James Bond Author's Lost Writing Will Finally Be Published This Year

 I’ve been an Ian Fleming aficionado since I was a kid in the early 1960s and saw Dr. No. I’ve read all of Ian Fleming’s novels and short stories, and much of his journalism.

I’m especially fond of his travel book, Thrilling Cities, which I caried with me while serving in the U.S. Navy on an aircraft carrier during the Vietnam War, and later on a Navy tugboat at the U.S. nuclear submarine base at Holy Loch, Scotland. I visited many of the cities he covered a decade before in the book.

So I was pleased to learn that a new book will be published that features his journalism.

Ryan Britt at Men’s Journal reports that a new collection of James Bond author Ian Fleming’s journalism will be published in May.

In terms of fiction, Ian Fleming only ever published one book that wasn't a James Bond book; the 1964 children's book, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. But, as a journalist and essayist, Fleming was prolific. In fact, his career as a journalist in the 1930s predated much of his other work in both the military, and later, as an author. But, outside of the 1963 collection Thrilling Cities, Fleming's nonfiction has been basically impossible to find. 

Until now. Just announced by Ian Fleming Publications, a new nonfiction collection of the author's writing is coming in May of 2025. The title is Talk of the Devil, and the book will feature Fleming's reviews and journalism for The Sunday Times, his travel journalism not previously featured in Thrilling Cities, WWII reporting, plus, unpublished letters between Fleming and Raymond Chandler. An official press release also confirmed that Talk of the Devil will "feature newly-unearthed articles that have not been available for over half a century."

You can read the rest of the piece via the link below:

James Bond Author's Lost Writing Will Finally Be Published This Year - Men's Journal

Crime Reporter And Author George Anastasia On Biden’s Commuted Sentence Of Philadelphia Murderer Kaboni Savage

Broad & Liberty ran my piece on Crime reporter and author George Anastasia’s take on President Biden’s commutation of Kaboni Savage’s death sentence.

You can read the piece via the below link or the below text:

Paul Davis: Biden lets Philly murderer Kaboni Savage off of death row

President Biden’s parting gift to America was to pardon or commute the sentences of scores of violent criminals. One of the criminals whose death sentence was commuted to life in prison was Kaboni Savage, a major Philadelphia drug dealer who ordered multiple murders, including the murder of four children.

Retaliating against a former criminal associate-turned FBI witness, Kaboni Savage ordered from his prison cell the firebombing of the witness’s home in 2004. Killed in the fire were the witness’s mother and her fifteen-month-old child, as well as three other children aged ten, twelve, and fifteen.         

The FBI later caught Kaboni Savage on tape in his prison cell laughing and suggesting, “They should stop off and get him some barbecue sauce and pour it on them burnt bitches.”

A jury sentenced Savage to thirteen death sentences. But President Biden overturned the jury’s decision and commuted this mass murderer’s death sentence to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

I reached out to veteran crime reporter George Anastasia, the author of several true crime books about the Philadelphia-South Jersey Cosa Nostra organized crime family, including “Blood and Honor,” which the late Jimmy Breslin called the best organized crime book ever written, and “The Goodfella Tapes,” in which he quoted a FBI recording of a elder mob guy who explained to a potential mob litigant “that goodfellas don’t sue goodfellas. Goodfellas kill goodfellas.”

George Anastasia covered the Kaboni Savage case as a reporter for the Philadelphia Inquirer, so I asked him what he thought of Kaboni Savage. 

“He was a monster,” Anastasia replied. “He was a very despicable individual. The firebombing of that house underscored all that and afterwards the feds bugged his cell, and he was joking about it. That’s horrible. 

“Here’s the thing; he was pardoned but all that means is he’s going to spend the rest of his life in prison, and you could argue that’s a fitting punishment. He’s not coming home. He is going to spend the rest of his life in horrible confinement. He’s going to be caged up like an animal and that’s exactly what he was, the way he comported himself.”  

True. But in my view, I said to George Anastasia, the death penalty is justified for criminals who commit heinous crimes, such as the ones Savage was convicted of. So I think he should have been executed.

“He got commuted to life without parole,” Anastasia pointed out. “It’s not like he’s walking out the door. Should we have a death sentence? That’s a legitimate argument. But what’s your definition of a heinous crime and what’s mine?

“The jury decided Savage’s crimes were heinous and they sentenced him with the death penalty,” I said. “President Biden overturned the jury’s verdict.”

“That’s the way the system is set up. The system also allows for the commutation of sentences,” Anastasia said. “Here is a horrible individual, probably more violent and more despicable than any mob boss I ever wrote about. One of his famous sayings apparently was ‘no witness, no crime.’”  

I asked Anastasia if Savage will be placed in a federal prison’s general population, or will he end his days in a “supermax” prison, locked down 23 hours a day alongside the cells of cartel drug lords and terrorists.

“The last time I looked he was in Florence, Colorado, which is a supermax. It’s a grim existence.” 

As a reporter, Anastasia covered Kaboni Savage’s trial and provided extensive and excellent coverage of the murderer, so I asked him what he was like in court. 

“He appeared to be a fairly intelligent guy and almost low-key. Savage was a sociopath. There was a contrast between who he was being portrayed as opposed to who was sitting at the table. And then they started playing those horrific tapes. You can’t get around those tapes. He buried himself.”  

Who was Kaboni Savage and what crimes did he commit?

“Kaboni Savage was a North Philly boxer and then a drug dealer. He was very heavily involved in the drug trade, and he had his own organization. One of the intriguing things about the drug underworld of Philadelphia is that it was never monolithic. It’s not like the mob. You have different neighborhoods and different organizations. He rose up in that particular area of North Philadelphia and he had an organization around him, and they were involved in drug dealing. He was a terribly violent individual. 

“One of the first stories I wrote was about Tybius Flowers, who was going to be a witness against him. Kaboni Savage had him killed, again from prison. He put a hit out on him and that case disappeared. That’s where “no witness, no crime” came from. He walked out of jail,” Anastasia explained. 

“The last couple of years I was at the Inquirer, I spent more time writing about the drug underworld than the traditional underworld. If you look at it, those guys had more of a negative impact on the city of Philadelphia than the mob ever did. They literally destroyed neighborhoods, they killed one another, and anybody who got caught in the crossfire. They had no concern for human life. Kaboni Savage epitomized all of that. 

“When he was on the top of his game it was a horrible, horrible existence for a lot of people.” 

I support the death penalty for heinous crimes, but as Anastasia points out, an argument can be made that in a supermax cell for the rest of your life with restricted access to the outside and no hope of release is a more fitting punishment than a swift execution.

Paul Davis, a Philadelphia writer and frequent contributor to Broad + Liberty, also contributes to Counterterrorism magazine and writes the “On Crime” column for the Washington Times. He can be reached at pauldavisoncrime.com.     

FBI Seeking Information On South Philly 2023 Armored Truck Robbery And Shooting

 

Alleged Sinaloa Cartel Leader Extradited From Mexico, Appears In Court

The DEA released the below information:

SAN DIEGO – Alleged Sinaloa Cartel cell leader Octavio Leal-Hernandez, aka Chapito Leal, who is believed responsible for trafficking large amounts of methamphetamine, cocaine, heroin and marijuana into the United States from Mexico, appeared in federal court today following his extradition from Mexico yesterday.

Leal-Hernandez was indicted by a federal grand jury in the Southern District of California in May 2020 for International Conspiracy to Distribute Controlled Substances and Conspiracy to Distribute Controlled Substances. 

At today's hearing, Leal-Hernandez was arraigned and entered a not-guilty plea before U.S. Magistrate Judge Barbara L. Major. The judge granted the government's request that the defendant be held without bond pending trial. His next court appearance is scheduled for March 10, 2025, for a motion hearing/trial setting in front of U.S. District Court Judge Benjamin J. Cheeks. 

The government filed a memorandum today in support of its request for detention that describes Leal-Hernandez as a cell leader who rose through the ranks of the Sinaloa Cartel. The memo said Leal-Hernandez was aligned with the Beltran-Leyva faction of the Sinaloa Cartel, specifically with Fausto Isidro Meza Flores, aka Chapo Isidro. Meza Flores is the co-leader of the Beltran-Leyva faction of the Sinaloa Cartel and was designated by the U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control as a Foreign Narcotics Kingpin.

Between January 2012 and April 2012, law enforcement authorities lawfully intercepted wire and electronic communications between Leal-Hernandez and several of his drug trafficking associates. The wiretap intercepts confirmed that Leal-Hernandez was a leader/organizer of the Beltran-Leyva faction of the Sinaloa Cartel in Tijuana, Mexico and was responsible for supplying drug distributors in Southern California and other destinations within the United States. The wiretap intercepts also confirmed that Leal-Hernandez has committed acts of violence to facilitate his drug trafficking activities. 

Further investigation after 2012 until his arrest in 2020 confirmed that Leal-Hernandez remained one of the organization’s leaders, responsible for directing, managing, and overseeing the organization’s drug trafficking in Tijuana. 

According to the government’s detention memorandum, Leal-Hernandez oversaw the collection and preparation of large shipments of methamphetamine, cocaine, heroin, and marijuana from Tijuana, Mexico into the United States. He then directed organization members to coordinate the logistics of storing the drugs in the organization’s stash houses and transporting them to the organization’s distributors and customers throughout California and elsewhere in the United States. 

“Drug traffickers are predators that must be held accountable for the harm they cause,” said DEA Special Agent in Charge Brian Clark. “The capture and extradition of Leal-Hernandez is a reminder to any cartel member that there is nowhere to hide; we will use every tool at our disposal to hold you accountable because no one is beyond the grasp of the DEA and our law enforcement partners.”

“This appearance in an American court is the result of our unwavering pursuit of those who perpetuate violence and push narcotics into our communities,” said U.S. Attorney Tara McGrath. “We will hold traffickers accountable, no matter how long it takes.”

“The arrest and extradition of Leal-Hernandez marks a significant victory in our relentless fight against the deadly scourge of narcotics trafficking. This joint Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) was made possible due to the dedication, expertise, and extensive investigative work of our special agents and our invaluable federal law enforcement partners,” said Shawn Gibson, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in San Diego. “We extend our deepest gratitude to all involved for their unwavering hard work, commitment, and collaboration.”

“International drug cartels cause immeasurable harm to the American public by importing lethal narcotics and committing acts of violence which terrorize our community,” said FBI San Diego Special Agent in Charge Stacey Moy. “The serious and sustained actions of international drug traffickers will not be tolerated, and we will continue to work closely with our partners to keep our communities safe.”

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Joshua Mellor. The U.S. Marshals Service completed the removal of Leal-Hernandez from Mexico to the Southern District of California.

INVESTIGATING AGENCIES

U.S. Attorney's Office, Homeland Security Investigations, Federal Bureau of Investigation, U.S. Coast Guard

This prosecution is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) Strike Force Initiative, which provides for the establishment of permanent multi-agency task force teams that work side-by-side in the same location. This co-located model enables agents from different agencies to collaborate on intelligence-driven, multi-jurisdictional operations to disrupt and dismantle the most significant drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations.

Defense Secretary Hegseth's Message to the Force

The Honorable Pete Hegseth is the 29th Secretary of Defense, sworn in on Jan. 25, 2025.

Hegseth was commissioned as an infantry officer in the U.S. Army National Guard after graduating from Princeton University in 2003. He participated in a number of active-duty deployments during his time in service, including operations in Guantanamo Bay, Iraq and Afghanistan. Hegseth also served in multiple staff positions in the National Guard.

Hegseth's military awards include two Bronze Star Medals, the Joint Commendation Medal, two Army Commendation Medals, the Combat Infantryman Badge (CIB) and the Expert Infantryman Badge (EIB). He has authored five books, including the New York Times best-seller The War on Warriors (2024). 

Secretary Hegseth's Message to the Force

Jan. 25, 2025

It is the privilege of a lifetime to lead the warriors of the Department of Defense, under the leadership of our Commander in Chief Donald J. Trump. We will put America First, and we will never back down.
 
The President gave us a clear mission: achieve Peace through Strength. We will do this in three ways — by restoring the warrior ethos, rebuilding our military, and reestablishing deterrence.   
 
o    We will revive the warrior ethos and restore trust in our military.  We are American warriors. We will defend our country.  Our standards will be high, uncompromising, and clear. The strength of our military is our unity and our shared purpose.  
 
o    We will rebuild our military by matching threats to capabilities. This means reviving our defense industrial base, reforming our acquisition process, passing a financial audit, and rapidly fielding emerging technologies. We will remain the strongest and most lethal force in the world. 
 
o    We will reestablish deterrence by defending our homeland — on the ground and in the sky. We will work with allies and partners to deter aggression in the Indo-Pacific by Communist China, as well as supporting the President’s priority to end wars responsibly and reorient to key threats. We will stand by our allies — and our enemies are on notice.
 
All of this will be done with a focus on lethality, meritocracy, accountability, standards, and readiness.
 
I have committed my life to warfighters and their families.  Just as my fellow soldiers had my back on the battlefield, know that I will always have your back. We serve together at a dangerous time.  Our enemies will neither rest nor relent.  And neither will we.  We will stand shoulder to shoulder to meet the urgency of this moment.    
 
Like each of you, I love my country and swore an oath to defend the Constitution. We will do that each and every day, as one team.  Together we will accomplish the President’s mission to deter war, and if necessary, defeat and destroy our enemies. Godspeed!

Trump’s ICE Raids Turn Up Pedophiles, Gangbangers, And NY-Based Suspected Terrorist As 538 Migrants Arrested: ‘Heinous Crimes’

The New York Post offers a piece on illegal immigrant criminals rounded up by ICE. 

You can read the piece via the below link:

Trump's ICE raids turn up pedos, gangbangers, and NY-based suspected terrorist as 538 migrants arrested

Former CIA Analyst Pleads Guilty To Transmitting Top Secret National Defense Information

The U.S. Justice Department released the below information:

A former CIA analyst pleaded guilty today to retaining and transmitting Top Secret National Defense Information to people who were not entitled to receive it, information which was publicly posted on a social media platform in October 2024.

According to court documents, Asif William Rahman, 34, of Vienna, was an employee of the CIA since 2016 and had a Top-Secret security clearance with access to Sensitive Compartmented Information (SCI).

“Mr. Rahman betrayed the trust of the American people by unlawfully sharing classified national defense information he swore an oath to protect,” said Assistant Attorney General Matthew G. Olsen of the Justice Department’s National Security Division. “Today’s guilty plea demonstrates that the Justice Department will spare no effort to swiftly find and aggressively prosecute those who harm the United States by illegally disclosing our national security secrets.”

“Asif Rahman is pleading guilty in federal court three months to the day that he disclosed top secret American documents in violation of his oath, his responsibility, and the law,” said U.S. Attorney Jessica D. Aber for the Eastern District of Virginia. “This District, in partnership with federal law enforcement and the intelligence community, exemplified dedication, skill, and speed to bring him to justice expeditiously. Mr. Rahman’s actions placed lives at risk, undermined U.S. foreign relations, and compromised our ability to collect vital intelligence in the future.”

“With today's plea, Asif Rahman acknowledges he betrayed the trust of his country by sharing classified information in spite of the risk to the United States and our allies,” said Executive Assistant Director Robert Wells of the FBI’s National Security Branch. “Government employees who are granted security clearances and given access to our nation's classified information must promise to protect it. Rahman blatantly violated that pledge and took multiple steps to hide his actions. The FBI will use all our resources to investigate and hold accountable those who illegally transmit classified information and endanger the national security interests of our country.”

“Today’s plea demonstrates the FBI’s resolve to deploy the necessary tools and authorities to identify, locate, and bring to justice a government clearance holder who violated the oath he took to support and defend the U.S. Constitution,” said Assistant Director David Sundberg of the FBI Washington Field Office. “This is a good reminder to all clearance holders that the FBI and our Intelligence Community partners will spare no resource to immediately find and hold accountable those who violate the law and disclose classified information without authorization, no matter where in the world they are located.”

According to court documents, on Oct. 17, 2024, Rahman accessed and printed two Top Secret documents containing National Defense Information regarding a U.S. foreign ally and its planned actions against a foreign adversary. Rahman removed the documents, photographed them, and transmitted them to individuals he knew were not entitled to receive them. By Oct. 18, 2024, the documents appeared publicly on multiple social media platforms, complete with the classification markings.

After Oct. 17, 2024, Rahman deleted and edited journal entries and written work product on his personal electronic devices to conceal his personal opinions on U.S. policy and drafted entries to construct a false narrative regarding his activity. Rahman also destroyed multiple electronic devices, including a personal mobile device and an internet router he used to transmit classified information and photographs of classified documents, and discarded the destroyed devices in public trash receptacles in an effort to thwart potential investigations into him and his unlawful conduct.

Beginning in the spring of 2024 and continuing through November 2024, Rahman repeatedly accessed and printed classified National Defense Information, including documents classified up to the Top Secret level, to take them to his residence. There, Rahman reproduced the documents and, while doing so, altered them in an effort to conceal their source and his activity. Rahman then communicated Top Secret information that he learned in the course of his employment to multiple individuals he knew were not entitled to receive it.

Rahman was indicted by a grand jury on Nov. 7, 2024, and was arrested by the FBI as he arrived to work on Nov. 12, 2024. He has remained in custody since his arrest.

Rahman pleaded guilty to two counts of willful retention and transmission of classified information related to the national defense. He is scheduled to be sentenced on May 15, 2025. He faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison for both counts in the plea agreement. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

The FBI Washington Field Office is investigating the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Troy A. Edwards Jr. for the Eastern District of Virginia and Trial Attorney Brett Reynolds of the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section are prosecuting the case.