With an eye to the World Cup, Trump signs executive order on drone risks
President Trump on Friday signed an executive order aimed at reducing the national security and public safety threats posed by drones in the United States.
Trump is ordering a task force to ensure enough is being done to detect and identify drones, and to crack down on unlawful uses like spying and drug smuggling. It’s a priority given the upcoming FIFA World Cup in 2026 and the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028.
“With large-scale public events such as the Olympics and the World Cup on the horizon, taking action on airspace security has never been timelier,” Michael Kratsios, the head of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, told reporters.
The risks have been underscored by Russia’s drone strikes in Ukraine, and Ukraine’s surprise drone strikes that destroyed some aircraft deep within Russia, said Sebastian Gorka, the senior director of counterterrorism at the White House National Security Council.
“The timing couldn’t even be better than it is today, given what we witnessed with the remarkable drone operation that occurred just a few days ago in Russia,” Gorka told reporters.
Gorka said the federal response to foreign-made drones — and for protecting U.S. military sites, critical infrastructure and big public events — has fallen short. He said the order would boost the government’s counter-drone capabilities, and said that the FBI would begin to train state and local law enforcement to be able to do more to protect against drone threats.
“We will increase the enforcement of current laws to deter two types of individuals: evil doers and idiots,” Gorka said.
The order will also seek to boost U.S. development of drones, and commercial use of the technology for deliveries and other purposes.
Trump also signed orders aimed at clearing the way for a new generation of supersonic jets in the United States, and to encourage the development of electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft or eVTOLs, sometimes described as air taxis.
“Flying cars are not just for the Jetsons,” Kratsios said.
Israel and Hamas agree on the ‘first phase’ of Gaza ceasefire deal
The deal raises the possibility that the war may now be over, ending the bloodiest fighting ever between Israelis and Palestinians.
‘Fairyland’ recalls a girl’s life with her poet father in pre-AIDS San Francisco
Alysia Abbott's memoir about growing up in 1970s San Francisco with her gay, single father, has been adapted into a film directed by Andrew Durham and produced by Sofia Coppola.
Los Angeles: Spaghetti Cumbia, a band born from cultural fusion
Photographers and storytellers Karla Gachet and Ivan Kashinsky document cumbia music in Colombia, Mexico, Ecuador, Peru, Argentina and the United States.
What are your holiday shopping plans? NPR wants to hear from you
Is this the season of cutbacks or splurges? As we prepare to cover holiday shopping and deals, NPR wants to hear from you, whatever your plans may be.
Laufey was an ‘odd fish’ in native Iceland. Now she’s a jazz-pop star
The Grammy Award-winning singer and musician had rigorous classical training. Now she's making music that crosses genres: "I've been inspired by Golden Age films, the va-va-voom of it all," she says.
What does Montreal sound like?
World Cafe is kicking off its latest Sense of Place series with a playlist that offers a glimpse of Montreal's lively music scene.
