THURSDAY PDB – It’s not just China, Russia and Iran that are spying on, bullying and kidnapping dissidents and critics on U.S. soil. A new report says that U.S. allies in the Middle East target dissidents in America, too.
Egypt and Saudi Arabia use threats, surveillance, hostage-taking and prosecutions to try to silence dissidents on U.S. soil.
The report by the Freedom Initiative found that Cairo and Riyadh have “become more innovative and emboldened” in carrying out transnational repression — the targeting of critics abroad.
While U.S. politicians frequently voice outrage and impose consequences against adversaries such as China, Iran and Russia, for employing these tactics, the report argues, policymakers allies such as Saudi Arabia and Egypt are rarely held accountable — including for acts that violate U.S. law and threaten national security.
FOR YOUR EYES ONLY – Here’s a roundup of other developing stories.
Not the President’s Daily Brief, but almost as good – PAUL’S DAILY BRIEFING – the PDB:
PENTAGON WOKE WATCH
WHY WE NEED TO WIN THE SENATE – Republican effort to undo VA abortion rule fails in Senate. The Senate rejected 51-48 the bid to scrap the expanded services.
NATIONAL SECURITY
BLAME EVERYONE, BUT ESPECIALLY BIDEN – American deterrence is failing. U.S. adversaries—principally Russia and China—do not seem cowed, either by the risk of failure to achieve their objectives or by the fear of retaliation.
US government tracking more than 650 potential UFO cases, Pentagon says. The large number of cases of so-called “unidentified aerial phenomena,” commonly known as UFOs, is being investigated by the office created last year to focus on the sightings.
Gobbledygook: Senators frustrated by classified briefing on Pentagon leak. Senators from both parties said they left the briefing with unanswered questions almost a week after the FBI arrested a suspect in connection with the leak investigation.
CHINA THREAT
House China committee to war-game Taiwan invasion scenario. The House China Select Committee this week will be war-gaming a Chinese invasion of Taiwan.
RUSSIA THREAT – UKRAINE WAR
US pledges a new $325 million arms shipment to Ukraine. The Pentagon plans to send another $325 million tranche of artillery, anti-armor weapons and other military aid to Ukraine as the embattled country considers a spring offensive against Russian troops.
Russia-Ukraine war: List of key events, day 421. Russia launched a drone attack on Odesa, hitting civilian infrastructure. The commander of the Ukrainian Air Force added that air defenses had destroyed 10 of 12 “kamikaze” drones.
NATO chief visits Kyiv for first time since Russian invasion. NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg is visiting Ukraine for the first time since Russia invaded more than a year ago.
US Patriot missiles arrive in Ukraine. Ukraine’s defense minister said Wednesday his country has received U.S-made Patriot surface-to-air guided missile systems it has long craved.
Wagner Group leader calls for end to Russia’s ‘special military operation.’ “Putin’s Chef” says Russia accomplished its mission.
Our own guys are shelling us: How Russian propaganda plagues Ukraine. Some in eastern Ukraine still confound officials and the police with their support for Russia despite the constant bombardment from Russian forces.
IRAN THREAT
Navy sails first drone through Mideast’s Strait of Hormuz. It sailed through the strategic waters near Iran.
SPACE THREAT
Space Force will get new capability for ‘full spectrum operations’ by 2026. Within a few years, the Space Force will be able to conduct “full spectrum operations” in orbit, Chief of Space Operations Gen. B. Chance Saltzman said this week—hinting at a new space weapon that could be used offensively.
Spy agency to prototype ground moving target-tracking from space. The National Reconnaissance Office, one of the “big five” U.S. intelligence agencies, expects to launch a ground moving-target sensor prototype into space within the next year as the mission shifts to satellites from aircraft.
INTERNATIONAL SECURITY
The US is about to blow up a fake warship in the South China Sea. As part of a joint military exercise with the Philippines, the U.S. Navy is slated to sink a mock warship.
US defense secretary forecasts Sweden will join NATO by mid-July. In its bid to join NATO, Sweden may cross the finish line in time for the transatlantic alliance’s next summit in mid-July, Secretary Lloyd Austin said.
Trudeau told NATO that Canada will never meet spending goal, leak shows. The Canadian prime minister has told NATO officials privately that Canada will never meet the military alliance’s defense-spending target. The document’s anonymous authors say Canada’s “widespread” military deficiencies are harming ties with security partners and allies.
US MILITARY
US Air Force, Navy conduct ICBM test aboard nuclear command aircraft. The two services conducted a test launch of an unarmed Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile in California using an airborne control center.
Coast Guard pleads for commercial icebreaker as timeline for new polar cutter falls apart. Initially, when the Coast Guard awarded a $745 million contract in 2019 for a new heavy icebreaker, the service predicted an accelerated delivery date for the ship, sometime in 2023. But not anymore.
US veterans suing 3M over earplugs seek to stop unit’s ‘false alarm’ bankruptcy. U.S. veterans and members of the military urged a judge to dismiss 3M’s bid to use the bankruptcy of its subsidiary Aearo Technologies to shield itself from nearly 260,000 lawsuits over military-issue earplugs that former users allege were defective and damaged their hearing.
END of PDB
The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the positions of American Liberty News.
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