Us Army Unveils the Tiny Kamikaze ‘Switchblade’ Drones to Kill Militants

The US Army has unveiled its new ‘kamikaze’ drones named ‘Switchblade’, which are small enough to fit inside a soldier’s backpack, and help transmit live video from overhead to identify and destroy the enemy target. The impressive robotic craft weighs less than 2kg and launches from a tube before its wings fold out as it flies into the air. The operators can then send a message to the drone ‘to arm it and lock its trajectory onto the target’, the company said in a press release.

Impressive craft: A soldier launches a 'kamikaze' drone and watches its live feed as it flies out of a tube. It will soon be available for use by the U.S. Army

Reports suggest that the drone flies into a target and detonates a small explosive, but can still be disarmed at the last moment even if it is heading for a kill. The US Army is paying manufacturer AeroVironment $4.9 million for the drones to help it develop a new way of killing suspected militants. The California Company said it is this feature that makes its drones unique and gives ‘a level of control not available in other weapon systems’, the Daily Mail reports.

"Switchblade provides a revolutionary rapid strike capability to protect our troops and give them a valuable new advantage on the battlefield," said Tom Herring, AeroVironment senior vice president and general manager of its Unmanned Aircraft Systems unit.

Drone: The impressive robotic craft weighs less than 2kg and launches from a tube before its wings fold out as it flies into the air

They are so costly and contain such a myriad of proprietary information and technology that U.S. troops often go into harm’s way to recover the drones if they crash.

Us Issues Travel Alert Warning Of Terror Attacks In India

The United States has issued a travel alert to its citizens in India, warning them of possible terror attacks in the country during the holiday season. "Recent Indian government advisories and local media report increased indications that terrorists are planning attacks in India," the State Department said in a statement yesterday.

The advisory steps up a warning issued last month

 "US citizens traveling or residing in India are always urged to maintain a heightened situational awareness and a low profile, monitor local news reports, consider the level of security present when visiting public places, and take appropriate steps to bolster their personal security," said the alert. It also noted that public places, such as markets, trains, buses, religious sites, hotels and restaurants were potential targets.

The advisory, which steps up a warning issued last month, said that popular shopping areas such as Chandni Chowk, Connaught Place, Greater Kailash, Karol Bagh, Mehrauli, and Sarojini Nagar, should be avoided.

It said US citizens traveling or living in India should maintain "a high level of vigilance", and be aware of their surroundings or any unattended packages.

Severe weather sweeps Florida: 50 homes damaged

25 homes were damaged in Sunrise and 25 in Plantation

      Severe weather has damaged more than 50 homes in several Florida towns, officials said, and schools in the Florida Keys were canceled Wednesday because of heavy rain and frequent lightning. No serious injuries were reported. Damage assessments were under way in Plantation and Sunrise, Florida, after a suspected tornado swept through south Florida about 10 p.m. Tuesday.

At the time, a tornado warning for the area was expiring, said Joel Gordon, battalion chief for the Plantation Fire Department. Gordon said about 25 homes were damaged in Plantation. In Sunrise, another 25 were damaged, with six classified as uninhabitable. Three people sustained minor injuries in Plantation, but none were transported to a hospital, Gordon said. Some gas leaks from propane cylinders were reported, he said, and "we were able to secure those without any major damage or issues."

Monroe County, Florida, which encompasses the Keys, canceled schools Wednesday as bands of thunderstorms with frequent lightning moved through, according to a statement from Sunny Booker, safe school coordinator for the county school district. The National Weather Service issued a flood advisory for the area, the notice said.

American Jobs Act Bus Tour: Obama speaks at Asheville Regional Airport

Obama at Asheville Regional Airport in Fletcher, N.C.

President Barack Obama is on a three-day American Jobs Act bus tour to discuss jobs and the economy. Obama’s tour comes as Republicans and several moderate Democrats remain roadblocks to passing his $447 billion jobs plan in the Senate.

Air Force One landed at Asheville Regional Airport, where President Obama was greeted by Senator Kay Hagan and Asheville Mayor Terry Bellamy. He spoke just before 11:00.

The American Jobs Act includes a proposal to provide $2 billion to improve safety, add capacity and modernize infrastructure at airports across the country. Asheville Regional Airport could be eligible for $60 million of those funds. And as the President said, there's plenty of work to go around:

"In this airport right here in Asheville, you've got a runway that needs to be widened and repaired. You've got a taxiway that's in the wrong spot –- which means that planes sometimes get too close together. So we could be doing some work right here at the Asheville Airport that would help boost tourism, help to boost the economy here, put people to work right now.  But it's not just here in Asheville. All across the state, you've got highways that need to be built. You've got bridges that need to be fixed. You've got schools that need to be modernized. And that's what America used to do best. We used to build things to built the Transcontinental Railroad; built the Golden Gate Bridge; the Hoover Dam; the Grand Central Station. There's no reason why we should sit here and watch the best highways and the newest airports being built in China. We should be building them right here in the United States of America. Right here in North Carolina."

This afternoon, the President will stop for a BBQ lunch and later visit West Wilkes High School in Miller's Creek, North Carolina.

White House wants quick jobs action by Congress

NEWARK, N.J. (AP) -- The White House says President Barack Obama hopes that when Congress returns this coming week from its summer break, lawmakers will share his sense of urgency in taking steps to create jobs and help the economy.

Obama plans a prime-time speech to Congress on Thursday night and is expected to propose a mix of tax credits and public works spending.

Spokesman Jay Carney says Obama will offer plans that historically have attracted bipartisan support and will, if passed, "positively affect growth and job creation."

Carney tells reporters traveling with Obama on a tour of flood damage in New Jersey that "we are at a time in our economy when we need to do something."

Carney says Obama will press lawmakers to act quickly on his ideas.White House

Answering your questions about We the People

Yesterday, we announced that we’ll be rolling out a cool new tool on WhiteHouse.gov that will change the way you engage with the Obama Administration.  It’s called We the People and it’s a platform for all Americans to create and sign petitions asking the Obama Administration to take action on a range of issues.

Since we announced that this new tool is coming soon to WhiteHouse.gov, we’ve gotten a lot of great questions and feedback, so we thought we’d take a stab at answering a few of the common questions we’ve gotten so far. In case you missed it, Macon Phillips, Director of Digital Strategy here at the White House, was fielding questions on Twitter yesterday and you can check out some of the questions and answers on Storify.

And don’t forget to sign up to be the first to know when We the People is live.

How will the White House decide which petitions to respond to?

The initial threshold for a petition to be reviewed by the White House and get a response is 5,000 signatures in 30 days.

Who will be reviewing and responding to petitions?

Petitions that meet the signature threshold will be reviewed by a standing group of White House staff, routed to any other appropriate offices and generate an official, on-the-record response. Most of the time, a response will come from a policy official at the White House or at a federal agency. From time to time, President Obama may also respond to petitions as well.

It’s our goal to respond to petitions that cross the signature threshold (initially 5,000 signatures) in as timely a manner as possible, but in some cases it may take a few weeks for us to respond.

Will the signature thresholds ever change?

This is the first time we’ve tried something like this, so we may find that we need to adjust the signature thresholds for petitions to receive a response from the White House as people start to use the tool.  If we do change the signature thresholds at any point, we’ll announce the changes publicly on the site, and any changes to signature thresholds will only apply to petitions created after we made the change.

Initially, a petition must receive 150 signatures in order to be publicly searchable on the We the People site and 5,000 signatures within 30 days in order to get a response from the White House.

When we We the People launch?

We the People will launch very soon, so start thinking about the issues that matter to you and who you’ll ask to join you.  And don’t forget to sign up to be the first to know when it is live.

Who can create or sign petitions? 

Anyone over the age of 13 can create or sign a petition through We the People.  In order to participate, users must verify their email address and create an account on WhiteHouse.gov.

President’s Jobs Council Listening and Action Sessions in Portland and Dallas

This week, the President's Council on Jobs and Competitiveness held Listening and Action Sessions in Portland, Oregon and Dallas, TX. The events are part of a series of regional Council Listening and Action Sessions that are taking place around the country as a result of the President’s challenge that the Council bring new voices to the table and ensure that everyone can participate and inform the Council’s work and recommendations. The ideas and information exchanged at these events will help inform the future policy work of the President’s Council on Jobs and Competitiveness, which meets with President Obama each quarter to recommend critical steps that both the private and public sectors can take to create jobs and help strengthen the economy.