Welcome to the 29th issue of The Outsider Perspective, brought to you by The Beltway Outsiders.
I hope this issue finds you in good spirits as Christmas is upon us. This week I decided to compile stories worth reading over the long Christmas weekend. This will be the last issue of the Outsider Perspective for this year. I’m taking next week off. As such, I wish you, your family, and friends a Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah and a Happy New Year! I’ll see you all in 2017.
Christmas history
December 25, 1776: George Washington makes his improbable crossing of the Delaware River
A pictorial history of Santa Claus from the 13th Century to Today
Current events to know
Scientist in America pleads guilty to stealing classified information for the Chinese
Poll: Republicans showing an increased liking towards Putin – following a partisan trend
Partisan counterexample to the above poll: In 2011, over half of Democrats believed George W. Bush “knew” about 9/11 and was complicit in the terrorist attacks
Clinton Campaign tracked and aided the failed effort to flip electors away from Trump
Russia says all communication with America is frozen
Clinton loss reflects the importance of “being there” for voters
Looking ahead: How the new Census Report changes the number of electoral votes in 2020/24 and the electoral map
Fake hate crime reports peak in the days leading up to Christmas
National Security deep dive: Understanding cyber security and the Russian SpyWar
An enemy of the Kremlin dies “mysteriously” in London
Former NSA Analyst debunks the myths surrounding the Russian hacks
Lithuania found Russian malware on their government computer systems
US House Intelligence Report: Edward Snowden has contacts within Russian intelligence
Deterrence: What policies and measures we can take to deter Russia from hitting America with cyber attacks
America’s National Security Agencies Under Trump: Lessons from the Nixon Administration
Dealing with Terrorism and ISIS
Berlin attacks: Christmas market attacks in Berlin with a truck reflect ISIS tactics
Jihad takes Ankara, Zurich, and Berlin
ISIS in Russia: The Coming of the Russian Jihad, Part I
The Coming of the Russian Jihad, Part II
Book list: Defense and security experts put together a Christmas list of books you should add to your shelves
Interesting news items
Liberal secessionists in California are trying to open an embassy in Russia
The Life and Death of Wasil: The Taliban hunting warrior
Craig Sager: Always on the Bright Side. A profile of the iconic TNT basketball reporter
Thanks for reading!