The large mysterious drones reported flying over parts of New Jersey in recent weeks appear to avoid detection by traditional methods such as helicopter and radio, according to a state lawmaker briefed Wednesday by the Department of Homeland Security. In a post on the social media platform X, Assemblywoman Dawn Fantasia described the drones as up to 6 feet in diameter and sometimes traveling with their lights switched off. The Morris County Republican was among several state and local lawmakers who met with state police and Homeland Security officials to discuss the spate of sightings that range from the New York City area through New Jersey and westward into parts of Pennsylvania, including over Philadelphia. The devices do not appear to be The dronees wereffffflown by hobbyists, Fantasia wrote. Dozens of mysterious nighttime flights started last month and have raised growing concern among residents and officials. Part of the worry stems from the flying objects initially being spotted near the Picatinny Arsenal, a U.S. military research and manufacturing facility; and over President-elect Donald Trump’s golf course in Bedminster. Drones are legal in New Jersey for recreational and commercial use, but they are subject to local and Federal Aviation Administration regulations and flight restrictions. Operators must be FAA certified. Most, but not all, of the drones spotted in New Jersey were larger than those typically used by hobbyists. The number of sightings has increased in recent days, though officials say many of the objects seen may have been planes rather than drones. It’s also possible that a single drone has been reported more than once. Gov. Phil Murphy and law enforcement officials have stressed that the drones don’t appear to threaten public safety. The FBI has been investigating and has asked residents to share any videos, photos or other information they may have. Two Republican Jersey Shore-area congressmen, U.S. Reps. Chris Smith and Jeff Van Drew, have called on the military to shoot down the drones. Smith said a Coast Guard commanding officer briefed him on an incident over the weekend in which a dozen drones followed a motorized Coast Guard lifeboat “in close pursuit” near Barnegat Light and Island Beach State Park in Ocean County. Coast Guard Lt. Luke Pinneo told The Associated Press Wednesday “that multiple low-altitude aircraft were observed in vicinity of one of our vessels near Island Beach State Park.” The aircraft weren't perceived as an immediate threat and didn't disrupt operations, Pinneo said. The Coast Guard is assisting the FBI and state agencies in investigating. In a letter to U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, Smith called for military help dealing with the drones, noting that Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst has the capability "to identify and take down unauthorized unmanned aerial systems.” However, Pentagon spokeswoman Sabrina Singh told reporters Wednesday that “our initial assessment here is that these are not drones or activities coming from a foreign entity or adversary.” Many municipal lawmakers have called for more restrictions on who is entitled to fly the unmanned devices. At least one state lawmaker proposed a temporary ban on drone flights in the state. “This is something we’re taking deadly seriously. I don’t blame people for being frustrated," Murphy said earlier this week. A spokesman for the Democratic governor said he did not attend Wednesday's meeting. Republican Assemblyman Erik Peterson, whose district includes parts of the state where the drones have been reported, said he also attended Wednesday's meeting at a state police facility in West Trenton. The session lasted for about 90 minutes. Peterson said DHS officials were generous with their time, but appeared dismissive of some concerns, saying not all the sightings reported have been confirmed to involve drones. So who or what is behind the flying objects? Where are they coming from? What are they doing? “My understanding is they have no clue,” Peterson said. A message seeking comment was left with the Department of Homeland Security. Most of the drones have been spotted along coastal areas and some were recently reported flying over a large reservoir in Clinton. Sightings also have been reported in neighboring states. James Edwards, of Succasunna, New Jersey, said he has seen a few drones flying over his neighborhood since last month. “It raises concern mainly because there's so much that's unknown,” Edwards said Wednesday. “There are lots of people spouting off about various conspiracies that they believe are in play here, but that only adds fuel to the fire unnecessarily. We need to wait and see what is really happening here, not let fear of the unknown overtake us." —— AP reporters Mike Catalini in Morrisville, Pennsylvania; and Wayne Parry in Point Pleasant, New Jersey, contributed to this report.

SERVICENOW is restructuring its user training programme RiseUp amid low job placement rates and a corporate backlash to diversity-focused initiatives. Over the last year, multiple workers have been let go and key leaders left, according to sources familiar with the matter. Some contractors who mentor students and create curriculum also were cut, said the sources, who asked not to be named discussing internal information. RiseUp is meant to train workers to implement and manage ServiceNow’s technology at customer companies or consultant firms. Often, it’s targeted at people trying to break into the tech industry with limited experience. Similar programmes are offered by Salesforce, SAP and Alphabet’s Google. A ServiceNow spokesperson said the company has worked this year to evolve “what was the previous RiseUp agenda into a holistic learning strategy and platform called ServiceNow University”. The headcount and budget have not changed year over year, the spokesperson said. Across corporate America, companies including Walmart, Boeing and Zoom Communications have pulled back or rebranded their investment in diversity-oriented programmes in the wake of last year’s Supreme Court ruling banning affirmative action in college admissions. The decision raised questions about the legality of corporate diversity programmes and spurred a backlash against these efforts. ServiceNow in its annual report on diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) calls the RiseUp training programme a step towards creating “equitable processes, policies and practices”. Santa Clara, California-based ServiceNow makes applications that help companies organise and automate their personnel, information technology and customer service operations. It has grown rapidly in recent years and generates more than US$10 billion in annual revenue from customers including AT&T and the US Army. The company employs almost 24,500 workers, and chief executive officer Bill McDermott said the software maker has not done “layoffs” in recent years like many tech peers. RiseUp advertises jobs in the industry paying more than six figures for trainees who complete the programme. But for those who have gone through RiseUp, success is not guaranteed. Graduates have had difficulty finding positions that use ServiceNow’s products, the sources said. Employability is a “new and high priority focus” of RiseUp, with a team hired in recent months to help support job placement for graduates, the spokesperson said. The company will begin tracking placement rates, the spokesperson said, adding that “any stats provided by other sources are inaccurate and cannot be verified”. Perhaps tech’s best-known user education programme is Salesforce’s Trailhead. The software giant offers extensive training courses online and awards gold lame hoodies during high-production events to its users, which it calls trailblazers. ServiceNow hired key alumni from Salesforce’s programme when building RiseUp, including Amy Regan Morehouse as a senior vice-president. She left ServiceNow earlier this year as RiseUp was reorganised under the company’s Equity and Inclusion division. Selina Suarez, another former leader of Salesforce training initiatives, joined to lead RiseUp in 2023 and left in November. Both declined to comment. When RiseUp was announced in late 2022, ServiceNow targeted training one million people to work on its platform by the end of 2024. “The programme will fuel a new economy of in-demand, job-ready talent with an emphasis on faster, more equitable career paths in the high-growth ServiceNow ecosystem,” the company said. ServiceNow has since publicly softened that goal, instead saying they are on track to train that many people without specifying a time frame. The company spokesperson said that commitment is now updated to “skilling” three million people by 2027. ServiceNow has long touted RiseUp as part of its equality-focused initiatives due to its focus on non-traditional tech talent. Still, the spokesperson said the programme was “not built as a DEI initiative”. In addition to online coursework, ServiceNow offers training through universities and other partners, the spokesperson said. Earlier this year, the company committed US$3 million to training workers in the New York City area. BLOOMBERGNew Zealand grants visa to controversial US pundit Candace Owens

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