Friday Noon ~ TheFrontPageCover

[Rudy Tirre]

TheFrontPageCover

~ Featuring ~

Trump Visits India

  Gary Bauer

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Israel Emerges as Issue in California Primary

By Brent Scher

{ freebeacon.com } ~ Former Republican congressman Darrell Issa is being attacked for a litany of anti-Israel comments he made early in his political career... statements his current campaign says don't represent his record as a friend and ally of the Jewish state. "Darrell Issa claims he's a conservative, but every time he talks about Israel he sounds more like worthless-Ilhan Omar than President Trump," the new ad from American Unity PAC states, pointing to comments Issa made during his first terms in Congress. Among them is a 2001 statement to the Jewish Telegraphic Agency that Israel would be "an apartheid state" if it failed to achieve peace with the Palestinians. It also points to Issa's 2006 proposal for the United Nations to redraw Israel's borders, in which he argued that Israel was drawn with "artificial lines" in the first place. "We've drawn artificial lines before, not the least of which is the very creation of the state of Israel, so let's finish drawing that part of the map," Issa told the Washington Post. The new line of attack comes a week before the primary in California's 50th Congressional District, where Issa is attempting a return to the House after retiring his seat in the neighboring 49th District in 2018. The group behind the ad is American Unity PAC, a Republican group that supports pro-gay rights candidates and is supporting Carl DeMaio to be the party's candidate in November. The ad also takes issue with a July 2006 accusation by Issa that Israel was bombing Hezbollah targets in Lebanon "just so they can have a July Fourth fireworks event." A spokesman for Issa's campaign says the quotes pinpointed in the ad do not adequately portray his record of support for Israel, which is "unassailable." "Darrell Issa’s record as a friend and ally of Israel is unassailable: he cosponsored the United States-Israel Enhanced Security Cooperation Act, voted to fund the Iron Dome and David’s Sling, and supported the updated long-term Memorandum of Understanding on military assistance to Israel," Issa spokesman Greg Blair said in a statement...  https://freebeacon.com/national-security/israel-emerges-as-issue-in-california-primary/?utm_source=actengage&utm_campaign=FreedomMail&utm_medium=email 

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Tom Fitton on FISA: “The Key to Reform is Jail”

by sundance

{ theconservativetreehouse.com } ~ Completely agree with Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton here. During a discussion of congress trying to pass a clean FISA reauthorization or a reform version... Tom Fitton says the only way to really reform the process is to arrest, prosecute & jail those who abused it. Fitton’s point is similar to the CTH argument surrounding SSCI leaker James Wolfe. If the DOJ had prosecuted Wolfe for the criminal leaks of classified intelligence, the landscape of an adversarial intelligence apparatus over the past two years would be completely different. The same general perspective applies to the FISA abuse issue.

https://theconservativetreehouse.com/2020/02/27/tom-fitton-on-fisa-the-key-to-reform-is-jail/  

VIDEO:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=36EtxnPgCK4&feature=emb_title

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‘BDS THIS’: Israel Makes ‘Exciting

Breakthrough’ In Race For

Coronavirus Vaccine

By  Ryan Saavedra

{ dailywire.com } ~ Israeli scientists are reportedly only a few weeks away from having developed the first vaccine to combat the coronavirus... which originated in China, and could have the vaccine available 90 days after that.  “Congratulations to MIGAL The Galilee Research Institute on this exciting breakthrough,” Science and Technology Minister Ofir Akunis said, according to The Jerusalem Post. “I am confident there will be further rapid progress, enabling us to provide a needed response to the grave global COVID-19 threat,” Akunis said, referring to the disease caused by the novel coronavirus. A team of scientists at MIGAL had been working for years on a vaccine against an infectious bronchitis virus (IBV).“Our basic concept was to develop the technology and not specifically a vaccine for this kind or that kind of virus,” said Dr. Chen Katz, MIGAL’s biotechnology group leader. “The scientific framework for the vaccine is based on a new protein expression vector, which forms and secretes a chimeric soluble protein that delivers the viral antigen into mucosal tissues by self-activated endocytosis, causing the body to form antibodies against the virus.”  “Let’s call it pure luck,” Katz said. “We decided to choose coronavirus as a model for our system just as a proof of concept for our technology.”...  https://www.dailywire.com/news/bds-this-israel-makes-exciting-breakthrough-in-race-for-coronavirus-vaccine   

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Chinese Destroyer Lases U.S. Navy 

P-8A Plane Operating Near Guam

By Megan Eckstein

{ news.usni.org } ~ A Chinese destroyer lased a U.S. Navy P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft that was operating over international waters about 380 miles west of Guam... the U.S. Pacific Fleet said in a statement. The laser could not be seen by a human eye but was captured by sensors on the airplane, which is a variant of the Boeing 737 that has been upgraded with sensors and systems to support tracking surface and undersea targets. The incident, which PACFLT called “unsafe and unprofessional,” took place on Feb. 17 and was just announced by the Navy. Weapons-grade lasers could potentially cause serious harm to aircrew and mariners, as well as ship and aircraft systems, PACFLT noted in its statement. The destroyer involved appears to be Hohhot, a Type 052D or Luyang III-class destroyer in the Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy. This destroyer, pennant number 161, is among the newer Chinese destroyers and entered the fleet last year, according to news reports. The PACFLT statement says the lasing violates both bilateral and multilateral agreements between the U.S. Navy and PLAN, including a 2014 agreement that specifically notes that the use of lasers could cause harm to personnel or damage to equipment...  https://news.usni.org/2020/02/27/chinese-destroyer-lases-u-s-navy-p-8a-plane-operating-near-guam?utm_source=USNI+News&utm_campaign=a0e6246006-USNI_NEWS_DAILY&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_0dd4a1450b-a0e6246006-231491269&mc_cid=a0e6246006&mc_eid=3999f18767   

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Why Russia Wants Lebanon

by Grigory Melamedov

{ meforum.org } ~ Russia's attempts to draw Lebanon into its sphere of influence by placing it under Moscow's air defense umbrella and selling weapons to Beirut have been discussed by American experts for years... Some analysts argue that Washington should not try to compete with the Kremlin there while others maintain that any concession is unacceptable. Russian arms sales to Lebanon would likely not affect the region's balance of power, but Moscow's expansion of its Syrian air defense umbrella could tip the balance of forces in the Arab-Israeli and Iranian-Israeli conflicts and create a serious challenge for the United States in the near future.  During the first half of 2018, Russia increasingly expressed unhappiness with Israeli air strikes against Iranian and Hezbollah targets in Syria. On September 17, 2018, Syrian air defenses shot down a Russian Ilyushin IL-20 military aircraft, supposedly by accident, during an Israeli operation. Moscow blamed Israel for the incident and immediately deployed S-300 air defense systems to Syria, significantly limiting the Israeli air force's freedom of movement. Russian military and civilian experts openly insisted that now was the time to show Israel that the Kremlin dictated the rules in Syria. Fyodor Lukyanov, chairman of the Presidium of the Council for Foreign and Defense Policy stated: "If Israel were to defy Russia's dominant role, Russia would react and take a stand. This is unlikely to happen because Israel knows Russia defines the rules in Syria." The main Israeli objective in Syria was to prevent weapons transfers from Iran to Hezbollah in Lebanon, and Jerusalem used Lebanese air space to foil such transfers. In November 2018, Lebanese president Michel Aoun asked Moscow to protect Lebanon's air space. Russian media reports that the defense ministry was favorably considering the idea alarmed the Israelis. Earlier, in February 2018, Russian natural gas producer Novatek obtained permission from the Lebanese government to develop natural gas fields in territorial waters in the Mediterranean Sea disputed by Lebanon and Israel. This action signaled that Moscow unambiguously sided with Lebanon and claimed the right to protect its natural gas investments during a military crisis. The Russians remained neutral during Operation Northern Shield (December 2018–January 2019) when the Israel Defense Forces destroyed Hezbollah tunnels that crossed the Lebanese-Israeli border into northern Israel. However, Moscow's ambition to draw Lebanon into its sphere of influence predates its intervention in Syria and persists to this day. Tensions could rise again at any time...   https://www.meforum.org/60026/why-russia-wants-lebanon?utm_source=Middle+East+Forum&utm_campaign=3bbe0b1e86-MEF_Melamedov_2020_02_28_05_57&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_086cfd423c-3bbe0b1e86-33703665&goal=0_086cfd423c-3bbe0b1e86-33703665&mc_cid=3bbe0b1e86&mc_eid=f33b9e6c12   

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Greece's Migrant Crisis: 

"A Powder Keg Ready to Explode"

by Soeren Kern

{ gatestoneinstitute.org } ~ A plan by the Greek government to build new migrant camps on five Aegean islands has sparked violent opposition from local residents... who fear that the facilities will encourage yet more mass migration from Africa, Asia and the Middle East. The government says that the new camps, expected to be operational by July 2020, are needed to alleviate overcrowding at other locations that have been the focus of international criticism. Local residents counter that the migrants should be transferred to mainland Greece. On February 25, more than 500 locals prevented construction workers from accessing the site of a proposed new migrant camp at Karava Mantamadou on Lesbos. Riot police used tear gas and stun grenades to disperse the crowds. Similar clashes occurred on Chios, a large Greek island located less than 20 kilometers from Turkey, from where tens of thousands of migrants depart each year in hopes of eventually reaching mainland Europe. The new site on Lesbos will be a so-called closed camp that tightly controls access and will replace the current open-access camp at Moria. The closed camps will allow migrants to go out during the day but will require them to be locked in at night. The objective is to control their movements and prevent them from escaping to the mainland. In addition to Lesbos, Greek authorities plan to build closed facilities on the islands of Chios, Kos, Leros and Samos. The islands are all close to Turkey. The camp at Moria — a sprawling facility built for no more than 3,000 migrants but which is now accommodating at least 20,000, approximately one-third of whom are under the age of 18 — has attracted widespread international criticism for its squalid living conditions...   https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/15649/greece-migrant-crisis 

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Trump Visits India

 Gary Bauer

President Trump is currently making his first official visit to India, the world’s largest democracy. The U.S.-India relationship is a critical counterweight to China’s growing power and influence in Asia. It is also an important alliance in the fight against radical Islam.

More than 100,000 Indians packed the world’s largest cricket stadium to hear remarks by President Trump and Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The president announced a $3 billion defense deal with India and added that the two nations are working toward a major trade deal.  Referring to mutual defense interests, President Trump said:

Together, we will defend our sovereignty, security, and protect a free and open Indo-Pacific region for our children and for many, many generations to come… The United States and India are also firmly united in our ironclad resolve to defend our citizens from the threat of radical Islamic terrorism.

I know many readers are also concerned about religious-liberty issues in India, and the White House has made it clear that the president will address that issue in private meetings with Modi.

commie-Bernie’s Blowout

Vermont Sen. commie-Bernie Sanders didn’t just win the Nevada caucuses Saturday — it was a blowout. Sanders took 47% of the vote, while loose lips liar-Joe Biden finished a distant second at 20%, followed by socialist-Pete Buttigieg (14%), Elizabeth dinky/liar-Warren (10%), Tom Steyer (5%), and Amy Klobuchar (4%). Michael Bloomberg wasn’t on the ballot.

The Democrat establishment is in total meltdown because Sanders is revealing the real agenda of the party’s left-wing base. Today’s Democrat Party is increasingly divided between those who favor open socialism and those who believe hidden socialism is easier to sell.

Most Americans aren’t on board with the socialist agenda, and Democrats are scrambling to stop commie-Sanders at all costs. Many party leaders had hoped that Michael Bloomberg could be “Plan B” if loose lips liar-Biden faltered, but that strategy has been called into question since last week’s disastrous debate performance.

Bloomberg will have an opportunity to redeem himself at tonight’s debate in Charleston, South Carolina. He will be under enormous pressure to prove he’s not a worse debater than loose lips liar-Joe Biden. But he’s not on South Carolina’s primary ballot.

Meanwhile, commie-Sanders has smashed loose lips liar-Biden’s Palmetto State firewall, and Super Tuesday  continues to look like it will be a very good day for commie-Sanders.

Comrade commie-Sanders

Part of the reason many Democrats are worried about commie-Bernie Sanders as their party’s nominee is his long history of praising brutal left-wing regimes around the world.

Reflecting the liberal establishment’s anxiety, “60 Minutes” host Anderson Cooper confronted Sanders with some of his past praise for communist dictator Fidel Castro. commie-Sanders told Cooper:

We’re very opposed to the authoritarian nature of Cuba, but, you know, it’s unfair to simply say everything is bad. You know, when Fidel Castro came into office, you know what he did? He had a massive literacy program. Is that a bad thing?

In response to commie-Sanders’s callous comment, Sen. Ted Cruz tweeted, “It really makes a difference when those you murder at the firing squad can read & write.”

If commie-Sanders wins the nomination, Democrats can kiss Florida goodbye. The state is full of immigrants who fled Castro’s communism and other socialist regimes throughout Latin America.

Bashing Israel Too

When commie-Bernie’s not busy praising communists, he’s bashing Israel. Bolstered by his Nevada victory, commie-Sanders announced that he will not speak to the annual AIPAC conference this year, alleging that AIPAC provides a platform for “bigotry.”

The attack on AIPAC may seem odd at first glance, as commie-Sanders is Jewish. But I think there is a simple explanation. commie-Sanders is anti-Israel. He has key people on his staff who despise Israel, and he has been endorsed by anti-Semites like lowlife-Linda Sarsour, worthless-Ilhan Omar, and worthless-Rashida Tlaib.

But commie-Sanders understands the base of the Democrat Party. Polling shows that while Americans are generally pro-Israel (Christians and Republicans especially so), the base of the Democrat Party — millennials and progressives — are increasingly anti-Israel.

Polling shows the Democrat Party is evenly divided between support for Israel and the Palestinians. All the other candidates in the primary are trying to be even-handed in their approach to the conflict between Israelis and Palestinians, dividing up the half of the Democrat vote that still supports Israel.

And while they are splitting up the pro-Israel vote, Sanders has consolidated the half that hates Israel.

The Left Attacks Iconic USA Team

Do you remember the “Miracle on Ice”? I certainly do, and President Trump honored the members of that historic Olympic team at his Las Vegas rally Friday night.

It was a fitting tribute to the team and to the American spirit they represent as the rally occurred on the eve of the 40th anniversary of their historic win over the Soviet Union. Needless to say, the crowd loved it and erupted in chants of “USA! USA! USA!”

But the Internet nearly crashed as enraged leftists went ballistic. Of course, the team released a statement, which read:

To us, this is not about politics or choosing sides. This is about proudly representing the United States of America. Whether your beliefs are Democratic, Republican, Independent, etc. we support that and are proud to represent the USA. It is an honor and privilege!

And there’s the rub. The progressive left that increasingly calls the shots would never invite them! It would never occur to them that the U.S. victory over the USSR carried more significance than a simply hockey game. But more than that, the players’ presence would send too much of a mixed message to their radical base.

Think I’m being overly critical? Check out this headline from the progressive media outlet The Nation:  "Mask Off: The 1980 US Olympic Hockey Team Has Long Been a Symbol of Reaction.“

Sadly, there’s probably only one sports figure who could get such a wild reaction at a Democrat rally — Colin Kaepernick!

Virus Outbreak

The news on the coronavirus over the weekend was disturbingly bad. There are now outbreaks in Italy, Iran, Japan, and South Korea. In some cases, there is no obvious connection to China. In Italy, 20% of those infected are in intensive care.

There is a potential crisis within this crisis. We first mentioned it to you four weeks ago when we brought up the dependence of the United States on medical supplies from China.

In recent decades, China has decided that it was going to dominate the world’s pharmaceutical industry. It started selling ingredients essential to medicines on the world market below market costs to drive many suppliers out of business.

Big multinational drug companies started moving facilities to China so they could have ready access to cheaper ingredients. The last U.S. company manufacturing penicillin shut down in 2004.

The result is that approximately 80% of essential medications now rely on the Chinese supply line. It’s not just medicines. China is one of the main suppliers of surgical masks. Beijing banned the export of those masks. Doctors everywhere are now scrambling.

There were warnings. Investigative journalist Sharyl Attkisson covered it extensively. Yet the political establishment before Trump convinced itself that we should be a global marketplace, and free marketeers insisted that everything should be made wherever it is cheapest.

But a great nation must be able to make certain things, even if it costs more, if it wants to be safe. I know the Trump administration is working 24/7 to find solutions. Whatever happens, just remember that it was the sleepwalking of the DC swamp for decades before Trump that got us into this mess.   ~The Patriot Post

https://patriotpost.us/opinion/68804?mailing_id=4885&utm_medium=email&utm_source=pp.email.4885&utm_campaign=snapshot&utm_content=body