The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) on Tuesday unveiled a new set of rules outlawing the practice of hiding so-called “junk fees” from consumers until the end of the purchase process. However, the long-awaited rules have a relatively narrow scope: They only encompass live event tickets, hotels and vacation rentals — sparing airlines, auto dealers and many other prominent generators of consumer grievances.  

“Consumers searching for hotels or vacation rentals or seats at a show or sporting event will no longer be surprised by a pile of ‘resort,’ ‘convenience,’ or ‘service’ fees inflating the advertised price,” said the FTC in a statement accompanying the publishing of a 313-page explanation of the rules and the process used to draft them. The FTC claims the rule will save consumers upwards of 53 million hours annually in “wasted time spent searching for the total price,” putting a price tag of $11 billion on the time savings. Advocates for the rule also hope that clearer all-in pricing will also nudge prices downward.  

Rather than banning “junk fees,” the rule demands that they be disclosed earlier, and requires businesses to display the total price more prominently than than most other pricing information. “This means that the most prominent price in an ad needs to be the all-in total price,” said the FTC. Sellers must “clearly and conspicuously disclose the true total price inclusive of all mandatory fees whenever they offer, display, or advertise any price of live-event tickets or short-term lodging.” 

The rule is far narrower than what the unconstitutional FTC first had in mind: A 2023 proposal would have sweepingly applied the rules across the entire US economy. Meanwhile, other attempts by the Biden administration to limit fees have hit legal headwinds. For example, a Consumer Financial Protection Bureau-declared $8 cap on credit card late fees has been blocked by a federal judge in Fort Worth. 

“I urge enforcers to continue cracking down on these unlawful fees and encourage state and federal policymakers to build on this success with legislation that bans unfair and deceptive junk fees across the economy,” said lame-duck FTC chair Lina Khan. 

The FTC adopted the rule in a 4-1 vote. The sole dissenter was Republican Andrew Ferguson, Trump’s pick to chair the commission in his upcoming administration. In a dissenting statement, Ferguson said his “no” vote wasn’t a statement on the merits of the rule. “I dissent only on the ground that the time for rulemaking by the Biden-Harris FTC is over,” he said in a statement. “It is particularly inappropriate for the Biden-Harris FTC to adopt a major new rule that it will never enforce,” given the rule won’t take effect until April.

Under Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy, Trump’s “Department of Government Efficiency” is promising to hack away at the sprawling thicket of federal regulations, it’s unclear if the new rules will be shredded by the new administration and its accompanying Republican-controlled House and Senate. Given the popular appeal, that seems doubtful.  

Authored by Catherine Yang via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours),

Klaus Pflugbeil, a Canadian man currently residing in China, was sentenced on Dec. 16 to 24 months in prison for selling trade secrets stolen from an American company.

Pflugbeil was charged in March and pleaded guilty in a New York federal court in June.

He and co-conspirator Yilong Shao, who remains at large, had worked for a Canadian manufacturer that sold precision equipment to battery companies. That company was acquired in 2019 by a leading U.S.-based manufacturer of battery-powered electric vehicles and battery energy systems, which Pflugbeil and Shao stole from.

The American company has been identified as Tesla. Pflugbeil had worked at Canadian manufacturer Hibar System Ltd. in Canada and China from 1995 to 2009, and Hibar was later purchased by Tesla.

According to communications between Pflugbeil and Shao referenced in court documents, Pflugbeil detailed the original documents and drawings of proprietary technology he had stolen from Tesla. In or around July 2020, Pflugbeil joined Shao’s company, which made and sold the same equipment that their original employer made and sold.

“The defendant built a business in China to sell sensitive technology that belongs to a U.S. company,“ said U.S. Attorney Breon Peace for the Eastern District of New York. ”His actions were bold—he even advertised that he was selling the victim’s products—because he thought, incorrectly, that he was outside the reach of U.S. prosecutors.”

Pflugbeil had advertised these products on YouTube, through LinkedIn, and via Google, where the ads were shown tens of thousands of times per week. In direct advertising messages, Pflugbeil falsely stated his products did not infringe on patents, copyrights, or other intellectual property. According to the Justice Department (DOJ), Pflugbeil made more than $1.3 million on the stolen trade secrets.

DOJ officials said the case implicated national security, referencing the Chinese communist regime’s practice of pricing out competitors in strategically important industries.

The department stated that this had the potential to aid “Chinese automakers to swamp the U.S. and global market.” That market dominance also “presents a potential national security risk.”

In September, the Biden administration had proposed a ban on Chinese vehicle software and hardware based on national security concerns, noting that all new cars are “connected” vehicles, which possess the capability to capture and transmit great amounts of sensitive data.

“In stealing trade secrets from an American electric vehicle manufacturer to use in his own China-based company, Pflugbeil’s actions stood to benefit the PRC in a critical industry with national security implications,” stated Assistant Attorney General for National Security Matthew G. Olsen.

“The Justice Department will mobilize every available resource to prevent our adversaries from advancing their global ambitions at the expense of U.S. national security.”

Pflugbeil’s arrest occurred after undercover agents made contact with Shao in September 2023 at a trade show and were later connected with Pflugbeil via email. Pflugbeil had emailed the agents a 66-page document with technical details containing the stolen trade secrets.

Authored by Aldgra Fredly via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours),

Two astronauts who have been stranded in space for months won’t be able to return to earth until March, NASA said on Dec. 17 as it announced the latest in a string of delays sparked by problems with their Boeing-designed Starliner spacecraft.

NASA said it needed more time to complete the processing of SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft, which is scheduled to arrive at the space agency’s processing facility in Florida in early January.

Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams were initially expected to return within a week after traveling to the International Space Station (ISS) on NASA’s Boeing Crew Flight Test mission in June.

Their mission was later extended after NASA decided to return the spacecraft empty in September after the pilots identified helium leaks and issues with the Starliner’s reaction control thrusters on June 6.

NASA initially planned to launch the Crew-10 mission in February 2025, with Wilmore and Williams returning home by the end of that month alongside two other astronauts who arrived at the ISS on Sept. 29 aboard the SpaceX Dragon capsule.

The pair now face another delay, as NASA announced on Tuesday that Crew-10 will not launch until March 2025. By the time they return next year, they will have spent more than nine months in space.

“Fabrication, assembly, testing, and final integration of a new spacecraft is a painstaking endeavor that requires great attention to detail,” Steve Stich, manager of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program, said in a statement. “We appreciate the hard work by the SpaceX team to expand the Dragon fleet in support of our missions and the flexibility of the station program and expedition crews as we work together to complete the new capsule’s readiness for flight.”

NASA stated that it had considered using another SpaceX spacecraft but ultimately decided to wait until the Dragon spacecraft was ready and launch the Crew-10 mission in late March.

On Sept. 30, NASA launched the SpaceX Crew-9 Dragon capsule carrying NASA astronaut Nick Hague and Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov to join the Expedition 72 crew at the ISS to do research, technology demonstrations, and maintenance activities. Another two seats on the capsule were saved for Wilmore and Williams.

NASA stated Tuesday that Crew-9 will return to Earth only after Crew-10 arrives at the orbital laboratory for a handover period.

According to the space agency, Crew-9 will “share any lessons learned with the newly arrived crew and support a better transition for ongoing science and maintenance at the complex” during the handover period. NASA did not specify the duration of the handover process.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

How bad has crime gotten in the U.S.?

Here’s one for you. In Auburn, Washington, last week a group of kids stole the city’s deputy mayor’s car while she was in the middle of a City Council Meeting, where they were voting her into a new role. 

On Tuesday, the City Council elected Cheryl Rakes as deputy mayor. Meanwhile, police reported four kids stealing her Kia Soul outside city hall, according to Fox 13 Seattle.

“She went into the meeting at 5:30 p.m. Monday and came out an hour later and the car was gone,” 770 KTTH reported. 

“I went out to my car about 6:30 to grab a couple of things and noticed my car was gone,” Rakes said on 770 this week. “No, I don’t feel like I was targeted. I think it was because it was the Kia.”

The suspects fled, abandoning the car at Madison at River’s Edge Apartments, a site of a 2022 double shooting. The vehicle’s ignition was damaged, and items were stolen, police said.

Rakes commented: “I’m incredibly grateful to the Auburn Police Department and its officers for their work in recovering the vehicle quickly and safely.”

The Fox report says that investigators used Flock license-reading cameras to track the stolen car from Kent back to Auburn. Police have no suspect images and believe four children were involved, but no arrests have been made.

Just another day in Joe Biden’s America…

Authored by Leighton Woodhouse via RealClearInvestigations,

The Auberge du Soleil, a five-star hillside hotel and spa with a panoramic view overlooking the vineyards of Napa Valley, appears to be first-rate in all ways but one. While the glamorous resort, an hour’s drive from San Francisco, fills rooms that routinely go for $2,000 a night with A-list celebrities and tech titans, financial records suggest it did not provide much of a return to at least two of its investors – Rep. Nancy Pelosi and her husband, Paul. That changed when it received millions in congressionally authorized COVID-19 relief in 2020 and 2021.

The Auberge du Soleil investment, held for decades by Paul Pelosi, has rarely turned a significant profit, according to Nancy’s financial disclosure forms. In some years, he has recorded a loss or a profit of between $50,000 to $100,000. But the year of the bailout money stands apart. In 2021, Pelosi’s ethics forms show that her family’s income from the resort surged to a range of $1 million to $5 million. 

The French Riviera-themed resort may not be most people’s idea of a struggling business in need of a government bailout, yet the Auberge du Soleil – which shuttered briefly at the outset of the pandemic before swiftly rebounding – received about $9 million from a series of special taxpayer-funded emergency relief programs.

The previously unreported windfall is among several COVID bailouts that flowed to Pelosi-backed restaurants, hotels, and properties, including several Courtyard Marriott hotels.

A RealClearInvestigations analysis found that Pelosi’s profits spiked from a variety of holdings that won significant government rescue funds – which amounted to $28 million, a total more than previously known. For their family’s stake in the Auberge du Soleil, the Pelosis received more income in 2021, when bailout funds channeled to the resort, than any other time over the last 10 years.

Pelosi is hardly alone among lawmakers whose businesses reaped awards from pandemic-era financial programs designed for small businesses. Rep. Greg Pence, the brother of the former vice president, received $79,441. Rep. Dean Phillips, who briefly campaigned in the Democratic presidential primary, is an investor in a small event production company, Geniecast, that received two forgivable loans that totaled $373,185. Other members with investments in car dealerships and restaurant companies also received scrutiny over COVID rescue funds.

Yet Pelosi’s personal stake in the unprecedented taxpayer gusher has never been fully explored. Pelosi, during her previous stint as leader of the House of Representatives, shepherded all federal COVID stimulus measures, which totaled about $5.5 trillion – one of the largest domestic spending efforts in U.S. history outside of wartime. “These Republicans seem to have an endless tolerance for other people’s sadness,” said Pelosi at a press conference in December 2020, admonishing her opposition for delays in passing additional pandemic spending programs. The programs were touted as disaster measures designed to save the economy and help needy businesses and families.

The exact amount of Pelosi’s profits from the Auberge Du Soleil is unclear. The hotel is a privately held company, and the lawmakers file ethics reports that show a range of income and assets rather than a precise amount. Her office did not respond to a request for comment.

The former House Speaker has gained notoriety over her husband’s well-timed stock trades. Her husband, Paul Pelosi, 84, is an investor who has long dabbled in real estate. Fortune magazine, among other outlets, has reported on his unusually high gains from trading call options for technology-related stocks.

The Pelosi household earned over 65% on trades last year, according to an analysis from Unusual Whales, one of several sites that track congressional trading activity. That record outshines even the most successful hedge fund managers. 

Pelosi’s wealth has surged over her time in office. Disclosures show her net worth went from approximately $18 million in 1991 to nearly $250 million last year. “The Speaker has no prior knowledge or subsequent involvement in any transaction,” Pelosi’s spokesperson has told outlets in the past over questions about the trades. Her office did not respond to RCI’s request for comment.

The COVID-related relief lavished on the Pelosi family’s private investment holdings has gone largely unnoticed. 

Early in the pandemic, there were scattered reports about lawmakers from both parties who stood to gain financially from the initial Paycheck Protection Program (PPP). The small business rescue fund, reporters at Roll Call noted in July 2020, awarded forgivable loans to Piatti, an Italian chain, and a firm tied to the El Dorado, a small hotel in Sonoma County, both owned in part by Pelosi. The Pelosi-linked PPP loans disclosed by the media totaled around $2.4 million.

That figure scratches the surface. Newly discovered government disclosures show that Pelosi’s private holdings, such as the Auberge du Soleil resort, received upwards of $28 million in pandemic-related taxpayer funds, including the PPP, the COVID-19 Economic Injury Disaster Loan, and a special grant program for restaurants.

Much of the additional funding came from the second and third wave of pandemic stimulus legislation, passed in December 2020 and March 2021, that authorized an additional $2 trillion in cash and forgivable loans for needy individuals, businesses, and local governments. The additional rounds of spending effectively doubled the initial $2.1 trillion of CARES Act funds that began in March 2020. The new legislation authorized a second wave of PPP loans, along with billions of dollars in grants to theaters, restaurants, and travel companies impacted by the crisis.

After the initial outcry over lawmakers reaping financial awards from the bailout programs they had authorized, Congress tightened the eligibility standards. These rules included a prohibition on PPP loans extended to companies in which lawmakers or their spouses owned a “controlling interest,” which the Small Business Administration has defined as an ownership stake of at least 20%.

It is not clear if Pelosi violated any of the ethics rules. None of her family’s holdings in businesses that received PPP loans is mentioned in her ethics disclosures – suggesting the family’s stakes fell below the reporting threshold.

Nevertheless, the Pelosis profited handsomely from the bailout funds she advocated for as speaker of the House. The Restaurant Revitalization Fund, one of the additional programs launched by the new round of pandemic spending, provided $5 million to the Auberge du Soleil in June 2021. The funds were not restricted by congressional ownership of the underlying business entities. The resort also won a second PPP loan that totaled about $2 million in 2021. The first PPP loan, awarded the previous year, provided $2.9 million – helping the Pelosis earn millions on an investment that has rarely turned a significant profit, according to Nancy’s ethics disclosures. 

This was also the case for the Piatti Restaurant Company, the California-based pizza and Italian restaurant chain owned in part by Pelosi, which ended up receiving about $15 million in a mix of PPP and RRF grants and forgiven loans. The Pelosi household, in turn, received up to $1 million in partnership income distributions from their investment in the restaurant in 2021, the year that the company received the bulk of the government assistance.

The investment return that year from Piatti was also the highest in over a decade for the Pelosis. In previous years, they typically earned less than $50,000 from their stake in the pizza chain.

The taxpayer assistance to the Pelosi-backed resorts and restaurants may have come at the expense of other struggling businesses. In total, the Auberge du Soleil and Piatti won over $14.2 million in Restaurant Revitalization Fund grants, money that was shepherded through Congress by Pelosi and authorized by President Biden’s signature American Rescue Plan legislation. Most applicants were not as fortunate. Less than a third of the eateries, pubs and diners that sought funding from the program were approved, and the fund was quickly depleted after it opened.

The billions of dollars in COVID money was cast as a targeted measure to save the economy. More recent analysis has found the rushed programs were poorly designed and were a significant factor in the high levels of inflation experienced over the last four years.

Estimates of how much government money was misspent widely vary. The Associated Press reported that fraudsters potentially stole more than $280 billion from the assorted pandemic relief programs. A Senate report noted that wasted and abused pandemic funding ended up in the form of “Lamborghinis, luxury vacations, extravagant jewelry, and even an alpaca farm.”

“The sheer amount of taxpayer losses due to pandemic relief fraud and abuse,” noted Craig Eyermann, a fellow at the Independent Institute, was on the “order of hundreds of billions of dollars.”

There is no indication that the Pelosis did anything illegal. But Eyermann and other ethics experts argue the funds posed conflict of interest issues. He’s not surprised that wealthy lawmakers tapped COVID-related largesse. “To even pursue it,” he added, “they put themselves ahead of those who truly needed it.”

Among the many nonprofits funded by far-left billionaire George Soros and his even more radical son, Alex, are progressive super PACs, as well as, according to reporting by The New York Post, tens of millions of dollars funneled into a network of groups sympathetic to Iran whose members held top positions within the Biden-Harris administration. 

NYPost reviewed records from Soros’ Open Society Foundations, revealing that the progressive billionaire has funneled $46.7 million since 2016 into the International Crisis Group, a far-left think tank allegedly connected to an Iranian plot to influence US lawmakers and policies. 

Robert Malley, the former US special envoy to Iran, has been under FBI investigation for allegedly transferring classified information onto his personal email, where it could’ve slipped into the hands of a foreign actor. Malley was ICG’s president until he joined the Biden team in 2021. 

Gabriel Noronha of the Polaris National Security think tank told NYPost: “Soros has continually funded organizations that act as apologists for the Iranian regime – downplaying their severe human rights abuses while working to advance Iranian propaganda.” 

In 1994, Soros funded ICG’s formation and served as its trustee for years before handing the baton to Alex in 2018. 

Jay Solomon penned a note in Semafor in 2023 about three of Malley’s aides who were part of the Iran Experts Initiative, a mysterious network of Iranian-American elites established by Iran’s Foreign Ministry in 2014. NYPost noted IEI members were able to rise in the ranks of Washington’s foreign policy circles while advocating easing sanctions on Tehran. 

“If you were a regime running a game plan of how to subvert the United States’ political system from within, this would be it to a tee,” Noronha said.

Meanwhile, radicals within the Biden-Harris administration are leaving the Middle East in flames as Donald Trump prepares to return to the White House next month, where he is expected to reimpose “maximum pressure” sanctions on Iran. 

Noronha pointed out, “I don’t know what either Soros’s vision is regarding Iran … But the things they routinely fund are things that weaken America, both internally and externally.”

The Soros family must understand that the American people have given Trump a mandate to usher in the ‘America First’ era. The days of funding non-profits to undermine America are over.

Authored by Kyle Anzalone via The Libertarian Institute, 

The leader of the al-Qaeda-linked Syria rebel group that removed President Bashar al-Assad from power met with British officials to request the removal of sanctions and the terror designation on his group. 

Abu Mohammed al-Julani met with Stephen Hickey, director of the Middle East department at the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), and Ann Snow, the UK’s envoy to Syria in Damascus on Monday. 

According to statements given to Middle East Eye, officials from Julani’s Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) said the talks discussed the “latest developments” in Syria. The UK’s Foreign Ministry stated the British officials discussed London’s role in Damascus’ transition of power from Assad. 

Julani also gave an interview with the British outlet, The Times, to press for sanctions relief. “Countries must now lift this designation. Syria is very important geostrategically. They should lift all restrictions, which were imposed on the flogger and the victim — the flogger is gone now. This issue is not up for negotiation,” he said. 

Julani, who fought for Al-Qaeda in Iraq against American soldiers, added that HTS’s designation as a foreign terror organization is inappropriate. HTS has been labeled a terror organization by Washington and London since 2017, when Julani created the group.

At the time, both governments recognized that HTS was merely a rebranding of al-Qaeda’s Syrian affiliate, al-Nusra.  Following Julani’s triumph, the White House and 10 Downing Street are now considering removing HTS and Julani from the terror lists. 

In recent years, Julani has attempted to soften his image by sitting down with Western journalists for interviews, often appearing in a suit and with a trimmed beard in an attempt to obscure his jihadist ideology. 

A lot of interesting “diplomacy” happening in Damascus these days…

Before rebranding: Saudi terrorist Abdullah Al-Muhaysini is sending an idiot to blow himself up in Aleppo.

After rebranding: Saudi terrorist Abdullah Al-Muhaysini with Yasin Aktay, one of the chief aides to Erdoğan. pic.twitter.com/hSCzDcTj5A

— Kevork Almassian🇸🇾🇦🇲 (@KevorkAlmassian) December 18, 2024

Julani’s meetings with the British government and media come on the heels of London using the Terrorism Act 2000 to target and frame supporters of Palestinian rights as aiding Hamas. London said last week that engagement with HTS would not violate the law.

Ever seen a massive tanker ship…with wind sails? You might soon.

That’s because the Sohar Max, a 400,000-deadweight-ton vessel, was just retrofitted with five 35-meter rotor sails at China’s COSCO Zhoushan shipyard, according to Bloomberg. The purpose is to reduce fuel use by 6% and cut annual carbon emissions by 3,000 tons. 

Bloomberg reported that the shipping industry already faces regulatory pressure to reduce emissions. Rotor sails remain uncommon, and the adoption of wind technologies hinges on cost savings. Their appeal may grow as shippers transition from oil to pricier, cleaner marine fuels, the report says.

Nick Contopoulos, chief production and partnerships officer at Anemoi Marine Technologies, said: “There’s definitely an uptick in the adoption of wind propulsion and not just rotor sails, but other technologies too.”

California, for example, just expanded its emissions regulations at its port, DNV wrote last month. Starting January 1, 2025, California will expand its emissions regulations for vessels at ports.

Initially introduced in 2007 for container, passenger, and refrigerated-cargo ships, the rules now include Ro-Ro and tanker vessels. Ships must control emissions of NOx, PM 2.5, and reactive organic gases by connecting to onshore power, using approved exhaust capture systems, paying into a remediation fund, or adopting alternative fuels.

Tanker vessels face phased compliance, starting with the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach in 2025 and all California terminals by 2027.

Most other emissions standards are “primarily governed by the International Maritime Organization (IMO)” and “require ships operating in designated Emission Control Areas (ECAs) to meet stricter sulfur fuel limits and engine emission standards”. 

Authored by Andrew Thornebrooke via The Epoch Times,

A sudden spike in unidentified drone sightings in the northeastern United States is unnerving residents and lawmakers alike. Similar incidents have occurred for years, however, with little apparent action from the government.

Drone sighting reports in California, Maryland, Massachusetts, New York, New Jersey, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Utah, and Virginia over the past month have raised questions about the possibility that drones are being used to surveil or attack U.S. infrastructure.

The sightings follow several high-profile incidents in recent months, including at U.S. military facilities throughout the country and in the UK and Germany.

The White House has downplayed the incidents and denied that there is any evidence of a sustained threat to public safety.

“We have not identified anything anomalous or any national security or public safety risk over the civilian airspace in New Jersey or other states in the Northeast,” White House national security spokesperson John Kirby told reporters on Dec. 16.

Kirby did acknowledge that drones had penetrated restricted airspace, however, including that of the Langley Air Force Base in Virginia, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio, and Picatinny Arsenal military research facility in New Jersey.

Although such sightings are currently receiving a lot of media attention, there have been several high-profile drone incidents in the past half-decade for which the federal government has yet to formally account.

Five years ago, for example, groups of large drones began appearing off the coast of California. They stalked and surveilled several Navy and Coast Guard ships, including the technologically advanced guided-missile destroyer USS Zumwalt.

The incident caused alarm throughout the military and incurred a joint investigation by elements of the U.S. Navy, Coast Guard, and FBI. Members of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the commander of the Pacific Fleet were kept apprised of the situation.

No administration nor the Department of Defense has publicly stated what the drones were seeking to accomplish or who was operating them.

Two investigative reports published by The War Zone in 2021 and 2022, however, revealed that ship logs from one of the Navy vessels involved had identified the source of the drones as the MV Bass Strait, a Hong Kong-flagged bulk carrier.

In 2020, a new swarm of large drones began appearing in the skies over rural Colorado and Nebraska, where some of the nation’s Minuteman III nuclear missiles are stored.

Local officials eventually said no laws were being broken and that drone pilots were not required to file flight plans unless in controlled airspace, such as near an airport.

Similarly, the FBI, the Federal Aviation Administration, and local authorities never publicly identified who was operating the drones and suggested most of the sightings were attributable to hobby drones and people misidentifying planets and stars as aircraft.

Likewise, Kirby told reporters that many of the 5,000 reports of drone sightings over the past week were attributable to hobbyists, commercial drones, and people misidentifying stars as aircraft.

Similar incidents have continued, apparently unabated.

This year alone, drones have approached and entered the restricted airspace over U.S. military installations throughout the country and overseas.

Drones were tracked around three separate military bases in the UK last month, including Royal Air Force Lakenheath, which serves as the U.S. Air Forces in Europe’s only fighter wing of the fifth-generation F-35 aircraft.

Shortly thereafter, federal agents arrested a Chinese national for flying an unregistered drone over Vandenberg Space Force Base in California and taking photos of the SpaceX rocket pads on a day on which the contractor launched a sensitive national reconnaissance payload.

Kirby attempted to assuage fears of a potential unidentified drone threat, saying that there were more than a million lawfully registered drones in the United States, with thousands of hobbyists and law enforcement offices using the technology.

Still, the lack of a federal response to the growing number of drone-related incidents in recent years has left both lawmakers and the public in a state of uncertainty about what is to be done.

Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas testified earlier this week that the federal government simply doesn’t have enough legal authority to engage drones that are not within restricted airspace and instead said that local law enforcement should take the lead “under federal supervision.”

In a post on social media platform X, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul urged Congress to “pass a law that will give us the power to deal directly with the drones.”

On Dec. 16, Hochul also announced that the federal government will send the state “a state-of-the-art drone detection system” after a drone incursion forced the closure of a local airport.

“I am grateful for the support, but we need more,” she said on X.

The drone incursions of recent years have repeatedly come within striking distance of commercial airports and even within close range of the president’s aircraft. Federal officials have not identified the drone operators in most of those cases but maintain that there is no immediate or foreign-backed threat.

President-elect Donald Trump suggested this week that the Biden administration had intelligence on the source of the drones but was not revealing it to the public.

Kirby rejected the idea.

“There’s absolutely no effort to be anything other than as up-front as we can be,” Kirby said.

“If we had information, intelligence or otherwise, that told us that there was a national security threat posed by this drone activity, I would say that.”

Kirby said the administration has engaged personnel from the departments of Defense and Homeland Security to help identify and respond to the northeastern U.S. drone sightings.

A family at the center of a catalytic converter theft ring has been sentenced for “operating a multi-million-dollar catalytic converter theft ring throughout the Philadelphia region”, according to authorities and a new report from Patch.

A Philadelphia towing company owner was exposed as the ringleader of a catalytic converter theft ring, busted in June 2023 after a yearlong investigation, according to Bucks County prosecutors.

Six family members, including some from Montgomery County, were sentenced Monday. Authorities revealed TDI Towing was “likely involved in the buying and reselling of over 25,000 likely stolen catalytic converters,” according to NBC. 

The Patch report says that “TDI employees were paid an average of $300 per catalytic converter, for a total of nearly $8.2 million during the three years.”

 A joint investigation by Bucks County detectives and over 30 local, state, and federal agencies uncovered the ring. Michael Williams, owner of TDI Towing in Philadelphia, along with his wife, three sons-in-law, and her sister, were sentenced Monday. In June, five pleaded guilty, while one entered a no-contest plea.

Michael Williams received 2.5 to 5 years in state prison and probation, while his accomplices, including Bruce, Schwartz, Hopkins, and Lisa Davalos, were sentenced to county jail terms ranging from 90 days to 23 months, and Deborah Davalos received two years of probation.

“I think we got to see on the videos who [Williams] was when he didn’t know he was being recorded,” said Prosecutor Edward Furman. “Our position was that he was preying on people that were in the throes of addiction. He knew that they were looking for cheap, easy money and he was their source of it.”

Coley Reynolds, Williams’s defense attorney, commented to NBC: “Michael was a person who was raised a certain way, wanted to take care of his friends, wanted to take care of his community. I’m not saying that led to these offenses, but certainly we thought it should have been more of a consideration to the court.”

Williams will have to pay more than $100,000 in restitution.