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Schumer seeks legislation giving local officials authority to ‘swiftly’ respond to drone sightings

Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., announced Monday that he will move to advance drone legislation this week that will give local officials more authority to respond to the growing concerns of drone sightings. Reports of drones flying over New Jersey and New York, particularly near military research facilities and Trump’s Bedminster golf course, have prompted lawmakers to press the Biden administration for more transparency when it comes to who is flying the suspected unmanned aircraft and why the government is not doing anything about them. Schumer has called on Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas to “quickly deploy” any drone-detecting tools that are available to help New York and New Jersey deal with the mysterious drone sightings that started a few weeks ago. “This week, I will also come to the floor of the Senate to seek passage of legislation that will give local officials greater authority to swiftly respond to these sightings,” Schumer said while speaking on the Senate floor on Monday. “The reports of the past few weeks have ignited immense anxiety and confusion for millions of people living across the Northeast. Thankfully, there is no reason to believe these drone sightings pose a national security threat, but even so they can be disruptive if they fly over restricted airspace particularly near airports or bases.” SCHUMER REQUESTS 360-DEGREE RADAR SYSTEM FOR NY, NJ TO DETECT DRONES He continued, saying there was no shortage of reports of possible drone activity, yet there are few answers being provided about where some of the drones originated from and who was operating them. Local officials lack the resources and authority to find the underlying cause of the matter, Schumer added. NJ DRONE SIGHTINGS COULD BE A ‘CLASSIFIED EXERCISE’: FORMER CIA OFFICER Along with seeking the Senate’s help in passing the legislation, Schumer also urged the DHS to take all necessary action to deploy as many drone-detecting resources as possible. One of those technologies is the Robin Radar System, which, according to its website, notes “bird, bat, or drone, our 360° radar systems log thousands of observations, scanning every second to track and classify with precision.” DRONE MYSTERY CONTINUES IN NEW JERSEY AS EXPERTS OFFER NEW THEORIES ABOUT SIGHTINGS Schumer said systems like Robin would go a long way to help local officials collect real data about where these drones are coming from. “I want to see a flock of ROBIN-like technology systems deployed across the New York City metro area,” he said. “So, we need the Department of Homeland Security to spring into action.” The House Intelligence Committee will receive a classified briefing on the drone activity on Tuesday afternoon, a source familiar with the matter told Punchbowl News. The news agency also said Biden administration officials from the FBI, Department of Defense, CIA, and Office of the Director of National Intelligence will hold the briefing. Fox News Digital’s Alex Nitzberg contributed to this report.

Senate advances NDAA, teeing up final passage for annual defense policy bill

The Senatevoted to advance its annual $895 billion defense policy bill, a signal that the legislation is on track to pass despite Democratic grumblings over a transgender care provision. A vote to invoke cloture, or pass an agreement to limit debate, on the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) passed the Senate 63 to 7 on Monday evening. The bill now heads to a final vote later this week. The legislation passed the House last week 281-140, with 16 Republicans voting no. Only 81 Democrats voted yes – 124 voting no – a much larger margin than in years passed when the legislation typically enjoyed bipartisan support. The 1,800-page bill details how $895.2 billion allocated toward defense and national security will be spent. It will be voted on more than two months after the start of the fiscal year. The $895.2 billion represents a 1% increase over last year’s budget, a smaller number than some defense hawks would have liked. A significant portion of the legislation focused on quality-of-life improvements for service members amid record recruitment issues, a focus of much bipartisan discussion over the last year. That includes a 14.5% pay increase for junior enlisted troops and increasing access to child care for service members while also providing job support to military spouses. The measure authorizes a 4.5% across-the-board pay raise for all service members starting Jan. 1. The NDAA typically enjoys wide bipartisan support, but this year’s focus on eliminating “woke” policies was hard for some Democrats to stomach. PENTAGON ANNOUNCES NEW COUNTER-DRONE STRATEGY AS UNMANNED ATTACKS ON US INTERESTS SKYROCKET The policy proposal to prohibit Tricare, the military’s health care provider, from covering transgender services for the minor dependents of service members has raised concerns, prompting the leading Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee, Rep. Adam Smith of Washington, to reconsider his support for the bill. “Blanketly denying health care to people who clearly need it, just because of a biased notion against transgender people, is wrong,” he said in a statement. “This provision injected a level of partisanship not traditionally seen in defense bills.” The goal of that provision is to prevent any “medical interventions that could result in sterilization” of minors. Other provisions, like a blanket ban on funding for gender transition surgeries for adults, did not make their way into the bill, neither did a ban on requiring masks to prevent the spread of diseases. The bill also supports deploying the National Guard to the southern border to help with illegal immigrant apprehensions and drug flow. Another provision opens the door to allowing airmen and Space Force personnel to grow facial hair; it directs the secretary of the Air Force to brief lawmakers on “the feasibility and advisability” of establishing a pilot program to test out allowing beards. HERE IS WHO IS VYING FOR POWER IN SYRIA AFTER THE FALL OF BASHAR AL-ASSAD Democrats are also upset the bill did not include a provision expanding access to IVF for service members. Currently, military health care only covers IVF for troops whose infertility is linked to service-related illness or injury. But the bill did not include an amendment to walk back a provision allowing the Pentagon to reimburse service members who have to travel out of state to get an abortion. The bill extends a hiring freeze on DEI-related roles and stops all such recruitment until “an investigation of the Pentagon’s DEI programs” can be completed. It also bans the Defense Department from contracting with advertising companies “that blacklist conservative news sources,” according to an internal GOP memo. The memo said the NDAA also guts funding for the Biden administration’s “Countering Extremist Activity Working Group” dedicated to rooting out extremism in the military’s ranks. The annual defense policy bill also does not authorize “any climate change programs” and prohibits the Pentagon from issuing climate impact-based guidance on weapons systems. House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., touted $31 billion in savings in the legislation that would come from cutting “inefficient programs, obsolete weapons, and bloated Pentagon bureaucracy.” The compromise NDAA bill, negotiated between Republican and Democrat leadership, sets policy for the nation’s largest government agency, but a separate defense spending bill must be passed to allocate funds for such programs.

DC councilman recommended for expulsion as he faces bribery charges

A Washington, D.C. committee tasked with investigating bribery allegations against City Councilmember Trayon White Sr. voted on Monday to recommend the lawmaker be expelled for allegedly accepting over $150,000 in bribes. The committee voted unanimously to recommend White be expelled, after reviewing a report that found “substantial evidence” that the councilman violated the D.C. Code of Conduct while in office. Following the vote, D.C. Council Chairman Phil Mendelson released a statement about the committee’s decision. “Let’s cut through the legal jargon. Trayon White is accused of taking bribes,” Mendelson said. “The prosecutors have established probable cause, our own independent investigation found substantial evidence that he took bribes, and public servants are prohibited from taking bribes. This is quintessential corruption. DC COUNCILMEMBER FACING FEDERAL BRIBERY CHARGES WINS LANDSLIDE RE-ELECTION, BUT COLLEAGUES MAY OUST HIM “There is only one remedy: to remove the corruption from our body,” the councilman later added. “This incident has damaged the public trust necessary for government to function well. Anything less than expulsion will not rectify the situation.” Over the summer, White was arrested on a federal bribery charge after being accused of accepting over $150,000 from an associate in exchange for extending violence interruption contracts. In response to the allegations, the ad hoc committee of the council commissioned an independent investigation, which was conducted by the law firm Latham and Watkins LLP. DC COUNCILMAN STUFFED POCKETS WITH ENVELOPES OF CASH IN ALLEGED BRIBERY SCHEME, FEDS ALLEGE The report was provided to the council last week, and it included an in-depth analysis along with 29 supporting exhibits, FOX 5 in DC reported. After reviewing documents, interviews, emails and texts, investigators found “substantial evidence that Councilmember White violated Council Rules and several provisions of the Code of Official Conduct.” The investigators specifically said White accepted cash from business owners in exchange for agreeing to meet with and influence government officials who approve their contracts, the station reported. FBI ARRESTS DC COUNCILMAN WHO IN 2018 ACCUSED JEWISH FINANCIERS OF ‘CLIMATE MANIPULATION’ The report also claimed White had a ledger detailing the profits he intended to earn, including a kickback of 3% of the grants he helped renew. Mendelson and White did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment on the matter. The station reported that White spoke before the meeting on Monday, saying, “I do want to say that there has been no clear evidence of nobody in all these interviews saying that I tried to grab them. And so, I’m confident to that.” The council needed a five-sixths vote to adopt a resolution of expulsion, which is the most severe punishment available. A proceeding on the expulsion is to be held within 45 days, during which time White will be able to defend himself. White’s federal bribery charge trial is on the calendar to begin in January 2026. He faces up to 15 years in prison if convicted. Fox News Digital’s Greg Norman contributed to this report.

First on Fox: Trump Small Business Administration pick Loeffler to meet with GOP senators

EXCLUSIVE – Former Sen. Kelly Loeffler of Georgia will make her first visit to Capitol Hill since President-elect Trump nominated her to steer the Small Business Administration (SBA) in his second term in the White House. Fox News has learned that Loeffler will meet on Tuesday with roughly a dozen Republican senators. Among those she’ll huddle with are Sen. John Barasso of Wyoming, who ranks third in GOP Senate leadership and is the incoming Majority Whip, and Sen. Joni Ernst of Iowa, the incoming chair of the Senate Small Business Committee. Loeffler, who hails from a family of small business owners and entrepreneurs, was raised working on the family farm in Illinois. After becoming the first in her family to graduate college, she spent nearly three decades working her way up in the private sector. Along with her husband Jeff, Loeffler built a Fortune 500 financial services and technology company from 100 employees to 15,000. CLICK HERE FOR THE LATEST FOX NEWS REPORTING ON THE TRUMP TRANSITION Loeffler later launched another company, named Bakkt, as its founding CEO and first employee. She was also a part owner of the WNBA’s Atlanta Dream. HEAD HERE FOR THE FULL LIST OF WHOM TRUMP’S PICKED TO TOP ADMINISTRATION POSITIONS “As an entrepreneur and business leader who founded startups and helped build a Fortune 500 company, Senator Loeffler looks forward to meeting with her former colleagues this week to discuss empowering America’s job creators,” Loeffler spokesperson Caitlin O’Dea told Fox News in a statement. “She is honored to be President Trump’s choice to lead the SBA, and, if confirmed, looks forward to advancing his agenda to make the small business economy great again.” Loeffler and her husband have long been major donors to Republican causes and and candidates, including Trump. Loeffler serves as co-chair of the president-elect’s inaugural committee. Trump called Loeffler, a longtime ally, “tremendous fighter” as he announced her nomination as SBA administrator. And Ernst, in a statement, said that “as a successful business owner, Kelly knows what it takes to innovate and create jobs that support American families, and I am confident that she will fight to get Washington bureaucrats off the backs of our nation’s small businesses.” While successful in the business world, Loeffler was not well known until becoming a politician. After GOP Sen. Johnny Isakson resigned from the Senate at the end of 2019 due to his deteriorating health, Republican Gov. Brian Kemp of Georgia appointed Loeffler to fill Isakson’s unexpired term until the next regular election. Loeffler narrowly lost to Democrat Raphael Warnock in a runoff election in January 2021, after no candidate topped 50% of the vote in a crowded field of contenders in the November 2020 Senate election.

Trump dispels rumors he will seek to ban polio vaccine: ‘Not going to happen’

President-elect Donald Trump dispelled rumors Monday that his administration would seek to ban the polio vaccine, telling reporters Monday, “that’s not going to happen.” Questions about how Trump’s nominee for Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., has made a name for himself challenging the efficacy of vaccines, and on Friday the New York Times published a report that raised concerns he will attempt to ban the polio vaccine. According to the report, a lawyer assisting Kennedy with staffing the department, previously petitioned to pause the distribution of 13 vaccines while working for nonprofit Informed Consent Action Network, including a vaccine for polio. The report spurred criticism of Kennedy’s nomination, including from Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, who said “efforts to undermine public confidence in proven cures are … dangerous.” When asked by reporters during a press conference from Trump’s Mar-A-Lago resort whether his administration would ban the vaccine, Trump replied “No,” but said he wanted Kennedy “to come back with a report as to what he thinks” about the polio vaccine. RFK JR SET TO FACE ABORTION, VACCINE SCRUTINY IN SIT-DOWNS WITH SENATORS ON CAPITOL HILL “We’re going to have reports – nothing is going to happen very quickly,” Trump told reporters. “I think you’re going to find that [Kennedy] is much – he’s a very rational guy. I found him to be very rational.” “You’re not going to lose the polio vaccine, that’s not going to happen,” Trump reiterated. Trump pointed out to reporters that he has friends who have been affected by the poliovirus and noted how when they took the vaccine “it ended.” He also lauded Dr. Jonas Salk, inventor of the first polio vaccine, for his efforts to help people like his friends. NOBEL LAUREATES CRITICIZE RFK JR. HHS NOMINATION OVER ‘LACK OF CREDENTIALS,’ VACCINE STANCE While Trump’s response squashed rumors his administration was planning on banning the polio vaccine, he did raise concern about the rising rates of autism in the United States, which Kennedy has linked to vaccines in the past. “We’re going to look into finding why the Autism rate is so much higher than it was 20, 25, 30 years ago,” Trump said during his response about banning the polio vaccine. “I mean it’s, like, 100 times higher. There’s something wrong and we’re going to try finding that.” In response to an inquiry about the future of the polio vaccine, a Trump transition team spokesperson said, “Mr. Kennedy believes the Polio Vaccine should be available to the public and thoroughly and properly studied.”

Fox News Politics: The DNC’s Blue Christmas

Welcome to the Fox News Politics newsletter, with the latest updates on the Trump transition, exclusive interviews and more Fox News politics content. Here’s what’s happening… – Biden admin expected to offer California waiver to ban gas-powered cars by 2035: report – RFK Jr set to face abortion, vaccine scrutiny in sit-downs with senators on Capitol Hill – Mitt Romney predicts the GOP’s 2028 presidential standard-bearer Vice President Kamala Harris tried to encourage Democratic staffers facing layoffs from the DNC on Sunday, telling them that their “spirit will not be defeated.” Harris made the comments during the DNC’s holiday celebration in Washington, D.C., on Sunday. She spoke alongside President Biden and first lady Jill Biden at the event, which played host to staffers who were let go from the DNC without severance packages after the election. “This holiday season, like any time of the year, let us really be conscious of all the blessings we have. Let us celebrate the blessings we have; let us celebrate and advance the blessings we have yet to create,” Harris said. “And let us always remember our country is worth fighting for, and our spirit will not be defeated.” Read more. FINAL PUSH: Biden expected to grant CA waiver for gas car ban before Trump admin takes over…Read more ‘OUR MILITARY KNOWS’: Trump says Biden admin has answers to drone mystery…Read more BACK ON THE BENCH: Republicans fume over judicial unretirements taking away vacancies for Trump to fill…Read more ‘DID I AT LEAST LOOK COOL?’: Trump adviser collapses on stage while giving speech at Young Republican gala…Read more TIME TO CALL: Trump can save Syrian Kurds from Turkish aggression…Read more ‘IS THAT A SERIOUS QUESTION?’: Trump tangles with reporter asking about Iran preemptive strikes…Read more KENNEDY TO CONGRESS: RFK Jr set to face abortion, vaccine scrutiny in first hill meetings since Trump selection…Read more MONEY TALKS: Showdown over $36T US debt crisis looms in Congress, new data show…Read more ‘SO IMPORTANT’: Paris Hilton urges GOP-led House to pass bipartisan Stop Institutional Child Abuse Act…Read more ‘REAL ANSWERS’: Schumer asks DHS to deploy 360-degree radar tech amid drone mystery…Read more RED TAPE RIP-OFF: Business group accuses California regulators of gangster behavior…Read more ‘TARGETED ASSASSINATIONS’: Venezuelan expert sounds alarm about what’s next if sanctuary city policies continue…Read more ‘VIOLATED THE LAW’: State AG sues New York doctor who allegedly prescribed abortion medication by mail…Read more ‘BRING THEM ALL HOME’: Israeli hostages’ families hold Central Park rally, call on Biden, Trump to get loved ones from Hamas…Read more ‘MATH’ PROBLEM: Economists pan Hochul’s ‘inflation refunds’ as inflationary…Read more ‘MAKE LIFE MULTIPLANETARY’: Elon Musk moves to make Starbase, Texas, the official ‘gateway to Mars’…Read more ‘LOST CONTROL’: Investigator’s eye in the sky tumbles to ground during approach to mystery drone…Read more IDENTIFY, TRACK, MITIGATE: Government demands more counter-drone powers as current authorities set to expire…Read more Get the latest updates on the Trump presidential transition, incoming Congress, exclusive interviews and more on FoxNews.com.

A potential second withdrawal from Paris climate treaty under Trump could look different than first US exit

President-elect Donald Trump has indicated that he would withdraw the U.S. from a global climate change agreement when he assumes office — but a second withdrawal could look different from the first. The Paris Climate Agreement was established at the U.N. Climate Change Conference in 2015 as a legally binding treaty between nearly 195 parties who are committed to international cooperation on climate change. The U.S. officially entered into the agreement under former President Barack Obama in 2016. Under Article 28 of the treaty, parties are allowed to withdraw from the agreement, but no earlier than three years after they officially entered. Therefore, Trump was barred from immediately leaving the treaty when he first took office and the U.S. was not officially withdrawn until the end of 2020. President Joe Biden, in one of his first orders as president, reinstated the U.S. to the climate agreement in 2021. Ahead of the presidential election, Trump told Politico that he would be in favor of withdrawing from the treaty a second time, and given that Biden withdrew at the beginning of his term, this could be accomplished at a much quicker pace. WHITE HOUSE SAYS TO ‘EXPECT MORE’ CLIMATE FUNDING BEFORE PRESIDENT BIDEN LEAVES OFFICE “It would be a very different timeline now,” David Waskow, director of the international climate initiative at the World Resources Institute, told Scientific American. Max Boykoff, professor in the Department of Environmental Studies and a fellow in the Cooperative Institute for Research and Environmental Sciences (CIRES) at CU Boulder, told the university’s paper that re-exiting from the agreement could cause “a loss of trust” among world leaders. CLIMATE JUSTICE GROUP HAS DEEP TIES TO JUDGES, EXPERTS INVOLVED IN LITIGATION AMID CLAIMS OF IMPARTIALITY Boykoff also suggested that a U.S. withdrawal could encourage other countries to also exit the treaty, as it was recently reported that Argentina’s Libertarian President Javier Milei is considering it. “The withdrawal may also cause other leaders, who have also expressed resistance to addressing climate policy as a priority in their own countries, to leave the agreement,” Boykoff told CU Boulder Today. However, those in favor of Trump releasing the U.S. from the agreement tell Fox News Digital that there would be many benefits to a second withdrawal. “The benefits of exiting the Paris climate agreement are many, first and foremost reclaiming U.S. sovereignty while respecting the rule of law,” said H. Sterling Burnett, Director of the Arthur B. Robinson Center on Climate and Environmental Policy at the Heartland Institute. “Paris encourages the U.S. to agree to emission reductions that are both unnecessary from a climate perspective, since we don’t control the climate, but which do place substantial costs on Americans while putting the nation at a competitive and geopolitical disadvantage to China, which emits more than double the U.S. with no firm reduction commitments,” he added. Burnett also suggested that Trump submit the treaty to the Senate for advice and consent, which would require a two-thirds vote for the U.S. to rejoin the climate agreement — creating a potential hurdle for future administrations seeking to reenter the accord. Also under consideration is whether the incoming president will withdraw from the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), a treaty established in 1992 to prevent “dangerous human interference with the climate system.” Mandy Gunasekara, former EPA chief of staff during Trump’s first term, suggested that the incoming president should not only withdraw from the treaty, but also exit UNFCCC, POLITICO E&E Reported. Gunasekara said that the administration should get out of UNFCCC “if they’re looking for a more permanent response to getting out of bad deals for the American economy that do little to actually improve the environment.” Other leaders have suggested that the Paris Agreement itself could suffer in the future if the U.S. is not involved. “The Paris Agreement can survive, but people sometimes can lose important organs or lose the legs and survive. But we don’t want a crippled Paris agreement. We want a real Paris agreement,” Secretary-General of the United Nations, António Guterres, told the Guardian. “It’s very important that the United States remain in the Paris Agreement, and more than remain in the Paris agreement, that the United States adopts the kind of policies that are necessary to make the 1.5 degrees still a realistic objective.”

Trump says he will consider pardon for NYC Mayor Eric Adams, says he was targeted for illegal migrant stance

President-elect Trump on Monday said he would consider pardoning New York City Mayor Eric Adams, who is the subject of a federal investigation into corruption and bribery charges. “Yeah, I would,” Trump said during a press conference at Mar-a-Lago. “I think that he was treated pretty unfairly.” A federal indictment accuses Adams of soliciting illegal campaign donations from foreign entities and falsifying paper trails to cover them up. He allegedly defrauded taxpayers for $10 million over the past decade and frequently took free or steeply discounted vacations bankrolled by his foreign benefactors. TOP ADVISER TO NYC MAYOR ERIC ADAMS ABRUPTLY RESIGNS AMID FEDERAL INVESTIGATION “I don’t know the facts,” Trump added. “I would certainly look at it.” Fox News Digital has reached out to Adams’ office. During his remarks, Trump downplayed allegations that Adams took free luxury travel and airline upgrades from Turkish officials. “Being upgraded in an airplane many years ago ?” Trump said. “I doubt if there’s anyone here who hasn’t been upgraded.” “It seems, you know, like being upgraded in an airplane many years ago — I know probably everybody here has been upgraded,” he added. “They see you’re all stars, they say, ‘I want to upgrade that person from NBC,’ and that would mean you’ll spend the rest of your life in prison,” he said. NYC HOME IS NEARLY 60K ‘CRIMINAL’ MIGRANTS: REPORT Trump said Adams was targeted because of his strong stance on illegal immigration and the impact it’s had on New York City. “I said, ‘He’s going to be indicted,’” Trump said. “And a few months later, he got indicted.” Last week, Adams met with Trump’s choice for border czar, Tom Homan, to discuss the migrant crisis. After the meeting, Adams said the discussion was very productive. “From what I heard from the incoming head of ICE (U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement) is that we have the same desire to go after those who are committing violent acts, repeated violent acts among innocent New Yorkers and among migration asylum seekers,” Adams told reporters. “That’s what I heard from him. And I was pleased to hear that, because we share the same desire.” Adams has denied any wrongdoing. In November, he rebuffed claims that he was aligning himself with Trump in order to get a pardon. He was asked about that matter during an appearance on “The View.” “I think nothing is more challenging than being — not being able to defend yourself in public,” he answered, avoiding the Trump part of the question. “Listen, I said it over and over again. I did nothing wrong,” he continued.

NJ drone incidents spur government push for more counter-drone powers as current authorities set to expire

The mysterious drone phenomenon centered in New Jersey has prompted government officials to issue fresh calls for expanded power as their counter-drone authorization is set to expire this week. The current drone-countering authorities — authorized as part of the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2018 — grant both the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Department of Justice (DOJ) authority to use advanced detection technologies to identify, track and intercept drones that aren’t complying with the law. The 2018 measure exempts the agencies from other laws that prevent interference with aircraft and wiretapping without a warrant. It expires on Dec. 20, and lawmakers must attach a last-minute extension to a stopgap spending bill to fund the government this week in order to prevent a lapse. But government officials say the 11th hour, piecemeal approach harms their ability to counter drone threats. “We cannot appropriately budget, we can’t strategically plan for the future,” Steven Willoughby, deputy director of the Department of Homeland Security’s counter-drone office, said during a security forum last week. “The administration has been seeking, for several years now, additional authorities to expand the counter-UAS authorities, both of the federal government, which are themselves very limited, and also to give state and local authorities the authority to use certain C-UAS technologies with federal oversight,” a senior Biden administration official told reporters on a call over the weekend. “That legislation has been pending.” DRONE MYSTERY: NEW JERSEY HOMEOWNERS THREATEN TO TAKE MATTERS INTO THEIR OWN HANDS IF GOVERNMENT DOESN’T ACT A DHS official said that while there is “no known malicious activity in New Jersey,” the sightings there “highlight a gap in our current authorities, and so we would also urge Congress to pass our important counter-UAS legislation.” The White House-backed Counter-UAS Authority, Security and Reauthorization Act of 2024 would expand the government’s drone authorities and renew them until 2028 — and add new state and local drone authorities. But a separate, bipartisan House plan would scale back the proposed state and local authorities in favor of authorizing the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to take down drones, instead of just regulating their use in airspace. But lawmakers don’t have time to hash out their disputes over which agency should get what authority before agencies lose their powers entirely — so the narrow extension of authority attached to the stopgap measure is only expected to last a matter of months. DRONE EXPERTS RULE OUT US GOVERNMENT EXPERIMENT, UNSURE OF OTHER NEW JERSEY DRONE PHENOMENON THEORIES For nearly a month, New Jersey residents have alerted authorities to sightings of mysterious drones, some as wide as six feet, hovering in the sky at night. Sightings have ranged from 4 to 180, and some of them seem to be operating in a coordinated manner, and some unmanned aerial systems have been spotted near the Army’s Picatinny Arsenal and Naval Weapons Station Earle. Law enforcement has been able to offer little explanation for the phenomenon — but steered the public away from the assumption that the drones originate with a foreign adversary. “To date, we have no intelligence or observations that would indicate that they were aligned with a foreign actor or that they had malicious intent,” a Defense Department official told reporters over the weekend. “But I just got to simply tell you we don’t know.” “We have not been able to locate or identify the operators or the points of origin. We have very limited authorities when it comes to moving off base,” the official added. “We’re also significantly restricted, and rightfully so — in fact, prohibited — from intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance here in the homeland.” Additional unauthorized drone sightings have been recorded near Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio, where officials closed the airspace for four hours due to the sighting, and Ramstein U.S. Air Force Base in Germany in recent days.

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