LA CROSSE, WI - Mark Cuban, taking aim at former President Trump, as he warmed up the crowd at a rally for Vice President Kamala Harris at the University of Wisconsin - La Crosse.

"The Trump that stole Christmas," Cuban charged, as he riffed on the popular holiday classic. 

The billionaire businessman argued that the former president "wants you to have a lousy Christmas" because Trump's proposed tariffs would increase the cost of some holiday presents.

Cuban, the co-star of the popular long-running business-reality TV show ‘Shark Tank,’ and former majority owner of professional basketball's Dallas Mavericks, has been a very visible surrogate on behalf of Harris since she replaced President Biden atop the Democrats' 2024 ticket nearly three months ago.

KAMALA HARRIS TEAMS UP WITH THESE ANTI-TRUMP REPUBLICANS 

Now, Cuban's hitting the trail on behalf of the vice president - and taking aim at Trump over his proposed tariffs.

"This man has so little understanding of tariffs. He thinks that China pays for them. This is the same guy who also thought that Mexico would pay for the wall," Cuban claimed.

Cuban's two appearances Thursday with Harris in battleground Wisconsin - at a business school class at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and at the rally in La Crosse - kick off a multi-day campaign swing through the key battlegrounds states that will likely determine whether Harris or Trump wins the White House.

CHECK OUT THE LATEST FOX NEWS POWER RANKINGS IN THE 2024 ELECTION

On Saturday, Cuban will hold a town hall in Phoenix, Arizona to talk about Harris’ newly announced "Opportunity Agenda," before heading to Grand Rapids, Michigan, to campaign alongside Second Gentleman Douglas Emhoff on Sunday. 

The efforts by Cuban - a well-known personality in both the business and sports worlds - could boost Harris as she turns up the volume on her efforts to court younger male voters in a margin-of-error race against Trump.

Cuban's campaign appearances on Thursday came as Trump's best-known billionaire backer - Tesla CEO Elon Musk - campaigned on behalf of the former president in arguably the most crucial of the seven battleground states - Pennsylvania.

Musk spoke a town hall in suburban Philadelphia which was the second of a series of events to help Trump win Pennsylvania's 19 electoral votes.

"I'm in Pennsylvania. And I'm here for the very important reason which, you know….I can't emphasize enough that Pennsylvania is… the lynch pin and in this election and this election, I think, is going to decide, the fate of America," Musk stressed.

Musk isn't just hitting the campaign trail on behalf of Trump.

The person estimated to be the world's richest has donated roughly $75 million to a super PAC supporting Trump, according to the latest filings with the Federal Election Commission.

Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub.

Welcome to the Fox News’ Politics newsletter, with the latest political news from Washington, D.C. and updates from the 2024 campaign trail. 

Here's what's happening…

-Nebraska high court restores voting right for thousands of convicted felons

-'Unprecedented field operation': Republicans gain momentum toward capturing critical Senate race

-Comer report reveals Biden-Harris admin's 'rampant waste, fraud, abuse'

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) just took out their target No. 1: Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, the mastermind behind the Oct. 7 attacks on Israel. 

Sinwar rose to the top position after the killing of previous leader Ismail Haniyeh in the explosion of a guesthouse in Tehran on July 30. 

Referred to by Israel as "The Butcher of Khan Younis" for his violent and cruel torture methods against his enemies, both Israeli and Palestinian, Sinwar, 61, is widely seen as being behind the massacre of Israeli civilians carried out by thousands of Hamas terrorists on Oct. 7…Read more

'FOR NOW': Supreme Court to allow Biden admin power plant climate standards to remain in place – for now…Read more

VIDEO CALL: Harris to virtually attend Catholic charity dinner that rival Trump is headlining…Read more

'IT'S A SHAME': Cardinal Dolan 'upset' that Harris skipping Al Smith Dinner…Read more

THOUSANDS STAYING: Biden admin moves to protect Lebanese nationals from deportation…Read more

NONCITIZEN VOTING FIGHT: Biden admin slapped with major lawsuit over alleged refusal to help state purge noncitizens from voter rolls…Read more

MIDDLE EAST 'MESS': CNN host calls Biden foreign policy 'a mess,' suggests Israel killing Hamas leader could help Harris…Read more

'BEHIND THE SCENES': 'Yacht Killer' got taxpayer-funded sex change while on death row after Harris 'behind the scenes' policy work…Read more

'WE WILL BE WATCHING': Biden admin issues warning to Netanyahu as Israel holds emergency meeting on Gaza aid…Read more

SWING-STATE SWING: Mike Johnson kicks off swing-state tour as GOP clings to House control…Read more

'SLEAZEBALL': 'Despicable human being': McConnell's 2020 thoughts on 'sleazeball' Trump revealed in new book…Read more

'HE'S SUCCESSFUL': Fetterman admits Elon Musk 'attractive to a demographic' Democrats 'need' to win Pennsylvania…Read more

OPEN TO ALL: VP Harris' 'Agenda for Black men' not as exclusive as advertised…Read more

NJ BATTLEGROUND: New Jersey battleground House district poll finds tight race as GOP seeks to retain seat…Read more

'MASSIVE AND PROFESSIONAL': 'Massive and professional' effort boosts GOP's confidence about ground game in pivotal swing state…Read more

DUMPING ON DON: Media says Donald Trump is in mental decline…Read more

IT'S ALL GREEK TO HER: TikToker apologizes after tearing down Greek flags she mistook for Israeli flags: 'My bad'…Read more

PROBABLE CAUSE: Alleged ISIS-linked terrorist Nasir Tawhedi denied release in preliminary hearing…Read more

Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more on FoxNews.com.

On a clear day, a hiker standing atop Bake Oven Knob, a high point along the Appalachian Trail in Lehigh Furnace, Pa., can see most of state Sen. Jarrett Coleman’s district.

Below the crest of Blue Mountain lies a patchwork of woods and farmsteads in the historically Pennsylvania Dutch communities. On the horizon lies the growing, diverse footprint of Allentown, Pennsylvania’s third-largest city.

Beyond Allentown lies mixed suburbs like Emmaus and Coopersburg, before again giving way to rural communities like Hosensack and Old Zionsville, the latter being the hometown of former three-term Republican Sen. Pat Toomey.

As Pennsylvania’s friendlier economic climate draws transplants from New York and New Jersey, its farmland has been gradually replaced by residential subdivisions and corporate warehousing.

INSIDE DEMOCRATS' GROUND GAME IN PENNSYLVANIA'S ‘SWING’ LEHIGH VALLEY AREA

All of those factors combine to create what Allentown Democratic Mayor Matt Tuerk called the "swingiest" area of the perennial bellwether state.

Coleman, a Republican and an airline pilot who entered the political scene as an outspoken conservative member of the Parkland School Board during the height of national controversies, said Republicans are poised to do well in the Lehigh Valley this year.

"We are seeing some of the highest levels of excitement and motivation from folks in the Lehigh Valley. I am hopeful for turnout to exceed 2020 levels," Coleman said. The GOP underperformed that year in both Lehigh and Northampton counties.

"Although Lehigh County contains a ‘blue’ urban core, life for everyone, regardless of political party, has gotten harder under the current administration. This is prompting even some who have traditionally voted Democrat to cast ballots for GOP candidates.

"The economy, border and community safety remain top concerns for those in the Lehigh Valley."

Democrats are also aiming to retake the Pennsylvania state Senate, and state Sen. Sharif Street, D-Philadelphia, the state party chairman, said in a recent interview the landmark achievement is within reach.

But, in terms of Harrisburg and Washington, Coleman said, "kitchen table issues" are front of mind in his district, which also includes a slice of the Philadelphia "swing" suburb of Bucks County, and will help the GOP at both levels.

"It’s very clear that the majority of Pennsylvanians — and especially those in the Lehigh Valley — are far worse off than they were four years ago. The GOP has a platform with specific steps to take to improve the lives of those in the Lehigh Valley, Pennsylvania and across the nation."

Democratic "demonizing" of Trump has not helped his constituents’ pocketbook or public safety via the open border, he added.

Off the side of Bake Oven Knob, adjoining the county lake now named for him, lies the property of Revolution-era farmer Frederick Leaser.

POPULAR PA DEMOCRATIC MAYOR WARNS TRUMP IS ‘OUT-MESSAGING’ HARRIS: I GET MORE FROM STEPHEN COLBERT

As the British approached Philadelphia in 1777, Leaser loaded the Liberty Bell onto his wagon during one of his trips to take produce to market and hauled it home to Lehigh County, preventing the Redcoats from melting it down for ammunition.

Such patriotic, community sentiment remains in that part of the valley, with American flags flying in yards during holidays and local churches and fire halls hosting community dinners, from the Jacksonville oyster supper to the German Groundhog Day spread at the local Grundsau Lodsch.

A few blocks west of the church where Leaser ultimately hid the bell is the headquarters of the Lehigh County Republican Committee.

Chairman Joe Vichot said the party’s presence is ubiquitous at many local events, including the Schnecksville Fair and Allentown Puerto Rican Day Parade.

Trump rallied at Schnecksville’s fairgrounds earlier this year, claiming how crucial the area is this cycle.

"We have literature on candidates, and we listen and speak to residents about the issues," Vichot said, adding his party’s float won third place in the aforementioned parade and that more than a dozen attendees were registered to vote in only a few hours. 

The party also registers voters and has made connections with civic leaders in the Jewish, Syrian and Muslim communities, he said.

"The top two issues we hear are the border and the economy," Vichot said.

"[Voters] want a new direction. They don’t believe the open border policies of Biden/Harris is good for their wallet or safe for their family."

In neighboring Northampton County, home to Bethlehem, Easton and smaller cities like Nazareth and Wind Gap, conservatives are similarly pounding the pavement to get their messages out.

"Our local party is very involved. We are able to communicate with our voters. We are able to text them, call them, and they are receptive to our requests to … help out in going door to door and making phone calls for us," Northampton County Republican Committee board member Andrew Azan III said.

Azan told Fox News Digital there’s a "waitlist" for Trump-Vance signs in his county, which the Republican nominee flipped red in 2016 but lost in 2020.

"That’s a positive sign," he quipped.

With Bethlehem and Easton’s population of retired steelworkers giving way to new Hispanic and African American residents, the party has adjusted its messaging, but not its principles, to meet the changing diversity of the Lehigh Valley where it stands, Azan added.

In that regard, according to Lehigh Valley Tea Party board member Tom Carroll, locals are more receptive to the conservative platform, and the right wing is "more unified than I’ve ever seen."

"They are more concerned than ever about losing their country because of the Marxist and socialist policies that are coming out of both Biden and, of course, now Kamala Harris," said Carroll, whose Tea Party group is the nation’s largest, with 7,000 recorded members.

"She's going to open the borders, and she's going to enact the tax policies that she's talked about, things like [levying] unrealized capital gains. Our voters are educated, and they're concerned because they know what that will do to the economy."

Carroll, an attorney who also helps lead the Bethlehem City GOP, said he’s been involved in politics since the 2010 midterms and recognized Republicans typically lagged behind Democrats in that realm most cycles.

"But there has been such a reach-out to the voters … in Pennsylvania in that there's a lot of grassroots knocking on doors and meeting people and having a lot of events and surrogates from the various campaigns coming in.

"We believe in President Trump. We want him to get elected. And we realize Pennsylvania is the most important state in the nation."

Fox News Digital's Matteo Cina contributed to this report.

President Biden and congressional lawmakers praised Israel upon hearing the news that the mastermind behind the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks on the Jewish state had been killed.

Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar was eliminated by Israeli forces and was found in rubble in the Gaza Strip, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a televised message. 

"I stand before you today to inform you that Yahya Sinwar has been eliminated," he said. "He told you he was a lion, but in reality, he was hiding in a dark den – and he was killed when he fled in a panic from our soldiers."

Biden congratulated Israel for the killing, saying it was "a good day for Israel, for the United States, and for the world."

WHO IS YAHYA SINWAR?

"Israel had every right to eliminate the leadership and military structure of Hamas. Hamas is no longer capable of carrying out another October 7," he said in a statement. 

Vice President Kamala Harris said: "justice has been served."

"And the United States, Israel and the entire world are better off as a result, Sinwar was responsible for the killing of thousands of innocent people, including the victims of Oct. 7, and hostages killed in Gaza," she added. "He had American blood on his hands."

Many lawmakers reacted positively to news of Sinwar's demise. 

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said Sinwar had the blood of numerous Israelis and Gazans on his hands. 

"Let his death be a message to all who seek to terrorize Israel and the Jewish people," said Schumer. "Sinwar in his beliefs and actions have caused so much pain to the Israeli and Palestinian people; and I pray that his elimination from the scene will clear a path to urgently and immediately bring home all the hostages – including the seven Americans."

HAMAS NAMES YAHYA SINWAR, MASTERMIND OF OCT. 7 ATTACKS, AS ITS NEW LEADER  

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jefferies, D-N.Y., said, "Israel, the Middle East and the free world is a safer place with the death of Yahya Sinwar. Terror will never win."

Sen. Roger Wicker, of Mississippi, the highest-ranking Republican on the Senate Armed Services Committee, said Sinwar's death should be a warning to Iran and its proxies in the region. 

"Israel has decapitated the senior leadership of Hezbollah and Hamas. The world is a safer place because Israel has proven what strong action against global terrorism should look like," he said. "Every time the Biden-Harris administration attempts to place conditions on Israel’s self-defense, they are weakening Israeli and American responses to terrorism."

"The only way that this war will end is with Israel’s victory and the defeat of Iran’s terrorist proxies. Israel’s removal of the architect of this war represents another key step toward eliminating these threats," he added. 

Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., said Israel delivered a "mighty blow" to Hamas and Iran. 

"The ultimate revenge against Iran and their terrorist proxies is to replace terrorism and hate with sustainable security, peace and prosperity for the region," he said. 

ISRAEL’S HUNT FOR HAMAS TERROR LEADER YAHYA SINWAR: ‘DEAD MAN WALKING’ 

Sen. Jim Risch, R-Idaho., said: "Terrorists have no place in this world, and deserve to be eliminated."

"The region cannot move forward without the elimination of Hamas as a military entity," he added. "This is not easy to do, but the Israelis are doing it; that cannot be denied. The U.S. and our allies should do more to help the Israelis continue to cut off the head of the snake, and certainly stop trying to get in their way. Israel’s success will be a victory for the free world."

Sen. Mark R. Warner, D-Va., the chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, said justice had been served, but "let us not forget that the terrorist network he headed still holds dozens of people hostage in Gaza, and we must continue to press for their safe return." 

Israel vowed to kill Sinwar following its military campaign in the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip. The Israel Defense Forces confirmed Sinwar's death after conducting DNA tests on a body that was among three terrorists killed during a battle. 

In July, Sinwar was elevated as Hamas’ top leader after Ismail Haniyeh, his predecessor, was killed in an apparent Israeli strike in the Iranian capital Tehran. 

Israel has killed top leaders in Hamas and Hezbollah, the Iranian-backed terror group based in neighboring Lebanon that has shelled the northern part of the Jewish state for more than a year in solidarity with Hamas. 

CINCINNATI - The third and final debate in one of the most closely watched House races in the country took place in southwest Ohio on Tuesday night where Democratic Rep. Greg Landsman and his GOP challenger Orlando Sonza squared off on a variety of issues from immigration to the economy to a newly surfaced ethics complaint.

"As I walk around this district now, whether it's the economy or followed very closely by the issue with the southern border immigration, those are at the forefront of voters minds," Sonza told the crowd of mostly students at Xavier University in Cincinnati as he debated Landsman in the race for Ohio’s 1st Congressional District.

"My dad had to wait five years to be a naturalized citizen," Sonza continued. "So what we're seeing in this country right now flies in the face of not just my dad, but the millions of Americans that have come in here illegally. So how do we actually stop the over 15 million illegal immigrants that have come into our country, that are overburdening our economy, overburdening our housing market, and also bringing in fentanyl like endemic here in southwest Ohio, rising crime."

"Well, you've got to immediately close that border and I know that, look, if I was in Congress in these last 20 months, I would have voted for the Secure Border Act unlike my opponent, that would have immediately secured the southern border, brought resources to our border Patrol, and also tightened up our asylum policies and actually sent resources to our immigration courts. So in both of those ways, you can bring in people here legally and welcome them in here, just like my family did to pursue the American dream. But we have to do it in a way that actually stops the bleeding at the southern border and actually tightens the policies and procedures that we have."

OHIO LT. GOV. ENCOURAGES SUPPORT FOR TRUMP’S ‘SWAMP THE VOTE’ STRATEGY AS KEY STATE'S EARLY VOTING OPENS

Landsman responded to the immigration question by suggesting that he sees "eye to eye" with Sonza on many aspects of the problem.

"The fact is that you have to have a secure border, and for far too long, both parties have messed this up," Landsman said, echoing the argument from many Democrats that the failed bipartisan border bill over the summer would have made a difference at the border.

"That was a good bill that will get 300 votes in the House, probably 80, 90 in the Senate," Landsman said. "It was a bill put together by one of the most conservative Republicans in the United States Senate, and it would have come to us but for Trump. Trump did not want it to get in the way of his reelection campaign."

On the economy, the issue that polling shows most Americans list as their top concern, Landsman took issue with billionaires receiving tax breaks while others struggle to make ends meet.

"I think more and more Americans, even though the economy has gotten better, more and more Americans are finding it harder and harder to pay all their bills, or if they pay all their bills, there's almost nothing left for savings or vacation, and so the question becomes, who's the economy built for?" Landsman said, taking aim at former President Trump’s tax policy.

OHIO GOP SENATE CHALLENGER REACTS TO POLLS SHOWING DEAD HEAT IN CRITICAL SENATE RACE: 'RADICAL LIBERAL'

"You can look at the results that those at the top, the 1%, the super wealthy, they're doing great," Landsman said. "This is the best it's ever been for billionaires and big corporations. And that's in part because the tax code is built for them. Eighty-three percent of the tax giveaways in the 2017 Trump tax plan went to the top 1%. But what if you flipped it? What if you said that 83 to 90 percent of all of that will go to the working folks and middle-class families you all like? You have a much better economy because you'd have more money in your pockets to buy goods and services here in our local communities. And that creates jobs as opposed to what happens when the one percent get more money."

Landsman said that "fixing the tax code is number one" and "number two is that you're going to have to deal with price gouging."

Sonza discussed the economy by pointing out that his family of four is dealing with the high costs of goods. 

"So what's the first problem?" Sonza said. "It is this hyperinflationary environment that we have. How do you fix prices that continue to increase due to this inflation? What you have to do is you have to stop this idea of spend, spend, spend in our federal government."

Sonza, a West Point graduate and former infantry officer, continued, "You can start with cutting the fraud, waste and abuse and the duplication and the redundancy in government. So stopping this over-bloated government spending fixes the inflation problem. But what do you then do with prices still high? Well, what you can't do is make sure that we have a competitive environment that allows for prices to go down."

"So we actually increase competition, whether it's in health care or whether it's in manufacturing or energy. If we increase competition here in America, we're actually going to bring those prices down. I think that's how you fix both of those problems."

FLASHBACK: VULNERABLE DEM SENATOR ACCUSED VOTERS SUPPORTING TRUMP OF 'RACISM': 'IT WORKS FOR THEM'

On abortion, Sonza told the audience he does not "hide" the fact that he is pro-life but pledged that he would not support a federal abortion ban and believes in exceptions for life of the mother, rape and incest. Sonza said abortion is no longer a federal issue and acknowledged that Ohio voters recently chose to enshrine abortion access into the state Constitution. 

Sonza argued that Landman’s opposition to the Born Alive Act, which instructs doctors to attempt to save the life of a newborn who survives an abortion, shows that Democrats have adopted "extreme" positions on abortion that most Americans disagree with.

Landsman expressed his support for codifying Roe v. Wade into federal law.

"It's not the role of politicians to be telling you what you can and can't do with your healthcare and politicians, whether it's at the federal level, at the state level, are getting in the middle of these very complicated medical decisions," Landsman said. "It's not only dangerous, but it has gotten people killed. There are women who have lost their lives because of these new laws. These bans are bad. They're bad for women. They're bad for doctors and bad for our daughters. They're bad for our economies. They're bad for the country, and this is a big difference. I will restore reproductive freedom."

One of the more contentious exchanges occurred after Sonza brought up a recent ethics complaint against Landsman by a former inspector general of the U.S. Department of Commerce accusing him of breaking the law by waiting 20 months to disclose stock transactions, far outside the mandatory 45-day period.

"It was my opponent that violated Federal Stock Act in failing to disclose over 80 stock transactions within the 45-day timeline," Sonza said. "How long did it take, Congressman Landsman, to disclose over 80 stock transactions? 20 months. That, to me is not a mistake. That's a pattern of misconduct that I believe is a threat to democracy and I think we have the ability to hold our elected officials accountable."

"It was a question of whether or not the stock trades were disclosed," Landsman said. "They've all been disclosed. I have nothing to do with my trades. And so I didn't know. Once I found out when we were putting our financial disclosure together, we disclosed them. It was late, and that was wrong. And I took responsibility. It happened to maybe 60, 70, 80 members of Congress in the last term, dozens this term. And we put in place a system to make sure it doesn't happen again."

Sonza pressed the issue again later in the debate.

"Those of you here, those of you at home are learning not 20 months prior, but 20 months later, that the sitting congressman who sits on the Small Business Committee in Congress fails to disclose over 80 stock transactions, some of them in the very corporations that he railed against his opponent in 2022, Big Pharma and Big Oil."

"Forty-six days, a mistake, 48 days, a slip up, 20 months to fail to disclose that and the reasoning we get on this stage is because I don't do my stock transactions?" Sonza added. "That's not the way my wife and I train our kids on how to actually save the money. You are responsible for every dollar that goes into your piggy bank."

The Cook Political Report ranks the 1st District race as "likely Democrat," but Republicans have dedicated resources to the race as they look to protect their slim majority in the House. Landsman won by just over five points in 2022.

Ohio's 1st District consists of the city of Cincinnati and all of Warren County and was represented by Republican Steve Chabot for over a decade before Landsman defeated him in 2022 following redistricting.
 

White House works to ease Iran proposal in Congress
The Obama administration fears tough U.S. sanctions against companies doing business in Iran would anger foreign allies.
By Paul Richter, Los Angeles Times

June 11, 2010

Reporting from Washington


The Obama administration, which labored for months to impose tough new United Nations sanctions against Iran, now is pushing in the opposite direction against Congress as it crafts U.S. sanctions that the White House fears may go too far.

Administration officials have begun negotiations with congressional leaders, who are working on versions of House and Senate bills that would punish companies that sell refined petroleum products to Iran or help the country's oil industry.

Unlike the U.N. measures, congressional action would pertain only to U.S. policies and agencies and would not be binding on other countries. Other countries and groups of nations also are considering adopting measures to augment the U.N. action.

The sanctions are aimed at forcing Iran to giving up its nuclear program, which Western nations fear is geared toward developing nuclear weapons. Iran insists it is only interested in peaceful energy projects.

U.S. sanctions have strong support in Congress, and the administration backs them in principle as a way to strengthen the mild strictures adopted on Wednesday by the U.N. Security Council.

But the administration fears that the legislation also could damage relations with Europe, Russia and China, all of whom cooperated with U.S. efforts on the U.N. sanctions.

To avoid that possibility, the administration wants authority to waive U.S. punishment against companies from countries that have cooperated on Iran.

Many lawmakers are wary. Some say the Obama administration, like its predecessors, has been lax in enforcing existing Iran sanctions out of concern for good relations with other world powers.

"The administration doesn't carry out the laws that are on the books, and they want the new law to be as weak and loophole-ridden as possible," said Rep. Brad Sherman (D-Sherman Oaks), who has been pushing for years for such legislation.

Republicans have been ratcheting up their demands for Congress to hang tough, arguing that the U.N. resolution fell short of what was needed.

Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen of Florida, the senior Republican on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, called the U.N. sanctions a "goose egg" and demanded that Congress impose "crippling sanctions against Iran."

Russia already has warned that penalizing Russian companies "could lead to retaliatory measures."

Russia said Thursday that it intends to go ahead with sales to Iran of a highly sophisticated surface-to-air missile that has been a source of U.S. concern.

There are serious issues with Europe, as well. Catherine Ashton, the European Union foreign policy chief, reminded Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton in a recent letter that U.S. officials agreed in 1998 not to hit European companies with sanctions for doing business with Iran.

The pending legislation presents other difficulties for the administration. Since a petroleum cutoff would strike broadly at the Iranian population, such sanctions would be seen as undermining the Obama administration's argument that it supports only those sanctions that focus narrowly on the Iranian leadership, said Peter Crail of the Arms Control Assn., a Washington-based advocacy group.

Meanwhile, U.S. business groups have been complaining that the legislation could punish them by barring U.S. firms from doing business with any foreign firms that have commercial ties to Iran.

Many oil and trading companies already have halted sales to Iran because of the looming threat of sanctions. But some that still could be penalized are Shell, Total and China Oil, said Mark Dubowitz of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, a policy institute based in Washington.

BP, which is facing public relations problems because of the gulf oil spill in April, stopped selling gasoline to Iran in 2008, he said.

paul.richter@latimes.com

Times staff writer Sergei L. Loiko in Moscow contributed to this report.

Copyright © 2010, The Los Angeles Times

FAIR PLAY FOR ISRAEL RALLY!

MIAMI

SUNDAY, JUNE 6 ; 2PM

TORCH OF FRIENDSHIPBISCAYNE BLVD (NEAR THE AA ARENA)


We the good citizens of the great State of Florida, having found disfavor in the abandonment of the State of Israel, and the mistreatment of her prime minister at the hands of our federal administration, do hereby and hereunto declare the following:

Whereas, Israel has proven itself to be the United States’ most steadfast and consistent ally in the world, and thus worthy of our respect, loyalty and admiration; and

Whereas Israel has partnered with the United States in making a myriad of advances in technology, science and medicine benefiting not only both countries, but the world at large; and

Whereas Israel has joined the United States in providing life-saving emergency aid to grief-stricken peoples all over the world; and

Whereas Israel has constantly been and continues to be beset by hostile Arab and Muslim enemies, some of whom deny the Holocaust, and all of whom prepare for another one; and

Whereas Israel has always possessed the technical means to annihilate all its enemies but has never even thought to do so; and

Whereas, Israel stands at the front-line of the radical Muslim onslaught dedicated to the elimination of Western Civilization, should ever it acquire the technical means to do so; and

Whereas Jerusalem is the eternal capital of the Israelite race and Jewish State, and Judaea and Samaria the historic bedrock of Jewish civilization; and

Whereas Israel has repeatedly outstretched her hand to her Arab neighbors in peace only to be met with the fist of war:

We the people demand and insist that the Obama administration CEASE AND DESIST from pressuring Israel to give up more land, rights and privileges to its enemies while its enemies, chiefly Iran, plan her destruction.

For all these reasons, and it having been that this great nation of ours was founded on the principles of truth, justice, fairness and reciprocity, We the People STAND UP for the State of Israel and demand that the Obama administration do the same!

By Lou Pritchett, Procter & Gamble

A LETTER FROM A PROCTER AND GAMBLE EXECUTIVE TO THE PRESIDENT

Lou Pritchett is one of corporate America 's true living legends- an acclaimed author, dynamic teacher and one of the world's highest rated speakers. Successful corporate executives everywhere recognize him as the foremost leader in change management.. Lou changed the way America does business by creating an audacious concept that came to be known as "partnering." Pritchett rose from soap salesman to Vice-President, Sales and Customer Development for Procter and Gamble and over the course of 36 years, made corporate history.


AN OPEN LETTER TO PRESIDENT OBAMA
Dear President Obama:
You are the thirteenth President under whom I have lived and unlike any of the others, you truly scare me.
You scare me because after months of exposure, I know nothing about you.
You scare me because I do not know how you paid for your expensive Ivy League education and your upscale lifestyle and housing with no visible signs of support.
You scare me because you did not spend the formative years of youth growing up in America and culturally you are not an American.
You scare me because you have never run a company or met a payroll.
You scare me because you have never had military experience, thus don't understand it at its core.
You scare me because you lack humility and 'class', always blaming others.
You scare me because for over half your life you have aligned yourself with radical extremists who hate America and you refuse to publicly denounce these radicals who wish to see America fail..
You scare me because you are a cheerleader for the 'blame America ' crowd and deliver this message abroad.
You scare me because you want to change America to a European style country where the government sector dominates instead of the private sector.
You scare me because you want to replace our health car system with a government controlled one.
You scare me because you prefer 'wind mills' to responsibly capitalizing on our own vast oil, coal and shale reserves.
You scare me because you want to kill the American capitalist goose that lays the golden egg which provides the highest standard of living in the world.
You scare me because you have begun to use 'extortion' tactics against certain banks and corporations.
You scare me because your own political party shrinks from challenging you on your wild and irresponsible spending proposals.
You scare me because you will not openly listen to or even consider opposing points of view from intelligent people.
You scare me because you falsely believe that you are both omnipotent an omniscient.
You scare me because the media gives you a free pass on everything you do.
You scare me because you demonize and want to silence the Limbaugh's, Hannitys, O'Reillys and Becks who offer opposing, conservative points of view.
You scare me because you prefer controlling over governing.
Finally, you scare me because if you serve a second term I will probably not feel safe in writing a similar letter in 8 years.

Lou Pritchett

Obama's Plan to Destroy Israel
May 10
by Daniel Greenfield(Israelnationalnews.com)

If there's one thing that the Carter Administration can be given credit for, it's creating the new wave of Islamist terrorism, both Sunni, operating out of Afghanistan, and Shiite, operating out of Iran. The Carter Administration cracked down on Israel and put its "faith" in Muslim terrorists, who then went on to wage war on America, even while Carter was in office. 28 years after Carter was removed from office, we're in reruns again with the Obama Administration, which is not only following the Carter line, but whose plans greatly exceed it.28 years ago, Wahhabi Sunni and Shiite terrorists were generally an afterthought when compared to the standardIran is to be our new best friend under this arrangement, Israel is to be our new best enemy. USSR backed Marxist terrorist groups, such as the PLO.Today, thanks in part to the Carter Administration, they control several countries and have designs on several more. From Pakistan to Afghanistan, from Gaza to Lebanon, from the Middle East to Southeast Asia, the threat is very real and bigger than ever particularly as the race by both Sunni and Shiite groups to build and deploy nuclear weapons continues.Like Carter before him, Obama has chosen to cut backdoor deals with the Mullahs in Iran, offering them power over Iraq and Afghanistan, in exchange for quieting things down enough to let him hang up a Mission Accomplished banner and pull the troops out. "Peace with honor", preferably before the next election. The rape law for Shiites in Afghanistan, the push for a US funded Hamas/Fatah Unity government in the territories and the rising expansion of the Taliban are all fruits of this arrangement.If Iran is to be our new best friend under this arrangement, Israel is to be our new best enemy.Obama stacked the deck by deploying Hillary Clinton as Secretary of State in a position that gave her an important title, but absolutely no power to go with it, while stacking the National Security Council and even the Pentagon with oil appointees in the pockets of the Saudis or his own left wing radical friends.Israel electing a conservative government really put the ball into play, freeing up even more resources for attacking Israel. The strategy runs something like this.The Obama Administration has broken down the Israel problem into two subsections, Israel itself, and American Jews.Obama's people have studied the problem and understand where Carter went wrong. Obama does not want to have the same image problems as Carter in the Jewish community. Should that happen, the Beloved Leader and his lapdog press are fully prepared to unleash a Chavez style hate-on targeting American Jews. But that would be inconvenient and messy. Even with the changing face of America, there are significant differences between the average American and European or Venezuelan, and what kind of ugliness they are willing to tolerate. So Obama's people have split their attention in handling the two factors as two different problems.American Jews - Obama has been clever about putting his Jewish appointees front and center. Like many minorities, some American Jews suffer from self-esteem problems that are soothed when they see a seeming acceptance. Of course what they fail to realize is that exploitation is not acceptance. And that Obama's appointees are creatures of his backers, Nazi collaborators like Soros, who have nothing but contempt for Jews, individually or collectively.While outwardly courting Jews, Obama's people have also been quietly shoving Jewish organizations and their leaders into a corner. Within the Jewish organizational world there has been a silent but deadly takeover of major Jewish groups by left wing radicals. Former alumni of the far left wing and anti-Israel groups like Breira or Coname in the 70's have been elevated to key positions in such organizations as the UJA Federation. Behind the scenes any Jewish leaders who expressed even doubts about Obama during the primariesThe Beloved Leader and his lapdog press are fully prepared to unleash a Chavez style hate-on targeting American Jews. were intimidated and silenced.Much as with conservatives, a list has been drawn up of those figures who can be won over, and those who cannot. The ones who can be won over are described as "moderates", the ones who cannot be won over are described as "extremists".Meanwhile a bevvy of left wing Jewish In Name Only groups have been organized to play their part. Key among them is the Soros funded J Street, a group created as an anti-Israel lobby meant to eventually replace AIPAC. Meanwhile AIPAC itself has been kept on the ropes with such things as the well timed Harman leak. The message once again is fairly clear, cooperate and keep quiet, or we'll destroy you.The multi-layered approach to American Jews can then be summed up as follows;1.) Co-opt existing Jewish organizations and swing them to the left using old school 70's leftists.2.) Create new "progressive" organizations to appeal to a younger generation of ethnically Jewish youth detached from any actual identity. Have these organizations generate attacks on the Israeli government and pro-Israel Jews, while creating phony polls indicating that most American Jews are behind them and Obama.3.) Silence and intimidate remaining Jewish organizations and leaders behind the scenes.The overall idea is to keep a happy face pasted on American Jewry while the knives are out in the dark.Israel - The basic understanding in the Obama Administration is that Israel Must Go. In the worldview of the more moderate Obama appointees, Israel is a destabilizing factor in the Middle East. To the more left wing Obama advisors, Israel is a Western imperialist colonialist state that must be destroyed in the name of revolutionary justice. To the Islamist mindset, Israel is a Kufir state that has no right to exist in the Dar Al Islam.While intractably hostile to Israel, the Obama Administration wants to avoid the kind of public confrontations that marked the Carter and Bush Sr administrations. Instead they would much rather model the way that the Clinton Administration waged a quiet war against Israel, removing one government, and forcing extensive concessions to terrorists, all the while keeping a happy face pasted on the whole affair.On the one hand that means avoiding harsh public attacks on Israel, but keeping the pressure up for Israel to make extensive far reaching one sided concessions, to accept Saudi and Arab League "peace plans", to legitimize Hamas as the new government of the Palestinian Authority, and to insure that Israel does not reply to any rocket or terrorist attacks.There are two forms of quiet leverage that the United States has on Israel, the first is financial and the second is military.On the financial side, the goal will be to bring down the Netanyahu government coalition by destabilizing Israel economically. This is the surest and most direct path to bringing down Israel's conservative government and replacing it with a left of center coalition. The Obama Administration has a wide variety of tactics at its disposal for doing so, from the overt, such as targeting Israeli exports and imports, to the covert, that would involve targeting the Shekel. Additionally fundraising in the US could be investigated and groups such as the Jewish National Fund, prevented from raising money in the US. All of these have been in play before at one time or another.On the military side, Obama's people will make their non-existent efforts to stop Iran's nukes conditional on more concessions to terrorists. Since Israel will never be able to make enough concessions and since Obama is working with Iran, rather than working to stop Iran's nukes, this is a hollow charade.Furthermore while Israel has already been locked out of the military technology pipeline for anything cutting edge, it still remains dependent on US military equipment for parts and supplies. The decades of US foreign aid have also served to create dependency. Unlike many other countries, including even Sweden, Israel does not have its own jet fighter. Israel's Air Force is heavily dependent on US weapons, parts and equipment. Cutting Israel off, would leave the Israeli military dangerously vulnerable in the case of a war. This is an effective chokehold that has been used before to prevent Israel from attacking Saddam Hussein during the Gulf War, as well as preventing Israel from carrying out a preemptive strike against its enemies before the Yom Kippur War.The overall Obama policy will be to push Israel to the brink, using financial and military blackmail against the Netanyahu government, while maintaining control over American Jews to prevent any protests or backtalk....American Jewish groups will support Obama... some because they were created precisely for that purpose, and others because they have been hijacked, cowed or subverted.The more Israel will offer, the more the Obama Administration will tighten the screws. No offer will be good enough, and Israel will be blamed for every breakdown in talks and every bit of violence that takes place. The media will portray Israel and particularly Netanyahu as extremist and intransigent. Hamas will be slowly whitewashed in the media, the same way that Arafat's goons were, (assuming that they prove more willing to cooperate in creating a positive media image of themselves than Ahmadinejad is.)The plan is to destroy Israel, and to do it by pushing Israel to the edge of the cliff and then over the cliff. Israel's enemies will be getting top of the line US military equipment. Israel will not. Israel will be squeezed economically until the Netanyahu government collapses, leaving a weak left wing leader like Livni in charge of Israel, and in charge of acceding to the new Pharaoh's demands.Meanwhile so-called American Jewish groups will support Obama all the way, some because they were created precisely for that purpose, e.g. J-Street, and others because they have been hijacked, cowed or subverted. That is the game plan and some of it's coming. The rest is already here.
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