skygaming

skygaming Honey, a popular browser extension owned by , is the target of one YouTuber's investigation that was widely shared over the weekend—over 6 million views, as of Monday. accuses Honey of misrepresenting itself to consumers, ripping off influencers, and engaging in questionable practices like opening hidden tabs to simulate referral links, ensuring commission on any online sale. The video was posted by , a content creator from New Zealand who creates investigative videos about technology; he’s previously posted investigations into , the glasses built for color-blind folks, and . Jimmy “ ” Donaldson, Marques “ ” Brownlee, and Linus Sebastian of , three popular YouTubers who have previously promoted Honey in their own videos, did not immediately respond to ’s request for comment. MegaLag also did not immediately respond. A spokesperson for PayPal Honey provided the following statement: “Honey is free to use and provides millions of shoppers with additional savings on their purchases whenever possible. Honey helps merchants reduce cart abandonment and comparison shopping while increasing sales conversion. Honey follows industry rules and practices, including last-click attribution.” For some background: Honey was founded in November 2012 by a pair of entrepreneurs, Ryan Hudson and George Ruan. After a bug tester , the browser extension went viral; it had nearly a million organic users by March 2014. PayPal acquired Honey in 2020. Honey, for its part, off commissions when a user makes a transaction with one of its retail partners. Part of that commission gets shared with the customer through a cash-back program. According to MegaLag’s video, though, Honey also engages in deceptive and misleading business practices that hurt consumers, affiliates, and businesses. “Honey hasn’t just been scamming you, the consumer; they’ve also been stealing money from influencers, including the very ones they paid to promote their product,” MegaLag said in the video. According to MegaLag, Honey will prioritize coupon codes from its partnering stores, even if there are better discounts elsewhere, meaning it intentionally hides discounts of higher values. Furthermore, MegaLag claims Honey overrides affiliate links from influencers, replacing them with its own, to claim commission on sales. “PayPal didn’t refer the customer to the store. They didn’t promote any of the products. The influencer did that,” MegaLag said. “PayPal provided absolutely zero value to the customer, yet they were rewarded for the sale.” Linus Tech Tips, a popular YouTube channel about consumer technology, had promoted Honey extensively through more than 160 videos totaling nearly 200 million combined views. But once it was made aware of the browser extension replacing its affiliate links, . It did not, however, publicize the issue, instead relaying its concerns to the broader creator community. “Imagine being the influencers who promoted Honey, telling your audience—who, by the way, are the most likely to use your affiliate links—to download an app that poaches your affiliate sales. It’s crazy,” MegaLag said. On top of taking affiliate-link revenue from influencers and not showing consumers the best discounts, the MegaLag says Honey has hurt businesses with unauthorized codes, which leads to merchants reporting losses from invalid or excessive discounts. This, oftentimes, leads to price increases in order to offset the loss in revenue. “Honey is helping businesses prevent consumers from finding the best deals while pretending to do the opposite,” MegaLag said. According to MegaLag, Honey has sponsored around 5,000 YouTube videos across more than 1,000 different channels, gaining over 7.8 billion views. You can watch MegaLag’s video in its entirety below. This story was originally featured on

Washington — Tech leaders and companies are shelling out big bucks to President-elect Donald Trump's inaugural fund, as they prepare for the next four years of a Trump White House. Amazon, run by billionaire Jeff Bezos, intends to donate $1 million to the president-elect's inaugural fund and will stream the ceremony on Prime, amounting to another $1 million in-kind donation, according to a source familiar with the donations. The Wall Street Journal first reported Amazon's plans. Mark Zuckerberg's Meta , the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, also plans to send $1 million to Trump's inaugural fund. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman plans to make a $1 million personal donation to Trump's inaugural fund, according to an OpenAI spokesperson. Fox News Digital first reported Altman's intended donation. "President Trump will lead our country into the age of AI, and I am eager to support his efforts to ensure America stays ahead," Altman said in a statement. Elon Musk , the world's richest man and CEO of X, Tesla and SpaceX, has become a regular presence by Trump's side at Mar-a-Lago, and spent $277 million to help get Trump elected. CBS News has also reached out to Reddit, as well as major corporations who have donated to inaugural funds in the past, including Walmart, Home Depot and Target, for information about their plans. According to a source at Google, the company donated $285,000 to Biden's inaugural fund four years ago. Google has not announced plans, so far, to donate to Trump's. The Information , a tech news site, and The Wall Street Journal reported that Sundar Pichai, Google's CEO, had plans to meet with Trump. Tech company CEOs have been going to see Trump at Mar-a-Lago after years of watching his tone and stance change, or at least soften, after in-person meetings. Trump told CNBC in a Thursday interview that Bezos would visit him "next week." Bezos also owns the Washington Post, which declined to endorse a candidate in this year's presidential election, breaking with the paper's past precedent. "Presidential endorsements do nothing to tip the scales of an election," Bezos wrote at the time. Trump's relationship with social media and tech companies has, in the past, been tenuous if not downright hostile. During Trump's first term in the White House, he frequently blasted Bezos and Amazon, accusing the company of "doing great damage" to retailers and hurting "towns, cities and states throughout the U.S." He's insisted that Amazon should pay more for U.S. Postal Service deliveries. But Trump has dialed back his public hostility toward the company, and Bezos — who previously said Trump's treatment of Hillary Clinton in 2016 and refusal to accept the election results in 2020 "erodes our democracy around the edges" — has softened, too. Speaking at a New York Times DealBook Summit recently, Bezos said he's "very optimistic" about a second Trump term. "What I've seen so far is he is calmer than he was the first time and more settled," Bezos said. "You've probably grown in the last eight years. He has, too." Both X (which was called Twitter at the time) and Facebook prohibited Trump from posting to their platforms after hundreds of Trump supporters assaulted the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, and Trump did little to try to stop them. Musk reinstated Trump's X account in November 2022 after taking over the company, although Trump has largely posted to his own social media platform, Truth Social. Facebook and Instagram restored Trump's accounts in early 2023. Tech CEOs weren't so eager to donate to Trump's first inaugural committee after his 2016 victory. For Trump's 2017 inauguration , which raised an eye-popping $107 million, his biggest donors were largely affiliated with sports teams, casinos, venture capital firms and banks. His most generous donor, at $5 million, was the late Las Vegas Sands founder Sheldon Adelson, who died in 2021. But, other than GoDaddy.com founder Bob Parsons, the leaders of big-name tech companies weren't giving $1 million to Trump the first time around. Trump's inaugural committee, officially known as the Trump-Vance Inaugural Committee, Inc., is a nonprofit 501(c)(4) entity that's responsible for planning inaugural events, and can accept limitless donations. Trump allies former Sen. Kelly Loeffler and investor Steve Witkoff are the committee's co-chairs. When he announced his inaugural committee and co-chairs, Trump said the committee will "honor" the "magnificent victory" he and his team had to kick off his administration. Inaugural committees add the pomp and circumstance to an inauguration, but not at taxpayers' expense. They also offer a way for donors to curry favor with an incoming administration. Donors who give $1 million to Trump's inaugural committee can expect not only tickets but face-time with the incoming president and vice president, as well as Cabinet officials. A president-elect's inaugural committee is different from the Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies, established by Congress, which is underwritten by taxpayers. The congressional committee, composed of members of both parties, plans and carries out the swearing-in ceremony, as well as an inaugural luncheon for the president and vice president at the Capitol. The presidential committee is responsible for all events other than those taking place at the Capitol. Only about $3.7 million was appropriated for the committee for the 2025 inauguration, according to the Congressional Research Service , but taxpayers will be spending more than that. The conservative National Taxpayers Union Foundation estimated that the 2021 inauguration, not counting the security lockdown following the Jan. 6 Capitol assault, cost at least $73 million. Libby Cathey contributed to this report.Wolves G Anthony Edwards fined again for postgame comments

Vanderpump Rules was the perfect millennial tragedyFrance's new Prime Minister Francois Bayrou attends the handover ceremony at the Hotel Matignon in Paris. Photo: Reuters President Emmanuel Macron earlier named Bayrou as his fourth prime minister of 2024, tasking his centrist ally with steering France out of its second political crisis in six months. He replaces Michel Barnier, who was ousted by lawmakers last week for trying to pass a cost-cutting 2025 budget. Bayrou, a three-time presidential candidate who has long warned of French fiscal profligacy, inherits the same rowdy parliament that felled Barnier. His proximity to the deeply unpopular Macron may also hurt him. In a speech alongside Barnier on Friday (local time), Bayrou acknowledged the challenge. "Nobody knows the difficulty of the situation better than I do... I am not unaware of the Himalaya that stands before us," he said. "I believe that this issue, the deficit and debt, is an issue that poses a moral problem, not just a financial one." Efforts to rein in the deficit, expected to close the year at over 6% of gross domestic product, lie at the heart of France's political malaise. The festering crisis has raised doubts about whether Macron will complete his second presidential term until 2027, lifted French borrowing costs and left a power vacuum in the heart of Europe, just as Donald Trump prepares to return to the White House. Bayrou's immediate priority will be passing a special law to roll over the 2024 budget, with a nastier battle over the 2025 legislation looming early next year. Bayrou told reporters he wanted to move quickly, but France's stark political divisions mean even the basic task of naming his cabinet could drag on. The Socialists, irked that the president ignored their demands for a leftist prime minister in favour of a "Macronista", said they would not join Bayrou's coalition, and could even seek to topple him if he tries to ram through the budget. The pro-Barnier centre-right said it would wait to see Bayrou's proposals before deciding whether to join him, Laurent Wauquiez, the head of the Republican Right grouping in the National Assembly, wrote on X. Far-left France Unbowed party leaders said they would be immediately seeking to remove Bayrou, while far-right National Rally (RN) party chiefs said they were willing to give him the benefit of the doubt for the time being. IMPOSSIBLE JOB? Bayrou, the founder of the Democratic Movement (MoDem) party which has been a part of Macron's ruling alliance since 2017, has been the longtime mayor of the southwestern town of Pau. His rustic roots are a key component of his political character. The mixed reactions to Bayrou's appointment suggest he will likely be living day-to-day, at the mercy of Macron's opponents, for the foreseeable future. Barnier's three-month premiership was the shortest in modern French history. Macron will hope Bayrou can stave off no-confidence votes until at least July, when France will be able to hold a new parliamentary election. But getting there won't be easy. An early test will come with the 2025 budget bill negotiations, expected to start in January. Barnier's bill, which aimed for 60 billion euros in savings to assuage investors increasingly concerned by France's deficit, was deemed too miserly by the far-right and left. The government's failure to find a way out of the gridlock has seen French borrowing costs push higher. XTB Research Director Kathleen Brooks said Bayrou's appointment was unlikely to have a major impact on French bonds. However, she said the CAC 40 French stock index .FCHI was underperforming German stocks by a three-decade margin. "With France still mired in political turmoil, narrowing this gap is an uphill struggle, even with a new PM," she wrote. Macron named Bayrou as justice minister in 2017 but he resigned only weeks later amid an investigation into his party's alleged fraudulent employment of parliamentary assistants. He was acquitted of fraud charges this year.

FAIRFIELD – Justiz Wilson was hitting from the corner. He was hitting from the top of the key. He was hitting with the shot clock winding down. He was hitting with plenty of time on the clock. Maybe most importantly, the Solano Community College guard kept making those shots in clutch situations against visiting American River of Sacramento on Thursday. Fueled by Wilson’s 33 points, the Falcons outlasted the Beavers, 73-62, as they evened their preseason record at 3-3. The Vanden High grad is having quite a week. He poured in 38 points in a win over Cañada just two days earlier. “My mindset has changed,” said Wilson, who was 11 of 25 from the field and 6 of 11 from 3-point land. “I had a few rude awakenings this season. People are really gunning for me, so I’ve had to really lock in with God and talk to him. I’ve had to listen to my pops a little bit more. He just told me to stay aggressive.” The Beavers (4-6) closed to within one point a handful of times in the game but never tied or took the lead. The final time came at 60-59 with 6:56 left in the second half. Wilson, however, calmly landed a turnaround jumper on the other end of the court. That began a 13-3 spurt to finish the game as Wilson had 11 of those points. While Wilson was sensational, he had sturdy help from fellow backcourt mate Nicko Ignacio, who added 20 points. The freshman from Fairfield High was 9 of 13 from the field. “The last two games, we’ve had Nicko back, and obviously we’re performing better. It’s no coincidence,” said Solano head coach John Nagle. “It’s a two-headed monster for those positions so (opponents) have to pick their poison.” Wilson had seven points and two assists in a 15-5 run for the Falcons to start the game as American River was forced to call timeout. The Beavers slowly got back into the game with the help of hulking center Max Manfredi, who led American River with 19 points and eight rebounds. The Beavers finally got hot midway through the first half as a Zach Cannon 3-pointer ignited a 13-3 run to cut the deficit to 29-28 with 6:21 left. However, two clutch foul shots from Wilson kept Solano in the lead. American River was down just 35-33 with 2:33 left in the half before a drive to the hoop from Ignacio began a 9-1 spurt to give the Falcons a 44-34 lead going into the locker room. Wilson held for the final shot and nailed a 3-pointer to put an exclamation point on his first half. Manfredi continued to get his points in the second half, but Solano sophomore Jeremiah Cardwell (five points, 10 boards) did not make things easy as the two battled physically against one another. Manfredi had four personal fouls – two of those on the offensive side. “He battled,” Nagle said of Cardwell. “He is all heart. He just gets out there and sacrifices for the team.” Solano still has some work to do on several fronts as it continues the preseason. The Falcons made just eight of 20 from the foul line for the contest. Also, Wilson and Ignacio accounted for 53 of the team’s 73 points as no one else had more than seven. “I think we still need to fully trust each other,” Wilson said. “We have new people on the team. We have a lot of players back, but I think we’re still trying to mesh together and trying to figure out our identity. I think we’ve had some amazing practices this week with coach Nagle though. I think we’re coming together.”WASHINGTON ― First came this month of his son, Hunter Biden. It was followed Thursday by the largest single-day act of clemency in modern history: commuting the sentences of nearly during the COVID pandemic and pardoning 39 others convicted of nonviolent crimes. The lame-duck, 82-year-old Democrat isn't done yet. Biden promised to take "more steps in the weeks ahead" as he announced the he said have successfully reintegrated into their communities and deserved a "second chance." Less than six weeks before he leaves the White House, Biden faces a host of political and legal considerations as he decides how he will use his presidential clemency power next. Biden and his senior aides are for individuals they fear President-elect Donald Trump might target for criminal investigations. Rep. James Clyburn, D-S.C., a close Biden ally, of his federal charges to "clean the slate." Meanwhile, criminal justice advocates, although pleased by Biden's moves Thursday, want him to sign off on all 10,000 pending clemency petitions. Other activists and progressive Democrats are urging Biden to , fearing the return of Trump will restart federal executions, which had been paused under the Biden administration. "With 39 days remaining in his presidency, President Biden has the power to continue to use his clemency authority to change and save the lives of many, many other Americans behind the wall," said Rep. Ayanna Pressley, D-Mass. "It is the right thing to do, it is the moral thing to do, and it is a matter of legacy.” With the latest clemency moves, the White House said Biden has now issued more sentence commutations than any of his predecessors at the same point in their terms. That's in addition to pardons targeting categories of offenses, including pardons for simple marijuana possession in 2022, pardoning veterans previously convicted . Yet ‒ which absolves an individual of a criminal offense entirely ‒ has been the slowest since at least President William McKinley in 1900, according to Justice Department records. Biden has pardoned 65 people so far, leaving him behind another one-term president, George H. W. Bush, who pardoned 74 people. But pardons sometimes happen at the end of an administration because they can be controversial, and Biden has until Jan. 20 to make his decisions. Jimmy Carter, another one-term president, had the most in the last 50 years, with 534 pardons – before counting the open-ended pardon he provided people who dodged the Vietnam War draft from 1964 to 1973. Franklin Roosevelt pardoned the most since 1900 with 2,819 during his four terms. The 1,499 individuals whose sentences Biden commuted involve people in home confinement through the 2020 CARES Act, which authorized the federal Bureau of Prisons to move medically vulnerable inmates incarcerated for nonviolent offenses from prisons to house arrest. Biden said many of recipients receiving commuted sentences "would receive lower sentences if charged under today's laws, policies and practices" and that they have "successfully reintegrated into their families and communities and have shown that they deserve a second chance." He said the 39 people he is pardoning have shown "commitment to making their communities stronger and safer." None are household names, and most were convicted of nonviolent drug-related offenses. Clyburn, who had previously commended Biden for pardoning 11 people convicted of simple marijuana possession, said his action tackled injustice. “Many people of color and moderate means have been disproportionately burdened by systemic injustices and clemency is a potent tool in the President’s toolbox to remedy some faults in our legal system,” Clyburn said in a statement. Margaret Huang, president of the Southern Poverty Law Center, said Biden’s action provided justice for people in southern states who are disproportionately and harshly punished due to discriminatory law enforcement. “The failings of the criminal legal system have resulted in the mass incarceration of people of color throughout the South, justified by fabricated narratives about the benefits of institutionalization to public safety,” Huang said. Some Republicans had to return people in home confinement during the pandemic back to prison. But GOP criticism from Biden's actions Thursday didn't appear widespread. "I’m not surprised at this point anymore," Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla., . "I think I’m still trying to get over the after he promised America he wouldn’t do it." In the weeks since Trump's election victory last month, criminal justice activists have ramped up pressure on Biden to commute sentences of federal inmates on death row ‒ and follow through on a Biden 2020 campaign promise to end the federal death penalty. They renewed their calls after Thursday's announcement. During Trump's first term, his administration oversaw 13 executions in its final six months, becoming the first presidential administration to . Trump has vowed to resume federal executions and . A collection of 134 groups advocating for civil liberties, human rights and social justice urged Biden on Monday to commute the sentences of all prisoners on death row. Pressley and other House Democrats calling for the same Wednesday. “While today’s announcement is wonderful, there is more to do in the final weeks before President Biden leaves office,” said Cynthia Roseberry, director of policy and government affairs at the American Civil Liberties Union’s justice division. “We strongly urge President Biden to use his power to address this country's failed death penalty by commuting death row sentences.” Democrats in the Black Congressional Caucus and civil rights leaders have also pushed Biden to pardon , who was convicted earlier this year on perjury and mortgage fraud charges related to a home loan application. Her advocates say Mosby, who maintains her innocence, was a political target of the Trump administration. White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre was noncommittal when asked Thursday whether Biden will commute sentences for individuals on federal death row. She said Biden and his team will continue to review clemency petitions "in normal course." She added that Biden wants to "further the criminal justice reforms in a manner that advances equity and justice, promotes public safety, supports rehab and re-entry, and provides meaningful second chances." Pressed about the thousands of others seeking clemency, Jean-Pierre said Biden has taken "many actions" in addition to the latest clemency announcements. A far more delicate political calculation for Biden will be whether to offer blanket pardons to shield individuals who Trump has threatened. It would likely invite an instant backlash, particularly from Republicans, while Biden also faces criticism for his broadly-worded pardon for Hunter Biden, which was made not only to reprieve his son from existing gun and tax felonies but to shield him from potential future charges by Trump's Justice Department. Some Democratic lawmakers, led by U.S. Sen. Ed Markey of Massachusetts, are publicly advocating for the pre-pardons ‒ alarmed by Trump's repeated past threats to and his recent pick of longtime ally as director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation to replace Christopher Wray, who resigned Wednesday. Those who could be on a pre-pardon list include retired Gen. Mark Milley, who Trump ; former Republican Rep. Liz Cheney, who Trump has said should "go to jail" for her role on the House committee that investigated the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the Capitol; Dr. Anthony Fauci, a frequent target of Republican lawmakers over his work during the U.S. response to the COVID-19 pandemic; and Sen. of California, who Trump has referred to as "the enemy within" for his leading role while serving in the House of Representatives during Trump's first impeachment. In an interview over the weekend on NBC's Meet the Press, Trump said some members of the House committee that investigated Trump's actions on Jan. 6, 2021 should “go to jail.” , former chair of the committee, accept a pre-emptive pardon from Biden out of fear that might target him with a criminal investigation. Yet the possibility of pre-pardoning people who have not been charged of any crimes raises several legal concerns that could ultimately sway Biden not to take action, according to legal experts. Accepting a pardon carries with it the suggestion of accepting guilt. And some Democrats worry Biden would set a new precedent for pardons, opening the door for Trump to take similar actions. Jean-Pierre wouldn't rule out blanket pardons when asked whether it's a possibility. "He's going to have conversations with his team's going to review clemency petitions," she told reporters on Thursday. "He's going to review options on the table. And so that's where I'm going to leave it."

FBI Alerts NBA: Athlete Home Burglaries Linked to International RingsUSC women move to No. 4 in AP poll as top three unchangedEasyKnock, a real estate company offering controversial sale-leaseback deals to financially strapped homeowners, announced abruptly on Thursday that it is going out of business. "After many years of serving consumers, EasyKnock has closed its doors," reads a post on the company's website. "We are deeply grateful for the trust placed in us to be part of the financial journey of so many." EasyKnock promises to help people "unlock" the equity in their homes by buying the property from them and then letting them remain in the home as a renter. This type of real estate transaction, known as a sale-leaseback, focuses on homeowners who struggle to get traditional loans due to bad credit or insufficient income. An NPR investigation in June, citing court records obtained from lawsuits against the company, found that the deals can cost homeowners tens of thousands of dollars in equity, and that customers rarely buy back their homes as the deal's allow. Some people were even evicted from homes they once owned. EasyKnock has said its deals have helped hundreds of people improve their finances. The company faces over two dozen lawsuits around the country and several investigations by state attorneys general. In May, the Michigan attorney general sent EasyKnock a cease and desist letter calling on the company to end certain "unfair and deceptive trade practices." EasyKnock denies any liability in these lawsuits and investigations and says it is cooperating with attorneys general. In October, the Federal Trade Commission issued a consumer alert about the "risky business" of sale-leasebacks. "The ads make these agreements — called sale-leasebacks — sound like a simple and risk-free way to get cash upfront and stay in your home," reads the alert. "But the truth is these agreements are far from risk-free." Neither the statement on EasyKnock's website, nor notices sent to current clients, explained the cause of the company's sudden closure. EasyKnock did not respond to NPR's request for comment. The news came as a shock to Randee Noggle, who sold her house in Michigan to EasyKnock in April 2023. She had hoped that it would help stabilize her family's finances, which took a hit during the pandemic. Instead, she said it made things worse. Noggle is still living in the home as a tenant, along with her husband and their son. She filed a lawsuit against EasyKnock earlier this year. "It came as a surprise. It's just like, well, okay, now what?" Noggle said. The notification she received on Thursday morning offered little detail. It said management of the property will be handled by a company called NESE Property Management. NESE's website, which was purchased Nov. 26, is still under construction. Noggle does have some protection because of her lawsuit against EasyKnock. The company agreed not to initiate eviction proceedings while the case is ongoing, according to court documents reviewed by NPR. Noggle and her husband agreed to make monthly rent payments of nearly $400 into an escrow account. "Everything's a little bit of a question mark right now, so we've got to wait and see what happens," said Robin Wagner, who represents Noggle and several other Michigan homeowners in their lawsuits against EasyKnock. EasyKnock markets itself as the nation's first technology-enabled residential sale-leaseback company. The types of transactions it offers have been facing a heated debate in the courts over whether they are subject to mortgage regulations that protect homeowners. EasyKnock argues that its sale-leaseback deals are not loans, and therefore those laws don't apply. The lawsuits against the company, the state attorneys general investigations and the company's sudden closure call into question the viability of these residential sale-leaseback deals, said Stacey Tutt, a senior staff attorney at the National Housing Law Project. "I think it's a lesson to be learned by any other company that is operating in this space," Tutt said. "It should be something that the industry is paying very close attention to because it is an indication that there are flaws within their model that open them up to these claims of unfair practices." NPR's investigation found that people rarely repurchase their homes. Even after EasyKnock's closure, it's still unlikely people like Noggle will be able to buy their houses back, said Tutt, who reviewed several of EasyKnock's contracts at the request of NPR. "It's a buy-back provision that is likely unaffordable for the homeowner to be able to pay it back. And I think it would be very unlikely that a purchaser of those contracts then would be able to modify them enough to make them affordable," she said. "That's where I get very concerned about their ability to stay in the homes, given the terms of the contracts themselves." Noggle is just hoping she can stay in the home – the first house she ever purchased, bought with an inheritance left by her grandmother. With everything so up in the air, Noggle isn't sure what she makes of the news of EasyKnock's closure. "I'm just hoping that maybe this is like the light at the end of the tunnel," she said.

WASHINGTON (AP) — A freelance photographer and local government official from Illinois has been arrested on charges alleging he joined a mob's attack on the U.S. Capitol and pushed against a police officer’s riot shield, according to court records unsealed on Friday. Patrick Gorski, 27, was arrested in Chicago on Thursday on charges including obstructing law enforcement officers during a civil disorder, a felony. A federal judge ordered him released on bond after his initial court appearance. Gorski didn’t immediately respond to an email seeking comment. An attorney who represented him after his arrest declined to comment on Gorski's behalf. Authorities allege that during the attack, Gorski climbed scaffolding, breaching police lines, and took photos and videos inside the building. He yelled at officers, pushed against an officer's riot shield and was eventually forced out after being sprayed with a chemical irritant, authorities said. When the FBI interviewed him, Gorski did not claim that he was working as a photojournalist during the Jan. 6, 2021, riot and said he didn't bring his professional camera to the Capitol. He told federal agents that he had worked as a photographer for the Chicago Fire Department and for Donald Trump’s 2020 presidential campaign. He has not professionally published any photographs of the Capitol riot, according to the FBI. An FBI agent’s affidavit says some of Gorski’s sports photographs are available through Getty Images and have been “picked up” by The Associated Press and USA Today. Authorities said Gorski has continued to take photos at some local sporting events in Chicago but hasn't published any political photographs in the last five years. Gorski is not an Associated Press journalist and has never been employed by the news organization, said Lauren Easton, AP's vice president of corporate communications. "We have distributed some photos he took for AP’s photo partners and member news organizations," Easton said in a statement. Gorski's resume says he works as a building commissioner for the Village of Norridge, Illinois, and graduated earlier this year from Southeastern Illinois University with a master’s degree in public administration. He attended then-President Trump's “Stop the Steal” rally near the White House on Jan. 6 before he marched to the Capitol in a group of people that included conspiracy theorist Alex Jones and Owen Shroyer , who has hosted a show on Jones' Infowars website. On the west side of the Capitol, Gorski climbed up a wall onto stairs, helped another rioter onto the wall and removed a tarp covering scaffolding, according to the FBI. He climbed up and down the scaffolding before he helped pass a bike rack to other rioters, the agent's affidavit says. Gorski pointed and yelled at police officers outside the building. He also clapped and chanted, “Let us in!” After rioters broke through a police lines and sent officers retreating, Gorski hung a flag over the edge of a balcony. Gorski used his phone to take photos or videos inside a tunnel entrance that police were guarding, according to the affidavit. He screamed at the officers, “This is our house!” as he pushed against an officer’s riot shield, the FBI said. Gorski left the tunnel after several minutes and entered the Capitol through the Senate Wing door, taking more photos or videos inside the building, the affidavit says. An officer had to forcibly move Gorski from a doorway in another part of the Capitol, according to the agent. Gorski retreated after police sprayed him with a chemical irritant. Approximately one year after the attack, the FBI received a tip that Gorski had posted photos of the riot in a group chat with friends. More than 1,500 people have been charged with federal crimes stemming from the Capitol riot.

Drones for commercial and recreational use have grown rapidly in popularity, despite restrictions on who can operate them and where they can be flown. No-fly zones are enforced around airports, military installations, nuclear plants, certain landmarks including the Statue of Liberty, and sports stadiums during games. Not everybody follows the rules. Sightings at airports have shut down flights in a few instances. Reported sightings of what appear to be drones flying over New Jersey at night in recent weeks have created anxiety among some residents, in part because it is not clear who is operating them or why. Some state and local officials have called for stricter rules to govern drones. After receiving reports of drone activity last month near Morris County, New Jersey, the Federal Aviation Administration issued temporary bans on drone flights over a golf course in Bedminster , New Jersey, that is owned by President-elect Donald Trump, and over Picatinny Arsenal Military Base . The FAA says the bans are in response to requests from “federal security partners.” The FAA is responsible for the regulations governing their use , and Congress has written some requirements into law. With a 2018 law, the Preventing Emerging Threats Act, Congress gave certain agencies in the Homeland Security and Justice departments authority to counter threats from unmanned aircraft to protect the safety of certain facilities. New drones must be outfitted with equipment allowing law enforcement to identify the operator, and Congress gave the agencies the power to detect and take down unmanned aircraft that they consider dangerous. The law spells out where the counter-drone measures can be used, including “national special security events” such as presidential inaugurations and other large gatherings of people. To get a “remote pilot certificate,” you must be at least 16 years old, be proficient in English, pass an aeronautics exam, and not suffer from a ”mental condition that would interfere with the safe operation of a small unmanned aircraft system.” Yes, but the FAA imposes restrictions on nighttime operations. Most drones are not allowed to fly at night unless they are equipped with anti-collision lights that are visible for at least 3 miles (4.8 kilometers). Over the past decade, pilots have reported hundreds of close calls between drones and airplanes including airline jets. In some cases, airplane pilots have had to take evasive action to avoid collisions. Drones buzzing over a runway caused flights to be stopped at London’s Gatwick Airport during the Christmas travel rush in 2018 and again in May 2023 . Police dismissed the idea of shooting down the drones, fearing that stray bullets could kill someone. Advances in drone technology have made it harder for law enforcement to find rogue drone operators — bigger drones in particular have more range and power. Some state and local officials in New Jersey are calling for stronger restrictions because of the recent sightings, and that has the drone industry worried. Scott Shtofman, director of government affairs at the Association for Uncrewed Vehicle Systems International, said putting more limits on drones could have a “chilling effect” on “a growing economic engine for the United States.” “We would definitely oppose anything that is blindly pushing for new regulation of what are right now legal drone operations,” he said. AirSight, a company that sells software against “drone threats,” says more than 20 states have enacted laws against privacy invasion by drones, including Peeping Toms. Will Austin, president of Warren County Community College in New Jersey, and founder of its drone program, says it's up to users to reduce public concern about the machines. He said operators must explain why they are flying when confronted by people worried about privacy or safety. “It's a brand new technology that's not really understood real well, so it will raise fear and anxiety in a lot of people,” Austin said. “We want to be good professional aviators and alleviate that.” Associated Press reporter Rebecca Santana in Washington, D.C., contributed.(BPT) - Tech gifts are consistently some of the most popular presents to give and receive during the holidays. In fact, according to the annual , a record 233 million U.S. adults (89%) will buy tech products during the 2024 holiday season. But with so many devices out there, it can be hard to decide on the perfect option for the loved one on your list. A tablet like the new Fire HD 8 from Amazon offers the versatility of an all-in-one device, with access to streaming, gaming, video chatting, reading or writing all at your fingertips. also features a vibrant 8-inch HD display and lightweight, portable design, for high-quality entertainment on the go. Plus, comes with three new AI features that can help you get the most out of your tablet experience. Check them out below and learn how they can help you with daily tasks this holiday season and beyond. Do you struggle with writing a heartfelt message or finessing a tricky email? Fear not! Writing Assist is here to help. Writing Assist works as part of your Fire tablet's device keyboard and compatible apps, including email, Word documents and social media. In just a few taps, you can transform your writing from good to great. Try Writing Assist's pre-set styles to turn a simple email into a professionally written note. Or, you can ask Writing Assist for grammar suggestions to make your writing more concise, or elaborate on your ideas. You can even "emojify" your writing to add more fun and personality. Say goodbye to scrolling through pages of information. The new Webpage Summaries feature allows you to learn pertinent information as quickly as possible. Available on the Silk browser on Fire tablets, Webpage Summaries provides quick insights on web articles. In a matter of seconds, this feature will distill the key points in an article or on a webpage into a clear, concise summary of what you need to know. With Wallpaper Creator, you can easily add a touch of creative flair and customization to your tablet's home screen. You can choose from one of the curated prompts to get started on creating a unique background. Or, if you're ready to let your imagination run wild, type a description of what you'd like to see. For example, you can ask for an image of a tiger swimming underwater or a watercolor-style image of a desert landscape in space. Wallpaper Creator will then turn your vision into a reality, delivering a high-resolution image that you can use as your tablet's wallpaper. Writing Assist, Webpage Summaries, and Wallpaper Creator are now available on Amazon's new and other compatible Fire tablet devices, including the latest and tablets. To learn more, or to order a new Fire tablet this gift-giving season, visit .