MONDAY PDB – Trump almost dared prosecutors to indict him. – A strong Trump indictment—but is it strong enough? The evidence against the former president is powerful, but the jurors aren't the only ones who will need convincing.
When an incumbent administration prosecutes the leading candidate against the president, it should have a case that is so compelling that it attracts the kind of bipartisan support that forced Nixon to resign.
STILL, BIG QUESTION, WHY NOT HILLARY?
HILLARY DESTROYED EVIDENCE – Why Trump was charged on secret documents and Clinton, Pence were not. Apparently unlike Joe Biden, Hillary Clinton and Mike Pence, Donald Trump actively tried to keep classified material he couldn't legally have, prosecutors allege.
FOR YOUR EYES ONLY – Here's a roundup of today's other top defense stories from national security expert PAUL CRESPO.
Not the President's Daily Brief, but almost as good – PAUL'S DAILY BRIEFING – the PDB:
PENTAGON WOKE WATCH
As Biden visits renamed base, DeSantis slams ‘political correctness.' Joe Biden traveled to the recently renamed Fort Liberty in North Carolina. Ron DeSantis vows to change name back.
NO TAXPAYER FUNDING FOR TRANS SURGERY – No timeline for trans vet surgeries, VA says 2 years after announcing coverage. The department now says it has no timeline for when the procedures will actually be offered.
IN PAST THEY WEREN'T INTENDED TO PROMOTE A RADICAL TRANS AGENDA, OR ANY SEXUAL AGENDA – Drag show ban complicates Pride celebrations at US bases in Japan. Canceling drag shows on U.S. military bases constitutes discrimination and misinterprets an art form that's been part of the military for more than 100 years, according to event organizers at installations in Japan.
NATIONAL SECURITY
INDEED – Spend more on defense? Let's focus on spending better. The leaders of Congress' National Defense Strategy commission lay out their priorities.
I'VE ALWAYS SUPPORTED THIS – Join the military, become a US citizen: Uncle Sam wants you and vous. Struggling to overcome recruiting shortfalls, the Army and the Air Force have bolstered their marketing to entice legal residents to enlist.
HOMELAND SECURITY
LOOKING TO FUEL A FALSE NARRATIVE – Left wing group sues Pentagon for documents about white supremacy. The “watchdog” organization American Oversight filed two lawsuits Thursday to unearth incidents of white supremacist activity across the U.S. military during the past six years.
Texas National Guard says troops not involved in buoy barrier after governor's announcement. The buoy barrier is being built in the Rio Grande to deter migrants from crossing into the U.S. from Mexico between legal ports of entry.
CHINA THREAT
BUT THIS WILL BE A NEW ONE – China has had a spy base in Cuba since at least 2019, US confirms. The existence of the Chinese spy base was confirmed after The Wall Street Journal reported that China and Cuba had reached an agreement to build an electronic eavesdropping station on the island.
LOL, LOL – Chinese military says it's here for “benevolence.” It looks to rebrand itself as a global humanitarian and peacekeeping force in a new English-language ad. Can it make the image stick?
China aircraft monitored US, France, Canada, Japan navy drill. The reconnaissance aircraft flew over Pacific waters east of Taiwan last week to gather intelligence on an exercise involving the allied navies.
Taiwan president vows to strengthen defense tech to ward off China. Tsai Ing-wen on Saturday said the self-ruled island would work to improve its rescue and defense capabilities with new technologies.
Putin says tactical nuclear weapons to be deployed to Belarus by July. A move that the Belarusian opposition described as an attempt to blackmail the West.
Zelenskyy says Ukraine ‘counteroffensive, defensive actions' underway. He added that his top commanders are in a “positive” mindset as their troops engaged in intense fighting against Russian forces along the front line.
Russia-Ukraine war: List of key events, day 474. Ukraine said its troops recaptured three villages from Russian forces in its southeast, the first liberated settlements Ukraine has reported since the start of its latest counteroffensive.
NORTH KOREA THREAT
How North Korea's hacker army stole $3 billion in crypto, funding nuclear program. The communist regime has trained cybercriminals to impersonate tech workers or employers, amid other schemes.
IRAN THREAT
White House says Iran is helping Russia build a drone factory. It is helping to build the plant east of Moscow as the Kremlin looks to lock in a steady supply of weaponry for its ongoing invasion of Ukraine, according to U.S. intelligence.
SPACE THREAT
Draft House NDAA would create Space National Guard. The updated National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) would also add 800 Guardians to the Space Force's active duty end-strength, as requested by the service — including establishing a dedicated Space Force legislative liaison.
INTERNATIONAL SECURITY
US cyber experts sent to Latin America on ‘hunt-forward' mission. They were sent south to identify digital weaknesses on foreign networks and expose tools hackers employ, according Cyber Command.
Jam on it: Saudi Arabia base acts as anti-drone lab for US military in Middle East. The futuristic anti-drone gun lit up as an American airman aimed it at a quadcopter hovering in the sky Friday above Prince Sultan Air Base.
US flexes ‘overwhelming power' in Middle East with B-1 mission. Air Force B-1 Lancer bombers fired advanced munitions in a live-fire exercise in the Middle East, the latest display of American muscle in the region.
US MILITARY
RESPECT – US Army's new combat vehicle named for soldiers killed in Iraq, WWII. It has named its first new combat vehicle in nearly four decades the M10 Booker after two soldiers killed in action.
Being ‘The bad guy': Army's OPFOR readies NATO troops for battle. Watch Army scouts “take out” allied targets in an exercise where U.S. troops take on the role of a NATO enemy.
END of PDB
Trumps Indictment is Political
Hillary is Legal & Security since smashing classified docs on tapes