Lori Spencer’s Journalism Archives

My friend and fellow Austinite Russell "Texas" Bentley has been missing since April 8. Despite rumors and speculation about his mysterious disappearance, Russell's fate is still a mystery. On the day he went missing, Russell and his wife Lyudmila had been in line at a local government building in #Donetsk to deal with some administrative documents, when he went to go help civilians injured in a nearby attack by Ukrainian forces. But when his wife went looking for him she only found his car, with his baseball cap, glasses, and his phone, which was shattered. On April 16th his wife wrote on Russell's Telegram account that she had received "reliable and confirmed ironclad information" that her husband was kidnapped "and continues to be illegally detained by the tankers of the 5th Brigade of the Russian Federation Armed Forces." She pleaded with Russell's friends and supporters to appeal urgently to the governments of the Donetsk People's Republic and #Russia, the FSB, the Prosecutor General's Office, and the Ministries of Defense and Internal Affairs, to help her locate her husband, adding "perhaps, there is not much time." His wife posted again on Thursday, April 18th: "Today is the 10th day since Russell disappeared. To this day, I do not know his whereabouts,” she said. On Friday, reports began to emerge that seemingly confirmed our worst fears. Sputnik, who employed Russell as a war correspondent, released a statement written by Margarita Simonyan, the head of Russia Today TV, stating that Russell (call sign "Texas") was dead. Russell's former combat unit, the Vostok battalion, and a local official in #Donetsk also confirmed his death yesterday, adding that their information came from Russell's wife. The U.S. State Department has not confirmed this information, however. In a statement Friday, a spokesperson said: “We are aware of reports of a U.S. citizen missing in the Donetsk region in #Ukraine. Our ability to verify reports of incidents regarding U.S. citizens in Ukraine is extremely limited." The mystery deepened when Russell's wife and some of his friends spoke out today, saying that they could not -- and would not -- confirm that he was in fact deceased. Our Maverick News correspondent in #Crimea, Kevin Michelizzi, is a personal friend of the Bentleys and told us this morning he was furious about the premature reports of Russell's demise, adding that most of what we've been told is #FakeNews. This afternoon Russell's wife Lyudmila posted on Russell's official Telegram channel that "I have not seen him alive, nor his body, nor his remains. That's a fact. And yes, there is some insider information that is very not good." She thanked "the Wagner group guys for finding out what happened, how that happened, who they were, how many of them there were and their motive..." "I still hope for real operational professionalism and decency from all involved agencies," she said. Since leaving his #Austin, #Texas home ten years ago to volunteer for the Russian armed forces against what he called "the #Nazis in Ukraine," Russell was willing to lay down his life for a cause he believed in: the struggle against #fascism. Even though Russell had aged out of the armed forces a few years ago, he was still not afraid to put himself in dangerous situations; often running directly towards active combat zones to cover battles as a journalist, or to provide first aid to civilians injured by the constant shelling in Donetsk -- as he did in the moments before his mysterious disappearance on April 8. In an interview exactly one month before he vanished, Russell told journalist Patrick Henningsen on TNT Radio that Donetsk was swiftly becoming a hotzone of combat activity once again as NATO soldiers were infiltrating the area -- which may provide some clues as to his violent kidnapping and perhaps, his murder. At this point, it is probably safe to say we won't be seeing our friend "the #Donbass Cowboy" again. Who killed Russell Bentley? Was it the Ukrainians, who had his name on their infamous kill list? Was it the #DPR, who reportedly suspected him of being a #NATO spy? Was it Pro-Ukrainian Russian "Werewolves" who had a personal score to settle? Or perhaps a shadowy NATO special forces unit who black-bagged him? We may never know. All we do know for sure is that Russell "Texas" Bentley's life -- and his ultimate sacrifice -- was not in vain. Those of us who knew and loved him will miss his war stories, his guitar picking, his wry wit, and his encyclopedic knowledge of history. Although Russell and I were on opposite sides of the political spectrum (I'm a #libertarian; he was a #communist), we shared much in common: a deep love for our native Texas, our musical tastes, our #cannabis activism, and our mutual hatred of fascism. Tonight, Episode 33 of "Strange Bedfellows" is a tribute to my friend Russell. As today is 4/20, the annual #marijuana holiday, I couldn't think of a more appropriate time to bring you some selected highlights from my last interview with Russell on July 14, 2023. Here, he tells his fascinating life story, in his own words. If you never had the pleasure of getting to know Russell "Texas" Bentley, maybe tonight's show will make you wish you had. And if you did know "Tejas," this incredible conversation will serve as a remembrance of the beautiful human being we have apparently lost to the horrors of war. If you enjoyed this interview, please help support the show with a donation at: http://StrangeBedfellowsPodcast.com Many thanks to the Maverick News Channel for hosting this program. http://MaverickNews.ca

In Episodes 1 and 2 of the "Hidden #History Revealed" podcast, I unraveled the story of how U.S. military intelligence (and later, the CIA) recruited, armed, funded, trained, and protected former German and Ukrainian #Nazis during the #ColdWar. These truths were kept secret from the American people for more than half a century. Although a few stories had leaked out over the years, historians were unable to conclusively confirm how extensive the Nazi connection was until Congress passed the Nazi War Crimes Disclosure Act in 1998, which allowed declassification and release of the files. In Episode 3, I'll tell you about the efforts of one man -- a Department of Justice whistleblower -- whose 20 year crusade to expose the facts helped make that law possible and brought the truth to light at last. His name is John Loftus. As a former prosecutor with the U.S. Justice Department's Nazi-hunting unit, he had unprecedented access to top-secret #CIA and #NATO archive in the 1970s and 80s. Now a retired attorney, Loftushas written several books about his discoveries in those underground vaults where the government buries its secrets. His classic works include "The Belarus Secret," "The Witness Tree," "The Secret War Against The #Jews" and "America's Nazi Secret." Prepare yourself for a new episode full of shocking revelations! Premiers tonight at 9 Eastern.

Feb. 26 marked 30 years since Bill Hicks passed away. Bill was a friend of mine back in the 80s/90s, and I hosted a live X Space Monday night in his honor. Thought it might be fun to sit around the virtual campfire, tell some jokes, share some memories, and celebrate Bill’s life. We played some clips of his best comedy bits, talked about all the amazing things Hicks accomplished in his short 32 years, and wonder what else he might have created had he lived 30 more. Of course we couldn't refrain from some speculation about what Bill Hicks would think of our world today. His observations three decades ago are still remarkably relevant, and nearly all of the problems our country faced then still haven't been solved. (In fact, they've gotten worse!) In Part 2, we hear Bill talking about the #JFK assassination, government conspiracies and cover-ups, lying politicians, gays in the military, and many more problems that we, as a society, still grapple with 30 years later. The anti-intellectualism Bill talked about in 1989’s “Sane Man” comedy special was just a joke then….or was it? 35 years later, we aren’t laughing anymore. Did Bill have a crystal ball or what? Did he have a time machine; or was he an alien who was visiting our planet only for 32 years, before the spaceship picked him up and took him home? We talked about all that and more. If you missed this three-hour comedy special live, catch Part 2 tonight at 8 PM Eastern. Join us for a night of love, laughter, and truth! UPDATE: YouTube CENSORED and removed Part 1! Watch it UNCENSORED on Rumble here: https://rumble.com/v4fyk3x-remembering-bill-hicks-30-years-later-a-night-of-love-laughter-and-truth.html

Feb. 26 marked 30 years since Bill Hicks passed away. Bill was a friend of mine back in the 80s/90s, and I hosted a live X Space Monday night in his honor. Thought it might be fun to sit around the virtual campfire, tell some jokes, share some memories, and celebrate Bill’s life. We played some clips of his best comedy bits, talked about all the amazing things Hicks accomplished in his short 32 years, and wonder what else he might have created had he lived 30 more. Of course we couldn't refrain from some speculation about what Bill Hicks would think of our world today. His observations three decades ago are still remarkably relevant, and nearly all of the problems our country faced then still haven't been solved. (In fact, they've gotten worse!) In Part 1, we hear Bill talk about the War on Drugs, alcoholism, smoking, wars for oil abroad, censorship, the Waco siege of 1993, the hassles of flying, the high cost of living, and the dumbing down of our society. The anti-intellectualism Bill talked about in 1989’s “Sane Man” comedy special was just a joke then….or was it? 35 years later, we aren’t laughing anymore. Did Bill have a crystal ball or what? Did he have a time machine; or was he an alien who was visiting our planet only for 32 years, before the spaceship picked him up and took him home? We talked about all that and more. If you missed this three-hour comedy special live, catch the premiere of Part 1 tonight at 8 PM Eastern. Part 2 premieres Wednesday, Feb. 28 at 8 PM Eastern. Join us for a night of love, laughter, and truth!

As we mark the two-year anniversary of the #Russia-#Ukraine war, now seems like a perfect time to explore its origins. On Episode 2 of "Hidden History Revealed," we will discover the recently uncovered truth through a declassified document trail which shows -- beyond any doubt -- that the current U.S.-backed proxy war in Ukraine didn't just start in February 2002; or even in 2014. The war was started more than 75 years ago by the CIA, using Ukrainian nationalist "freedom fighters" to destabilize the #USSR, with the ultimate goal of effecting regime change in Soviet Russia. Here's a handy thread to read as you follow along with the podcast, with images of key documents and links to more in the U.S. National Archives. https://twitter.com/RealLoriSpencer/status/1613064660437139457?s=20 More on the CIA's PROJECT AERODYNAMIC can be found here: https://www.cia.gov/readingroom/docs/AERODYNAMIC%20%20%20VOL.%209%20%20(DEVELOPMENT%20AND%20PLANS)_0001.pdf And here: https://www.cia.gov/readingroom/docs/AERODYNAMIC%20%20%20VOL.%2035%20%20%28OPERATIONS%29_0039.pdf Don't miss Episode 2 of "Hidden History Revealed:" learn about the #ColdWar #CIA network of Ukrainian nationalist spies and their Nazi war criminal allies all over the world, from #Canada to #Germany, #Egypt, #Syria, #Iraq, and #Palestine. Premieres Sunday, Feb. 25 at 9 P.M. Eastern. (Viewer discretion is advised.)

As the two-year anniversary of the war between #Russia and #Ukraine approaches this month, I've created a new "Hidden History" podcast series about the Central Intelligence Agency's collaboration with #NazisInUkraine. Last week Russian president Vladimir #Putin told Tucker Carlson that the CIA was behind the 2014 Maidan coup, secretly colluding with radical neo-Nazi elements in the country to overthrow the elected government. Putin declined to go into the details, because it's a very long story. He could have said more --much more -- about this collaboration which was kept secret from the American public for more than half a century. Documents declassified under the Nazi War Crimes Disclosure Act of 1998 finally revealed the truth: that the CIA began recruiting Ukrainian nationalists as anti-Soviet sabotage forces at the beginning of the Cold War in the late 1940s, with the ultimate goal of regime change in the Soviet Union. On Episode 1, I'll tell you the incredible story of how CIA Director Allen Dulles personally brought Mykola Lebed -- a high-ranking Ukrainian Nazi war criminal and convicted murderer -- to the United States, and gave him a job at the CIA. Despite efforts by a few intrepid journalists to expose Lebed, and Department of Justice Nazi-hunters to prosecute him, the U.S. government protected Lebed until his death in 1998. Who was Mykola Lebed? Depends on who you ask. By various accounts, he was an assassin, a freedom fighter, a terrorist, a hero, a villain, a prisoner, a refugee, a Nazi collaborator, a genocidal maniac, and a ruthless war criminal. To the Central Intelligence Agency, which bankrolled his activities for close to half a century, he was known as “Uncle Louie.” In 1934 Lebed was sentenced to death for the murder of Polish official Bronisław Pieracki. The sentence was commuted in 1936 to lifetime imprisonment, and Lebed managed to escape prison during the the German invasion of Poland in 1939. In 1940, The OUN (Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists) split into two factions: the OUN-B for loyalists ofStepan Bandera, and the OUN-M for followers of Andrei Melnik. Lebed was a leader of the #Bandera group. The #Nazis sent Bandera to Sachsenhausen concentration camp in 1942 after he declared Ukraine an independent state. Lebed then became the de facto leader of the Bandera faction, which largely controlled the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA), through the end of the war. Over the following few years, the UPA was responsible for tens of thousands of murders. After the end of World War II, Western intelligence agencies sought to acquire OUN members as informants and infiltrators. The OUN was avowedly anti-#Communist, and it already had a network of trained guerilla fighters at the ready for an anticipated Soviet offensive. The United Kingdom’s MI6, their analogue to the CIA, opted to work with the Bandera, who later died under mysterious circumstances, allegedly murdered by the #KGB. The #CIA chose to work with #Lebed, then the Foreign Minister of the Ukrainian Supreme Liberation Council (UHVR). Lebed still had considerable influence among Ukrainian nationalists. In the 1950s the Agency put Lebed to work in a propaganda operation called PROJECT AERODYNAMIC, setting him up with offices in New York City where he created Ukrainian language, anti-Soviet radio programs, pamphlets, and books to be distributed in the #USSR. Later, the CIA shielded Lebed from allegations and deportation because he was too valuable of an asset and any publicity could compromise the entire project. Don't miss the premiere of "Hidden History: Nazis in Ukraine" Episode 1 Feb. 13th at 9 PM Eastern.

The Russian city of St. Petersburg on Saturday marked the 80th anniversary of the end of a devastating World War II siege by Nazi forces with a series of memorial events attended by Russian President Vladimir #Putin and close allies. #Leningrad80 The #Kremlin leader laid flowers at a monument to fallen Soviet defenders of the city, then called #Leningrad, on the banks of the Neva River, and then at Piskarevskoye Cemetery, where hundreds of thousands of siege victims are buried. On Saturday afternoon, Putin was joined by Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko in Gatchina, a town outside #StPetersburg that once housed camps for Soviet prisoners of war, for the unveiling of a statue commemorating civilians killed during the Nazi onslaught. The Red Army broke the nearly two-and-a-half year blockade on Jan. 19, 1943, after more than 900 days of fierce fighting. Estimates of the death toll vary, but historians agree that more than 1 million Leningrad residents perished from hunger, or air and artillery bombardments, during the siege. It is estimated that over 600,000 Leningrad residents died of hunger -- far more than died from bombs or artillery fire. Putin was born and raised in Leningrad, and his #WWII veteran father suffered wounds while fighting for the city. Putin's elder brother died of starvation at the age of two. He is buried in a mass grave, where the president lays a ceremonial wreath every year. On this 80th anniversary of the liberation of Leningrad from the #Nazis, we will take you on a deep dive into the history of that historic battle and show you some incredible footage from the Soviet and German archives that Westerners rarely ever see. In 1978, actor Burt Lancaster co-produced a 20-part documentary series about World War Two on the Eastern front called "The Unknown War." The series was produced with the help of the Soviet Union, who opened their private archives of footage captured by Red Army photographers during the war for this production. Nearly four million feet of raw film footage was stored alongside German films captured by the Allies after the war for 35 years but never exhibited to the public -- until "The Unknown War" showed it to the world for the first time. In this special report, we will show you excerpts from this mammoth 20-part series specific to the Battle for Leningrad, and tell you the amazing backstory of Burt Lancaster's personal mission to make this historic film documenting WWII like you've never seen it before. Tune in tonight at 9 PM Eastern for the premiere. WARNING: Viewer discretion is advised. * If you enjoyed this video, please share it, subscribe, and consider supporting my work with a one-time donation or monthly patronage at: http://Patreon.com/LoriSpencer or http://StrangeBedfellowsPodcast.com Now that you know the fascinating backstory of "The Unknown War," watch the full 20-part documentary series for free here: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLhs30iGhgICncex8qB-_Fmej-0HSwy4fH&si=WIb3pxD7c03CIeS2

On this date in 1961 the newly sworn-in John F. #Kennedy began his first day as president. As evidenced by the first Executive Order he signed that day, expanding food assistance to the poor (what is known today as food stamps, or SNAP benefits), relieving poverty was at the top of his agenda for the New Frontier. #JFK also inherited a troubled #economy. The country was in a #recession -- it's third in 10 years -- at the time Kennedy took the oath of office on January 20, 1961. On Episode 22 of the "Kennedy Americans" podcast we will take a look at President Kennedy's economic solutions that catapulted the United States into a period of unprecedented #prosperity -- while at the same time creating a more secure safety net for the disadvantaged, creating #Medicare and #Medicaid, issuing tax cuts, building infrastructure projects, and keeping #inflation down. We'll also explore how Kennedy brought big business to heel in his clash with the steel companies, a fierce battle the president waged to ensure that American corporate interests also served the public interest. Here's how JFK fixed our domestic economy without going to war overseas. Kennedy showed us it can be done. We hope his nephew, 2024 presidential candidate #RFKJr follows his uncle's lead and pursues similar economic policies starting on day one of the next Kennedy administration on January 21, 2025. DISCLOSURE: I am a volunteer recruiter for the #Kennedy24 campaign. Join the #RFKArmy at http://Kennedy24.com/LoriSpencer

The Los Angeles District Attorney filed criminal charges against #RFK stalker Jonathan Macht on Dec. 28, 2023 alleging that he disobeyed a Restraining Order. Two additional criminal charges were filed against Macht for Trespassing, and Harassment Through Repeated Phone Calls. Macht's arraignment and plea hearing is set for January 29. Last November, #Kennedy filed a petition for a restraining order after Macht allegedly showed up at his Brentwood home and tried to make contact while Kennedy and his family were home. The politician’s security team caught Macht after he climbed over a fence in the backside of Kennedy’s house. The police arrived at the home and served Macht with an emergency protective order. He was taken to jail and released hours later. Macht returned to the Kennedy home and scaled the fence a second time that same day, resulting in a second arrest by Los Angeles Police. Macht had been stalking #RFKJr for months, sending him more than 400 emails containing violent threats against him. A judge granted Kennedy's request for a Permanent Restraining Order against Jonathan Macht in November. This week, Kennedy asked the court to add his wife, actress Cheryl Hines, to the list of people protected by the Order. The court denied the request because Kennedy “has not filed either an amended petition or stipulation, as requested by the Court’s” order. However, the judge set a hearing for January 31 where Kennedy can present additional documents to convince the judge. The restraining order against Macht remains in full effect. I've been covering the case of Jonathan Macht, as well as the other criminal case against Adrian Paul Aispuro (the heavily-armed man who showed up at an RFK event last September) in the Los Angeles County Courts. I'll bring you the latest updates on Episode 21 of the "Kennedy Americans" podcast Friday, January 12 at 9 P.M. Eastern.

Over 2000 pages of unsealed documents from a lawsuit connected to accused sex-trafficker Jeffrey #Epstein were publicly released on Wednesday. This is the first set of documents to be unsealed under a December 18 court order, with more expected in the coming weeks. The documents in total, including material yet to be unsealed, are expected to include hundreds of names, including some of Epstein’s accusers, prominent businesspeople, politicians and potentially more. The document dump arrived late Wednesday evening, January 3rd, while Maverick News was live on the air. I dived right in and already found some eyebrow-raising revelations. Here’s what I’ve discovered in the court documents so far about former Presidents Bill #Clinton and Donald #Trump, 2024 Independent presidential candidate #RFKJr, Epstein’s former attorney Alan #Dershowitz, Prince Andrew, as well Michael Jackson and Steven Hawking (both deceased). Jeffrey Epstein died by suicide while awaiting trial five years ago. His convicted accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell was arrested in 2021 and remains in prison. Maxwell released a statement Wednesday maintaining her innocence. Watch my report! Support my independent journalism with a one-time donation or monthly patronage at http://StrangeBedfellowsPodcast.com