YOU TOO CAN LEARN HOW TO BELL THE CAT: In recent weeks we have marveled at how a group of self-described“gifted nerds” has exposed the deadly and oft-times dumb work of Russian intelligence agents. The folks at Bellingcat have identified the true names of GRU officers who attempted to murder Sergei Skripal in the U.K. and have exposed all manner of malfeasance on the part of Putin’s troops. Over the next few months Bellingcat is holding workshops in Europe and the United States where they will teach participants how to harness the methodologies they have employed so successfully. Five-day workshops are planned for Berlin, London, Washington, DC, and Amsterdam. But it doesn’t come cheap. The sessions are listed for £1800 – which by our calculations converts to about $2340.
FINNISH FEARS BASELESS, RUSSIANS SAY: The Independent newspaper in the UK reported recently that soldiers in Finland raided a mysterious island between Finland and Sweden and found what appeared to some folks to be a secret Russian military base. The private island had been purchased by a 54-year-old Russian who outfitted the place with security cameras, motion detectors and no-trespassing signs. It also had nine piers, a helipad and other military-like trappings. Russian prime minister Dmitry Medvedev pooh-poohed speculation that the island had some military purpose. “I don’t know in whose sick mind such a thought could be formulated,” Medvedev said. “Such thinking is paranoid.”
LOOK WHO’S TALKING: You may have seen stories during the past week which said that Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA) got some documents declassified which seemed to show that during the previous administration, the Intelligence Community may have collected intelligence which included congressional staff emails regarding intelligence community whistleblowers. It is unclear to us whether this collection was incidental, accidental, or beyond the pale. But we’ve found one person who has made up his mind. Convicted felon former CIA officer John Kiriakou who now works for Vladimir Putin’s “Sputnik News” told his current bosses that the email surveillance was a result of former CIA Director John Brennan’s “Nixonian obsession with leaks.” Sputnik also repeats the canard that Kiriakou was jailed for speaking publicly about enhanced interrogation. Leonie Brinkema, the U.S. District judge who sent him to federal prison in 2013, made a point during sentencing of stressing that Kiriakou was NOT a whistleblower. She said that the federal government was too lenient in their sentencing agreement where he pled guilty to unrelated charges about providing classified information to reporters.
LOOK WHO’S CRITICIZING: President Trump is not the only one criticizing CNN. Another person who apparently no longer trusts “the most trusted name in news” is – Larry King. That’s right, the former CNN talk show host lamented this week that “CNN stopped doing news a long time ago, they do Trump. Fox is Trump TV, and MSNBC is anti-Trump all the time.” Where did he say this? On the Putin-powered “RT-America.” King added that “RT is one of the few channels doing news.” What’s Larry been doing since leaving CNN? He now has a talk show – on RT.
OREGON CITY HONOR WOODS: Oregon City, OR recently decided to name a new 9-acre park in memory of Tyrone Woods, a former resident of the city, who was one of four Americans killed in Benghazi, Libya in 2012. Woods, a former Navy SEAL, went to work for the CIA after retiring from the military.
POCKET LITTER: Bits and pieces of interesting /weird stuff we discovered:
Buy Bill Casey’s Bungalow: OK, bungalow, might understate the case. The former CIA director’s Long Island mansion is on the market for the first time since 1945. You can see a short video here featuring the late-director’s daughter Bernadette, the current owner of the mansion known as “Mayknoll.” Located on the north shore of Long Island, about 45 minutes from mid-town Manhattan, the home is located on 8.2 acres. No sales price is listed but according to the video the sealed bid listing has an “undisclosed reserve price.” Casey’s “Cold War Library” is for sale too – but you will have to pony up separately for that. The video says: “the house is being marketed toward international buyers, including foreign governments and institutions like universities or think-tanks in the hopes the estate will be preserved.”
Method Actor: We’ve heard of actors who figuratively would give their right arm to land a part in a TV series – but Military Times reports that Todd Latourette, an actor who recently appeared in AMC’s “Better Call Saul” has admitted that he “sawed off and cauterized his own arm 17 years ago out of desperation to earn more acting roles.” The actor passed himself off as someone who lost his arm in combat overseas. He also says that he was struggling with mental illness at the time. THAT, we can believe.
Falcon Crunch: There is a long-standing tradition between the U.S. Military Academy and U.S. Naval Academy to try to kidnap each other’s mascots. Stealing a goat or a mule, after all, can be good fun. But some West Point cadets got carried away last weekend when they hijacked a live falcon mascot of the Air Force Academy. It did not go well. Aurora, a 22-year-old gyrfalcon, had a sweater thrown over her and she was stuffed into a dog crate. The bird bloodied itself, probably trying to escape. Early reports were that the bird might have to be put down – but fortunately Aurora seems to be recovering well. The USAFA falconry team adviser, Sam Dollar, was not amused. He said: “Unless you are federally licensed, you can’t even touch (falcons).” He added: “Air Force cadets who work with the falcons spend two months in training and have to take an exam before they are allowed to handle the birds.” West Point has issued a formal apology for the incident.
Uplifting News from Army Times: A story in Army Times revealed a military research project with what has to be one of the best acronyms ever. “BAMBI” is short for “Biometric Algorithm Monitoring Brassiere Integration.” The Army is trying to design a “tactical women’s undergarment” – AKA “sports bra” - that also carries sensors to measure performance. The idea is to create undies that will also “monitor heart rate and core temperature data to calculate heat stress on the body.”
IF YOU SEE SOMETHING, SAY SOMETHING: Got any tips for your friendly neighborhood Dead Drop? Shoot us a note at TheDeadDrop@theCipherBrief.com.
