Iran talks continue, may yield some kind of statement . . . Two days after busting through a March 31 deadline, the negotiators hope to leave the Swiss city of Lausanne with at least a text outlining general political commitments to resolve concerns about Iran's nuclear program, and the pace of lifting sanctions. They are also trying to fashion more detailed documents on the steps they must take by June 30 to meet those goals. As he headed to his own meeting Thursday, Zarif said the talks had made "significant progress." But he said drafts still had to be written. Reaching both agreement in Lausanne as well as a June final deal will be "a difficult job," he said. Associated Press

If a real agreement on all the major issues is not reached and items that were to be settled are merely to be litigated later, Republicans should proceed immediate with sanctions.

Vast majority says Congress should vote on deal . . . Three-quarters of voters, 76 percent, say Obama “should be required” to get Congressional approval for any deal he makes with Iran about its nuclear program. That includes nearly two-thirds of Democrats (64 percent). Most think Iran can’t be trusted. Over half of voters, 55 percent, say the U.S. “can’t trust anything” Iran says on the issue of nuclear weapons, while another 28 percent thinks we can only trust “a little” of what Iran says. Fox News

GOP: Enough with the delays . . . Republican senators are voicing concerns that any nuclear deal with Iran will only get worse as negotiations drag on past the Obama administration’s self-imposed March 31 deadline for producing an agreement. Politico

Bolton: Sanctions won't stop Iran bomb . . . There is no evidence that sanctions imposed against Iran over its nuclear activities slowed down the program, and the notion that future sanctions will curb its ambitions to become a nuclear weapons power is “fundamentally false,” former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations John Bolton said Wednesday. CNS News

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WH: Views disqualify Congress fro, voting on climate deal . . . In a striking sign of contempt for the Constitution, the White House Tuesday said the right of Congress to weigh in on an international agreement should be judged by the views lawmakers have on the issue. White House Dossier​

Obama Schedule || Thursday, April 2, 2015

Quote of the Day || April 2, 2015

Cartoon of the Day || April 1, 2015

Video || Iran So Far Away . . .

Growing terror threat from foreign ISIS fighters . . . More than 25,000 foreign militants are fighting alongside al Qaeda and the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS), according to a new U.N. report obtained by the Associated Press.​ The report calls the foreign fighters “an immediate and long-term threat” and the likelihood of a terrorist strike “growing, particularly with attacks targeting hotels, public spaces and venues.” The Hill

War planners call for U.S. to stay In Iraq this time . . . This time, when the terrorist insurgency is defeated in Iraq, Washington needs to keep American forces on the ground to sustain the victory, former war planners say. The former military officers talk of a robust presence that would extend beyond mere advisers to include standby combat troops and air power. Washington Times

Menendez indictment could boost GOP . . . Democratic U.S. Senator Robert Menendez's indictment on corruption charges on Wednesday raised the possibility of Republicans gaining a 55th Senate seat to strengthen their hand in policy fights with Obama. Reuters

Indictment silences Obama foreign policy critic . . . Tuesday's indictment of Sen. Bob Menendez on federal corruption charges silences a rare and vocal Democratic critic of the Obama administration's foreign policy stance as opposition mounts to an emerging nuclear deal with Iran. Washington Examiner

Boehner: "The world is on fire" . . . “I wouldn’t have believed that I would be involved in as much foreign policy as I am today,” Boehner said in his hotel near Jerusalem’s Old City. “And it certainly isn’t by choice. It’s just that the world is on fire. And I don’t think enough Americans or enough people in the administration understand how serious the problems that we’re facing in the world are.” Politico

GOP targets Hillary . . . The GOP Thursday is set to launch an organized campaign to derail the presidential aspirations of President Obama's former secretary of state and the likely Democratic presidential nominee in 2016. The effort will corral in one war room inside the Republican National Committee's Washington headquarters operatives from across all RNC departments, including communications, digital, finance, political, and opposition research. Their mission is to sink Clinton. Washington Examiner

Iran's Shia allies big winners in Tikrit . . .  Iraqi forces shown on state television entering parts of Tikrit liberated from the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS/ISIL) Wednesday were accompanied by Iranian-backed Shi’ite militia who were instrumental in earlier phases of the month-long battle for the town. CNS News

Masscare uncovered . . . Iraqi forces which retook Tikrit from the Islamic State group found burial sites Wednesday believed to hold victims of a June massacre in which hundreds of army cadets were executed. AFP​

At least 14 killed as al Shabaab storms Kenyan university . . . Gunmen from the militant Islamist group al-Shabab have killed at least 15 people and taken students hostage at a university in north-eastern Kenya. Reports say 65 others were wounded when gunmen stormed the campus in Garissa. Troops are fighting the gunmen. More than 500 students were still unaccounted for, a minister said. The number of hostages is unclear. BBC

Arkansas, Indiana lawmakers update religious bills . . . Lawmakers in Arkansas and Indiana are scrambling to revise controversial religious objection measures as Republican governors in both states try to quell a growing backlash from businesses and other critics who have called the proposals anti-gay. Associated Press

Indiana pizzeria run by Christians closes . . . An Indiana pizzeria remained closed on Wednesday, embroiled in a national debate after its owners said they would not cater gay weddings because of their religious beliefs. “I don’t know if we will reopen, or if we can, if it’s safe to reopen,” co-owner Crystal O’Connor told TheBlaze TV. “We’re in hiding basically, staying in the house.” Time

Why aren't we taking rape seriously? . . . There was a time when rape and sexual assault were considered some of the most abhorrent crimes imaginable. No more. Now, at least on college campuses, rape and sexual assault are considered mere disciplinary matters, no different than plagiarism or theft from a dorm. To non-college students, they are considered crimes. Ashe Schow

The Left has elevated normal, if aggressive, sexual advances to the level of rape - "date rape," and so forth - with the result that the real thing is now diminished.

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Keith Koffler
Editor
White House Dossier