(The Center Square) – Federal officials said Tuesday that drones spotted along the East Coast over the past month do not pose a threat to national security or public safety. Four federal agencies – the Department of Homeland Security, Federal Aviation Administration, Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Department of Defense – issued a statement Tuesday after weeks of reports about drone activity. In some cases, airports have been closed as a result of the drones. The Pentagon statement said that the majority of the more than 1 million drones registered with the FAA are used legally for commercial, recreational or governmental purposes. The agencies noted that the recent sightings likely involve a combination of these legal activities and misidentifications of manned aircraft, helicopters, or even celestial objects such as stars.

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(The Center Square) – The House has overwhelmingly voted against the stopgap bill presented to the House floor Thursday evening by Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., after a last-minute scramble. With 174 yeas and 235 nays, opposition from both Democrats and Republicans tanked the 116-page American Relief Act, 2025 which needed a two-thirds majority to pass. The measure would have funded the government through March, allocated roughly $100 billion in disaster relief, extended the farm bill for a year, and suspended the debt ceiling until January 2027.

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(The Center Square) – Newly released inflation data shows a rise in producer prices. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics on Thursday released its Producer Price index, a key marker of inflation, which rose 0.4% in November. The November increase is part of a 3% increase in the past year, which BLS pointed out is “the largest rise since moving up 4.7% for the 12 months ended February 2023.” Much of the PPI was driven by a rise in food prices, most notably the cost of eggs. “A quarter of the November rise in prices for final demand goods is attributable to a 54.6-percent jump in the index for chicken eggs,” BLS said. “Prices for fresh and dry vegetables, fresh fruits and melons, processed poultry, non-electronic cigarettes, and residential electric power also increased.” Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com

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(The Center Square) – After blaming Texas Gov. Greg Abbott for over a year for illegal border crossers inundating New York City, Mayor Eric Adams said on Thursday he now welcomes federal help to remove criminals in the city who are illegally in the country. After meeting with President-elect Donald Trump’s border czar Tom Homan, Adams held a news conference expressing his support for Homan’s efforts. When asked if Homan requested help from the city to target the most violent criminals illegally in the country, Adams said his goal “is clearly again with my target area.” Adams, a Democrat, said his goal aligned with Homan’s to improve public safety and reduce crime. Homan’s focus is on removing the most violent offenders first, The Center Square reported. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com

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(The Center Square) — A leading member of Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's cabinet says that Canada will bolster its border security after meeting with President-elect Donald Trump's Commerce Secretary nominee, Howard Lutnick. Canadian Public Safety Minister Dominic LeBlanc made the comments to the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation after Trump threatened broad 25% tariffs against Canada and Mexico if they do not help stop the flow of illegal immigrants into the U.S. "As everyone is aware, thousands of people are pouring through Mexico and Canada, bringing Crime and Drugs at levels never seen before," Trump said in a statement last week threatening the 25% tariff. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com

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(The Center Square) – President-elect Donald Trump responded to President Joe Biden’s expansive pardon of his son, Hunter, calling it a “miscarriage of justice.” Trump’s comments were echoed by a wave of criticism following the Sunday night pardon. The president and his White House press secretary, Karine Jean-Pierre, both previously said Biden would not pardon his son. “President Biden insisted many times he would never pardon his own son for his serious crimes,” House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., said in a statement. “But last night he suddenly granted a ‘Full and Unconditional Pardon’ for any and all offenses that Hunter committed for more than a decade! Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com

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President-elect Donald Trump’s new border czar Tom Homan is putting together an extensive deportation plan for when he hits the ground running after they are both sworn into office in January. Homan spoke to The Center Square about his priorities, illustrating a marked difference from President Joe Biden’s border czar, Vice President Kamala Harris, who repeatedly said the border was secure and she didn’t need to go to there. Under the Biden-Harris administration, the greatest number of illegal border crossers, roughly 14 million, were reported in U.S. history, The Center Square reported.

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President-elect Donald Trump’s win and his subsequent creation of a Department of Government Efficiency have galvanized lawmakers to pave the way for legislation to clean out diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) policies, staff and programs that have ballooned under the Biden-Harris administration. The Center Square was given advance copy of two bills filed Thursday by U.S. Rep. Bob Good, R-La., to end DEI practices at the Department of Housing and Urban Development. The first bill, the Flexibility in Housing Act of 2024, would block a Biden-Harris administration rule at HUD. That rule is about to be finalized and would require HUD grant recipients to implement “equity-driven housing plans.” Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com

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Matt Gaetz, President-elect Donald Trump’s embattled pick to lead the U.S. Department of Justice as attorney general, said Thursday he was withdrawing his name from consideration to lead the federal law enforcement agency. Gaetz’ decision comes after meeting with U.S. senators, many of whom had expressed misgivings about Gaetz, who made enemies in Congress, including for his role in ousting former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy. The Senate must vote to confirm Trump cabinet nominees. Republicans on the House Ethics Commitee blocked the release of a long-awaited ethics report on Gaetz earlier this week despite some senators calling for its release. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com

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U.S. Senate Republicans on Wednesday elected Sen. John Thune, R-S.D., to lead the party in the Senate. Senate Republicans voted via secret ballot to elect a new party leader as longtime Republican leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky,. is stepping down. Sens. Rick Scott of Florida, Thune and John Cornyn of Texas also ran for the position. "I am extremely honored to have earned the support of my colleagues to lead the Senate in the 119th Congress, and I am beyond proud of the work we have done to secure our majority and the White House," Thune said in a statement. "This Republican team is united behind President Trump's agenda, and our work starts today." Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com

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