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‘Star Trek shield’ technology gets $250M boost to knock drone swarms from the sky with high-powered microwave

‘Star Trek shield’ technology gets 0M boost to knock drone swarms from the sky with high-powered microwave

A new high-powered microwave system that can knock swarms of drones out of the sky at once is going to “touch every aspect of warfare,” according to Epirus founder, Joe Lonsdale.  “It’s kind of like a Star Trek shield,” Lonsdale, founder of Epirus and a co-founder of fast-rising defense technology company Palantir, explained of its Leonidas counter-drone system. “It’s able to turn them off from very far away.”  “This is going to touch every aspect of warfare over the next decade,” said Lonsdale. “We can knock down some pretty advanced drones.”  Defense tech startup Epirus secured another $250 million in a Series D funding round, which was announced Wednesday, bringing its total venture funding to over $550 million.  VANCE VISITS CAPITOL HILL TO URGE SENATORS TO CONFIRM ELBRIDGE COLBY FOR PENTAGON NO. 3 POST Epirus’ Leonidas system is a ground-based, directed energy weapon that fires off an electromagnetic pulse to disable swarms of drones, or it can neutralize precision targets. The company aims to help the military shift away from a “1 to 1 mindset to a ‘1 to many’ way of thinking for short-range defense,” according to CEO Andy Lowery.  Drone swarms have been a key frontline tactic in the Russia-Ukraine war because most defense systems are designed to take out one unmanned vehicle at a time. Additionally, in the Middle East, the U.S. has been using multimillion-dollar missiles to shoot down Houthi drones that are built for around $2,000 or less.  “Swarms of drones is where war is going, and currently you have swarms of drones that are very expensive and very difficult to stop,” said Lonsdale. “It’s not just drones, they’re all sorts of different types of uses for this,” he added, predicting that one day the technology might be deployed to freeze up planes in the sky and protect satellites. The technology has already been successful in Defense Department tests on boat motors and other electronics, according to the company.   “This is just it’s just going to touch every aspect of warfare in the next decade.”  Rep. Rob Wittman, vice chair of the House Armed Services Committee, warned that the U.S. needs to “run to play catchup” with its adversaries in the counter-UAS space.  “We are not doing what we need to do,” he told Fox News Digital on the sidelines of the National Security Innovation Base Summit in Washington, D.C. “We have failed miserably at counter-UAS. We do okay in CENTCOM [Central Command], but … in places like Langley Air Force Base, we are not where we need to be.”  Dozens of drones hovered over Langley for over two weeks in 2023, and lawmakers say they still have not been provided with an explanation.  COUNTER-DRUG SEA DRONES UTILIZED BY NAVY AS TRUMP RAMPS UP MILITARY RESOURCES AT THE BORDER Epirus won a $66 million contract in 2023 to supply its Leonidas to the U.S. Army, and the technology is believed to be  in the testing phase by Central Command, which oversees the Middle East, according to comments that Army Chief of Staff Gen. Randy George made to Congress last year.  The rapid rise of unmanned aerial vehicles in war has prompted a defensive race to develop systems to counter them, like high-energy lasers and high-power microwaves.  “We have a lot of people who are, you know, coming into the [Defense Department]wanting to embrace new technologies,” said Lonsdale. “They’re really excited about this.”  The defense entrepreneur suggested there is “tons of waste” in the Pentagon that could be repurposed for new technologies. “There’s a ton of cronyism. We’re seeing tens or even hundreds of billions of dollars you could pull out, depending [on] how aggressive you want to be. And these should be put into cutting-edge technologies that actually deter enemies.” Epirus was valued at $1.35 billion when it raised $200 million in Series C funding, but the company did not disclose its valuation for this round.  The California-based company will use the new cash influx to expand into international and commercial markets and expand manufacturing in the U.S.  The company is also planning to open a new simulation center in Oklahoma to train soldiers in counter-drone warfare. 

GOP rep says she’ll refer sanctuary city mayors for criminal prosecution

GOP rep says she’ll refer sanctuary city mayors for criminal prosecution

A Republican congresswoman said she is referring the Democratic sanctuary city mayors who testified before Congress on Wednesday to the Justice Department for criminal prosecution. Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla., said that the mayors who testified during a House Oversight Committee hearing on sanctuary cities were in violation of Title 8, U.S. Code § 1324, a federal law that makes it illegal to bring in and harbor unauthorized aliens. It also prohibits the unlawful employment of aliens.  “I just referred the sanctuary city mayors to the Department of Justice for CRIMINAL investigations based on evidence from their own comments and policies, proving that they were breaking federal law,” Luna wrote on X with a video accompanying her announcement. “Open borders ideologies hurt people on both sides. If you hold federal office and are breaking the law, you’ll be criminally investigated by the DOJ.” ANNA PAULINA LUNA TO LEAD TASK FORCE ON DECLASSIFICATION OF JFK ASSASSINATION RECORDS, EPSTEIN CLIENT LIST Denver Mayor Mike Johnston, New York City Mayor Eric Adams, Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and Boston Mayor Michelle Wu all defended their respective city’s sanctuary policies at the fiery hearing. They defended their communities as welcoming and called on Congress to pass immigration reform. Republican members of Congress hammered the mayors for their sanctuary city policies, accusing them of endangering Americans and threatening to prosecute local officials.  Luna told the mayors that their policies were hurting citizens as well as migrants. DENVER MAYOR GRILLED OVER AREA’S TREN DE ARAGUA PROBLEM AS GOP LAWMAKER SAYS POLICIES TO BLAME “I do not think you guys are bad people, but I do think you are ideologically misled,” Luna said. “Which is why, unfortunately, based on your responses, I’m going to be criminally referring you all to the Department of Justice for investigation,” she said, holding up copies of the referrals. “As soon as I leave here, these will be going over to [Attorney General] Pam Bondi.” A congressional criminal referral does not require the DOJ to initiate a prosecution and does not hold as much weight as a referral from an entire chamber. Republicans, the mayors said, were trying to paint their cities as overrun by criminal immigrants even as crime was falling. The mayors said a key to safety is creating cities where residents feel comfortable reporting crimes and working with police. Illegal immigration was a key plank of Trump’s presidential campaign, and he has repeatedly pressed on the theme since coming to office, including a Tuesday night speech to Congress where he vowed to “complete the largest deportation operation in American history.” Luna, a member of the House Freedom Caucus, also leads the House Oversight Committee’s Task Force on the Declassification of Federal Secrets, a new task force focused on the declassification of federal secrets – including records related to the assassinations of President John F. Kennedy, Sen. Robert F. Kennedy and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and other documents in the public interest. She has also been pressing the Justice Department for the release of classified records related to sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein. The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

Democrats turn on each other over Trump address stunts

Democrats turn on each other over Trump address stunts

Democrats displayed their internal party divisions in the wake of President Donald Trump’s first address to Congress.  Democrats who are a part of leadership or more aligned with the establishment are clashing with progressives, many of whom heckled Trump throughout his more than 90-minute speech on Tuesday. The party is facing pressure from grassroots organizations to take a more combative approach – in lieu of decorum – to the Trump administration’s dismantling of the federal bureaucracy.  While moderate Democrats are frustrated over the progressives’ disruptions, progressives complained about a lack of direction and clear strategy ahead of Trump’s first joint session address to Congress since he began his second term.  “People are pissed at leadership too,” one senior House Democrat told Axios. “Everyone is mad at everyone.” TOP 5 MOMENTS FROM TRUMP’S ADDRESS TO JOINT SESSION OF CONGRESS Rep. George Latimer, D-N.Y., told Axios he believed the outbursts were “inappropriate.”  “When a president — my president, your president — is speaking, we don’t interrupt, we don’t pull those stunts,” he said.  House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., had Rep. Al Green, D-Texas, escorted out of the chamber after the Democrat repeatedly jeered at Trump, waving his cane during the speech. Some Democrats had warned their colleagues against protesting Trump, with former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., saying they should let him “stew in his own juice.” Democrats protested nonetheless, including remaining seated as Trump celebrated his policies, and held up signs reading “false,” “lies,” “Musk steals,” and “Save Medicaid.” Some female Democratic lawmakers wore pink suits in protest of policies they claim are anti-woman, while other Democrats were heard jeering Trump throughout the speech.  A centrist, Rep. Jared Golden, D-Maine, told Axios, “I didn’t take that approach myself, so obviously I don’t condone it.”  “If anyone is thinking that it was an effective strategy, they’re probably in an echo chamber,” Golden added. “My take is that the average American thought the optics were pretty bad.  “I think it was a big mistake,” Rep. Tom Suozzi, D-N.Y., told Axios of the disruptions. “I’m an old school traditional type guy, I think we should be treating the president with deference. So I think it was inappropriate.” Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., took to X to condemn the “sad cavalcade of self owns and unhinged petulance.”  ‘HE’S BACK’: TRUMP’S JOINT ADDRESS TO CONGRESS TO BE BLANKETED WITH 6-FIGURE AD BUY TOUTING TAX PLAN “It only makes Trump look more presidential and restrained,” he wrote of the Democrats’ outbursts. “We’re becoming the metaphorical car alarms that nobody pays attention to – and it may not be the winning message.”  “I don’t think that’s the way forward,” Fetterman added to Axios.  DJ Daniel, a 13-year-old boy who survived cancer, stole the show Tuesday evening when Trump introduced him to the audience and officially swore him in as a member of the Secret Service. Daniel received a standing ovation from a majority of the crowd, although some Democrats were seen sitting at various times while Trump was speaking about the 13-year-old. “Not standing for Trump would have been a fine strategy, but you need to separate him from the kid with cancer,” another centrist House Democrat told Axios, condemning his party’s messaging.  “It would be a compliment to call it a strategy,” the lawmaker added, noting the progressives’ signs were edited online to read “TDS,” referring to the term known as “Trump Derangement Syndrome.”  Progressives, meanwhile, argued that a lack of direction from leadership forced them to develop their own approach. “There was definitely frustration about lack of guidance [or a] plan,” one progressive member of Congress told Axios.  “People are super pissed that we didn’t get more direction from leadership,” another progressive added.  Rep. Dan Newhouse, R-Wash., is planning on bringing a resolution Thursday to censure Green for “breach of proper conduct,” and some Democrats, including Golden and Rep. Don Davis, D-N.C., have not ruled out supporting it, Axios reported.  “What [Green] did was inappropriate — and he became the story, not the price of eggs,” a centrist House Democrat told Axios.  Fox News’ Emma Colton contributed to this report.

GOP fights back against ‘Trump-proof’ sanctuary jurisdictions

GOP fights back against ‘Trump-proof’ sanctuary jurisdictions

Republicans are pushing back against so-called sanctuary cities and jurisdictions as President Donald Trump ramps up plans for mass deportations. “All of the mayors here today are actively working to harm the American people you represent,” Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., told the mayors of four sanctuary cities during a House Oversight Committee hearing on Wednesday. “You all have blood on your hands.” The comments, which were addressed to Boston Mayor Michelle Wu, Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson, Denver Mayor Mike Johnston and New York City Mayor Eric Adams, come as the Trump administration continues to push the speedy deportations of illegal immigrants that the president promised on the campaign trail. But those efforts have been hindered by sanctuary jurisdictions, which have passed rules that limit their cooperation with federal immigration authorities, most notably by not honoring U.S. Immigration Customs and Customs Enforcement agency (ICE) detainer requests. ‘SANCTUARY’ CITY MAYOR CONFRONTED AFTER GANG MEMBER ALLEGEDLY ASSAULTS FEDERAL OFFICERS The four mayors who testified at Wednesday’s hearing represented some of the largest sanctuary jurisdictions in the country, a policy that has generated controversy amid multiple high-profile crimes that have been committed by illegal immigrants. “Sanctuary mayors owe the American people an explanation for city policies that jeopardize public safety and violate federal immigration law by releasing dangerous criminal illegal aliens back onto the streets,” House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform Chair James Comer, R-Ky., said in a press release before the hearing. One sanctuary jurisdiction that was not represented at the Wednesday hearing was California, which in 2018 passed “Trump-proof” legislation aimed at protecting the state’s illegal residents from federal immigration authorities.  San Diego County Supervisor Jim Desmond told Fox News Digital that the law, SB 54, has severely limited what local California jurisdictions can do to fight back against illegal immigration. “They can’t do anything about it,” Desmond said of the state’s local law enforcement agencies under SB 54, adding that even if officers see suspected illegal immigrants coming ashore in boats, they are forbidden from helping enforce federal immigration laws. RED STATE LEADER CALLS FOR STATES TO STAND BEHIND TRUMP’S BAN ON FUNDING ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION “That’s been hindering California as far as law enforcement and immigration enforcement,” Desmond said. Desmond noted that some California jurisdictions have even gone further than SB 54, putting additional barriers in place to hinder immigration enforcement. “My colleagues in December voted to not allow our law enforcement in our jails to be able to notify ICE directly that this person who has been convicted and tried and sentenced and now in our jails is here illegally,” Desmond said. “They now have to get a warrant from a state or federal judge to turn anybody over to ICE,” he added, noting that the rule is “just another obstacle blocking law enforcement.” “My Democratic colleagues are trying to put more obstacles in the way of actually reporting criminals to ICE,” Desmond said. Nevertheless, Trump border czar Tom Homan has vowed to fight back against sanctuary cities, saying last month that federal authorities are “going to keep coming” no matter what road blocks are put in the administration’s way. “They’re not going to stop us,” he said during an appearance on Fox News. “It’s less efficient to arrest a bad guy in public where he’s hiding from us, and we’re trying to arrest him on his turf rather than arrest them in a county jail, which is where we should be arresting them. It takes one agent to arrest the bad guy in the county jail. It takes a whole team to find somebody that doesn’t want to be found in the neighborhoods, but we’re going to keep doing this.” That effort is being boosted by Trump’s GOP allies in Congress, who on Wednesday sought to highlight the dangers posed by sanctuary policies. “Every crime committed by someone in the United States illegally is a crime that would not have been committed. Laken Riley, Ruby Garcia, Rachel Morin, Jocelyn Nungaray, the woman set on fire in the New York subway, these are all assaults, rapes, murders and other crimes that would not have taken the lives of these people if those people were not here illegally,” Rep. Gary Palmer, R-Ala., told the four mayors. “They were given safe harbor.”

Federal appeals court sides with Trump on firing head of watchdog agency

Federal appeals court sides with Trump on firing head of watchdog agency

A federal appeals court cleared the way for President Donald Trump to fire Hampton Dellinger, the head of the Office of Special Counsel, on Wednesday. Dellinger, appointed to the role by former President Joe Biden, sued the Trump administration in Washington, D.C., federal court after his Feb. 7 firing. D.C. District Judge Amy Berman Jackson had argued in a filing last month that Dellinger’s firing was “unlawful.” The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia sided with the Trump administration in a Wednesday ruling, however. Dellinger is likely to appeal the case to the Supreme Court. SUPREME COURT PAUSES TRUMP ADMINISTRATION’S EFFORT TO FIRE HEAD OF WHISTLEBLOWER PROTECTION AGENCY FEDERAL JUDGE HINTS SHE WILL CONTINUE BLOCKING TRUMP FROM FIRING HEAD OF WHISTLEBLOWER PROTECTION AGENCY Jackson claimed that the court “finds that the elimination of the restrictions on plaintiff’s removal would be fatal to the defining and essential feature of the Office of Special Counsel as it was conceived by Congress and signed into law by the President: its independence. The Court concludes that they must stand.” Dellinger has maintained the argument that, by law, he can only be dismissed from his position for job performance problems, which were not cited in an email dismissing him from his post. Earlier in February, liberal Supreme Court justices Sonia Sotomayor and Ketanji Brown Jackson voted to outright deny the administration’s request to approve the firing. Conservative justices Neil Gorsuch and Samuel Alito dissented, saying the lower court overstepped. They also cast doubt on whether courts have the authority to restore to office someone the president has fired. While acknowledging that some officials appointed by the president have contested their removal, Gorsuch wrote in his opinion that “those officials have generally sought remedies like backpay, not injunctive relief like reinstatement.”