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  • Eagles open as slim favorites over Chargers in Week 14; plus, updated Super Bowl and MVP odds

    Eagles open as slim favorites over Chargers in Week 14; plus, updated Super Bowl and MVP odds

    It hasn’t been a fun start to the holiday season for Eagles fans after watching their team lose back-to-back games to the Dallas Cowboys and the Chicago Bears. In their most recent matchup, the Eagles struggled in almost every aspect in a 24-15 loss to Chicago on Black Friday.

    Now the Eagles are preparing for a prime-time matchup at SoFi Stadium, where they’ll face the Los Angeles Chargers on Monday Night Football. From the Birds’ chances to updates on yearly awards, here are some of the latest odds at two of the biggest sportsbooks …

    Eagles-Chargers odds

    The last time these teams met was during the 2021 season in a game that saw the Eagles lose, 27-24, at home.

    While the Birds are sliding, the Chargers have won four of their last five games. But their latest win over the Las Vegas Raiders saw quarterback Justin Herbert suffer a broken bone in his non-throwing hand. Ahead of the Week 14 matchup, the sportsbooks are favoring the Eagles, who open as a 3-point favorite.

    FanDuel

    • Spread: Chargers +3 (-118); Eagles -3 (-104)
    • Moneyline: Chargers (+124); Eagles (-146)
    • Total: Over 40.5 (-115); Under 40.5 (-105)

    DraftKings

    • Spread: Chargers +3 (-108); Eagles -3 (-112)
    • Moneyline: Chargers (+136); Eagles (-162)
    • Total: Over 40.5 (-115); Under 40.5 (-105)
    The Eagles are still in the driver’s seat in the NFC East, but Dallas is gaining ground.

    NFC East odds update

    The 8-4 Eagles still hold a lead over the rest of the division in the race to win the NFC East. However, Dallas (6-5-1) managed to close the gap even more after a win over the Eagles in Week 13 and a win over the Kansas City Chiefs on Thanksgiving Day. Meanwhile, Washington’s chances remain similarly slim after an overtime loss to the Denver Broncos. The Commanders are 3-9.

    FanDuel

    DraftKings

    NFC odds update

    At both sportsbooks, the Eagles are no longer considered one of the top two favorites to win the conference. At both FanDuel and DraftKings, they are tied with the Green Bay Packers for the third-best odds to win the conference, following the Los Angeles Rams and the Seattle Seahawks.

    FanDuel

    DraftKings

    The Eagles narrowly held on to beat the Rams earlier this season. Could the two meet again in the playoffs?

    Super Bowl odds

    The defending champions are also out of the top three favorites to win the Super Bowl. However, they do remain in the top five at both sportsbooks. Meanwhile, the Rams and the Seahawks are the favorites on both lists and the Packers, Buffalo Bills, and Broncos have reentered the mix.

    FanDuel

    DraftKings

    MVP odds

    Jalen Hurts’ chances to win the MVP continue to fall to the point where he’s basically out of the race. Matthew Stafford and Drake Maye still hold the top two spots in the race to MVP. However, Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott has entered the top four at both sportsbooks.

    FanDuel

    DraftKings

    Offensive player of the year

    Saquon Barkley is similarly out of the offensive player of the year picture. Meanwhile, Jonathan Taylor and Jaxon Smith-Njigba are the favorites at both sportsbooks.

    FanDuel

    DraftKings

  • Nick Sirianni reiterates Eagles are ‘evaluating everything,’ but Kevin Patullo will still call plays

    Nick Sirianni reiterates Eagles are ‘evaluating everything,’ but Kevin Patullo will still call plays

    Three days after Eagles coach Nick Sirianni said he would be “evaluating everything” in the wake of his team’s 24-15 loss to the Chicago Bears, Sirianni reiterated that his play-caller will remain the same.

    The Eagles, Sirianni said, spent the weekend — and still are — evaluating everything, but offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo will continue his normal duties as the team begins preparations for its Week 14 game Monday night at the Los Angeles Chargers.

    Sirianni declined to go into particulars about what the self-scouting and evaluating over the weekend led to during what amounts to a mini-bye week.

    “Everything was being evaluated,” Sirianni said. “We’ll think about some different things that we want to do, all over the place, scheme, everything. I don’t think it benefits us for me to share, in particular, what that is.

    “Just know this: We want to get this thing fixed more than everybody. We live it, breathe it, and [are] involved in it every waking second of our lives. So that’s what we’re working on right now.”

    The Eagles offense under its first-year coordinator has slipped into a prolonged rut after entering the Week 9 bye on the heels of what appeared to be two breakout performances. The Eagles have scored just 62 points in their last four games combined. They have been unable to establish a running game and the passing game has been inconsistent.

    Patullo has borne the brunt of the blame for the Eagles’ offensive struggles in 2025. A website calling for his firing has surfaced. Fans chanted for him to be fired during the game Friday. And later, after the game, his home was egged in the early hours of Saturday morning.

    Jalen Hurts talks to Nick Sirianni and offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo during the second quarter of the Oct. 26 win over the Giants.

    Sirianni has not shied away from making changes in the past. In 2021, during his first season as head coach, Sirianni stripped himself of play-calling duties in favor of Shane Steichen. In 2023, the Eagles stripped defensive coordinator Sean Desai of third-down planning and eventually demoted him in favor of Matt Patricia.

    Sirianni on Monday called those instances “different scenarios.”

    “It isn’t just one person,” he said. “It’s the ultimate team game. … We’re working through everything. I have a lot of faith in all the players. I have a lot of faith in all the coaches.

    “We got to execute it better, we got to scheme it better, all can be true, and we have to call it better. It’s every area that we need to improve on.”

    The 2023 season has been brought up a lot during both of the Eagles’ two-game losing streaks this season. The Eagles, you may not need a reminder, started 10-1 before finishing their season by losing five of six and bowing out in the first round of the playoffs in embarrassing fashion.

    “I think you saw a lot of the lessons we learned in ’23 resulted in what happened last year,” Sirianni said when asked Monday what lessons from then he may be leaning on.

    “You always take lessons in everything. Sometimes that sting of the loss has even more impact, which is why I’m grateful for adversity and looking for an opportunity to get better from the adversity. Most definitely, those have lasting lessons.”

    Sirianni again declined to go into specifics about the lessons he learned, but he said he has those things written down regarding what was learned and how it was learned.

    “Those lumps that you take, if you allow them to, can knock you down and keep you down,” he said. “Or, those lumps that you take can let you rise up above everything.

    “Right now, of course none of us are doing a good enough job right now. We all have to look internally and get better.”

  • Eagles offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo’s house was vandalized after Bears loss, police confirm

    Eagles offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo’s house was vandalized after Bears loss, police confirm

    Police confirmed that Eagles offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo’s house was vandalized early Saturday morning, two days before a viral video surfaced Monday depicting objects being thrown in the direction of a home.

    According to the Moorestown Police Department, Patullo’s home was vandalized with multiple eggs at about 2:50 a.m. Saturday, hours after the Eagles lost, 24-15, to the Chicago Bears on Black Friday.

    Detectives are still working to determine the identities of those involved in the incident, a police spokesperson said.

    Patullo, the first-year Eagles offensive coordinator, has shouldered the brunt of the blame for the Eagles’ struggles on offense. A website calling for his firing surfaced. Fans chanted for him to be fired during the game Friday.

    Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni reiterated Monday what he said Friday after the game: Patullo will remain the play-caller as the Eagles prepare for their Week 14 game at the Los Angeles Chargers on Monday.

  • 6abc’s Annie McCormick is leaving the station, the reporter announces

    6abc’s Annie McCormick is leaving the station, the reporter announces

    After 13 years at 6abc, reporter Annie McCormick is leaving the station, she announced on social media. Her last day was Monday, Dec. 1.

    “For our viewers, I just wanted to do the job the constitution gave us the right to do in the most fair and respectful way. I am most thankful for the everyday people who have let me into their lives on even their worst days. I’ve learned my greatest life lessons from our viewers,” she said in a Facebook post.

    “I will continue to tell the public’s stories in a variety of mediums, stay tuned,” she said.

    In her announcement, McCormick did not detail what her next career move will be. She said that she was grateful for her time at 6abc and was “looking forward to my next chapter in journalism.”

    McCormick and 6abc did not respond to requests for comment.

    McCormick joined 6abc in 2012 as a general assignment reporter. She began her journalism career as a White House photo intern during the Clinton administration and went on to work as a photojournalist for several outlets, including the Philadelphia Daily News.

    As a television reporter, she worked in Texas, New Mexico, and Harrisburg before returning to Philadelphia. Born and raised in South Jersey, McCormick stayed local to attend Muhlenberg College.

    McCormick shared in her post that she is continuing to write her latest book, Restless Ghosts, a historical true-crime story about the 1929 death of two Moorestown, N.J., socialites. It is slated for publication sometime next year.

  • These bills meant to help Philly renters took effect on Tuesday

    These bills meant to help Philly renters took effect on Tuesday

    Philadelphia renters have some more to be thankful for this holiday season.

    City Council bills that cap rental application fees and allow renters to pay security deposits in installments take effect Tuesday.

    “The goal was to address the unaffordability of moving in for so many tenants in Philadelphia,” said City Councilmember Rue Landau, who introduced the legislation. “Rents have gone up tremendously, and people’s incomes have not.”

    Almost half of the city’s residents rent their homes. And the Philadelphia region is one of the least affordable major metros in the country for its apartment renters based on their incomes, according to a January report by the online real estate brokerage Redfin.

    FreshStartPHL, a move-in assistance program the city launched earlier this year to cover the equivalent of three months’ rent and moving expenses for eligible renters, had to stop accepting applications because it didn’t have enough funds to meet demand.

    The city is considering adding money to the program’s budget under Mayor Cherelle L. Parker’s H.O.M.E. initiative to build or preserve 30,000 housing units.

    Parker signed the bills capping renter application fees and allowing for security deposit installments in September.

    Capped application fees

    Starting Tuesday, the city is prohibiting landlords from charging a rental application fee of more than $50 or the cost of running a background and/or credit check, whichever is less, within a 12-month period. Landlords are prohibited from charging application fees unless they are used to cover the cost of these checks.

    Landlords can’t perform a “hard pull” credit check that affects a prospective tenant’s credit score and have to provide tenants with a copy of any credit and/or background check performed.

    And landlords who have more than one unit available can charge a prospective tenant only one application fee if the tenant applies for multiple units. Landau said some renters had been paying $100 or more per application. That adds up when renters have to apply for multiple homes.

    “Historic discrimination of Black and brown, immigrant, LGBTQ, and disabled Philadelphians causes higher barriers for them to overcome in order to secure housing, with increased costs as they pay application fees throughout the city,” Landau said. “As a city, we still need to tackle housing discrimination in a serious way. But in the meantime, this bill will reduce those costs.”

    Payment plans for security deposits

    Also starting Tuesday, some landlords will have to allow renters to pay a portion of their security deposit in installments if the deposit is more than one month’s rent. According to state law, landlords can charge up to two months’ rent for a security deposit, with the charge of the last month’s rent included in the tally.

    Renters can choose to pay the cost beyond one month’s rent in equal installments over three months.

    This ordinance does not apply to landlords with one or two units, a concession Landau made after pushback from other Council members and small landlords.

    Landau said that when renters have to come up with a security deposit of multiple months’ rent, “it creates a barrier that many people can’t overcome,” which leaves people stuck in shelters, unsafe homes, or squeezed into overcrowded homes with family or friends.

    “We’ve seen a national conversation about affordability happening because people are rightly concerned” about the costs of necessities, Landau said. “If they have to move for any reason, the affordability crisis is just exacerbated.”

  • From ‘Fire Kevin Patullo’ website and matching street sign to dating troubles, Eagles fans have had enough

    From ‘Fire Kevin Patullo’ website and matching street sign to dating troubles, Eagles fans have had enough

    One disgruntled Eagles fan with access to the traffic signs near Lincoln Financial Field chose to display just one message on Monday morning: “Fire Kevin Patullo.”

    The broadcast of Friday’s loss to the Bears, the Birds’ second in a row and fourth of the season, caught fans streaming toward the exits after the Bears’ touchdown late in the fourth quarter. But don’t take those early departures for lack of passion.

    A lot of that passion has been directed at the team’s first-year offensive coordinator, with some taking things too far, vandalizing Patullo’s South Jersey home over the weekend.

    One fan made a Fire Kevin Patullo website, recounting the Eagles offense’s many struggles so far in 2025.

    “We don’t need to pass for 250+ yards a game … but we could,” the site’s intro reads. “We don’t need to rush for 100+ yards a game … but we could. We shouldn’t go 0-8 passing in ANY half … but we did. We should run when we’re up 14 pts in the 2nd half … but we didn’t. We should NEVER run just 1 time in a half … but we did. We shouldn’t run the ball when it’s 3rd and long … but we do.”

    Some fans even started a “Life Before Kevin Patullo” trend on TikTok.

    @wpmark23 Ts hurt man 💔🤦🏾‍♂️ #eagles #fyp #philly #kevinpatullo #sad ♬ Jacob and the Stone SLOWED – ssxmusic

    Another fan apparently told his new girlfriend that they needed to stop talking until the end of the season, since the Birds have been playing badly ever since they got together.

    “I like you a lot so don’t take that as a dismissal, just need to turn our luck around for the Birds and I think you’d understand that too,” he wrote to her on Snapchat.

    Like any good Eagles fan, she was fine with it since it was “for the Birds,” she replied. After posting it on Reddit, a few r/Eagles users offered to pay for their next date after the season if the Birds turned their luck around.

    Meanwhile, NFL Network analyst Rich Eisen took to YouTube to implore Eagles fans to stay calm, considering the Birds are still 8-4 and extremely likely to make the playoffs.

    “I understand, one year, 10-1, making the playoffs and then they got one-and-doned, and you’re afraid that’s going to happen again, because of what I said, of too many mistakes, but everything I just said is fixable,” Eisen said.

    With five games left in the regular season, the Eagles are running out of time to fix it.

  • A man accused of committing voter fraud in Bucks County in 2020 says a Trump pardon should wipe out his criminal case

    A man accused of committing voter fraud in Bucks County in 2020 says a Trump pardon should wipe out his criminal case

    President Donald Trump’s decision last month to pardon dozens of political allies who helped him try to overturn the 2020 election was quickly criticized by some opponents.

    Now, a man accused of committing voter fraud in that contest by voting twice for Trump is seeking to wipe out a pending criminal case by saying the powers of that pardon action should extend to him.

    Attorneys for Matthew Laiss wrote in court documents last month that the language in Trump’s pardon proclamation “clearly extend” to Laiss, who is awaiting trial on charges that he illegally voted twice in the 2020 election — first by submitting a mail-in ballot in Bucks County, then by voting in-person at his new home in Florida.

    Federal prosecutors in Philadelphia charged Laiss in September with crimes including voter fraud and voting more than once in a federal election, and they said he faces potential prison time if convicted.

    Last month, however, Laiss’ attorneys filed a motion to dismiss the case, saying that the pardon Trump issued Nov. 7 clearly applied to Laiss, and that Laiss had accepted it.

    Although Laiss was not among the 77 people Trump listed when specifying who would receive relief, Laiss’ lawyers said the proclamation’s preamble included language making it applicable to “all United States citizens” for conduct, voting, or advocacy surrounding the contest.

    In addition, his attorneys wrote, Trump allies including Rudy Giuliani, Sidney Powell, and Mark Meadows were all explicitly pardoned for “exponentially more egregious alleged conduct.” Extending relief to them while denying it to Laiss, his lawyers wrote, “would be outrageous.”

    Federal prosecutors say Laiss is “entirely incorrect.”

    In a reply brief filed last week, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said Trump’s pardon was intended for people who were seeking to expose or rectify potential fraud in the 2020 election — not for people like Laiss, who are accused of actually committing it.

    Beyond what they said was Laiss’ clear misinterpretation, prosecutors said that they checked with Trump’s Office of the Pardon Attorney and that it does not believe the president’s clemency —` which it helped effectuate — applies to Laiss.

    “In other words, it is this office’s understanding that if Laiss were to appeal directly to the Office of the Pardon Attorney for a pardon based on [the] November 7 pardon proclamation, that petition would be denied,” prosecutors wrote.

    It was not immediately clear how or when U.S. District Judge Joseph F. Leeson Jr. might rule on the issue, although Laiss was scheduled to have a final pretrial hearing Tuesday morning.

    If Leeson rules that the case can proceed, a trial is scheduled to begin next week.

  • Kevin Patullo could benefit from move from sidelines to box, according to Nick Foles

    Kevin Patullo could benefit from move from sidelines to box, according to Nick Foles

    It really was a Black Friday in Philadelphia after the Eagles suffered another disappointing loss, this one to the Chicago Bears, 24-15.

    A few days later, everyone from former Birds to your extended family has spent the holiday weekend talking about where the Eagles offense has gone wrong this year. Here’s what some of the national media are saying …

    Nick Sirianni calling plays?

    Should Nick Sirianni step in to call plays on offense for the rest of the season? Sirianni hasn’t called plays since the early days as the Birds’ head coach, before Shane Steichen ultimately took over the reins and didn’t look back.

    On NFL Countdown on Sunday, Rex Ryan said that Sirianni should consider it. Alex Smith appeared to agree.

    “They don’t outcoach anybody on the offensive side of the ball,” Alex Smith said. “A.J. Brown took a lot of flak a few weeks ago, he was the lone bright spot. He doesn’t look that wrong now. There’s clearly something wrong there on offense.”

    “They were in a similar situation last year, when all of a sudden they stopped and said, who the hell are we?” Ryan said. “Get back to running the dang football, whatever it takes. You’ve got to get Jalen Hurts involved. You can scheme, too! Ben Johnson schemed the hell out of them, and you’ve got better players than Ben Johnson does.”

    Kevin Patullo has been with the Eagles since 2021 but is in his first season as the team’s offensive coordinator.

    Nick Foles weighs in

    Nick Foles sees everyone’s frustrations with the Eagles offense, but he’s not ready to pull the plug on offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo just for the sake of making a change.

    Foles doesn’t believe Sirianni wants to call plays himself, and the solution to the Birds’ offensive woes in the long term might be outside the building.

    So, in the short term, Foles pitched a few potential solutions, including moving Patullo up from the sideline into the booth.

    “Being a pass game coordinator, [Patullo’s] role was to be in the box, to be in the booth, to oversee what is happening on the field from an up-above perspective, not being on the sidelines with the players and feeling the emotions from the sideline,” Foles said. “He was in a controlled environment to see coverages, to see plays, and to make recommendations for the passing game.”

    Foles is incorrect in saying that Patullo worked from the box as passing game coordinator. He actually worked from the sideline, but the point remains.

    Being on the sideline surrounded by the players provides a different perspective than being up in the box, which is also where Vic Fangio calls plays from. It’s a less distracting environment, and it can be easier to make adjustments as the drive develops instead of waiting to watch tape on delay.

    “Get out of the sideline, get away from the emotions, because that could be clouding your vision,” Foles said. “You have a different perspective from the sideline. You can’t see the coverages as they’re forming. You can’t see the defensive alignments very well.”

    Chris Long agreed with Foles that it’s hard to bring in a new coordinator or replace the coordinator at this point in the season.

    Brian Daboll was fired as Giants head coach on Nov. 10.

    The Eagles could explore bringing in an outside consultant to help improve Hurts and the offense’s performance, but Long is not sure who stands out as a potential candidate aside from fired Giants coach Brian Daboll.

    “You look at a lot of these Eagles coordinators that have had success, they’re not homegrown,” Long said. “The ones that are homegrown, they’re just not working out. You’ve got problems everywhere.”

    After Super Bowl LIX, Long said many, including himself due to his connection to the Birds, got a bit too “fanboy-ish” about the Eagles and about Hurts’ skill set, and their shortcomings are in full focus now.

    “We get so hyperbolic about everything in pro sports,” Long said. “If we’d all just said, the quarterback’s not a perfect quarterback, you have to build around him … It’s not just the roster, because the roster was in pretty good shape when we rolled it out this year. It’s got to be the scheme, too.”

  • Travis Konecny is playing with ‘more conviction,’ according to Rick Tocchet. Are the goals about to come?

    Travis Konecny is playing with ‘more conviction,’ according to Rick Tocchet. Are the goals about to come?

    It’s been almost a month since Travis Konecny stood outside the Flyers locker room in Nashville and was asked where he thought his game was.

    Although he had 10 points (four goals, six assists) and was plus-2 in the first 13 games, he still felt his game was coming. “I know that I haven’t had my best stuff yet this year,” he said.

    In the last 11 games, he has nine points (one goal, eight assists), but his 17-goal, 65-point pace is well below the 29 goals he has averaged over the last three seasons and his career high of 76 points set last season.

    But the end of the season is a long way off, and his track record of leading the Flyers in scoring for five of the last six seasons, including the last four, hints that the best is yet to come.

    “I still feel like there’s more for me to give,” he said, sitting in the Flyers locker room at Xfinity Mobile Arena on Monday. “I feel like there’s parts that have gotten better. I’m trying to find myself in more shooting areas, but I also know playing with [Noah Cates] and [Tyson Foerster], me and Cater are two guys that love being on the hunt, you know, digging and finding pucks.

    “And Foery’s going to be more of our trigger guy — and I think everyone would rather that,” he said with a chuckle. “He’s got such a good shot, so trying to balance that out, but also put myself in some shooting opportunity spots, maybe get to the net a little bit more.

    “But I mean, overall good. Our team’s playing well, our line’s playing good, and just keep building off little things like that, and everything will fall into place.”

    It does feel like his game is coming a little more lately. He scored the game-winner in a shootout against the New York Islanders on Friday and notched two assists Saturday in the win against the New Jersey Devils.

    Flyers right wing Travis Konecny says he wants to find himself in more shooting opportunities.

    Many noted it was probably his best game of the year as he was active across all zones and made several heads-up plays. One assist was on a two-on-one with Matvei Michkov, who had just come out of the penalty box. The other was a shot by Konecny that beat Jacob Markström but was later changed to a Michkov goal as it went off the winger in front.

    Konecny, 28, has bounced around a little bit this season. After starting the season alongside Trevor Zegras and Owen Tippett, he was moved to a line with Sean Couturier and Michkov, his linemates at the end of last season. The line played well, but Konecny had only two goals and 13 assists in the 25 games after the 4 Nations Face-Off.

    But now he’s back with Cates, with whom he played consistently in 2022-23 during Cates’ first full season, and Foerster.

    According to Natural Stat Trick, they may trail in chances for (60-84) but have outscored the opposition by 5-0 in the 73 minutes, 34 seconds they’ve played together across the season. Pretty sure everyone prefers the latter.

    “His game’s starting to come, less turnovers, he’s making more solid decisions,” coach Rick Tocchet said of Konecny. “There’s times when he’s taking the puck to the hole and shooting it, where before you take it, he’s looking to pass.”

    “So I’m seeing a lot more conviction in the game, where I’m going to play inside and things like that, instead of playing outside. And he’s a pest out there too, that’s when he’s at his best.”

    While Konecny will say that the Flyers get amped for every game, there may be a little more oomph for him Monday against the Pittsburgh Penguins (7 p.m., NBCSP). In 34 career games against the Keystone State rivals, Konecny has 13 goals and 29 points. He scored in the Flyers’ 3-2 shootout win against the Penguins in October and was named the first star of the game.

    Breakaways

    Dan Vladař will start in net Monday for the Flyers. Sam Ersson was in goal for the win in October. … Tocchet said that while the forwards would be the same, he wasn’t sure whether Egor Zamula or Noah Juulsen would be the sixth defenseman. … Flyers prospect Shane Vansaghi was named to USA Hockey’s preliminary roster for World Juniors. The tournament will be played in Minnesota beginning on Dec. 26. … Defenseman Adam Ginning cleared waivers Monday and has been assigned to Lehigh Valley of the American Hockey League. … Beginning Monday night, fans can bring new unwrapped toys to every home game in December. The toys will be donated to the Salvation Army.

  • What to know about TSA’s new $45 fee for travelers without REAL ID

    What to know about TSA’s new $45 fee for travelers without REAL ID

    Flying without a REAL ID is about to get expensive.

    The Transportation Security Administration announced a new $45 fee for travelers going through security checkpoints without a valid REAL ID or other acceptable form of identification, such as a valid passport or passport card.

    It’s part of the agency’s next phase of its long-winded rollout of REAL IDs as the federal identification standard.

    Here’s what you need to know.

    What is a REAL ID?

    REAL IDs were created following the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks to enhance security measures. They’re treated as a universal form of federally accepted identification and are used for boarding domestic flights and entering certain federal buildings.

    Enforcement for using them was delayed because of the COVID-19 pandemic, but ramped back up this year.

    The agency says about 94% of travelers already use a REAL ID or another acceptable form of identification.

    What can I do with a REAL ID?

    ✅ Board domestic flights

    ✅ Enter federal buildings that require ID

    Access military bases

    How much does a REAL ID cost?

    A REAL ID in Pennsylvania costs a $30 onetime fee in addition to the standard renewal fee for your license or state ID ($39.50 in Pennsylvania).

    This means it’s cheaper than TSA’s new $45 fee.

    When does TSA implement the $45 fee?

    Starting Feb. 1, 2026, travelers without a REAL ID or passport will be required to pay $45.

    What will the $45 fee cover?

    The $45 will cover travelers going through a biometric or biographic security checkpoint.

    The agency said the fee covers administrative and IT costs associated with the ID verification program. It added that the purpose of the fee is to make sure the expense is covered by the specific traveler, not taxpayers.

    The fee will also apply to travelers who arrive at the airport having lost or reported stolen their REAL ID or passport.

    The fees cover access through the TSA checkpoint for up to 10 days. After that, if the person is traveling without a REAL ID or passport again, they’ll have to pay the fee again.

    Can I pay the fee ahead of time?

    Yes. And it’s recommended whenever possible.

    Individuals traveling without a REAL ID or passport can visit TSA.gov and follow prompts to verify their identity and pay the $45 fee. From there, they’ll be emailed a confirmation to show TSA at the checkpoint.

    The agency warns that travelers in the checkpoint line without a proper form of ID will be sent out of line to complete the online form.

    How can I avoid the fee?

    The most direct way to avoid the $45 fee starting next year is by ensuring that anyone traveling has either a REAL ID or valid passport before their next domestic flight.

    For Pennsylvania readers, PennDot‘s website has additional details about applying, requirements, making an appointment, and more for a REAL ID. In New Jersey, information is available at the Motor Vehicle Commission website.