US Embassy in Saudi Arabia halts operations amid 'heightened security concerns'

U.S. officials said Sunday they will halt operations at the embassy and consulates in Saudi Arabia for the next couple of days, in response to “heightened security concerns.”
Embassy officials in Riyadh issued the statement, saying telephone lines at the facilities will be down Sunday and Monday and encouraging U.S. citizens in Saudi Arabia to “be aware of their surroundings and take extra precautions when travelling throughout the country.”
The message did not cite a specific security concern or threat nor call for the evacuation of the facilities.
However, an intelligence source told Fox News that it was a car bomb threat that triggered the measures, and was serious enough that the facilities will have only essential staff over the next two days.
The U.S. Consulate Generals in Saudi Arabia are in the cities of Dhahran and Jeddah.
In addition to the embassy directive, the State Department is urging U.S. citizens to “carefully consider the risks of traveling to Saudi Arabia and limit non-essential travel within the country.”
The agency also warned: “Regardless of where you are, it is always advisable to keep your security and situational awareness levels high.”

Muslim college co-founded by anti-Israel firebrand receives accreditation

A California school co-founded by a firebrand who once called for an "intifada" in the U.S. has become the nation's first accredited Muslim college.
Zaytuna College, which operates out of two rented buildings in Berkeley, Calif., and had an enrollment of 30 in 2013, was officially accredited earlier this week by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges—one of the six academic organizations responsible for authorizing public and private colleges and universities in the United States. The certification means the school can apply for various federal and private grants, issue visas to international students and allow students to transfer credits to or from other accredited schools.
“Five years ago, we introduced an undergraduate liberal arts program inspired by the idea of restoring the holistic education that had been offered in the great teaching centers of Islamic civilization,” co-founder and President Hamza Yusuf stated in an open letter on the school’s website on Monday. “Today, Zaytuna’s accreditation roots this vision in a reality recognized within American higher education. It gives our community its first accredited academic address in the United States. And we hope, God willing, that there will be more such Muslim colleges and universities to come.”

“I am curious to know what level degrees Zaytuna will be allowed to offer, since its course catalog is limited and does not encompass the breadth of a standard liberal arts education.”- Stephen Suleyman Schwartz, Center for Islamic Pluralism

The school offers one Bachelor of Arts, in Islamic Law and Theology. Course offerings include various courses on Islamic law, Introduction to the Koran, Ethics, Mathematics and History of the United States.
Yusuf, an Islamic Studies advisor at both Stanford University and University of California Berkeley, is known for being an outspoken critic of extremism. He drew a death decree from ISIS earlier this year for condemning the Charlie Hebdo massacre, in which workers at a French satirical magazine were killed by Islamist fanatics for publishing caricatures of Prophet Mohammad.
But the school's other co-founder, Hatem Bazian, who serves as the school’s chairman of academic affairs, has been accused of whipping up anti-Semitism on campuses across the nation through another organization he helped establish, the anti-Israel Students for Justice in Palestine. And at an April, 2004, rally in San Francisco in support of the Iraqi insurgency, Bazian appeared to call for an uprising in the U.S.
"Are you angry?" Bazian shouted to protesters. "Well, we've been watching intifada in Palestine, we've been watching an uprising in Iraq, and the question is that what are we doing? How come we don't have an intifada in this country? …and it's about time that we have an intifada in this country that change[s] fundamentally the political dynamics in here. And we know every — they’re gonna say some Palestinian being too radical — well, you haven't seen radicalism yet!"
Critics say any school associated with Bazian, who is a senior lecturer at University of California Berkeley, is suspect.
“He’s an anti-Israel activist and he uses academia to further his agenda,” Nonie Darwish, founder of Arabs for Israel and a human rights advocate, told FoxNews.com.

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 (Zaytuna College Facebook Page)

Neither Bazian nor other Zaytuna officials responded to multiple requests for comment.
Some critics who monitor higher education say the idea of a Muslim-centric school is fine in principle. But they are wary of Bazian's links to Students for Justice in Palestine.
"The blend between education and religion is nothing new, Caleb Bonham, editor-in-chief of higher education blog CampusReform.Org, told FoxNews.com. “College is supposed to be a time where the free exchange of ideas is explored. America, throughout our history, has encouraged diversity of thought and the freedom to worship as one desires.
"But Students for Justice in Palestine has proven itself to be an anti-Semitic, anti-Israeli organization since its founding," he added. "Our campuses must remain bastions of freedom of expression. I hope the founders uphold the principles of freedom that are inherent to all men and women."
The school, a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization founded in 2008, received more than $11 million in contributions and grants from 2011 to 2012. However, specific donors were not listed on 990 forms filed with the IRS and the school's website only mentions 12,000 donors without any further detail.

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Officials for Zaytuna recently purchased this building in the Holy Hill neighborhood of Berkeley as part of a $7 million campus expansion program.

The Zaytuna College website details a $7 million plan to build a new campus, a project that includes the recent purchase of a new building, but was put on hold until the accreditation came. According to officials for the Western Association of Schools and Colleges, any academic institution that gains accreditation becomes qualified to distribute federal aid to its students.
“Zaytuna may elect to do this, though they are also seeking for their students to graduate without owing debt,” Richard Winn, senior vice president of the WASC Senior College and University Commission said in a statement to FoxNews.com.
While Zaytuna and its students may benefit from the accreditation, the fact that the school offers only one degree program has some questioning the decision.
“I am surprised that Zaytuna College has received accreditation from the Western Association of Schools and Colleges,” Stephen Suleyman Schwartz, executive director of the Center for Islamic Pluralism, said in a statement to FoxNews.com. “I am curious to know what level degrees Zaytuna will be allowed to offer, since its course catalog is limited and does not encompass the breadth of a standard liberal arts education.”

Obama, first lady fly to Los Angeles on same day but take separate flights

President Obama and first lady Michelle Obama flew to Los Angeles on Thursday for TV appearances but took separate flights, collectively costing taxpayers at least $1 million.
The president went to appear live on comedian Jimmy Kimmel’s late-night show on ABC, while the first lady went to Warner Bros.’ studios in nearby Burbank to tape an appearance on Ellen Degeneres’ popular daytime show that is scheduled to air on Monday.
Obama traveled on Air Force One, which reportedly costs taxpayers at least $200,000 per flight hour. So the price of his five-hour, coast-to-coast trip will be roughly $1 million.
The cost of an Air Force flight like the one the first lady took reportedly costs more than $28,000 an hour.
After appearing on “Late Night with Jimmy Kimmel,” the president attended a Democratic National Committee fundraiser, then left Friday morning for Phoenix to visit a veterans’ hospital before returning to Washington.
The first lady returned directly to Washington.

US to keep more troops in Afghanistan than planned, officials say

The Obama administration is reversing its plans to cut the amount of U.S. troops in Afghanistan to 5,500 by the end of the year, appeasing military leaders who want to keep more troops into 2016, U.S. officials say.
Officials have said the administration is poised to slow the withdrawal of forces and probably will allow most of the 9,800 American troops to remain in the embattled country, although no final decision on numbers has been made yet.
There have also been discussions to keep counterterrorism troops into 2015 and keep some in the country or be near Afghanistan in 2016.
There are about 2,000 U.S. troops conducting counterterrorism missions and military leaders have argued that they will need to continue their efforts to pursue remnants of Al Qeada and to monitor the Islamic State.
Officials expected President Obama to use a Washington visit by Afghan President Ashraf Ghani this month as the time to announce his decision on a new withdrawal timeline.
U.S. officials familiar with the debate said it's not clear yet whether the White House will agree to a small, symbolic decrease by the end of this year or insist on a larger cut. They note that there is some stiff opposition to any change, largely from national security adviser Susan Rice.
In recent weeks, Pentagon leaders, including Defense Secretary Ash Carter, have acknowledged the discussions about slowing the pace of troop withdrawal. But they increasingly are confident that the military will get its way and keep a robust force in Afghanistan beyond year's end.
The administration, however, has shown no inclination so far for going beyond 2016; that's a hard line drawn by the president when he announced the withdrawal plan.
The 2016 deadline is considered to be cruicial for Obama, who promised to remove all troops out of Afghanistan by the end of his presidency, ending America’s longest war.
Military leaders want to keep what they consider a "modest" number of troops in Afghanistan longer in order to protect America's investment and provide as much training and advice possible to Afghan forces. Maintaining a more stable number of troops, military leaders have argued, would allow better support of the Afghans during this summer's fighting season and better prepare them for 2016 battles.
Members of Congress, including Sen. John McCain, chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, also have expressed concerns about a sharp drawdown this year. During a hearing last month, McCain, R-Ariz., said a lack of presence in Afghanistan would create a vacuum and "allow terrorists to foment the same disaster in Afghanistan as we have seen in Iraq -- growing instability, terrorist safe havens and direct threats to the United States."
Obama’s original plan was to reduce the number of U.S. troops to 5,500 by the end of 2015 and take embassy-based security forces out by the end of 2016.
When Carter was in Kabul for meetings with his military leaders in February, he told reporters that the new thinking on troop levels was fueled by the improving relations between the U.S. and Afghan governments.
The unity government of Ghani and the chief executive, Abdullah Abdullah, offers new promise for a more effective partnership with Washington in stabilizing the country, Carter said during the visit. U.S. officials grew impatient with the former president, Hamid Karzai, who sometimes publicly criticized the U.S. military and took a dimmer view of partnering with it.
Afghan leaders have made it clear that they would like to have U.S. troops present for as long as possible because of concerns raised by the growing threat of ISIS in Afghanistan.
In testimony before McCain's committee last month, Gen. John Campbell, the top U.S. commander in Afghanistan, said he has seen evidence of recruiting by IS and signs that that some Taliban members are breaking off and declaring allegiance to that group.
Campbell also told reporters during the Carter visit last month that the withdrawal timeline options he presented were in line with Obama's commitment to withdraw all troops by the end of next year.
Campbell has argued that reducing the force to 5,500 by the end of the year would disrupt efforts to train and advise the Afghan military.
Military leaders also worry that cutting the overall force to that degree would reduce support to the counterterrorism mission and probably force a cut in those efforts.

Bullet Train Cartoon

Lindsey Graham on Iran negotiations: ‘Obama wants a deal so bad he can taste it’

Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C. said Tuesday on “Special Report with Bret Baier” that President Obama’s eagerness to sign a deal with Iran over its nuclear program might not produce the best outcome to the international community’s concerns.  
“This president, Barack Obama, wants a deal so bad he can taste it,” Graham said, adding, “Barack Obama could get a better deal if he wanted one. And I don’t believe he wants a better deal. He just wants a deal.”
Graham advised negotiators to be firm with the Iranians.
“I would tell the Iranians I will guarantee you a fuel supply but you will not be allowed to enrich because we don't trust you,” he said, “And if you really want a bomb, we'll go to war over that. If you want a nuclear power program for peaceful purposes, you can have it.”

Krauthammer: If Obama convinces UN security council to agree to Iran deal, 'sanctions regime will be over'

Syndicated columnist Charles Krauthammer said Friday on “Special Report with Bret Baier” that if President Obama gets the United Nations Security Council to agree to a deal the United States, along with its P5+1 partners, negotiates with the Iranians, the sanctions regime will, in essence, be over.

“What's going to happen overnight… the Europeans, the Chinese and the Russians are going to end their sanctions,” he said. “And that means even if we retain our sanctions, it will make little difference, the sanctions regime will be over.”

Krauthammer went on to describe this scenario as the “worst of both worlds.”

“The Europeans will have suspended their sanctions, Iran will be progressing economically, and we will have given Iran an excuse not to honor the agreement. So we'll have no inspections, no control, and nothing,” he said.

In short, if the president goes to the  Security Council, Krauthammer says he’ll have “utterly defeated Congress,” and moreover, “completely overstepped his own authority” by taking an action regardless of the legalities.

VA program to provide private care stumbling out of the gate

A year after explosive accusations that patients had died waiting for appointments at the VA Medical Center in Phoenix, Arizona, the administration’s path to making health care more accessible for America’s veterans remains on shaky ground.
Critics say a program rolled out to give certain veterans the option of government-funded private care is experiencing serious bumps: according to reports, only 27,000 vets have taken advantage of the Choice Card program since it was launched in November.
Technically, to be eligible to see a non-VA doctor, a veteran must be at least 40 miles away from the nearest VA hospital, or have waited at least 30 days for an appointment.
But veterans groups say confusion about eligibility remains the big problem – not everyone qualifies, but some vets who thought they would reported they were turned away. Some say the process isn’t clear, and bureaucratic red tape has led to conflicting messages to veterans about whether or not they can access the system. Others have just gotten responses that weren't very helpful.
Air Force veteran Pat Baughman, for example, told Fox News he lives about 50 miles away from the nearest VA hospital in Bay Springs, Miss. -- approximately a one-hour drive. But when Baughman called the Choice Card phone number last November, he was told to drive more than three hours away to a hospital in Natchez, Miss.
“It didn’t make sense at all. I told them that’s longer than what I’m driving now. So they said they’d get back with me,” Baughman said, adding he received a call the next day and was told to drive to another location instead -- two hours away.
Baughman told FoxNews.com he finally gave up on the program and is using Medicare to pay his medical bills at a local doctor.
He's not alone in his frustration. According to a survey conducted by the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) in February, 80 percent of the 1,068 respondents who believed they were eligible to see a private doctor in lieu of VA care found out they were not. It's unclear whether this is due mostly to misperceptions about the program by veterans, or missteps by VA officials.
“Here we are in March and there is a lot of confusion,” said Garry Augustine, executive director of the Disabled American Veterans (DAV), which is advocating with other major veterans organizations for some clarity in the legislation. “I think when you rush into a new program you are going to have growing pains.”
President Obama made his first visit on Friday to the scandal-scarred Phoenix center and referenced Choice Card -- praising the program, while acknowledging there was more to do in restoring trust in VA programs overall. Congress passed that Choice Card legislation last July, after an inspector general report on mismanagement and manipulation of wait-time data fueled calls for VA reform. The scandal also resulted in the resignation of VA Secretary Eric Shinseki in May.
Cards went out to eligible vets first, and then to all 9 million vets who currently receive VA care as of Aug. 1 -- in case they, too, meet the eligibility standards. It is up to the card holder to call the VA to see if they qualify and if so, they are then sent to a third-party administrator for a list of participating doctors.
One area of confusion is that according to the rules, a veteran must be 40 miles away from the nearest VA -- “as the crow flies.” But this can lead to unequal treatment, since residents in areas with winding roads, or simply crowded roads, could face a longer drive than others.
Augustine said about 500,000 should be eligible under the distance requirements, but the "as the crow flies" standard is throwing everything off. He and others are behind legislation that would clarify the rule to accommodate a 40-mile driving distance.
"The VA is construing the eligibility criteria as it relates to the 40-mile rule so narrowly that it is excluding too many who are far away from the care that they need,” wrote a group of senators to VA Secretary Robert McDonald on Feb. 25, urging him to not only consider tweaking the distance requirement, but to look at reports that veterans who need specialty care should be able to access that, even if there is a VA clinic that does not provide specialists within the 40-mile spectrum.
This was a problem for Minnesota veteran Paul Walker, who has cancer. He told local KARE-11 that he was turned down for private care for cancer treatment because there was a VA clinic within 20 miles of his home -- but the closest VA hospital which offers the treatment he needs reportedly is more than 50 miles away.
"I tried using it and I got flatly turned down," said Walker, who told the network that at the clinic, "all they do is dental work there and eye work and some basic kinds of different minor things... but I have cancer stage 4."
So, he said, "I don't get a choice. I get to die. So, to me that's not a choice."
Rep. Tim Huelskamp, R-Kan., has 63 counties and no VA hospital in his district. He also is joining members in moving legislation that could help people like Walker. He told McDonald in a recent hearing that he has been fielding complaints from veterans on this issue, too.
“I got an email by a veteran who drives 340 miles one way for cardiology,” he said. “If the VA choice program can’t provide something closer for him then we have to re-look how we are implementing” the program.
The Choice Card program was allocated $10 billion and is supposed to be temporary until the system gets up to speed with taking care of veterans in house, which would mean getting through the backlogs plaguing the nation’s VA hospitals. Aside from the Choice Card, there are other separate options for veterans to access private care, but veterans have to be referred by the VA directly, said Augustine.
Sen. Jerry Moran, R-Kan., who was one of the senators on the recent letter to McDonald, says he doesn’t feel the VA’s heart is into providing private care.
“The concern I have is that the VA has a mentality against outside care, even in the circumstances of (when veterans) can’t get care within 30 days or within 40 miles,” Moran said in a statement.
For his part, McDonald has said he, too, is not satisfied with the low number of veterans accessing the new program and has agreed the complaints are valid.
“We’re talking about how we can do a better way of marketing it,” he said in the February hearing at the House Veterans Affairs Committee. Further addressing the distance issue in relation to specialty care, he said, “distance from the place where you can’t get the service seems like a relatively weak measure." As for the “crow flies” issue, “we can look at the 40 miles, change the interpretation ... so we can make the program more robust. I am for whatever it takes to satisfy veterans.”
A representative with the VA did not return a request for comment on Friday.
Augustine says that consistency and communication and anything they can do to end the confusion –