Department of War – Press Release, February 3rd, 2026

When Secretary of War Pete Hegseth took office a year ago, matching new technologies to threats was one of his core priorities. He commissioned an acquisition strategy to swiftly outfit our combat units with lethal drones.

The War Department today announced the 25 vendors invited to compete in Phase I of the Drone Dominance Program (DDP), an acquisition reform effort designed to rapidly field low-cost, unmanned, one-way attack drones at scale as part of strengthening America’s Arsenal of Freedom.

“Drone dominance is a process race as much as a technological race,” Secretary of War Pete Hegseth wrote in his July 2025 memorandum, Unleashing U.S. Military Drone Dominance. “We are buying what works—fast, at scale, and without bureaucratic delay. Lethality will not be hindered by self-imposed restrictions.”

The Phase I evaluation—the Gauntlet—will begin 18 February at Fort Benning, where military operators will fly and evaluate vendor systems. The Gauntlet will conclude in early March, when approximately $150 million in prototype delivery orders will be placed, with deliveries beginning shortly thereafter and continuing over the following five months.

Drone Dominance operationalizes the Secretary of War’s acquisition reform priorities by sending a clear demand signal to industry—$1.1 billion over four phases, placing warfighters at the center of evaluation, and driving competitive, iterative cycles measured in months, not years. Across the program’s four phases, unit prices decrease, production volumes increase, and operational capability rises.

By 2027, the Department will be fielding hundreds of thousands of weaponized, one-way attack drones ready for combat.

The Drone Dominance Program is sponsored by the Office of the Secretary of War and executed by the Defense Innovation Unit, the Test Resource Management Center, and Naval Surface Warfare Center, Crane Division.

The funding is ready and steady. The timeline to build combat power is compressed. The competition begins now.

The Department has invited 25 companies to Gauntlet I, listed below alphabetically.

ANNO.AI, INC.
ASCENT AEROSYSTEMS INC
AUTERION GOVERNMENT SOLUTIONS INC
DZYNE TECHNOLOGIES, LLC
EWING AEROSPACE LLC
FARAGE PRECISION, LLC
FIRESTORM LABS, INC.
GENERAL CHERRY CORP
GREENSIGHT INC.
GRIFFON AEROSPACE, INC.
HALO AERONAUTICS, LLC
KRATOS SRE, INC.
MODALAI, INC.
NAPATREE TECHNOLOGY LLC
NEROS, INC.
OKSI VENTURES, INC.
PALADIN DEFENSE SERVICES LLC
PERFORMANCE DRONE WORKS LLC
RESPONSIBLY LTD
SWARM DEFENSE TECHNOLOGIES, LLC
TEAL DRONES INC
UKRAINIAN DEFENSE DRONES TECH CORP
VECTOR DEFENSE, INC
W S DARLEY & CO
XTEND REALITY INC.

Read more here.

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Democrat Rep. Jerrold Nadler (NY) on Tuesday said Americans would be justified in shooting masked ICE agents.

“What is really the major problem in this country today is the fascism in our streets,” Nadler said during a House Judiciary Committee hearing on Tuesday.

“The attacks on American citizens by masked hoodlums. If you were attacked by a masked person, you might think you were being kidnapped,” Nadler said.

“You’d be justified in shooting the person to protect yourself,” Nadler added.

Nadler referenced the fatal shooting of Renee Good, the anti-ICE agitator who tried to run over an ICE agent in Minneapolis.

DHS agents also fatally shot Alex Pretti, an armed anti-ICE agitator who impeded an immigration operation and resisted arrest.

“We see people being shot! For what? For driving a car?” Nadler said.

“We see these ICE goons breaking into people’s homes without a warrant. You see them drag out a man – an American citizen in his underwear in the snow without even permitting him to get dressed!” Nadler said.

WATCH:

ICE agents face an 8,000% increase in death threats against them and their family members, the DHS said.

Calls for violence against ICE agents coming from Democrats like Jerry Nadler are contributing to the shootouts and car ramming incidents.

“The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) released a threatening voicemail left for an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer in Minnesota on January 24,” the DHS said.

“Our law enforcement officers are now facing an 8,000% increase in death threats against them and a more than 1,300% increase in assaults against them while they put their lives on the line to remove murderers, pedophiles, rapists, gang members, and terrorists from American neighborhoods,” the DHS said.

The post SHOCK: Democrat Rep. Nadler Says Americans Would Be “Justified” in Shooting Masked ICE Agents (VIDEO) appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

TMZ received a ransom note demanding a massive payment – in Bitcoin – for the release of Nancy Guthrie.

84-year-old Nancy Guthrie, mother of NBC’s “Today” show anchor Savannah Guthrie, was last seen on Saturday night.

The elder Guthrie went ‘missing’ from her Pima County, Arizona, home over the weekend and law enforcement described it as a ‘crime scene.’

MISSING PERSON: Nancy Guthrie https://t.co/FckPCHSXKu pic.twitter.com/BcHeWPppzu

— Pima County Sheriff's Department (@PimaSheriff) February 2, 2026

Authorities said there are signs of forced entry and blood was found inside the Pima County home.

On Tuesday, police said during a press conference that they have not ruled out a ransom.

“We’re following all leads we have,” Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos said on Tuesday.

“We are sharing all of our leads with the FBI,” he added.

Later Tuesday, TMZ received a ransom not demanding a “substantial” amount of Bitcoin in exchange for the release of Guthrie.

TMZ said the ransom note revealed details about the crime scene.

TMZ reported:

Another scary twist in the disappearance of “TODAY” host Savannah Guthrie’s kidnapped mother … TMZ has received an alleged ransom note demanding payment for the release of Nancy Guthrie.

The note, which was sent to us Tuesday morning, demands a specific substantial amount of Bitcoin … the amount is in the millions, and the note demands the cryptocurrency be sent to a specific Bitcoin address.

TMZ has verified the Bitcoin address is real.

There is a deadline connected to the alleged ransom … and an element of “or else.”

In the moment on our live stream above, Harvey and Charles said she was wearing an item mentioned in the note. In fact, the note says she was not wearing it.

The alleged ransom note also describes another item the sender says was damaged at her Tucson-area home.

Alleged ransom note for Nancy Guthrie kidnapping demands millions in Bitcoin.

Details: https://t.co/dyhWFrcViu pic.twitter.com/3S62nYJ6i0

— TMZ (@TMZ) February 3, 2026

The post DEVELOPING: TMZ Receives Ransom Note Demanding Massive Payment in Bitcoin For Release of Nancy Guthrie Three Days After Her Disappearance appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

The House of Representatives has voted 217-214 to partially fund the government and end the partial shutdown. 

The bill now heads to Trump’s desk, and he is expected to sign it today.

21 Republicans voted against the bill, including Andy Biggs of Arizona, Lauren Boebert of Colorado, Josh Brecheen of Oklahoma, Tim Burchett of Tennessee, Eric Burlison of Missouri, Kat Cammack of Florida, Eli Crane of Arizona, Byron Donalds of Florida, Randy Fine of Florida, Brandon Gill of Texas, Anna Paulina Luna of Florida, Thomas Massie of Kentucky, Cory Mills of Florida, Andy Ogles of Tennessee, Scott Perry of Pennsylvania, Chip Roy of Texas, David Schweikert of Arizona, Keith Self of Texas, Victoria Spartz of Indiana, Greg Steube of Florida, and William Timmons of South Carolina.

21 Democrats also voted in favor.

The bill only funds the Department of Homeland Security until February 13.

Democrats are demanding reforms to ICE including unmasking agents, forcing them to wear body cameras during immigration, and forcing them to obtain warrants from a judge as opposed to administrative warrants against criminal illegal aliens.

On Monday, Kristi Noem announced that the Trump Administration has already partially caved to Democrats’ demands, forcing ICE agents in Minneapolis to immediately wear body-worn cameras, and body cameras will be worn by DHS law enforcement across the country once funding is available. Hopefully, this will show what kind of circumstances ICE agents face when anti-ICE radicals attack them, but it will surely bring more scrutiny to our brave American heroes as they attempt to remove violent criminals from the country.

I just spoke with @RealTomHoman @ICEDirector @CBPCommissioner. Effective immediately we are deploying body cameras to every officer in the field in Minneapolis.

As funding is available, the body camera program will be expanded nationwide. We will rapidly acquire and deploy body…

— Secretary Kristi Noem (@Sec_Noem) February 2, 2026

House Speaker Mike Johnson said he plans to negotiate with Democrats to have the Department of Homeland Security funded before funding lapses.

Per CBS:

Johnson told reporters that any attempt by Democrats to hold up long-term funding for DHS over objections to immigration enforcement would be futile, because ICE and CBP received an influx of money in last year’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act. He said the agencies that would be affected carry out important services like disaster aid and airport security.

“So they have enough funding to go for the next few years,” he said of immigration agencies. “So what they will be tying up, if the Democrats choose to close the government, is these very essential services for everything else – FEMA, Coast Guard, TSA and other aspects of national security.”

The legislation passed last year included $75 billion for ICE and $65 billion for CBP, well beyond their annual allotments.

“This is no time to play games with that funding,” Johnson said. “We hope that they will operate in good faith over the next 10 days.”

As The Gateway Pundit reported, President Trump on Monday called for Republicans to pass the Senate-passed funding deal without any changes.

“There can be NO CHANGES at this time. We will work together in good faith to address the issues that have been raised, but we cannot have another long, pointless, and destructive Shutdown that will hurt our Country so badly — One that will not benefit Republicans or Democrats. I hope everyone will vote, YES!” Trump said.

President Trump Calls on House GOP to Pass Funding Package that Funds DHS for Only Two Weeks with “NO CHANGES”

The post JUST IN: House Passes Trump-Backed Bill to End Partial Government Shutdown with 2 Week DHS Funding – 21 Republicans Voted No appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

On Monday The Gateway Pundit’s Cristina Laila reported that Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche fired Ed Martin as Chief of the Justice Department’s Weaponization Working Group. This was first reported by investigative reporter Paul Sperry.

Last May President Trump tapped Ed Martin to be the US Pardon Attorney after RINO Senator Thom Tillis derailed his nomination for DC US Attorney. He was also personally named by Trump to serve as the Justice Department’s Director of the Weaponization Working Group.

Then on Monday it was reported that Ed Martin was removed from his role as Chief of Weaponization at the DOJ.

A DOJ spokesperson said Ed Martin is still at the Department as the Pardon Attorney.

But there is more to this story.

On Tuesday, Paul Sperry tweeted out a shocking development: That Todd Blanche DID NOT tell the Trump White House that he removed Ed Martin from from the Weaponization Group. This was after President Trump personally hired Ed Martin for the committee.

BREAKING: "[Deputy AG] Todd [Blanche] didn't tell the White House he was removing Ed [Martin] from the [Weaponization Working] Group" after he told Martin he was dismissing him as director during a Dec. 10 meeting at DOJ, even though Trump personally appointed Martin, a source…

— Paul Sperry (@paulsperry_) February 3, 2026

Alex Jones explains the Todd Blanche controversy during his show today.

EXCLUSIVE: Learn Why Democratic Party Operative Todd Blanche Removed Ed Martin From His Anti-Government Corruption Position

This Is Bad News For Justice & America!

TUNE IN NOW FOR THE LATEST:https://t.co/FTfpgI3xKy pic.twitter.com/xSNGm8khJe

— Alex Jones (@RealAlexJones) February 3, 2026

The post BIG UPDATE: Todd Blanche Did Not Notify White House He Removed Ed Martin from Weaponization Group – Even Though Trump Personally Hired Martin for the Job appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

Police in the United Kingdom announced a criminal investigation Tuesday into Peter Mandelson, Britain's former ambassador to the United States, after the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) released millions of court documents related to disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein.

Metropolitan Police Cmdr. Ella Marriot in London said following the DOJ documents dump, the Met received "a number of reports" into alleged misconduct in public office, including a referral from the UK government.

"I can confirm that the Metropolitan Police has now launched an investigation into a 72-year-old man, a former Government Minister, for misconduct in public office offenses," Marriot wrote in a statement.

RESURFACED PHOTO LINKS MAMDANI TO EPSTEIN-CONNECTED PUBLICIST AT NEW YORK CITY EVENT

"The Met will continue to assess all relevant information brought to our attention as part of this investigation and won’t be commenting any further at this time," she added.

Mandelson resigned Sunday from the governing Labour Party amid allegations he received $75,000 in payments from Epstein and shared sensitive government information after the 2008 financial crisis.

HOUSE OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE TO SUBPOENA LES WEXNER, 2 OTHERS IN EPSTEIN INVESTIGATION

Prime Minister Keir Starmer abruptly fired Mandelson from his ambassadorial position in September following the release of emails between Mandelson and Epstein.

Starmer on Monday requested an urgent review of Mandelson’s communications with Epstein while he was in office.

The House of Lords announced on Tuesday Mandelson is stepping down.

"He will cease to be a member tomorrow," the House of Lords told Fox News Digital. "We have no comment on any possible police investigation."

Epstein died by suicide in 2019 while in federal custody.

He was awaiting trial on charges including sex trafficking of minors and conspiracy to commit sex trafficking of minors.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

ICE agents arrested an illegal alien, a New Orleans Police Department recruit, who was illegally given a gun.

Larry Temah, the 46-year-old illegal alien from Cameroon, was just one week away from graduating from the police academy.

The DHS said in a comment to Fox News: “This illegal alien from Cameroon, Larry Temah, is not only breaking the law with every step he takes in this country illegally, but the New Orleans Police Department hired him and issued him a firearm – what kind of law enforcement department gives criminal illegal aliens guns and badges? It’s a FELONY for illegal aliens to even possess a firearm. Sanctuary cities like New Orleans ignore ICE detainers and are protecting illegal aliens at the expense of American citizens.”

Per Fox News reporter Bill Melugin:

ICE confirms to Fox News that they’ve arrested a New Orleans Police Department recruit who they say is an illegal alien from Cameroon with an active deportation order & no work authorization, & they say he was illegally given a gun by New Orleans PD.

ICE says 46-year-old Larry Temah was one week away from graduating the New Orleans PD academy when they arrested him.

They say Temah first entered the US legally in 2015 on a visitor’s visa and was granted conditional residency after marrying a US citizen in 2016. However, in 2022, his application for permanent residency was denied to due to fraud.

ICE says Temah was ordered to appear in immigration court three times, but never did, disregarding US laws, which resulted in an immigration judge ordering him deported in absentia, resulting in his active deportation order.

NEW: ICE confirms to @foxnews that they’ve arrested a New Orleans Police Department recruit who they say is an illegal alien from Cameroon with an active deportation order & no work authorization, & they say he was illegally given a gun by New Orleans PD.

ICE says 46-year-old… pic.twitter.com/5WmgnKBueC

— Bill Melugin (@BillMelugin_) February 3, 2026

This is not the first time an illegal alien has been a police department recruit and given an illegal gun.

In October, ICE agents arrested an alleged illegal alien from Montenegro who was a sworn police officer in Hanover Park, Illinois.

Hanover Police later announced they rehired Bojovic.

Bojovic is now an armed police officer after an immigration judge granted him a $2,500 immigration bond two weeks after he was detained.

The post ICE Arrests Illegal Alien New Orleans Police Department Recruit Who Was Illegally Given a Gun appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

The anti-ICE rallies in Minnesota and across the country may appear organic, but one "dark money" expert believes they are funded by leftist billionaires.

The post Report: Anti-ICE Protests Funded by Leftist Billionaires, Including China-Linked ‘Communist Splinter Groups’ appeared first on Breitbart.

Two Swedes were convicted in a Danish court of terrorism and attempted murder for detonating two hand grenades near the Israeli Embassy in Copenhagen in October 2024.

The younger of the two men, who is 18 years old, was sentenced to 12 years in prison, while his older accomplice, aged 21, was sentenced to 14 years, according to The Associated Press, which cited Swedish news agency TT. The two men, who have not been identified, were said to be acting on behalf of a criminal gang, the AP reported.

The attack occurred on Oct. 2, 2024, when the two threw hand grenades towards the Israeli Embassy in Copenhagen. The grenades detonated on the terrace of a residential building, which was inhabited by a family with children, according to the AP. No one was injured in the blasts. The nearby Jewish school, Carolineskolen, was closed when the attack took place.

AMERICANS WARNED BY US EMBASSY IN ISRAEL TO PREPARE FOR ‘CRISES’ AMID IRAN TENSIONS

The two men admitted to throwing the grenades, but denied being ideologically motivated, saying they did it for money, the AP reported.

IRAN-DIRECTED PLOT TO ASSASSINATE ISRAEL’S AMBASSADOR TO MEXICO THWARTED, OFFICIALS REVEAL

The Danish court was reportedly split on whether the two should be convicted of terrorism. Two judges and four jurors concluded that they were guilty, while one judge and two jurors disagreed, according to the AP, which cited TT.

At the time of the attack, Israel's war in Gaza had been ongoing for nearly a year following Hamas' Oct. 7, 2023, massacre that left 1,200 dead and resulted in the taking of 251 hostages. Throughout the war, Jerusalem faced international scrutiny as world leaders debated whether the Israel Defense Forces' actions in Gaza were excessive.

The war ended in October 2025 with a peace deal brokered under the Trump administration.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Iran has requested that nuclear talks with the United States be held in Oman on Friday, a source familiar with the discussions told Fox News, as Tehran pushes for changes to the structure of renewed negotiations.

The request comes as Axios reported that Iranian officials are also pressing to limit the talks to a bilateral U.S.-Iran format, excluding other Arab and regional countries — a move that could complicate U.S. diplomatic efforts in the region.

The State Department has not publicly confirmed whether any talks are scheduled or what format they would take.

TRUMP SAYS IRAN ALREADY HAS US TERMS AS MILITARY STRIKE CLOCK TICKS

Reuters reported Monday that Tehran is examining the possibility of renewed nuclear talks with the United States, with Turkey emerging as a potential venue and regional mediators, including Saudi Arabia and Qatar, playing an active role, after President Donald Trump said he was hopeful a deal could be reached to avert military action against Iran.

Trump has reportedly been weighing his options on a possible military strike on Iran amid widespread protests and violent crackdowns inside the country. Trump announced last week that a "massive Armada is heading to Iran," led by the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier. 

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Tuesday that talks between the U.S. and Iran are still scheduled, confirming special envoy Steve Witkoff remains engaged in diplomatic discussions.

IRANIAN GUNBOATS UNSUCCESSFULLY ATTEMPT TO BOARD OIL TANKER AS TRUMP BUILDS MILITARY PRESENCE

"Oh, look, I just spoke with special envoy Witkoff. And, these talks as of right now are still scheduled. President Trump is always wanting to pursue diplomacy first, but obviously it takes two to tango. You need a willing partner to achieve diplomacy. And that's something that special envoy Witkoff is intent on exploring and discussing," Leavitt said.

Leavitt added that Trump continues to keep military options on the table.

"As always, though, of course, the president has a range of options on the table with respect to Iran. As commander in chief, I think they learned that quite well last year with the strike in Operation Midnight Hammer, which was wildly successful and obliterated their nuclear capabilities. But those talks will continue later this week as far as we're concerned. Right now," she said.

The news comes after six Iranian gunboats unsuccessfully attempted to halt a U.S.-flagged oil tanker in the Strait of Hormuz on Tuesday, The Wall Street Journal reported.

The security firm Vanguard Tech told its clients on Tuesday that the Iranian vessels were armed with .50-caliber guns, and they ordered the oil tanker to turn off its engines and prepare to be boarded. Instead, the tanker sped up and was ultimately escorted to safety by a U.S. Navy vessel, according to the Journal.

In addition, the U.S. military shot down an unmanned Iranian drone Tuesday after it "aggressively approached a U.S. Navy aircraft carrier with unclear intent," a U.S. Central Command spokesman told Fox News. No U.S. service members were injured and no U.S. equipment was damaged during the incident.  

Fox News’ Anders Hagstrom and Greg Norman contributed to this report.

Migrants flowing across the southern border during the Biden administration have become a trickle under President Donald Trump, according to a new analysis of federal data.

Border Patrol had 237,538 encounters with migrants at the border during the 2025 fiscal year, according to a Pew Research report.

The federal fiscal year begins Oct. 1, which means that roughly four months of the Biden administration are included in the 2025 data.

The data showed a massive drop from full years when former President Joe Biden was in the White House.

Border Patrol racked up 1.5 million encounters in fiscal year 2024, topped 2 million encounters in fiscal year 2023, and had more than 2.2 million encounters in fiscal year 2022.

The 2025 total showed the fewest encounters since 1970.

Pew Research: Migrant encounters at the U.S.-Mexico border are at their lowest level in more than 50 years

2022: 2,206,436
2023: 2,045,438
2024: 1,530,535
2025: 237,538 pic.twitter.com/kXonMy3NP6

— InteractivePolls (@IAPolls2022) February 3, 2026

When the Biden months were factored out of the data, the difference was even more stark.

Since February 2025, the Border Patrol has had fewer than 10,000 encounters per month at the southwestern border.

Those totals are even lower than during the COVID years, and are lower than data on record over the past 25 years.

September 2025 showed 8,386 encounters along the southwest border, an 84 percent drop from September 2024, according to a news release from the House Homeland Security Committee.

“Southwest border apprehensions are at the lowest level in half a century, and criminal cartels are running out of ways to line their pockets at our expense. Americans can thank President Trump’s proven border security policies for these results, from surging resources to the Southwest border to ending catch-and-release,” Chairman Andrew Garbarino, a Republican from New York, said.

“House Republicans made significant investments in the border barrier system, cutting-edge technology, and growing the CBP workforce, but those resources are only part of the picture. We must continue to build on these border security successes, ensure they last long into the future, and prevent abuse of our immigration system — like we saw under the Biden administration,” he added.

CBP Officers with @DFOElPaso are stopping dangerous drugs from entering our communities. During a secondary inspection with a canine unit, officers found a trapdoor in the vehicle’s center console. They discovered and seized 10 packages of cocaine, weighing 24.38lbs, and $2,400. pic.twitter.com/lg9Y6sX491

— CBP (@CBP) January 30, 2026

“For the last five months, we have continued to see the border numbers drop to historic lows. We are enabling our men and women of the CBP to do their jobs and keep our border secured,” Subcommittee on Border Security and Enforcement Chairman Michael Guest, a Republican from Mississippi, said.

“After four years of the Biden-Harris Administration’s disastrous open-border agenda and reckless catch-and-release policies, the American people are finally seeing a return to law and order at our southern border,” Subcommittee on Counterterrorism and Intelligence Chairman August Pfluger, a Republican from Texas, added.

“Thanks to the strong leadership of the Trump Administration, our borders and our homeland are more secure today than they have been in years,” he said.

This article appeared originally on The Western Journal.

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