China balloons

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Xi Might Need This Summit More Than Biden
Xi Might Need This Summit
More Than Biden
the rundown
Nov 14, 2023 12:00 PM CST

Xi Might Need This Summit More Than Biden

US, Chinese leaders meet Wednesday in San Francisco

(Newser) - President Biden meets with China's Xi Jinping Wednesday in San Francisco, and the New York Times reports that Beijing appears to have abruptly shifted its public tone about America to be much warmer. The state-run Xinhua news agency ran a long story Monday detailing the "enduring strength" of...

Report: Spy Balloon Was 'Crammed' With US-Made Tech

Investigators believe there's no way it was just a weather balloon, insiders say

(Newser) - The Wall Street Journal describes the investigation into the Chinese spy balloon shot down in February as "closely held"—but it has found some officials willing to discuss preliminary findings. The officials say analysis by defense and intelligence agencies has found that the balloon was "crammed with...

China's Balloon Sent Information to Beijing

But what was gathered is still unclear

(Newser) - The Chinese spy balloon shot down by the US over the Atlantic in February was able to send information and photos back to Beijing, reports CNN . An anonymous source tells the news network that the balloon was transmitting the data it gathered in real time, though just what the...

US Is Raising the Alarm About China Helping Russia
US Is Worried China May
Make Big Move for Russia
the rundown
Feb 20, 2023 11:17 AM CST

US Is Worried China May Make Big Move for Russia

Blinken says Beijing might supply weapons, a major escalation of aid

(Newser) - On the eve of the one-year anniversary of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the US appears to be increasingly alarmed that China is about to start helping Vladimir Putin in a big way. If Beijing does so, it threatens not only to prolong the war but to turn the conflict...

Now We May Never Know What Last 3 Objects in Sky Were

US, Canada call off search for debris

(Newser) - The world may never know what the US military shot out of sky in three separate incidents over Alaska , Lake Huron in Michigan, and the Yukon territory in Canada. It's not because the information is top-secret. Instead, the US and Canadian governments have officially given up searching for debris...

Biden: Objects Shot Down Likely Weren't Spying

President doesn't definitively identify craft shot down after Chinese balloon

(Newser) - President Biden told the nation Thursday that the three objects the US shot down most recently while flying over North America don't appear to be connected to Chinese spying. The Air Force on Feb. 4 downed a balloon off the coast of South Carolina that apparently was sent by...

White House: Objects Could Have Been 'Totally Benign'

NSC spokesman says there's no sign objects were connected to China's spy program

(Newser) - The White House says three unidentified aerial objects shot down in recent days may have been "totally benign"—although it's hard to confirm anything without any debris to examine. National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said Tuesday that there's no evidence the objects shot down over...

White House: Don't Worry About Aliens

'No indication of aliens or extraterrestrial activity with these recent takedowns'

(Newser) - The flying objects shot down over the US and Canada in recent days are still apparently unidentified, but the White House says Americans shouldn't worry about invaders from space. "There is no indication of aliens or extraterrestrial activity with these recent takedowns," White House press secretary Karine...

China: We've Spotted 10 US Balloons in Last Year Alone

Accusation comes amid a series of high-altitude shootdowns in American skies

(Newser) - The US has shot down three high-altitude objects in the last three days, and that's not counting the Chinese balloon before that. And while nobody seems quite sure what the latest objects were or where they came from—debris is still being collected—China made a point on Monday...

US Shoots Down Another 'Unidentified Object'

Air Force, National Guard pilots were deployed over Lake Huron

(Newser) - For the fourth time in less than two weeks, the US has shot down an unidentified object flying over North American airspace. A Michigan congresswoman tweeted that it happened over Lake Huron on Sunday. "The object has been downed by pilots from the US Air Force and National Guard,...

US Hits Back With Blacklist Over Alleged Spy Balloon

Move comes on same day the US shot down unknown object off coast of northern Alaska

(Newser) - The United States has blacklisted six Chinese entities it said were linked to Beijing's aerospace programs as part of its retaliation over an alleged Chinese spy balloon that traversed US airspace. The economic restrictions announced Friday followed the Biden administration's pledge to consider broader efforts to address Chinese...

US Jet Shoots Down Unknown Object Off Alaska Coast

Pentagon says Biden decided flying object was a threat to civilian aircraft

(Newser) - A US military fighter jet shot down an unknown object flying off the remote northern coast of Alaska on Friday on orders from President Biden, White House officials said. White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said the object was downed because it was flying at about 40,000...

US Shoots Down Another 'High-Altitude' Object
US Shoots Down Another
'High-Altitude' Object
UPDATED
Feb 10, 2023 1:56 PM CST

US Shoots Down Another 'High-Altitude' Object

This one was over Alaska, though it's not clear yet what it was

(Newser) - The Pentagon shot down an unknown "high-altitude" object flying in US airspace off the coast of Alaska on Friday, White House officials said. The object was flying at about 40,000 feet and posed a “reasonable threat” to the safety of civilian flights, said John Kirby, White House...

Chinese Balloon Had Spy Antennas, Says US
Balloon Had Antennas Able
to Collect Communications
the rundown
Feb 9, 2023 11:35 AM CST

Balloon Had Antennas Able to Collect Communications

State Department says the equipment aboard shows it was no weather balloon

(Newser) - More details emerged Thursday about what the downed balloon from China had on board as it floated over the US. And while China continues to insist it was merely a weather balloon, the State Department says the newly released details prove otherwise:
  • The balloon had "multiple antennas to include
...

China Doubles Down on Weather Balloon Claim

Foreign Ministry spokesperson says US is being 'irresponsible'

(Newser) - American officials said Wednesday that the spy balloon shot down on Saturday was part of a fleet of balloons China is using in a massive surveillance program —but China is continuing to insist it was a wayward weather balloon. At a briefing Thursday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning...

China Spy Balloon Is Part of 'Massive Effort'

US says it's sharing information on surveillance program with dozens of countries

(Newser) - While there may not be as many as 99 of them, the Chinese spy balloon shot down off the coast of South Carolina on Saturday was just one of a large network of surveillance balloons, defense officials say. Pentagon spokesman Brig. Gen. Patrick S. Ryder said Wednesday that spy balloons...

Biden Has 'Impossible Speech' to Give

President delivers his State of the Union address Tuesday night

(Newser) - President Biden delivers his second State of the Union address Tuesday night, but don't expect a raft of specific new policy proposals given the near impossibility of making them reality in a divided Congress, reports the AP . Instead, expect a speech offering Americans general reassurances that the nation is...

Balloon Fiasco Was Exactly What Xi Jinping Didn't Need
Balloon Fiasco
Suggests
Disarray
in Beijing
analysis
Feb 6, 2023 12:36 PM CST

Balloon Fiasco Suggests Disarray in Beijing

Cancellation of Blinken's trip hurts Xi Jinping, still reeling from COVID moves

(Newser) - After a US spy plane collided with a Chinese jet fighter over China's Hainan Island more than 20 years ago, the two nations set up hotlines and promised better communications, writes David Sanger in a New York Times analysis. Last week's bizarre balloon story illustrates a failure on...

Trump: No Chinese Spy Balloons on My Watch
Trump on
Spy Balloon
Reports:
'FAKE
DISINFORMATION'
the rundown
Feb 6, 2023 1:32 AM CST

Trump on Spy Balloon Reports: 'FAKE DISINFORMATION'

He says no balloons were over US during his administration

(Newser) - After the United States shot down a Chinese spy balloon Saturday, it was reported that other Chinese balloons have been in US airspace during the Trump and Biden administrations; on Sunday, the Biden administration was echoing those reports while former President Trump was denying them:
  • Per the Wall Street Journal
...

China Responds to Balloon Hit, but Its Options Are Limited

Beijing appears to be in a diplomatic 'tough place' on this one

(Newser) - China is sticking to its story that its now-infamous balloon over the US was merely a wayward weather balloon. After an American fighter jet shot it down over South Carolina on Saturday, Beijing responded with a warning:
  • “We solemnly protest the US action, and retain the right to use
...

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