GOP Rep. Mike Turner said Sunday that Russian propaganda has taken hold among some of his House Republican colleagues and is even "being uttered on the House floor."

"We see directly coming from Russia ... communications that are anti-Ukraine and pro-Russia messages, some of which we even hear being uttered on the House floor," Turner, chair of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, said in an interview on CNN's "State of the Union."
"There are members of Congress today who still incorrectly say that this conflict between Russia and Ukraine is over NATO, which of course it is not," he added.

Never forget, the press is the enemy. The establishment is the enemy. The professors are the enemy.

Write that on a blackboard 100 times and never forget it.

UK and France warn US ‘the world is watching’ on Ukraine aid

Foreign Secretary David Cameron visits Washington this week to help unlock aid for Ukraine

€500B remains unspent from EU’s Covid recovery fund

Capitals urge European Commission to slash red tape fearing that huge amounts of money won’t ever be used

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APRIL 8, 2024 4:00 AM CET
BY GREGORIO SORGIBRUSSELS — Governments have received less than a third of the EU's original €723 billion pot to help boost post-Covid economic recovery and are now heaping pressure on the European Commission to speed up payments.

Countries are demanding the Commission slash the mountain of red tape that is preventing them from getting their hands on their share of Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF) cash or discouraging them from applying in the first place — sparking fears they will miss out on huge amounts of money when the initiative expires in 2026. It comes as the fund is mired in a corruption scandal with Italian police arresting more than 20 suspects across the EU as part of an investigation into fraud of more than €600 million.

One national official who spoke to POLITICO lamented the hoops countries had to jump through to access the money — which is made up of grants and loans — describing the Commission’s strict checks on funding proposals as "more similar to an audit." Another diplomat said governments were beginning to thinkrequesting loans under the RRF was "not worth the effort."

By KELLY GARRITY

02/18/2024 08:34 AM EST

House Intelligence Chair Mike Turner defended his decision to issue a public statement about a national security threat that was later revealed to be about Russia’s nuclear capabilities in space.

“We need to make certain that we avert what could be an international crisis. I was concerned that it appeared that the administration was sleepwalking into an international crisis. But it looks like now they’re going to be able to take action,” the Ohio Republican said during an interview on NBC’s “Meet the Press” airing Sunday.Turner faced intense criticism, particularly from privacy hawks and members of his party’s right flank, for his decision to release a cryptic statement about “a serious” threat, requesting that the White House declassify all information relating to it.
Rep. Andy Ogles (R-Tenn.), a member of the far-right House Freedom Caucus, called on Speaker Mike Johnson on Thursday to launch a formal inquiry into Turner’s statement, accusing Turner of trying to bolster support for two of his legislative priorities: sending more aid to Ukraine and renewing a controversial surveillance power.

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House Intelligence Chairman Mike Turner is facing sharp criticism – including from within his own party – as some GOP lawmakers are complaining that a statement the Ohio Republican made Wednesday was alarmist, “constituted poor judgement” and should be investigated.

Some of Turner’s colleagues believe he was drawing attention to a Russian threat to build support for Ukraine aid and others believe it was his effort to push for his version of a Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act overhaul that was facing a vote later in the day.

“It’s *******ing bullsh*t,” one prominent House Republican told CNN of Turner’s move. “He ought to lose his job. He did that to get his way on FISA.”

Others were just as unnerved by the move.

“I don’t know what his motives were it just to me, it just looks bad,” Republican Rep. Tim Burchett of Tennessee told CNN’s Manu Raju. “I have a bad feeling about this.”

Another Tennessee Republican, Rep. Andy Ogles, sent a scathing letter to House Speaker Mike Johnson on Thursday calling for an investigation into Turner for his vague statements, calling his disclosure “reckless” and asserting he disregarded of the consequences.

“This act constituted poor judgement at a minimum and a complete breach of trust influenced by the pursuit of a political agenda at a maximum … it is with great reticence that I formally request an inquiry as to any impact the Chairman’s statements may have had on U.S. foreign and domestic policy,” Ogles wrote.

CNN has reached out to Johnson for comment on the letter.

Not long after Turner released his statement warning of a “serious national security threat,” Johnson arranged a last-minute news conference in the Capitol to make clear there’s “no need for public alarm” and clarifying he had already requested a briefing on the matter a month ago.


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Noisy, slow, and hardly discreet, drones are typically shot down at a cost far higher than the price of a typical Shahed or Ababil model. In Ukraine, volunteer drone-hunting teams track and fell them from the skies with hand-held floodlights, laser pointers and high-caliber machine guns. Yet in the Red Sea, the US and its allies are using anti-aircraft missiles, such as the Sparrow, the SM-2, and the Sea Viper, which can cost as much as $1 million apiece. “States are using inordinately expensive assets to shoot down cheap things,” says Erik Lin-Greenberg, an historian of military technology at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology who researches the dynamics of drone warfare.

The Pentagon “is actively working to develop and deliver effective and affordable counter-drone capabilities,” spokesman Tom Crosson said in emailed responses to questions for this story. Neutralizing sophisticated drones isn’t easy, he said. “Depending on the size, maneuverability, speed, and other on-board technical capabilities of the drones, mitigating them requires a layered and integrated air defense architecture.”

Drones’ value proposition encourages users to unleash fusillades in hopes one or two hit their target. Russia has launched wave after wave of Iranian kamikaze drones at Ukrainian energy facilities and urban centers in recent months. On March 6, for example, it launched 42. While Ukraine’s air force said 38 were shot down, four slipped through and damaged several buildings, wounding at least seven people and knocking out power to 14,000 homes. The World Bank estimates Russia’s attacks have caused roughly $12 billion of damage to Ukraine’s energy sector.

By helping allies and proxies produce drones on their own turf — a unique approach in the drone industry — Iran’s partners gain technology and jobs, while Iran maintains a measure of deniability for how the weapons are used. Hacked documents recently leaked by the Prana Network show Russia is paying Iran $1.16 billion to manufacture 6,000 high-end Shahed-136 kamikaze drones through 2025. Striking video released in Russian media in March shows line after line of the triangle-shaped weapons that the IRGC says are capable of carrying 50 kilograms of explosives 2,500 km

In the end, unless China is willing to crack down on technology sales to Iran, stifling Iran’s drone industry is a lost cause, says Don Pearce, a former chief of interdiction at the Commerce Department. It may take five to 10 years for the West to develop effective military means to counter Iranian drones, experts say.

“It’s like sticking your finger into a levee that’s collapsing. The best we can do is try to slow it down and make it more expensive for Iran, which we’ve succeeded in doing,” Pearce says. “Trying to control them is like trying to control the jet stream from bringing air particles to Iran.”