By Aaron Greg @ WashingtonPost.com, Feb. 15

Swarms of small attack drones that confuse and overwhelm anti-aircraft defenses could soon become an important part of the modern military arsenal, Britain’s defense secretary said, something that would mark a major evolution in robot-enabled warfare.

Speaking at the London-based Royal United Services Institute think tank, British defense secretary Gavin Williamson said Britain will fund the development of “swarm squadrons of network enabled drones capable of confusing and overwhelming enemy air defenses,” noting that such vehicles would complement the British fleet of F-35 Joint Strike Fighters.

He seemed to confirm what some military experts have said for years: The technology to enable synchronized drone swarms is here [....]

By Elura Nanos @ LawandCrime.com, Feb. 17

[....] In our 2019 Presidents Day edition of The Boy Who Cried Libel, our president continues to appear confused about the difference between sketch comedy programs and news broadcasts, and apparently believes there is some law enforcement agency with jurisdiction over his own hurt feelings.

Nothing funny about tired Saturday Night Live on Fake News NBC! Question is, how do the Networks get away with these total Republican hit jobs without retribution? Likewise for many other shows? Very unfair and should be looked into. This is the real Collusion!

@ realDonaldTrump 7:52 AM - 17 Feb 2019 [....]

@ Politico.com, started 2/15/19, 4:00 AM CET; continuing

World leaders, ministers, diplomats, military officers and policy experts are attending the annual Munich Security Conference, the premier global powwow on foreign, defense and security policy. German Chancellor Angela Merkel, U.S. Vice President Mike Pence, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg are among those taking part in the conference in the southern German city. Follow POLITICO's live blog for the latest news and analysis from the conference, which runs from Friday to Sunday.

Ruth Maclean and Eromo Egbejule in Kano @ TheGuardian.com, Feb. 15

Electoral commission cites unspecified ‘challenges’ for vote that will now take place on 23 February

By Alex Lockie @ BusinessInsider.com, Feb. 16 

• Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday unleashed the country's military against rival Pakistan in response to a terror attack by Muslim separatists that killed 44 on Thursday.
• Modi said his country's "blood boils" and gave his military a "free hand" to determine "the timing, place and nature of their response."
• India and Pakistan have been bitter rivals for years, and both countries have built nuclear arsenals to hold each other at bay.
• Modi unleashing the military has been called an "abdication of political responsibility" that could lead to a "super dangerous" conflict between the nuclear rivals.

By Jim DeRogatis @ NewYorker.com's News Desk, Feb. 14

According to a senior law-enforcement official, the tape shows Kelly sexually assaulting an underage girl.

Currently # 1 most read story over there. By Heather Cagle & Sarah Ferris @ Politico.com, Updated 02/14/2019 05:12 PM EST

House Democratic leaders have a rebellion in their ranks. And there’s no easy way to quash it.

House Democrats have repeatedly faced surprise Republican floor attacks since taking control of the chamber, part of a bid by the GOP to target their most vulnerable members and fracture the party. Just six weeks in, the GOP effort has been an astonishing success — dividing Speaker Nancy Pelosi and her top deputies and pitting members of the freshmen class against each other.

At issue is a wonky procedural tactic that Republicans have weaponized to split Democrats on a range of thorny issues, from sexual abuse to anti-terrorism funding. Roughly two dozen Democrats have so far bucked their party and sided with Republicans on the votes, which offer the House minority one last chance to shape legislation on the floor.

As the GOP continues to peel off rank-and-file Democrats, party leaders have grown alarmed — and are increasingly engaged in finger-pointing about who is to blame for the disunity and what to do about it, according to interviews with nearly two dozen Democratic lawmakers and aides [....]