The Federal Aviation Administration issued more restrictions on drone flights across the Northeast on Friday in response to increased sightings in recent weeks.

One day after announcing temporary restrictions on most drone flights in New Jersey, the FAA issued 27 No-Fly Zone notices for “special security reasons” in New York on Friday.

The restrictions last through Jan. 18, 2025, and apply to some of the most populated areas in the Empire State, including nearly every NYC borough. 

FAA ANNOUNCES TEMPORARY RESTRICTIONS ON DRONE FLIGHTS IN NEW JERSEY FOLLOWING INFLUX OF SIGHTINGS

There are a few exceptions to the restrictions, including those using drones in support of national defense, homeland security, law enforcement, firefighting and rescue services, or disaster response.

Commercial drones may also be used within restricted airspace with a valid statement of work.

Those who meet the aforementioned categories must also have an approved Special Government Interest waiver, which is an emergency authorization from the FAA that allows operations in restricted airspace for a specific purpose, according to the agency.

All other federal aviation regulations must also be followed.

A drone is seen flying over Ridge, New York, on Dec. 12, 2024. (Grant Parpan/Newsday RM via Getty Images)

The notices come after more than a month of alleged drone sightings – many in New Jersey on a nightly basis – across the mid-Atlantic region, prompting bipartisan concerns from citizens and lawmakers.

GOVERNMENT AGENCIES SAY JOINT INVESTIGATION INTO DRONE SIGHTINGS REVEALS NO THREAT: ‘WE RECOGNIZE THE CONCERN’

An ongoing joint investigation by the FBI, FAA, Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Defense revealed that nearly 5,000 reports of alleged drone sightings have been made in “the last few weeks,” but only 100 of them generated leads.

Though the agencies said on Monday they have found no risk during their investigation thus far, they have urged Congress to enact legislation that would “extend and expand existing counter-drone authorities to identify and mitigate any threat that may emerge.”

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As of early Friday morning, no other states have issued such notices amid the influx of reported sightings across the Northeast, according to the FAA website.

The Riverside Unified School District (RUSD) in California hosted a board meeting Thursday amid a controversy over a transgender cross country runner at Martin Luther King High School and students being reprimanded for protesting the athlete’s participation.

The board meeting will address recent allegations in a lawsuit that school administrators compared “Save Girls’ Sports” T-shirts to swastikas.

Protesters gathered outside the RUSD District Office, advocating for and against transgender inclusion. 

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Video footage of the meeting provided by parents to California Family Outreach Director Sophia Lorey showed a crowd of people hoisting the transgender pride flag and wearing shirts with similar colors. 

Lorey told Fox News Digital there were a few people outside the venue wearing the “Save Girls’ Sports” T-shirts, but they were outnumbered by the pro-transgender activists. 

The California Family Council, alongside the religious rights law firm Advocates for Faith and Freedom, held a press conference outside the district office ahead of the board meeting addressing the ongoing controversy.

Ryan Starks, the father of a girl at the school named Taylor who is involved in a lawsuit against the school, spoke at the press conference. The lawsuit alleges Taylor lost her varsity spot to a transgender athlete and that her T-shirt to express opposition to the athlete competing was compared to a swastika. 

“It’s just heartbreaking to see what my daughter has gone through this season,” Starks said. 

FATHER OF FEMALE RUNNER FORCED TO COMPETE WITH TRANS ATHLETE SHARES FURY OF SITUATION: ‘CAN’T EVEN DIGEST IT’

“This is unfair. This is completely unfair. It breaks my heart as a father to see my daughter go through this and have it stripped away from her, have her come up to me and just hug me. And I can’t do anything about it. So, it’s just heartbreaking.” 

An attorney representing Taylor in the lawsuit, Julianne Fleischer, previously told Fox News Digital the rhetoric from school administrators is “incredibly dangerous.” 

“When you have adults that compare a message ‘Save Girls’ Sports’ that promotes equality, fairness, common sense — when you have adults that compare that message to a swastika, which represents the genocide of millions of Jews, really, there are no words. I don’t know how you respond to that,” Fleischer said. 

Hundreds of students at Martin Luther King High School began to wear the T-shirts every Wednesday. The school responded by enacting a dress code that resulted in many of those students being sent to detention. But that didn’t stop them. The students kept wearing the shirts weekly.

The school recently stopped enforcing its dress code for the shirts.

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Sources have told Fox News officials at nearby Arlington High School, Riverside Polytechnical High School and Romona High School have also seen students wearing them. 

In a statement previously provided to Fox News Digital, RUSD said it has allowed the transgender athlete to compete on the team because it must comply with California state law.

“It is important to remember that RUSD is bound to follow California law, which requires that students be ‘permitted to participate in sex-segregated school programs and activities, including athletic teams and competitions consistent with his or her gender identity, irrespective of the gender listed on the pupil’s records,'” the statement said.

“As these matters play out in our courts and the media, opposition and protests should be directed at those in a position to affect those laws and policies, including officials in Washington, D.C., and Sacramento.” 

California has had laws in effect to protect transgender athletes in women’s sports since 2014. That year, AB 1266 took effect, giving California students at scholastic and collegiate levels the right to “participate in sex-segregated school programs and activities, including athletic teams and competitions, and use facilities consistent with his or her gender identity, irrespective of the gender listed on the pupil’s records.”

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Cate Blanchett is one of the many actors expressing fears about artificial intelligence.

In a recent interview with the BBC, the Oscar winner said the technology “deeply concerned” her.

“I’m looking at these robots and driverless cars and I don’t really know what that’s bringing anybody,” she told the outlet. 

Blanchett added she is “less concerned” about the impact of AI on her job and more “about the impact it will have on the average person.”

NICOLAS CAGE TERRIFIED AI IS GOING TO STEAL HIS BODY, ‘DO WHATEVER THEY WANT WITH IT’

“I’m worried about us as a species, it’s a much bigger problem,” she said.

The “Don’t Look Up” star continued, saying the threat of AI is “very real” because “you can totally replace anyone.”

“Forget whether they’re an actor or not, if you’ve recorded yourself for three or four seconds, your voice can be replicated.”

She added, “When you look at it one way, it’s creativity, but it’s also incredibly destructive, which of course is the other side of it.”

The Oscar-winner said the threat of AI is “very real” because “you can totally replace anyone.” (Noam Galai/Getty Images)

WHAT IS ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE (AI)?

Blanchett’s fears were expressed just a few weeks before Creative Artists Agency (CAA), the firm that represents her, and YouTube announced their new partnership to manage actors and athletes’ likenesses in AI-generated content.

“By collaborating with CAA, we’ll gain insight from some of the world’s most influential figures—some of whom have been significantly impacted by the latest waves of AI innovation—to refine our product before releasing it to a wider group of creators and artists,” the company stated in a blog post.

“When you look at it one way, it’s creativity, but it’s also incredibly destructive, which of course is the other side of it.”

— Cate Blanchett

“CAA’s clients’ direct experience with digital replicas in the evolving landscape of AI will be critical in shaping a tool that responsibly empowers and protects creators and the broader YouTube community.”

Next year, CAA’s clients will have access to technology that can identify AI-generated content featuring their likenesses, allowing them the option to have it removed through a privacy complaint process.

Blanchett’s agency, Creative Artists Agency, has partnered with YouTube to help its clients monitor AI-generated content on the platform. (Rocco Spaziani/Archivio Spaziani/Mondadori Portfolio via Getty Images)

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“At CAA, our AI conversations are centered around ethics and talent rights, and we applaud YouTube’s leadership for creating this talent-friendly solution, which fundamentally aligns with our goals. We are proud to partner with YouTube as it takes this significant step in empowering talent with greater control over their digital likeness and how and where it is used,” Bryan Lourd, CEO and Co-Chairman of Creative Artists Agency, said in a statement on YouTube’s post about the deal. 

Several actors have already run into issues with having their face and voice likenesses used without their consent for AI-generated materials.

“Black Widow” star Scarlett Johansson, also a client of CAA, sought legal action against OpenAI last year when she claimed the company released its “Sky” voice system that resembled her voice after she had already turned down the company’s offer to hire her for the job.

“When I heard the released demo, I was shocked, angered and in disbelief that Mr. Altman would pursue a voice that sounded so eerily similar to mine that my closest friends and news outlets could not tell the difference. Mr. Altman even insinuated that the similarity was intentional, tweeting a single word ‘her’ – a reference to the film in which I voiced a chat system, Samantha, who forms an intimate relationship with a human,” the statement, released by NPR in May, read.

Scarlett Johansson sought legal action against OpenAI after claiming the company used a voice similar to hers for it’s “Sky” voice system. (Paolo Blocco/FilmMagic)

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“As a result of their actions, I was forced to hire legal counsel, who wrote two letters to Mr. Altman and OpenAl, setting out what they had done and asking them to detail the exact process by which they created the ‘Sky’ voice. Consequently, OpenAl reluctantly agreed to take down the ‘Sky’ voice,” the statement continued.

In a statement to Fox News Digital, Sam Altman, the CEO of OpenAI said, “The voice of Sky is not Scarlett Johansson’s, and it was never intended to resemble hers. We cast the voice actor behind Sky’s voice before any outreach to Ms. Johansson. Out of respect for Ms. Johansson, we have paused using Sky’s voice in our products. We are sorry to Ms. Johansson that we didn’t communicate better.”  

In August, Tom Hanks posted a statement on Instagram, saying, “There are multiple ads over the internet falsely using my name, likeness and voice promoting miracle cures and wonder drugs. These ads have been created without my consent, fraudulently and through AI.”

He continued, “I have nothing to do with these posts or the productions and treatments, or the spokespeople touting these cures. I have type 2 diabetes, and I ONLY work with my board certified doctor regarding my treatment. DO NOT BE FOOLED. DO NOT BE SWINDLED. DO NOT LOSE YOUR HARD EARNED MONEY.”

Tom Hanks has had his likeness used twice already without his consent in AI-generated advertising. (Chris Hyde)

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Hanks’ likeness was also used in a dental company scan in October 2023, when he issued a similar warning to fans. 

Fox News Digital’s Lindsay Kornick contributed to this report.

A group of U.S. officials are in Syria’s capital for the first time in more than 10 years seeking information on American citizens who disappeared under the Assad regime, among other things.

The team visiting Damascus consists of US Special Envoy for Hostage Affairs Roger Carstens, Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs (NEA) Barbara Leaf and NEA Senior Adviser Daniel Rubinstein, a State Department spokesperson told Fox News Digital.

Rubinstein, who previously served as U.S. Special Envoy for Syria and has decades of foreign affairs experience, will lead the diplomatic engagement, the spokesperson confirmed. 

His mission is to engage with the Syrian people and key parties within the country. He also seeks to coordinate with allies to advance principles laid out in a meeting between world leaders in the Jordanian city of Aqaba earlier this month.

BIDEN SAYS US KNOWS ‘WITH CERTAINTY’ THAT AMERICAN JOURNALIST AUSTIN TICE IS BEING HELD BY SYRIA

The trio will meet with the Syrian people to uncover their vision for their country after the Assad regime fell earlier this month amid an ongoing civil war. They will also ask how the U.S. can help support them in their desired future.

“They will be engaging directly with the Syrian people, including members of civil society, activists, members of different communities, and other Syrian voices,” the spokesperson said, in part.

The three officials will also meet with representatives of Hayat Tahrir Al-Sham (HTS), a U.S.-designated terrorist group, to “discuss transition principles” endorsed by the United States and regional partners in Aqaba, Jordan, the State Department said.

Abu Mohamed al-Jolani leads the U.S.-designated terrorist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) that took over Syria following the fall of the Assad regime. (OMAR HAJ KADOUR/AFP via Getty Images)

ISLAMIST GROUP RUNNING SYRIA HAS MIXED RECORD OVER GOVERNANCE IN PROVINCE, RULED WITH ‘IRON FIST’

Secretary of State Antony Blinken previously noted that world leaders discussed “the need for an inclusive, Syrian-led political transition” during the Aqaba Meetings on Syria in Jordan on Dec. 14.

“The United States supports a future government in Syria that is chosen by and representatives of all Syrians,” Blinken said on X.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with Turkish Minister of Foreign Affairs Hakan Fidan on Dec. 13 in Turkey to discuss establishing greater stability in Syria amid competing rebel factions. (Getty Images)

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Another goal of the visit is to determine what has happened to American citizens who disappeared under the Assad regime, including former marine turned freelance journalist Austin Tice, who was kidnapped while reporting in Syria in 2012.

Carstens has been leading the charge to locate Tice and recently shared that Rewards for Justice is offering up to $10 million for information on his whereabouts.

The State Department’s Reward for Justice program is offering $10 million for information relating Austin Tice. (The State Department’s Reward for Justice)

“Given recent events in Syria, the FBI is renewing our call for information that could lead to the safe location, recovery, and return of Austin Bennett Tice, who was detained in Damascus in August 2012,” the FBI said in a statement.

Is it really Thursday Night Football if there’s not some sort of oddity?

Well, Thursday’s Denver Broncos-Los Angeles Chargers game had an event that last occurred way back in 1976.

With eight seconds left in the half, and the Broncos leading 21-10, they punted the ball away in hopes of the time expiring and sending both teams to the locker room.

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The good news is that the clock hit zeroes – the bad news, however, is that Denver was called for fair catch interference.

Of course, a half cannot end on a defensive penalty or a flag by the kicking team, so the Chargers had the opportunity for a “fair catch kick” after the penalty moved them up 15 yards.

Cameron Dicker was able to line up for a 57-yard kick without any sort of rush, not before some confusion on both sidelines – in fact, the ball didn’t even need to be snapped. Essentially, it was as much of a practice rep as an actual kick could get.

Cameron Dicker #11 of the Los Angeles Chargers reacts after kicking a field goal during the first quarter against the Detroit Lions at SoFi Stadium on November 12, 2023 in Inglewood, California.  (Harry How/Getty Images)

PATRICK MAHOMES, PREVIOUSLY CRITICAL OF CHIEFS’ TIGHT SCHEDULE, WILL PLAY DESPITE ANKLE INJURY

Dicker, of course, nailed it, and it was instead an eight-point lead for Denver going into the half instead of winning 21-10.

In ironic fashion, the last successful “fair catch kick” was way back in 1976 by none other than San Diego Chargers kicker Ray Wersching.

It was the 27th recorded fair catch kick in NFL history, including the postseason, and just the seventh that went through the uprights. The last attempt prior to Thursday was 2019, when Joey Slye missed from 60 yards.

Dicker’s kick is now the longest fair catch kick in NFL history, surpassing the 52-yard boot by Paul Hornung in 1964.

Cameron Dicker #11 of the Los Angeles Chargers kicks off during an NFL football game against the Las Vegas Raiders at Allegiant Stadium on December 14, 2023 in Las Vegas, Nevada.  (Cooper Neill/Getty Images)

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There had been nine unsuccessful attempts between the Chargers’ two free kicks, yet this one was the shortest attempt. It has not been uncommon for the kick to reach 70-plus yards, since fair catches are normally caught on the opposite side of the field.

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The influx of migrants into the U.S. in 2024 drove the population to its highest rate of increase in 23 years, as the nation’s population surpassed 340 million, according to a report Thursday from the U.S. Census Bureau.

Between 2023 and 2024, the U.S. population grew by nearly 1%, the highest increase since 2001. In contrast, the 0.2% growth rate in 2021 was a record low at the height of pandemic restrictions on travel into the U.S., the annual population estimates show.

This year, immigration increased by almost 2.8 million people, in part due to a new method of counting that adds people who were admitted for humanitarian reasons.

Net international migration, which the Census Bureau says refers to any change of residence across U.S. borders, was a critical component of the change driving growth in the residential population.

REPUBLICANS SLAM BIDEN MIGRANT PAROLE PROGRAM: ‘RIFE WITH FRAUD’

Net international migration accounted for 84% of the nation’s 3.3 million person increase last year.

The increase reflects a continued trend of rising international migration, with a net increase of 1.7 million in 2022 and 2.3 million in 2023.

“Improved integration of federal data sources on immigration has enhanced our estimates methodology,” Christine Hartley, assistant division chief for Estimates and Projections, said. “With this update, we can better understand how the recent increase in international migration is impacting the country’s overall population growth.”

Last year, births outnumbered deaths in the U.S. by almost 519,000, which was an increase over the historic low of 146,000 in 2021, but still well below the high points of the previous decades.

BORDER PATROL CHIEF THRILLED WITH TRUMP BORDER CZAR PICK AFTER ‘EXHAUSTING’ BIDEN-ERA CRISIS: ‘I’M EXCITED’

A Haitian migrant approved for humanitarian parole cheers as he boards a bus taking migrants into the U.S. at the Senda de Vida shelter Aug. 30, 2022, in Reynosa, Mexico. (Michael Nigro/Getty Images)

The U.S. Census Bureau did not respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment on the report.

Along with immigration statistics, the report showed that the south was the fastest-growing region in the U.S. in 2024, adding 1.8 million people, more residents than all other regions combined.

Texas saw the biggest increase with 562,941 new residents, followed by Florida, which gained 467,347 new residents.

Washington, D.C., had the nation’s fastest growth rate at 2.2%.

COLORADO REPUBLICANS SOUND OFF ON IMPACT OF MIGRANT SURGE ON CITIZENS: ‘THEIR SOULS ARE CRUSHED’

Migrants wait in line to enter a shelter set up by authorities for migrants as migrants wait for an appointment through the U.S. Customs and Border Protection in Ciudad Juárez, Mexico, May 23, 2023.  (Christian Torres Chavez/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

Some states — Mississippi, Vermont and West Virginia — lost population in 2024, though in small amounts ranging from 127 to 516 people.

Those included in the international migration estimates this year are a group of people who entered the U.S. through the Biden administration’s humanitarian parole, which has been harshly criticized by Republicans.

The Migration Policy Institute based in Washington, D.C., reported last week that over 5.8 million people were admitted under various humanitarian policies from 2021 to 2024.

But capturing the number of new immigrants is a challenging aspect of U.S. population estimates.

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The bureau’s annual calculation of how many migrants entered the United States in the 2020s has been much lower than the numbers cited by other federal agencies, such as the Congressional Budget Office. The Census Bureau estimated 1.1 million immigrants had entered the United States in 2023, while the Congressional Budget Office’s estimate was 3.3 million people. 

With the revised method, last year’s immigration figures are now recalculated by the Census Bureau to almost 2.3 million people, or an additional 1.1 million people.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

A Michigan man allegedly stabbed the president of the company he worked for in the middle of a meeting in a possible “copycat” attack that mirrors the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson.

Erik Denslow, who heads the Anderson Express Inc. manufacturing company in Muskegon, was stabbed during a staff meeting Tuesday, the Fruitport Township Police Department said in a statement.

“We haven’t ruled out a copycat motive in regards to this,” police Deputy Chief Greg Poulson told News 8 on Wednesday. “I think that comes to everyone’s mind in this time.”

UNITEDHEALTHCARE CEO MURDER SUSPECT LUIGI MANGIONE FACING NEW CHARGES IN NEW YORK

Denslow underwent surgery and remains in serious but stable condition, police said. 

The suspect, identified as Nathan Mahoney, 32, was at the staff meeting around 9:20 a.m. when he got up and left. He returned 10 minutes later, walked up to Denslow and allegedly stabbed him in his side, the news outlet reported. 

Mahoney fled in his vehicle but was stopped by police and arrested 15 minutes later, police said. He had only worked for the company a few weeks. 

UNITEDHEALTHCARE CEO MURDER SUSPECT COULD SEE MOST SERIOUS CHARGE DOWNGRADED: DEFENSE ATTORNEY

Fellow employees described the suspect as having a quiet demeanor. Investigators have not determined a motive for the attack. However, they were not ruling out a possible copycat attack. 

“We’re going through all his social accounts, all his electronic media and trying to determine a motive for this act,” Poulson said. 

Anderson Express in Muskegon, Mich. (Credit: WXMI)

Denslow joined the company in January 2022 as vice president and general manager, according to his LinkedIn profile. He was promoted to president within a year. 

Anderson Express works with the automotive and defense sectors. Fox News Digital has reached out to the company. In a statement to Fox 17, the company said it was still in “shock” over the incident. 

“Our first thought is with our president, who has a good prognosis for a full and speedy recovery,” the statement said. “We are also focused on supporting our employees as they process this senseless assault.

Manhoney was charged with assault with intent to murder and fleeing. He is being held in the Muskegon County Jail on $501,000 bond. 

Luigi Mangione, 26, is charged with first-degree murder in New York in the Dec. 4 execution of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson. (David Dee Delagado for Fox News Digital/Businesswire)

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The incident had similarities to the Dec. 4 killing of Thompson, who was shot and killed in New York City. The suspected gunman, Luigi Mangione, was extradited from Pennsylvania to New York Thursday.

Jesse Watters explains how Congress’s reevaluated spending bill brought the number of pages from 1,547 pages to 116, yet it was still struck down by House members on “Jesse Watters Primetime.”

TRUMP-BACKED SPENDING BILL TO AVERT GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN FAILS HOUSE VOTE

JESSE WATTERS: Let me tell you a little story about Washington. In case you missed it, this is what’s been happening in the last 24 hours. The 1500 page spending bill that Congress tried to jam in yesterday just got hacked down to 116 pages. Congress just cut 1400 pages of spending. I’ve never witnessed that before. I’ve been doing this for over 20 years. 

…

The $15 million to make recycling more accessible. That’s gone. The 12 bio-labs, VAX mandates, gain-of-function, gone. The law that puts them above the law. 

…

But they did keep the $3 million to inspect the molasses inspectors. Nothing’s worse than bad molasses, can’t take that risk. Huge loss for the molasses lobby. Big molasses, not happy. Either way, it was a big win for Trump and DOGE and this is the best Congress is going to do. 

When Democrats found out the news that they weren’t going to get a raise and they weren’t going to be able to opt out of Obamacare, they started chanting, “Hell no!” inside of their little meeting room. Yeah, they’re chanting when they don’t get their way, they’re chanting. Grown-ups are chanting. 

…

The Trump team says it’s the new playbook. We don’t have to wait that long to figure out what’s in these secret spending bills anymore. We can read it on the Internet, and Musk can use his megaphone to blast out what’s in it. 

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The American people don’t have to be held hostage anymore to backroom deals the week before Christmas. Taxpayers shouldn’t get stuck up and have our money wasted on donor pet projects so politicians can get reelected. We’re catching these shady politicians in the act now.