Aurelia Butler

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    Drone Sightings Reported in New Jersey and New York: What We Know

    Reports of flying objects continue to occur throughout the region. State and local officials say they do not pose a threat but have provided few answers.Bright lights floating or flying in the night sky above New Jersey have captivated residents for nearly a month. Now the sightings, which many observers believe to be drones, have spread throughout the region.Federal authorities investigating the sightings have provided few answers about what the objects are or their origin, leaving residents unsettled and local leaders frustrated.U.S. officials on Thursday said that they had been unable to corroborate the reported drone sightings, and suggested that many of the objects might in fact be manned aircraft, such as airplanes or helicopters.But assurances from state and federal officials that the sightings do not indicate a threat to residents have done little to allay public concerns. Lawmakers have expressed frustration with the lack of information, and are urging the federal government to share more about its investigation.By Friday, drone sightings had been reported in several states across the region. In New York, Gov. Kathy Hochul said she was investigating the matter with federal law enforcement agencies, as local officials received numerous reports of possible drones flying overhead.The governor, however, assured the public that there was nothing to fear. “At this time, there’s no evidence that these drones pose a public safety or national security threat,” Ms. Hochul said in a statement on social media.We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe. More

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    Meet Rep. Greg Casar, the Texas Millennial Trying to Rebrand the Democrats

    “We can’t bring a policy book to a gunfight,” said Representative Greg Casar of Texas, the incoming chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus.Ever since they lost big in November, Democrats have talked about how much their party needs to change.Representative Greg Casar is living it.Last week, Casar, a 35-year-old Democrat from Austin, Texas, was elected as the chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, becoming the youngest person ever tapped to lead the group of liberals at a moment when his party is struggling with younger voters. He’s also the first leader from Texas, a state Democrats find perennially vexing.Casar, a former union organizer, will be tasked with leading progressives through a challenging period, one that has some Democrats blaming them for tugging the party too far to the left. He believes it was centrists like Joe Manchin, the former Democrat and departing senator from West Virginia, who caused the party to water down policies that could have galvanized working-class voters. But he says progressives need to shift their message, too.I spoke by phone with Casar this week, for the second in my series of interviews with Democrats grappling with how to move the party forward. Our conversation was edited for length and clarity.JB: Why should somebody from a red state lead progressive Democrats?GC: Right now, the Democratic Party is doing really important soul-searching. As we work to regain working-class voters’ trust, as we work to bring Democrats back into the fold that decided to vote for Trump this time, I think it’s really important that progressives build a big tent.It is important for the Democratic Party leadership to be as diverse as the voters that we’re trying to bring in. We need older leadership. We need younger leadership, leadership from the South. We need leadership from the coast, but we can’t have it all from the coast.We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe. More

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    Democrats Argue That the 2024 Election Actually Had Its Bright Spots

    Some leaders have begun to put a sunnier spin on the November outcome by pointing to down-ballot victories — a possible sign that Democrats may not tear down their party after all.For most Democrats, losing to Donald J. Trump was a devastating gut punch that sent them hurtling into the political abyss.But to hear some party leaders and their allies talk, Democrats had plenty of November victories to be proud of.Jaime Harrison, the chairman of the Democratic National Committee, wrote a 2,600-word memo to party members last week that pointed to down-ballot triumphs and declared, “Democrats beat back global headwinds that could’ve turned this squeaker into a landslide.”Representative Hakeem Jeffries of New York, the House Democratic leader, wrote in a statement recently that his caucus had “defied political gravity,” a reference to the newly released “Wicked” movie that was soon echoed by Senator Amy Klobuchar, the Minnesota Democrat.And further down the ballot, the Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee wrote in its year-end report that the party’s successes in statehouse races represented “one of the most shocking election results in modern history” — even though Democrats lost majorities in chambers in Michigan and Minnesota.These sunny-side-up views of the election serve as something of an antidote to the notion that Democrats, humbled by their 2024 mistakes, are about to begin rebuilding their party from the ground up.We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe. More

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    Amazon planea donar 1 millón de dólares al fondo de investidura de Trump

    La decisión forma parte de un patrón en el que empresas tecnológicas están tomando medidas para reparar sus relaciones con el presidente electo.Amazon dijo el jueves que tenía previsto donar un millón de dólares al fondo de investidura del presidente electo Donald Trump, como parte de un patrón en el que las empresas tecnológicas y sus dirigentes están tomando medidas para reparar sus relaciones con Trump.Meta, la empresa matriz de Facebook, dijo el miércoles que iba a donar un millón de dólares al fondo de investidura, apenas unas semanas después de que Zuckerberg se reuniera con Trump en Mar-a-Lago.Amazon y su fundador, Jeff Bezos, quien también es propietario de The Washington Post, han tenido una historia turbulenta con Trump. Trump había albergado durante mucho tiempo frustración con Bezos por los reportajes de The Washington Post. Durante su primer gobierno, Trump también cuestionó que el Servicio Postal de Estados Unidos concediera a Amazon un trato preferencial, y Amazon acusó a Trump de presionar indebidamente al Pentágono para que denegara a la empresa un importante contrato de computación en la nube.Pero durante el verano, Bezos habló con Trump después de que el expresidente fuera tiroteado en un acto de campaña, y en las redes sociales elogió la “gracia y valentía de Trump bajo fuego literal”. Más recientemente, Bezos ha dicho que se siente “muy optimista” sobre el próximo gobierno de Trump.En la Cumbre DealBook celebrada en Nueva York el 4 de diciembre, Bezos dijo que Trump “parece tener mucha energía en torno a la reducción de la regulación. Y mi punto de vista es que, si puedo ayudarlo a hacerlo, lo ayudaré, porque tenemos demasiada regulación en este país”.Amazon también dijo que retransmitiría en directo la toma de posesión el mes que viene, como ya ha hecho con las anteriores. The Wall Street Journal ya había informado de la donación.Trump dijo el jueves que Bezos, quien preside el consejo de administración de Amazon, se reuniría con él la próxima semana. Trump dijo que quería obtener ideas de Bezos y de otros líderes tecnológicos.Los regalos a los comités de investidura, que no tienen límites de contribución, son populares entre las empresas y los particulares deseosos de ganarse el favor de un gobierno entrante. El comité de investidura de Trump ofrece beneficios de alto nivel a los donantes que contribuyan con un millón de dólares.Amazon donó 57.746 dólares al comité de investidura de Trump en 2017, según OpenSecrets, que realiza un seguimiento de las donaciones políticas. La empresa dijo que la campaña de Joe Biden no aceptó donaciones de empresas tecnológicas en 2020.Karen Weise escribe sobre tecnología y reside en Seattle. Su cobertura se centra en Amazon y Microsoft, dos de las empresas más poderosas de Estados Unidos. Más de Karen WeiseMaggie Haberman es corresponsal política sénior e informa sobre la campaña presidencial de 2024, las contiendas electorales en todo Estados Unidos y las investigaciones sobre Trump. Más de Maggie Haberman More

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    A New Frontier in Paleontology for Profit: Selling Shares in a Stegosaurus

    As academics fear being priced out of the fossil market, a private company announced that it aims to raise $13.75 million by selling shares in a stegosaurus fossil.With dinosaur fossils fetching millions of dollars at recent auctions, it was perhaps inevitable: A private company said Friday that it had set the date for a public offering that will allow investors to buy shares in a stegosaurus fossil.It was the latest sign of the booming market for dinosaur fossils, which has raised concerns from academic paleontologists who fear their institutions are being priced out of the market by private collectors, jeopardizing their access to research specimens.Now a stegosaurus fossil that is still mostly buried in Wyoming is being transformed into an investment vehicle registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission.Rally, a company that sells shares in a wide variety of collectibles, said Friday that the stegosaurus would go public on Dec. 20, when 200,000 shares will be offered to investors at $68.75 each. The sale could raise up to $13.75 million, according to an S.E.C. filing. The company describes the sale as an initial public offering, but the shares will only be sold through its app or on its website, not on a stock market.Shareholders will hope for a payout on the dinosaur, nicknamed Steg, once it is sold privately or auctioned to the highest bidder in about a year, according to the company, which sells shares in alternative assets like designer cars, expensive artwork, baseball cards and a copy of the Declaration of Independence.“We took a risk,” said Rob Petrozzo, Rally’s co-founder and chief product officer. “We feel there is enough upside for investors to see a return.”We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe. More

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    Holiday Tipping Guide: Whom to Tip, and How Much

    Consumers have said they are confused and frustrated with tipping expectations generally. But, one expert says, “people generally want to feel more generous around the holidays.”The tradition of holiday tips to thank service workers endures, even as Americans have gotten tired of the regular requests for tips the rest of the year.More people said they planned to tip workers like housekeepers, child care providers and trash collectors at the holidays this year than in previous years, according to a survey published this week by the financial website Bankrate, which began polling in 2021. A significant majority of those surveyed said they tipped “to say thank you.”“Holiday tipping has held its own,” said Ted Rossman, a senior industry analyst at the site, even though the typical amounts people expected to give were mostly flat with previous years. (The online survey of about 2,400 adults was conducted in late October and early November.)The subject of tipping has become more fraught in recent years. Surveys show that consumers are confused and frustrated with tipping expectations generally. That’s particularly true for the suggested amounts on payment screens that confront patrons of coffee shops, delivery services, food trucks and ride sharing companies. The Pew Research Center published a survey last year in which most Americans said that tipping was expected in more places than it was five years earlier. And a separate Bankrate survey last summer found that a third of those responding considered tipping culture in the United States to be “out of control.”Yet misgivings about tipping apparently carry an asterisk when it comes to the December holidays. “A lot of people are fed up with tipping, but it does seem the holidays are a special case,” Mr. Rossman said.Academic research backs that up — at least, when it comes to tipping in sit-down restaurants. Sit-down meals are one area where there is some agreement, the Pew survey found. More than nine of 10 respondents said they “often” or “always” left a tip in that setting.We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe. More

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    The Fed Is Stuck Fighting the Last War

    Mired in a battle to contain surging prices, the central bank also needs to be nimble enough for the economic downturns to come, our columnist says.The battle against inflation during the Biden years is almost behind us. But we’re in danger of learning the wrong lessons from it.The Federal Reserve, holding its last meeting of the year this coming week, has been fighting runaway consumer prices for nearly three years. So far, at least, it has managed an unusual feat: The rate of inflation has dropped sharply from its peak and there has been no recession.Yet the Fed is stuck in a difficult place. With prices still rising faster than the central bank’s 2 percent target, the incoming Trump administration will be hypersensitive about inflation, which was a decisive factor in the November elections. At the same time, the new administration’s policies on tariffs and immigration could set off another inflation surge. So the Fed must remain acutely vigilant on the inflation front.But it will have to keep experimenting, to be ready for the curve balls coming from future recessions. Some economists believe the Fed would gain flexibility if it reconsidered its 2 percent inflation target, though they say the central bank can’t take that step now because it is under too much pressure to preserve its own institutional independence.Still, a single-minded focus on inflation could leave the Fed without the right tools for coping with economic downturns ahead.The Fed’s predicament reminds me of a general who is endlessly fighting the last war — conscientiously dissecting the tactics of recent battles and failing to prepare properly for the next ones.We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe. More

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    Elon Musk and DOGE vs. Regulators

    The billionaire has needled government agencies, armed with potential influence over their budgets. But some of these organizations are also looking into his interests.Elon Musk’s attacks on the agencies that regulate his businesses are raising questions about conflicts of interest.Eric Lee/The New York TimesMusk vs. regulatorsElon Musk remains perhaps the most consequential figure in President-elect Donald Trump’s orbit, with a commission for cutting government spending headed by him and Vivek Ramaswamy — widely known by its acronym, DOGE — promising huge reductions.Federal regulators have become prominent targets for Musk and his allies. But those agencies are continuing to scrutinize the tech billionaire’s interests, raising questions about conflicts.“The SEC is just another weaponized institution doing political dirty work,” Musk posted on X on Thursday, joining a flurry of right-wing attacks on the agency. The impetus for the ire: an appeals court ruling that Nasdaq can’t require diversity on the boards of companies that list on the exchange, a longtime bugbear of conservatives.Ramaswamy wrote on X of the commission: “When an agency like the SEC is so repeatedly & thoroughly embarrassed in federal court for flouting the law, it loses its legitimacy as a law enforcement body.”That comes after Musk took aim at the I.R.S. last month, when he polled his X followers about what to do with the tax authority’s budget. The overwhelming response: “Deleted.”But the S.E.C. is renewing scrutiny of Musk. He disclosed on X that the regulator had given him an offer to settle an inquiry into unspecified charges. A letter from Alex Spiro of Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan, Musk’s lawyer, claimed that the agency had given them 48 hours to accept or face punishment, as part of an “improperly motivated campaign.” Spiro’s letter also revealed that the commission had reopened an investigation this week into Neuralink, Musk’s brain-implant start-up.We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe. More