The federal government reopened the airspace over El Paso International Airport in Texas on Wednesday morning following a temporary closure for previously unspecified reasons.  

“Mexican cartel drones breached US airspace,” an administration official told The Gateway Pundit.

“The Department of War took action to disable the drones. The FAA and DOW have determined there is no threat to commercial travel.”

The official further confirmed that the drones were responsible for the closure of El Paso airport, which resumed flights this morning, according to the Federal Aviation Administration.

The temporary closure of airspace over El Paso has been lifted. There is no threat to commercial aviation. All flights will resume as normal.

— The FAA (@FAANews) February 11, 2026

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy further confirmed that the threat was “neutralized” by the Federal Aviation Administration and the Department of War.

The FAA and DOW acted swiftly to address a cartel drone incursion.

The threat has been neutralized, and there is no danger to commercial travel in the region.

The restrictions have been lifted and normal flights are resuming. https://t.co/xQA1cMy7l0

— Secretary Sean Duffy (@SecDuffy) February 11, 2026

This comes after the FAA closed the airspace with a 10 nautical mile radius late on Tuesday for the next 10 days, citing “special security reasons.”

The airport also said in a social media post, “All flights to and from El Paso are grounded, including commercial, cargo, and general aviation.”

The FAA has issued a flight restriction halting all flights to and from El Paso effective from February 10 at 11:30 PM (MST) to February 20 at 11:30PM (MST),” the post continued.

The New York Post initially reported the following on the airspace closure:

Neither the FAA nor the airport gave a reason for the type of shutdown not seen in nearly 25 years.

“We’ve never seen anything like this here at least since 9/11 when everything was grounded,” Robert Moore, the founder of local El Paso Matters, told CNN.

Passengers have claimed airlines were not even informed about the airspace closure, and not even Medevac planes are allowed to fly.

“American Airlines wasn’t even notified,” Noah Velazquez, who was supposed to head to New York, told USA Today.

The post JUST IN: Cartel Drone Breach of US Airspace Responsible for Closure of El Paso, TX Airspace – FAA Rescinds 10-Day Closure After Threat “Neutralized” appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told the press earlier this week about a series of President Trump’s policy achievements and improvements for the American people that the mainstream media have failed to cover, including U.S. energy dominance, the Dow breaking 50,000 for the first time, the American Society of Plastic Surgeons opposing gender mutilation surgeries for children.

Aa federal appeals court upheld the administration’s policy of detaining illegal aliens, the murder rate fell to a 125-year low, national median rents declined to a four-year low, mortgage affordability rose to a four-year high, and there have been nine straight months of zero illegal alien releases at the southern border.

The U.S. has achieved a level of energy dominance never seen before. In 2025, U.S. oil and gas production hit all-time records, with total output reaching 24.2 million barrels per day, more than Saudi Arabia and Russia combined. Crude oil production alone peaked at 13.6 million barrels per day, the highest level ever recorded by any country. Crude exports reached record highs, and when petroleum products such as gasoline, diesel, and jet fuel are included, total energy exports averaged nearly 11 million barrels per day in 2025.

The United States is now a net exporter of oil and fuel, sending more energy abroad than it imports. In 2024, the U.S. exported approximately 2.3 million barrels per day more than it imported. The Energy Information Administration forecasts that this surplus will grow to 2.8 million barrels per day in 2026, widening the export gap and reinforcing America’s position as the world’s leading oil producer.

The Dow Jones shattered 50,000 on Friday, February 6, 2026, crossing the mark for the first time in history. The milestone came approximately 18 months after the index first topped 40,000 in May 2024. Analysts attributed the surge to a broadening bull market, resilient consumer spending, and growth in the AI and infrastructure sectors. The milestone signals a strong start to 2026 and may boost retirement accounts tied to major stock indexes

On February 3, 2026, the American Society of Plastic Surgeons issued a position statement recommending that gender-related surgeries be delayed until at least age 19, citing “insufficient evidence” that the benefits of chest, genital, and facial surgeries for minors with gender dysphoria outweigh the risks. The statement relied in part on the Cass Review from England and a 2025 report from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

ASPS is the first major U.S. medical professional society to break from the “gender-affirming care” model supported by groups such as the AAP and the Endocrine Society. The shift comes as the Trump administration moved in December to cut sex changes for minors, prompting lawsuits from several states, and as hospitals, including Children’s Minnesota, have suspended certain services for minors under federal pressure.

President Trump’s anti-crime stance is paying dividends. The murder rate is at a 125-year low. Data for 2025 show a nearly 20 percent decline in homicides nationwide, the largest single-year drop ever recorded. If final 2025 and early 2026 data hold, the homicide rate could reach approximately 4.0 per 100,000 residents, the lowest level since 1900.

Affordability has been one of the buzzwords that has plagued President Trump’s second term. Although inflation has come down considerably, citizens are still wrestling with the cumulative inflation of the four disastrous Biden years. On top of higher prices for groceries, people are struggling to pay sky-high rents and mortgages.

There has finally been measurable relief in housing. In January 2026, the national median rent fell to its lowest level in four years after six consecutive months of declines. At the same time, mortgage affordability reached a four-year high as interest rates stabilized and incomes rose relative to housing costs.

A secure border has been one of President Trump’s largest policy achievements. For nine consecutive months, zero illegal aliens have been released into the country. While there have been attempted illegal crossings, the administration maintains that everyone apprehended is now either detained or immediately removed.

Furthermore, the administration has been given the green light to deal with illegal aliens already in the country. On February 6, 2026, the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled 2–1 that the administration can lawfully detain undocumented immigrants without bond hearings, reversing decades of precedent that allowed those without a criminal record to seek release while awaiting court dates. The court held that the executive branch has authority to interpret “applicants for admission” broadly to include anyone in the country illegally.

Nearly 3 million illegal aliens left the United States during the first year of President Trump’s second term, including an estimated 2.2 million self-deportations and more than 675,000 deportations. Fentanyl trafficking at the southern border was cut by more than half compared to the same period in 2024, the Coast Guard seized nearly 470,000 pounds of cocaine, and DHS reported more than $13.2 billion in taxpayer savings.

As a result of the secure border and strict deportation regimen, illegal immigration is negative for the first time in fifty years, meaning the total number of illegal aliens in the country is declining. Under Biden and Obama, turnarounds at the border were counted as deportations even as the southern border remained open, flooding the country with increasing numbers of illegal aliens.

The post Energy, Security, and Markets: Trump Achievements the Media Won’t Report appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

A bridge that doesn’t unite, but separates the two countries.

The troubled bilateral relations between the US and Canada have a new point of contention, as Donald J. Trump has threatened to block the opening of a controversial bridge connecting the two countries.

Yesterday (10), Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said that ‘he looks forward to the opening’ of the multibillion-dollar project.

ABC News reported:

“In a social media post on Monday, Trump said, ‘I will not allow this bridge to open until the United States is fully compensated for everything we have given them, and also, importantly, Canada treats the United States with the Fairness and Respect that we deserve’.

Trump did not mention the bridge by name, but appears to be referring to the Gordie Howe International Bridge. The six-lane project is set to connect Windsor, Ontario, and Detroit, Michigan. Trump said that he plans to ‘start negotiations, IMMEDIATELY’, seeming to refer to a deal on the bridge, and repeated his ongoing criticism of Canada since he began a trade war with America’s northern neighbor.”

BREAKING: President Trump just told Canada PM Mark Carney that the era of America-last deals is OVER pic.twitter.com/Jyn7KGscKe

“The fact that Canada will control what crosses the Gordie Howie- Howe Bridge and owns the land on both sides is unacceptable to the president!”…

— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) February 10, 2026

“‘With all that we have given them, we should own, perhaps, at least one half of this asset. The revenues generated because of the U.S. Market will be astronomical’, Trump said in the post.”

The bridge has been under construction since 2018, and expected to open early this year.

“’I explained that Canada paid for the construction of the bridge — more than $4 billion — and that ownership is shared between the state of Michigan and the Government of Canada’, Carney told reporters.”

Prime Minister Mark Carney says he spoke to Donald Trump following the U.S. president’s threat to block the opening of the Gordie Howe International Bridge between Windsor, Ont., and Detroit. Carney says he reminded Trump that Canada paid for the bridge. pic.twitter.com/eetXhJYwnM

— Olivia Stefanovich (@CBCOlivia) February 10, 2026

Mark Carney pretty much fucked Canada in ways that getting fucked have never been explored before.

Looking for new trading opportunities is fine but do you have to blow the bridge up to our biggest trading partner in the process? What a moron! pic.twitter.com/HU8FORdGad

— Tokyo Rosie (@tokyorosiecr) January 21, 2026

Read more:

Trump Vows to Block US-Canada Bridge Until Canada Treats the US with ‘Fairness and Respect’

The post BRIDGE OVER TROUBLED WATER: PM Carney Reacts After Trump Vows To Block the Opening of New Bridge Between Canada and the US appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

Since January 1, the political map of northern Syria has been radically redrawn as Damascus government forces and allied extremist militias have pushed into Kurdish-controlled Rojava, formally the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES). They have captured camps where ISIS prisoners are held and displaced at least 148,000 civilians.

Damascus troops are focused on severing roads connecting Rojava to Iraqi Kurdistan in order to prevent the Syrian Kurds and their Christian allies from receiving international support.

From January 6 to 10, Damascus launched an offensive on Kurdish neighborhoods in Sheikh Maqsoud, Aleppo. After five days of intense urban combat, the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces withdrew, sparking civilians to flee to the  northeast.

From January 13 to 17, Damascus forces, backed by Turkish intelligence and aligned tribal militias, declared “closed military zones” east of Aleppo along the Euphrates corridor. The offensive rapidly expanded, placing sustained pressure on remaining Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) positions.

Between January 18 and 19, the SDF suffered a near-collapse. In a staggering forty-eight-hour period, the force lost roughly 80 percent of its territory. Arab-majority units within the SDF defected en masse to the Damascus government, causing front lines to dissolve almost instantly.

Since January 20, Damascus has tightened a de facto siege on Hasakah and Qamishli (Qamişlo), the largest city in Rojava, forcing the SDF into a shrinking Kurdish heartland pocket. Nearly all of Reqa and Dêrazor have been ceded, leaving Kurdish forces isolated, encircled, and fighting for survival.

Many of those displaced from Aleppo are not originally from there but are part of a large community previously uprooted from Afrin (Efrîn) during Turkey’s 2018 Operation Olive Branch. Today, they are among the most vulnerable in need of humanitarian assistance.

Historically, however, the people of Afrin were among the most prosperous in Syria. The region’s fertile soil supported a thriving agricultural economy and a strong cultural identity. Known as the “Green City,” Afrin was home to an estimated 14 million olive trees, which for centuries sustained a robust middle class. Before 2018, the region was not only self-sufficient but also produced roughly one-third of Syria’s total olive oil output.

During the early years of the Syrian civil war, while other regions descended into chaos, Afrin remained relatively stable. Its agricultural economy expanded as it became a sanctuary for thousands of internally displaced persons from Aleppo and surrounding areas. Families lived in relative peace, with strong emphasis on education, gender equality, and cultural expression.

Since 2018, the people of Afrin have been displaced as many as five times. During the initial Turkish invasion, hundreds of thousands fled toward al-Shahba (Şehba), the region between Afrin and Aleppo. They also fled to Kurdish neighborhoods in Aleppo, including Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafiyeh. What followed were years of instability marked by shelling, siege conditions, and repeated searches for safety.

Between 2019 and 2023, families cycled between camps in al-Shahba, overcrowded housing in Aleppo, and the northeast, particularly Hasakah and Qamishli in search of food, work, and security. The February 2023 earthquake destroyed already fragile shelters, forcing many into a third or fourth displacement.

The collapse of state authority in December 2024 created a security vacuum that quickly filled with violence. Fighting among the Damascus government, Turkish-backed forces, and other armed groups triggered another mass exodus from Aleppo.

The January–February 2026 offensive, marked by renewed clashes and Turkish drone strikes, triggered a fifth major wave of displacement.

Many of those displaced by the recent fighting have returned home over the past two weeks as the Damascus government has consolidated control. However, those who fear the regime, particularly minorities and Christians, have remained in the shrinking Kurdish-controlled areas.

At least 100,000 displaced people are now located in and around Qamishli, where local authorities are struggling to house them and many families remain without shelter. OCHA reported that as of February 3, nearly one-third of displaced families are living in overcrowded “collective centers,” such as schools or mosques, while 67 percent are straining the resources of host families. Others remain in informal sites or unfinished buildings.

Much of the city’s infrastructure, including electricity generation and water supply, has been damaged or destroyed by Turkish airstrikes. ISIS prisoners have escaped from camps taken over by Damascus forces.

The U.S. military has begun relocating its ISIS detainees to Iraq to prevent further escapes. In total, the U.S. plans to move up to 7,000 of the roughly 9,000 to 10,000 ISIS detainees currently in custody.

The SDF is in danger of losing control of Rojava, which is not only a refuge for Kurds but also a protected space for Christians (Assyrians, Syriacs, Chaldeans, and Armenians) and other minorities. These communities live freely under the protection of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces, serving in both the civilian government and defense forces. They represent some of the oldest continuous Christian communities in the world.

Now, between the Damascus government and its ISIS and al-Qaeda allies, the Turkish-backed Syrian National Army, and direct attacks by ISIS and Turkey, the autonomous zone is in danger of collapse. If it falls, the largest remaining Christian communities in the region may fall with it.

The post Kurds Facing Major Setbacks in Syria – Extremist Government Pulverizing U.S. Allies appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.