Drudge Retort: The Other Side of the News
Friday, February 27, 2026

The U.S. military used a laser to shoot down a Customs and Border Protection drone, members of Congress said Thursday, and the Federal Aviation Administration responded by closing more airspace near El Paso, Texas. It's not clear why the laser was deployed, but it's the second time in two weeks that one has been fired in the area.

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BREAKING: The U.S. military used a laser to take down a Customs and Border Protection drone, lawmakers say, and FAA closed airspace near El Paso, Texas.

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-- The Associated Press (@apnews.com) Feb 26, 2026 at 9:33 PM

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More from the article ...

... The earlier laser firing did not hit a target. It was done by the CBP near Fort Bliss, about 50 miles northwest, and prompted the FAA to shut down air traffic at El Paso airport and the surrounding area. This time, the closure was smaller and commercial flights were not affected.

U.S. Rep. Rick Larsen and several other top Democrats on the House Transportation and Infrastructure committee said they were stunned when notified of the latest incident.

"Our heads are exploding over the news," the lawmakers said in a joint statement. They criticized the Trump administration for "sidestepping" a bipartisan bill to train drone operators and improve communication among the Pentagon, FAA, and Department of Homeland Security.

"Now, we're seeing the result of its incompetence," they said.

The Defense and Transportation departments referred questions to the FAA, which said in a brief statement that it had expanded the airspace closure around Fort Hancock. Border Protection did not immediately respond to questions. ...



#1 | Posted by LampLighter at 2026-02-26 11:00 PM | Reply

BWAHAHA. ------- idiots

#2 | Posted by LegallyYourDead at 2026-02-26 11:11 PM | Reply

------- idiots

#2 | Posted by LegallyYourDead

This is how Donald Trump protects you.

#3 | Posted by Zed at 2026-02-27 08:16 AM | Reply

"Now, we're seeing the result of its incompetence," they said.

With a drunken Ken doll former Fox weekend (damn that musta cut in to his binge time) reporter defense secretary, how could there ever be incompetence?

#4 | Posted by Yodagirl at 2026-02-28 01:51 PM | Reply

They could have used a .5M$ missile on a hobby balloon.

RTX up 4.99

#5 | Posted by john_savage2 at 2026-02-28 02:10 PM | Reply

Oh my! A laser?!

spoiler: china drone laser on alibaba for a year now.

archive.is
China unveils a portable laser the West can't copy because it relies on a rare earth metal it mostly controls

#6 | Posted by john_savage2 at 2026-02-28 02:12 PM | Reply

China unveils a portable laser the West can't copy because it relies on a rare earth metal it mostly controls

#6 | POSTED BY JOHN_SAVAGE2

Rare earth metals are not actually all that rare.

It's just that we made the decision to allow China to accept the high environmental costs of processing while we made the decision to offshore, China consolidated its industry, allowing it to master the entire value chain from extraction to magnet production.

Even rare earth materials mined elsewhere they are frequently sent to China for processing because other countries lack the capacity or refuse to deal with the stringent, dirty, and energy-intensive infrastructure required.

#7 | Posted by donnerboy at 2026-02-28 02:49 PM | Reply

#7 | Posted by donnerboy

But lithium for EVs, that's OK

#8 | Posted by john_savage2 at 2026-02-28 02:58 PM | Reply

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