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A nuclear satellite alarm, early warning on a Cuban mole, a CIA whistleblower fired, a Moscow intelligence hack busted, Tucker's pratfall, espionage ethics, foreign gifts to CIA officers—and more

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Red Alert: What was Rep. Michael Turner doing? That question has puzzled Washington after the Ohio Republican who heads the House Intelligence Committee went public Wednesday with a cryptic reference to “a serious national security threat” that set off a media frenzy.  In the next day’s briefing, White House spokesman John Kirby said that the threat involves a space-based anti-satellite capability that Russia is developing. Multiple news reports claimed that Russia was seeking to build a nuclear weapon that could knock out satellites. (“The capability is a nuclear-armed—not a nuclear-powered—weapon,” two U.S. officials told The Washington Post).

While not commenting directly on those reports, Kirby said the capability would violate a 1967 Outer Space Treaty that forbids nuclear weapons in space. The U.S. intelligence community has been tracking Russia’s developing anti-satellite capability for “many, many months if not a few years,” Kirby said. What changed in recent weeks was that the intelligence community has a “higher sense of confidence exactly how Russia continues to pursue it.”  

Troubling, yes. A threat to anyone’s safety? No, not anytime in the near future.. “No need to buy gold,” said Rep. Jim Himes of Connecticut, the top Democrat on the House intelligence committee.  

So why did Turner sound such an alarm?