R&R: Debunked theories and unsolved mysteries

What I’m reading and watching.

Good morning and happy Sunday! Welcome to R&R, my weekly recap and recommendations feature for paid subscribers — where I’ll give you a tour through the news stories that most jumped out at me from the past week.

THE WEEK’S BIGGEST MYSTERY: What in the world are those mysterious drones being spotted over New Jersey? In times like these, it’s always best to go straight to the local news source, and I thought this piece by NJ.com does a good job of rounding up what we know and what we don’t, including the bipartisan sentiment from state officials that they’re being gaslighted by the federal government.

NUMBER TO KNOW: Zero. That’s how many women or people of color were selected by the House Republican Steering Committee to chair House committees in the next Congress. Per ABC News, it’s the first time in 20 years that the chamber’s committee gavels will all be held by men. (Punchbowl News notes that the House Rules Committee gavel, which is assigned by the speaker and not by the steering committee, could go to Rep. Virginia Foxx.)