Claims extracted
19
sentences that state something as happening or true
Uncertain
26%
5 of 19 hedged
("reportedly", "may", "according to")
Leaning
Leans right
of the writing, not the subject · beta estimate
Publisher signals
66/100
The Guardian's corrections and
hedging, across everything collected from it. Not a measure of accuracy.
Outlets on this story
1
Politics
Same framing elsewhere
1
articles that frame the event the way this one does
Pete Hegseth, the US secretary of defense, reportedly signed a memo last month permitting the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to test a non-lethal “heat ray” for potential use at the US southern border.
uncertain
Hegseth → sign → border
The “heat ray”, known as the Active Denial System, is a military-grade weapon that shoots an energy beam causing “a sensation of intense heat on the surface of the skin”, according to a 2009 National Defense University case study on the weapon.
uncertain
that → know → weapon
The sensation “creates an intolerable sensation and reflexive movement” such as ducking or running.
asserted
sensation → create → sensation
In a memo, first obtained by CNN, Hegseth authorized a “temporary loan” of the Active Denial System to the DHS for seven months beginning in September.
asserted
Hegseth → obtain → September
The DHS can request further use of the Pentagon system if needed.
asserted
DHS → request → system
A spokesperson for Customs and Border Protection (CBP) said in a statement it was “continually evaluating new technology, especially technology that can save lives while simultaneously enhancing national security effectiveness”.
asserted
that → say → effectiveness
When asked for comment, the Pentagon referred the Guardian to the DHS, which shared the CBP statement.
asserted
which → ask → statement
It is unclear what the DHS plans to use the Active Denial System for exactly, but the memo permits the department to use it for potential operations at the US-Mexico border.
uncertain
memo → plan → border
The US military initially brought the system to Afghanistan nearly 20 years ago, but it was quickly returned home without ever being used, the Washington Post reported.
asserted
Post → bring → Afghanistan
Previously, CBP officials reportedly considered using the Active Denial System in areas with a large number of illegal crossings or for crowd dispersal, but it was never deployed.
uncertain
it → consider → dispersal
When used, the Active Denial System can produce an invisible beam of 95 gigahertz that penetrates about 1/64th of an inch into the skin, causing a burning sensation.
asserted
that → use → sensation
(The system is technically not a “heat ray” because it uses millimeter waves, not infrared, Forbes reported in 2020.)
asserted
Forbes → use → 2020
Pentagon officials have compared the feeling to a blast of heat when opening a hot oven, according to CNN.
uncertain
officials → compare → CNN
The feeling is temporary, lasting between 10 and 15 minutes.
asserted
feeling → last → ?
In 2012, the Marine Corps announced that the system was compliant with international legal obligations of the US, and officials said they felt “comfortable” that it was safe.
asserted
it → announce → US
The new memo, seen by CNN, states that the DHS will be solely responsible for the system’s “employment, use and development of tactics, techniques and procedures”.
asserted
DHS → see → tactics
It also states that no Department of Defense personnel shall operate it.
asserted
personnel → state → it
During the first Trump administration, officials sought to use the Active Denial System, first in 2018 to stop migrants from crossing the border, the New York Times reported.
asserted
Times → seek → border
Later, in 2020, the administration also sought it to control protests in Washington DC after the killing of George Floyd, the Washington Post reported.
asserted
Post → seek → Floyd
The Aporia
