• Investors are seeing new value in the strip mall.
• A lack of supply and an uptick in in-person neighborhood shopping has increased their value.
• One commercial real estate investor called the opportunity a "retail renaissance."

Strip malls, of all things, appear to be trending up.

After decades of decline brought on by the rise of large box stores, e-commerce, and the pandemic, the humble and sometimes derided neighborhood shopping center had long been on the outs. Many retailers shifted focus, buying and building large fulfillment warehouses instead of storefronts.

That's led to a perhaps surprising shift, according to The Wall Street Journal: There is now a dearth of supply of convenient neighborhood shopping centers, and that is driving up the value of existing ones.

Large investors like Blackstone have noticed and are now betting on the lowly strip mall. Blackstone spent $4 billion in November to acquire Retail Opportunity Investments, which owns about 90 shopping centers, most of them anchored by grocery stores.

Blackstone President Jon Gray said at the time that he believes the extreme distress the commercial real estate market has faced in recent years is beginning to ease up. He now sees opportunity in the sector.

"If you were an investor in real estate after the financial crisis, you would have made a lot of money. And my guess is, if you're an investor today, the same thing will happen," he said at an event hosted by Goldman Sachs.

Beyond just the value driven by scarcity, an uptick in in-person shopping also bodes well for the shopping center. Foot traffic to grocery stores was 12% higher in the third quarter of 2024 compared to the same time in 2019, before the pandemic, the Journal reported. And there are many small businesses that still attract IRL shoppers, like coffee shops and nail salons. Flexible work schedules are also allowing residents to take quick shopping trips nearby.

James Corl, head of New York-based private real estate group Cohen & Steers, wrote in a September blog post that the investment market for open-air shopping centers amounted to a "retail renaissance." Corl's firm bought a fully leased outdoor shopping mall in San Mateo, California for $127 million last month.

"Open-air shopping centers are the only major property type that is experiencing an acceleration in rental rate growth," Corl said in the blog post. "We believe that a durable acceleration in earnings growth combined with relatively high current yields will propel shopping center investment performance for some time, a reality that the market has yet to fully recognize."

• The New Orleans attacker used Meta glasses to record the area before the massacre, the FBI says.
• The FBI is investigating the attack as terrorism after police found an ISIS flag in the truck.
• The FBI also said the man stopped a multiple gun stores in Texas the day before the attack.

The Army veteran who attacked a crowd in New Orleans on New Year's Day wore Meta smart glasses to record the area in advance, the FBI said at a press conference on Sunday.

Shamsud-Din Jabbar, a 42-year-old US citizen from Texas, died in a shootout with police after driving a pickup truck through a crowd of people on Bourbon Street. Jabbar killed 14 people and injured dozens more in the attack.

The FBI is investigating the attack as an act of terrorism after authorities found an ISIS flag, weapons, and a possible improvised explosive device, or IED, in the Ford F-150 pickup truck that Jabbar used.

FBI New Orleans Special Agent in Charge Lyonel Myrthil said Sunday that Jabbar made two trips to New Orleans before the attack — once in October and once in November.

In October, Myrthil said Jabbar stayed in a rental home in New Orleans for two days, where he used his Meta smart glasses to record the streets of the French Quarter as he rode around on a bicycle.

"Meta glasses appear to look like regular glasses, but they allow the user to record videos and photos hands-free," Myrthil told reporters. "They also allow users to potentially livestream their video."

Jabar was wearing the Meta glasses during the attack, but he did not livestream it, Myrthil said.

Myrthil also said during the press conference that Jabbar stopped at "multiple gun stores" in Texas on December 31 and visited one business where he purchased a white ice chest that he used to hide an explosive device.

US military spokespersons told the media after the attack that Jabbar served in the Army from 2007 to 2015, during which he was deployed to Afghanistan from February 2009 to January 2010.

He served in information technology and human resources roles at the time and was later an IT specialist in the Army Reserve from 2016 to 2020. He left the military as a staff sergeant.

• The 'Breaking Bad' house in Albuquerque, New Mexico is selling for $4 million.
• The 3-bedroom, 1-bath home, valued by Zillow at about $350,000, is a fan attraction.
• The longtime owners hope the buyer will turn it into a museum or bed-and-breakfast for fans.

The iconic home of Walter White from "Breaking Bad" can now be yours for just $4 million.

Fans from all over the world have for years traveled to Albuquerque, New Mexico to visit the home of the iconic AMC character.

Homeowner Joanna Quintana, who grew up in the house, said her family decided to finally sell it after 52 years in part because of the constant presence of fans.

"We're going to walk away with just our memories," she told KOB4, a local NBC affiliate. "It's time to move on. We're done. There's no reason to fight anymore."

While the home is listed for $4 million, Zillow estimates the modest three-bedroom, one-bath house is worth closer to $350,000, though that does not take into account the fan appeal, which could either raise or lower its value depending on the buyer.

Quinatana's family said they hope the $4 million price tag will attract a buyer who wants to use the space as something that fans could enjoy.

"I hope they make it what the fans want. They want a BnB, they want a museum, they want access to it. Go for it," Quintana told KOB4.

Potential buyers can view the home's 1,910-square-foot layout on the listing's website, which describes the house as an "unparalleled opportunity to own a piece of television history."

"From the explosive opening to pivotal scenes that captured audiences around the world, this Albuquerque home became more than a house — it became a character in its own right," the site says. "Now, you have the chance to own this piece of television history."

For the Quintana family, the fans have mostly been a headache since the show became a worldwide sensation after its release in 2008. Devotees often show up at the residence to take photos — or worse.

"Breaking Bad" and "Better Call Saul" creator Vince Gilligan called for fans to stop visiting the house in a 2015 episode of the "Better Call Saul Insider Podcast." Gilligan made the request after several fans tried to throw pizza onto the roof to recreate a famous scene.

"There is nothing original or funny or cool about throwing a pizza on this lady's roof," Gilligan said on the podcast. "It's been done before — you're not the first."

"And if I catch you doing it, I will hunt you down," he added.

Luke Mones, a comedian who visited the home in 2018, described in a documentary how his visit turned hostile. Mones said one of the owners was sitting outside in a lawn chair, yelling at him when he approached.

"'The show ended eight years ago. Get a life!'" he recalled the owner yelling at him.

• Lemon8, TikTok's sister app, is surging in popularity ahead of a possible TikTok ban.
• Lemon8 uses TikTok's algorithm and is owned by the same Chinese company, ByteDance.
• The Supreme Court will decide this month on the fate of the law that could ban TikTok — and Lemon8.

TikTok owner ByteDance's other social media company, Lemon8, is growing in popularity amid confusion over a possible TikTok ban in the United States.

This week, Lemon8 shot to the No. 1 spot for free apps on Apple's App Store.

What users might not realize is that the law that would ban TikTok, if it is held up by the Supreme Court and then enforced by the administration of President-elect Donald Trump, would also likely ban Lemon8.

Lemon8 is the "sister app" to TikTok. It's a social media platform for photo slideshows, more similar to Pinterest or Instagram than TikTok, which is an exclusively short video platform. Lemon8 uses the same algorithm as TikTok. It is now the No. 2 free app, beating out competitors like ChatGPT.

But, like TikTok, its future is tenuous.

Congress passed the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act in April. The law gives ByteDance, TikTok's Chinese parent company, until January 19 to sell TikTok. If a sale doesn't take place, TikTok will be banned in the United States.

TikTok filed a lawsuit in May, arguing that the law violates the First Amendment. The DC Circuit Court upheld the law on December 6. TikTok then filed an appeal to the Supreme Court on December 18. The court is expected to hear arguments on January 10.

Trump filed an amicus brief with the Supreme Court on December 27, asking the justices to pause the law until after his inauguration so he could "pursue a political resolution."

The law would also likely ban Lemon8. The bill's text specifically names TikTok and ByteDance as covered companies. However, its language is broad and could affect any company owned by a foreign "adversary" that permits users to "create an account or profile to generate, share, and view text, images, videos, real-time communications, or similar content."

Experts previously told Business Insider that Lemon8's success indicates that ByteDance is willing to introduce new apps to keep growing despite a TikTok ban.

"This is a huge business for ByteDance. They're not gonna go down without swinging," David Glancy, a professor at the Institute of World Politics, previously told BI.

• Former President Jimmy Carter died on Sunday at the age of 100.
• Foreign and business leaders celebrated Carter's humanitarian work.
• President-elect Donald Trump said the world owes Carter "a debt of gratitude."

Former President Jimmy Carter died on Sunday at the age of 100. World leaders responded with an outpouring of support, celebrating Carter's legacy as a humanitarian.

The Georgia peanut farmer turned politician served as president from 1977 to 1981. But he is perhaps most known for his humanitarian work after leaving the White House.

Carter championed human rights and pushed for peace in various corners of the world. In 1982, he founded The Carter Center to focus on such issues.

In 2002, Carter received a Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts to promote peace and human rights. Carter also played an active role with Habitat for Humanity until the end of his life.

"My father was a hero, not only to me but to everyone who believes in peace, human rights, and unselfish love," Carter's son, Chip, said in a statement via The Carter Center on Sunday.

Biden: Carter was "a man of principle, faith, and humility"

President Joe Biden said on Sunday that he would order a state funeral in Washington for Carter.

"Today, America and the world lost an extraordinary leader, statesman, and humanitarian," Biden said in a statement.

"With his compassion and moral clarity, he worked to eradicate disease, forge peace, advance civil rights and human rights, promote free and fair elections, house the homeless, and always advocate for the least among us," Biden added. "He saved, lifted, and changed the lives of people all across the globe."

Biden said that the love Carter shared with his late wife, Rosalynn Carter, was "the definition of partnership" and that their leadership was "the definition of patriotism."

Trump: "We all owe him a debt of gratitude"

President-elect Donald Trump wrote on Truth Social that Carter's presidency "came at a pivotal time for our country and he did everything in his power to improve the lives of all Americans. For that, we all owe him a debt of gratitude."

"While I strongly disagreed with him philosophically and politically, I also realized that he truly loved and respected our Country, and all it stands for," Trump said in a subsequent post.

Trump had earlier criticized Carter's decision to hand over control of the Panama Canal to Panama, saying in a Truth Social Post on December 21 that his predecessor had "foolishly gave it away."

The president-elect recently accused Panama of charging US vessels "exorbitant prices" and threatened to retake control of the canal.

Former presidents and lawmakers tout Carter's post-presidential record

Former President Barack Obama and former First Lady Michelle Obama said in a statement on Sunday that Carter had "the longest and most impactful post-presidency in American history."

"Elected in the shadow of Watergate, Jimmy Carter promised voters that he would always tell the truth," the Obamas said.

"And he did — advocating for the public good, consequences be damned. He believed some things were more important than reelection — things like integrity, respect, and compassion," the statement added.

Former President George W. Bush said in his statement that Carter was a "man of deeply held convictions" who "set an example of service that will inspire Americans for generations."

"President Carter dignified the office. And his efforts to leave behind a better world didn't end with the presidency," Bush said.

Former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said on Sunday that Carter had "worked tirelessly for a better, fairer world."

"I will always be proud to have presented the Medal of Freedom to him and Rosalynn in 1999, and to have worked with him in the years after he left the White House," Bill Clinton said.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer wrote on X that Carter led an "extraordinary life" that touched countless people's lives through his vision and generosity.

Sen. Bernie Sanders said on X that Carter would be remembered as a "decent, honest and down-to-earth man" for both his time as president and his later humanitarian work.

"He will be sorely missed," Sanders wrote.

US Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg shared a tribute to the former president on X, writing that Carter's "leadership, intellect, and moral example ennobled our country, during and ever since his presidency."

Foreign politicians and business leaders hail Carter's peacemaking efforts

On X, Apple CEO Tim Cook shared a photo of the former president wearing a tool belt in front of a construction site with the message: "Today, we honor President Carter's lifetime of service and his commitment to leaving the world better than he found it. May he rest in peace."

Melinda French Gates said in her tribute that Carter was her hero. The philanthropist said she knew Carter best as a "global health advocate" who took on "diseases that impact the world's poorest people, like Guinea worm disease."

"When President Carter left office, there were more than 3.5 million cases of this painful, debilitating disease around the world each year. This year, thanks in no small part to the work of the Carter Center, that number was down to single digits," French Gates wrote.

"One of my favorite teachings says: 'To know that even one life has breathed easier because you lived, this is to have succeeded.' We honor President Carter by remembering that because of him, life is healthier, better, and safer not just for one life, but for millions," she continued.

Carter's death prompted tributes from foreign leaders such as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

"He was a leader who served during a time when Ukraine was not yet independent, yet his heart stood firmly with us in our ongoing fight for freedom," Zelenskyy said of Carter in his X post.

"We deeply appreciate his steadfast commitment to Christian faith and democratic values, as well as his unwavering support for Ukraine in the face of Russia's unprovoked aggression," he added.

"Jimmy Carter's legacy is one of compassion, kindness, empathy, and hard work. He served others both at home and around the world his entire life — and he loved doing it," Trudeau wrote on X. "He was always thoughtful and generous with his advice to me."

King Charles — one of the few living figures from Carter's presidency still active in public life — also posted a tribute.

In the note, Charles said Carter's "dedication and humility served as an inspiration."

He nodded to Carter's 1977 visit to the UK, where Charles appeared in the background of this photo (top left, you can see his head) showing Carter meeting with G7 leaders and Queen Elizabeth II.

• Burglars broke into NBA star Luka Doncic's home and stole $30,000 worth of jewelry on Friday.
• The FBI said it is investigating a series of burglaries at the homes of pro athletes in the US.
• The NBA said the FBI has connected the break-ins to a "transnational" South American crime group.

Dallas Mavericks star Luka Doncic's home was the latest residence to be burglarized in a monthslong string of break-ins targeting the houses of professional athletes across the country.

Doncic's business manager, Lara Beth Seager, told reporters on Saturday that Doncic's home was targeted by thieves on Friday, according to The Dallas Morning News. A police report obtained by the outlet said the criminals got away with about $30,000 worth of jewelry.

Tyler Seguin, a player for the Dallas Stars hockey team, was also the target of a break-in earlier in the year, sources confirmed to the outlet. Seguin is the highest-paid player for the Stars, signing an eight-year, $78.8 million contract in 2018.

The Dallas sports stars aren't the first professional athletes to face residential burglaries this year.

The NFL issued a security alert on November 21 to the player's union and teams' security directors after break-ins at the homes of Kansas City Chiefs star quarterback Patrick Mahomes and tight end Travis Kelce, who is also Taylor Swift's boyfriend. Sources told NFL.com at the time that the FBI was investigating the break-ins, which the agency believes are connected to a South American crime organization.

"It's legit," one source familiar with the situation told NFL.com. "It's a transnational crime ring, and over the last three weeks, they've focused on NBA and NFL players, and it's all over the country."

The NBA also warned players in November to take additional security precautions following break-ins at the houses of Milwaukee Bucks star Bobby Portis and Minnesota Timberwolves guard Mike Conley. The home of Celtics star Jaylen Brown's mother was also burglarized.

The NBA sent a memo to league officials, which The Associated Press obtained, that said the FBI has connected some of the burglaries to "transnational South American Theft Groups" that are "reportedly well-organized, sophisticated rings that incorporate advanced techniques and technologies, including pre-surveillance, drones, and signal jamming devices."

The FBI and Seager did not immediately return requests for comment from Business Insider.

• Reddit Answers is the social media site's new AI-powered search tool.
• Reddit Answers uses AI to summarize information from posts.
• We tried an early-access version. Here's what we found.

It's been a good year for Reddit.

The company went public to much fanfare. It has continued to grow in value as it makes its useful data available to AI companies like OpenAI and Google. It's also leveraging AI to refine its own search, muscling in on traditional search engines.

At an event in October, Reddit CEO Steve Huffman said users are already Googling "with the intention of ending up on Reddit."

"I think what's happening is people know that Reddit has answers, advice, perspectives on just about whatever you're looking for," Huffman said.

With this in mind, Reddit unveiled Reddit Answers earlier this month. The search tool uses AI to scour information from community posts and repackage it as a concise answer to a question. In its announcement, Reddit said the feature will provide information, recommendations, discussions, and "hot takes" based on questions submitted by users.

Reddit Answers is still in beta and is only available to "a limited number of users in the US," the company says. Reddit granted Business Insider limited access to try it out. Here's what we found.

How Reddit Answers works

Reddit Answers shows a large search box at the bottom of the screen where users can input their questions. After asking a question, Reddit's AI generates a summary followed by subsections with bullet points, each with hyperlinks to their source on Reddit.

The format of Reddit Answers is similar to the format of Google's AI overview, which is now found at the top of a Google search.

Business Insider asked each search engine the same questions about the best method for smoking brisket. Each search engine provided a summary followed by recommended techniques. Each technique in both summaries was followed by information with a hyperlinked source.

The notable difference between Google's AI overview and Reddit Answers is that all the sources linked in the Google overview went to sources outside of Google, including some to Reddit.

Reddit Answers struggled with recent news

Reddit Answers seems to work well for generalized advice like cooking tips, but it showed some difficulty with newsier items and sometimes makes mistakes in its summaries.

When asked, "Who won the New Orleans Saints game?" on Sunday, December 15, Reddit Answers said it could not find any information on the topic. When rephrased to "Who won the New Orleans Saints game today?" the site generated a summary from the New Orleans Saints vs Philadelphia Eagles game from September 22, three months prior.

Each summary that Reddit Answers generates ends with three recommended "subreddits" related to the topic.

Subreddits are individual pages dedicated to discussing a particular topic. For questions about the Saints game, Reddit recommended r/eagles, r/saints, and r/nfl.

BI also asked Reddit about the recent controversy surrounding actor Blake Lively. On December 20, Lively filed a complaint against her "It Ends With Us" costar, Justin Baldoni, accusing him of sexual harassment and conspiring to damage her reputation.

BI asked Reddit Answers on December 26, "Why is Blake Lively trending, and what are the key takeaways?" Reddit Answers responded with a one-sentence summary that said Lively had recently attended the "It Ends With Us" premiere on August 8 and listed some takeaways from the event.

The section that Reddit dedicated to the film's costars, Lively and Baldoni, did not mention any of their legal disputes. That section had one hyperlink to a Reddit post where one user commented on Lively's dress at the premiere five months earlier.

"Gorgeous. But I want someone to spill the Justin Baldoni sized tea. SPILL IT," the comment says.

Reddit Answers performed better on complex subjects that have multiple viewpoints

Reddit Answers was better at pulling together differing viewpoints from posts across Reddit about complex topics. BI asked Reddit Answers, for instance, "What are the pros and cons of a universal basic income?"

Reddit Answers responded with a summary that said universal basic income is "a hotly debated topic with strong opinions on both sides."

It listed three pros and three cons of a universal basic income. The pros were economic stimulation and poverty reduction, empowerment and freedom, and simplification of welfare systems. The cons were high costs and funding issues, inflation and market distortion, and work disincentives.

Each pro and con was followed by a link to one or two Reddit posts on the topic. Most posts linked to the pros (three out of five) came from the subreddit r/casualconversations. The other two posts linked to the pros came from r/neutralpolitics and r/basicincome.

Two of the linked posts for the cons came from r/askaliberal, and two others came from r/neutralpolitics. The remaining two reference links for cons came from r/askreddit and r/nostupidquestions.

Most of the linked reference posts for the pros and cons only included a link to the Reddit post from which Reddit Answers pulled its information. Some of those Reddit posts cited other publications. One referenced a Stanford University article, while another included a broken link to an Encyclopdia Britannica webpage.

All the Reddit posts that Reddit Answers linked to as sources for the universal basic income question were at least six months old. The oldest post was six years old and was linked as a source three times on the page.

All told, Reddit Answers has the potential to quickly summarize Redditors' views on diverse and complex topics, but it appears to have some learning to do itself before it can truly compete with Google.

• Ajit Pai urged the Supreme Court to uphold a federal law that could ban TikTok.
• The TikTok law requires its Chinese parent company, ByteDance, to divest to avoid a US ban.
• Pai, the FCC chair during Trump's first term, led efforts against other Chinese tech firms.

Former Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai is siding with Congress — and against his former boss, president-elect Donald Trump — in support of a federal law that could ban TikTok.

In a brief filed with the Supreme Court on Friday, Pai joined Thomas Feddo, an official in the Department of Treasury during Trump's first term, to call on the court to uphold the law, telling the justices that it has precedent.

Trump also filed a brief with the Supreme Court on Friday, asking the court to put the law on hold. It's set to go into effect on January 19, one day before Trump assumes office for the second time.

Congress passed the bipartisan law in April, citing national security concerns over the Chinese ownership of the popular social media company. It established a nine-month deadline for TikTok's Chinese parent company, ByteDance, to sell the app to a non-Chinese company or face a ban in the United States.

TikTok filed a suit in May, arguing that the law violates the First Amendment. The DC Circuit Court upheld the law on December 6. TikTok then filed an appeal to the Supreme Court on December 18. The court is expected to hear arguments on January 10.

Pai was one of numerous people and organizations, from members of Congress to free speech groups, who filed briefs to the Supreme Court in support or opposition to the law.

Pai headed the FCC from 2012 to 2016 under President Barack Obama and then from 2017 to 2021 under President Donald Trump.

In his filing, Pai's attorneys argued that the law has precedent.

They said he "spearheaded rulemaking" that prevented communications companies receiving federal funding from purchasing or using equipment from Chinese-owned tech companies like Huawei and ZTE over data privacy and security concerns.

The briefing says Pai also "put in place" the process for designating companies that could be a risk to national security. The document says these measures are "extremely similar" to the TikTok law passed by Congress.

"Congress and the Executive Branch have routinely identified in legislation or regulation specific companies under China's control that pose particular national security risk," the document says.

"In these other instances, just as with the Divestiture Act, Congress put in place a process for future designations in addition to naming particular threats."

Pai was a controversial figure during his leadership of the FCC. Under his tenure, the FCC ended net neutrality rules, which had governed the internet and been encoded in 2015. Net neutrality is the idea that internet service providers should treat all data the same, and not give preference to certain websites or slow down others.

In April 2024, the FCC announced an order that restored net neutrality as an industry standard.

Searchlight Capital — the private equity firm where Pai has been a partner since 2021, when he left his post at the FCC — did not immediately return a request for comment from Business Insider. An attorney for Pai declined to comment.

• Donald Trump asked the Supreme Court to pause a law that would ban TikTok.
• The president-elect filed a brief urging SCOTUS to give him time to pursue a political resolution.
• Congress passed a law that requires TikTok's Chinese owners to divest or be banned from US app stores.

President-elect Donald Trump asked the Supreme Court to pause the law that would ban TikTok in mid-January until after his inauguration.

Trump filed a brief on Friday urging the top court to give him time to "pursue a political resolution" before agreeing to ban the social media app.

In April, Congress passed a bipartisan law that established a nine-month deadline for TikTok's Chinese parent company to divest from the app or be barred from US app stores.

Business Insider reached out to TikTok and the Supreme Court for comment.

"President Donald J. Trump filed an amicus brief in the U.S. Supreme Court asking the Court to extend the deadline that would cause TikTok's imminent shutdown, and allow President Trump the opportunity to resolve the issue in a way that saves TikTok and preserves American national security once he resumes office as President of the United States on January 20, 2025," Trump spokesperson Steven Cheung said.

In the Friday filing, Trump's lawyers highlighted the president-elect's "consummate deal-making expertise," suggesting Trump has the "political will" to negotiate a resolution that would simultaneously "save the platform" and address the national security concerns highlighted in the Congressional bill.

The nine-month deadline is officially up on January 19, which is one day before Trump assumes office for a second time.

Trump previously supported a TikTok ban but appeared to change his mind in recent months. He met with the app's CEO earlier this month and said he had a "warm spot" in his heart for TikTok.

Legal experts previously told BI that Trump has a couple of options to try to keep the app running in the US, including asking his Department of Justice to ignore the divest law or trying to rework strategic interpretations of the law.

Trump and his lawyers also argue that the president-elect has a mandate from American voters to protect their free-speech rights, including those who use TikTok.

"Moreover, President Trump is one of the most powerful, prolific, and influential users of social media in history," the file said.

"Consistent with his commanding presence in this area, President Trump currently has 14.7 million followers on TikTok with whom he actively communicates, allowing him to evaluate TikTok's importance as a unique medium for freedom of expression, including core political speech," lawyers added.

• A California woman lost thousands to a scammer posing as Keanu Reeves.
• Romance scams are common online, with older Americans facing the largest financial losses.
• Americans lost about $650 million to romance scams in 2023.

A California woman is out tens of thousands of dollars after sending the money to a scammer she thought was actor Keanu Reeves.

Katherine Goodson, 67, said she sent thousands of dollars to the scammers through bitcoin, gift card transactions, and wire transfers over two years, according to KNSD, a local NBC affiliate. She said she is now living out of her car and had "29 miles of gas left."

"That's the lowest I've ever been," she told the outlet.

Imposter romance scams are among the most common scams on the internet. While romance scams can target people of any age group, older Americans usually suffer the largest monetary losses.

According to the FBI's Internet Crime Report, Americans lost more than $650 million to romance scams in 2023 alone. Americans over 60 reported the most losses to scammers of any age group, totaling $3.4 billion.

Melanie McGovern, the public relations director at the Better Business Bureau, told Business Insider that imposter scams are on the company's "12 scams of the holidays" list because there "are just so many." Scammers will impersonate almost anyone, from an online romantic interest to a health insurance company.

"They'll take any company name and scoop it," McGovern said.

Kate Kleinert, a 69-year-old widow, previously told BI that she lost $39,000 — most of her life savings — to an online romance scam.

"Losing the money — that was devastating. But losing that love and the thought of that family that we had? That's what crushed me," Kleinart told BI.

According to the Federal Trade Commission, some signs that you could be the target of a romance scam are if the person you are messaging refuses to meet in person, asks for money, or asks you to pay them in an unconventional way, such as a gift card or wire transfer.

If you suspect you may be the victim of a scam, stop talking to the person immediately and consult with someone you trust, the FTC says.

"Here's the bottom line: Never send money or gifts to a sweetheart you haven't met in person," the FTC says.

Goodson told KNSD she is sharing her story to help other Americans from becoming victims of similar scams.

"I don't blame anyone but myself," she told the outlet.

• Holiday scams are rising. Phishing and smishing attacks are targeting online shoppers.
• Scammers exploit the busy holiday season, using fake delivery messages to steal data.
• Law enforcement also warns of porch pirates.

Law enforcement and security professionals are warning of increased scam activity this holiday season.

Most holiday scams are phishing scams that can be found year-round, though scammers will theme their fraud to fit the season. An example could be a fake social media ad for a holiday product that sends you to a scam website or an email saying that a package you ordered for a Christmas gift is delayed and needs your approval.

"Remember, don't click on anything unknown, even if you just ordered gifts and you're expecting packages to come to your door soon," IRS Commissioner Danny Werfel said in a release. "Double-check before you click."

One of the most popular frauds this holiday season is a "smishing" scam involving text messages from people who claim to be the United States Postal Service, Melanie McGovern, the director of public relations at the Better Business Bureau, told Business Insider. The text message might say a package you ordered is delayed and include a link to a fake website that the scammers use to steal personal information.

"The biggest thing for people to remember is if they have opted into text reminders," McGovern said. "You have to opt in to receive any kind of text message from a retailer. Keeping track of what you ordered and where, how it's being delivered, is really important."

Scammers target the holiday season because it's a time when people are "super busy" buying gifts for loved ones, McGovern said. It can be easy to fall for a phishing scam during this time of the year, McGovern said, because of the commotion around holiday shopping.

"They're panicking, you know," McGovern said. "We're a week from Christmas, and they're like, 'Oh no, my package is being held up. It's something for my child. You're naturally going to go into panic mode."

One method to spot a phishing scam is to look at where the text or email is coming from, McGovern said. The USPS says it only uses "5-digit short codes" to send and receive text messages to and from mobile phones. One example of a fake scam text claiming to be from the USPS reviewed by Business Insider shows a +63 area code, which originates in the Philippines.

"They're phishing," McGovern said. "I got one the other day for my health insurance, and it looked like it was coming from your health insurance, until I looked at the address and realized it."

The most important thing to do if you think you are being scammed is to stop, pause, and look for warning signs, McGovern said. If you feel like something is off, there's a chance that it probably is.

Law enforcement agencies have also reported a rise in "porch pirate" activity, where thieves will steal a package delivered to someone's front porch. North Carolina Attorney General John Stein said in a holiday scam warning that it's important to track packages and make sure that you are home when they are delivered.

You can also set the delivery address to a neighbor's house who is home during the day, send the package to your workplace, or ask the post office to hold your mail and collect the deliveries there, Stein said.

• TikTok Shop is now a more popular online retailer than Shein and Sephora among Americans.
• TikTok Shop first launched in September 2023.
• A new consumer trends report found that 45% of surveyed Americans have bought something on TikTok.

TikTok Shop has surpassed retail giants Shein and Sephora in the online battle for US shoppers.

A 2025 consumer trends report by Coefficient Capital and The New Consumer's Dan Frommer analyzed how Americans' spending habits could affect certain brands. The research included 11 surveys of over 3,000 US consumers. The company conducted its most recent survey this month.

TikTok Shop launched in September 2023, making it a relatively new online retailer compared to its peers. However, the consumer trends report said 80% of surveyed Americans who use TikTok at least once a month are aware of TikTok Shop, signaling the retailer's growing reach.

That reach has helped TikTok overtake retailers like Sephora, Shein, and Qurate in US consumer spending for the third financial quarter, according to the trends report.

Sephora and Shein are two popular online retailers in the United States, especially with younger generations like Gen Alpha. Qurate Retail Group owns and operates six retail brands, including QVC. The company sells items online through its brands.

Sephora helped its parent company, LVMH, achieve record-breaking sales in 2023, reaching $10 billion in revenue across North America. Shein made $2 billion in profits that year. Although Qurate's third-quarter earnings report said revenue decreased by 5%, it generated $152 million in operating income.

A March Financial Times report cited three sources who said TikTok had reached $16 billion in sales in the United States. It's unclear how much the TikTok Shop has made since its 2023 launch, but the company said in its 2024 economic report that the app drove $15 billion in revenue for small businesses in the United States.

The consumer trends report said 45% of surveyed Americans purchased "fashion, clothing, and accessories" from TikTok Shop. Beauty and personal care items came second at 44%. Surveyed TikTok users also indicated purchasing electronics, home goods, food, toys, books, and more from the online shop.

TikTok has led the growth of social media shopping apps in the United States in recent years. TikTok's Chinese parent company, ByteDance, likely wants to replicate the success of its sister app in China, Douyin, which drives hundreds of billions in sales annually, often through influencer livestreams.

Despite its rising popularity with content creators and shoppers alike, TikTok faces a potential federal ban in the United States next month.

In April, Congress passed the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act. The law gives ByteDance until January 19 to divest from TikTok or face a ban in the United States. On December 6, a federal appeals court upheld the ban as constitutional.

Lawmakers worry that the Chinese government could compel the app's Chinese ownership to manipulate content for propaganda or leverage the personal data of millions of Americans.

Ahead of the potential ban, TikTok launched a "limited-time offer " promotion this week, allowing users to earn $50 in TikTok Shop credits to recruit a new user. Users can earn up to $350 in shop credits in total.

Representatives for TikTok, Shein, Sephora, and Qurate did not respond to a request for comment from Business Insider.

• Former Google CEO Eric Schmidt says human-directed AI-controlled drones are the future of war.
• Schmidt's startup, White Stork, is developing drones for Ukraine to use in its war with Russia.
• AI drones are a growing trend in military innovation, as is tech to counter them.

Former Google CEO Eric Schmidt says AI drones are the future of warfare but that human operators will need to ensure they don't go haywire.

Schmidt was Google's CEO from 2001 to 2011. He is now the founder of an AI drone startup called White Stork, which has provided Ukraine with drones to use in its war with Russia. At a Stanford lecture in August, Schmidt said that the war in Ukraine had turned him into a "licensed arms dealer." Schmidt said at the Stanford lecture that the startup's goal is to use AI "in complicated, powerful ways."

Schmidt's White Stork and Palmer Luckey's Anduril are at the forefront of developing autonomous drones for the US military.

Schmidt has said he imagines a future where humans are far from the front line of conflicts, operating from afar machines that do the actual fighting. Speaking to PBS on Friday, Schmidt said that using armed men on the battlefield is an "antiquated method of war."

"The correct model, and obviously war is horrific, is to have the people well behind and have the weapons well up front, and have them networked and controlled by AI," Schmidt said. "The future of war is AI, networked drones of many different kinds."

At a tech conference in Saudi Arabia in October, Schmidt called tanks "useless" and said a $5,000 drone could destroy a $5 million American tank.

Schmidt said it's more important that the United States maintains the "human in the loop" rule for AI drones, meaning that a person will have "meaningful human control" of drones on the battlefield.

"What will happen is that the computer will produce the battle plan and the human will authorize it, thereby giving the legitimacy of both authorizing it as a human but also the legitimacy of control and liability if they make a mistake," Schmidt said.

Having a human operator is key to preventing a "Dr. Strangelove situation," Schmidt said, where "you have an automatic weapon which makes the decision on its own."

"That would be terrible," he said.

Scott Sacknoff, president of aerospace and defense investment firm Spade Index, previously told Business Insider that autonomous drones in warfare are "definitely a trend."

"Every 20 years, the defense sector sort of goes through a cycle where here are the new technologies that will have a greater impact on defense and military," he said.

Sacknoff said the military defense business is always looking for a "counter" to the newest technology and that the growth of autonomous drones would likely bring more innovations to stop them.

• Dozens of unidentified aircraft have been spotted over military bases, airports, and cities in the US.
• The Pentagon said Monday that DoD has "no evidence" the drone sightings pose a threat.
• A White House spokesperson said the sightings include a mix of commercial, hobbyist, and law enforcement drones.

US officials said on Monday that the mystery drones flying over US military bases, airports, and cities don't pose a threat.

On Monday, White House national security spokesperson John Kirby said that more than 5,000 drone sightings have been reported in recent weeks, but only about 100 required further investigation.

He said the sightings have included a combination of lawful commercial drones, hobbyist drones, and law enforcement drones, as well as some crewed aircraft and stars mistaken for drones.

The House Intelligence Committee was expected to receive a classified briefing on Tuesday over the issue, a source familiar with the matter told CNN.

The drones have been seen flying at night over New Jersey and other East Coast states since mid-November, sparking concern and speculation from officials and citizens.

Kirby told reporters that "our assessment at this stage is that the activity is lawful and legal,"

The federal government has sent advanced technology and additional personnel to assist local authorities and state officials investigating the sightings, Kirby said.

He stressed that the government does not believe the drones represent a threat to national security.

"There are more than one million drones lawfully registered with the FAA here in the US and there are thousands of commercial hobbyists and law enforcement drones that are lawfully in the sky on any given day," Kirby said.

Kirby spoke to reporters on Monday after the Pentagon indicated, drawing an analogy to vehicles that approach the base, it wouldn't shoot at something unless it presented as a "clear and present danger."

The Department of Homeland Security echoed Kirby's statement in a post to X late on Monday.

Pentagon spokesperson Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder said the Defense Department has "no evidence at this time that the reported drone sightings pose a national security or public safety threat, or have a foreign nexus."

"We'll continue to do everything possible to investigate reports of concerning activity," he told reporters Monday. "But given how many drones are lawfully in our skies every day, we need to be careful to avoid assuming malintent or malicious behavior."

President-elect Donald Trump accused the US government on Monday of withholding information about the drones.

"The government knows what is happening," he said during public remarks at Mar-a-Lago. "And for some reason, they don't want to comment. I think they'd be better off saying what it is. Our military knows, and our president knows, and for some reason, they want to keep people in suspense."

"Something strange is going on," Trump said of the recent developments. "For some reason, they don't want to tell the people."

Mayors of 21 towns in New Jersey sent a letter Monday to the state's governor, Phil Murphy, demanding more transparency.

"Despite inquiries made to relevant authorities, we have yet to receive satisfactory answers about the purpose, operators, or safety protocols governing these flights," the letter says.

Where have residents reported seeing drones and unidentified aircraft?

Residents and officials have reported spotting unidentified aircraft, believed to be drones, flying above New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Maryland, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, and Ohio in recent weeks.

Murphy, the New Jersey governor, said late Monday that he had received a briefing from FBI Newark on their investigation.

"We are ready to assist the federal government in getting to the bottom of this," he added.

Murphy told reporters on Monday that some of the suspected drones spotted over his state are "very sophisticated" and can "go dark" the "minute you get eyes on them." Others have described the flying objects as bigger than normal hobby-style drones and able to avoid detection.

"This is something we're taking deadly seriously and we've gotten good cooperation out of the feds, but we need more," Murphy said.

Drones have been spotted near Picatinny Arsenal and Naval Weapons Station Earle, both military bases in New Jersey, and an airport in New York serving the public and the military.

However, officials have stressed such sightings are not necessarily unusual.

"This is not a new issue for us. We've had to deal with drone incursions over our bases for quite a time now," the spokesperson for the Joint Staff said Saturday. "It's something that we routinely respond to in each and every case when reporting is cited."

There have also been reports of suspected drones following a US Coast Guard vessel, as well as local police statements on the presence of unidentified aircraft near critical infrastructure.

US Northern Command, which is responsible for overseeing the protection of the US homeland, said over the weekend it was "aware and monitoring the reports of unauthorized drone flights in the vicinity of military installations in New Jersey."

Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio acknowledged that drone activity near the base led officials there to close its airspace for several hours late Friday night and into Saturday.

A recording of a controller from the Wright-Patterson air traffic control tower that was shared by The War Zone, which first reported the incursions, urges an aircraft to "use extreme caution for heavy UAS movement on the base."

What are officials saying about these mystery drones?

Trump said Friday on Truth Social that there are mystery drones being sighted all over the country. "Can this really be happening without our government's knowledge," he wrote. "I don't think so!"

He suggested that they be shot down. Other officials have expressed concern about shooting them down due to the threat to local populations of falling debris. Neither kinetic nor electronic warfare methods are particularly ideal near civilian areas.

New Jersey State Assemblyman Brian Bergen told CNN News Central's Sara Sidner on Monday that "we shouldn't be shooting things down right now."

"Look, I was an attack helicopter pilot in the US Army. I flew overseas. I have seen bullets fly through the sky. It's not a great idea to do over the United States," he said. "Things should not be shot out of the sky. That is a very dangerous thing to do."

The FBI and New Jersey State Police issued a joint statement on Monday warning of "a concern with people possibly firing weapons at what they believe to be a UAS," as well as increased incidences of pilots being dazzled by lasers.

There could be "deadly consequences" of these actions, they said.

Amid the confusion on the drones, there has been a lot of speculation, including from officials.

Rep. Jeff Van Drew of New Jersey said on Fox News last Wednesday that the drones came from an Iranian "mothership" off the East Coast of the United States, citing "very high sources."

Pentagon Press Secretary Sabrina Singh rejected the congressman's claim in a press conference later that day, saying "there is no Iranian ship off the coast of the United States, and there's no so-called mothership launching drones toward the United States."

Singh said that the Pentagon has no evidence that the reported drone sightings are the work of a foreign adversary. While Iran does have vessels that can carry drones, they were spotted off its southern coast as recently as Thursday — debunking Van Drew's claims.

He doubled down on Thursday, saying the government isn't telling the truth. The congressman said it could be another ship belonging to another foe. A Department of Homeland Security official said Saturday that there is no evidence of any foreign-based involvement in sending drones ashore from vessels in the area.

"We're doing our best to find the origin of those drone activities," an FBI official told reporters Saturday. "But I think there has been a slight overreaction."

Local officials, meanwhile, have been calling for additional information.

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul on Saturday called for increased federal oversight of drones and said runways at Stewart International Airport in Orange County were shut down for an hour due to unidentified drone activity. "This has gone too far," she said.

Hochul called on Congress to strengthen the Federal Aviation Administration's oversight of drones and provide counter-unmanned aircraft equipment to local law enforcement. On Sunday, she posted to social media that the federal government was sending a "drone detection system" to her state.

Previous unidentified flying objects and drone sightings

There have been a number of sightings of suspected drones and other unusual flying objects over or around military installations in recent years.

In February 2023, for example, the United States shot down three unidentified objects flying over American airspace over the course of three days. The incidents were part of a saga that followed the US takedown of a spy balloon off the coast of North Carolina the government said came from China.

As for drone activity, The Wall Street Journal reported in October that drones had been spotted over a military base in Virginia and the Energy Department's Nevada National Security Site the year prior. Retired US Air Force Gen. Mark Kelly, until March of this year the head of Air Combat Command, said that he learned about the sightings in December 2023, when officials at Langley Air Force Base in Virginia reported seeing dozens of drones flying over the base at night. It's unclear who was behind those incidents.

While the federal government says that the latest sightings are not the work of adversaries or a public security threat, multiple recent incidents near bases have raised national security concerns.

For instance, federal authorities on Monday charged a Chinese citizen residing in California, Yinpiao Zhou, with failure to register a non-transportation aircraft and violation of national defense airspace. The Justice Department accused Zhou of using a drone to photograph Vandenberg Space Force Base in Santa Barbara County on November 30.

Police arrested Zhou at the San Francisco International Airport before he boarded a China-bound flight.

And another man, Fengyun Shi, a Chinese national, was sentenced to six months in federal prison in October for photographing US Navy ships with a drone in Virginia. Fengyun, a student at the University of Minnesota, pleaded guilty to two misdemeanor counts of unauthorized use of aircraft for the unlawful photographing of a designated installation.

The FBI official who spoke to reporters on Saturday said of the most recent sightings: "We are doing everything we can, alongside our partners, to understand what is happening and whether or not there is more nefarious activity that we need to explore."

• Anduril and Archer are partnering to develop military vertical takeoff and landing aircraft.
• Anduril, known for AI military tech, has secured multimillion-dollar US contracts.
• Archer has specialized in electric tiltrotor aircraft for urban use.

Tech entrepreneur Palmer Luckey's Anduril is teaming up with Archer Aviation to create a new generation of vertical takeoff aircraft it hopes to sell to the US military.

A vertical takeoff and landing aircraft, or VTOL, can operate without a runway. VTOL aircraft include helicopters, as well as jets and tiltrotor aircraft that have the advantage of faster airspeeds. Depending on the design, these future aircraft could compete for Defense Department contracts to be logistics workhorses or multi-mission utility aircraft.

Anduril, which specializes in AI-powered vehicles for military use, has secured several multimillion-dollar contracts from the US government in recent years. Luckey founded Anduril in 2017 after previously founding virtual reality company Oculus, which he sold to Meta for $2 billion.

Archer is an aviation company that generally makes electric tiltrotor aircraft for urban use. The partnership with Aduril is the company's first project in its new defense initiative, Archer Defense.

Archer said in a news release that it will use its ability to "rapidly develop advanced VTOL aircraft using existing commercial parts" and Anduril's "deep expertise in artificial intelligence, missionization, and systems integration" to develop hybrid VTOL aircraft at a "fraction of the cost."

Archer CEO and founder Adam Goldstein said the aircraft it panned to develop with Anduril could be weaponized for military applications, or they could be used for surveillance, reconnaissance, and rescue missions, according to Tech Crunch.

Archer also raised $430 million of additional capital from investors, including Stellantis and United Airlines, the company said.

"The Archer team has deep expertise in the rapid design, engineering, and production of next-generation vertical-lift aircraft," Goldstein said in the release. "With Anduril by our side and this new influx of capital, we will accelerate the development and deployment of advanced aerospace technologies at scale."

The US military is a major buyer of VTOL aircraft. The Marine Corps flies Lockheed Martin's F-35B jump-jet, seen as a replacement for the AV-8B Harrier. And the US Army chose Bell's V-280 Valor tiltrotor to replace its UH-60 Blackhawk helicopters made by Sikorsky; the V-280 has almost twice the Blackhawk's speed.

Tiltrotors, like those built by Archer, are enticing to the US military because their mission sets could range from logistics runs to carrying soldiers on air assaults.

There may also be interest in a tiltrotor whose $84 million price tag and safety record compares favorably with Bell Boeing's embattled V-22 Osprey. The US military first commissioned the V-22 Osprey, a tiltrotor that can carry 24 passengers, in 2007. Several V-22 crashes since 2007 have killed over 50 people, earning the machine the nickname of "the widow-maker."

In November 2023, a V-22 Osprey crashed off the coast of Japan, killing eight airmen. The crash resulted in the US military grounding its entire V-22 Osprey fleet.

Anduril declined to comment on its partnership with Archer.

Shae Arnoult, senior vice president of engineering at the company, said in the news release that Anduril and Archer "share a common vision for advancing capabilities that meet urgent national security needs, and we look forward to partnering with Archer to bring advanced vertical lift aircraft to our customers."

• US regulations bar China from directly acquiring Nvidia's powerful H100 GPUs.
• That hasn't stopped ByteDance from becoming Nvidia's largest buyer in China.
• The company is also working around the export ban by increasing computing capacity outside China.

ByteDance is the biggest buyer of Nvidia's AI chips inside China as the TikTok owner seeks to establish itself in the artificial intelligence sector, the Financial Times reported.

A US export ban introduced in 2022 restricts China from acquiring Nvidia's more advanced GPUs. One is the H100 — a coveted chip that powers data-hungry AI models and has helped turn Nvidia into a $3 trillion company amid the global AI boom.

The ban limits China to Nvidia's less powerful H20 chip. In May, Chinese government officials asked local tech companies to buy domestic-made chips instead.

Despite the US regulation and China's pleas, ByteDance has emerged as Nvidia's largest buyer of AI chips, sources who spoke to FT said. One source told the publication that ByteDance is Nvidia's largest customer in Asia.

The report did not disclose a figure, but The Information reported in September that the TikTok parent company placed orders for more than 200,000 Nvidia H20s this year.

Bytedance appears to be seeking a workaround to the US ban to get its hands on Nvidia's H100 and Blackwell chips by increasing computing capacity outside of China, including plans for new data centers in Malaysia, sources familiar with the matter told the FT.

ByteDance did not immediately return a request for comment from Business Insider on Sunday.

The TikTok owner's push to acquire more Nvidia chips is part of the company's broader effort to establish itself as an AI powerhouse.

The company has siphoned top engineers from rival companies and startups, according to the FT. In 2021, the company indicated plans to attract overseas AI talent, Business Insider reported.

Bytedance is also joining a chorus of Big Tech companies looking to disrupt Nvidia's dominance by developing its own chip. Sources familiar with the matter told the FT that the company is building an AI chip for machine learning modeled after Google's Tensor Processing Unit.

Earlier this year, ByteDance unveiled a tool not available to the public called StreamVoice. This tool allows users to change their voice into another person, such as a celebrity, with AI. The company also launched Cici AI, an AI-powered chat assistant that relies on OpenAI's GPT.

Amid its push to become a formidable player in the AI race, ByteDance still faces major hurdles, including a slowed user growth rate on TikTok and an uncertain future in the US, where an appeals court recently upheld a ban on the short-form video platform. Judges concluded that ByteDance must sell TikTok to avoid being banned from app stores.

Several ultrawealthy investors have offered to buy the platform, including Kevin O'Leary of "Shark Tank," former treasury secretary Steven Mnuchin, and billionaire former Dodgers owner Frank McCourt.

"We don't want to see it banned," McCourt said on Sunday on CBS's Face the Nation. "I'd add that President-elect Trump has also said he doesn't want to see it banned. So now, let's talk about the sale."

• The US military struck ISIS targets in Syria on Sunday as rebel groups toppled the government.
• Longtime Syrian leader Bashar Assad fled Damascus for Moscow.
• President Joe Biden said US forces would remain in Syria to fight ISIS.

The US military said it carried out dozens of precision strikes against ISIS targets in central Syria on Sunday.

The widespread airstrikes came after a dayslong blitz by rebel forces that ultimately led to the downfall of Syria's longtime leader, Bashar Assad. Russian state news media reported Sunday that Assad had arrived in Moscow, where he was given asylum.

US Central Command, which oversees Middle East operations, said it struck ISIS leaders, operatives, and camps to prevent the terrorist group from rebuilding in central Syria amid the chaos.

Centcom said it used US Air Force B-52 bombers, F-15 fighter jets, and A-10 attack aircraft to strike over 75 targets, adding that battle damage assessments are underway. A senior administration official, speaking to reporters, described the operation as "significant" and said about 140 munitions were used. It is unclear what missiles or bombs may have been used.

"There should be no doubt — we will not allow ISIS to reconstitute and take advantage of the current situation in Syria," Gen. Michael Erik Kurilla, the Centcom commander, said in a statement. "All organizations in Syria should know that we will hold them accountable if they partner with or support ISIS in any way."

Syrian anti-government forces announced early on Sunday morning that they had taken control of Damascus. It was the culmination of 13 years of civil war, which began in 2011 after Assad's forces violently cracked down on peaceful demonstrators.

Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, an organization that traces its origins to Al Qaeda but has since split from the group and portrayed itself as more moderate, launched the surprise offensive in late November. The rebels quickly took control of Aleppo, one of Syria's largest cities, Hama, and the strategic city of Homs before advancing into Damascus.

President Joe Biden, in a press briefing on Sunday, acknowledged that the US conducted airstrikes "targeting ISIS camps and ISIS operatives" inside Syria.

"We're clear-eyed about the fact that ISIS will try to take advantage of any vacuum to re-establish its capability to create a safe haven," Biden said. "We will not let that happen."

Biden said that the US would support Syria's neighbors Jordan, Lebanon, Iraq, and Israel "should any threat arise from Syria during this transition."

The United States has about 900 troops in Syria carrying out missions against ISIS. Biden said on Sunday that these forces will remain in the country despite Assad's ouster.

The US routinely works with local forces in Syria and neighboring Iraq to carry out operations against ISIS, dozens of which have taken place in recent months.

• President-elect Donald Trump once supported a US ban on TikTok.
• Then, during the 2024 presidential campaign, Trump said he would "save TikTok."
• His cabinet picks might indicate what position he'll ultimately take once in office.

President-elect Donald Trump's views on whether TikTok, which a Chinese company owns, poses a threat to the United States have shifted 180 degrees.

Will they come full circle?

In April, lawmakers concerned about Chinese influence passed a law giving ByteDance, the Chinese owner of TikTok, a deadline of January 19 to sell its social media app to a non-Chinese company or face a nationwide ban. TikTok appealed, but on Friday, a federal court upheld the law, siding with the Biden administration's argument that the service poses a national security threat.

In 2020, Trump unsuccessfully sought to ban TikTok in the United States but has since had a change of heart. During the 2024 campaign, Trump said young people would "go crazy without it." Trump's own TikTok accounts generated millions of views.

Which side Trump ultimately lands on the issue could have a major impact on ByteDance and TikTok, which says it has over 170 million users in the United States. Even if the law is upheld after future appeals, Trump could choose not to enforce it during his presidency.

Trump's closest advisors, however, might have something to say about that. Some of Trump's top cabinet nominees support a TikTok ban.

Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida — Trump's nominee for secretary of state — called a ban a "win for America" earlier this year. Trump's pick for Federal Communications Commission chair, Brendan Carr, also advocated for a TikTok ban in Project 2025, a road map for the first 180 days of a new Republican presidency that the Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank, published in 2023.

Carr wrote in the plan that TikTok is part of a Beijing "foreign influence campaign by determining the news and information that the app feeds to millions of Americans."

Project 2025 refers to TikTok as "a tool of Chinese espionage" that is "highly addictive" and "especially popular with teenage girls."

"The ties between TikTok and the Chinese government are not loose, and they are not coincidental," the document reads.

John Ratcliffe, the former US director of national intelligence, is Trump's pick for CIA director. Ratcliffe, also an author of Project 2025, told Fox News in 2022 that he thinks TikTok is a "national security threat."

Govs. Doug Burgum of North Dakota, Trump's pick for interior secretary, and Kristi Noem of South Dakota, the president-elect's choice for Homeland Security secretary, both previously banned the app from state-owned devices.

TikTok has denied accusations that it influences content inside the United States or is addictive to children.

A spokesperson for TikTok told Business Insider that the TikTok ban law was "conceived and pushed through based upon inaccurate, flawed and hypothetical information, resulting in outright censorship of the American people."

"The Supreme Court has an established historical record of protecting Americans' right to free speech, and we expect they will do just that on this important constitutional issue," the spokesperson said.

• The Salt Typhoon hack is one of the largest attacks on US telecommunications ever, officials say.
• The yearslong attack originated in China and targeted major telecom companies like AT&T and Verizon.
• The NSA says it believes Chinese hackers were targeting senior US political figures.

US security officials have warned that millions of people's personal information could be at risk after a yearslong hacking campaign originating in China.

The US government started investigating the hack in the summer after Microsoft — which named the hack the Salt Typhoon — sounded alarms about anomalies.

Speaking to reporters on Saturday, White House Deputy national security advisor Anne Neuberger said that while data belonging to millions of Americans was likely compromised, the hack targeted senior US officials.

"We believe the calls they recorded and took was really more focused on very senior political individuals," she said.

A report from the Congressional Research Office said Chinese hackers may have sought access to presidential candidates' communications. "With that access, they could potentially retrieve unencrypted communication (e.g., voice calls and text messages)," the report says.

A senior NSA official said in October that hackers from China accessed information from AT&T, Verizon, and Lumen Technologies, according to NBC.

Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Mark Warner told The Washington Post that the hack is the "worst telecom hack in our nation's history by far."

"This is an ongoing effort by China to infiltrate telecom systems around the world, to exfiltrate huge amounts of data," Warner told the outlet.

The New York Times reported that hackers from China went undetected inside American telecommunications companies for over a year and obtained a nearly complete list of phone numbers that the Justice Department monitors in its "lawful intercept" system. The lawful intercept system is what allows law enforcement, through a court order, to wiretap or "bug" phone calls.

The FBI warned that all US citizens should use a cellphone that automatically updates its operating system and use encryption and multifactor authentication for email and social media accounts.

Neuberger said in an earlier press call on Wednesday that the government does not believe any of the targeted telecom companies have "fully removed" the Chinese hackers from their networks, and communications are still at risk. Senior White House officials on the call said the hack has been ongoing for "likely one to two years."

"President Biden has been briefed multiple times on this compromise," Neuberger told reporters. She added that the White House "has made it a priority for the federal government to do everything it can to get to the bottom of this."

Neuberger said that White House leaders are meeting three times a week to discuss the hack.

The Senate Commerce Subcommittee will hold a hearing on December 11 to discuss security threats to communications networks and review best practices for providers to mitigate consumer risks. The committee will focus on the Salt Typhoon attacks in the hearing.

• A gunman fatally shot UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson on December 4 in New York City.
• The NYPD launched a manhunt but has so far failed to capture the suspect.
• The suspect's evasion has revealed holes in surveillance, but police say it's just a matter of time.

The Manhattan shooting Wednesday of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson was captured by a surveillance camera and shared on social media, where the footage racked up hundreds of thousands of views. Authorities later released full-color surveillance images of the gunman, including one that showed him with his mask pulled down and smiling.

Yet, the gunman is still at large after four days despite a citywide manhunt led by the largest metropolitan police force in the country. On Friday, authorities told CNN they believed the gunman had managed to leave the city by bus.

The gunman's ability to evade capture so far has highlighted the limits of surveillance, even in a city like New York, where authorities have access to thousands of cameras that can track millions of people daily.

"You have got to remember, he was running around a city of 9 million people," Joseph Giacolone, a former NYPD Sergeant and professor at the John Jay School of Criminal Justice, told Business Insider. "You know, it's not that easy to pick somebody up the street, especially if they're all buttoned up."

New York City is under constant surveillance by police and residents

After the September 11 terrorist attacks in 2001, George W. Bush's administration expanded surveillance across the country.

Bush signed the Aviation and Transportation Act that November, creating the Transportation Security Administration. That same year, the Bush administration ushered in the USA Patriot Act, which expanded law enforcement's ability to use surveillance.

The US Congress later created the Department of Homeland Security. The department launched a nationwide campaign — "If You See Something, Say Something" — encouraging citizens to report suspicious activity to law enforcement to prevent terrorism and other criminal acts.

Since then, the emphasis on surveillance and security has spread nationwide, including in New York City, where cameras are now everywhere.

Amnesty International, a human rights organization, said there were over 25,500 surveillance cameras in New York City in a 2022 report. The NYPD has used images from the ubiquitous cameras to track crimes and for use in facial recognition software.

The NYPD's "Facial Identification Section" received 9,850 requests for comparison and returned 2,510 possible matches in 2019 — a roughly 25% match rate. The agency said it's unaware of cases in NYC in which a person was falsely arrested due to a facial recognition match.

This May, New York City Mayor Eric Adams launched a pilot program focused on using technology to increase public safety. The "community-based security camera integration platform" will allow businesses to "voluntarily share information in real-time with the NYPD through existing closed-circuit television cameras," according to a press release.

The emergence of Amazon's Ring cameras and smartphones has added another layer of monitoring. In 2022, the NYPD said it would join and monitor the Neighbors app, where residents share information on crime and safety.

"While the NYPD will not monitor the app around the clock, it will have the capacity to view, post and respond to crime- and safety-related information posted publicly by the users of the app," a press release said.

The NYPD is "processing a tremendous amount of evidence"

Commissioner Jessica Tisch told CNN on Friday that the department had already collected "lots of forensic evidence" and was "processing a tremendous amount of evidence in this case."

She said there is also a "massive camera canvass" of the suspect's movements through the city.

Additionally, a law enforcement official told CNN that investigators found a backpack in Central Park they believe belonged to the suspect but had not officially confirmed where it came from. Authorities took the backpack for tests.

Giacolone told BI that while the shooting suspect has evaded capture for now, it will be difficult for him to elude authorities as they collect more evidence. The NYPD will be looking for what he called "the three horsemen of forensics" to solve the case, which are video surveillance, cellphone records, and internet records.

"I've been on these investigations," Giacolone said. "They know what hole he crawled out of, what hole he went back into. As far as I'm concerned, they already know who he is. They just got to find him."