Putin’s Gift Soccer Ball DID Have Transmitter Inside, But Not From Russia

When Vladimir Putin first handed the World Cup soccer ball to President Trump at their much-analyzed and criticized presser at the Helsinki Summit, some wondered aloud if it might be bugged. Well, as Bloomberg figured out, it turns out that it actually was — just not in the way conspiracy theorists might’ve hoped.

“Markings on the ball indicate that it contained a chip with a tiny antenna that transmits to nearby phones,” Bloomberg reported Wednesday. “But rather than a spy device, the chip is an advertised feature of the Adidas AG ball.”