NPR News: 02-11-2026 7PM EST
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Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Ryland Barton. The Trump administration says a U.S. military laser shot down what it said was a drug cartel drone near El Paso on the U.S.-Mexico border. However, it now appears the target may have actually been a party balloon. NPR's Greg Myrie has the details.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said the military and the Federal Aviation Administration, quote, acted swiftly to address a cartel drone incursion. The threat has been neutralized. The FAA also announced the highly unusual step of closing El Paso's airspace for 10 days, then lifted the ban several hours later. However, a US official familiar with the matter, but not authorized to speak publicly, gave NPR's Tom Bowman a different account. The source said the Pentagon recently authorized Customs and Border Protection to use the high-energy laser. The agency then shot down a suspected drone, but it now appears the object was a Mylar party balloon that posed no threat. Greg Myhre, NPR News, Washington.
Attorney General Pam Bondi sparred with Democrats on Capitol Hill today as they pressed her on the release of files related to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. and the Justice Department's targeting of President Trump's perceived enemies.
What incident involving a U.S. military laser occurred near the U.S.-Mexico border?
NPR's Ryan Lucas explains.
Democrats grew very frustrated at times. Here's one exchange between Bondi and the panel's top Democrat, Maryland's Jamie Raskin.
You can let her filibuster all day long, but not on our watch. Not on our time. No way. And I told you about that, Attorney General, before you started.
You don't tell me anything. No, I did tell you because we saw what you did in the Senate. Raskin was a constitutional law professor. Georgia Democrat Hank Johnson described Bondi's testimony as a sort of Jekyll and Hyde act. He said she was nice to Republicans and then turned into Hyde on Democrats. Bondi did go after one Republican, though. That was Kentucky's Thomas Massey. And he's the Republican who helped spearhead the effort to get the Epstein files released.
NPR's Ryan Lucas reporting. President Trump met today with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. NPR's Franco Ordonez reports the two leaders focused their discussion on U.S. talks with Iran.
President Trump says he insisted that negotiations with Iran continue to see if a deal on Iran's nuclear program can be reached. The prime minister signaled ahead of the meeting that he was concerned about the direction of the talks and wanted to ensure that Israel's needs were taken into consideration. A person familiar with the matter told NPR that Israel feels the talks are futile and that further military strikes are inevitable. Israel would join those strikes. In a social media post, Trump says he told Netanyahu that his preference was to continue talks. If a deal can't be reached, Trump again floated the idea of more strikes on Iran. The president said they also discussed Gaza and stability in the Middle East.
Franco Ordonez, NPR News, the White House.
You're listening to NPR News from Washington. The Republican-led House has voted to end President Trump's tariffs on Canada. Six Republicans joined Democrats voting in favor of the resolution. It was a rare rebuke of Trump's agenda, though the president still has to sign it, which is highly unlikely. Lawmakers are facing unrest from businesses caught in the trade wars and constituents navigating high prices. Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson tried to prevent a vote, but his strategy collapsed. An American speed skater who many expected to win gold at the Winter Olympics has come through in his first event in Milan. Steve Futterman reports.
21-year-old Jordan Stolz had to come from behind, but that's exactly what he did to finish first and win gold in the men's 1,000-meter event.
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