- Housing market analyst ‘Poison Ivy’ Zelman, who called the 2008 bust that led to the Great Financial Crisis, sees ‘extremely depressed levels’ of existing home sales for years Fortune
- US home sales on pace for the worst year since 1993 CNN
- Heard on the Street Recap: This Home Not for Sale The Wall Street Journal
- First-time homebuyers finding it ‘tough to break in’ to real estate market: Danielle Hale Fox Business
- Gold prices holding above $2000 as U.S. existing home sales fall more than 4% in October Kitco NEWS
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Tag Archives: poison
Wes Anderson Confirms ‘Henry Sugar’ Short Film Collection Will Include ‘The Swan,’ ‘Poison’ and ‘The Ratcatcher’ – Variety
- Wes Anderson Confirms ‘Henry Sugar’ Short Film Collection Will Include ‘The Swan,’ ‘Poison’ and ‘The Ratcatcher’ Variety
- ‘The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar’ Review: Benedict Cumberbatch in Wes Anderson’s Mini-Marvel of a Roald Dahl Adaptation Hollywood Reporter
- Wes Anderson Talks Strikes & Controversial Roald Dahl Book Edits: “I Don’t Even Want The Artist To Modify Their Work” — Venice Deadline
- Roald Dahl’s works shouldn’t be edited, says Wes Anderson The Guardian
- Wes Anderson Speaks Out Against Roald Dahl Book Censorship in Venice Rolling Stone
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Cillian Murphy Says Divisive ‘Oppenheimer’ Sex Scene Is ‘Vital’; Oppenheimer’s Grandson ‘Would’ve Removed’ That Poison Apple Moment – Variety
- Cillian Murphy Says Divisive ‘Oppenheimer’ Sex Scene Is ‘Vital’; Oppenheimer’s Grandson ‘Would’ve Removed’ That Poison Apple Moment Variety
- Why the Sex Scenes in Oppenheimer are So Fascinating Pajiba Entertainment News
- Oppenheimer sex scene: Other books to read during intercourse, recommended by experts. Slate
- Javed Akhtar calls Oppenheimer a ‘great film,’ leaves a snarky reply for a user who asked ‘Explain isotope’: ‘This is not necessary..’ The Indian Express
- View Full Coverage on Google News
Husband of Utah grief book author Kouri Richins suspected she was trying to poison him — but stayed for kids’ sake – New York Post
- Husband of Utah grief book author Kouri Richins suspected she was trying to poison him — but stayed for kids’ sake New York Post
- Utah mom who wrote book on grief after husband died is accused of his murder | LiveNOW from FOX LiveNOW from FOX
- Spokesperson for family of man allegedly killed by Utah author speaks out ABC4.com
- Utah author Kouri Richins fought with hubby she’s accused of murdering over buying $2M mansion: docs New York Post
- Children’s book author Kouri Richins charged with poisoning husband with a lethal dose of fentanyl CBS Philadelphia
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Warren Buffett’s right-hand man Charlie Munger, who once called crypto ‘rat poison,’ says we should follow China’s lead and ban cryptocurrencies altogether – Fortune
- Warren Buffett’s right-hand man Charlie Munger, who once called crypto ‘rat poison,’ says we should follow China’s lead and ban cryptocurrencies altogether Fortune
- Charlie Munger says the U.S. should follow in China’s footsteps and ban cryptocurrencies CNBC
- Berkshire Hathaway’s Charlie Munger urges U.S. to ban crypto (Cryptocurrency:BTC-USD) Seeking Alpha
- Why America Should Ban Crypto – WSJ The Wall Street Journal
- Billionaire Charlie Munger says crypto is a ‘gambling contract’ that US should ban New York Post
- View Full Coverage on Google News
Monterey Park – latest: Gunman’s ‘poison’ paranoia revealed as 7 killed in latest mass shooting at Half Moon Bay
SWAT team reaches suspect white van involved in standoff connected to LA mass shooting
Monterey Park mass shooter Huu Can Tran was paranoid that his family had tried to poison him decades ago and had gone to police with the allegations just weeks before he killed 11 in a shooting rampage at a ballroom dance club.
Hemet Police revealed on Monday that Tran, 72, had visited the police department twice in early January – once on 7 January and then again on 9 January – “alleging past fraud, theft, and poisoning allegations involving his family in the Los Angeles area 10 to 20 years ago”.
The gunman told police he would return with documentation to prove his allegations but he never returned.
Weeks later, on Saturday night, he entered the Star Ballroom Dance Studio in Monterey Park and carried out America’s deadliest mass shooting in eight months. The death toll rose to 11 on Monday when another victim died from their injuries.
Less than 48 hours on from the massacre, California was rocked by yet another mass shooting in Half Moon Bay on Monday.
Seven people were killed across two locations at agricultural businesses – a mushroom farm and a trucking facility – before suspect Chunli Zhao, 67, was taken into custody.
Monterey Park shooter thought his family tried to poison him, police say
The Monterey Park gunman had told the police earlier this month that his family had tried to poison him decades ago, officials said.
Hemet police spokesperson Alan Reyes said in a statement on Monday that 72-year-old Huu Can Tran visited the Hemet Police Department lobby twice this month – on 7 January and then again on 9 January.
Tran had also made allegations of fraud and theft, apart from claiming that his family in the Los Angeles area had tried to poison him some 10-20 years ago.
Maroosha Muzaffar has more details:
Stuti Mishra24 January 2023 06:19
Watch: Brandon Tsay, who disarmed gunman, speaks to ABC News
Brandon Tsay, whose family owns the Lai Lai Ballroom & Studio in Alhambra, told ABC’s Good Morning America that he lunged at the shooter when he entered the venue armed and looking for people to shoot.
Mr Tsay said he was unaware at the time about the earlier attack in Monterey Park, where 10 people were killed and 10 others wounded.
“He started prepping the weapon and something came over me,” said the 26-year-old coder. “I realised I needed to get the weapon away from him. I needed to take this weapon, disarm him or else everybody would have died.”
Initial reports suggested two people disarmed the gunman, but Mr Tsay’s family says security footage shows he acted alone.
Most of the dance attendees had left when the shooter entered the ballroom studio on Saturday night.
After a struggle in which they exchanged blows, Mr Tsay was able to seize the weapon and threatened to shoot the intruder unless he left.
Oliver O’Connell24 January 2023 11:30
Monterey Park gunman’s ex-wife speaks out
The former wife of shooting suspect Huu Can Tran, 72, has spoken out after police say her ex-husband killed 10 people and injured 10 more at a shooting on 21 January at a dance studio in Monterey Park, California.
Speaking to CNN, Tran’s ex-wife, who asked not to be named due to the sensitivity surrounding the case, said she met him two decades ago at the Star Ballroom Dance Studio where Saturday’s massacre took place.
Rachel Sharp24 January 2023 11:10
Newsom slams ‘tragedy upon tragedy’ as he learns about latest mass shooting while visiting Monterey Park victims
California Governor Gavin Newsom was in Monterey Park meeting with victims of Saturday’s mass shooting on Monday when he learned about the shooting at Half Moon Bay.
“At the hospital meeting with victims of a mass shooting when I get pulled away to be briefed about another shooting. This time in Half Moon Bay. Tragedy upon tragedy,” he tweeted.
In an interview with CBS, the governor described the Second Amendment as a “suicide pact” and said that “large capacity magazines do not belong on our streets”.
“This Second Amendment’s becoming a suicide pact, it feels like,” he said.
“California’s 37 per cent lower than the death rate of the rest of the nation, and yet, with all that evidence, no one on the other side seems to give a damn.”
Rachel Sharp24 January 2023 10:50
California rocked by third mass shooting in three days as one killed and seven injured in Oakland
California has been rocked by its third mass shooting in as many days as one victim was killed and seven others injured in a shooting rampage at a gas station in Oakland.
The shooting unfolded just after 6pm on Monday evening at a gas station along Seminary Avenue and Macarthur Blvd, according to the Oakland Police Department (OPD).
Law enforcement responded to the scene after being notified to a shooting through ShotSpotter activity.
Read the full story here:
Rachel Sharp24 January 2023 10:30
Seven killed in latest mass shooting at Half Moon Bay
Less than 48 hours on from the massacre in Monterey Park, California was rocked by yet another mass shooting on the outskirts of Half Moon Bay in San Francisco on Monday.
Seven people were killed across two locations at agricultural businesses – a mushroom farm and a trucking facility – before a suspect was taken into custody.
The gunman shot dead four victims and wounded a fifth at the farm, before shooting another three victims dead at the second business located a few miles away, according to authorities.
Chunli Zhao, a 67-year-old worker at the mushroom farm, was found sitting in his car in the parking lot of a sheriff’s substation and was taken into custody, San Mateo County Sheriff Christina Corpus said.
The motive for the attack remains unclear but Mr Zhao and the victims all worked at the businesses.
Rachel Sharp24 January 2023 09:58
Coroner’s office names first two victims
The Los Angeles County Coroner’s office has released the names of two of the ten victims of the Monterey Park shooting on Saturday night.
Both were women in their 60s — My Nhan, 65, and Lilan Li, 63.
The other victims are three other women and five men, nine of whom are in their 60s and 70s and one of whom was aged in her 50s, officials have said.
Unofficially, friends identified the first victim as the owner of the ballroom studio.
Ming Wei Ma, the studio owner and a dance instructor, heroically ran towards the gunman to try to stop the massacre, a friend told CBS Los Angeles.
Oliver O’Connell24 January 2023 09:30
City of Alhambra Lunar New Year celebration to go ahead
The City of Alhambra has announced that it will go ahead with its planned Lunar New Year celebration this coming Sunday, 29 January.
A statement released via Facebook says: “While we don’t have all the information on the motives of Saturday night’s tragedy, Sheriff Luna has confirmed it was not related to the Lunar New Year Festival and the suspect is no longer a threat to the community.
“Alhambra’s Lunar New Year Festival will still take place this Sunday, January 29th. The safety of our community is paramount, as such, additional resources from the Alhambra Police Department will be present.
“We look forward to our celebration and our community coming together.”
Oliver O’Connell24 January 2023 08:30
Mass shooting survivors and gun reform advocates react
High-profile survivors of mass shootings and gun reform advocates have reacted with horror and outrage after a gunman murdered 11 people at a Los Angeles dance hall on the eve of Lunar New Year.
Oliver O’Connell24 January 2023 07:30
President Biden’s full statement following shooting
The White House released the following statement from President Joe Biden following the deadly shooting in Monterey Park.
Jill and I are thinking of those killed and injured in last night’s deadly mass shooting in Monterey Park. While there is still much we don’t know about the motive in this senseless attack, we do know that many families are grieving tonight, or praying that their loved one will recover from their wounds.
Even as we continue searching for answers about this attack, we know how deeply this attack has impacted the AAPI community. Monterey Park is home to one of the largest AAPI communities in America, many of whom were celebrating the Lunar New Year along with loved ones and friends this weekend.
Early this morning, I directed my Homeland Security Advisor to mobilize full federal support to local and state authorities as they continue to respond and investigate this shooting. As we await more crucial information from law enforcement, I want to assure the community of Monterey Park and the broader area that we will support you in every way we can.
Oliver O’Connell24 January 2023 05:30
Three dogs die after allegedly ingesting poison in NYC
Ralph Edwards was over the moon last summer when he brought Cali, an adorable 3-month-old Rottweiler puppy, back to his Washington Heights home. She quickly became a beloved member of the family.
But two weeks ago, the playful dog became severely ill one morning without any warning.
She wasn’t eating, was acting lethargic and even “looked very sad,” Edwards, a 42-year-old building superintendent told The Post. He took Cali to the vet, where she was put on antibiotics and underwent several tests.
“They called us back and said she’s really sick and that we needed to take her to a hospital,” Edwards recalled
He took the dog to the hospital, and she soon took a turn for the worse.
“Her kidneys and liver [had] failed,” he said.
Edwards had to make the heartbreaking decision to put the sick dog down. While vets couldn’t say for certain what caused the puppy to get so ill so quickly — they initially thought it was the deadly bacteria leptospirosis, but she tested negative — he believes it was rat poison she consumed off of city streets.
“The only other thing that could have run through her so rapidly was poison they told me,” Edwards said. “She was a puppy, we didn’t really bring her anywhere or go out of town or anything like that. Just neighborhood walks and that was about it. I just put all the pieces together.”
Cholecalciferol rat poison pellets — which are often spread across the city to control the rodent population — are a common cause of kidney failure in dogs, according to Dr. Ann Marie Zollo, a specialist in Emergency and Critical Care at Schwarzman Animal Medical Center on 62nd St.
“It basically gives you an overdose of vitamin D, which then ultimately can lead to high calcium and kidney failure,” Zollo told The Post.
In recent days, two other dogs have died in the area of Washington Heights where Cali lived and walked. Edwards said rat poison was again the likely culprit. Neighbors have since posted flyers around Cabrini Boulevard warning pet owners.
“It was a very sad thing that happened [to Cali],” he said. “Now it’s about raising awareness and this is a neighborhoods where dog owners are looking out for each other.”
Property management at 140 Cabrini Boulevard is also working to raise awareness. An email — obtained by The Post — was sent to building residents, cautioning them to be on the lookout for “pink pellets” on the ground near the building.
“Please be vigilant when walking your dog in the area, please also inform your dog walkers of this issue,” the memo read, adding that supers had not been laying said poison.
“This could be someone with no attachment to the properties that are doing this.”
But the issue of dogs being exposed to rat poison is anything but unique to the upper Manhattan nabe, Zollo said.
“This is something that we see with some regularity unfortunately,” Zollo told The Post. “It can really happen in any area of the city. Because, as we all know, there are mice and rats all over New York City.”
She’s not kidding. Recent rodent sightings in the city have increased by 70% as opposed to the same time period two years ago — locals have eyed over 21,500 scurrying creatures, up from 18,601 in 2021.
But Zollo says there is another potential reason for a high frequency of cases nowadays.
“We know that more people got pets during the pandemic. So there may be a little bit of an uptick because of that.”
Whatever the reason, the poisonings are devastating for dog owners.
“It’s been heartbreaking,” Edwards said. “I never had love like that from a pet in my life.”
How Warren Buffett Just Became More Heavily Invested In ‘Rat Poison’ Cryptocurrency – Nu Holdings (NYSE:NU)
Known as the “Oracle of Omaha” and by other nicknames, legendary investor Warren Buffett is a man of many names. Buffett also gives out nicknames from time to time, including calling leading cryptocurrency Bitcoin BTC/USD “rat poison squared.”
Here’s how Buffett might be more invested in cryptocurrency than he knows.
Buffett’s Bitcoin Ties: Buffett and Berkshire Hathaway Inc (NYSE: BRK-A) (NYSE: BRK-B) invested $500 million in Brazilian digital bank Nubank. The digital bank went public in December 2021 as Nu Holdings NU and Buffett invested additional capital in the company.
Now with an investment of more than $1 billion in Nu Holdings, Buffett could be more exposed to the growth of the cryptocurrency market than he knows or would probably like to be.
Nu Holdings unit Nubank is launching its own cryptocurrency through a partnership with Polygon MATIC/USD to power its loyalty and rewards for customers.
Nubank plans to launch its own token called Nucoin in the first half of 2023, which will be delivered free to customers and will be the kick-off of a new “groundbreaking rewards program.”
“We are opening a door to the future. Nucoin is a new way to recognize customer loyalty and foster further engagement with Nubank products,” Nucoin General Manager Fernando Czapski said.
Nubank has over 70 million customers in Brazil and other Latin American countries. The plan is to offer customers discounts and perks available by spending Nucoins.
Benzinga reported in May 2022 that Nu Holdings was launching cryptocurrency trading for Bitcoin and Ethereum ETH/USD and adding Bitcoin to its balance sheet.
Czapski said this another step ahead for the company’s push in blockchain technology and cryptocurrency.
Polygon co-founder Sandeep Nailwal praised the move.
“The fact that one of the largest digital banking institutions in the world is offering its own cryptocurrency is a strong testament to the utility that blockchain and crypto have to offer,” Nailwal said.
Related Link: How To Buy Bitcoin
Why It’s Important For Warren: Buffett has been one of the biggest opponents of Bitcoin and the rise of cryptocurrencies. Buffett was even labeled enemy number one of Bitcoin by Peter Thiel.
Buffett said he wouldn’t buy Bitcoin even if it dropped to $25.
Buffett has been a proponent of investing in value companies and also investing in what you know. Buffett often supports the companies that he invests in, whether its by drinking pop from Coca-Cola KO or switching from a flip phone to an iPhone from Apple Inc AAPL.
The legendary investor invests in companies he believe have a strong feature and have products that consumers want and need.
Buffett could have direct and indirect exposure to Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies, which means when he is talking negatively about Bitcoin he is speaking against a growth area of at least one of hist investments.
Berkshire Hathaway also owns a stake in Visa Inc V, which gives Buffett partial ownership of a CryptoPunk NFT.
Polygon Studios CEO Ryan Wyatt celebrated the partnership and also mentioned Buffett.
“We are excited for this partnership with Nubank and yet another big company building on Polygon! Also, let’s welcome Warren Buffett to the space,” Wyatt tweeted with a winking emoji.
NU Price Action: Nu shares were up 4% to $4.54 on Friday versus a 52-week range of $3.26 to $12.24.
Illustration via Shutterstock.
Florida tokers inadvertently smoked rat poison; 52 sickened, 4 dead
Enlarge / A man holds a K2 cigarette in an area that previously witnessed an explosion in the use of synthetic marijuana, in East Harlem on August 31, 2015, in New York City.
Just hours before President Biden unveiled a major effort to reform federal marijuana laws Thursday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention published a report highlighting some of the collateral damage of harshly criminalizing the relatively safe drug.
The report documented a mass poisoning from alternative marijuana products tainted with rat poison. The event—which severely sickened 52, killing four—isn’t the first or even the largest of such poisonings. In 2018, rat poison-laced fake products sickened nearly 200 in a multi-state rash of poisonings that also left four dead.
In the most recent cluster, health officials in Florida first began noting the cases in December of last year. And, based on the 2018 outbreak, they quickly linked the illnesses to synthetic cannabinoids (aka spice, K2, synthetic marijuana, or fake weed).
Synthetic cannabinoid products are often sold in small foil packages containing some sort of dried, shredded plant material that has been sprayed with lab-made, mind-altering chemicals meant to imitate components of marijuana. They’re also sometimes sold as liquids. The products are poorly regulated and can contain an ever-changing lineup of substances to sidestep evolving laws. Nevertheless, they’re often falsely marketed as safe, natural, and legal alternatives to marijuana, promising the same benefits as the real drug while being undetectable by drug tests.
Synthetic cannabinoids are dubious and can be risky, but products containing brodifacoum, a rat poison, are particularly dangerous. Brodifacoum is among a class of rodenticides called “superwarfarins,” and used to be the active ingredient in the rat bait “D-Con.” The toxic chemical is a long-acting vitamin K oxidoreductase antagonist, which blocks the activity of a specific enzyme. This results in an increase in an inactive form of vitamin K, which plays a critical role in blood clotting. Specifically, a protein in blood that is directly involved with clotting, prothrombin, is dependent on vitamin K.
Potent hit
Ingestion of brodifacoum can prevent proper clotting, leading to life-threatening bleeding. And it’s a long-acting drug, meaning poisonings can take months to treat. Brodifacoum has a half-life of 16 to 36 days, and researchers have observed it staying in the body for up to 270 days after acute exposure.
In the new report of the poisonings in Florida, Tampa-area health officials noted that most common symptoms of the poisonings were abdominal pain, peeing blood, and vomiting blood. And it was difficult to treat. “Many patients needed high doses of oral vitamin K1 (i.e., 150 mg/day), which required taking 30 5-mg tablets daily during hospitalization and for 3–6 months after discharge,” the authors noted.
They were also expensive to treat. The oral vitamin K1 treatments can run $65,000 or more per month. And testing for brodifacoum poisoning costs more than $750. The Florida officials noted that two-thirds of the patients were uninsured, and a private pharmaceutical company ended up donating enough vitamin K1 tablets to treat all 52 patients.
Officials don’t know for certain why anyone would put brodifacoum in fake weed, but researchers speculated that it could prolong or enhance the effects of synthetic cannabinoids. Brodifacoum has also been found tainting actual marijuana and cocaine.
The poisonings are yet another reason advocates for drug policy reform have called for legalizing and regulating marijuana, which is already happening in some states. Currently, 37 states and the District of Columbia have laws permitting medical use of marijuana, according to a report from the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws. Nineteen states and the District of Columbia laws permitting some recreational use, and 27 have partially or fully decriminalized some possession offenses.
On Thursday, President Biden made movements to reform federal laws by issuing mass pardons for federal simple possession offenses. He also directed federal officials to review the status of marijuana as a “Schedule 1” drug, a designation used for the most dangerous drugs.
Two shocking deaths are right out of Putin’s assassination playbook
Last weekend, Russians were shocked by a car bomb that instantly killed the daughter of one of Vladimir Putin’s closest allies, the ultra-nationalist political theorist Aleksandr Dugin. Images showed Daria Dugina’s Toyota Land Cruiser blazing in the dark, as her father — also known as Putin’s brain — stood just feet away in shock, grabbing his head with his hands.
Dugina’s death outside Moscow follows another bizarre event just one week earlier in Washington, DC. A Soviet-born Putin critic living in exile in the United States “jumped” to his death from his high-rise apartment building in an upscale neighborhood of the capital. The jumper was Dan Rapoport, a businessman who had strongly criticized Putin and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Both deaths sound like something out of a Tom Clancy novel. But the world of Russian espionage is even more bizarre than fiction.
While the DC police didn’t deem Rapoport’s death suspicious, it is right out of Putin’s playbook. Russia has been behind scores of targeted assassinations since the Soviet era. Shots in the back of the head, poisonings, forced suicides and other intricate forms of violent death are all part of the doctrine known as “wet affairs” — or the spilling of blood.
It is entirely too early to conclusively say who is responsible for the death of Dugina, a Kremlin propagandist. While the FSB, Russia’s spy agency, blamed Ukraine for the attack, Ukraine said Russia’s anti-war resistance force was responsible. But some think that Putin and his henchmen could have been behind the hit, arguing that martyring the only child of a great ally offers an excellent pretext for escalating even harsher attacks against Ukraine, with the war at a stalemate six months in.
While it’s extremely unlikely that Putin would kill the child of a Mother-Russia nationalist compatriot, striking at the heart of the very ideology that underpins his war on Ukraine, he has used unthinkable tactics on his own people before. Many believe he ordered FSB officials to bomb apartment buildings in Moscow, killing between 200 and 300 residents in 1999, in order to blame Chechen terrorists for the attacks and give Russia a reason to unleash war on Chechnya. Putin’s popularity as prime minister rose as a result, helping him win the Russian presidency in March 2000.
These dirty deeds — or “special tasks” — are carried out by Russian military intelligence operatives and include killings, kidnappings, poisonings, “forced suicides,” and other acts of intimidation and murder. Throwing a victim out of a window or making the victim jump is a very common tactic, along with staging car explosions and other tragic accidents.
The forces behind these “special tasks” are highly trained to leave no trace of foul play. According to a 1993 CIA document, even “in cases where the Soviet hand is obvious, investigation often produces only fragmentary information, due to the KGB ability to camouflage its trail.”
In 2002, Putin, a former KGB operative, started ratcheting up the practice of “wet affairs” and “special tasks” by approving a federal law, “On Countering Extreme Activity.” The law authorizes targeted assassinations for “extremist activity,” which includes “crimes” such as “diminishing national dignity” and “publicly expressing slander or false accusation of persons who hold Russian government positions.”
Many Russian journalists and political opponents have fallen afoul of this law. After journalist Anna Politkovskaya reported on the atrocities committed by her country’s forces during the Second Chechen War (1999–2009), she was shot and killed in her apartment elevator on Putin’s birthday in October 2006. Boris Nemtsov, a former Russian deputy prime minister and ardent Putin critic, was shot on a bridge near the Kremlin in February 2015.
Then there’s Aleksandr Litvinenko, a former FSB intelligence officer who defected to England and did contract work for British intelligence. In 2006, Litvinenko was murdered by two Russian GRU operatives who met with him in a luxury London hotel and served him a cup of tea laced with the radioactive agent polonium.
A handful of unconfirmed cases have even happened to people on US soil.
In November 2015, Mikhail Lesin, a former Russian media executive and Putin advisor, was found dead in an upscale Washington, DC, hotel. Lesin’s death happened a day before he was due to be interviewed by the Justice Department about the Kremlin-funded media company, RT, which he had founded. In October 2016, his death was deemed “accidental” by the US Attorney’s Office for Washington and the Metropolitan Police Department. But an official at the Chief Medical Examiner’s office revealed that Lesin’s neck bone was fractured in a way that is “commonly associated with hanging or manual strangulation.”
In US intelligence circles, it is believed that Lesin was a victim of a Russian hit job.
In March 2007, another Kremlin critic, former CIA officer Paul Joyal, survived a brutal attack near his home in Maryland. Joyal was shot in the groin four days after he implied during a Dateline NBC broadcast that Putin and the Kremlin were behind the killing of Litvinenko. Although the FBI initially investigated the attack, they dropped the case and the criminals have never been found. Joyal believes he was the victim of another Russian hit job.
It is doubtful that DC law enforcement will devote the necessary time and resources to investigate this month’s “suicide” of Rapoport either. It took British investigators more than 10 years to conclude that Russian intelligence operatives were responsible for the murder of Litvinenko on UK soil.
And it could be true that some of Putin’s critics have intentionally jumped off high rises to their deaths. But usually they have helpers.
Rebekah Koffler is the president of Doctrine & Strategy Consulting, a former DIA intelligence officer, and the author of “Putin’s Playbook: Russia’s Secret Plan to Defeat America.”