1. Day three of the invasion of Russia and the insurgents have driven Russian forces from #Shebekino and surrounding settlements, and city the size of #Bakhmut, with a company of troops who now watch Russian artillery destroying Russian towns and a city with Russian artillery.
2. In an apparent effort to convince the Russian public the Kremlin is still in control of Russian territory the army is moving rapidly from the areas in Ukraine where the offensive may begin at any time. The movement of forces, equipment, supplies and ammunition has created
3. concentrations of targets in logistics hubs in the #Donetsk and #Luhansk regions that are being hit constantly by Ukraine that has conducted hundreds of strikes. In addition, Russia is trying to reinforce the equipment in the #Zaporizhia region and the port of #Berdyansk was
4. again struck with long range fires including Storm Shadow missiles.
5. In the north the strikes are easy to confirm with the active NASA Firms Fire data. These are targets of rail logistic hubs starting in the north and moving south. Here are current 24 hour fires in #Alchevsk.
9. #Donetsk. Three days and Russian forces are in chaos. I wonder what day four will bring? Reports from St. Petersburg are interesting and may indicate that the Kremlin has a very big problem brewing.
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1. When #45 met with Russian spies in the Oval Office it was reported he burned an Israeli asset in Raqqa, a city that at the time was a focus of my reporting. I then took the time to examine the facts and the issue of whether POTUS had the power to declassify the Israeli asset.
2. Some background. I learned years ago that material that carry the very highest classification are related to two issues: Anything to do with nuclear weapons and anything to do with the identity of foreign intelligence assets. So I viewed what he reportedly did likely a crime.
3. After reviewing the declassification regulations, that a POTUS has the power to change pursuant to law, the power to "declassify" is held exclusively by the "classifying authority." In burning the Israeli asset in Raqqa, based on the limited
1. Day four of the liberation of Russia by democratic insurgent forces: No sign of a slow down. Russian forces continue to be unable to mount a defense to the advancing Russian Volunteer Corps & Freedom of Russia Legion forces now holding 200 sq km of Russian fed territory.
2. The head of the Belgorod region rebuffed the insurgent command's call for a prisoner swap IMO likely because Russians are committing war crimes against the uniformed insurgent force following the law of armed conflict under a command structure.
3. Prigozhin criticized the Belgorod official for not doing the swap that he said were common practice. The insurgents have taken #Solntsevka, #Sereda, #Maryno and #Leninskiy & fighting continues over nine more settlements that includes #Ziborvka, #Shebekino and #Voznesenovka.
1. On the purloined documents, Jack Smith has the elements of three serious crimes and proof sufficient to establish willfulness, not just because he said it on a recording but because he issued a presidential directive signed on his last full day in which he admitted he knew.
2. My question has been whether Smith charges crimes related to the attempted overthrow in the documents case. We have heard little about the House and Senate GOP members who joined the conspiracy. The 14th Am and the statutes derived from it establish Congress is not immune.
3. Would Jack Smith charge a #45 and GOP conspiracy in a single case? I think that #45 is likely to be charged alone in a single case that adds the Jan 6 seditious conspiracy to the documents case and then charge a single seditious conspiracy re GOP House Senate members & others.
1. Though no formal meeting is on the table, this meeting at the table could break the stalemate. After pondering this, the Trump CAATSA sanctions placed on LI personally for authorizing Chinas purchase Russian made aircraft and anti-air weapons should be addressed.
2. If we're going to sanction Chinese leaders for the decisions to buy Russian weapons, in light of the reality of how China operates internally, we should sanction everyone in the Govt. If not, sanctioning Li appears petty and does not advancing US national security
3. in a time when the two nations' defense heads need to communicate. There is nothing to gain by continuing his sanctions that impact his family now that in fact they have met and appear to hit it off. @JoeBiden@JakeSullivan46@SecBlinken@SenatorMenendez@Risch4Idaho
1. Today Russian insurgents attacked from NE of #Kharkiv and engaged and destroyed Russian amor that was lured into an engagement with infantry supported by tanks of the #RussianVolunteerCorps.
2. The reports conflict but it appears the two tanks in support of mounted infantry entered Russia west of where the insurgent forces attacked on Thursday when the insurgents attacked Russian FSB forces at a border control point south of #Shebikino.
3. Thursday Russia moved in and insurgents withdrew back into Ukraine but successfully fixed the Russian mechanized forces for today's attack. With the Russian mechanized forces near of #Shebekino, rather than attack the border control point again, the insurgents
1. I've thought for some time that #45's obsession with things to do with Iran, especially towards the end of his presidency, were the result of his credible belief that the IRGC would target both #45 and Pompeo for assassinating Qasem Soleimani on Jan 2, 2020.
2. When he ordered it, and then like a dope admitted it, I knew they would try to get him. I also think Pompeo made a deal that allowed Iran to conduct the Jan 8, 2020, missile strike that struck al Assad air base that seriously injured more than 150 US military service members.
3. But that didn't satisfy Iranian hardliners who still make threats of revenge. Here is today's new State Dept sanctions against Iranians for targeting former US Govt officials. #45 is terrified. I can imagine him trying to make a deal with Iran to get off the Fatwa by