ANALYSIS – Many believe Wagner Group chief Yevgeny Prigozhin’s death in a plane crash was a not-very-subtle assassination by Vladimir Putin. And it follows a pattern of mysterious deaths of Putin’s rivals and critics. But Prigozhin is only the latest and most high-profile Putin critic to be eliminated by the Kremlin’s ‘Murder, Inc.’ A long list of individuals linked to Putin’s regime who in some way crossed him have died in violent or mysterious circumstances. Even in the United States. Putin, a former lieutenant colonel in the notorious Soviet-era security service, the KGB and briefly head of the current Russian FSB,…
Author: Paul Crespo
Paul Crespo
Paul Crespo is the Managing Editor of American Liberty Defense News. As a Marine Corps officer, he led Marines, served aboard ships in the Pacific and jumped from helicopters and airplanes. He was also a military attaché with the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) at U.S. embassies worldwide. He later ran for office, taught political science, wrote for a major newspaper and had his own radio show. Paul has also been a defense contractor with the Pentagon. He brings decades of experience and insight to the issues that most threaten our American liberty — at home and from abroad.
MONDAY PDB – At least 3 Marines killed, more injured in Osprey crash in Australia. Five others were in serious condition, and others unaccounted for, after an MV-22 Osprey crashed with 23 service members aboard. There may be more dead. The crash occurred at 9:30 a.m. local time on Melville Island, north of Darwin, Northern Territory, during Exercise Predators Run. The 12-day exercise is scheduled to end Sept. 7. About 150 U.S. Marines are currently based in Darwin, and up to 2,500 rotate through the city every year. They’re part of a realignment of forces in the Asia-Pacific to face an increasingly…
ANALYSIS – Who is this skinny guy with the funny-sounding name? (That was his opening line at the debate). Vivek Ramaswamy wasn’t supposed to be at the center of the first Republican presidential candidate debate in Milwaukee. Ron DeSantis was supposed to be the viable GOP alternative to Donald Trump. A two-term governor of the third most populous state in the union, DeSantis, a Navy veteran who served in Iraq, is as conservative as they come. And he has a proven track record of fighting the left in Florida – and winning. But despite his solid bona fides and resume,…
ANALYSIS – There’s one reason former President Donald Trump didn’t participate in the first 2024 GOP primary debate in Milwaukee. He remains far ahead of his nearest rivals in the race for the Republican presidential nomination, both in the polls and in campaign donations. Of course, he also wanted to avoid being attacked or questioned by his Republican rivals, especially about his numerous federal and state indictments. But when you are the former president and are this far ahead, going on a friendly interview with Tucker Carlson instead of the debate seems like a very good move. (RELATED: Did Trump’s…
FRIDAY PDB – With deterrence failing, war is increasingly likely. US, allies are in ‘amazingly dangerous times,’ says outgoing Navy commander in Japan. The outgoing commander of a Navy air facility near Tokyo warned Thursday that military deterrence in the western Pacific may not be working as the region enters “amazingly dangerous times.” “Unfortunately, our deterrence efforts are arguably not working, and as a result, nothing less than our way of life as underwritten by the rules-based international order is directly under assault,” he told an audience of about 200. “But here’s the thing,” he added: “They [China, Russia and North Korea]…
ANALYSIS – Hype versus reality. Donald Trump and his supporters, as well as many in the media, have been touting the incredible number of viewers Trump’s interview with Tucker Carlson received. First it was over 100 million. Then it was over 200 million. These are mind blowing numbers. But sadly, they aren’t real. The real numbers are closer to 15 million, which are still pretty good. After a 30-month hiatus, Donald Trump has returned to X (formerly known as Twitter), with an historic post of his mugshot, taken in an Atlanta, Georgia jail while being booked on more than a…
ANALYSIS – About half of Americans believe Donald Trump’s alleged attempt to interfere in Georgia’s 2020 vote count was illegal, according to a new poll by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research – conducted before Monday’s charges in the Georgia case were brought. The other half doesn’t believe the ex-president did anything illegal. Go figure. (RELATED: House Committee Investigating Trump Prosecutor) And the results are similar for the charges against Trump for inciting the January 6, 2021, Capitol riot. Meanwhile, few Americans trust the Department of Justice (DOJ) leadership. The poll finds 85% of Democrats feel his actions…
THURSDAY PDB – The violent and short-lived riot at the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021, gave the media and many recently unemployed Global War on Terror (GWOT) ‘counter-extremism’ experts an excuse to focus on the supposedly huge violent threat from the far-right. A ‘lethal threat’: why the far right sees more scrutiny than the left. Officials and scholars across the political spectrum agree that far-right movements have caused most recent domestic political violence. WELL, YES AND NO. A lot of this is Democrat partisan posturing against conservatives as well as underutilized terrorism experts looking for a new mission. A lot of…
BREAKING – Back in 2021, a cargo ship made a huge splash when it got stuck in the Suez Canal, blocking passage through that strategic waterway. Well, now a massive flotilla of more than 200 ships is currently stuck in the world’s worst traffic jam at both sides of another strategic chokepoint – the 50-mile-long Panama Canal. And this new watery pile-up could last for weeks. This will be very costly for everyone, including consumers. The Panama Canal Authority has reduced maximum ship weights and daily ship crossings in a bid to conserve water as drought hits what is usually the…
BREAKING – While initial reports from Russia say Yevgeny Prigozhin, the leader of the once powerful paramilitary Wagner Group, died in a plane crash near Moscow, others say the plane was shot down by Russian air defenses. (RELATED: Wagner Group Leader Killed In Plane Crash) The Gray Zone telegram channel, associated with the Wagner Group, said that the plane was allegedly shot down by a Russian surface to air missile (SAM). Still others speculate that Prigozhin is alive, and he transferred to a second almost identical aircraft reportedly flying near Moscow at the time. Dmitry Gorenburg, a senior researcher at the…