from an article in the New York Times.  Isn't this the same paper that endorsed Bill Clinton and Hillary Clinton and loves Ted Kennedy?"  

"Is Roger Simon right that this is really about Trump?  I think that Roger is on to something here: " . . .

If only he had been a liberal things would have been just fine. 

Emails show O'Reilly lawyers' last-ditch effort to save his job

The famous Fox host sharpened the differences between older, center-right Republicans and today’s young, cosmopolitan right-wingers.
. . . "Repulsed by the radicalism of Berkeley and the Black Panthers, offended by the lecturing of Jimmy Carter (crystallized in his “malaise” speech), but not far removed from the horrors of the Great Depression and World War II, they found themselves looking back affectionately to the economic ascendancy and cultural consolidation of the 1950s. And so they landed firmly on the right side of the political spectrum — but nearer its center than we often recall today. It was this audience that Fox News targeted when it was created in 1996 and that found a representative voice on The O’Reilly Report, which launched that same year." . . .

Earth Day is coming. UPDATED

http://terrellaftermath.com/

The Hypocrisy of 'Earth Day'  . . . "Of tomorrow’s extravaganza, The Earth Day Network explains, “The March for Science is a celebration of our passion for science and the many ways science serves our communities and our world. The March for Science is an unprecedented global gathering of scientists and science enthusiasts joining together to acknowledge the vital role science plays in our lives and the need to respect and encourage research that gives us insight into the world.” This, of course, is a shot across the bow at “climate skeptics” and the Trump administration, which is considering abandoning last year’s bogus Paris climate agreement." . . .

"Yet climate crusaders like Leonardo DiCaprio, Al Gore, John Kerry and March for Science activists hypocritically jet set around the globe while railing against fossil fuels and mankind’s carbon addiction. Last year, Kerry lectured, “The future demands from us something more than a nostalgia for some rose-tinted version of the past that did not really exist in any case. You’re about to graduate into a complex and borderless world.” Translation: Global stastism(sp), which requires activism via “boots on the ground,” is the cure for America’s ills. Thus, leftists are indifferent to their own hypocrisy. In truth, we’re doing just fine without their agenda-driven involvement." . . .

UPDATE: Climate Marches Aren't About Science — They're About Trump  . . . "A science march website says this is "explicitly a political movement, aimed at holding leaders in science and politics accountable" for trying to "skew, ignore, misuse or interfere with science."

"That pious language really means they intend to allow no deviation from climate cataclysm doctrines.

"It means everyone must accept claims that fossil fuel emissions, not powerful natural forces, now govern Earth's climate; any future changes will be catastrophic; despite growing wealth and technological prowess, humanity will somehow be unable to adapt to future fluctuations; and mankind can and must control the climate by regulating emissions of plant-fertilizing carbon dioxide, regardless of costs.

"Equally revealing, former UN climate convention director Christiana Figueres has said the UN goal is to "intentionally change the economic development model" that has reigned since the Industrial Revolution." . . .

Cruel to Be Kind

Mike Adams



"Several years ago, a feminist professor told me that she had decided to abort her child because it was the “compassionate thing to do.” Those were her exact words and she was serious. At the time, I thought she must have suffered a severe intellectual hernia from the strain required to declare an act of dismemberment to be an act of kindness. Since then I have realized that this was more than just an isolated instance of intellectual constipation. Disguising acts of cruelty as acts of kindness is a feature of virtually every policy position of the secular “progressive” left. Some notable examples follow:" . . .


Prof. Adams names the examples in alphabetical order and the list includes this:

Anti-racism. I understand that fighting racism is a good idea – provided we are talking about actual racism. But when you start calling someone a racist for saying “all lives matter” – as one of my so-called colleagues recently did to a student in front of her classmates – you aren’t stamping out racism. You are just intentionally defaming people in order to end an argument with intimidation tactics.

. . .

But the list includes so much more.

How the Trump Administration Is Working to Clean Up the Messes It Inherited From a Vindictive Obama

President Obama tried to sneak in a bevy of restrictive regulations on his way out the door.

Weekly Standard  "Like a bachelor before a date, the Obama administration rushed around during the transition hiding dirty laundry for the incoming administration. And now, almost 100 days in, the Trump team is still working to find and undo a handful of underreported bureaucratic messes left behind. 
     "The Obama administration was on cruise control before the election because almost everyone in the president’s circle was sure that Hillary Clinton would win. However, as reality set in, the president and his team rushed through a series of regulatory measures, leaving behind a a few dirty socks for the Trump administration to pick up.
     "In fact, this public policy cleanup has consumed the administration during the first 100 days and shows no signs of slowing. It indicates pettiness on the part of an outgoing president who rejected the results of the election because they clashed with his pride. 

     "One of the most public wins in this administration-to-administration game has been rolling back Obama's rushed-through CAFE standards, which dictate how many MPG an automaker's fleet must average. Despite announcing in 2016 that the government wouldn't publish new standards until the middle of 2017, President Obama did exactly that as fast as possible after Clinton lost. (This might be the first example of a president breaking a campaign promise after someone else's election.) 
     "That wasn't the only mess though. Obama proved amazingly effective when his vindictiveness was roused. His administration filed suits against companies that weren't among his donors, and they checked off items from the supporter's wish lists as well." . . .  Emphasis added, TD