Radio America Online News Bureau

Dem Impeachment Squabbles, Clueless in Seattle, Steve Schmidt vs. Reality

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Jim Geraghty of National Review and Greg Corombos of Radio America enjoy watching Democrats publicly feud over how prominent the impeachment issue should be in 2018.  They also shake their heads as the Seattle City Council tries to fight homelessness by taxing companies $275 for every employee if the business makes more than $20 million per year.  They fire back as Never Trump “Republican” Steve Schmidt says Trump’s decision to embassy is only a calculation for the midterm elections and that the president has blood on his hands from the violence along the Israel-Gaza border.  And Jim offers a champagne toast to mark the passing of prolific author and National Review friend Tom Wolfe.

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U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem, Constitutional Carry Vetoed, Media’s Middle East Bias

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Jim Geraghty of National Review and Greg Corombos of Radio America welcome the opening of the U.S. embassy in Jerusalem after three previous administrations acknowledged Jerusalem as the Israeli capital but refused to move the embassy.  They also wince as Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin vetoes legislation that would allow residents to carry guns without a permit, leading Jim to wonder whether the anti-gun backlash after Parkland is making GOP officials more timid.  And they roll their eyes as the media condemn Israel for defending its borders against thousands of Palestinians specifically sent to the border to instigate a response from Israel.

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The Case for Talking Human Rights with North Korea

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The release of three Americans held prisoner in Iran is being hailed as a sign of increased goodwill heading into next month’s U.S.-North Korea summit, but a leading group assisting persecuted Christians is imploring the Trump administration to make human rights and religious freedom an important part of the conversation as well.

President Trump and North Korean dictator Kim Jong-Un are scheduled to meet June 12 in Singapore.  Removing nuclear weapons from the Korean peninsula is the top goal for the U.S.

Such an idea seemed impossible just months ago when Trump and Kim were trading barbs about the size of their nuclear buttons, but relation appear to be thawing after Kim’s promise to halt testing of nuclear weapons and missiles leading up to the summit, a positive meeting between Kim and South Korean President Moon Jae-in, and now the prisoner release.

Open Doors USA President and CEO Dr. David Curry is also excited about the possibility of North Korea mending its ways.

“It’s likely a charm offensive, but you must acknowledge that progress has been made that hasn’t been made before,” said Curry.

Open Doors USA assists persecuted Christians around the world.  It consistently ranks North Korea as the worst nation on earth in its treatment of believers.  Curry says the release of the three Americans ought to remind us that thousands of unknown North Koreans are imprisoned for their faith with virtually no present hope for release.

“I think what it points to is the people that we don’t know, the ones that are not American citizens, the 50,000 or more…who are Christians in labor camps right now in North Korea today.  They could fill a stadium in any city across America,” said Curry.

Curry is pushing the U.S. to demand transparency from North Korea on the treatment of religious and political prisoners.

“What we think would be a helpful thing for the North Korean regime to do – during this time of talk of denuclearization – is make a show of goodwill and open up the labor camps for inspection by the Red Cross so we can begin to understand the scope of the humanitarian crisis there,” said Curry.

He expects Kim to resist such a demand vigorously.

“I think Kim Jong-Un will hold out for the lifting of economic sanctions and denuclearization and try to maintain an iron fist control over his regime,” said Curry.

That iron-fisted approach can land believers in prison or labor camps for the simplest of things.

“You can be arrested and put in a labor camp for years or decades, and some people even die there just for being caught with a bible or being under suspicion of being a Christian.  If people sense that you’ve had a bible study or met with others, these sorts of things in North Korea can get you in a great deal of trouble,” said Curry.

Curry says including the issue of human rights and religious freedom is vital for countless people unjustly jailed in North Korea.

“The reason you bring in these human rights issues is that if you really and truly do have 50,000 Christians in labor camps – but there are many more than that for other crimes against the state – what are there conditions?  Can we bring the Red Cross and the UN into these camps to make sure that people who are starving there can be helped in some way?” asked Curry.

He says the onus is on Kim to prove the international community ought to have a change of heart about his regime.

“What he may not have calculated and what we must insist upon is that if he wants to be part of the international community…and what that means, he’s going to have to pass some social norms regarding human rights regarding religious liberty and the treatment of prisoners,” said Curry.

And he has other ideas to follow up on those human rights conditions.

“I think an easy one is to allow a visit of the International Religious Liberty Ambassador Sam Brownback within the first 90 days.  There are targets I think we can set out like that within 60 days, within 90 days, where the religious liberty ambassador can get in there, have conversations, and have religious liberty, make some observations.

“You have the UN Council on Inquiry be able to inspect certain areas, begin to understand how far we have to go with the North Korean regime and what they’re willing to do to [allow] the World Health Organization and so forth to aid their people,” said Curry.

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Nauert vs. Clueless Cuomo, WH Aide Mocks McCain, Sleazy NY Pols

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Jim Geraghty of National Review and Greg Corombos of Radio America applaud State Department Spokeswoman Heather Nauert for shredding Chris Cuomo’s suggestion that Iran is suddenly a problem in the Middle East because President Trump withdrew the U.S. from the nuclear deal.  They also scold White House communications aide Kelly Sadler for suggesting Sen. John McCain’s opposition to CIA nominee Gina Haspel didn’t matter because “he’s dying anyway.”  And as the media conveniently forget about the scandalous downfall of New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman just a couple of days after his resignation over allegations of abusing multiple women, Jim notices how a disturbingly high percentage of such scandals involve politicians from New York City.

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‘Israel Will Never Accept Iranian Bases on the Border’

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Israeli Defense Forces responded to an Iranian missile attack in northern Israel with an immediate barrage against Iran’s command and control infrastructure inside Syria, and a retired Israeli general says he hopes Iran got the message that its meddling near the border will not be tolerated.

Iran fired 20 missiles into Israel.  Reports suggest the Iron Dome missile defense system worked well and that no Israeli citizens were injured.  On the contrary, reports also suggest Israeli airstrikes did considerable damage to Iranian assets.

“I hope after the lessons they have been taught last night…they will change their attitudes,” said retired Israeli Brigadier Gen. Elihu Ben-Onn.  “Israel will never accept any Iranian bases on the border between Israel and Syria on the Golan Heights.  There is no way Israel will accept that from them.”

He says it’s bad enough that Iran already bankrolls and supplies terrorist groups like Hezbollah and Hamas with threaten Israel on a daily basis from Lebanon and Gaza respectively.

Ben-Onn is also not surprised that Israel is being criticized more harshly for the extent of its response than Iran is for initiating the hostilities.

“Unfortunately, whenever we are winning, we are to apologize for that.  I don’t know why.

“Those people are a little bit ignorant and don’t understand what it means to live in the Middle East, what kind of enemies we have, what kind of struggles we are facing every day for our security.  We are talking about our lives.  This is not a movie.  This is not cinema.  This is not Hollywood,” said Ben-Onn.

“We don’t like the idea that they don’t understand the situation, but we know that we are the good guys and they are the bad guys,” added Ben-Onn.

Ben-Onn is encouraged that Iranian leadership got the message from the Israeli counter-strike.

“Just a couple of minutes ago, I heard that the Iranian president, Hassan Rouhani, said he didn’t want to open a new front in the Middle East.  That was kind of soft language by the Iranians saying, ‘OK, maybe we tried but we learned our lesson and we’re going to stop this policy,'” said Ben-Onn.

Israel and Iran have never been directly at war.  In fact, Ben-Onn says before the Islamic Revolution, the two countries had a productive relationship.

“Before 1979, when (Ayatollah) Khomeini came to power, Israel and Iran had a daily flight from Tel Aviv to Tehran.  Many Israeli businesses worked in Iran and built the infrastructure in many fields: agriculture, construction, and they had many good times between the two countries.

“We never had a fight or any conflict.  The only conflict is that the Iranians are supporting the enemies on the borders of Israel.  The moment they are getting closer to the border and using missiles, this is something the Israeli government will never accept,” said Ben-Onn.

 

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Key ISIS Leaders Caught, Freed Americans Home, California Libs Strike Again

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Jim Geraghty of National Review and Greg Corombos of Radio America are in a great mood again today, starting with the news that five of the “most wanted” ISIS figures are now in custody after good work by the Iraqis, the Americans, and the Turks.  They also swell with pride as three Americans wrongly imprisoned in North Korea come home to a powerful welcome at Joint Base Andrews.  And while these major accomplishments take place, California liberals are busy mandating that everyone building a new home in the state will soon be required to install solar panels, which could mean an extra $20,000 in building costs.

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‘Undue Concessions from the West Are Ending’

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President Trump’s decision to withdraw the United States from the Iranian nuclear deal leaves Iranian leaders with the grim realization that the era of endless concessions from the West is over and that their own grip on power continues to slip.

On Tuesday, Trump announced he was exiting the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, or JCPOA.  In the hours since, Iranian officials have alternately vowed to keep honoring the deal with the remaining partners and to exit the JCPOA themselves and begin openly enriching uranium again.

Some official burned a paper American flag inside the Iranian parliament.

“It’s very important to realize that after several decades of appeasing the regime in Tehran…finally we see that the President of the United States is actually declaring that all the lavish money that was made (available) to the regime by the previous administration was actually disastrous,” said Alireza Jafarzadeh, deputy director of the Washington office of the National Council of Resistance of Iran.

The NCRI has played a key role in uncovering details of Iran’s nuclear ambitions.  And Jafarzadeh says the contrast in response to Iran from the past two administrations ought to be obvious.

“[Trump] has said [Iran] has funded its long reign of chaos and terror by plundering the wealth of its own people.  That is, of course, a sharp contrast with what we have seen before.  I think that’s what the regime is sensing,” said Jafarzadeh.

“That era of gaining undue concessions from the outside world, from the West, is actually ending.  They were pretty much getting away with everything they were doing and gaining concessions for their terrorism and development of nuclear weapons, and their missile program, all of that,” he added.

Unrest is raging in Iran, mostly over rapidly deteriorating economic conditions.  Unemployment is high and so is inflation.  Just two weeks ago, Jafarzadeh said the regime was desperate to keep the U.S. in the JCPOA.

Now he says, the pressure inside Iran will intensify.

“The regime was already frightened.  They were afraid of their own population, and then comes this new position by the United States that simply adds fuel to the fire that is already burning the regime through the uprisings in Iran.

“The regime’s economy is in shambles.  There’s a huge amount of corruption going on.  It’s very institutionalized corruption from top to bottom.  The regime has not been able to contain its own population, who want nothing but change,” said Jafarzadeh.

Jafarzadeh says the policies and excuses offered by the regime are also falling on deaf ears.  He says protesters want Iran out of Syria, chanting slogans such as “Leave alone Syria, think about us” and “Neither Gaza nor Lebanon, I give my life for Iran.”

Even blaming “The Great Satan” doesn’t work anymore.  Jafarzadeh says Iranians in rural areas – typically the places that most strongly support the regime – are chanting lines such as “The enemy is right here, they wrongly say it’s America.”

Jafarzadeh says pressure is clearly building on the regime and that American sanctions will add even more.

“That simply makes things a lot worse.  It just gives a picture for the future of the regime, much more bleak than it was before,” he said.

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Americans Freed, U.S. Exits Iran Deal, GOP Voters Get It Right

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Jim Geraghty of National Review and Greg Corombos of Radio America are in very good spirits as they savor three wonderful martinis for conservatives.  First, they celebrate the news that three American hostages are on their way home from North Korea in advance of the upcoming Trump-Kim summit.  They also applaud President Trump for withdrawing the U.S. from the Iran nuclear deal, which was riddled with inspection loopholes and was never properly submitted to Congress.  And they cheer the victory of conservative Patrick Morrisey in the West Virginia U.S. Senate primary, the lopsided defeat for “Cocaine Mitch” accuser Don Blankenship, and strong turnout for Republicans in three primary states.

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Iran Decision ‘Right and Overdue’

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President Trump announced Tuesday that the United States will withdraw from the 2015 Iran nuclear deal on May 12, citing the ineffectiveness of the agreement in stopping development of a nuclear weapon and announcing tough new economic sanctions to put the pressure back on the Iranian government.

In 2015, President Obama, through then-Secretary of State John Kerry, signed on to the JCPOA without consulting Congress.  The stated conclusion of the deal was that the U.S. and five key allies would ease sanctions and return frozen Iranian assets in exchange for Iran allowing international inspections at its admitted nuclear sites.

By labeling the plan an executive agreement rather than a treaty, Obama and Kerry were able to bypass Congress.  But they also set the stage for a future president reversing the policy unilaterally.

Obama administration veterans, the media, and America’s partners in the agreement, known formally as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action or JCPOA, are very critical of Trump decision, but he is earning wide praise from most congressional Republicans and conservative policy experts.

“The thing that you’ve got to admire about President Trump is that he makes a decision.  He move forward with it.  We will deal with it and the rest of the world will deal with this,” said Rep. Ted Yoho, R-Fla, who chairs the House Foreign Relations Subcommittee on Asia and the Pacific.

Center for Security Policy President Frank Gaffney, who served as Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Policy in the Reagan administration, is also very happy with the move.

“I think the decision was both right and overdue.  I’m thrilled he has taken this step,” said Gaffney.  “It finally denies legitimacy to this heinous regime, which could just mean that the people of Iran are able to achieve freedom as well as us achieving a measure of security that would otherwise be denied us.”

Gaffney points out Iran is not only the world’s leading sponsor of terrorism but has proven it cannot be trusted to honor agreements.

“It has cheated on every agreement that it has participated in.  It has pursued weapons of mass destruction.  It continuously says that it seeks death to America.  It has gotten an enormous amount of money (from the nuclear deal), which it has used to further endanger our interests and those of our friends and allies in the region and beyond,” said Gaffney.

Yoho also cited Iran’s bad faith on the world stage.

“Right after it was agreed to by those entities, not us in Congress, Iran fired ballistic missiles and that was against the clause of exercising good faith and Iran broke that the next day,” said Yoho.

But even if Iran had abided by the terms of the JCPOA, Yoho says there are still terrible flaws, including the gaping holes in the inspections.

“They were supposed to be able to check anywhere, anytime, any place per John Kerry.  I was in the hearing when he said that.  Then it turned out it was 24 hours notice and (no access) to places like military bases.  Those places are off limits.  Then we can only inspect those places we know.  We can’t inspect places that we may hear of,” said Yoho.

Where Yoho and Gaffney strongly disagree is what should happen once the sanctions put Iran in a vulnerable spot again.

“Let those start to work.  Let the dust settle.  Then we’ll see how earnest and sincere Iran is, wanting to come to the table and put this nuclear business behind everybody,” said Yoho.

Gaffney believes there should never be a table to return to when it comes to Iran.

“There is clearly no point in having a deal with people who can’t be trusted – not only can’t be trusted but can be trusted to violate any obligation they make,” said Gaffney.

He says the only permanent solution to Iranian nuclear ambitions is for the Iranian people to kick the mullahs to the curb.

“I think the only solution to this is for the people of Iran to remove this regime that enslaves and brutalizes them and threatens us.  And I think that is clearly the desire of the people of Iran,” said Gaffney.

“We will end the threat of an Iranian nuclear weapon by once and for all seeing this regime removed from power,” added Gaffney.

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Trump’s Recissions, Schneiderman’s Downfall, Perils of GOP Primaries

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Jim Geraghty of National Review and Greg Corombos of Radio America welcome President Trump’s efforts to cut $15 billion in federal spending and prod Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell to pursue the plan.  They also need a shower after recounting the horrific allegations of physical abuse lodged against New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman by four ex-girlfriends, one of whom says she was urged by friends not to go public with the assaults because it would be bad for Democrats.  And they bite their fingernails as they wait to see if West Virginia Republicans nominate a sensible candidate for U.S. Senate or follow in the footsteps of many other states that blew recent chances to win Senate seats by choosing troubling and unelectable nominees.

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