Cruz announces he's running for president . . . Sen. Ted Cruz is announcing Monday his candidacy for president. He actually did so at 12:09 pm ET Sunday via Tweet: “I’m running for President and I hope to earn your support!” He'll make a formal statement this morning at around 10:00 am at Liberty University, a conservative, Christian college in Lynchburg, Va. White House Dossier

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Obama calls to give Bibi Hell . . . President Obama finally called Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu Thursday evening to “congratulate” him on his election victory, but it wasn’t your typical congratulatory call. It was congratulations, Obama style. It’s a little like congratulating someone on their wedding by saying, I hope you get divorced soon. During the call, according to the New York Times, Obama threatened to change – presumably not in a good way – the U.S. relationship with Israel. White House Dossier

Kerry sucks up with condolences for Iran's motherless leader . . . A sad thing happened to the leader of a brutal dictatorship that has vowed to destroy Israel – ostensibly our ally – and that is responsible for the deaths of many American servicemen and women and is also trying to undermine the United States throughout the Middle East. His mother died. Aww. Secretary of State Kerry snapped straight into appeasement mode, lavishing condolences on the ruthless totalitarian, Iranian President Rouhani. White House Dossier

Obama: "By hook or crook," I'll expand government . . . President Barack Obama says he’s going to push the limits on presidential power as far as he can go during the last two years of his tenure. “Where [elected Republicans in Congress] are not willing to work with us, we will do it administratively or we will convene the private sector,” he said in a friendly interview with The Huffington Post. Daily Caller

He's getting more and more comfortable just operating as a single branch of government.

Obama vows not to sign bills that keep caps . . . President Obama has vowed not to sign government funding bills that keep in place spending caps favored by Republicans, setting up a showdown as Congress works toward passing a budget. Washington Examiner

Obama: Obamacare opponents should "embrace reality" . . . The law, Obama said, "has been the subject of more scrutiny, more rumor, more attempts to dismantle and undermine it than just about any law in recent history. But five years later, it is succeeding — in fact, it's working better than even many of its supporters expected." Washington Examiner

Israeli ambassador: Netanyahu committed to Palestinian state . . . The Israeli ambassador to the U.S. on Sunday sought to downplay Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's campaign-trail comments about Palestinian statehood that the White House objected to. Ron Dermer clarified that Netanyahu "is committed to a vision of peace — of two states for two peoples, a demilitarized Palestinian state that recognizes the Jewish state of Israel." Washington Examiner

Netanyahu pollster: Obama role in election larger than reported . . . "The State Department people in the end of January, early February, expedited visas for [Israeli] Arab leaders to come to the United States to learn how to vote . . . There were people in the United States that were organizing them to vote in one party so they would help the left-of-center candidate, Herzog, that the Obama administration favored," said John McLaughlin, a Republican strategist and pollster who worked for Netanyahu. The Hill

Obama Schedule || Monday, March 23, 2015

Cartoon of the Day || March 20, 2015

ISIS targets 100 U.S. military personnel . . . Calling for their beheadings, a self-proclaimed arm of the Islamic State published a list of addresses purportedly belonging to approximately 100 members of the U.S. military late Friday night. Identifying themselves as the “Islamic State Hacking Division,” the group claimed to have obtained the personal information of military personnel from compromised military servers, databases and emails. The Blaze

Tikrit offensive stalls as Obama halts airstrikes . . . The lack of U.S. airstrikes in and around the city of Tikrit is slowing the Iraqi counteroffensive to retake the strategically situated city from the Islamic State’s terrorist army. The assault, carried out by the Iraqi Security Forces and Shiite militiamen trained, equipped and led by Iran, has encircled the Sunni-dominated city north of Baghdad after more than three weeks of fighting. The Pentagon now says the battle is “static.” Washington Times​

Hillary ordered to turn over server . . . The committee investigating the Benghazi attacks formally requested Friday that Hillary Rodham Clinton turn her email server over to an independent third party so it can be scrutinized to determine whether she and the Obama administration complied with open records laws. Washington Times

Jeb's talk radio problem . . . “He’s not a conservative . . . The ideal, the perfect ticket, for the 2016 election: Hillary Clinton, Jeb Bush." That’s Rush Limbaugh talking about Jeb Bush. “You know what Jeb Bush is? He’s an old-time liberal Republican.” That’s Mark Levin. “If I had to bet right now, he’d be the nominee; and if I had to bet right now, he’ll lose.” And that’s Laura Ingraham. Politico

Boston Globe urges Warren to run . . . “Democrats would be making a big mistake if they let Hillary Clinton coast to the presidential nomination without opposition, and, as a national leader, Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren can make sure that doesn’t happen,” the newspaper’s editorial board wrote. Anna Galland, executive director of the liberal advocacy group MoveOndotorg Civic Action, also backed Warren in a Globe op-ed published Sunday. The Hill

She might just do it. One thing people forget is that Warren is almost 66 years old. If she doesn't run now, when?

Yemen debacle endangers United States . . . U.S. House Homeland Security Committee chairman Rep. Michael McCaul (R-Texas) expressed concern Sunday that the withdrawal will damage U.S. intelligence-gathering capabilities, in turn increasing the terror risks posed to the homeland. CNS News

Iran sends 185 tons of weapons to Houthis . . . An Iranian ship unloaded more than 180 tons of weapons and military equipment at a Houthi-controlled port in western Yemen. The Houthi militias reportedly closed the port and denied entrance to employees there. Al-Saleef port is considered the second most vital in Yemen. al Arabiya

France faces unprecedented terror threat . . . The threat of a jihadist attack in France has reached a level "without precedent" and new attacks are inevitable, according to top counter-terrorism officials. AFP

Jews fight back as antisemites storm temple . . . At least six have been arrested after a group of some 20 men tried to storm a London synagogue late Saturday night, only to be repelled by worshipers using chairs, a mop and makeshift wooden clubs fashioned out of furniture pieces. The Blaze

Woman raised by Lesbian couple "ached" for a dad . . . Heather Barwick, who was raised by her mother and her mother's lesbian partner, wrote in an essay this week that same-sex "marriage" is not the same as normal marriage between a man and a woman, that the traditional family is best, and that while growing up she "ached every day for a dad." CNS News

Supreme Court to consider Confederate battle flag case . . . the Supreme Court will decide whether the state can refuse to issue a license plate featuring the battle flag without violating the free-speech rights of Texans who want one. Fox News

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Keith Koffler
Editor
White House Dossier