Is Congress Injecting Itself Into The Iran Deal?

TYT Network

Cenk Uygur, host of TYT Network, discusses a deal being moved through the U.S. Senate that might allow Congress to vote to approve or disapprove of the Iran Nuclear Deal that the Obama Administration plans to sign at the end of June, 2015.

The U.S. has already attempted to sabotage the nuclear deal between the U.S. and five other countries on one side, and Iran on the other. Those attempts include inviting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to hold a “State of the Union address” about the deal, a letter by 47 Senators to the leadership of Iran, and a trip by Speaker of the House John Boehner to Benjamin Netanyahu on the day the framework of the deal was to be approved (March 31st).

Is this latest bill, designed to inject the Congress into the Iran deal, another attempt at sabotaging it?

(Updated article)

Alaskan Congressman Don Young Says Wolves Could Solve Homelessness

Rep. Don Young of Alaska suggested this week that wolves might be a way to solve homelessness, according to U.S. News and World Report.

Young, a Republican, was speaking during a House Natural Resources Committee hearing on Thursday and objecting to members of Congress asking for the gray wolf to be a protected species, according to The Washington Post.

“…(W)e get 79 congressmen sending you a letter, they haven’t got a damn wolf in their whole district,” he said, supposedly aiming his comments at Interior Secretary Sally Jewell.

“I’d like to introduce them in your district,” Young stated. “I’d introduce them to your district and you wouldn’t have a homeless problem anymore.”

Young also once said to a political opponent during a political campaign, “The last guy who touched me ended up on the ground dead.’” The website CQ Roll Call asked him about it, to which he responded, “There’s some truth to that.”

There was another incident where Congressman Young grabbed the hand of a congressional staffer at the Capitol who was in charge of watching the entrance. It wasn’t protocol for anyone to be let in the entrance. After squeezing his hand for several moments, Young let go and walked through the entrance.

MSNBC’s Reaction To Netanyahu’s ‘State Of The Union Address’

Is it acceptable for a foreign leader to give a “State of the Union”-style speech to the U.S. government? Would it be okay if Vladimir Putin did the same?

TYT Network discusses MSNBC’s reaction to the recent speech given by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to both houses of the United States Congress. MSNBC’s Chris Matthews was less than pleased.

Could Netanyahu’s speech have been an attempt to de-rail the President’s current P5+1 talks with Iran over its nuclear program?

Interestingly, Senate Republican leaders had been planning to take a bill next week that would have given Congress an up-or-down vote on any agreement international negotiators make with Iran.

CNN: “Senate Republican leaders ditched plans Thursday to take up a bill next week that would have given Congress an up-or-down vote on any agreement international negotiators — led by the United States — make with Iran on its nuclear program, an aide to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell told CNN.

“The move comes after Democrats, who were upset GOP leaders decided to fast-track the legislation, threatened to block taking up the bill. Democrats fear immediate consideration could disrupt the sensitive talks with Iran that face an important March 24 deadline.”

The National Review writes about Matthews: “He saw the speech as an attempt to sabotage and undermine the nuclear negotiations between the U.S. and it’s allies and Iran. Matthews has been quoted as saying, ‘This man, from a foreign government, walked into the United States legislative chamber and tried to take over U.S. foreign policy.'”

TYT Network

Updated post

Office Of U.S. Rep. For Nebraska Gets ‘Glitter Bombed’

“Jeffrey Lane ‘Jeff’ Fortenberry, (born December 27, 1960) is the U.S. Representative for Nebraska’s 1st congressional district, serving since 2005. He is a member of the Republican Party. The district is based in Lincoln and includes most of the eastern third of the state outside the immediate Omaha area,” according to Wikipedia.

Aides to Rep. Fortenberry were hit Wednesday by a “glitter bomb” sent to his Lincoln office, according to Omaha.com.

Sources claimed the congressman avoided being showered with the unwanted sparkling decorations, because he was a thousand miles away at the time on Capitol Hill.

A glitter bomb is a prank device designed to throw out a cloud of tiny sparkles, which get into clothes, computer keyboards and everywhere else.

The prank appeared to be motivated by Fortenberry’s anti-abortion positions, said spokeswoman Jennifer Allen.

She said a note included with the glitter read: “Congrats, you’ve earned this for trying to deny women their right to choice…”

New York Representative Had Change Of Heart On Netanyahu, Attended Speech

Rep. Charles Rangel, D-N.Y., explains to MSNBC why he decided to attend PM Benjamin Netanyahu’s speech after initially indicating he would not.

Mr. Rangel had previously slammed the protocol behind the invitation to the speech—a letter inviting Mr. Netanyahu supposedly included Democratic Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi’s name, even though she was not party to the invite, and the invite comes as Mr. Netanyahu faces re-election back home.

Was it political?

MSNBC

http://observer.com/2015/03/despite-criticism-most-of-congressional-delegation-to-attend-netanyahu-speech/

TYT: Netanyahu Speech A Breech Of Protocol

TYT Network

TYT Network discusses the speech from Tuesday, March 3rd to Congress by Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Netanyahu failed to clear the planned address with the White House.

57 Legislators (56 Democrats and 1 Independent) refused to attend the speech.

In the speech Prime Minister Netanyahu warned the U.S. against accepting a nuclear deal with Iran, stating that he firmly believed it would not prevent Iran from creating nuclear weapons in what is basically his backyard. He also openly criticized Obama and his administration for their handling of Iran.

Some are calling the speech ‘inappropriate’ and even ‘wrong’ about some of its facts.

http://www.commondreams.org/news/2015/03/03/nearly-60-lawmakers-boycott-netanyahu-speech

Morning Joe On Benjamin Netanyahu’s Speech To Congress

MSNBC

Mika Brzezinski takes on Joe Scarborough over the speech given by Benjamin Netanyahu before the U.S. Congress, saying that Scarborough “talks out of both sides of his mouth.”

MSNBC panelists Bob Woodward, Jeffrey Goldberg, Andrea Mitchell, and Michael Steele join to discuss the speech.

Updated post

MSNBC On Netanyahu Speech: He Didn’t Explain His Alternative Plan

Chris Matthews of MSNBC reacts to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s speech to Congress, saying, “I don’t think he ever explained his alternative” to the P5+1 negotiations.

MSNBC

Updated post

Washington D.C. Legalizes Marijuana, House Republicans Promise A Fight

The new mayor of the nation’s capital was hoping to get along with Republicans on Capitol Hill.

Instead, they’ve threatened her with prison and she has accused them of acting like bullies in a showdown over legal pot that could end up costing District of Columbia residents.

Democratic Mayor Muriel Bowser defied threats from Congress by implementing a voter-approved marijuana initiative on Thursday, making the city the only place east of the Mississippi River where people can legally grow and share marijuana in private.

More here:

http://chicago.suntimes.com/politics/7/71/399185/washington-d-c-legalizes-marijuana-republicans-vow-fight

White House Readies Recommendations On Use of Military Force For Congress

The White House is expected to seek congressional authorization within days for military operations against the Islamic State. This could start a political fight that could see the administration clash with members of both parties over how much authority to give the president regarding the fight with ISIS.

Barack Obama is preparing to send “specific legislative language” for what is known as an authorization for the use of military force, or AUMF, that provides federal legal backing for overseas operations, according to sources.

The White House was working to transmit its recommendations to Congress as early as Friday, although that could change. White House officials have been speaking extensively with individual lawmakers in recent days about the AUMF, in part to build support for what they deliver to Congress, according to the Wall Street Journal.

Lawmakers said they want the White House to spell out what if any limitations are appropriate in the fight against Islamic State, including whether and how combat troops are used and whether there is a time limit on the fight.

Democrats and Republicans would have different reasons for limiting authorization. Democrats would wish limit the amount of bloodshed and the use of war in foreign policy:

“We need to learn lessons from prior authorizations, and one of them clearly is we can’t do open-ended, unending authorizations,” Sen. Chris Murphy (D., Conn.) said.

Republicans would like to limit any authority the president has, in all areas:

“It’s also going to be incumbent upon the president to go out there and make the case to the American people for why we have to fight this fight,” said John Boehner (R., Ohio), adding, “It’s not going to be an easy lift.”

Whatever the White House delivers to lawmakers is unlikely to forestall a political fight that could make moving an authorization through Congress difficult. House and Senate members, sensitive to war-weary voters and wary of providing an open-ended authorization, are expected to try to limit what the White House can do, a position more hawkish lawmakers are expected to oppose.