Good morning. In today’s edition:

• 📝 What we know about the reported drone sightings
• 🛰️ Europe is launching a Starlink competitor
• 🤔 How many calories do blue whales eat per day?

… and more.

🚀⏰ Ready, Set, Go: Today’s news should be a ~4.40-minute read (1,170 words).

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“The greatest work that kindness does to others is that it makes them kind themselves.”

–Amelia Earhart (1897-1939)

More details are emerging about the spate of reported drone sightings across the Northeast US in recent weeks – though many questions remain unanswered, with growing calls for action from lawmakers and local residents.

How we got here: The first sightings occurred in New Jersey on November 18 and have reportedly continued ever since, with dozens of nightly sightings reported across at least six states (CT, NJ, NY, OH, PA, and VA).

• Concerns began escalating this month when drones were reportedly spotted near a US military research facility in New Jersey and over President-elect Donald Trump’s golf course in the state, prompting the FAA to issue temporary flight restrictions over the properties.
• According to local officials briefed by US agencies investigating the sightings, the possible drones sometimes appear to fly in a coordinated pattern and can remain in flight for up to six hours.

The official response has been mixed

Last Thursday, the FBI and Department of Homeland Security issued a joint statement saying there’s “no evidence at this time that the reported drone sightings pose a national security or public safety threat or have a foreign nexus.”

The agencies also confirmed the possible drones aren’t from the US military, and suggested many recent sightings were manned aircraft or other “cases of mistaken identity.” This line of reasoning was echoed by the White House, as well as Sen. Andy Kim (NJ), who said he went out with local residents over the weekend to observe the night sky.

Other authorities in impacted states have taken a more active approach. New York and Connecticut are deploying new drone detection systems, while the governors of Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, and Virginia have all announced that state authorities are investigating the sightings alongside federal agencies.

• Many lawmakers and local officials have also expressed frustration with the lack of transparency from federal officials, as well as their apparent dismissive attitude.
• At a news conference yesterday, President-elect Trump accused the federal government of knowing and hiding the truth about the sightings, saying the US military should tell the public what it knows.

👀 Looking ahead…The House Intelligence Committee is expected to receive a classified briefing about the reported drone sightings this afternoon.

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Europeans will soon be able to bring the WiFi equivalent of a cheetah on remote getaways. The EU yesterday signed contracts with a group of companies to build a constellation of satellites designed to compete with SpaceX’s Starlink network.

The constellation, known as Iris2, is ultimately intended to provide high-speed connectivity for EU citizens and governments, ensuring the bloc’s protection amid increasing global concerns over cybersecurity, The Guardian reports.

• With a price tag of ~$11.1 billion, Iris2 marks the EU’s most ambitious space program in a decade.
• The constellation will consist of ~290 satellites, with the first expected to launch in 2029.

Constellations, a group of satellites working together as a single system, are used to provide high-speed internet and navigation services, among other things. Their biggest benefit is the ability to provide permanent global or near-global coverage (even in remote areas), due to at least one satellite being visible from Earth at all times.

Standing room only: Constellations are on pace to make space more crowded than the bathroom at an NFL game during halftime. SpaceX’s Starlink already has ~7,000 operational satellites in orbit, with designs to launch as many as 42,000 – while China plans to operate 38,000 satellites across its low earth orbit internet projects. Amazon is also working to launch a constellation.

🖐️ But…This has astronomers concerned. Many warn the sheer number of satellites in orbit could impact visibility and affect their observations.

On Friday, an Austin-area man received a two-year prison sentence for underreporting his bitcoin earnings to the IRS, in what officials say is the first-ever criminal prosecution solely for crypto-related tax evasion (and also the first time a bitcoin bro hasn’t bragged about his gains).

• Federal prosecutors say Frank Abagnale Ahlgren III took “sophisticated steps” between 2017-2019 to try and conceal bitcoin gains worth ~$4.5 million.
• These include moving his bitcoins through multiple wallets, meeting an individual in person to exchange bitcoins for cash, and using technology designed to anonymize his crypto transactions.

The case comes amid increased IRS scrutiny of crypto transactions. The agency has started cracking down on tax evasion among the ~17% of Americans who own cryptocurrency, carrying out ~400 recent investigations involving virtual currency or digital assets as part of an ongoing effort called Operation Hidden Treasure.

🪙 The crackdown is set to continue: Starting next year, the IRS is requiring centralized crypto exchanges like Binance, Coinbase, and Kraken to report certain sales and exchanges of digital assets, including crypto.

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• ☝️ The annual SantaCon pub crawl was held in Manhattan this past weekend, featuring thousands of Santa Clauses, elves, and a few Grinches.

BUSINESS & MARKETS

in partnership with The Motley Fool

• 📊 US markets closed mixed (S&P: +0.4%; Dow: -0.3%; Nasdaq: +1.2%); the Nasdaq closed at a new record; the Dow registered its eighth straight day of declines for the first time since June 2018. | 📈 Broadcom shares rose another 11% on Monday, following their best day on record on Friday. | 🪙 Bitcoin surpassed $107,000 to hit a new record high.
• 💰 Japanese investment giant SoftBank plans to invest at least $100 billion in US projects over the next four years, per a joint announcement from CEO Masayoshi Son and President-elect Trump.
• 📦 Amazon manipulated injury data to make its warehouses appear safer, according to a Senate probe; the investigation also alleges the company rejected many safety recommendations out of concern they might reduce productivity.

*From our partners: 📈🤔 Is Nvidia undervalued?... The Motley Fool predicts Nvidia is just the tip of the AI iceberg. They’ve assembled an AI research bundle with four exclusive reports, including 17 unique stocks poised to take advantage of AI Phase 2. Get access to the AI research bundle.

SPORTS, MEDIA & ENTERTAINMENT

• 🏛️📲 President-elect Trump met with TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew at Mar-a-Lago yesterday; the meeting came hours after TikTok asked the Supreme Court to block a law that would effectively ban the app by January 19 if its US operations aren’t sold.
• ☝️ Some new firsts: Taylor Swift became the first artist to rank No. 1 on Billboard's year-end Top Artist chart four separate times; US golfers will be paid to play in the Ryder Cup for the first time; NFL RedZone aired commercials this weekend for the first time ever in a new test.
• 📺 Malcolm in the Middle is getting a four-episode revival on Disney+. | ⚖️ Former Ozy Media CEO Carlos Watson was sentenced to nearly 10 years in prison.

SCIENCE, SPACE & EMERGING TECH

in partnership with MANSCAPED®

• 🪐 Saturn’s rings may be ~4.5 billion years old – the same age as the planet itself – rather than 400 million years old as commonly thought, per a new study.
• 💎🔋 The first nuclear-powered diamond battery, which uses a radioactive isotope embedded in a diamond, could power small devices for thousands of years, per scientists at the UK’s University of Bristol.
• 🚗 Many digital license plates, which are legal in several states, can be jailbroken to change their display on the fly to evade tolls and traffic tickets, per a Wired report.

*From our partners: 🎁🤩 Gifts that sleigh… Last-minute shopping? MANSCAPED® Gift Guide features grooming essentials and stocking stuffers to spread cheer below the belt and beyond. Save 20% at MANSCAPED® with code THEDONUT.

MISCELLANEOUS

• 🙏 A teacher and a student were killed, and several others injured, yesterday after a teenage student opened fire at a Christian K-12 school in Madison, Wisconsin, per authorities; the suspected shooter was found dead at the scene; authorities identified the suspect as a 15-year-old female.
• ⚖️ Luigi Mangione, the suspected shooter in the death of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, hired prominent attorney Karen Friedman Agnifilo; New York prosecutors are working to extradite him from Pennsylvania to face a murder charge.
• ⚖️ A New York judge ruled President-elect Trump’s hush-money conviction in May remains valid, despite a later Supreme Court decision granting former presidents broad legal immunity. | 🗣️ President-elect Trump held his first press conference since winning last month’s election. (From the Left | From the Center | From the Right)

CLICKBAIT

• 🎄🍪 The Most Popular Christmas Cookies in All 50 States.

🍏🤖 Stat of the Day: The response to Apple Intelligence’s initial rollout has been more underwhelming than Willy's Chocolate Experience, according to a new survey by tech trade-in site SellCell.

Survey says: 73% of Apple Intelligence users report the new features are either “not very valuable” or “add little to no value” to their smartphone experience. The most popular ones used were writing tools (72%), notification summaries (54%), and priority messages (44.5%).

• However – the survey was taken prior to the release of iOS 18.2, which includes new Apple Intelligence features like Genmoji and ChatGPT integration with Siri.

More broadly, Apple is working to boost iPhone sales amid sluggish growth (<1% in 2024) – and the company is hoping its Apple Intelligence features will be one silver bullet in its chamber. Per the survey: 47.6% of iPhone users report AI features as a “very” or “somewhat” important factor in their next smartphone purchase.

🤔 Did You Know? Blue whales eat an estimated 20 million-50 million calories each day – an amount that would take the average human between 27-68 years to consume (based on 2,000 calories/day).

📰 Worth a Read: How to see the humanity in anyone → (Psyche)

Here are four stats from this past week that made our team go “whoa.” Hopefully you will, too.

• 🥂🏢 Less than one-third of companies are inviting plus-ones to their holiday parties this season, down from 53% in 2021.
• 🏈🏆 Colorado WR/CB Travis Hunter has logged 120.3 plays/game this season – nearly 50 more than any other Heisman Trophy winner in the last decade.
• 💰📈 Elon Musk’s world-leading fortune has increased by ~70% since Trump was elected on November 5 (from ~$250 billion to $442 billion as of Friday).
• 💉 Obesity rates among US adults fell slightly last year for the first time in over a decade, from 46.0% to 45.6%, per a new study.

Yesterday we covered how the UK banned puberty-suppressing treatments for minors with gender dysphoria (save for clinical trials), becoming the latest country to restrict access to treatments for trans youth.

❓ Our question to you: In your opinion, should minors be banned from accessing puberty blockers and other gender-affirming treatments?

• 👍 Yes: 55%
• 👎 No: 28%
• 🤷‍♀️ Unsure/other: 17%

Click here to read more of the most thoughtful longform responses.

+Note on sample size: We received 2,469 votes and 250 longform responses.

Free grocery stores are popping up around the country, helping tackle excessive food waste and providing quality food to the people and families who need it most. 

Most of the stores give their customers freedom of choice, unlike traditional food pantries. Their demographic information is taken at the checkout counter, after which shoppers can take the food free-of-charge. Most food is donated by retailers and restaurants who won't use it before its expiration date – a win-win for everyone.

• “It’s not that you’re coming here because you need food, although that is often very much the case,” Jessica Francis, executive director of Open Cupboard, told the Washington Post.
• “The messaging is ‘this food needs you.’ This is perishable food. It needs to find a home.”

❓ Trivia: What was the band Led Zeppelin originally called?

🎓 True or False? There are some species of cat that can naturally glow in the dark.

🤔 Riddle Me This: What has an eye, but cannot see?

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What to do: Copy your unique link below, then send it to anyone who you think would like The DONUT. Once you hit each milestone, you'll get an email with a link to claim your prize.

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❓ Trivia: The New Yardbirds

🎓 T/F: False

🤔 Riddle: A needle, hurricane, or potato