Latest news with #CongressionalResearchService
The Herald Scotland
5 days ago
- Politics
- The Herald Scotland
Majority of Americans think Trump admin should follow court orders
President Donald Trump's supporters are split, 50% to 50%, over whether the administration should follow court orders, according to NBC News. More: Everything's an 'emergency': How Trump's executive order record pace is testing the courts Trump's actions have sparked more than 250 legal challenges since his second term began on Jan. 20. The court cases have resulted in at least 25 nationwide injunctions through late April temporarily halting Trump's actions, according to the Congressional Research Service. In response, Trump and his allies have lashed out at the courts in a growing pressure campaign, including arresting and threatening the impeachment of judges. On April 25, federal authorities announced charges against a Wisconsin judge, accusing her of hampering immigration enforcement efforts. More: Dismantling agencies and firing workers: How Trump is redefining relations with Congress and courts The Trump administration has also tried resisting court rulings. After the Supreme Court ordered the administration to "facilitate" the return of a Maryland resident wrongly deported to El Salvador, Trump officials delayed bringing him back for nearly two months. The NBC News poll was conducted among 19,410 adults nationwide between May 30 and June 10. It has a margin of error of plus or minus 2.1 percentage points. It also found that 55% of Americans hold a strongly favorable or somewhat favorable opinion of the Supreme Court, while 45% of Americans hold a strongly unfavorable or somewhat unfavorable opinion. Contributing: Zac Anderson, USA TODAY
Yahoo
12-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Cheap, fast and armed: U.S. looks to thwart Ukraine-style drone swarms
WASHINGTON − Cheap weaponized drones pose a threat to military bases and civilians, leading a senior military official to predict they'll be used soon to inflict a 'mass-casualty event.' Ukraine underscored the risk to advanced military powers on June 1 when its inexpensive drones damaged or destroyed strategic warplanes across Russia. U.S. military bases, and targets like major sports events, share similar vulnerabilities, officials say. Neither the Pentagon nor the militaries of other developed countries have figured out how to defend against swarms of small drones packed with explosives, according to the military official, who has been briefed on counter-drone efforts but was not authorized to speak publicly. More: Russia's 'Pearl Harbor': What to know about Ukraine's audacious drone strike We're not even close, the official said. No one is. The threat from drones to military isn't just overseas. Last year, the military tallied 350 drone incursions on domestic bases, according to U.S. Northern Command. Most of those probably were hobbyists who strayed into restricted airspace, the defense official said. Some, however, could have been from foreign adversaries spying on the military. And some people have wondered whether they could have carried explosives. More: Ukraine drone attack shows familiar-looking drones can be terrifying weapons How does the Pentagon, which spends nearly $1 trillion a year on defense, have such a vulnerability? What's being done to address it, and how the future of drone warfare plays out, gains greater and greater urgency for lawmakers and military planners as technology improves almost daily. For the better part of two decades, the Pentagon had unmatched superiority in drone technology. Early in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, Predator and later Reaper drones armed with Hellfire missiles allowed pilots in dark bases in the Nevada desert to attack militant targets in the Middle East. A Reaper costs about $28 million, according to the Congressional Research Service. For a fraction of that cost today, a small drone can be weaponized and flown to its target and deliver devastating effects, too. 'At a cost of a mere tens of thousands of dollars, Ukraine inflicted billions in damage, potentially setting back Russia's bomber capabilities for years,' Army Secretary Dan Driscoll testified to Congress earlier in June. 'The world saw in near-real time how readily available technology can disrupt established power dynamics.' Ukraine has been at the forefront of militarized drone development. By necessity, it needs a cheap alternative to thwart Russia, a country with a far larger military force that has advantages in conventional weapons like warplanes, tanks and artillery. Ukraine deployed first-person view, or FPV, drones in its attack on the Russian airfields. FPV drones allow a pilot with a headset to steer the aircraft to its target. That technology has proliferated and gotten relatively cheap in recent years. You can buy an FPV drone on Amazon for under $700. The Ukrainian military has refined technology for small drones and improves nearly weekly to offset Russian countermeasures, the defense official said. More: No. 1 threat: Drone attacks prompt urgent $500 million request from Pentagon The Pentagon is painfully aware of the threat. In January 2024, militants in Jordan launched a drone attack on an outpost in the desert as soldiers slept in their quarters. Three died when the drone slammed into their building. Realizing the urgency of the threat, the Pentagon began funneling hundreds of millions of dollars into counter-drone weaponry. That includes electronic jamming devices that can sever the link between the operator and the drone, rendering it harmless. Small missiles can be fired at drones at a distance, and shotgun-type weapons can be used for those closer in, the official said. Even nets can be used to snag drones in the air before they reach their target. Defending against a swarm of small drones is a tough problem, the official said. There's no simple solution. More: Zap it and put it in a bag: Inside the military's response to drones flying over bases On Capitol Hill, Sen. Roger Wicker, Republican chairman of the Armed Services Committee, assured Army officials that Congress is prepared to spend billions on drone defense. Before senators and Army officials retreated to discuss the drone threat in secret, Driscoll raised another alarm about the threat. 'We are not doing enough,' he said. 'The current status quo is not sufficient.' This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Cheap, fast, explosive: Stopping Ukraine-style drone swarms
The Herald Scotland
10-06-2025
- Politics
- The Herald Scotland
LA protests: See police using 'less lethal' weapons.
Police departments across the country are increasingly adopting less-than-lethal weapons in the wake of police shootings in which unarmed citizens were killed, according to a January 2025 report by the Congressional Research Service. Some examples include: Batons or nightsticks Pepper spray Tear gas Tasers Flash-bang grenades Rubber bullets Beanbag rounds Sponge Grenades Here's a look at key events over the last few days and various munitions being used by law enforcement: Friday, June 6 Homeland Security agents detained several people outside a Home Depot west of downtown L.A., and later at a clothing store in the Fashion District. People gathered to photograph and video the officers, and a few protesters also arrived. Four search warrants were executed by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, a spokesperson for Homeland Security told the Los Angeles Times. At least 44 people were arrested. By around 6:30 p.m. local time more than 100 people gathered at the immigration services building and detention center in downtown Los Angeles to protest the raids, according to Reuters. At around 7 p.m. local time, the Los Angeles Police Department declared it an unlawful assembly and ordered the crowd to disperse. Some protesters threw pieces of broken concrete at the officers, who responded by firing tear gas and pepper spray. They also used flash-bang concussion rounds to disperse the crowd. Pepper spray is a lachrymatory agent, which means it stimulates the eyes to produce tears. The main active ingredient is an oil known as oleoresin capsicum, the same agent that provides "heat" in chili peppers, according to Dr. Robert Glatter, an emergency physician in New York City. It is typically dispersed as an aerosol or as small particles in a liquid spray, according to the National Capital Poison Center. Pepper sprays and mists can travel 8 to 12 feet, according to Sabre, a popular brand of pepper spray. Gel sprays can travel 20% farther. Saturday, June 7 The next day, larger protests began in the town of Paramount, south of Los Angeles, linked to rumors of a possible immigration raid. According to Los Angeles Times reporters who were on the scene, each time protesters threw anything at the agents or the police, tear gas and flash-bang rounds were fired back by federal agents. Law enforcement could also be seen firing pepper-spray balls in videos. With a range of up to 30 feet, pepper-spray balls are made of plastic that breaks on impact to release a chemical irritant intended to stun or incapacitate somebody. Sometimes, they contain marking paint for identifying a suspect or a particular area. Pepper-spray balls are typically the same caliber as recreational paintballs. They are typically deployed with paintball-style guns powered by compressed air. According to Homeland Security, on Saturday night, rioters surrounded the immigration services building and detention center, "assaulted ICE law enforcement officers, slashed tires, defaced buildings, and taxpayer-funded property. " In response, Trump signed a presidential memorandum deploying "at least" 2,000 National Guard troops to Los Angeles. Sunday, June 9 Early Sunday, dozens of National Guard troops arrived at the Metropolitan Detention Center three blocks from Los Angeles City Hall. By 10:30 a.m., as many as 300 members of the California National Guard had been deployed in three separate parts of the city. Crowds of protesters began arriving in the area around the federal complex around noon. Protests were not widespread, and most of the city was quiet. The situation escalated as the afternoon wore on. Many protesters waved Mexican flags or hybrid Mexican-American flags and chanted anti-ICE slogans. Some were also seen throwing water bottles and other objects at officers and law enforcement vehicles. Videos shared on social media and footage from local television stations showed officers in riot gear, with the sound of flash-bangs in the background. Lauren Tomasi, a U.S. national correspondent for Australia's 9News, was sore but unharmed after being shot in the leg by a Los Angeles officer. The incident was captured on video. At least five Waymo self-driving taxis were vandalized by protesters who spray-painted them with anti-Trump and anti-ICE slogans. At least two were set on fire. At one point, a crowd of protesters walked onto the 101 Freeway, blocking traffic in both directions. They were confronted by officers in riot gear, and by 5 p.m. local time the freeway was cleared. LAPD said on X that it had placed officers across the city on "tactical alert." The police department later declared an "unlawful assembly" for the Civic Center area and the historic Olvera Street in downtown Los Angeles, an area covering a small portion of the sprawling city of 500 square miles. It had authorized the "use of less lethal munitions." Videos and photos at the scene showed police firing sponge grenades and other less lethal projectiles. Sponge grenades, or sponge rounds, are designed to stop violent aggressors without killing them and for crowd control. These projectiles are designed to cause blunt trauma and pain that temporarily disables the person. They are supposed to be fired at the legs or lower torso, and police are trained to avoid the head, neck and groin. Firing the projectiles from a distance decreases their force and accuracy and increases the risk of shooting people in the face or hitting bystanders. Firing too closely increases the risk of serious injury. At 8 p.m., authorities moved in aggressively with flash-bangs and tear gas grenades, sending hundreds of people running, their eyes streaming with tears. Helicopters clattered overhead as protesters fled the area to the honking of car horns and periodic cheers. Other video shot in the Compton area later that evening also shows flashbangs being deployed. Documents describing L.A.P.D.'s use of force tactics also list the beanbag shotgun. A bean bag round is a small fabric sack filled with No. 9 lead shot and fired by a shotgun. It is designed to expand in flight and cause trauma to the body, including muscle spasms, without penetrating the skin. These rounds are intended to be fired at large muscle groups on a dangerous person. The head and neck areas should be avoided to prevent killing them. Other munitions such as rubber or plastic bullets, also known as kinetic impact projectiles, have been used by law enforcement to control crowds. A 2017 study by the medical journal BMJ Open using injury data collected over 27 years found that of 1,984 people injured by rubber and plastic bullets and other projectiles in arrests and protests, "53 died as a result of their injuries and 300 others suffered permanent disability." Deaths and permanent disability were often caused by "strikes to the head and neck," the study said. Contributing: Elizabeth Weise, Trevor Hughes, John Bacon, N'dea Yancey-Bragg, Michael Loria, Tom Vanden Brook Davis Winkie, USA TODAY Read more: Live updates: 700 Marines being sent to LA for riot assistance in response to protests Timeline: LA protests went from small to substantial over three days. Here's what unfolded 'Less lethal' can still maim and kill: A visual guide to weapons police use on protesters
The Herald Scotland
08-06-2025
- Politics
- The Herald Scotland
Cheap, fast, explosive: Stopping Ukraine-style drone swarms
Neither the Pentagon, nor the militaries of other developed countries, has figured out how to defend against swarms of small drones packed with explosives, according to the military official, who has been briefed on counter-drone efforts but was not authorized to speak publicly. More: Russia's 'Pearl Harbor': What to know about Ukraine's audacious drone strike We're not even close, the official said. No one is. The threat from drones to military isn't just overseas. Last year, the military tallied 350 drone incursions on domestic bases, according to U.S. Northern Command. Most of those were probably hobbyists who strayed into restricted airspace, the defense official said. Some, however, could have been from foreign adversaries spying on the military. And some wonder if they could have carried explosives. More: Ukraine drone attack shows familiar-looking drones can be terrifying weapons How does the Pentagon, which spends nearly a trillion dollars a year on defense, have such a vulnerability? What's being done to address it, and how future of drone warfare plays out gains greater and greater urgency for lawmakers and military planners as technology improves almost daily. For the better part of two decades, the Pentagon had unmatched superiority in drone technology. Early in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, Predator and later Reaper drones armed with Hellfire missiles allowed pilots in dark bases in the Nevada desert to attack militant targets in the Middle East. A Reaper costs about $28 million, according to the Congressional Research Service. For a fraction of that cost today, a small drone can be weaponized and flown to its target and deliver devastating effects, too. "At a cost of a mere tens of thousands of dollars, Ukraine inflicted billions in damage, potentially setting back Russia's bomber capabilities for years," Army Secretary Dan Driscoll testified to Congress this week. "The world saw in near-real time how readily available technology can disrupt established power dynamics." Ukraine has been at the forefront of militarized drone development. By necessity, it needs a cheap alternative to thwart Russia, a country with a far larger military force that has advantages in conventional weapons like warplanes, tanks and artillery. Ukraine deployed first-person view, or FPV drones, in its attack on the Russian airfields. FPV drones allow a pilot with a headset to steer the aircraft to its target. That technology has proliferated and gotten relatively cheap in recent years. You can buy an FPV drone on Amazon for under $700. The Ukrainian military has refined technology for small drones and improves nearly weekly to offset Russian countermeasures, the defense official said. Fatal attack The Pentagon is painfully aware of the threat. In January 2024 militants in Jordan launched a drone attack on an outpost in the desert as soldiers slept in their quarters. Three died when the drone slammed into their building. Realizing the urgency of the threat, the Pentagon began funneling hundreds of millions of dollars into counter-drone weaponry. That includes electronic jamming devices that can sever the link between the operator and the drone, rendering it harmless. Small missiles can be fired at drones at a distance, and shotgun-type weapons can be used for those closer in, the official said. Even nets can be used to snag drones in the air before they reach their target. Defending against a swarm of small drones is a tough problem, the official said. There's no simple solution. On Capitol Hill, Sen. Roger Wicker, the Republican chairman of the Armed Services Committee, assured Army officials that Congress is prepared to spend billions on drone defense. Before senators and Army officials retreated to discuss the drone threat in secret, Driscoll raised another alarm about the threat. "We are not doing enough," he said. "The current status quo is not sufficient."
USA Today
07-06-2025
- Politics
- USA Today
Cheap, fast and armed: U.S. looks to thwart Ukraine-style drone swarms
Cheap, fast and armed: U.S. looks to thwart Ukraine-style drone swarms Ukraine recently used inexpensive drones to inflict serious damage to Russia's strategic bomber fleet in an audacious attack. Show Caption Hide Caption Ukrainian drone attack hits Russian air force bases A large scale Ukrainian drone attack hit multiple Russian air force bases, significantly setting Russia back. A senior U.S. military official said it was only a matter of time before drones were used in a "mass casualty event" in the U.S. Last year, the military tallied 350 drone incursions on domestic bases. Most were thought to be the work of hobbyists who strayed into restricted airspace. WASHINGTON − Cheap weaponized drones pose a threat to military bases and civilians, leading a senior military official to predict they'll be used soon to inflict a 'mass-casualty event.' Ukraine underscored the risk to advanced military powers on June 1 when its inexpensive drones damaged or destroyed strategic warplanes across Russia. U.S. military bases, and targets like major sports events, share similar vulnerabilities, officials say. Neither the Pentagon, nor the militaries of other developed countries, has figured out how to defend against swarms of small drones packed with explosives, according to the military official, who has been briefed on counter-drone efforts but was not authorized to speak publicly. More: Russia's 'Pearl Harbor': What to know about Ukraine's audacious drone strike We're not even close, the official said. No one is. The threat from drones to military isn't just overseas. Last year, the military tallied 350 drone incursions on domestic bases, according to U.S. Northern Command. Most of those were probably hobbyists who strayed into restricted airspace, the defense official said. Some, however, could have been from foreign adversaries spying on the military. And some wonder if they could have carried explosives. More: Ukraine drone attack shows familiar-looking drones can be terrifying weapons How does the Pentagon, which spends nearly a trillion dollars a year on defense, have such a vulnerability? What's being done to address it, and how future of drone warfare plays out gains greater and greater urgency for lawmakers and military planners as technology improves almost daily. For the better part of two decades, the Pentagon had unmatched superiority in drone technology. Early in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, Predator and later Reaper drones armed with Hellfire missiles allowed pilots in dark bases in the Nevada desert to attack militant targets in the Middle East. A Reaper costs about $28 million, according to the Congressional Research Service. For a fraction of that cost today, a small drone can be weaponized and flown to its target and deliver devastating effects, too. 'At a cost of a mere tens of thousands of dollars, Ukraine inflicted billions in damage, potentially setting back Russia's bomber capabilities for years,' Army Secretary Dan Driscoll testified to Congress this week. 'The world saw in near-real time how readily available technology can disrupt established power dynamics.' Ukraine has been at the forefront of militarized drone development. By necessity, it needs a cheap alternative to thwart Russia, a country with a far larger military force that has advantages in conventional weapons like warplanes, tanks and artillery. Ukraine deployed first-person view, or FPV drones, in its attack on the Russian airfields. FPV drones allow a pilot with a headset to steer the aircraft to its target. That technology has proliferated and gotten relatively cheap in recent years. You can buy an FPV drone on Amazon for under $700. The Ukrainian military has refined technology for small drones and improves nearly weekly to offset Russian countermeasures, the defense official said. Fatal attack The Pentagon is painfully aware of the threat. In January 2024 militants in Jordan launched a drone attack on an outpost in the desert as soldiers slept in their quarters. Three died when the drone slammed into their building. Realizing the urgency of the threat, the Pentagon began funneling hundreds of millions of dollars into counter-drone weaponry. That includes electronic jamming devices that can sever the link between the operator and the drone, rendering it harmless. Small missiles can be fired at drones at a distance, and shotgun-type weapons can be used for those closer in, the official said. Even nets can be used to snag drones in the air before they reach their target. Defending against a swarm of small drones is a tough problem, the official said. There's no simple solution. On Capitol Hill, Sen. Roger Wicker, the Republican chairman of the Armed Services Committee, assured Army officials that Congress is prepared to spend billions on drone defense. Before senators and Army officials retreated to discuss the drone threat in secret, Driscoll raised another alarm about the threat. 'We are not doing enough,' he said. 'The current status quo is not sufficient.'
