Salem News Channel

Severe storms are sweeping across the central U.S., and forecasters warn tornadoes could turn dangerous across several states. On Thursday night, storms ripped through Oklahoma, and video from near the town of Fairview shows a large funnel lit by lightning. Authorities say a 47-year-old woman and her 13-year-old daughter died in a crash that appears to have been tornado-related. Storms could be even more intense Friday, as more than 7 million Americans are at the highest risk of severe weather in an area that includes the metropolitan areas of Kansas City, Missouri; Tulsa, Oklahoma; and Omaha, Nebraska.

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An American anti-drone system proven to work against Russian drones in Ukraine will soon be sent to the Middle East to bolster U.S. defenses against Iranian drones, two U.S. officials told The Associated Press on Friday. While the U.S. has used Patriot and THAAD missile systems to take down Iranian missiles successfully, there are limited effective anti-drone defenses now in the Middle East, according to a U.S. defense official, one of two officials who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive military matters. The U.S. response to countering Iran's Shahed drones has been “disappointing,” the other U.S. official said, particularly because the drones fired by Iran are a much more basic version of the same drone that Russia is continuously refining and updating in its war in Ukraine. The effort to bolster U.S. anti-drone capabilities in the Middle East underscores concerns about the planning for an Iranian retaliatory response across the region to the American and Israeli strikes. Persian Gulf countries have complained they were not given adequate time to prepare for the torrent of Iranian drones and missiles bombarding their territory. The system that is being sent, known as Merops, flies drones against drones. It is small enough to fit in the back of a midsize pickup truck, can identify drones and close in on them, using artificial intelligence to navigate when satellite and electronic communications are jammed. Drones are hard to pinpoint on radar systems calibrated for spotting high-speed missiles and can be mistaken for birds or planes. The Merops system is designed to spot them and take them down. Crucially, the system also is cheaper than firing a missile that costs hundreds of thousands of dollars at a drone that costs less than $50,000. The top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, Rep. Jim Himes of Connecticut, said this week that “we’re pretty good at taking missiles down. What is much more problematic for us is the huge inventory of Iranian drones, which are hard to detect and hard to take down.” Himes said the drone attacks present a “math problem” in that the U.S. cannot keep relying on expensive military interceptors, like Patriot systems, to down the quickly and cheaply made Iranian drones. “It’s really, really expensive to take down a cheap drone,” he said. “A giant missile going after a tiny little crappy drone.” Merops was deployed in NATO nations Poland and Romania in November after Russian attack drones repeatedly entered NATO airspace. The U.S. defense official says America has learned lessons from the deployment of the system and others like it in Ukraine. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Thursday that the U.S. asked for his country's help in combating Iran's Shahed drones, which Russia has used in huge numbers in Ukraine. Zelenskyy did not specify the type of assistance Ukraine would provide, but the U.S. defense official said the Merops system is a part of it. When asked about Zelenskyy’s comments, Trump told Reuters on Thursday: “Certainly, I’ll take, you know, any assistance from any country.” In the Middle East, Merops will be deployed to various locations, including where U.S. forces are not present, the defense official said. Most of the systems will be sent directly by Perennial Autonomy — the manufacturer backed by former Google CEO Eric Schmidt — and will not affect defenses in Europe, the official said. Perennial Autonomy did not immediately respond to questions about the use of Merops in the Middle East. Pentagon officials conceded this week in closed-door briefings with lawmakers they are struggling to stop waves of drones launched by Iran, leaving some U.S. targets in the Gulf region vulnerable. “This does not mean we can stop everything, but we ensured that the maximum possible defense and maximum possible force protection was set up before we went on offense,” Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told reporters this week. Michael Robbins, president and CEO of AUVSI, a drone industry group, said lessons from the Middle East and Ukraine show that the U.S. must accelerate deployment of sophisticated counter-drone technologies, so “our forces can defend bases and populations without spending a million dollars to stop a $50,000 threat.”

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Jasmine Crockett Makes Bizarre Claim!

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On today’s show, Josh discusses the latest developments in Iran and how the country appears to be struggling internally, with some leaders resisting while others continue to support the current regime. He also examines the lack of meaningful support Iran is receiving from Russia and China and highlights polling that shows a majority of Americans support taking action against Iran. Josh also reacts to comments from President Trump suggesting that attention could soon turn to Cuba once the current conflict with Iran is resolved. Later, Josh discusses the removal of DHS Secretary Kristi Noem. While acknowledging her role in addressing the surge of illegal immigration at the border, Josh explains why he believes the decision to replace her was ultimately the right move for the administration.

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Is Cuba Next?

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Progress In Iran & The Clinton Deposition & SCOTUS's CA Ruling With Casey Harper, Managing Editor for Broadcast at The Washington Stand.

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America's National Security During The Iran War With Rep. Steve Scalise, Majority Leader of the U.S House of Representatives.

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The Iran War & America's National Security With Rep. Steve Scalise, Majority Leader of the U.S House of Representatives.

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Operation 'Epic Fury & Roaring Lion' Changes The Middle-East With Dr. Yechiel Leiter, Israeli Ambassador to the United States.

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Operation 'Epic Fury/Roaring Lion' Changes The Middle-East With Dr. Yechiel Leiter, Israeli Ambassador to the United States.

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What does “Unconditional Surrender” mean to Iran?

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What Will the U.S. - Iran War look Like in 5 Years?

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LIVE FROM PALM BEACH DISCUSSING IRAN & LATEST NEWS WITH RICH LOWRY

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Two men attacked a pair of police officers who were serving as bodyguards for San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie, officials said. Lurie was unharmed. The suspects, who were taken into custody, were part of a group blocking Lurie and his security team's vehicle Thursday evening in the troubled Tenderloin neighborhood. The men became violent after one of the officers asked them to move, witnesses told Mission Local, a San Francisco news organization. A video obtained by the news outlet shows one of the bodyguards dressed in a suit in a struggle with a man who throws him to the ground. It was unclear what Lurie was doing in the Tenderloin, a problem spot for public drug use and dealing, but he often walks around the city talking to residents. Charles Lutvak, a spokesperson for Lurie, said there was an altercation involving Lurie's security detail and that the mayor was not involved. San Francisco police officers responded to the scene after receiving a request for backup from Lurie’s bodyguards, who said they were in a physical altercation with two unidentified men, the police department said in a statement. The officers had non-life-threatening injuries and were treated by paramedics at the scene, the San Francisco Police Department said in a statement. The men were arrested on suspicion of assaulting a peace officer with a deadly weapon, resisting a peace officer, possession of drug paraphernalia and other charges.

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President Trump says there will be no deal struck with Iran except “unconditional surrender.” In response to the Iranian president’s statement that “some countries have begun mediation efforts” to end the war, President Trump said Iran’s surrender will be the only acceptable outcome. He wrote online that after a new leader is selected, the United States and its allies “will work tirelessly to bring Iran back from the brink of destruction.” And he promised that Iran will be “economically bigger, better, and stronger than ever before.”

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President Trump Says the Time for Negotiating is Over

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In the interview on Thursday, President Donald Trump said that he thinks the next leader of Iran is unlikely to be the late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's son, who has emerged as a frontrunner to succeed his father, who was killed in a military strike at the start of the war. Trump told Reuters in an interview that the United States must be involved in choosing the next leader of Iran. Friday, Trump said there would be no ?deal struck with ?Iran except "unconditional surrender." "What the President means is that when he, as Commander in Chief of the US Armed Forces, determines that Iran no longer poses a threat to the United States of America, and the goals of Operation Epic Fury has been fully realized, then Iran will essentially be in a place of unconditional surrender, whether they say it themselves or not," Leavitt said.

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Footage released by U.S. Central Command shows U.S. forces bombing an Iranian ship converted into a drone carrier, roughly the size of a World War II aircraft carrier, leaving it ablaze at sea. The vessel, known as the IRIS Shahid Bagheri, was used as a mobile platform to launch drones and missiles against allied forces in the region. The attack is part of a broader U.S. campaign to neutralize Iran’s naval and aerial capabilities. Since the start of the offensive, more than 30 Iranian ships have been destroyed, along with hundreds of strategic targets on Iranian territory.

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The United States is well on its way toward controlling Iranian airspace, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said on Friday, adding that Washington expects the achievable U.S. objectives to be completed in four to six weeks. Speaking to reporters at the White House, Leavitt also said Washington was looking at potential candidates to lead Iran, a day after President Donald Trump told Reuters in an interview that the United States must be involved in choosing the next leader of Iran. "I know there's a number of people that our intelligence agencies and the United States government are looking at, but I won't get any further on that," Leavitt said. In the interview on Thursday, Trump said that he thinks the next leader of Iran is unlikely to be the late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's son, who has emerged as a frontrunner to succeed his father, who was killed in a military strike at the start of the war. Earlier on Friday, Trump said there would be no ?deal struck with ?Iran except "unconditional surrender." "What the President means is that when he, as Commander in Chief of the US Armed Forces, determines that Iran no longer poses a threat to the United States of America, and the goals of Operation Epic Fury has been fully realized, then Iran will essentially be in a place of unconditional surrender, whether they say it themselves or not," Leavitt said.

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Aid to Gaza, Sudan and other world crises is grinding to a halt as the war in the Middle East disrupts air, sea and land routes, ten aid officials have told Reuters. The U.S.-Israeli war on Iran has resulted in airspace closures and the halt of shipping through the critical Strait of Hormuz, which is effectively closed. Life-saving goods for rapid regional deployment are stuck at warehouses in Dubai's Humanitarian Hub, and costs are soaring for helping the hundreds of millions suffering hunger. “If we don't deliver goods from humanitarian cargo, the impact could be lives not saved. So we are really worried about the situation," said Cecile Terraz of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies. On March 1 Jebel Ali, the region's largest container terminal, was set ablaze by the debris of an intercepted missile. Massive donor cuts are already straining aid groups' budgets. Now they face soaring operational costs. Costs for fuel, transportation and insurance are rising. Shipping firms are demanding emergency surcharges of approximately $3,000 per container, according to the International Organization for Migration. Tents, tarpaulins and lamps destined for Gaza and the Israeli-occupied West Bank are stuck in the supply chain, the group said. “We're particularly concerned about Africa," said UNHCR spokesperson Charlotte Wolf. "Sudan is approaching very shortly the three-year mark of this terrible crisis, the largest displacement crisis in Africa. And of course, crises that are already extremely neglected and lacking immediate funding. And so this could be further exacerbated," said Wolf. Jean-Martin Bauer, Director of Food Security at the U.N.'s World Food Program, said the war could increase the risk of hunger worldwide. "And it's not just the cost, it's also the time. The time factor is quite critical here. We're talking about very important nodes in the global transportation network and the global supply chain network. And what will happen is that people in dire need of assistance will have to wait longer for food," said Bauer.

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