A large number of mysterious drones have been reported flying over parts of New Jersey in recent weeks, sparking speculation and concern over who sent them and why. New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy and law enforcement officials have stressed that the drones don’t appear to be a threat to public safety, but many state and municipal lawmakers have nonetheless called for stricter rules about who can fly the unmanned aircraft. The FBI is among several agencies investigating, and it has asked residents to share videos, photos and other information they may have about the drones. What has been seen in New Jersey? Dozens of witnesses have reported seeing drones in New Jersey starting in November.

A massive fire erupted at a home on 1838 E 4th Street between Quentin Road and Kings Highway on Thursday afternoon, quickly spreading to two neighboring houses and turning the block into a scene of chaos. The blaze began around 2:15 PM in a home that was reportedly vacant and under construction. Within minutes, strong winds fueled the flames, transforming the fire into a raging inferno. The intensity of the blaze caused the roof of the original house to collapse. The FDNY initially feared that firefighters were trapped inside, but it was later confirmed that all personnel were safe. In response to the dangerous conditions, all firefighters were immediately pulled from the building. Emergency services were on high alert, with Flatbush Hatzolah standing by to assist if needed.

A New Zealand man playing his first-ever competitive Scrabble game in Spanish, a language he doesn’t speak, has won the board game’s Spanish-language world title. Nigel Richards, a professional player who holds five English-language world titles, won the Spanish world Scrabble championships in Granada, Spain, in November, losing one game out of 24. Richards started memorizing the language’s Scrabble word list a year ago, his friend Liz Fagerlund -– a New Zealand Scrabble official -– told The Associated Press. “He can’t understand why other people can’t just do the same thing,” she said.

In a heated session before the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Congressman Mike Lawler launched a scathing attack on Secretary of State Antony Blinken, accusing him of presiding over a legacy of “dysfunction, weakness, and death.” Lawler did not hold back as he condemned the administration for abandoning American citizens in Israel following the horrific October 7th terrorist attack, calling the response a catastrophic failure of leadership. Lawler began by addressing what he described as the administration’s pivotal misstep—the disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021, which left 13 U.S. service members dead and devastated their families.

Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar said that he prefers Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu to lead the war rather than his former partners in the opposition. In an interview with Maariv, he said: “Netanyahu is the prime minister; he was elected by the people. When I look at the options today, I can clearly say that it is much better that Netanyahu is leading, with all the criticism I had of him, than Gantz or Lapid. That’s my inner truth and I can’t tell myself another story.” He admitted that he made a mistake when he resigned from the emergency government during the war together with Benny Gantz’s National Unity Party.

At least 26 enslaved people died on the Tennessee plantation of President Andrew Jackson between 1804 and the end of the Civil War in 1865. Where they were laid to rest is knowledge that had been lost to time. But on Wednesday, the Andrew Jackson Foundation announced a discovery: They believe they have found the slave cemetery at The Hermitage, the home of America’s seventh president. An old agricultural report from the 1930s had given them an idea: It mentioned an area that was not cultivated because it contained tall trees and graves. They also suspected the cemetery would be near the center of the 1000-acre (405-hectare) plantation, and on land of low agricultural value.

In a striking address to the Iranian people delivered on Thursday evening, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke directly to the citizens of Iran, highlighting the failures of their government and expressing hope for a future of peace and freedom in the region. Netanyahu began by reflecting on the recent collapse of regimes and organizations financially and militarily supported by the Iranian government. “Your oppressors spent over $30 billion supporting Assad in Syria,” he said. “Today, after only 11 days of fighting, his regime collapsed into dust.” He pointed to similar defeats in Gaza and Lebanon, where Hamas and Hezbollah suffered devastating losses. The Prime Minister criticized Iran’s rulers for mismanaging national resources.

A Wisconsin man who faked his own drowning and left his wife and three children and was believed to have been in Eastern Europe willingly returned to the U.S. after roughly four months and is in custody, a sheriff said Wednesday. Ryan Borgwardt “came back on his own” because of his family, Green Lake County Sheriff Mark Podoll said during a brief news conference. “We can stand here feeling relieved,” Podoll said. Borgwardt, 45, landed Tuesday and was being held at the county jail pending an afternoon court appearance. The sheriff said his office has recommended a number of charges, including obstruction. A message seeking information on potential charges was not immediately returned by the county prosecutor. Last month, Podoll said Borgwardt began communicating with authorities on Nov.

Canada’s central bank lowered its key interest rate by half a percentage point on Wednesday and called President-elect Donald Trump’s threat to impose sweeping new tariffs on Canada “a major source of new uncertainty.” The Bank of Canada’s decision marked the fifth consecutive reduction since June and brings the central bank’s key rate down to 3.25%. Forecasters were widely expecting a big rate cut after the November labor force survey showed the unemployment rate rose to 6.8%. Governor Tiff Macklem said in his prepared statement that the central bank opted for two large rate cuts in a row because inflation and economic growth don’t need to be restricted anymore. With inflation back at the 2% target, the central bank is now focused on keeping it there.

During an interview with Time Magazine for its 2024 Person of the Year feature, President-elect Donald Trump says he may consider altering childhood vaccination programs in the United States, raising questions about vaccine safety and efficacy. Trump’s comments, paired with his appointment of vaccine skeptic Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to lead the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), have reignited debates around a theory linking vaccines to autism. In the interview, Trump stated he plans to have a “big discussion” with Kennedy about the future of vaccination programs. While Trump did not explicitly claim vaccines cause autism, he expressed concern. “The autism rate is at a level that nobody ever believed possible,” he said.