Back Story Newsletter
Good Morning,
Classified
I don’t keep classified documents next to my Corvette.
I wanted to get that out of the way straight off.
So why do current or ex American Presidents have secret documents kicking around their residents of libraries or offices?
It’s all too difficult for you and me to imagine, because most of us have never even seen a ‘classified secret’ something, let alone taken one or more home.
I do have a old Corvette, but there is nothing secret near, or in it! I promise.
I guess President’s routinely view secret documents, and sometimes have homework?
The difference between former President Trumps secret stash and that of President Biden’s however is distinct. Here’s why…
Trump kept documents in view of other people and largely unsecured at his Palm Beach residence, and when that was discovered, he repeatedly refused requests from the National Archives to turn them over.
Even after a justice department subpoena, FBI agents took about 33 boxes and containers of 11,000 documents from Mar-a-Lago, including roughly 100 with classification markings.
In Bidens case the documents were handed over by his lawyers who discovered a “small number” with classified markings had been found in November in a locked closet at the Penn Biden Center thinktank in Washington. Then more were found in his locked garage.
But the nuances of secret there but not so secret here, will be lost on voters who will say both Trump and Biden shouldn’t equally broke rules, although there is one more thing - classified documents can sometimes be declassified and but still be marked secret. We will leave that argument to the lawyers and the Justice Department.
But the lesson is keep your secrets at the office and your Corvette far away from anything classified.
Iran
The UK and EU will likely soon brand the Iranian Revolutionary Guards IRGC, as a terrorist organization after the execution of British-Iranian Alireza Akbari who was executed as an alleged British spy.
The Iranian regime has been increasingly seen as a threat to British interests, and UK authorities have discovered at least 10 “potential threats” to “kidnap or even kill British or UK-based individuals perceived as enemies of the regime.”
But branding the IRGC has larger implications, including further clouding nuclear disarmament talks with Iran, that has largely been stalled anyway.
Iran is thought to now have enough nuclear materials for a bomb, but has not been successful in weaponizing it yet.
However Russia, eager to get more Iranian assistance in its war in Ukraine may help Iran’s nuclear program bringing Western powers to a nuclear crisis with Iran soon.
Ukraine-Russia
Britain’s Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has confirmed the UK will indeed provide Challenger tanks for Ukraine, fighting a Russian invasion.
The move will increase pressure on Germany to provide Leopard tanks to Ukraine, as Russia has intensified attacks this weekend.
At least 18 people have been killed in a missile strike on an apartment complex in Dnipro which was part of a wave of missile attacks fired by the Russians. The scale of the attack on this civilian building is heart wrenching.
Ukraine says Russia launched 69 missiles at different targets from the ground, 41 from sea and air platform, and out of those 26 were shot down.
Russia has largely taken control of the town of Soledar, and increased pressure on the Ukrainian holdout City of Bahkmut. More fire power for Ukraine is key to its defence as Putin’s ugly war shows no sign of ending.
Other News…
-A plane with 72 people on board has crashed near Pokhara airport in central Nepal and at least 67 people are dead officials say.
-Climate activist Greta Thunberg and thousands of demonstrators marched in a large-scale protest in Germany on Saturday against the demolition of Leutzerath village to make way for an open-cast coal mine extension. There were clashes with police.
-Romanian authorities seized an estimated estimated $3.9 million worth of luxury cars and other assets belonging to embattled influencer Andrew Tate on Saturday. Tate has been charged with human trafficking. After his vehicles were towed on Saturday, a post appeared on Tate's Twitter account which read: "Anyone who believes I'm a human trafficker is genuinely a moron."
-A fresh wave of storms inundated California again on Saturday, swelling rivers, downing power lines as a series of atmospheric rivers continued to plague the state. At least 19 people have died since late December in a series of powerful storms from the North Coast to the southern border over the last two and a half weeks.
Have a good weekend all.
Dana Lewis