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A Chinese balloon is still flying over the U.S. after it shocked the nation and postponed Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s trip to Beijing.
We’re breaking that down for you, along with stories on the latest advanced weapons for Kyiv and a new report showing roughly 200,000 Russian soldiers have been wounded or killed in Ukraine.
This is Defense & National Security, your guide to the latest developments at the Pentagon, on Capitol Hill and beyond. For The Hill, I’m Brad Dress.Chinese balloon halts Blinken’s Beijing trip
The State Department said Secretary of State Antony Blinken will not travel to Beijing this weekend as originally intended while a massive surveillance balloon was flying above the U.S. mainland.
“The presence of this balloon in our airspace is a clear violation of our sovereignty as well as international law, and it is unacceptable that this has occurred,” a senior administration official said.
Espionage: The balloon was seen flying in Montana, where there is a major Air Force base housing nuclear missiles, and is now hovering over the central part of the country.
The Pentagon said officials have been tracking it for days and are continuing to monitor the balloon.
They decided not to shoot it down, at least not yet, because falling debris could pose a threat to the area below.
But what is it? The Pentagon remains firm that this is a high-altitude surveillance balloon — even as China claimed it as a civilian research ship studying weather and expressed regret it blew off course.
The Pentagon said such surveillance aircrafts are not new, and that it has spotted similar Chinese balloons in the Pacific before.
But this Chinese balloon stands out because of how long it has lingered over the U.S. and its sheer size.
Pop the balloon: The Chinese balloon sparked anger in the Republican party as members seized on the chance to criticize the Biden administration as soft on China.
House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) called for a full briefing from Congress and said “President Biden cannot remain silent” on the issue, while Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.
