#U.S. Marines Patrolling and Live-Fire Ranges

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Tuesday, September 7, 2021

Rally marks 1,000 days since China detained two Canadians amid Huawei dispute (Reuters) Supporters of two Canadians accused of spying and held in prison in China for 1,000 days rallied on Sunday, demanding their release in a case that has soured diplomatic ties between Ottawa and Beijing. Businessman Michael Spavor and former diplomat Michael Kovrig were detained in December 2018, shortly after Canada arrested Meng Wanzhou, the chief financial officer of Huawei Technologies on a warrant from the United States. Last month, a Chinese court sentenced Spavor to 11 years in prison for espionage. Meng is waiting verdict on her U.S. extradition request here after the hearing wrapped up in a British Columbia court last month. Canada’s Foreign Affairs Minister Marc Garneau, who joined the rally, said in statement that years have been cruelly stolen from both men and their families. “This must stop. Mr. Kovrig and Mr. Spavor must come home,” the statement added.

Evacuations lifted for thousands in Tahoe as wildfire stalls (AP) Tens of thousands of people who fled South Lake Tahoe in the teeth of a wildfire were returning home as crews finally managed to stall the advance of flames scant miles from the resort. But authorities warned that residents of the scenic forest area on the California-Nevada state line weren’t out of the woods yet, with risks ranging from smoky, foul air to belligerent bears. Evacuation orders for South Lake Tahoe and other lakeside areas were downgraded to warnings on Sunday afternoon and California Highway Patrol officers began removing roadblocks along State Highway 50 from Nevada to the city limits. The threat from the Caldor Fire hasn’t entirely vanished but downgrading to a warning meant those who wish could return to their homes in what had been a smoke-choked ghost town instead of a thriving Labor Day getaway location.

Florida gunman killed 4 (AP) A man wearing full body armor fatally shot four people and engaged in a massive gunfight with police and deputies before he was wounded and surrendered, a Florida sheriff said Sunday. Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd said during a press conference that even after 33-year-old Bryan Riley was arrested Sunday morning, he was so aggressive that he tried to wrestle a gun from police as he lay on his hospital gurney. Judd said Riley, a former Marine who served as a sharpshooter in both Iraq and Afghanistan, seemed to have targeted his victims at random and appeared to be suffering from mental health issues.

Migrant caravan broken up again in southern Mexico (AP) Mexican border agents and police broke up a caravan of hundreds of migrants Sunday who had set out from southernmost Mexico—the fourth such caravan officials have raided in recent days. The group of about 800—largely Central Americans, Haitians, Venezuelans and Cubans—had spent then night at a basketball court near Huixtla, some 40 kilometers (25 miles) up the road from the border city of Tapachula where they had been kept awaiting processing by Mexican immigration officials. But shortly before dawn, immigration agents backed by police with anti-riot gear went into the crowd, pushing many into trucks. Mexico has faced immigration pressures from the north, south and within its own borders in recent weeks as thousands of migrants have crossed its southern border, the United States has sent thousands more back from the north and a U.S. court has ordered the Biden administration to renew a policy of making asylum seekers wait in Mexico for long periods of time.

Fear Grips Nicaragua as It Veers to Dictatorship (NYT) From the moment Medardo Mairena decided to run for president, in direct challenge to Nicaragua’s authoritarian leader, he was certain the security apparatus would eventually come for him. Over the summer, he watched as other opposition leaders disappeared. One by one, they were dragged from their homes amid a nationwide crackdown on dissent by the president, Daniel Ortega, whose quest to secure a fourth term had plunged the Central American nation into a state of pervasive fear. Since June, the police have jailed or put under house arrest seven candidates for November’s presidential election and dozens of political activists and civil society leaders. His turn came when heavily armed officers raided his home and took him away late on July 5. He had not been heard from until last Wednesday, when relatives were allowed one brief visit. They said they found him emaciated and sick, completely disconnected from the outside world. Government critics say the unpredictability and speed of the wave of arrests have turned Nicaragua into a more repressive state than it was during the early years of the dictatorship of Anastasio Somoza, who was overthrown in 1979 by the Sandinista Revolutionary Movement led by Mr. Ortega and several other commanders.

Covid-19: Vaccine passports to start in England this month (BBC) Vaccine passports in nightclubs and other indoor venues in England will be required at the end of this month, the vaccines minister has confirmed. Nadhim Zahawi said it was the right time to start the scheme for sites with large crowds as all over-18s will have been offered two jabs by then. The Night Time Industries Association has said plans for vaccine passports could "cripple the industry" and see night clubs facing discrimination cases. Opposition to the plans has also come from Tory MPs on the Covid Recovery Group as well as the Liberal Democrats, whose leader, Ed Davey, described them as "divisive, unworkable and expensive".

Volunteers help poorest survive Thailand’s worst COVID surge (AP) For two months, carpenter Tun Nye hasn’t been able to send any money home to his parents in Myanmar to help them care for his 11-year-old son, after authorities in Thailand shut down his construction site over coronavirus concerns. No work has meant no income for him or his wife, who have been confined to one of more than 600 workers’ camps dotted around Bangkok, living in small room in a ramshackle building with boards and blankets to cover missing windows. In Thailand’s worst virus surge yet, lockdown measures have reduced what little Bangkok’s have-nots had to zero. Volunteer groups are working to ensure they survive. For Tun Nye, 31, the bag of rice, canned fish and other staples dropped off by Bangkok Community Help volunteers meant not having to go hungry that week. Bangkok Community Help delivers about 3,000 hot meals a day and up to 600 “survival bags” like the one Tun Nye got.

Paralympic closing marks end of Tokyo’s 8-year Olympic saga (AP) The final act of the delayed Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics came Sunday, almost eight years to the day after the Japanese capital was awarded the Games. The Paralympics ended a 13-day run in a colorful, circus-like ceremony at the National Stadium overseen by Crown Prince Akishino, the brother of Emperor Naruhito. The Olympics closed almost a month ago. These were unprecedented Olympics and Paralympics, postponed for a year and marked by footnotes and asterisks. No fans were allowed during the Olympics, except for a few thousand at outlying venues away from Tokyo. A few thousand school children were allowed into some Paralympic venues. Like the Olympics, the Paralympics went ahead as Tokyo was under a state of emergency due to the pandemic. Like the Olympics, testing athletes frequently and isolating them in a bubble kept the virus largely at bay.

Taliban say they took Panjshir, last holdout Afghan province (AP) The Taliban said on Monday they have taken control of Panjshir province north of Kabul, the last holdout of anti-Taliban forces in the country and the only province the Taliban had not seized during their blitz across Afghanistan last month. Thousands of Taliban fighters overran eight districts of Panjshir overnight, according to witnesses from the area who spoke on condition of anonymity, fearing for their safety. Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid issued a statement, saying Panjshir was now under control of Taliban fighters.

Taliban stop planes of evacuees from leaving but unclear why (AP) At least four planes chartered to evacuate several hundred people seeking to escape the Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan have been unable to leave the country for days, officials said Sunday, with conflicting accounts emerging about why the flights weren’t able to take off as pressure ramps up on the United States to help those left behind to flee. An Afghan official at the airport in the northern city of Mazar-e-Sharif said that the would-be passengers were Afghans, many of whom did not have passports or visas, and thus were unable to leave the country. He said they had left the airport while the situation was sorted out. The top Republican on the U.S. House Foreign Affairs Committee, however, said that the group included Americans and they were sitting on the planes, but the Taliban were not letting them take off, effectively “holding them hostage.” He did not say where that information came from. It was not immediately possible to reconcile the accounts.

Guinea’s new junta leaders seek to tighten grip on power (AP) Guinea’s new military leaders sought to tighten their grip on power after overthrowing President Alpha Conde, warning local officials that refusing to appear at a meeting convened Monday would be considered an act of rebellion against the junta. After putting the West African nation back under military rule for the first time in over a decade, the junta said Guinea’s governors were to be replaced by regional commanders. A nightly curfew was put in place, and the country’s constitution and National Assembly were both dissolved. Conde’s removal by force Sunday came after the president sought a controversial third term in office last year, saying the term limits did not apply to him.

[usapat]

U.S. Marines and Sailors with Force Reconnaissance Company, 2nd Reconnaissance Battalion, 2nd Marine Division, conduct live-fire drills with M4 assault rifles during the Norwegian Military’s Long Range Reconnaissance Patrol course in Norway.

[courtneytincher]

Navy, Marine Corps leaders expressed interest in buying futuristic unmanned maritime systems

The U.S. Navy and Marine Corps leaders have expressed interest in buying a futuristic weaponized unmanned maritime systems during the 2019 Advanced Naval Technology Exercise (ANTX).

According to a statement released by the Naval Surface Warfare Center Dahlgren Division, Navy and Marine Corps witness new Expeditionary Warfare Unmanned Surface Vessel (USV) in Action at ANTX Demonstration at Camp Lejeune, N.C.

The Navy-industry Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) team – comprised of Naval Surface Warfare Center Dahlgren Division (NSWCDD) and Textron Systems scientists and engineers – demonstrated the Expeditionary Warfare USV’s ability to control inshore and littoral areas while identifying and engaging remote targets. NSWCDD unmanned system experts worked with their industry partner under the CRADA to integrate expeditionary warfare payloads they developed and integrated onto Textron’s Common Unmanned Surface Vehicle.

The Marine Corps general emphasized that the Marines need new capabilities for their concept of operations to work and that they need them quickly.

“We are also interested in showing the Navy that this type of system is available,” said Gripshover. “As unmanned boats are integrated into the force structure, these weapon automation technologies will be critical to their success. We want the Navy to be aware that putting weapons on unmanned boats involves more than bolting them on the deck. The weapons have to be controlled effectively.”

Gripshover and his team of NSWCDD scientists and engineers worked with their industry partner, Textron Systems, under a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement to integrate expeditionary warfare payloads they developed and integrated onto the company’s Common Unmanned Surface Vehicle.

“There are certain things you can do with these systems that you will never be able to do with manned vehicles,” said Gripshover regarding the Expeditionary Warfare USV his team created. “These types of systems opens up new ways of fighting as well as new missions. If fully implemented, these unmanned systems could revolutionize the way we fight.”

Specifically, the Expeditionary Warfare USV could transform how the Navy and Marine Corps provide maritime force protection and maneuver with payloads that include a Longbow Hellfire Missile Launcher and a 50 caliber machine gun on a Sea deFNnder Remote Weapon Station.

“Large numbers of these small, weaponized unmanned vehicles for use in distributed maritime operations and littoral operations in a contested environment will saturate the adversaries’ defenses, and can provide protection for the manned vessels,” said Gripshover. “In the long run, these unmanned systems save lives on both sides. It’s better to have machines fighting machines than to have humans fighting humans.”

At one point during ANTX, the Expeditionary Warfare USV autonomously located potential threats in the open ocean off Onslow Beach and at Mile Hammock Bay in Camp Lejuene while its NSWCDD operators made decisions related to engaging those targets. As the ANTX assessors watched the action, they could see how valuable the USV’s ‘leap-ahead’ capabilities would be in protecting Navy and Marine Corps manned high value assets.

The Expeditionary Warfare USV consists of a 40-foot self-driving boat, a HellFire Longbow missile system, and a .50 gun mounted on a remote weapon station. The boat uses radar and video to navigate, find and track surface contacts while providing tactical behaviors such as automated patrol, intercept, and chase. The gun and missile system use video and infrared systems to automatically identify targets, alert the weapon operator, and provide fire control. The system is operated remotely, either from an ashore site or a ship.

“With these autonomous systems and automated weapons, we are trying to automate enough of the kill chain to allow the human-machine team to react fast enough to deal with multiple incoming threats,” Gripshover explained. “We’re not trying to develop weapons where the machine is in control. We are trying to find the right balance – where the human and machine are both doing what they do best. The machine can search autonomously for potential threats and targets while the human can make the decision on those targets and decide when to engage them. ”

The Navy and Marine Corps are currently assessing the results of the ANTX – including the Expeditionary Warfare USV’s capability of performing expeditionary, littoral, and force protection operations as well as its long-range USV missions in support of expeditionary advanced based -operations. The services will determine if there is potential for further development of any of the technologies demonstrated at the July ‘Fight the Naval Force Forward’ ANTX.

NSWCDD invested approximately $5 million in Naval Innovative Science and Engineering (NISE) Section 219 investments in fiscal year 2018-2019 to enable the command’s scientists and engineers to mature the automated targeting, adaptable missile launcher, and weapons control systems and integrate them into the autonomous Textron System’s CUSV platform creating the Expeditionary Warfare USV.

“This effort represents the gold standard in leveraging NISE 219 funding as a force multiplier to achieving advanced technological capabilities,” said Kathleen Jones, NSWCDD chief technology officer. “We take great pride in the innovation of our scientists and engineers and their efforts to partner with industry and collaborate across warfare centers to bring this capability to fruition.”

Photo by Stacia Courtney

from Defence Blog

The U.S. Navy and Marine Corps leaders have expressed interest in buying a futuristic weaponized unmanned maritime systems during the 2019 Advanced Naval Technology Exercise (ANTX).

According to a statement released by the Naval Surface Warfare Center Dahlgren Division, Navy and Marine Corps witness new Expeditionary Warfare Unmanned Surface Vessel (USV) in Action at ANTX Demonstration at Camp Lejeune, N.C.

The Navy-industry Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) team – comprised of Naval Surface Warfare Center Dahlgren Division (NSWCDD) and Textron Systems scientists and engineers – demonstrated the Expeditionary Warfare USV’s ability to control inshore and littoral areas while identifying and engaging remote targets. NSWCDD unmanned system experts worked with their industry partner under the CRADA to integrate expeditionary warfare payloads they developed and integrated onto Textron’s Common Unmanned Surface Vehicle.

The Marine Corps general emphasized that the Marines need new capabilities for their concept of operations to work and that they need them quickly.

“We are also interested in showing the Navy that this type of system is available,” said Gripshover. “As unmanned boats are integrated into the force structure, these weapon automation technologies will be critical to their success. We want the Navy to be aware that putting weapons on unmanned boats involves more than bolting them on the deck. The weapons have to be controlled effectively.”

Gripshover and his team of NSWCDD scientists and engineers worked with their industry partner, Textron Systems, under a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement to integrate expeditionary warfare payloads they developed and integrated onto the company’s Common Unmanned Surface Vehicle.

“There are certain things you can do with these systems that you will never be able to do with manned vehicles,” said Gripshover regarding the Expeditionary Warfare USV his team created. “These types of systems opens up new ways of fighting as well as new missions. If fully implemented, these unmanned systems could revolutionize the way we fight.”

Specifically, the Expeditionary Warfare USV could transform how the Navy and Marine Corps provide maritime force protection and maneuver with payloads that include a Longbow Hellfire Missile Launcher and a 50 caliber machine gun on a Sea deFNnder Remote Weapon Station.

“Large numbers of these small, weaponized unmanned vehicles for use in distributed maritime operations and littoral operations in a contested environment will saturate the adversaries’ defenses, and can provide protection for the manned vessels,” said Gripshover. “In the long run, these unmanned systems save lives on both sides. It’s better to have machines fighting machines than to have humans fighting humans.”

At one point during ANTX, the Expeditionary Warfare USV autonomously located potential threats in the open ocean off Onslow Beach and at Mile Hammock Bay in Camp Lejuene while its NSWCDD operators made decisions related to engaging those targets. As the ANTX assessors watched the action, they could see how valuable the USV’s ‘leap-ahead’ capabilities would be in protecting Navy and Marine Corps manned high value assets.

The Expeditionary Warfare USV consists of a 40-foot self-driving boat, a HellFire Longbow missile system, and a .50 gun mounted on a remote weapon station. The boat uses radar and video to navigate, find and track surface contacts while providing tactical behaviors such as automated patrol, intercept, and chase. The gun and missile system use video and infrared systems to automatically identify targets, alert the weapon operator, and provide fire control. The system is operated remotely, either from an ashore site or a ship.

“With these autonomous systems and automated weapons, we are trying to automate enough of the kill chain to allow the human-machine team to react fast enough to deal with multiple incoming threats,” Gripshover explained. “We’re not trying to develop weapons where the machine is in control. We are trying to find the right balance – where the human and machine are both doing what they do best. The machine can search autonomously for potential threats and targets while the human can make the decision on those targets and decide when to engage them. ”

The Navy and Marine Corps are currently assessing the results of the ANTX – including the Expeditionary Warfare USV’s capability of performing expeditionary, littoral, and force protection operations as well as its long-range USV missions in support of expeditionary advanced based -operations. The services will determine if there is potential for further development of any of the technologies demonstrated at the July ‘Fight the Naval Force Forward’ ANTX.

NSWCDD invested approximately $5 million in Naval Innovative Science and Engineering (NISE) Section 219 investments in fiscal year 2018-2019 to enable the command’s scientists and engineers to mature the automated targeting, adaptable missile launcher, and weapons control systems and integrate them into the autonomous Textron System’s CUSV platform creating the Expeditionary Warfare USV.

“This effort represents the gold standard in leveraging NISE 219 funding as a force multiplier to achieving advanced technological capabilities,” said Kathleen Jones, NSWCDD chief technology officer. “We take great pride in the innovation of our scientists and engineers and their efforts to partner with industry and collaborate across warfare centers to bring this capability to fruition.”

Photo by Stacia Courtney

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[oldguardaudio]

Alan Keyes – Renew America -> Build the Wall Protect us all

Todays illegals are Tomorrows Democrat Voters at HoaxAndChange.com

illegals flipping USA burn flag @ Hoax and Change

Mexican Gangsters MS-13 we love America! at HoaxAndChange.com

January 15, 2019

Build the wall – protect us all

Alan Keyes calls Trump TV speech ‘an act of impeccable statesmanship’

ALAN KEYES — President Trump’s televised address to the nation last week was an act of impeccable statesmanship. He said what was needed, in the way it needed to be said. He addressed the cost –– in human lives, seething disorder, and money –– of the dereliction of duty characteristic of his immediate predecessors (Democrats Obama and Clinton, and Republicans George H.W. and George W. Bush). They neglected or refused to carry out the Constitution’s mandate to see that our nation’s immigration laws are faithfully executed…. (more)

January 15, 2019

The Washington Post, Bezosgate, and the National Security State

CLIFF KINCAID — The slogan of The Washington Post is “Democracy dies in darkness.” So I did a search of recent articles on its website about its billionaire owner, Jeff Bezos, who does business with the CIA and NSA and finds himself in the middle of a sex scandal that makes even liberals cringe. I found a story about his announced “split” with his wife in which a lawyer is quoted as saying “the couple’s amicable joint statement indicates that the split probably won’t be messy or protracted.” The lawyer added, “Sounds like they are making an effort to do this the right way and not make it into a public spectacle.”… (more)

January 15, 2019

Pentagon extends border deployment for active duty troops through September

MARINE CORPS TIMES — The Pentagon announced late Monday that it is extending the mission of active duty troops to the Mexico border through September, marking almost a year-long domestic deployment of forces there. The approximately 4,500 active duty and National Guard forces now on the border were first sent there in late October 2018 to meet a request from President Donald Trump and the Department of Homeland Security to secure border entry points from thousands of immigrants traveling north through Mexico to seek asylum in the U.S. Several units have rotated in and out during that time, and have been tasked to lay concertina wire, barriers and help assist border patrol agents at points in Texas, Arizona and California…. (more)

January 15, 2019

Former Trump lawyer says president facing DOJ ‘coup’

NEWSMAX — President Donald Trump is facing an organized “coup” at the Department of Justice, his former attorney John Dowd said Monday. During an appearance on “The Brian Kilmeade Show” on Fox News Radio, Dowd said current and former officials at the DOJ and FBI were out to get Trump from the beginning…. (more)

 Huckabee: Hold FBI behind Trump probe accountable (Newsmax)

 Trump denies ever working for Russia, blasts investigators (Newsmax)

 Rep. Pete King: ‘Absolutely disgraceful’ for FBI to investigate Trump (Newsmax)

January 14, 2019

Fox News’ Gregg Jarrett: FBI’s ‘dishonesty and corruption are endemic’

On Trump probe, he says bureau ‘defied the law, ignored or perverted facts’

GREGG JARRETT — Pointing to a New York Times story revealing the FBI investigated in 2017 whether President Trump was a covert Russian agent, Fox News analyst Greg Jarrett concludes “dishonesty and corruption are endemic” at the bureau. Jarrett, in an opinion piece for FoxNews.com, said the “accusation itself was ludicrous on its face.”… (more)

January 14, 2019

Trump tweets withdrawal from Syria has begun

NEWSMAX — President Donald Trump tweeted on Sunday that the United States has begun withdrawing from Syria. “Starting the long overdue pullout from Syria while hitting the little remaining ISIS territorial caliphate hard, and from many directions,” Trump wrote. “Will attack again from existing nearby base if it reforms. Will devastate Turkey economically if they hit Kurds. Create 20 mile safe zone.”… (more)

 Let’s leave Syria (National Review)

January 14, 2019

Pompeo: NY Times report on FBI probe of Trump ‘ludicrous’

NEWSMAX — Secretary of State Mike Pompeo dismissed as “ludicrous” a New York Times report that the FBI began to investigate whether President Donald Trump was a national security threat after he axed former bureau director James Comey…. (more)

 Trump calls report on FBI probe of him ‘most insulting’ (Newsmax)

 Jonathan Karl flips script on ‘The View,’ says it’s right to be ‘skeptical’ of NYT report (Daily Caller)

 ABC’s Karl: ‘Zero evidence’ that Trump or campaign colluded with Russians (Breitbart)

 ‘It’s a coup’: Former Trump lawyer responds to NY Times report of FBI probe of president (Newsmax)

January 14, 2019

Jonathan Karl: Mueller report ‘almost certain to be anti-climactic’

NEWSMAX — ABC Chief White House correspondent Jonathan Karl on Sunday said Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s report is “almost certain to be anti-climactic.” Karl, who was on “This Week with George Stephanopoulos” discussing the bombshell report in The New York Times and Washington Post that said the FBI opened up a counterintelligence investigation into President Donald Trump in the days after he fired James Comey because they were suspicious of his behavior, also said there has been no proof of collusion between Trump’s campaign team and the Russians during the 2016 presidential election…. (more)

January 14, 2019

‘Russian agent’? Trump tougher on Russia in 18 months than Obama in eight years

JEN KERNS — Even though the left-wing media will never give him credit, President Trump has been far tougher on Russia than his predecessor, Barack Obama. For starters, it was President Obama who, according to Reuters, was “caught on camera” saying to a Russian leader that he’ll have more flexibility after the election –– not President Trump…. (more)

 Jen Kerns appears on ‘Fox and Friends First’ to discuss govt. shutdown and control of the House (YouTube)

 Alan Keyes rightly calls Obama a radical communist [VIDEO] (YouTube)

 Putin says he’d reverse collapse of communist Soviet Union if he could (RadioFreeEurope)

 Obama admits communist Frank Marshall Davis ‘schooled’ him on white racism (Cliff Kincaid)

 ‘From the Vault,’ Barack Obama, Sept. 1995 [VIDEO—start at 4:33 and view through 24:30] (YouTube)

January 14, 2019

$20M donated for border wall via disabled vet’s GoFundMe page may be refunded: report

FOX NEWS — GoFundMe could be returning more than $20 million in donations to help fund a U.S.-Mexico border wall if donors don’t redirect their funds to a newly created nonprofit, reports said Friday. Triple-amputee U.S. Air Force veteran Brian Kolfage, 37, created the campaign, dubbed “We The People Will Fund The Wall,” last month. It quickly went viral and has amassed more than 338,000 donors. But the campaign failed to reach its $1 billion goal…. (more)

 GoFundMe will return $20 million to 330,000 border wall donors, but the creator has a different idea (Washington Examiner)

January 14, 2019

Federal workers offered free food to help them through shutdown

NEWSMAX — The Capital Area Food Bank has organized five free pop-up markets in the Washington D.C. area to provide fresh produce and canned goods to help government employees during the partial federal shutdown, WUSA9 reported. All furloughed government employees and federal contractor are eligible to receive the items…. (more)

January 14, 2019

‘Muslim-free’ gun range fights to exclude members of terror-linked group

‘A dangerous business. This isn’t a lunch counter’

WORLDNETDAILY — Does an American gun range have the right to exclude Muslims who are members of the Council on American-Islamic Relations because of the group’s ties to terrorism? That question could soon have a legal answer as a Muslim has filed a discrimination suit against the owners of a gun range in Oklahoma…. (more)

January 12, 2019

Legal analysts: Trump has the right to declare an emergency and build the wall

WASHINGTON EXAMINER — President Trump has the constitutional and legal right to invoke his emergency powers to divert funds to build a wall along the southern border without running afoul of the Constitution or the law, according to top legal analysts…. (more)

 Trump plan would improve current border situation (Byron York)

 A shutdown stalemate as Trump goes factual, Democrats illogical (Michael Barone)

January 12, 2019

Sarah Sanders responds to NY Times report that Trump a ‘Russian agent’

DAILY CALLER — White House press secretary Sarah Sanders responded quickly to a Friday New York Times report claiming that President Donald Trump’s firing of former FBI Director James Comey led officials to begin investigating “whether he had been working on behalf of Russia against American interests.”… (more)

 FBI reportedly investigated whether Trump was working for Russia (Daily Caller)

 Flashback: Peter Strzok expressed concern that ‘there’s no big there there’ in collusion probe (Daily Caller)

January 12, 2019

Governor removes Parkland sheriff over failure to save children

Criticized for not having department ready to respond to killer of 17

WORLDNETDAILY — The sheriff whose deputies failed to confront the shooter at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, one year ago has been removed by Gov. Ron DeSantis. The Sun-Sentinel reported former Broward Sheriff Scott Israel was replaced by former Coral Springs Police Sgt. Gregory Tony, 40…. (more)

January 12, 2019

Blackburn bill would eliminate all federal funding of abortion providers

DAILY SIGNAL — Newly elected Sen. Marsha Blackburn announced Thursday that she has introduced her first bill in the Senate, one that would end federal funding to all abortion providers, including Planned Parenthood…. (more)

 Marsha Blackburn introduces bill to strip funding from abortion providers (National Review)

January 12, 2019

Pat Boone’s wife of 65 years, Shirley, dies: ‘I’ve parted with my better half for a little while’

PEOPLE — Shirley Boone, the wife of legendary 1950’s singer Pat Boone, has died. She was 84. Shirley passed away peacefully on Friday morning at the pair’s home in Beverly Hills after suffering complications from vasculitis, which she had contracted less than a year ago…. (more)

 Shirley Boone, Pat’s love for life, dies at 84 (WorldNetDaIly)

January 11, 2019

Locked out of Twitter for telling the truth about Islam

BRYAN FISCHER — Here is the message that greeted me on Monday morning as I opened my computer and began researching yesterday’s program: We’ve temporarily limited some of your account features… (more)

January 11, 2019

Lindsey Graham: Trump should use emergency powers to fund wall

NEWSMAX — Republican Senator Lindsey Graham said on Thursday that President Donald Trump should declare a national emergency and bypass Congress to fund a wall on the U.S. border with Mexico. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s “refusal to negotiate on funding for a border wall/barrier – even if the government were to be reopened – virtually ends the congressional path to funding for a border wall/barrier,” Graham said in a statement…. (more)

 Trump edges closer to declaring national emergency to build border wall without Democrats’ OK (Washington Times)

 Trump: ‘We’re not changing our mind’ on border wall (Newsmax)

 CNN’s Acosta mocked for border wall video (Newsmax)

 Nail in the coffin: Trump finishes off Acosta after brutal day (Daily Wire)

January 10, 2019

Study: Border wall would pay for itself

Even if it stops only 3% to 4% of expected illegal crossers

WORLDNETDAILY — A study shows that President Trump’s southern border security wall would save American taxpayers far more than it would cost. The analysis comes from Steven Camarota of the Center for Immigration Studies, who pointed out that the key issues are the cost of each illegal immigrant compared to the cost of a wall…. (more)

January 10, 2019

Senate passes bill to pay federal employees – after shutdown ends

WASHINGTON TIMES — Senators passed a bill Thursday to ensure all federal employees, whether they are still working or were furloughed, will be paid in full when the partial government shutdown ends. The shutdown will cross the three-week mark on Friday, which is also the same day that they will miss their first paychecks…. (more)

January 10, 2019

Trump tells feds not to fret: Furloughed employees will get back pay

WASHINGTON TIMES — President Trump Wednesday assured federal workers sidelined by the partial government shutdown that they’ll get paid retroactively. “They’re all going to get the money and I think they’re going to be happy,” he told reporters at the White House on the 19th day of the shutdown…. (more)

January 10, 2019

Democrats embrace ports of entry crackdown amid Trump border standoff 

WASHINGTON TIMES — Congressional Democratic leaders have embraced the goal of increased border security in their fight with President Trump, proposing measures to harden the U.S. ports of entry –– but omitting the barrier they supported five years ago. Those designated border crossings account for roughly 2.5 percent of the 2,000-mile U.S.-Mexico border…. (more)

 Trump rebuffs Dems’ border security plan: ‘They don’t come in through checkpoints’ (Washington Times)

January 10, 2019

Democrats used Facebook to suppress GOP vote

Ex-Obama official bought ads on fake pages during midterms

WORLDNETDAILY — Led by a former Obama official, Democratic operatives bought ads on misleading Facebook pages to suppress Republican voter turnout in the recent midterm elections, reported the Daily Caller News Foundation…. (more)

January 9, 2019

Dem strategist: Pelosi, Schumer ‘struggle’ to ‘relate’ to Americans

Disappointingly ‘somber and stern’ in televised response to Trump

NEWSMAX — Democratic leadership appears to “struggle…to relate to Americans,” strategist Andrew Feldman said Wednesday. In a panel discussion Wednesday on The Hill.TV’s “Rising” program, a day after President Donald Trump’s Oval Office speech on border security, Feldman said he was disappointed in the somber and stern televised response from Senate Minority leader Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif…. (more)

 Rush Limbaugh: Schumer, Pelosi like robotic ‘undertakers’ in response to Trump’s border address (Washington times)

 Trump speech: Twitter pokes fun at Schumer, Pelosi ‘hostage tape,’ ��American Gothic’ vibe (USA Today)

 Jerry Falwell Jr. to Newsmax TV: Trump ‘at his best’ in speech (Newsmax)

 Trump walks out of shutdown meeting with Democrats (Washington Times)

Previous news

Alan Keyes – Renew America -> Build the Wall Protect us all Alan Keyes - Renew America -> Build the Wall Protect us all January 15, 2019 Build the wall – protect us all…

[djgblogger-blog]

The Drone Center’s Weekly Roundup: 7/31/17

http://bit.ly/2vWfNI6

A U.S. Army soldier launches an RQ-11 Raven during an exercise in North Carolina on July 27. Credit: Staff Sgt. Andrew Lee/U.S. Air Force

July 24, 2017 – July 30, 2017

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Commentary, Analysis, and Art

In an in-depth article at Wired, Jessica Pishko chronicles the rise and fall of the drone startup Lily Robotics.

At Drone 360, Leah Froats uses data provided by the FAA to find out why certain Part 107 waiver requests are denied.

At the National Interest, Paul Scharre argues that drones are challenging international security norms.

Also at the National Interest, Lyle J. Goldstein looks at how the race for air and sea drones could intensify competition between the U.S. and China.

At the Redlands Daily Facts, Sandra Emerson writes that a local police department’s drone program is drawing concerns from residents.

Meanwhile, at the Los Angeles Times, Maya Lau writes that a civilian oversight board is pushing Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department to stop flying its drones.

A study funded by the U.K. Department of Transport found that while airliner windshields could withstand a collision with a drone, other aircraft remain vulnerable. (Gov.UK)

In response to Transport’s report on drone impacts, a coalition of drone manufacturers pressed the government to release the data underpinning its findings. (BBC)

At Shephard News, Richard Thomas looks at how the commercial drone market continues to consolidate.

At Aviation Week, Graham Warwick contends that the development of future low-cost drones depends on the availability of low-cost engines.  

Also at Aviation Week, John Morris writes that the 2017 EAA AirVenture, the world’s largest air show, features drones and other new technologies.  

At Real Clear Defense, Robbin Laird examines the Navy’s approach to manned-unmanned teaming.

Researchers at Stanford University consider whether control of a drone swarm should be centralized or decentralized. (Phys.org)

At Lawfare, Elsa Kania looks at how China seeks to leverage civilian advances in artificial intelligence for military gain.

In the NATO Review magazine, Col. Gjert Lage Dyndal examines legal and ethical issues associated with autonomous weapons.  

At an event in Washington, Gen. David Goldfein said that the Air Force needs better artificial intelligence in order to improve intelligence collection. (DefenseTech)

At an Ars Live event, Lisa Ling discussed her role as a drone imagery analyst for the U.S. Air National Guard. (Ars Technica)

At the National Geographic, Christina Nunez looks at how affordable underwater drones are aiding marine conservationists.

Meanwhile, students at the University of Washington are building underwater drones to study the ocean surrounding Antarctica. (UW)

At Air and Space Magazine, Tim Wright writes that the counter-drone industry could eventually be worth over a billion dollars.

At the U.S. Naval Institute, Lt. Alex Laun argues that the Navy needs a point person to coordinate the development of autonomous unmanned systems.

At Defense One, Caroline Houck looks at the technological advances that could enable “terror drones” to reach U.S. shores.

A drone video by architect Mariana Bisti offers an aerial perspective of Hong Kong’s skyscrapers. (dezeen)

Know Your Drone

Ukraine’s Iskra Scientific and Production Complex unveiled the Spectator-M, a small military reconnaissance drone. (Kyiv Post)

Russian design bureau Sovremennye Aviatsionnye Teknologii has unveiled a concept for a reconnaissance and strike drone based on the SR-10 jet trainer. (Jane’s)

Amazon has been granted a patent for a system by which its proposed delivery drones scan a customer’s home upon delivering a product in order to develop product recommendations for future purchases. (CNET)

British firm FlyLogix broke a national record for the longest beyond-line-of-sight drone flight during an 80km operation to inspect structures in the Irish Sea. (The Telegraph)

Rohde & Schwarz, ESG, and Diehl unveiled the Guardion, a counter-drone system. (Jane’s)

Researchers at Moscow Technological Institute have developed a defibrillator drone with a range of up to 50km. (TechCrunch)

The U.S. Army Aviation and Missile Research, Development, and Engineering Center is developing a robotic refueling system for helicopters. (Shephard Media)

India’s Defence Research and Development Organisation has developed an unmanned tank for reconnaissance and mine detection. (Economic Times)

Using hundreds of plastic ducks, researchers at University of Adelaide in Australia have demonstrated that drones are more effective for counting birds than traditional techniques. (New Scientist)

Drones at Work

A team from Queensland University of Technology in Australia is planning to use drones to count koalas as part of a conservation initiative. (Phys.org)

Matagorda County and Wharton County in Texas are acquiring three drones for a range of operations. (The Bay City Tribune)

The Fire Department and Police Department of Orange, Connecticut have acquired a drone for emergency operations. (Milford-Orange Bulletin)

The Philippine Air Force is evaluating the Hermes 900 surveillance and reconnaissance drone for possible acquisition. (FlightGlobal)

A drone carrying cell phones and other contraband crashed into the yard at the Washington State Prison in Georgia. (Atlanta Journal-Constitution)

North Carolina has adopted a bill that expands drone rules to recreational model aircraft and prohibits drone use near prisons. (Triangle Business Journal)

Industry Intel

The U.S. Navy awarded Insitu a $19.6 million contract for five ScanEagle systems and support for the Government of Afghanistan. (DoD)

The U.S. Navy awarded Insitu a $3.01 million contract to integrate the Alticam 11 EO/IR Turret on the RQ-21A Blackjack. (FBO)

The U.S. Navy awarded Northrop Grumman a $211,397 contract for software for the MQ-8 Fire Scout. (FBO)

The U.S. Air Force awarded Northrop Grumman a $10.2 million contract for the Battlefield Airborne Communications Node, a sensor on board the RQ-4 Global Hawk. (DoD)

The U.S. Army awarded R.C. Construction a $4.74 million contract for a Tactical Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Facility at Fort Benning, Georgia. (FBO)

Singular Aircraft finalized a contract to test the Flyox unmanned amphibious aircraft at the Pendleton Unmanned Aircraft System Test Range in Oregon. (My Columbia Basin)  

AeroVironment finalized a contract with the Australian Defence Force for the Wasp AE micro reconnaissance drone. (Press Release)

The Department of Homeland Security awarded Colorado-based VTO a $928,541 contract for drone forensics research and development. (Press Release)

The U.S. Air Force awarded the University of Arizona a $750,000 grant to build autonomous drones to patrol the U.S. border with Mexico. (Photonics)

The Dallas Safari Club Foundation awarded Delta Waterfowl, a duck hunting organization, a $10,000 grant to use drones to conduct a survey of duck nests. (Grand Forks Herald)

In a statement, Dassault CEO Éric Trappier said that the French-U.K. collaboration on a fighter drone will continue in spite of Brexit and a new Franco-German manned fighter project. (FlightGlobal)

A U.S. military study found that the cost of the Navy’s MQ-4C Triton program has risen by 17 percent. (IHS Jane’s Defense Weekly)

For updates, news, and commentary, follow us on Twitter.

[studentofrhetoric-blog]

Sunday, March 19th, 2017

International News:

--- "North Korea's latest rocket-engine test showed "meaningful" progress, South Korea said on Monday, while an analyst said it was a dangerous step towards the North's goal of developing a rocket that could hit the United States. The North's KCNA news agency said on Sunday the engine would help North Korea achieve world-class satellite-launch capability, indicating a new type of rocket engine for an intercontinental ballistic missile. The North's announcement of a successful engine test came as U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson was in Beijing at the end of his first visit to Asia for talks dominated by concern about North Korea's nuclear and missile programmes. "Through this test, it is found that engine function has made meaningful progress but further analysis is needed for exact thrust and possible uses," Lee Jin-woo, deputy spokesman for the South Korean defence ministry, told a regular briefing. State-run North Korean media reported that leader Kim Jong Un had hailed the successful test of a new high-thrust engine at its rocket launch station as "a new birth" of its rocket industry."

Source: http://www.reuters.com/article/us-northkorea-missiles-idUSKBN16R02P?il=0

--- "Syrian rebels launched a major offensive on Sunday that brought them close to the heart of the Old City of Damascus, and government forces responded with intense bombardments of rebel-held areas. The escalation, reported by witnesses, state TV, rebel sources, and a monitoring group, marked a bid by the rebels to relieve army pressure on besieged areas they control to the east of the capital. Moderate Free Syrian Army (FSA) and jihadist groups were both involved in the assault on the districts of Jobar and Abbasiyin, some 2 km (1.2 miles) east of the Old City walls. Syrian state television said the army had repelled an infiltration attempts by the militants and bombarded them with artillery, inflicting heavy losses. Witnesses said the army deployed tanks in some adjacent neighborhoods, and troops could be seen patrolling on foot. "The streets are empty and the army has despatched dozens of troops in the streets, and tanks are being moved. The sounds of mortars from Jobar have not stopped," said a resident of the nearby Tijara district, who asked not to be named. Another witness said most shops had closed in areas close to the fighting, as people fled further away from the clashes. Heavy explosions rang out in the background as state TV broadcast live from Abbasiyin square, a usually teeming area that seemed to be deserted of traffic and pedestrians."

Source: http://www.reuters.com/article/us-mideast-crisis-syria-jobar-idUSKBN16Q09X?il=0

--- "Prime Minister Theresa May will visit Wales on Monday as part of a plan to engage with all the nations of the United Kingdom before she formally launches Britain's departure from the European Union. May is due to trigger Article 50 of the EU's Lisbon Treaty, beginning two years of formal divorce talks, by the end of this month, and her office said she would be visiting Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland to hear people's views...On Monday May and Brexit minister David Davis will meet with Welsh First Minister Carwyn Jones and business representatives to discuss how Wales can make the most of opportunities offered by Brexit, her office said."

Source: http://www.reuters.com/article/us-britain-eu-wales-idUSKBN16Q0XE?il=0

--- "Centrist Emmanuel Macron and far-right leader Marine Le Pen would lead the first round of voting in France's presidential election with 26 percent each, a Kantar Sofres-Onepoint poll showed on Sunday. Conservative Francois Fillon came third in the poll on first-round voting intentions, with 17 percent, which would eliminate him from the second-round run-off. Next in the poll were Socialist Benoit Hamon and far-left candidate Jean-Luc Melenchon, tied on 12 percent. French voters go the polls on April 23 and May 7 in the two-round election."

Source: http://www.reuters.com/article/us-france-election-poll-idUSKBN16Q0S7?il=0

--- North Korea has conducted a test of a new high-thrust engine at its Tongchang-ri rocket launch station and leader Kim Jong Un said the successful test was "a new birth" of its rocket industry, the reclusive North's official media said on Sunday. The engine would help North Korea achieve world-class satellite launch capability, KCNA said, indicating the test was of a new type of rocket engine for long-range missiles. The United States and China pledged to work together to get the North to take "a different course" and move away from its weapons programs after U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson met his Chinese counterpart on Saturday. North Korea has conducted five nuclear tests and a series of missile launches, in defiance of U.N. sanctions, and is believed by experts and government officials to be working to develop nuclear-warhead missiles that could reach the United States."

Source: http://www.reuters.com/article/us-northkorea-missiles-idUSKBN16P0UZ?il=0

--- "Three U.S. troops were wounded on Sunday after an Afghan soldier opened fire on them at a base in the southern province of Helmand, the NATO-led Resolute Support mission said. The soldiers are receiving medical care, the NATO-led training and assistance mission said on Twitter. A spokesman for the Afghan military in the south of the country said the Afghan special forces soldier was shot dead after firing at the Americans at Camp Shorab air base at around 3 p.m. local time."

Source: http://www.reuters.com/article/us-afghanistan-shooting-idUSKBN16Q0LZ?il=0

Domestic & International News:

--- "With warm words from Chinese President Xi Jinping on Sunday, U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson ended his first trip to Asia since taking office with an agreement to work together with China on North Korea and putting aside trickier issues. China has been irritated at being repeatedly told by Washington to rein in North Korea's nuclear and missile programs and the U.S. decision to base an advanced missile defense system in South Korea. Beijing is also deeply suspicious of U.S. intentions toward self-ruled Taiwan, which China claims as its own, with the Trump administration crafting a big new arms package for the island that is bound to anger China. But meeting in Beijing's Great Hall of the People, those issues were brushed aside by Xi and Tillerson, at least in front of reporters, with Xi saying Tillerson had made a lot of efforts to achieve a smooth transition in a new era of relations."

Source: http://www.reuters.com/article/us-tillerson-asia-china-idUSKBN16Q0TP?il=0

--- "German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe spoke up for free trade at a major technology fair on Sunday with jabs clearly pointed at an increasingly protectionist United States. Both called for a free trade deal to be reached quickly between Japan and the European Union, in comments made after G20 finance ministers and central bankers dropped a long-standing mention of open trade in their final communique after a two-day meeting in Germany. Neither leader named the U.S. government as they opened the CeBIT technology fair in Hanover, but both used the opportunity to distance themselves from protectionist tendencies coming from the Trump administration. "In times when we have to argue with many about free trade, open borders and democratic values, it's a good sign that Japan and Germany no longer argue about this but rather are seeking to shape the future in a way that benefits people," Merkel said."

Source: http://www.reuters.com/article/us-germany-cebit-merkel-idUSKBN16Q0UR?il=0

--- "German Defense Minister Ursula von der Leyen on Sunday rejected U.S. President Donald Trump's claim that Germany owes NATO and the United States "vast sums" of money for defense. "There is no debt account at NATO," von der Leyen said in a statement, adding that it was wrong to link the alliance's target for members to spend 2 percent of their economic output on defense by 2024 solely to NATO. "Defense spending also goes into UN peacekeeping missions, into our European missions and into our contribution to the fight against IS terrorism," von der Leyen said. She said everyone wanted the burden to be shared fairly and for that to happen it was necessary to have a "modern security concept" that included a modern NATO but also a European defense union and investment in the United Nations."

Source: http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-germany-defence-idUSKBN16Q0D8?il=0

Domestic News:

--- "U.S. Supreme Court nominee Neil Gorsuch will face tough scrutiny at his Senate confirmation hearing starting on Monday, with Democrats seeking to make the case that he is a pro-business, social conservative insufficiently independent of the president. In a bid to place hurdles in the way of Gorsuch's expected confirmation by the Republican-controlled Senate, Democrats on the judiciary committee considering the nomination have said they will probe him on several fronts based mainly on his record as a federal appeals court judge and a Justice Department appointee under former President George W. Bush. Nominated by President Donald Trump to fill a year-old vacancy on the court, Gorsuch is a conservative appeals court judge from Colorado. Cool-headed and amiable, he will likely try to engage senators without being pinned down on specifics."

Source: http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-congress-gorsuch-idUSKBN16Q0BP?il=0

--- "The directors of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and National Security Agency will break their public silence on Monday about their investigations into possible links between Russia and President Donald Trump's campaign at a rare open congressional intelligence committee hearing. Representatives Devin Nunes, chairman of the House of Representatives Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, and Adam Schiff, the panel's top Democrat, have called FBI Director James Comey and NSA Director Admiral Mike Rogers to testify as part of their committee's probe into allegations that Russia meddled in U.S. elections. Other congressional committees also are investigating the matter, mostly behind closed doors. But amid a furor over whether Moscow tried to influence the 2016 presidential race on Trump's behalf, lawmakers said they would make public as much of their probes as possible. Russia denies attempting to influence the election. Comey and Rogers are not expected to reveal much in public about the probes, which include information that is classified Top Secret and also separated into different compartments, each of which requires a separate clearance. But the hearing could become heated as Republicans balance support for their party's leaders and Democrats vent frustration over Republican congressional leaders' refusal to appoint a special prosecutor or select committee to investigate."

Source: http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-russia-idUSKBN16R077?il=0

--- "U.S. lawmakers from both parties said on Sunday they had seen no proof to support the claim by Republican President Donald Trump that his predecessor Barack Obama had wiretapped him last year, adding pressure on Trump to explain or back off his repeated assertion. Several Republicans last week urged Trump to apologize for the allegations he made in a series of tweets on March 4. The maelstrom also caused tension with key U.S. allies and threatens to distract Republicans from campaign promises on health care and taxes. "I don't know the basis for President Trump's assertion," U.S. Senator Susan Collins, a Republican, said on NBC's "Meet the Press." "I do believe he owes us that explanation." Collins said she supported Trump as president, but she wouldn't side with him if he "misstated what the facts are." FBI Director James Comey is expected to be asked about Trump's claims when he testifies at a rare public hearing on Monday about alleged Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election. Russia has denied the assertion it was involved in hacked emails and other attempts to influence the race. Representative Adam Schiff, the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee holding the hearing, called Trump's claims "patently false" and said he expected Comey to say as much on Monday."

Source: http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-russia-idUSKBN16Q0LL?il=0

--- "A detailed version of President Donald Trump's budget to be released in May will lay out plans to eventually erase U.S. deficits, White House budget director Mick Mulvaney said on Sunday. "We're getting into that now. By May, I think it's mid-May we're shooting for right now, we'll have that larger budget..." Mulvaney said on NBC's "Meet the Press" program. Mulvaney acknowledged that the budget would not be balanced in the upcoming 2018 fiscal year but said the administration wants to put the country on a path toward eventually wiping out annual deficits. "We won't be able to balance the budget this year, but we're working on trying to get it to balance within the 10-year budget window, which is what Republicans in the House and the Senate have traditionally done in the last couple of years," Mulvaney said. "It is a very complicated budget process when your entitlements, your mandatory spending is driving most of your budget deficit," he said. "So over the course of the next decade, we'll have to look at the mandatory spending side in order to figure out a way to make changes to the way we spend money.""

Source: http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-budget-idUSKBN16Q0SW?il=0

--- "U.S. House Republicans are working on changes to their healthcare overhaul bill that would implement a work requirement for the Medicaid program for the poor, as well as boost tax credits for older, lower income people, U.S. House Speaker Paul Ryan said on Sunday. "We think we should be offering more assistance than the bill currently does," for lower-income people age 50 to 64, Ryan said of the tax credits for health insurance that are proposed in the legislation. Speaking on the "Fox News Sunday" television program, Ryan also said Republicans are working on changes that would allow federal block grants to states for Medicaid. Lawmakers plan to have the healthcare legislation on the House floor this Thursday, Ryan said."

Source: http://www.reuters.com/article/us-obamacare-ryan-idUSKBN16Q0JI?il=0

Further Details: http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-obamacare-idUSKBN16Q0OR?il=0

--- "President Donald Trump may begin his overhaul of the U.S. tax code as early as late spring, White House spokesman Sean Spicer has told Ireland's Sunday Independent newspaper. "We are going to have tax reform after we get healthcare completed... I think we are looking at late spring to summer," Spicer told the newspaper in an interview during Irish Prime Minister Enda Kenny's visit to Washington late last week. Trump has vowed to deliver major tax cuts to the middle-class and the business community this year but deepening Republican divisions over a House Republican healthcare bill which has spawned concern that action on tax reform may be delayed. In a survey released last week, only 16 percent of about 1,000 business, tax and financial executives polled by accounting and advisory firm KPMG said they expected to see tax reform in 2017."

Source: http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-tax-idUSKBN16Q0AB?il=0

[newstfionline]

Headlines

After wildfire smoke clears, protests resume in Portland (AP) Protesters returned to the streets of Portland, Oregon, following a dayslong pause largely due to poor air quality from wildfires on the West Coast. Police declared an unlawful assembly Friday night in a neighborhood near a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement building where protesters had marched, according to a police statement. Demonstrators participated in criminal activity and threw items at officers, police said, leading to 11 arrests.

Police: 2 dead, 14 wounded at party in Rochester, New York (AP) Gunfire at a backyard party killed two people and wounded 14 others early Saturday in Rochester, New York, a city that has been roiled in recent weeks by outrage over the suffocation death of Daniel Prude. As many as 100 people were at the gathering when the shooting started just before 12:30 a.m., Acting Police Chief Mark Simmons told reporters. A man and woman, estimated to be in their late teens or early 20s, were killed, Simmons said. The 14 wounded by gunfire were not believed to have life-threatening injuries. They were all between the ages of 17 and 23, police tweeted Saturday morning.

Tropical Storm Beta spurs hurricane worries for Texas (AP) An exceptionally busy Atlantic hurricane season was churning along Saturday as the Texas coast prepared for a tropical storm that could strengthen into a hurricane before breaching its shores in the week ahead. Both the city of Galveston and Galveston County on Saturday issued voluntary evacuation orders ahead of Tropical Storm Beta, as did the city of Seabrook to the north of Galveston. Mayor Pro Tem Craig Brown said in a statement that high tides and up to 10 inches (25 centimeters) of expected rainfall would leave roads impassable, especially along the city’s west end and low-lying areas. If Beta makes landfall in Texas, it would be the ninth named storm to make landfall in the continental U.S. in 2020, tying a record set in 1916, according to Colorado State University hurricane researcher Phil Klotzbach.

Street life slowly returns to Mexico (Los Angeles Times) The stream of vehicles bearing flowers and lost lives has not abated, but vendors are back at the gates of the San Mateo Tlaltenango cemetery. Street life and all its attendant hubbub—crowded buses and trains, packed parks, jammed highways—have been returning gradually to this metropolis of more than 20 million. Social distancing mandates are often flouted, though masks are the norm. Remote learning remains in place at schools, and large gatherings are still banned. Both deaths and cases have been on the decline in recent weeks, as have the percentage of positive tests. But health authorities have warned of potential new outbreaks, especially if people abandon caution.

Peru president survives impeachment vote amid virus turmoil (AP) Peruvian President Martín Vizcarra easily survived an impeachment vote Friday night after opposition lawmakers failed to amass enough support to oust the leader as the country copes with one of the world’s worst coronavirus outbreaks. The decision came after long hours of debate in which legislators blasted Vizcarra but also questioned whether a rushed impeachment process would only create more turmoil in the middle of a health and economic crisis. In the end, only 32 lawmakers voted to remove the president, while 78 voted against and 15 abstained. A two-thirds majority was needed to oust Vizcarra.

New UK lockdown likely sooner rather than later: former advisor (Reuters) Britain is likely to need to reintroduce some national coronavirus lockdown measures sooner rather than later, a former senior government health advisor said on Saturday. Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Friday that he did not want another national lockdown but that new restrictions may be needed because the country was facing an “inevitable” second wave of COVID-19. Ministers were on Friday reported to be considering a second national lockdown after new COVID-19 cases almost doubled to 6,000 per day, hospital admissions rose and infection rates soared across parts of northern England and London.

Deputy PM says time is right for Spain to become a republic (Reuters) Spain’s far-left deputy prime minister said on Saturday that a financial scandal which has rocked the royal family had presented an “historic moment” to push for a republic. Pablo Iglesias, leader of the Unidas Podemos party, the junior partner in Spain’s coalition government, said the monarchy was no longer relevant to a younger generation. “Less and less people in Spain understand, especially young people, that in the 21st century citizens cannot choose who their head of state is and that he does not have to answer to justice like any citizen and cannot be removed from charge if you commit a crime,” Iglesias told a party meeting. Spain’s former King Juan Carlos left the country under a cloud of scandal last month and is living in the United Arab Emirates. Once a popular monarch, he abdicated in favour of his son Felipe in 2014 after a tax fraud case involving members of his family and an ill-judged elephant hunting trip at a time when Spaniards were struggling with a deep recession.

After Fire at Refugee Camp, Europe Faces a Reckoning (NYT) A 31-year-old law school graduate, Masomeh Etemadi says she left Iran with her husband and two children to escape persecution as a Hazara minority. Now, she says, she doesn’t care where in Europe her family ends up. As long as it isn’t here. “Here” is between two olive trees on a hillside near what, until last week, was Europe’s largest refugee camp, Moria, on the Greek island of Lesbos. The camp, whose cramped and squalid conditions had made it a byword for the desperation of migrants trying to reach Europe, was set alight by an angry group of its inhabitants protesting coronavirus restrictions. Some 12,600 people were left homeless. “Europe says, ‘We want to help refugees.’ Greece says, ‘We don’t want you here,’ and I understand that—there aren’t even enough jobs for the locals,” Ms. Etemadi said as she changed a diaper in the shade of a tree. “But if Europe really wants to help us, why don’t they come here and help us?” The answer to her question—one that continues to haunt Europe—amounts to a kind of migrant fatigue that has yet to subside even years after the continent’s migration crisis has. Next week, the European Union will try once again to fix its broken asylum system by forging a new compromise among its member states, a process that will force it to confront its inadequate response. Few issues are more heated, and most leaders wish it would simply go away.

Belarus police detain hundreds of protesters in Minsk (Reuters) Belarusian police detained hundreds of protesters in central Minsk on Saturday, a witness said, as around 2,000 people marched through the city demanding that President Alexander Lukashenko step down. Belarus, a former Soviet republic closely allied with Russia, has been rocked by mass street protests since Lukashenko claimed a landslide victory in an Aug. 9 presidential election that his opponents say was rigged. He denies their accusation.

Biggest Thai protest in years targets government and monarchy (Reuters) Around 20,000 people protested in Thailand’s capital on Saturday against the government of former coup leader and Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha, with many demonstrators also calling for reforms to the monarchy. Protests have been building in the southeast Asian country since mid July, demanding the removal of the government, a new constitution and elections. They have also broken a long-standing taboo by criticising the monarchy of King Maha Vajiralongkorn. The king was not in Thailand and has spent much of his time in Europe since taking the throne from his late father in 2016.

Singapore says it’ll start paying people to work out with Apple’s smartwatch (CNN) Singapore announced Tuesday that it would reward residents with hundreds of dollars if they use a new health app designed for the Apple Watch. The app encourages users to exercise and complete certain activities each week, such as walking, swimming or practicing yoga. It also reminds users to sign up for health check-ups and immunization appointments. By checking off those goals, users can earn up to 380 Singapore dollars (about $280). In a statement, Apple described the partnership as “the first of its kind.” Singapore is known for its tech-savvy approach to public issues. It was one of the first countries to roll out a contact-tracing app to halt the spread of the coronavirus this year. It also deployed a robot “dog” to patrol a park and encourage social distancing this summer.

Islamic State is flush with cash (WSJ) Islamic State remains flush with cash despite setbacks in the past year, holding financial reserves and a range of revenue streams that U.S. and Western security officials warn could pay for a dangerous resurgence. The extremist organization and its affiliates have assets ranging into the hundreds of millions of dollars across the Middle East and Central Asia, according to the officials and government records reviewed by The Wall Street Journal. “The underlying conditions that allowed for the rise of ISIS remain,” Marine Gen. Frank McKenzie, in charge of U.S. Central Command, said last month. “They continue to aspire to regain control of physical terrain. Without sustained pressure, they have the potential to do so in a relatively short period of time.”

[courtneytincher]

Navy, Marine Corps leaders expressed interest in buying futuristic unmanned maritime systems

The U.S. Navy and Marine Corps leaders have expressed interest in buying a futuristic weaponized unmanned maritime systems during the 2019 Advanced Naval Technology Exercise (ANTX).

According to a statement released by the Naval Surface Warfare Center Dahlgren Division, Navy and Marine Corps witness new Expeditionary Warfare Unmanned Surface Vessel (USV) in Action at ANTX Demonstration at Camp Lejeune, N.C.

The Navy-industry Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) team – comprised of Naval Surface Warfare Center Dahlgren Division (NSWCDD) and Textron Systems scientists and engineers – demonstrated the Expeditionary Warfare USV’s ability to control inshore and littoral areas while identifying and engaging remote targets. NSWCDD unmanned system experts worked with their industry partner under the CRADA to integrate expeditionary warfare payloads they developed and integrated onto Textron’s Common Unmanned Surface Vehicle.

The Marine Corps general emphasized that the Marines need new capabilities for their concept of operations to work and that they need them quickly.

“We are also interested in showing the Navy that this type of system is available,” said Gripshover. “As unmanned boats are integrated into the force structure, these weapon automation technologies will be critical to their success. We want the Navy to be aware that putting weapons on unmanned boats involves more than bolting them on the deck. The weapons have to be controlled effectively.”

Gripshover and his team of NSWCDD scientists and engineers worked with their industry partner, Textron Systems, under a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement to integrate expeditionary warfare payloads they developed and integrated onto the company’s Common Unmanned Surface Vehicle.

“There are certain things you can do with these systems that you will never be able to do with manned vehicles,” said Gripshover regarding the Expeditionary Warfare USV his team created. “These types of systems opens up new ways of fighting as well as new missions. If fully implemented, these unmanned systems could revolutionize the way we fight.”

Specifically, the Expeditionary Warfare USV could transform how the Navy and Marine Corps provide maritime force protection and maneuver with payloads that include a Longbow Hellfire Missile Launcher and a 50 caliber machine gun on a Sea deFNnder Remote Weapon Station.

“Large numbers of these small, weaponized unmanned vehicles for use in distributed maritime operations and littoral operations in a contested environment will saturate the adversaries’ defenses, and can provide protection for the manned vessels,” said Gripshover. “In the long run, these unmanned systems save lives on both sides. It’s better to have machines fighting machines than to have humans fighting humans.”

At one point during ANTX, the Expeditionary Warfare USV autonomously located potential threats in the open ocean off Onslow Beach and at Mile Hammock Bay in Camp Lejuene while its NSWCDD operators made decisions related to engaging those targets. As the ANTX assessors watched the action, they could see how valuable the USV’s ‘leap-ahead’ capabilities would be in protecting Navy and Marine Corps manned high value assets.

The Expeditionary Warfare USV consists of a 40-foot self-driving boat, a HellFire Longbow missile system, and a .50 gun mounted on a remote weapon station. The boat uses radar and video to navigate, find and track surface contacts while providing tactical behaviors such as automated patrol, intercept, and chase. The gun and missile system use video and infrared systems to automatically identify targets, alert the weapon operator, and provide fire control. The system is operated remotely, either from an ashore site or a ship.

“With these autonomous systems and automated weapons, we are trying to automate enough of the kill chain to allow the human-machine team to react fast enough to deal with multiple incoming threats,” Gripshover explained. “We’re not trying to develop weapons where the machine is in control. We are trying to find the right balance – where the human and machine are both doing what they do best. The machine can search autonomously for potential threats and targets while the human can make the decision on those targets and decide when to engage them. ”

The Navy and Marine Corps are currently assessing the results of the ANTX – including the Expeditionary Warfare USV’s capability of performing expeditionary, littoral, and force protection operations as well as its long-range USV missions in support of expeditionary advanced based -operations. The services will determine if there is potential for further development of any of the technologies demonstrated at the July ‘Fight the Naval Force Forward’ ANTX.

NSWCDD invested approximately $5 million in Naval Innovative Science and Engineering (NISE) Section 219 investments in fiscal year 2018-2019 to enable the command’s scientists and engineers to mature the automated targeting, adaptable missile launcher, and weapons control systems and integrate them into the autonomous Textron System’s CUSV platform creating the Expeditionary Warfare USV.

“This effort represents the gold standard in leveraging NISE 219 funding as a force multiplier to achieving advanced technological capabilities,” said Kathleen Jones, NSWCDD chief technology officer. “We take great pride in the innovation of our scientists and engineers and their efforts to partner with industry and collaborate across warfare centers to bring this capability to fruition.”

Photo by Stacia Courtney

from Defence Blog

The U.S. Navy and Marine Corps leaders have expressed interest in buying a futuristic weaponized unmanned maritime systems during the 2019 Advanced Naval Technology Exercise (ANTX).

According to a statement released by the Naval Surface Warfare Center Dahlgren Division, Navy and Marine Corps witness new Expeditionary Warfare Unmanned Surface Vessel (USV) in Action at ANTX Demonstration at Camp Lejeune, N.C.

The Navy-industry Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) team – comprised of Naval Surface Warfare Center Dahlgren Division (NSWCDD) and Textron Systems scientists and engineers – demonstrated the Expeditionary Warfare USV’s ability to control inshore and littoral areas while identifying and engaging remote targets. NSWCDD unmanned system experts worked with their industry partner under the CRADA to integrate expeditionary warfare payloads they developed and integrated onto Textron’s Common Unmanned Surface Vehicle.

The Marine Corps general emphasized that the Marines need new capabilities for their concept of operations to work and that they need them quickly.

“We are also interested in showing the Navy that this type of system is available,” said Gripshover. “As unmanned boats are integrated into the force structure, these weapon automation technologies will be critical to their success. We want the Navy to be aware that putting weapons on unmanned boats involves more than bolting them on the deck. The weapons have to be controlled effectively.”

Gripshover and his team of NSWCDD scientists and engineers worked with their industry partner, Textron Systems, under a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement to integrate expeditionary warfare payloads they developed and integrated onto the company’s Common Unmanned Surface Vehicle.

“There are certain things you can do with these systems that you will never be able to do with manned vehicles,” said Gripshover regarding the Expeditionary Warfare USV his team created. “These types of systems opens up new ways of fighting as well as new missions. If fully implemented, these unmanned systems could revolutionize the way we fight.”

Specifically, the Expeditionary Warfare USV could transform how the Navy and Marine Corps provide maritime force protection and maneuver with payloads that include a Longbow Hellfire Missile Launcher and a 50 caliber machine gun on a Sea deFNnder Remote Weapon Station.

“Large numbers of these small, weaponized unmanned vehicles for use in distributed maritime operations and littoral operations in a contested environment will saturate the adversaries’ defenses, and can provide protection for the manned vessels,” said Gripshover. “In the long run, these unmanned systems save lives on both sides. It’s better to have machines fighting machines than to have humans fighting humans.”

At one point during ANTX, the Expeditionary Warfare USV autonomously located potential threats in the open ocean off Onslow Beach and at Mile Hammock Bay in Camp Lejuene while its NSWCDD operators made decisions related to engaging those targets. As the ANTX assessors watched the action, they could see how valuable the USV’s ‘leap-ahead’ capabilities would be in protecting Navy and Marine Corps manned high value assets.

The Expeditionary Warfare USV consists of a 40-foot self-driving boat, a HellFire Longbow missile system, and a .50 gun mounted on a remote weapon station. The boat uses radar and video to navigate, find and track surface contacts while providing tactical behaviors such as automated patrol, intercept, and chase. The gun and missile system use video and infrared systems to automatically identify targets, alert the weapon operator, and provide fire control. The system is operated remotely, either from an ashore site or a ship.

“With these autonomous systems and automated weapons, we are trying to automate enough of the kill chain to allow the human-machine team to react fast enough to deal with multiple incoming threats,” Gripshover explained. “We’re not trying to develop weapons where the machine is in control. We are trying to find the right balance – where the human and machine are both doing what they do best. The machine can search autonomously for potential threats and targets while the human can make the decision on those targets and decide when to engage them. ”

The Navy and Marine Corps are currently assessing the results of the ANTX – including the Expeditionary Warfare USV’s capability of performing expeditionary, littoral, and force protection operations as well as its long-range USV missions in support of expeditionary advanced based -operations. The services will determine if there is potential for further development of any of the technologies demonstrated at the July ‘Fight the Naval Force Forward’ ANTX.

NSWCDD invested approximately $5 million in Naval Innovative Science and Engineering (NISE) Section 219 investments in fiscal year 2018-2019 to enable the command’s scientists and engineers to mature the automated targeting, adaptable missile launcher, and weapons control systems and integrate them into the autonomous Textron System’s CUSV platform creating the Expeditionary Warfare USV.

“This effort represents the gold standard in leveraging NISE 219 funding as a force multiplier to achieving advanced technological capabilities,” said Kathleen Jones, NSWCDD chief technology officer. “We take great pride in the innovation of our scientists and engineers and their efforts to partner with industry and collaborate across warfare centers to bring this capability to fruition.”

Photo by Stacia Courtney

via IFTTT

[courtneytincher]

U.S. Marine Corps’ F-35B completes simulated defensive combat air patrol with AIM-9X missile

The U.S. Marine Corps’ F-35B short takeoff/vertical landing (STOVL) stealth aircraft successfully completed simulated defensive combat air patrol with live AIM-9 Sidewinder short-range missiles produced by Raytheon, according to 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit.

The Marine Corps conducted a series of air-to-air missile drills during the Wasp Amphibious Ready Group rotation in the Indo-Pacific region to enhance interoperability with partners and serve as ready-response force for any type of contingency, while simultaneously providing a flexible and lethal crisis response force ready to perform a wide range of military operations.

During this drill was conducted simulated defensive combat air patrol of the world’s first supersonic STOVL stealth aircraft with AIM-9X missile while conducting blue-water flight operations.

The rehearsal was in conjunction with the hot reload of ordnance including GBU-12 Paveway II Laser-Guided Bombs and GBU-32 Joint Direct Attack Munitions, and 25-mm ammunition with a GAU-22 cannon.

The air-to-air missile drill validated weapons assembly and loading procedures on the flight deck of the ship and showcased the F-35B’s flexibility to offensively engage airborne targets. The missile targeted and successfully engaged LUU-2 flares dispensed out of an MV-22B Osprey during flight operations, according to Maj. Jeffrey Davis, F-35B detachment officer-in-charge with VMM-265 (REIN).

“The 31st MEU regularly conducts F-35B Combat Air Patrol rehearsals and is fully prepared to maintain aerial dominance against any threat,” said Col. Robert Brodie, 31st MEU commanding officer. “Our successful live-fire employment of the AIM-9X further exemplifies our preparedness to ‘fight and win’ against any adversary in any arena.”

The AIM-9X is the newest member in the family of AIM-9 Sidewinder short-range missiles produced by Raytheon. It is an infrared air-to-air missile primarily developed for the US Air Force and the US Navy. The AIM-9X is currently in service with more than 40 countries worldwide.

The AIM-9X Sidewinder missile is the first short-range, air-to-air missile to be used on the F-35.

A Marine with Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 265 (Reinforced), pushes flares out of an MV-22B Osprey tiltrotor aircraft during an F-35B Lightning II AIM-9X Sidewinder missile defensive combat air patrol rehearsal, Pacific Ocean, August 7, 2019. Photo by Lance Cpl. Cameron Parks

Photo by Lance Cpl. Cameron Parks

from Defence Blog

The U.S. Marine Corps’ F-35B short takeoff/vertical landing (STOVL) stealth aircraft successfully completed simulated defensive combat air patrol with live AIM-9 Sidewinder short-range missiles produced by Raytheon, according to 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit.

The Marine Corps conducted a series of air-to-air missile drills during the Wasp Amphibious Ready Group rotation in the Indo-Pacific region to enhance interoperability with partners and serve as ready-response force for any type of contingency, while simultaneously providing a flexible and lethal crisis response force ready to perform a wide range of military operations.

During this drill was conducted simulated defensive combat air patrol of the world’s first supersonic STOVL stealth aircraft with AIM-9X missile while conducting blue-water flight operations.

The rehearsal was in conjunction with the hot reload of ordnance including GBU-12 Paveway II Laser-Guided Bombs and GBU-32 Joint Direct Attack Munitions, and 25-mm ammunition with a GAU-22 cannon.

The air-to-air missile drill validated weapons assembly and loading procedures on the flight deck of the ship and showcased the F-35B’s flexibility to offensively engage airborne targets. The missile targeted and successfully engaged LUU-2 flares dispensed out of an MV-22B Osprey during flight operations, according to Maj. Jeffrey Davis, F-35B detachment officer-in-charge with VMM-265 (REIN).

“The 31st MEU regularly conducts F-35B Combat Air Patrol rehearsals and is fully prepared to maintain aerial dominance against any threat,” said Col. Robert Brodie, 31st MEU commanding officer. “Our successful live-fire employment of the AIM-9X further exemplifies our preparedness to ‘fight and win’ against any adversary in any arena.”

The AIM-9X is the newest member in the family of AIM-9 Sidewinder short-range missiles produced by Raytheon. It is an infrared air-to-air missile primarily developed for the US Air Force and the US Navy. The AIM-9X is currently in service with more than 40 countries worldwide.

The AIM-9X Sidewinder missile is the first short-range, air-to-air missile to be used on the F-35.

A Marine with Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 265 (Reinforced), pushes flares out of an MV-22B Osprey tiltrotor aircraft during an F-35B Lightning II AIM-9X Sidewinder missile defensive combat air patrol rehearsal, Pacific Ocean, August 7, 2019. Photo by Lance Cpl. Cameron Parks

Photo by Lance Cpl. Cameron Parks

via IFTTT

[courtneytincher]

U.S. Marine Corps’ F-35B completes simulated defensive combat air patrol with AIM-9X missile

The U.S. Marine Corps’ F-35B short takeoff/vertical landing (STOVL) stealth aircraft successfully completed simulated defensive combat air patrol with live AIM-9 Sidewinder short-range missiles produced by Raytheon, according to 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit.

The Marine Corps conducted a series of air-to-air missile drills during the Wasp Amphibious Ready Group rotation in the Indo-Pacific region to enhance interoperability with partners and serve as ready-response force for any type of contingency, while simultaneously providing a flexible and lethal crisis response force ready to perform a wide range of military operations.

During this drill was conducted simulated defensive combat air patrol of the world’s first supersonic STOVL stealth aircraft with AIM-9X missile while conducting blue-water flight operations.

The rehearsal was in conjunction with the hot reload of ordnance including GBU-12 Paveway II Laser-Guided Bombs and GBU-32 Joint Direct Attack Munitions, and 25-mm ammunition with a GAU-22 cannon.

The air-to-air missile drill validated weapons assembly and loading procedures on the flight deck of the ship and showcased the F-35B’s flexibility to offensively engage airborne targets. The missile targeted and successfully engaged LUU-2 flares dispensed out of an MV-22B Osprey during flight operations, according to Maj. Jeffrey Davis, F-35B detachment officer-in-charge with VMM-265 (REIN).

“The 31st MEU regularly conducts F-35B Combat Air Patrol rehearsals and is fully prepared to maintain aerial dominance against any threat,” said Col. Robert Brodie, 31st MEU commanding officer. “Our successful live-fire employment of the AIM-9X further exemplifies our preparedness to ‘fight and win’ against any adversary in any arena.”

The AIM-9X is the newest member in the family of AIM-9 Sidewinder short-range missiles produced by Raytheon. It is an infrared air-to-air missile primarily developed for the US Air Force and the US Navy. The AIM-9X is currently in service with more than 40 countries worldwide.

The AIM-9X Sidewinder missile is the first short-range, air-to-air missile to be used on the F-35.

A Marine with Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 265 (Reinforced), pushes flares out of an MV-22B Osprey tiltrotor aircraft during an F-35B Lightning II AIM-9X Sidewinder missile defensive combat air patrol rehearsal, Pacific Ocean, August 7, 2019. Photo by Lance Cpl. Cameron Parks

Photo by Lance Cpl. Cameron Parks

from Defence Blog

The U.S. Marine Corps’ F-35B short takeoff/vertical landing (STOVL) stealth aircraft successfully completed simulated defensive combat air patrol with live AIM-9 Sidewinder short-range missiles produced by Raytheon, according to 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit.

The Marine Corps conducted a series of air-to-air missile drills during the Wasp Amphibious Ready Group rotation in the Indo-Pacific region to enhance interoperability with partners and serve as ready-response force for any type of contingency, while simultaneously providing a flexible and lethal crisis response force ready to perform a wide range of military operations.

During this drill was conducted simulated defensive combat air patrol of the world’s first supersonic STOVL stealth aircraft with AIM-9X missile while conducting blue-water flight operations.

The rehearsal was in conjunction with the hot reload of ordnance including GBU-12 Paveway II Laser-Guided Bombs and GBU-32 Joint Direct Attack Munitions, and 25-mm ammunition with a GAU-22 cannon.

The air-to-air missile drill validated weapons assembly and loading procedures on the flight deck of the ship and showcased the F-35B’s flexibility to offensively engage airborne targets. The missile targeted and successfully engaged LUU-2 flares dispensed out of an MV-22B Osprey during flight operations, according to Maj. Jeffrey Davis, F-35B detachment officer-in-charge with VMM-265 (REIN).

“The 31st MEU regularly conducts F-35B Combat Air Patrol rehearsals and is fully prepared to maintain aerial dominance against any threat,” said Col. Robert Brodie, 31st MEU commanding officer. “Our successful live-fire employment of the AIM-9X further exemplifies our preparedness to ‘fight and win’ against any adversary in any arena.”

The AIM-9X is the newest member in the family of AIM-9 Sidewinder short-range missiles produced by Raytheon. It is an infrared air-to-air missile primarily developed for the US Air Force and the US Navy. The AIM-9X is currently in service with more than 40 countries worldwide.

The AIM-9X Sidewinder missile is the first short-range, air-to-air missile to be used on the F-35.

A Marine with Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 265 (Reinforced), pushes flares out of an MV-22B Osprey tiltrotor aircraft during an F-35B Lightning II AIM-9X Sidewinder missile defensive combat air patrol rehearsal, Pacific Ocean, August 7, 2019. Photo by Lance Cpl. Cameron Parks

Photo by Lance Cpl. Cameron Parks

via IFTTT

[oldguardaudio]

US Army assault rifle – Hoax and Chage

What is an assault rifle? @ HoaxandChange.com

Nice image of a 30 cal Carbine. A fine piece of machinery at HoaxAndChange.com

CTA Station

Parolee charged with carrying loaded assault rifle at CTA station

A man has been charged with carrying an assault rifle on the platform of the Belmont CTA station early Saturday in the Lake View neighborhood North Side. Jordan Watkins, 29, faces one felony count …

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Long Beach

California’s Strict Gun-Control Laws May Soon Be Lifted By The Federal Government

In California in particular, Collins’ bill would lift the state ban on many types of military-grade assaultweapons and large-capacity gun magazines. It would also relax California’s strict licensing …

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Toting Assault Rifle

Man Toting Assault Rifle at North Side CTA Stop Arrested: Police

Charges were pending against a 29-year-old man Saturday who was arrested after brandishing an assault rifle on the Belmont Red Line stop, police said. The man was arrested after officers …

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Chicago

$150K Bail For Carrying Assault Rifle At Belmont CTA Station

A 29-year-old gang member accused of carrying a loaded AK-47 assault rifle at the Belmont Red Line station on Saturday morning has been ordered held in lieu of $150,000 bail. Jordan Watkins was …

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Russian Troops

Is it beginning in Belarus? ‘Little green men’ appear alongside Russian troops in Vitebsk

A man from the Belarusian city of Vitebsk, a city not far from the Russian border, has posted on Facebook pictures showing Russian soldiers in unmarked uniforms there something that will …

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Border Patrol

Human Smugglers with Loaded Rifle Arrested at Border Patrol Checkpoint

After the arrest, agents conducted of search of the SUV and discovered an AR-15 assault rifle in the vehicle’s rear cargo area. The weapon was loaded with 19 rounds of ammunition. The two …

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Holland Tunnel

Guilty Plea From Man Arrested With Guns at Holland Tunnel

The police arrested Mr. Cramsey, 52, and two others on the New Jersey side of the Holland Tunnel on June 21, 2016, after finding five pistols, an AR-15 assault rifle, a 12-gauge shotgun and a small …

New York Times4h

Police: 2 teens arrested in theft of guns, including trooper’s rifle

All of these guns are among 25 firearms stolen in July in the city and county. A thief broke into a Nebraska State Patrol SUV early Sunday and stole an assault rifle, radar gun and breathalyzer among other items, accordin…

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Andrew Breitbart

GOP Rep. Introduces Legislation to Nullify State-Level Gun Controls

It is a package of gun controls that include firearm registration, an “assault rifles” ban, a “high capacity” magazine ban, and an expansion of background checks. None of these laws would have prevented …

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Guilty Plea

John Cramsey’s lawyer says plea deal ‘too good to turn down’

Cramsey, 52, pleaded guilty to possession of a firearm — an assault rifle — for unlawful purposes and unlawful possession of a handgun. Under a plea deal, the former Zionsville gun range owner will …

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New York

Man busted at Holland Tunnel with truck full of loaded guns pleads guilty

Police pointed out the truck had a cracked windshield. Inside the truck, police found five loaded handguns, an assault rifle, a shotgun, and about 2,000 rounds of ammunition along with a small …

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Cook County

SAF Supports Lawsuit To Nullify Cook County ‘Assault Weapon’ Ban

July 31, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — The Second Amendment Foundation and Illinois State Rifle Association are supporting a lawsuit by two Illinois residents seeking a permanent injunction against a ban on so-called “assault weapons” adopted in Cook …

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Assault Rifles

California’s Strict Gun-Control Laws May Soon Be Lifted

Across California, CA – Assault rifles and high-capacity gun magazines could be making a comeback in California. U.S. Rep. Chris Collins (pictured above) unveiled new federal legislation Monday called the “Second Amendment Guarantee Act,” or H.R. 3576.

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Guilty!

John Cramsey Pleads Guilty to Gun Charges in Holland Tunnel Case

Searching the truck, which was covered with stickers supporting gun rights, police found five pistols, an AR-15 assault rifle and a .12 gauge shotgun, as well as knives, body armor, camouflage gear and …

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Nigeria

Photos: Man Publicly Executed In Yemen For Raping, Murdering 3-Year-Old Girl (Must See)

A policeman fired five bullets from an assault rifle into Muhammad al-Maghrabi, 41, as he lay with …

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Holland Tunnel

Holland Tunnel weapons suspect John Cramsey pleads guilty in exchange for parole recommendation

Searching the truck, which was covered with stickers supporting gun rights, police found five pistols, …

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Police

Police: Man armed with rifle in custody after opening fire in Midtown

A man armed with a rifle is in custody after he opened fire in the Midtown … Kansas City police are looking into a possible sexual assault at a Truman Medical Center facility. Officers received the call …

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Savage

Ridiculously Cheap Fight Outside Providence Strip Club Ends In Savage Knockout, Crazy Prancing Men, And Coward Using Friend As A Human Shield

Ya, assault is hilarious. So is jail time … and you just don’t kick someone when they’re down, then …

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Police

Police arrest man carrying loaded AK-47 onto train platform

CHICAGO (AP) — A man is in jail after he was arrested on charges that he carried a loaded assault rifle onto the platform of a Chicago train station. Twenty-nine-year-old Jordan Watkins of Chicago is charged with felony counts of unlawful use of a weapon …

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Police

Police arrest member of biker gang in shooting

One woman who pulled into the hospital’s parking lot to drop off a friend at the emergency room found herself staring into the barrels of an assault rifle and a pistol wielded by nervous police officers who thought she could have had some role in the …

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Council call police on veteran for sending ‘threatening’ photo of him holding a rifle in email row

A former serviceman at loggerheads with the council over its decision to ban his group from this …

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Chris Collins

Congressman Chris Collins unveils pro-gun rights legislation

The bill prohibits the states from going beyond federal restrictions on rifles and shotguns, which would overrule the SAFE Acts limits on what gun control advocates call “assault weapons”. “When you go …

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Andrew Cuomo

Lawmaker proposes bill to stop Cuomo’s anti-gun law

It would immediately void Cuomo’s SAFE Act provision that expanded rifle and shotgun bans while also prohibiting … “Democrats and Republicans came together to ban assault weapons from coming into …

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Codex

New Primaris Space Marine Kits On The Way + Two More Codices

You can mix and match between Stalker Bolt Rifles and Assault Bolt Rifles with this set depending on how you want to approach the enemy, and of course dependent on the Chapter you’re playing. They …

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Member Of Congress

Congressman seeks to void SAFE Act with new federal bill

Critics view the SAFE Act as outlawing firearms that offer features that under law make a gun assault-style. The bill similarly has … possession, or marking of a rifle or shotgun” that is subject to …

Times Union7h

POLICE Officers

Two dead, four wounded in M16 shooting at German nightclub

Investigators piecing together the assault said the man had initially left the site after a “fight with an employee at the disco” and gone home to pick up the US-made M16 rifle. “He came back and shot …

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Police Officer

Off-duty officer subdues man who chambered rifle round after crash: police

That’s when investigators say he pulled a rifle out of his disabled vehicle and chambered a round. And now, Larry W. Clayton Jr., of Fort Loudon, is facing charges of DUI, simple assault and recklessly …

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Granby

Gun club’s half-mile-long rifle range has Belchertown, Granby homeowners on edge

“Bad enough they stripped the mountain of beautiful foliage … we can hear what sounds like an assault rifle with multiple shots very frequently. What is being done to address this?” the Weldons wrote. …

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Andrew Cuomo

New Collins gun bill leads Cuomo to fire away

Collins, a Republican, announced a bill on Monday that would prevent states from regulating rifles and shotguns more stringently … The SAFE Act broadened the definition of banned assault weapons and …

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Subsidized Vehicle

Concerns raised after rifle stolen from police officer’s subsidized vehicle

After hearing what happened, state Sen. Will Espero expressed his concerns. “If anyone else were to leave an assault rifle in their vehicle, that would be against the law, and now the fact that this very …

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AMERI Deal

John Jinapor Detained, Home Raided In Connection With AMERI Deal

Two of the police men effecting the raid were reported to have been armed with AK 47 assault rifles. They were in search of documents related to the controversial AMERI contract. Mr. Jinapor, the MP …

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Americans

A government that wages a War on Innocent Americans is not worthy of our allegiance, obedience, or respect

Bob found himself flat on floor, hands behind his head, his eyes locked on the boots of the officer standing over him with an AR-15 assault rifle. “Are there kids?” the officers were yelling. “Where are the kids?” “And I’m laying there staring …

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Assault Rifle Used to Kill Man in Southwest Philadelphia: Police

Philadelphia police say an assault rifle was used to kill a man at a housing project. Police haven’t released the name of the man slain before police were called to Bartram Village about 10:15 p.m. Wednesday. Officers say they found the victim face-down on …

Assault Rifle News -> CTA Station Parolee charged with carrying loaded assault rifle at CTA station A man has been charged with carrying an