Iran Surrounding Israel
One of the most illogical positions held by President Obama is his insistence on not conditioning the Iranian nuclear negotiations on changes in the regime's behavior. Recognizing Israel's right to exist, for example, ought to be the starting point for any talks with Iran.
Does anyone lose sleep at night over the fact that France and Great Britain have nuclear weapons? Of course not. Those nations are stable, peaceful democracies.
But past behavior is often the best predictor of future behavior. And there is nothing in Iran's behavior to suggest that the world's leading state sponsor of terrorism can be trusted with the world's most destructive weapons. Iran is fomenting chaos throughout the Middle East, and it is moving aggressively to surround Israel.
The Wall Street Journal reported this week that Iran was "rekindling its relationship with Hamas." At first glance, that might seem unlikely given the Shiite (Iran) / Sunni (Hamas) Muslim divide.
But Western intelligence reports indicate that in recent months tens of millions of dollars have been transferred from Iran to Hamas "on the direct orders of Qasem Soleimani, the commander of the Revolutionary Guards' elite Quds Force." Hamas is using the money not for schools, hospitals or job training programs, but to rebuild its terror-tunnel network.
What is this all about? Consider this excerpt from the Journal's report:
"The Revolutionary Guards are eager to revive their relationship with Hamas because it gives them access to Israel's southern border, in addition to the northern border with Lebanon, where Iran funds Hezbollah militants. Tehran is also willing to set aside its sectarian differences with Hamas because its Palestinian militants share the same long-term objectives as the ayatollahs: the complete destruction of the state of Israel."
Vatican Attack Foiled
Italian authorities launched a massive counterterrorism sweep this morning. Arrest warrants were issued for 18 members of an Al Qaeda cell that was operating mainly on the island of Sardinia. Nine suspects are in custody, while another six are thought to be in Pakistan.
One Italian official said that today's operation was "one of the most important ever conducted" in that country. Some of the suspects were reportedly very close to Osama bin Laden. Two are believed to have been bodyguards for bin Laden, and one "boasted that Bin Laden sent him personally to Italy."
The terror cell is believed to be responsible for an attack in Pakistan that killed more than 100 people and for a failed plot to attack the Vatican in 2010. The cell was also involved in smuggling individuals out of Pakistan by "helping them fool immigration officers into thinking they were political refugees."
I hope U.S. authorities are paying attention. It would be foolish to assume that radical Islamists are not attempting to exploit our own lax immigration policies.
Immigration Up, Wages Down?
A new report from the non-partisan Congressional Research Service suggests that high levels of immigration could be having a negative impact on the wages earned by American workers.
According to the report, which was requested by the Senate Judiciary Committee, the foreign-born population in the United States increased by 325% from 1970 to 2013. During that same 43-year period, tax data indicate the income of the bottom 90% of Americans fell 8%, while at the same time the share of income held by the bottom 90% of Americans fell by 16 percentage points.
Currently, the U.S. admits one million legal immigrants each year, plus 700,000 guest workers, 500,000 foreign students and 70,000 refugees. Meanwhile, many families have yet to recover from the Great Recession and the economy remains relatively weak.
Adding insult to injury, we know current immigration policies are costing some American workers their jobs. Not surprisingly, a January Gallup survey found that 60% of Americans were dissatisfied with current levels of immigration. By a nearly 3-to-1 margin, frustrated Americans said we should decrease immigration levels.
2016 Update
Two polls released this week find Florida Senator Marco Rubio leading the Republican presidential primary field.
A Fox News poll essentially shows a tie between Senator Rubio (13%) and Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker (12%). They are followed by:
Kentucky Senator Rand Paul (10%)
Former Governors Jeb Bush and Mike Huckabee (9%)
Senator Ted Cruz (8%)
Governor Chris Christie and Dr. Ben Carson (6%).
All other candidates were below 5%.
A Quinnipiac University poll found Senator Rubio leading with 15%, two points ahead of Jeb Bush (13%). Governor Walker was third with 11%, followed by:
Cruz (9%)
Paul (8%)
Christie and Huckabee (7%).
All other candidates were below 5%.
Both polls found former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton dominating the Democratic primary with at least 60% support, 50 points ahead of her closest rival.
Who is your favorite for 2016? If you haven't participated in our poll yet, click here to cast your vote.
Flag Follow-up
Yesterday I told you about the demonstration that took place last week at Valdosta State University in which radical students desecrated an American flag.
Air Force veteran Michelle Manhart attempted to rescue the flag, but was instead arrested and banned from the campus. The organizer of the demonstration is wanted by the police for bringing a gun on campus and threatening fellow students.
Today, the university abruptly cancelled all classes. Here's why: Nearly 4,000 people indicated that they planned to attend a counter demonstration this afternoon showing their support for Old Glory!
Tune In Tonight
Tune in to the Fox Business Network tonight. I'll be on John Stossel's show at 9:00 pm ET.
Our interview was supposed to be about the influence of a candidate's faith. But John quickly jumped off that topic, and we spent most of the time debating marriage, abortion and drug legalization. I think I held my own. Tune in and let me know what you think.