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From the right: Chuck Schumers First 117 Days

Most of the news media will be grading President Trump Saturday on his 100th day in office. But Scott Jennings at Real Clear Politics thinks Chuck Schumer deserves a report card, too. And after 117 days as Senate Democratic leader, he has much to show for it. For example, Schumers role in ensuring that Neil Gorsuch was confirmed to the Supreme Court will be an enduring legacy. Indeed, his decision to force a change to Senate rules eliminating the filibuster was nothing less than inspired. As a result, hes made it quite likely that the next nominee will be even more conservative, since only a simple majority will be needed. So history will long remember Schumer for reshaping the Supreme Court for decades to come.

Security pros: Caught in Obamas Iran Nuke Trap

The recent State Department statement certifying Iran to be compliant with the nuclear deal raises troubling questions, warn John Bolton and Paula DeSutter at The Washington Times. Like whether the State Departments bureaucracy knows or cares that US Iran policy has changed with the Trump administrations advent. The president could have sidestepped the issue, especially given his administrations short time in office and its ongoing review of Iran policy. The challenge he faces is not getting entangled in a bureaucratic trap set by his predecessor. Barack Obama negotiated the deal to be inherently unverifiable, because he was after a political agreement . . . that would neither require Senate approval nor be easily terminated by subsequent administrations. Moreover, the actual verification process has been significantly weakened, making the deal a US diplomatic Waterloo.

Foreign desk: Turkey Is Neither Enemy Nor Ally

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has extended the geopolitical equivalent of a middle finger to President Trump after receiving a congratulatory phone call over his victory in an apparently rigged referendum enhancing his already vast power, contends Max Boot at Commentary: Turkish aircraft this week bombed US-backed rebels in Syria and Erodgan is showing his contempt for concerns raised about the fairness of the referendum. Which is why Trump needs to rethink US policy toward Turkey, which is hardly acting like a NATO ally should, and make clear that he will not stand for Turkish actions that are inimical to American interests.

Conservative: Whats Wrong With Obamas $400K Speech?

The condemnation from liberal commentators has been almost unanimous since word got out that ex-President Barack Obama is being paid $400,000 to speak to a Wall Street investment firm. But Ed Krayewski at Reason says that just illustrates the silly nature of Democrats (and, increasingly, Republicans) anti-Wall Street rhetoric. Specifically, that there is something wrong with Wall Street . . . as a whole, and that there [is] such a thing as making enough money. So what if Obama is drawing a $400,000 a year pension and signed a $12 million book deal? Its no ones right to tell him when hes made enough money except him or his family. As for companies buying influence, the real problem lies with the rapid growth of the kinds of regulations and bureaucracies wide open to corruption.

Numbers cruncher: Tax Plan Giveth and Taketh Away

Yes, President Trumps tax plan does benefit the very rich, along with everyone else, by lowering tax rates. But, notes Steven Malanga at City Journal, it also imposes an expensive penalty on the wealthy by eliminating a set of deductions including, crucially, the deduction for state and local taxes. That will put further pressure on states like New York and California to reduce taxes. Because 88 percent of the deductions benefit goes to taxpayers with $100,000 or more in income, reformers have long proposed eliminating it while lowering tax rates across the board as Trump is proposing. Still, for wealthy individuals in high-tax states, the pain would be significant, perhaps prompting many of them to reconsider their residency. But Trump has both given to and taken away from the rich, in pursuit of lower taxes for others.

Compiled by Eric Fettmann

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Schumer's report card, Obama's Iran trap for Trump, and other comments - New York Post

NEW DELHI: India's presence in the strategically located Iranian port of Chabahar Delhi's primary gateway to landlocked Afghanistan is all set to get a big boost.

Tehran has recently proposed to Delhi to manage phase one of the port built by Iran even as the two sides are still negotiating terms and conditions of Delhi's role in expanding phase two of the port where the Modi government wants to invest Rs 150 crore, or $235 million. ET has learnt that Tehran has offered Delhi management rights for two years for phase one of the port and such rights could be renewed by another decade.

But port management proposal is not just only development regarding Chabahar Port, there will be hectic activities with a trilateral meeting being planned between Iran-India-Afghanistan on operation of Chabahar Port in May. Last year, the three sides had signed an agreement for operation of Chabahar Port.

Besides, a summit to attract investments for the Special Economic Zone in the port complex will be held mid-May in Iran. Delhi-Kabul-Tehran could also hold trilateral consultations on the future of Afghanistan soon with Indian foreign secretary S Jaishankar planning to visit Tehran in the future close on the heels on series of consultations organised by Moscow on dealing with the Afghan situation and use of Mother of All Bombs by the USA against the ISIS. The visit of the US NSA to India also provided India an opportunity to understand Washington's plan for the landlocked country.

Incidentally these meetings in Iran are expected to occur ahead of the presidential polls where the incumbent Rouhani is seeking re-election.

India's allotment of $235 million for phase two of Chabahar is divided into two parts $150 million Line of Credit (LoC) from the EXIM Bank for development of port complex and $85 million allotted later following contract between the two sides for supply of equipment to develop two berths in the port complex.

A Special Purpose Vehicle has been created by the Indian shipping ministry for development of phase two of the port. On the Iranian side, Ports and Management Organisation is the nodal authority for implementing the project. India has been given the rights to operate two berths and few terminals in this phase two of the port.

Adani Ports & Special Economic Zone Ltd. operator of Indias largest port, and Essar Ports are among the companies that have expressed an interest in managing and operating two terminals at Chabahar. JM Baxi Group, known in India for its chartering, broking and other shipping services, has also shown interest. The India Ports Global Limited, the company mandated to drive Indias investments in overseas, on March 17 invited firms to express interest if they want to be considered for a strategic partnership.

India has been negotiating with Iran for releasing initial tranche from $150 million worth LoC ever since MoU was signed with Shipping Minister Nitin Gadkaris visit to Tehran in May 2015 weeks before the Persian Gulf country signed the landmark nuclear deal with the global powers. The contract between the two countries for developing the port -- that will rival Pakistans Gwadar Port --was finalised when the Indian PM visited Tehran in May 2015.

This strategic port will allow India to circumvent Pakistan and access Afghanistan and Central Asia directly via sea. India is also constructing railway line between Chabahar and Zahedan to connect Port to rest of the Iranian railway network.

Link:
Iran offers India to run phase one of Chabahar Port - Economic Times

This picture taken 26 December 2011 shows the Pentagon building in Washington, DC

STAFF/AFP/Getty Images

WASHINGTON -- The White House is giving the Pentagon greater flexibility to determine the number of U.S. troops in Iraq and Syria, in another move by President Donald Trump to shift greater power to his military leaders.

The decision will give Defense Secretary Jim Mattis the authority to send more forces into Syria, to assist U.S.-backed local troops as they move to retake Raqqa from the Islamic State group, which has used the city as a de facto capital.

It will also let him adjust the force numbers in Iraq, in the ongoing fight to oust the Islamic State group from Mosul and stabilize it as the rebuilding begins.

The Pentagon has already been making quiet, incremental additions to the troop levels in both countries in recent months, adding hundreds of Marines in Syria to provide artillery support, and sending more advisers into Iraq to work with units closer to the fight in Mosul. Those moves were done with White House approval, but without any formal adjustment to the longstanding troop caps that had been set by the Obama administration.

Dana White, chief spokesperson for the Pentagon, said Wednesday that Mattis has not made any changes yet to the current authorized force levels.

Under the Obama White House, military leaders chafed about micromanagement that forced commanders to get approvals for routine tactical decisions and personnel moves. They also had to provide justification for any troops sent into war zones. Commanders have argued that they should be able to determine troop deployments based on the military capabilities they believe are needed at any given time.

The new authority will provide greater transparency about the actual number of U.S. forces in Iraq and Syria after several years of public confusion about the accurate totals. Under the Obama-mandated caps, the U.S. was limited to 503 officially deployed troops in Syria, and 5,262 in Iraq. The Pentagon, however, has closer to 7,000 in Iraq, and hundreds more than the cap in Syria, but doesn't count them because they are on temporary duty or not counted under specific personnel rules.

The change, however, could trigger concerns particularly in Iraq, where there are political sensitivities about the footprint of American and coalition troops and fears about occupation forces. Officials worry that if they publicly acknowledge there are thousands more troops there, it could fuel opposition and problems for the Iraqi government.

Trump's decision applies only to the two countries, and so far does not affect Afghanistan, although that change has also been discussed.

"This does not represent a change in our mission in Iraq and Syria to defeat ISIS," said White, using another name for the Islamic State group. She said the U.S. will continue to work through and with local forces, but that giving Mattis the authority to make troop-level decisions will allow commanders to be "more agile, adaptive and efficient in supporting our partners, and enables decisions that benefit unit readiness, cohesion and lethality."

She added that the change will allow the Pentagon be more open with Congress and the public.

2017 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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Trump gives Pentagon power to determine US troop levels in Iraq, Syria - CBS News

SOUTHWEST ASIA(ENEWSPF)April 28, 2017 U.S. and coalition military forces continued to attack the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria yesterday, conducting 28 strikes consisting of 53 engagements, Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve officials reported today.

Officials reported details of yesterdays strikes, noting that assessments of results are based on initial reports.

Strikes in Syria

In Syria, coalition military forces conducted 17 strikes consisting of 20 engagements against ISIS targets:

Additionally, a strike was conducted April 26 that closed within the last 24 hours:

Strikes in Iraq

In Iraq, coalition military forces conducted nine strikes consisting of 47 engagements against ISIS targets:

These strikes were conducted as part of Operation Inherent Resolve, the operation to destroy ISIS in Iraq and Syria. The destruction of ISIS targets in Iraq and Syria also further limits the groups ability to project terror and conduct external operations throughout the region and the rest of the world, task force officials said.

The list above contains all strikes conducted by fighter, attack, bomber, rotary-wing or remotely piloted aircraft; rocket-propelled artillery; and some ground-based tactical artillery when fired on planned targets, officials noted.

Ground-based artillery fired in counterfire or in fire support to maneuver roles is not classified as a strike, they added. A strike, as defined by the coalition, refers to one or more kinetic engagements that occur in roughly the same geographic location to produce a single or cumulative effect. For example, task force officials explained, a single aircraft delivering a single weapon against a lone ISIS vehicle is one strike, but so is multiple aircraft delivering dozens of weapons against a group of ISIS-held buildings and weapon systems in a compound, having the cumulative effect of making that facility harder or impossible to use. Strike assessments are based on initial reports and may be refined, officials said.

The task force does not report the number or type of aircraft employed in a strike, the number of munitions dropped in each strike, or the number of individual munition impact points against a target.

Source: http://defense.gov

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Inherent Resolve Strikes Continue Against ISIS Terrorists in Syria, Iraq, April 28, 2017 - eNews Park Forest

The Turkish government gavethe United States less than an hours notice before conducting strikes on partner forces in Iraq and Syria, the U.S. military said on Wednesday, stepping up its criticism of airstrikes the United States said endangered American personnel.

Col. John Dorrian, a U.S. military spokesman, said the lead time failed to provide adequate notice to reposition American forces or warn Kurdish groups with whom the United States is partnering against the Islamic States.

Thats not enough time. And this was notification, certainly not coordination as you would expect from a partner and an ally in the fight against ISIS, he said, using an acronym for the Islamic State.

American officials expressed indignation at the Turkish bombing, which killed as many as 20 Kurdish fighters in Syria and, according to the U.S. military, five Kurdish peshmerga troops in a coordinated attack across the border in northern Iraq. According to the Turkish government, both attacks targeted members of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), which both Ankara and Washington consider a terrorist group.

A defense official, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss operations, described the assault as a massive, highly coordinated attack involving more than 25 strike aircraft.

In Syria, the Turkish jets targeted leadership sites used by the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), a Kurdish-dominated force that has emerged as the United States primary military partner in Syria, according to a second U.S. official. Turkey has objected to that alliance because, it says, the SDFs largest component, the Peoples Protection Units (YPG), is a PKK affiliate.

Despite the Turkish position, Dorrian signaled the United States would continue its support for the SDF, as it would for Iraqi government troops across the border.

Theseare forces that have been integral in fighting ISIS. Theyve been reliable in making progress against ISIS fighters under very difficult and dangerous conditions, he said. They have made many, many sacrifices to help defeat ISIS and that keeps the whole world safer. So that is our position on that.

In Syria, U.S. troops were within six miles of the targeted area, far enough to be out of danger but close enough to cause concern about the potential for unintended bloodshed, Dorrian said. While U.S. forces were not as close to the Turkish target area in Iraq, U.S. officials expressed criticism of the fact that the strike was conducted without the consent of the Iraqi government.

Dorrian spoke hours after the Turkish embassy in Washington issued a statement from the countrys Foreign Ministry detailing what it said were the steps Turkey took to make the United States and other countries active in Syria aware of its plans, saying the United States and Russia were duly informed through both military and diplomatic channels.

That included, the ministry said, notifying the U.S. air command center in Qatar and speaking with the head of the U.S. military. A spokesman for Gen. Joseph F. Dunford Jr., chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, could not immediately confirm whether Dunford had spoken with the Turkish officer.

U.S. officials provided a different characterization of what occurred, saying that American personnel had immediately expressed their objections to the Turkish plans when they were notified.

Adding to the U.S. frustration, Dorrian said Turkey had provided only general information ahead of time about where the strikes would occur and who they would target. Less than an hour of notification is an inadequate amount of time to have our forces leave the ops box area that was identified which was a very large ops box, he said, referring to the area in which U.S. forces are operating. So it was an unsafe way to conduct operations.

Dorrian said thatthe United States has sent military personnel to the affected site in Syria to assess the damage to SDF forces.

Thomas Gibbons-Neff and Karen DeYoung contributed to this report.

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Pentagon expands rebuke of Turkey over Iraq, Syria strikes - Washington Post