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MKs demand Pollard's release after revelations that US conducted surveillance on former PMs Barak, Olmert. A chorus of politician from across the political spectrum called for the release of Israeli spy Jonathan Pollard on Sunday, after leaked NSA documents revealed the US has been tracking the e-mails of former Israeli leaders. Documents leaked by fomer National Security Agency (NSA) contractor Edward Snowden revealed that the United States was spying on the e-mails of former prime minister Ehud Olmert and former defense minister Ehud Barak between the years 2008-2009. Knesset speaker Yuli Edelstein (Likud Beytenu) assailed Washington for “hypocrisy,” saying that...

This is ‘very grave if true,’ says senior MK, calling it ‘classic espionage’ that Israel would not carry out against the US US intelligence not only spied on then-defense minister Ehud Barak’s offices during 2008-2009, but also maintained an apartment opposite Barak’s primary residence for that purpose, according to a report on Sunday, which came amid new revelations of the extent of US and British intelligence activity against Israel and other allies. In 2007, Israeli intelligence noted that the US government had rented an apartment across the street from Barak’s high-rise apartment in Tel Aviv, and observed “sizable amounts of...

Prime minister said to hold his most important conversations in Mossad offices, where he can be sure he’s not being bugged Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu routinely assumes that he is being spied upon and therefore goes to extraordinary lengths to prevent his work being compromised by foreign agencies, Israeli TV reported on Friday night, in the wake of revelations that US and British intelligence services intercepted emails in his office and that of his predecessor Ehud Olmert and also spied on former defense minister Ehud Barak. Netanyahu has no computer in his office, does not use email, and does not...

**SNIP** While raising money for House Democrats in Boston Wednesday night, the president said the minority leader from California “has just constantly surprised me by just how good, how tough, how visionary and how committed she is, and dedicated to the well-being of not just her own constituents but the American people.” Less publicly he’s described Pelosi as “tough as nails,” confiding his respect for her ability to corral votes in her conference, even when some of her Democratic members initially feel less than united.

It appears that there is no end in sight to the Obama Administration's costly quest to electrify America's auto fleet, despite the recent flurry of reports that continue to confirm that the benefits of electric vehicles (EVs) are practically nonexistent in comparison to the costs. One of these reports even came from Obama's own NHTSA (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration) panel which downplayed the importance of EVs and claimed that electric cars will only need to account for between one and three percent of car manufacturer's product portfolios by 2025 for lofty government EPA requirements to be met. The Autoguide.com...

BEIJING (AP) -- China's President Xi Jinping and France's President Francois Hollande pledged to push for a world free of domination by any superpower Thursday as the French leader visited the Chinese capital on a mission to boost trade amid his country's worsening economic woes. Both leaders stressed their desire for a "multipolar" world that would dilute Washington's influence - though they did not mention the U.S. in their comments. "China and France are both great countries with a strong sense of independence," Xi said at a news conference, adding that the two countries would "actively promote a multipolar world...

The U.S. is not doing Israel any favors by granting it special status as a strategic ally, according to New York based strategy expert Mark Langfan. He predicts a domino effect in which other U.S. allies in the region would collapse, if, G-d forbid, Israel does.. "Without Israel, Cyprus and Saudi Arabia are toast," Langfan told Arutz Sheva, "and they know it." "Without Israel, oil would be $1,000 a barrel. Without Israel, the US would have to fund an extra $200 billion yearly defense budget to defend southern NATO countries from a Muslim caliphate's northward tsunami." Following reports of an...

While American taxpayers bail out failing companies via the $700 billion Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP), behind the scenes the Obama Treasury Department is awarding their top executives with millions of dollars in raises even though Congress passed a law forbidding it. It’s an inconceivable scheme that rewards bad behavior with big bucks from taxpayers who have no say in the matter. In fact, the U.S. Treasury was forced by Congress to create rules against it yet a new federal audit reveals the agency repeatedly violates them to enrich the very people responsible for the companies’ failures (and need for...

The final pieces are coming together in the General Motors' restructuring puzzle as the company has, not surprisingly, won its bid to repurchase government-owned Ally Financial's European and Latin American lending operations. GM was forced to spin off all but 10% of Ally Financial back when it was known as GMAC. Back in late 2008, the spigots of taxpayer money were open and GM had its cup out. In order for GM's lending arm (GMAC) to receive TARP funds, GM had to divest all but less than 10% of the company so that GMAC could be granted status as a...

Baroness Thatcher leaves her home in London on her 87th birthday with her son Sir Mark and his wife Sarah Photo: WARREN ALLOTT Baroness Thatcher marked yesterday's occasion by having lunch at Green's Restaurant and Oyster Bar in London's exclusive St James's district with her son Mark and his wife. Writing on Twitter, Mr Romney - the Republican challenger engaged in a close fight with Democrat Barack Obama for the White House in next month's election - said: ''The US is blessed with courageous friends. ''Happy birthday to the Iron Lady, Margaret Thatcher - a tower of strength in...

Washington: Just ahead of the arrival of Pakistan Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar for talks with the Obama administration, a Republican lawmaker has moved a Bill in the House of Representatives to terminate Pakistan’s status as a “major non-NATO ally” of America. “It’s time to break with Pakistan,” Congressman Ted Poe said while introducing the bill, commenting: “At the very least, we should stop providing them the eligibility to obtain our own sophisticated weaponry in an expedited process. Too many of our own men and women have died because of Islamabad’s treachery.” Poe’s move comes close on the heels of...

A South Florida representative to the Democratic National Committee is facing scrutiny after engaging in an anti-Israel meltdown throughout a series of leaked emails reported on by BizPacReview. The official in question is Evelyn Garcia, a Palm Beach County representative to the DNC and ally of its chair, Florida Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz. Garcia additionally serves as a Democratic Executive Committee member and is running to become a member of the Florida State House. Garcia’s anti-Israel tirade was sparked by her allies at Code Pink, a left-wing anti-war group that regularly decries the power of the so-called “pro-Israel lobby,” which...

Ally, which is 74 percent owned by the U.S. government, makes loans to GM and Chrysler customers and finances dealer inventories. The government first bailed out the company, then known as GMAC Inc., in late 2008 as part of the Bush administration's aid to the auto industry. The Obama administration provided additional funding in May and December 2009. ResCap had been a drain on Ally's finances for years, struggling to make payments on its heavy debt ever since the bottom fell out of the U.S. housing market in 2007. In regulatory filings before the bankruptcy, Ally said that deterioration in...

<p>Ally Financial Inc.'s troubled mortgage subsidiary filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy early Monday, potentially paving the way for Ally to sever itself from substantial litigation that has been a drag on its other operations and prevented it from repaying the remainder of its government bailout.</p>

The U.S. Treasury Department has agreed to support a bankruptcy filing for the struggling home-loan unit of government-owned lender Ally Financial Inc., if the company chooses to take that route, an official said Monday. A bankruptcy filing for Ally's subsidiary, Residential Capital, has been widely expected in the coming weeks, when the unit faces more than $300 million of bond-related payments. It recently missed a $20 million bond-interest payment, which has a grace period until May 17. ResCap, once one of the largest subprime-mortgage lenders in the country, has been a drag on Ally, which halted plans for an initial...

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Federal Reserve says four major banks failed to show they have enough capital to survive another serious downturn. The list includes Citigroup, the nation's third-largest bank. The Fed says 15 of 19 major banks passed the stress test. The Fed noted that all of the banks have built up their capital reserves since the 2008 financial crisis. SunTrust and Ally Financial also failed the test.

Sources inform Breitbart.com today that Pam Dickler, director of the 1998 production of The Love Song of Saul Alinsky in Chicago that included a panel discussion featuring then-State Sen. Barack Obama, has a video tape of the play. And she won’t release it. “There is only one archive tape of the play and I have it,” Dickler informed our source. “It is not in Chicago.” Dickler told our source that she doesn’t believe she’s ever watched the tape, and she doesn’t know if it “can be viewed.” But she added: “No one is going to see the tape.”

LOS ANGELES, December 23, 2011--At the Republican Jewish Coalition 2012 Presidential Candidates Forum, Texas Governor Rick Perry offered a heartfelt speech about his love for Israel. The Republican Jewish Coalition is a sophisticated audience, and they want to hear about a wide range of issues beyond Israel. Yet Israel was virtually the entire focus of Governor Perry's remarks. In his case, it was not pandering. As a devout Evangelical Christian, Governor Perry is a true believer. He loves Israel, and will crack down hard on those who try to hurt the Jewish state. His entire remarks are below. [snip] Whether...

Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said ahead of a meeting Friday with Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak that he would warn his Israeli counterpart about the global economic consequences of a military strike on Iran's nuclear program, adding that he still favors sanctions and diplomacy over a strike.

US vice president hosts Jewish leaders, political rivals for Rosh Hashana toast, says 'Israel is America's closest, dearest, most morally-based friend' WASHINGTON – At an annual event held at the US Vice President's residence in honor of the Jewish New Year, US Vice President Joe Biden said that "Israel is America's closest, dearest, and most morally-based friend". Biden added that there is no alternative to America's commitment to Israel. Among the guests present at the event were Biden's political rivals from the Republican Party, such as House Majority Leader Rep. Eric Cantor, as well as leaders of the American Jewish...