Photo, left: Two Christian pastors from South Sudan who traveled north to Sudan and were arrested on charges of spying could face the death penalty, according to their attorneys.
Yat Michael Ruot and Peter Yein Reith, both Presbyterian pastors from the breakaway Christian nation of South Sudan, are being held by Sudan’s National Intelligence and Security Services on charges of undermining the constitution and espionage. Their supporters say their arrest and pending trial is just the latest effort by the militant Islamist government in Khartoum to stamp out Christianity.
 “I’m fearful that they will execute these pastors for practicing their faith,” said David Curry, CEO of Open Doors USA, a group dedicated to advocating for the victims of Christian persecution.
 
JOHN BATCHELOR SHOW
 
Hour One
Monday  1 June 2015  / Hour 1, Block A:  Thomas Joscelyn, Long War Journal senior editor, & Bill Roggio, Long War Journal and FDD, in re: ISIS is now fighting in Aleppo. Jaysh al Islam. . . . Iran not  fighting ISIS in Syria. Soleymani back in Anbar.  Photo that might be showing him with top Iraqi general. Was in Baghdad with Mohandas, a major terrorist. . . . Iranian military commander killed fighting in Ramadi.  ;  With sudden advances in Aleppo, Islamic State provokes counteroffensive ; Qods Force commander Soleimani reportedly spotted in Anbar province Monday  1 June 2015  / Hour 1, Block B: Thomas Joscelyn, Long War Journal senior editor, & Bill Roggio, Long War Journal and FDD, in re:  al Qaeda is trying ot define itself as merely a fighter against the Assad regime, not fight Christians.  In contrast, ISIS immediately began to establish its emirate/caliphate. Intent is to contrast with others in order to bring in other factions to cooperate with al Qaeda. Sophisticated strategy. Earlier this week, Al Jazeera aired the first part of its interview with Abu Muhammed al Julani, who is the emir of the Al Nusrah Front. Julani stressed that his organization is "committed" to Ayman al Zawahiri's "orders," thereby dispelling erroneous reports that his group was going to "break" with al Qaeda.
US support for Iranian-backed Shiite militias ‘should not alarm us,’ General Allen says - In an interview with CBS News, General (retired) John Allen, the Special Presidential Envoy for the Global Coalition To Counter ISIL, or the Islamic State, attempted to assure Americans that they should not be concerned with the US providing military and other support for Shiite militias, many of which are backed by Iran. Allen attempts to separate the “extremist elements” from the Popular Mobilization Force (or Committee), when the distinction is practically meaningless. Roasting people to death, and the US is supporting the guys who burned the man to death and then boasted about it. Why?  "The US is now so desperate t defeat ISIS it'll ally with anyone"  [OH. This is what Washington is doing and why it's completely ineffectual.]
Jaish al Muhajireen wal Ansar leader accuses Islamic State of creating ‘fitna’ between jihadist groups. . . .  Salahuddin al Shishani, the emir of the Jaish al Muhajireen wal Ansar, or the Army of the Emigrants and Helpers or Muhajireen Army, also accused the Islamic State of attempting to assassinate him after he and others tried to mediate a truce between the Islamic State and the Al Nusrah Front. Jaish al Muhajireen wal Ansar is listed by the US as Specially Designated Global Terrorist organization. The jihadist group has sworn loyalty to the Islamic Caucasus Emirate, an al Qaeda-linked group that operates in the Russian Caucasus. Salahuddin made the accusations against the Islamic State in an interview with Al Jazeera Turk on May 26. The interview was translated by a jihadist and posted online.   . . . Despite the divisions amongst jihadist and other rebel groups that the Islamic State created, Salahuddin and his Jaish al Muhajireen wal Ansar remained neutral and attempted to facilitate a truce between the Islamic State and the Al Nusrah Front. The two groups have been at odds since Abu Bakr al Baghdadi declared the Islamic State in Iraq and the Sham (Syria) in early 2014 and attempted to absorb Al Nusrah. Al Qaeda ultimately expelled the Islamic State from its network as Baghdadi refused to obey the order of Ayman al Zawahiri to confine its fighting to Iraq.  . . . “One of our brothers became Shaheed [a martyr] in this attack,” Salahuddin told Al Jazeera Turk. “They intimidate us to give Bayah [oath of loyalty] to them.”
Monday  1 June 2015  / Hour 1, Block C: Gordon Chang, Forbes.com,  in re:  . . .  Harry Harris is a much tougher dude, head of PACOM; expect a new appreciation in DoD and State that you just can’t placate the Chinese. Eventually there'll be a confrontation because the Chinese are just pushing too hard.  Their misdeeds are creating an alliance of all their neighbors.  China Sovereign Wealth Fund selling shares in Chinese banks: Beijing signals that it doesn’t like its banks. Oops.  . . . The Bushies allowed China to do whatever it wanted, and Obama entered with weak policies. Now China has pushed too hard and created an anti-Chinese coalition – Philippines, Vietnam, Indonesia, Japan, everybody. China ordered Vietnam to stop "reclamations" (building new islets) – which is exactly what China is doing. If China sees the planes of four or five nations cross their newly-created airspace, and ships into their new waters, they may back off a bit.
Monday  1 June 2015  / Hour 1, Block D: Pastor William Devlin, REDEEM! president, & Right to Worship NYC; in re: Two Christian pastors from South Sudan threatened with death in Sudan by Omar Bashir's government.  Both accused of apostasy and blasphemy; their being from South Sudan complicates. This appears to be a repeat of the most unfortunate events surrounding Miryam Yahya Ibrahim, whom they eventually had to release.   Trial is high-profile, reported on locally, open to the public.   . . .  About a dozen Darfuris have come to faith in Jesus Christ and now are being accused of apostasy.  Khartoum-Sudan Leadership Summit with pastors from here. I have complete freedom and move about, even conduct the summit with govt approval. Change in the weather on this?  Yes -  case recently dropped against two oppo leaders, of The Sudan Call.
UPDATE: Two South Sudan Pastors Face Death Penalt... World Watch Monitor reported in February that Yat Michael and Peter Yen (also named as David Yein Reith in some reports) were held in unknown locations afte... ; 2 pastors in Sudan face death over Christian faith Two Christian pastors from South Sudan who traveled north to Sudan and were arrested on charges of spying could face the death penalty when their trial begins ne...
Hour Two
Monday  1 June 2015  / Hour 2, Block A:  David M Drucker, Washington Examiner Senior Congressional correspondent, & John Fund, National Review Online, in re: Rand Paul proclaims: I stopped the NSA so send me $5.    Rick Santorum came in second in 2012; that smoulders in him. Lindsay Graham has the wherewithal to supplant others.  A dozen candidates this time; not enough room on any one stage.   Rick Santorum is a hawk, has a large base, esp among Roman Catholics.  George Pataki: what wing is he trying to represents?  With all the good candidates we have, do we need a New Yorker named Pataki? ;  Rand Paul win doesn't mean NSA spying ends, experts say ; 40 times OMalley raised taxes...
Monday  1 June 2015  / Hour 2, Block B:   David M Drucker, Washington Examiner Senior Congressional correspondent, & John Fund, National Review Online, in re: Head of Goldman: "It'd be just ducky if either Bush or Clinton won." Sen Bernie Sanders.  Martin O'Malley: " “The presidency is not a crown to be passed back and forth between two royal families.” "The inability of the Tea Party to play nice among themselves."  O'Malley has the right resume but is not compelling. Hillary Clinton is a fundamentally flawed candidate; Dems pine for someone else – Elizabeth Warren, call your office – and Mrs Clinton will continue to be bedevilled by ethical questions. 
Monday  1 June 2015  / Hour 2, Block C:  Malcolm Hoenlein, Conference of Presidents, in re:   Seventy-one years ago on 6 June the second Front ended the Hitlerite control over Europe.  An armada gathered outside several ports; rumors; at 3:30 AM. a news reader reports form London: Allied troops landing on French coast under the command of Gen Dwight Eisenhower: Supreme Commander, Allied Expeditionary Force; announces landings. "The hour of your liberation is approaching." Just then, concern over landings at Omaha Beach.  / Farhud, June 1 and 2, 1941: Farhud (Arabic: الفرهود‎)) refers to the pogrom or "violent dispossession" carried out against the Jewish population of Baghdad.   For 74 years this has been more or less ignored.  Anbar and Fallujah were spoken of in the Talmud; Jews lived there for more than 2,500 years after the Babylonian captivity. For he 100 years before Farhad frced almot 900,000 Jews ot lave, most to fgo to Israel. About 400 killed, 1,000 njured, many women raped.  At he UN today, a commemoration for the first time. A step to rectify the omission of history.  A Russian energy company (Rosatom with the Iranian atomic energy assn) same day as a 4.4 earthquake.   Two 1,000-megawatt reactors.
Farhud (Arabic: ‎الفرهود‎)) refers to the pogrom or "violent dispossession" carried out against the Jewish population of Baghdad, Iraq, on June 1–2, 1941, immediately following the British victory in the Anglo-Iraqi War. The riots occurred in a power vacuum following the collapse of the pro-Nazi government of Rashid Ali while the city was in a state of instability. Over 180 Jews were killed and 1,000 injured, and up to 300-400 non-Jewish rioters were killed in the attempt to quell the violence.[3] Looting of Jewish property took place and 900 Jewish homes were destroyed. The violence came immediately after the rapid defeat by the British of Rashid Ali, whose earlier coup had generated a short period of national euphoria, and was charged by allegations that Iraqi Jews had aided the British.
Monday  1 June 2015  / Hour 2, Block D: Malcolm Hoenlein, Conference of Presidents, in re: ISIS threaten Hamas, demands no more crackdown on ISIS in Gaza. UN Committee on NGOs: may give NGO statues to Hamas, which will give Hama vast access within the US.  "This is serious."  Iran, Sudan, Cuba, Turkey. Venezuela. all approve the move.  / Mr Kerry broke his leg rather badly; will have Wendy Sherman take over. Talks continue; the P5+1 say they've found a way to "restore sanctions"  in the physically impossible snap-back.  Khamenei said again. I do not allow our scientists to be interrogated by anyone." France will vote no to the so-far agreement.  Sanctions: many companies are in Teheran negotiating; have been violations, incl the sale of the 15 plane.  Iran warned the P5+1 "not to make excessive demands, or you'll have trouble."  "We'll use the 20x-faster centrifuge immediately, whereas the deal was that they would not. Zarif; "We can reach an agreement in a reasonable time" [not by 30 June].  Syria: al Nusrah Front has been speaking diplomatically; Russians are starting to pull out key personnel. Speculation on Assad's ability to hold out; his allies are leaving. Russians have approached the US on how to withdraw.
Hamas Covenant
•       Article 1 [of 32 articles] describes Hamas as an Islamic Resistance Movement with an ideological programme of Islam.
•       Article 2 of Hamas' Charter defines Hamas as a "universal movement" and "one of the branches of the Muslim Brotherhood in Palestine".
•       Article 3 the Movement consists of "Muslims who have given their allegiance to Allah".
•       Article 5 Demonstrates its Salafist roots and connections to the Muslim brotherhood.
•       Article 6 Hamas is uniquely Palestinian,[24] and "strives to raise the banner of Allah over every inch of Palestine, for under the wing of Islam followers of all religions can coexist in security and safety where their lives, possessions and rights are concerned."
•       Article 7 describes Hamas as "one of the links in the chain of the struggle against the Zionist invaders" and links the movement to the followers of the religious and nationalist hero Izz ad-Din al-Qassam.
•       Article 8 The Hamas document reiterates the Muslim Brotherhood's slogan of "Allah is its goal, the Prophet is the model, the Qur'an its constitution, jihad its path, and death for the sake of Allah its most sublime belief."
 
Hour Three
Monday  1 June 2015  / Hour 3, Block A: First to Jump, by Jerome Preisler (1 of 4)
Monday  1 June 2015  / Hour 3, Block B: First to Jump, by Jerome Preisler (2 of 4)
Monday  1 June 2015  / Hour 3, Block C: First to Jump, by Jerome Preisler (3 of 4)
Monday  1 June 2015  / Hour 3, Block D: First to Jump, by Jerome Preisler (4 of 4)
Hour Four
Monday  1 June 2015  / Hour 4, Block A:  Mary Kissel, Wall Street Journal editorial board & host of OpinionJournal.com; in re: Opinion Journal: In Praise of the Patriot Act
Monday  1 June 2015  / Hour 4, Block B:    Michael Ledeen, FDD, in re:  It’s a worthy objective, and they are wise to focus our attention on it.  But without even drawing a breath, they wrap up the whole thing with a warning to think small.  “The United States will not define the future for the region, but it has a distinct national interest in preventing the collapse of its state system.”
I rather think the United States is quite capable of defining the region’s future, and I think Americans should always think big.  Beginning with supporting regime change in Tehran.  That would at least be consistent with the quintet’s title.  It would do a lot more than advance our interests in the Middle East. It would change the whole world.  pjmedia.com/michaelledeen
Monday  1 June 2015  / Hour 4, Block C:  Michael Pregent, in re: https://foreignpolicy.com/2015/05/29/the-u-s-strategy-to-defeat-the-islamic-state-has-failed-isis-sunni-fighters/
Monday  1 June 2015  / Hour 4, Block D:  Elbridge Colby, CNAS, and WSJ op-ed, in re:  NATO.