Just because the State dept doesn't levy sanctions on Turkey doesn't mean it's doing nothing to protect Kanter as it appears you and the Washington Examiner seem to believe.
I hope you're right.. but because I've been watching the story for a long time, there's nothing like that in my opinion..
but i understand, not all dictators are the same, right??..
Well that’s one way to think of it, although I wasn’t doubting Erdogen’s sincerity. But Tehran is already heavily sanctioned and they continue to attempt assassinations. I’m more in the camp that a sanction for Kanter alone isn’t going to to stop Turkish forces if they really want to attempt something. But considering we also foiled the kidnapping plot of the Turkish cleric Gulen tells me that the FBI is watching this stuff. And Gulen wasn’t even an American citizen, just a dissident.
Bottom line is that the security apparatus of the US govt watches high risk targets as evidenced by the number of arrests and foiled plots. Just because something isn’t public doesn’t mean it isn’t happening. And we do not know the message sent through our diplomats either. I’m 100% sure Kanter has been a topic.
Hope you are right..but a stement would be nice i think..
But that's the point.. public statements are not effective in diplomacy. The statement is likely coming from the State Dept between the ambassadors. That's where the real work is done.
public posturing can have a negative effect on a favorable outcome in general.
this case though, doubt Turkey moves off its broader point about this guy.
Not today Sir, Probably not tomorrow.............................................. bayfront arena st. pete '94
you're finally here and I'm a mess................................................... nationwide arena columbus '10
memories like fingerprints are slowly raising.................................... first niagara center buffalo '13
another man ..... moved by sleight of hand...................................... joe louis arena detroit '14
Feds expect to collect $4.7B in insurance fraud penalties
By AMANDA SEITZ
Yesterday
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden administration estimated Monday that it could collect as much as $4.7 billion from insurance companies with newer and tougher penalties for submitting improper charges on the taxpayers' tab for Medicare Advantage care.
Federal watchdogs have been sounding the alarm for years about questionable charges on the government's private version of the Medicare program, with investigators raising the possibility that insurance companies may be bilking taxpayers of billions of dollars every year by claiming members are sicker than they really are to receive inflated payments.
The Department of Health and Human Services said it will begin collecting payments from insurers when an audit turns up that they charged for diagnoses that are not reflected in the patient's medical records. The government has not sought refunds for those payments in over a decade, the agency said.
“Today, we are taking some long overdue steps to move us in the direction of accountability,” HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra said Monday during a phone call with reporters.
The penalties are expected to return $4.7 billion over the next decade, the agency estimated.
The questionable payments are submitted through Medicare Advantage, a booming program that nearly half of the 60 million people enrolled in Medicare sign up for. Medicare Advantage is different from traditional Medicare, with private companies offering plans that are reimbursed by the government for care. The government spent $900 billion last year overall on Medicare.
With the rise in popularity has come growing concern that insurers are ripping off taxpayers by overstating how sick a patient is to unlock higher reimbursements from the government. The HHS Office of the Inspector General raised red flags about $6.7 billion worth of payments for patients whose diagnoses were not supported by medical records in 2017, for example.
Insurers have been gearing up for a fight against the long-awaited final rule, with company leaders raising concerns about the accuracy of the audits. The move will raise insurance rates, warned Matt Eyles, the president of America's Health Insurance Plans, the lobbying arm for health insurance companies.
“Our view remains unchanged: This rule is unlawful and fatally flawed, and it should have been withdrawn instead of finalized," Eyles said.
Not today Sir, Probably not tomorrow.............................................. bayfront arena st. pete '94
you're finally here and I'm a mess................................................... nationwide arena columbus '10
memories like fingerprints are slowly raising.................................... first niagara center buffalo '13
another man ..... moved by sleight of hand...................................... joe louis arena detroit '14
Feds expect to collect $4.7B in insurance fraud penalties
By AMANDA SEITZ
Yesterday
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden administration estimated Monday that it could collect as much as $4.7 billion from insurance companies with newer and tougher penalties for submitting improper charges on the taxpayers' tab for Medicare Advantage care.
Federal watchdogs have been sounding the alarm for years about questionable charges on the government's private version of the Medicare program, with investigators raising the possibility that insurance companies may be bilking taxpayers of billions of dollars every year by claiming members are sicker than they really are to receive inflated payments.
The Department of Health and Human Services said it will begin collecting payments from insurers when an audit turns up that they charged for diagnoses that are not reflected in the patient's medical records. The government has not sought refunds for those payments in over a decade, the agency said.
“Today, we are taking some long overdue steps to move us in the direction of accountability,” HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra said Monday during a phone call with reporters.
The penalties are expected to return $4.7 billion over the next decade, the agency estimated.
The questionable payments are submitted through Medicare Advantage, a booming program that nearly half of the 60 million people enrolled in Medicare sign up for. Medicare Advantage is different from traditional Medicare, with private companies offering plans that are reimbursed by the government for care. The government spent $900 billion last year overall on Medicare.
With the rise in popularity has come growing concern that insurers are ripping off taxpayers by overstating how sick a patient is to unlock higher reimbursements from the government. The HHS Office of the Inspector General raised red flags about $6.7 billion worth of payments for patients whose diagnoses were not supported by medical records in 2017, for example.
Insurers have been gearing up for a fight against the long-awaited final rule, with company leaders raising concerns about the accuracy of the audits. The move will raise insurance rates, warned Matt Eyles, the president of America's Health Insurance Plans, the lobbying arm for health insurance companies.
“Our view remains unchanged: This rule is unlawful and fatally flawed, and it should have been withdrawn instead of finalized," Eyles said.
good...it's time to tighten the screws on those fuckers. Their margins must be tightening because I keep seeing people in my FB feed complaining about getting denials for treatments.
Remember the Thomas Nine !! (10/02/2018)
1998: Noblesville; 2003: Noblesville; 2009: EV Nashville, Chicago, Chicago 2010: St Louis, Columbus, Noblesville; 2011: EV Chicago, East Troy, East Troy 2013: London ON, Wrigley; 2014: Cincy, St Louis, Moline (NO CODE) 2016: Lexington, Wrigley #1; 2018: Wrigley, Wrigley, Boston, Boston 2020: Oakland, Oakland:2021: EV Ohana, Ohana, Ohana, Ohana 2022: Oakland, Oakland, Nashville, Louisville; 2023: Chicago, Chicago, Noblesville 2024: Noblesville, Wrigley, Wrigley, Ohana, Ohana
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VIDEO03:33
Nonfarm payrolls increased by 517,000 in January; strongest gain since July 2022
The employment picture started off 2023 on a stunningly strong note, with nonfarm payrolls posting their strongest gain since July 2022.
Nonfarm payrolls increased by 517,000 for January, above the Dow Jones estimate of 187,000 and December’s gain of 260,000.
The unemployment rate fell to 3.4% vs. the estimate for 3.6%. That is the lowest jobless level since May 1969. The labor force participation rate edged higher to 62.4%. A broader measure of unemployment that includes discouraged workers and those holding part-time jobs for economic reasons also edged higher to 6.6%.
Markets slumped following the report, with futures tied to the Dow Jones Industrial Average down about 200 points.
Growth across a multitude of sectors helped propel the massive beat against the estimate.
Leisure and hospitality added 128,000 jobs to lead all sectors. Other significant gainers were professional and business services (82,000), government (74,000) and health care (58,000). Retail was up 30,000 and construction added 25,000.
Wages also posted solid gains for the month. Average hourly earnings increased 0.3%, in line with the estimate, and 4.4% from a year ago, 0.1 percentage point higher than expectations.
The surge in job creation comes despite the Federal Reserve’s effort to slow the economy and bring down inflation from its highest level since the early 1980s. The Fed has raised its benchmark interest rate eight times since March 2022.
In its latest assessment of the jobs picture, the Fed on Wednesday dropped previous language saying gains have been “robust” and noted only that the “unemployment rate has remained low.”
However, Chairman Jerome Powell, in his post-meeting news conference, noted the labor market “remains extremely tight” and is still “out of balance.” As of December, there were about 11 million job openings, or just shy of two for every available worker.
“Today’s report is an echo of 2022′s surprisingly resilient job market, beating back recession fears,” said Daniel Zhao, lead economist for job review site Glassdoor. “The Fed has a New Year’s resolution to cool down the labor market, and so far, the labor market is pushing back.”
Though Fed officials have expressed their intention to keep rates elevated for as long as it takes to bring down inflation, markets are betting the central bank starts cutting before the end of 2023. Traders increased their bets that the Fed would approve a quarter percentage point interest rate hike at its March meeting, with the probability increasing to 94.5%, according to CME Group data.
SHAREShare Article via FacebookShare Article via TwitterShare Article via LinkedInShare Article via Email
WATCH NOW
VIDEO03:33
Nonfarm payrolls increased by 517,000 in January; strongest gain since July 2022
The employment picture started off 2023 on a stunningly strong note, with nonfarm payrolls posting their strongest gain since July 2022.
Nonfarm payrolls increased by 517,000 for January, above the Dow Jones estimate of 187,000 and December’s gain of 260,000.
The unemployment rate fell to 3.4% vs. the estimate for 3.6%. That is the lowest jobless level since May 1969. The labor force participation rate edged higher to 62.4%. A broader measure of unemployment that includes discouraged workers and those holding part-time jobs for economic reasons also edged higher to 6.6%.
Markets slumped following the report, with futures tied to the Dow Jones Industrial Average down about 200 points.
Growth across a multitude of sectors helped propel the massive beat against the estimate.
Leisure and hospitality added 128,000 jobs to lead all sectors. Other significant gainers were professional and business services (82,000), government (74,000) and health care (58,000). Retail was up 30,000 and construction added 25,000.
Wages also posted solid gains for the month. Average hourly earnings increased 0.3%, in line with the estimate, and 4.4% from a year ago, 0.1 percentage point higher than expectations.
The surge in job creation comes despite the Federal Reserve’s effort to slow the economy and bring down inflation from its highest level since the early 1980s. The Fed has raised its benchmark interest rate eight times since March 2022.
In its latest assessment of the jobs picture, the Fed on Wednesday dropped previous language saying gains have been “robust” and noted only that the “unemployment rate has remained low.”
However, Chairman Jerome Powell, in his post-meeting news conference, noted the labor market “remains extremely tight” and is still “out of balance.” As of December, there were about 11 million job openings, or just shy of two for every available worker.
“Today’s report is an echo of 2022′s surprisingly resilient job market, beating back recession fears,” said Daniel Zhao, lead economist for job review site Glassdoor. “The Fed has a New Year’s resolution to cool down the labor market, and so far, the labor market is pushing back.”
Though Fed officials have expressed their intention to keep rates elevated for as long as it takes to bring down inflation, markets are betting the central bank starts cutting before the end of 2023. Traders increased their bets that the Fed would approve a quarter percentage point interest rate hike at its March meeting, with the probability increasing to 94.5%, according to CME Group data.
Damn you Brandon! And poor Ilhan was removed from a committee, AOC was embarrassing and Sawell and Schiff were portrayed in a cartoon as crybabies. It’s so hard being owned.
SHAREShare Article via FacebookShare Article via TwitterShare Article via LinkedInShare Article via Email
WATCH NOW
VIDEO03:33
Nonfarm payrolls increased by 517,000 in January; strongest gain since July 2022
The employment picture started off 2023 on a stunningly strong note, with nonfarm payrolls posting their strongest gain since July 2022.
Nonfarm payrolls increased by 517,000 for January, above the Dow Jones estimate of 187,000 and December’s gain of 260,000.
The unemployment rate fell to 3.4% vs. the estimate for 3.6%. That is the lowest jobless level since May 1969. The labor force participation rate edged higher to 62.4%. A broader measure of unemployment that includes discouraged workers and those holding part-time jobs for economic reasons also edged higher to 6.6%.
Markets slumped following the report, with futures tied to the Dow Jones Industrial Average down about 200 points.
Growth across a multitude of sectors helped propel the massive beat against the estimate.
Leisure and hospitality added 128,000 jobs to lead all sectors. Other significant gainers were professional and business services (82,000), government (74,000) and health care (58,000). Retail was up 30,000 and construction added 25,000.
Wages also posted solid gains for the month. Average hourly earnings increased 0.3%, in line with the estimate, and 4.4% from a year ago, 0.1 percentage point higher than expectations.
The surge in job creation comes despite the Federal Reserve’s effort to slow the economy and bring down inflation from its highest level since the early 1980s. The Fed has raised its benchmark interest rate eight times since March 2022.
In its latest assessment of the jobs picture, the Fed on Wednesday dropped previous language saying gains have been “robust” and noted only that the “unemployment rate has remained low.”
However, Chairman Jerome Powell, in his post-meeting news conference, noted the labor market “remains extremely tight” and is still “out of balance.” As of December, there were about 11 million job openings, or just shy of two for every available worker.
“Today’s report is an echo of 2022′s surprisingly resilient job market, beating back recession fears,” said Daniel Zhao, lead economist for job review site Glassdoor. “The Fed has a New Year’s resolution to cool down the labor market, and so far, the labor market is pushing back.”
Though Fed officials have expressed their intention to keep rates elevated for as long as it takes to bring down inflation, markets are betting the central bank starts cutting before the end of 2023. Traders increased their bets that the Fed would approve a quarter percentage point interest rate hike at its March meeting, with the probability increasing to 94.5%, according to CME Group data.
Damn you Brandon! And poor Ilhan was removed from a committee, AOC was embarrassing and Sawell and Schiff were portrayed in a cartoon as crybabies. It’s so hard being owned.
The cartoons really take a chunk of flesh. I mean it's hard to recover from a good caricature.
Biden makes progress on 'unity agenda' outlined in 2022
By DARLENE SUPERVILLE
Today
WASHINGTON (AP) — A year ago, President Joe Biden used his first State of the Union address to push top Democratic priorities that were sure to face a battle in the narrowly divided Congress but he also laid out a four-pronged “unity agenda” that would be an easier sell.
Biden's unity goals would be hard for anyone to argue against: improving mental health, supporting veterans, beating the opioid epidemic and fighting cancer. The president is still pushing for some of those big Democratic goals, like an assault weapons ban, but he's fared better on the unity goals.
Susan Rice, the president's domestic policy adviser, pointed to “very significant progress” on all four aspects even as she noted that issues like meeting the demand for mental health services or combating drug abuse won't be solved overnight.
"We’re happy with the progress that’s been made and we’re determined to keep pushing forward and make more progress," Rice said in an interview.
A look at where things stand:
OPIOIDS
IN THE SPEECH: Biden asked Congress for increased funding for prevention, treatment, reducing harm and recovery. He also called for the elimination of rules that keep doctors from prescribing treatments, and he aimed to stop the flow of illicit drugs by having the federal government work with state and local law enforcement officials to go after drug traffickers.
SINCE THEN: Biden sent his first national drug control strategy to Congress, focused on harm reduction or preventing death and illness in drug users while trying to engage them in care and treatment. The strategy calls for changes in state laws and policies to support expanding harm reduction.
It also calls for targeting the financial activities of transnational criminal organizations that manufacture and traffic illicit drugs in the United States, reducing the supply of illegal drugs smuggled across U.S. borders, improving data systems and research that guide drug policy, and making sure the people most in danger of overdosing on drugs can get evidence-based treatments, including people experiencing homelessness and those in prison or jail.
The Department of Health and Human Services awarded nearly $1.5 billion in grants to all states and U.S. territories to increase access to treatment for substance abuse, remove barriers to treatments like naloxone, which is used to reverse an opioid overdose, and expand access to support services and treatment programs.
The Food and Drug Administration approved several naloxone products in the past year, including a higher-dose injection as an additional option to treat opioid overdoses, a second generic naloxone nasal spray, and a naloxone auto-injector product for use by the military and for responding to chemical incidents.
MENTAL HEALTH
IN THE SPEECH: Biden emphasized mental health care for children, citing turmoil in their lives and in their schooling caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. He called for holding social media platforms accountable for their negative impact on children, strengthening privacy protections, banning advertising targeted at children and demanding that tech companies stop collecting children’s personal data. And he urged parents to make sure their kids’ schools use the $122 billion in pandemic relief funds they got from Washington to hire teachers and help students make up for lost learning.
SINCE THEN: The Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, the gun violence bill Biden signed into law last June, allocates more than $1 billion over five years to mental health support for schools, in line with the president's goal of doubling the number of school counselors, social workers and other mental health professionals. The Department of Education has begun releasing those funds.
A new “988” national suicide and crisis hotline opened in July and has been receiving vastly more calls and texts than the old system did during the same time period the previous year, according to the White House.
Biden released a national strategy on mental health. But legislation to address children's tech privacy issues has not yet cleared Congress.
“This is an area where we still have more to get done,” Rice said.
VETERANS
IN THE SPEECH: Biden asked Congress for legislation guaranteeing health care for veterans who became ill from their exposure to toxic smoke on bases in Iraq and Afghanistan.
SINCE THEN: In August, he signed into law a major expansion of federal health care services for millions of veterans who breathed the toxic smoke emitted from huge “burn pits," which were used to dispose of chemicals, plastics, medical equipment, human waste and other substances on U.S. military installations in the two countries.
More than two-thirds of disability claims that cited exposure to the pits were being denied by the Department of Veterans Affairs.
The new law, known in Washington and among veterans as the PACT Act, directs officials to assume that certain respiratory illnesses and cancers were related to burn pit exposure. The change helps veterans, and their survivors, collect disability payments without having to prove their illness was caused by their service. Up to 3.5 million veterans could benefit, according to estimates.
The issue is a personal one for Biden, who many times has suggested that the aggressive brain cancer that killed his son Beau may have been caused by his exposure to burn pits in Iraq. Beau Biden was stationed in Iraq for about a year as a major in the Delaware Army National Guard.
Biden held a large White House bill-signing ceremony and gave the pen to the young daughter of Sgt. 1st Class Heath Robinson, who died of cancer and for whom the legislation is named.
Separately, veterans in need mental health care can now press 1 after dialing 988 to connect with the Veterans Crisis Line.
CANCER
IN THE SPEECH: Biden noted how personal the cancer issue is to him and his wife, Jill, as well as Vice President Kamala Harris, along with millions of people like them who have lost friends and loved ones to various forms of the disease.
Just before last year's State of the Union address, Biden announced that he was “reigniting” a federal cancer-fighting initiative that was first launched in 2016, when he was vice president and after his son Beau's death in 2015. As president, Biden set a new goal for the “cancer moonshot” initiative of cutting cancer death rates by at least half over the next 25 years.
He asked Congress in the speech to fund the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health, describing it as based on a Defense Department research agency that led to creation of the internet, GPS and more. He said the new health research agency's “singular purpose” would be to drive breakthroughs in cancer, Alzheimer's disease, diabetes and more.
SINCE THEN: ARPA-H was created in March 2022 in the Department of Health and Human Services.
The $1.7 trillion government funding bill Biden signed in December included $1.5 billion for the new health agency.
Not today Sir, Probably not tomorrow.............................................. bayfront arena st. pete '94
you're finally here and I'm a mess................................................... nationwide arena columbus '10
memories like fingerprints are slowly raising.................................... first niagara center buffalo '13
another man ..... moved by sleight of hand...................................... joe louis arena detroit '14
Don’t think this deserves a new thread, so throwing it in here. Why aren’t we doing anything about the China balloon? Seems odd to let a “surveillance” balloon float accords the entire United States over multiple days.
Don’t think this deserves a new thread, so throwing it in here. Why aren’t we doing anything about the China balloon? Seems odd to let a “surveillance” balloon float accords the entire United States over multiple days.
They probably don't want to kill any people or damage property by shooting it down. Better to wait till it gets into the Atlantic and try to preserve as much of it as possible so we can learn/steal the technology. I've also heard this isn't the first time this has happened and we do the same type of stuff. Difference here is the Chinese screwed up somehow.
Don’t think this deserves a new thread, so throwing it in here. Why aren’t we doing anything about the China balloon? Seems odd to let a “surveillance” balloon float accords the entire United States over multiple days.
its weird because there are these things called satellites that are probably better capable of spying than the balloon. surprised china didn't just opt for the satellite route instead.
"You can tell the greatness of a man by what makes him angry." - Lincoln
Don’t think this deserves a new thread, so throwing it in here. Why aren’t we doing anything about the China balloon? Seems odd to let a “surveillance” balloon float accords the entire United States over multiple days.
its weird because there are these things called satellites that are probably better capable of spying than the balloon. surprised china didn't just opt for the satellite route instead.
Biden says they'll take care of it....my guess is they want to preserve it as much as possible rather than let it plunge to earth and destroy potentially good intel
Remember the Thomas Nine !! (10/02/2018)
1998: Noblesville; 2003: Noblesville; 2009: EV Nashville, Chicago, Chicago 2010: St Louis, Columbus, Noblesville; 2011: EV Chicago, East Troy, East Troy 2013: London ON, Wrigley; 2014: Cincy, St Louis, Moline (NO CODE) 2016: Lexington, Wrigley #1; 2018: Wrigley, Wrigley, Boston, Boston 2020: Oakland, Oakland:2021: EV Ohana, Ohana, Ohana, Ohana 2022: Oakland, Oakland, Nashville, Louisville; 2023: Chicago, Chicago, Noblesville 2024: Noblesville, Wrigley, Wrigley, Ohana, Ohana
And it’s been reported that the pentagon wanted to see if it’d land at Mar-I-Lieo. Or if Hillary is at the controls. It’s already known Hunter was a big investor of the company that made the balloon and “other” technology.
Don’t think this deserves a new thread, so throwing it in here. Why aren’t we doing anything about the China balloon? Seems odd to let a “surveillance” balloon float accords the entire United States over multiple days.
They probably don't want to kill any people or damage property by shooting it down. Better to wait till it gets into the Atlantic and try to preserve as much of it as possible so we can learn/steal the technology. I've also heard this isn't the first time this has happened and we do the same type of stuff. Difference here is the Chinese screwed up somehow.
I just find it hard to believe there isn’t a place over Montana, SD or Kansas where there wasn’t a place without people on the ground at risk
US downs Chinese balloon over ocean, moves to recover debris
By ZEKE MILLER, MICHAEL BALSAMO, COLLEEN LONG and AAMER MADHANI
1 minute ago
WASHINGTON (AP) — The United States on Saturday downed a suspected Chinese spy balloon off the Carolina coast after it traversed sensitive military sites across North America and became the latest flashpoint in tensions between Washington and Beijing.
An operation was underway in U.S. territorial waters in the Atlantic Ocean to recover debris from the balloon, which had been flying at about 60,000 feet and was estimated to be about the size of three school buses.
President Joe Biden had told reporters earlier Saturday that "we’re going to take care of it,” when asked about the balloon. The Federal Aviation Administration and Coast Guard worked to clear the airspace and water below the balloon as it reached the ocean.
Television footage showed a small explosion, followed by the balloon descending toward the water. U.S. military jets were seen flying in the vicinity and ships were deployed in the water to mount the recovery operation.
Officials were aiming to time the operation so they could recover as much of the debris as possible before it sinks into the ocean. The Pentagon had previously estimated that any debris field would be substantial.
The balloon was spotted Saturday morning over the Carolinas as it approached the coast. In preparation for the operation, the FAA Administration temporarily closed airspace over the Carolina coastline, including the airports in Charleston and Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, and Wilmington, North Carolina. The FAA rerouted air traffic from the area and warned of delays as a result of the flight restrictions.
The Coast Guard advised mariners to immediately leave the area because of U.S. military operations “that present a significant hazard.”
Biden had been inclined to down the balloon over land when he was first briefed on it on Tuesday, but Pentagon officials advised against it, warning that the potential risk to people on the ground outweighed the assessment of potential Chinese intelligence gains.
The public disclosure of the balloon this week prompted the cancellation of a visit by U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken to Beijing scheduled for Sunday for talks aimed at reducing U.S.-China tensions. The Chinese government on Saturday sought to play down the cancellation.
“In actuality, the U.S. and China have never announced any visit, the U.S. making any such announcement is their own business, and we respect that," China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement Saturday morning.
China has continued to claim that the balloon was merely a weather research “airship” that had been blown off course. The Pentagon rejected that out of hand — as well as China’s contention that it was not being used for surveillance and had only limited navigational ability.
The balloon was spotted over Montana, which is home to one of America’s three nuclear missile silo fields at Malmstrom Air Force Base.
The Pentagon also acknowledged reports of a second balloon flying over Latin America. “We now assess it is another Chinese surveillance balloon,” Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder, Pentagon press secretary, said in a statement.
China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs did not immediately respond to a question about the second balloon.
Blinken, who had been due to depart Washington for Beijing late Friday, said he had told senior Chinese diplomat Wang Yi in a phone call that sending the balloon over the U.S. was “an irresponsible act and that (China’s) decision to take this action on the eve of my visit is detrimental to the substantive discussions that we were prepared to have.”
Uncensored reactions on the Chinese internet mirrored the official government stance that the U.S. was hyping the situation. Some used it as a chance to poke fun at U.S. defenses, saying it couldn’t even defend against a balloon, and nationalist influencers leapt to use the news to mock the U.S.
China has denied any claims of spying and said it is a civilian-use balloon intended for meteorology research. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs emphasized that the balloon's journey was out of its control and urged the U.S. not to “smear” it based on the balloon.
___
Associated Press writer Huizhong Wu in Taipei and researcher Henry Hou in Beijing contributed to this report.
Not today Sir, Probably not tomorrow.............................................. bayfront arena st. pete '94
you're finally here and I'm a mess................................................... nationwide arena columbus '10
memories like fingerprints are slowly raising.................................... first niagara center buffalo '13
another man ..... moved by sleight of hand...................................... joe louis arena detroit '14
Don’t think this deserves a new thread, so throwing it in here. Why aren’t we doing anything about the China balloon? Seems odd to let a “surveillance” balloon float accords the entire United States over multiple days.
They probably don't want to kill any people or damage property by shooting it down. Better to wait till it gets into the Atlantic and try to preserve as much of it as possible so we can learn/steal the technology. I've also heard this isn't the first time this has happened and we do the same type of stuff. Difference here is the Chinese screwed up somehow.
I just find it hard to believe there isn’t a place over Montana, SD or Kansas where there wasn’t a place without people on the ground at risk
And then have to deal with the anti-government folks claiming black ops trespassing and get into a shootout? No thanks.
US downs Chinese balloon over ocean, moves to recover debris
By ZEKE MILLER, MICHAEL BALSAMO, COLLEEN LONG and AAMER MADHANI
1 minute ago
WASHINGTON (AP) — The United States on Saturday downed a suspected Chinese spy balloon off the Carolina coast after it traversed sensitive military sites across North America and became the latest flashpoint in tensions between Washington and Beijing.
An operation was underway in U.S. territorial waters in the Atlantic Ocean to recover debris from the balloon, which had been flying at about 60,000 feet and was estimated to be about the size of three school buses.
President Joe Biden had told reporters earlier Saturday that "we’re going to take care of it,” when asked about the balloon. The Federal Aviation Administration and Coast Guard worked to clear the airspace and water below the balloon as it reached the ocean.
Television footage showed a small explosion, followed by the balloon descending toward the water. U.S. military jets were seen flying in the vicinity and ships were deployed in the water to mount the recovery operation.
Officials were aiming to time the operation so they could recover as much of the debris as possible before it sinks into the ocean. The Pentagon had previously estimated that any debris field would be substantial.
The balloon was spotted Saturday morning over the Carolinas as it approached the coast. In preparation for the operation, the FAA Administration temporarily closed airspace over the Carolina coastline, including the airports in Charleston and Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, and Wilmington, North Carolina. The FAA rerouted air traffic from the area and warned of delays as a result of the flight restrictions.
The Coast Guard advised mariners to immediately leave the area because of U.S. military operations “that present a significant hazard.”
Biden had been inclined to down the balloon over land when he was first briefed on it on Tuesday, but Pentagon officials advised against it, warning that the potential risk to people on the ground outweighed the assessment of potential Chinese intelligence gains.
The public disclosure of the balloon this week prompted the cancellation of a visit by U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken to Beijing scheduled for Sunday for talks aimed at reducing U.S.-China tensions. The Chinese government on Saturday sought to play down the cancellation.
“In actuality, the U.S. and China have never announced any visit, the U.S. making any such announcement is their own business, and we respect that," China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement Saturday morning.
China has continued to claim that the balloon was merely a weather research “airship” that had been blown off course. The Pentagon rejected that out of hand — as well as China’s contention that it was not being used for surveillance and had only limited navigational ability.
The balloon was spotted over Montana, which is home to one of America’s three nuclear missile silo fields at Malmstrom Air Force Base.
The Pentagon also acknowledged reports of a second balloon flying over Latin America. “We now assess it is another Chinese surveillance balloon,” Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder, Pentagon press secretary, said in a statement.
China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs did not immediately respond to a question about the second balloon.
Blinken, who had been due to depart Washington for Beijing late Friday, said he had told senior Chinese diplomat Wang Yi in a phone call that sending the balloon over the U.S. was “an irresponsible act and that (China’s) decision to take this action on the eve of my visit is detrimental to the substantive discussions that we were prepared to have.”
Uncensored reactions on the Chinese internet mirrored the official government stance that the U.S. was hyping the situation. Some used it as a chance to poke fun at U.S. defenses, saying it couldn’t even defend against a balloon, and nationalist influencers leapt to use the news to mock the U.S.
China has denied any claims of spying and said it is a civilian-use balloon intended for meteorology research. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs emphasized that the balloon's journey was out of its control and urged the U.S. not to “smear” it based on the balloon.
___
Associated Press writer Huizhong Wu in Taipei and researcher Henry Hou in Beijing contributed to this report.
US downs Chinese balloon over ocean, moves to recover debris
By ZEKE MILLER, MICHAEL BALSAMO, COLLEEN LONG and AAMER MADHANI
1 minute ago
WASHINGTON (AP) — The United States on Saturday downed a suspected Chinese spy balloon off the Carolina coast after it traversed sensitive military sites across North America and became the latest flashpoint in tensions between Washington and Beijing.
An operation was underway in U.S. territorial waters in the Atlantic Ocean to recover debris from the balloon, which had been flying at about 60,000 feet and was estimated to be about the size of three school buses.
President Joe Biden had told reporters earlier Saturday that "we’re going to take care of it,” when asked about the balloon. The Federal Aviation Administration and Coast Guard worked to clear the airspace and water below the balloon as it reached the ocean.
Television footage showed a small explosion, followed by the balloon descending toward the water. U.S. military jets were seen flying in the vicinity and ships were deployed in the water to mount the recovery operation.
Officials were aiming to time the operation so they could recover as much of the debris as possible before it sinks into the ocean. The Pentagon had previously estimated that any debris field would be substantial.
The balloon was spotted Saturday morning over the Carolinas as it approached the coast. In preparation for the operation, the FAA Administration temporarily closed airspace over the Carolina coastline, including the airports in Charleston and Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, and Wilmington, North Carolina. The FAA rerouted air traffic from the area and warned of delays as a result of the flight restrictions.
The Coast Guard advised mariners to immediately leave the area because of U.S. military operations “that present a significant hazard.”
Biden had been inclined to down the balloon over land when he was first briefed on it on Tuesday, but Pentagon officials advised against it, warning that the potential risk to people on the ground outweighed the assessment of potential Chinese intelligence gains.
The public disclosure of the balloon this week prompted the cancellation of a visit by U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken to Beijing scheduled for Sunday for talks aimed at reducing U.S.-China tensions. The Chinese government on Saturday sought to play down the cancellation.
“In actuality, the U.S. and China have never announced any visit, the U.S. making any such announcement is their own business, and we respect that," China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement Saturday morning.
China has continued to claim that the balloon was merely a weather research “airship” that had been blown off course. The Pentagon rejected that out of hand — as well as China’s contention that it was not being used for surveillance and had only limited navigational ability.
The balloon was spotted over Montana, which is home to one of America’s three nuclear missile silo fields at Malmstrom Air Force Base.
The Pentagon also acknowledged reports of a second balloon flying over Latin America. “We now assess it is another Chinese surveillance balloon,” Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder, Pentagon press secretary, said in a statement.
China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs did not immediately respond to a question about the second balloon.
Blinken, who had been due to depart Washington for Beijing late Friday, said he had told senior Chinese diplomat Wang Yi in a phone call that sending the balloon over the U.S. was “an irresponsible act and that (China’s) decision to take this action on the eve of my visit is detrimental to the substantive discussions that we were prepared to have.”
Uncensored reactions on the Chinese internet mirrored the official government stance that the U.S. was hyping the situation. Some used it as a chance to poke fun at U.S. defenses, saying it couldn’t even defend against a balloon, and nationalist influencers leapt to use the news to mock the U.S.
China has denied any claims of spying and said it is a civilian-use balloon intended for meteorology research. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs emphasized that the balloon's journey was out of its control and urged the U.S. not to “smear” it based on the balloon.
___
Associated Press writer Huizhong Wu in Taipei and researcher Henry Hou in Beijing contributed to this report.
Don’t think this deserves a new thread, so throwing it in here. Why aren’t we doing anything about the China balloon? Seems odd to let a “surveillance” balloon float accords the entire United States over multiple days.
its weird because there are these things called satellites that are probably better capable of spying than the balloon. surprised china didn't just opt for the satellite route instead.
These things called satellites orbit much higher than this balloon. Easy to assume they aren’t getting the same information.
Don’t think this deserves a new thread, so throwing it in here. Why aren’t we doing anything about the China balloon? Seems odd to let a “surveillance” balloon float accords the entire United States over multiple days.
They probably don't want to kill any people or damage property by shooting it down. Better to wait till it gets into the Atlantic and try to preserve as much of it as possible so we can learn/steal the technology. I've also heard this isn't the first time this has happened and we do the same type of stuff. Difference here is the Chinese screwed up somehow.
I just find it hard to believe there isn’t a place over Montana, SD or Kansas where there wasn’t a place without people on the ground at risk
And then have to deal with the anti-government folks claiming black ops trespassing and get into a shootout? No thanks.
I would like to think our federal government has the ability to arrive at a remote location before some hicks, especially if the location was preppanned. But looks like they were just waiting until it arrived at the coast. Don’t know if I agree with the decision to let it fly for 3 more days In order to preserve it. If that is the reason why.
Don’t think this deserves a new thread, so throwing it in here. Why aren’t we doing anything about the China balloon? Seems odd to let a “surveillance” balloon float accords the entire United States over multiple days.
They probably don't want to kill any people or damage property by shooting it down. Better to wait till it gets into the Atlantic and try to preserve as much of it as possible so we can learn/steal the technology. I've also heard this isn't the first time this has happened and we do the same type of stuff. Difference here is the Chinese screwed up somehow.
I just find it hard to believe there isn’t a place over Montana, SD or Kansas where there wasn’t a place without people on the ground at risk
And then have to deal with the anti-government folks claiming black ops trespassing and get into a shootout? No thanks.
I would like to think our federal government has the ability to arrive at a remote location before some hicks, especially if the location was preppanned. But looks like they were just waiting until it arrived at the coast. Don’t know if I agree with the decision to let it fly for 3 more days In order to preserve it. If that is the reason why.
There are some pretty remote and inaccessible spots in Montana and lots of heavily armed hicks and population centres in all three states going on and on about trampled rights, freedumb and government overreach. Not to mention the US Navy’s and Coast Guard’s ability to retrieve wreckage at sea with zero population or damn close to it. How they handled it makes sense to me.
Don’t think this deserves a new thread, so throwing it in here. Why aren’t we doing anything about the China balloon? Seems odd to let a “surveillance” balloon float accords the entire United States over multiple days.
They probably don't want to kill any people or damage property by shooting it down. Better to wait till it gets into the Atlantic and try to preserve as much of it as possible so we can learn/steal the technology. I've also heard this isn't the first time this has happened and we do the same type of stuff. Difference here is the Chinese screwed up somehow.
I just find it hard to believe there isn’t a place over Montana, SD or Kansas where there wasn’t a place without people on the ground at risk
And then have to deal with the anti-government folks claiming black ops trespassing and get into a shootout? No thanks.
I would like to think our federal government has the ability to arrive at a remote location before some hicks, especially if the location was preppanned. But looks like they were just waiting until it arrived at the coast. Don’t know if I agree with the decision to let it fly for 3 more days In order to preserve it. If that is the reason why.
There are some pretty remote and inaccessible spots in Montana and lots of heavily armed hicks and population centres in all three states going on and on about trampled rights, freedumb and government overreach. Not to mention the US Navy’s and Coast Guard’s ability to retrieve wreckage at sea with zero population or damn close to it. How they handled it makes sense to me.
Yeah I think it's fine. Maga would complain either way.
Don’t think this deserves a new thread, so throwing it in here. Why aren’t we doing anything about the China balloon? Seems odd to let a “surveillance” balloon float accords the entire United States over multiple days.
its weird because there are these things called satellites that are probably better capable of spying than the balloon. surprised china didn't just opt for the satellite route instead.
These things called satellites orbit much higher than this balloon. Easy to assume they aren’t getting the same information.
It doesn’t make sense to me for a country to send a balloon over another country knowing it can be shot down pretty easily and than they’ve given their spy tech to the other country.
Don’t think this deserves a new thread, so throwing it in here. Why aren’t we doing anything about the China balloon? Seems odd to let a “surveillance” balloon float accords the entire United States over multiple days.
They probably don't want to kill any people or damage property by shooting it down. Better to wait till it gets into the Atlantic and try to preserve as much of it as possible so we can learn/steal the technology. I've also heard this isn't the first time this has happened and we do the same type of stuff. Difference here is the Chinese screwed up somehow.
I just find it hard to believe there isn’t a place over Montana, SD or Kansas where there wasn’t a place without people on the ground at risk
And then have to deal with the anti-government folks claiming black ops trespassing and get into a shootout? No thanks.
I would like to think our federal government has the ability to arrive at a remote location before some hicks, especially if the location was preppanned. But looks like they were just waiting until it arrived at the coast. Don’t know if I agree with the decision to let it fly for 3 more days In order to preserve it. If that is the reason why.
There are some pretty remote and inaccessible spots in Montana and lots of heavily armed hicks and population centres in all three states going on and on about trampled rights, freedumb and government overreach. Not to mention the US Navy’s and Coast Guard’s ability to retrieve wreckage at sea with zero population or damn close to it. How they handled it makes sense to me.
Yeah I think it's fine. Maga would complain either way.
maga would complain if we shot it down 3 days ago. can't win with those assholes. they want every single thing to be both ways.
"You can tell the greatness of a man by what makes him angry." - Lincoln
Don’t think this deserves a new thread, so throwing it in here. Why aren’t we doing anything about the China balloon? Seems odd to let a “surveillance” balloon float accords the entire United States over multiple days.
its weird because there are these things called satellites that are probably better capable of spying than the balloon. surprised china didn't just opt for the satellite route instead.
These things called satellites orbit much higher than this balloon. Easy to assume they aren’t getting the same information.
that is if you actually believe it is a spy balloon. i don't believe that it is.
maybe it was just what the chinese said it is. i am sure they have gathered more information about people with tik tok and their online activity than a balloon flying over their city.
"You can tell the greatness of a man by what makes him angry." - Lincoln
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WASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden administration estimated Monday that it could collect as much as $4.7 billion from insurance companies with newer and tougher penalties for submitting improper charges on the taxpayers' tab for Medicare Advantage care.
Federal watchdogs have been sounding the alarm for years about questionable charges on the government's private version of the Medicare program, with investigators raising the possibility that insurance companies may be bilking taxpayers of billions of dollars every year by claiming members are sicker than they really are to receive inflated payments.
The Department of Health and Human Services said it will begin collecting payments from insurers when an audit turns up that they charged for diagnoses that are not reflected in the patient's medical records. The government has not sought refunds for those payments in over a decade, the agency said.
“Today, we are taking some long overdue steps to move us in the direction of accountability,” HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra said Monday during a phone call with reporters.
The penalties are expected to return $4.7 billion over the next decade, the agency estimated.
The questionable payments are submitted through Medicare Advantage, a booming program that nearly half of the 60 million people enrolled in Medicare sign up for. Medicare Advantage is different from traditional Medicare, with private companies offering plans that are reimbursed by the government for care. The government spent $900 billion last year overall on Medicare.
BUSINESS
Child welfare algorithm faces Justice Department scrutiny
US wage growth slowed in the final quarter of 2022
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IMF upgrades outlook for the global economy in 2023
With the rise in popularity has come growing concern that insurers are ripping off taxpayers by overstating how sick a patient is to unlock higher reimbursements from the government. The HHS Office of the Inspector General raised red flags about $6.7 billion worth of payments for patients whose diagnoses were not supported by medical records in 2017, for example.
Insurers have been gearing up for a fight against the long-awaited final rule, with company leaders raising concerns about the accuracy of the audits. The move will raise insurance rates, warned Matt Eyles, the president of America's Health Insurance Plans, the lobbying arm for health insurance companies.
“Our view remains unchanged: This rule is unlawful and fatally flawed, and it should have been withdrawn instead of finalized," Eyles said.
Not today Sir, Probably not tomorrow.............................................. bayfront arena st. pete '94
you're finally here and I'm a mess................................................... nationwide arena columbus '10
memories like fingerprints are slowly raising.................................... first niagara center buffalo '13
another man ..... moved by sleight of hand...................................... joe louis arena detroit '14
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Payrolls increased by 517,000 in January, crushing estimates, as unemployment rate hit 53-year low
The employment picture started off 2023 on a stunningly strong note, with nonfarm payrolls posting their strongest gain since July 2022.
Nonfarm payrolls increased by 517,000 for January, above the Dow Jones estimate of 187,000 and December’s gain of 260,000.
The unemployment rate fell to 3.4% vs. the estimate for 3.6%. That is the lowest jobless level since May 1969. The labor force participation rate edged higher to 62.4%. A broader measure of unemployment that includes discouraged workers and those holding part-time jobs for economic reasons also edged higher to 6.6%.
Markets slumped following the report, with futures tied to the Dow Jones Industrial Average down about 200 points.
Growth across a multitude of sectors helped propel the massive beat against the estimate.
Leisure and hospitality added 128,000 jobs to lead all sectors. Other significant gainers were professional and business services (82,000), government (74,000) and health care (58,000). Retail was up 30,000 and construction added 25,000.
Wages also posted solid gains for the month. Average hourly earnings increased 0.3%, in line with the estimate, and 4.4% from a year ago, 0.1 percentage point higher than expectations.
The surge in job creation comes despite the Federal Reserve’s effort to slow the economy and bring down inflation from its highest level since the early 1980s. The Fed has raised its benchmark interest rate eight times since March 2022.
In its latest assessment of the jobs picture, the Fed on Wednesday dropped previous language saying gains have been “robust” and noted only that the “unemployment rate has remained low.”
However, Chairman Jerome Powell, in his post-meeting news conference, noted the labor market “remains extremely tight” and is still “out of balance.” As of December, there were about 11 million job openings, or just shy of two for every available worker.
“Today’s report is an echo of 2022′s surprisingly resilient job market, beating back recession fears,” said Daniel Zhao, lead economist for job review site Glassdoor. “The Fed has a New Year’s resolution to cool down the labor market, and so far, the labor market is pushing back.”
Though Fed officials have expressed their intention to keep rates elevated for as long as it takes to bring down inflation, markets are betting the central bank starts cutting before the end of 2023. Traders increased their bets that the Fed would approve a quarter percentage point interest rate hike at its March meeting, with the probability increasing to 94.5%, according to CME Group data.
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WASHINGTON (AP) — A year ago, President Joe Biden used his first State of the Union address to push top Democratic priorities that were sure to face a battle in the narrowly divided Congress but he also laid out a four-pronged “unity agenda” that would be an easier sell.
Biden's unity goals would be hard for anyone to argue against: improving mental health, supporting veterans, beating the opioid epidemic and fighting cancer. The president is still pushing for some of those big Democratic goals, like an assault weapons ban, but he's fared better on the unity goals.
Susan Rice, the president's domestic policy adviser, pointed to “very significant progress” on all four aspects even as she noted that issues like meeting the demand for mental health services or combating drug abuse won't be solved overnight.
"We’re happy with the progress that’s been made and we’re determined to keep pushing forward and make more progress," Rice said in an interview.
A look at where things stand:
OPIOIDS
IN THE SPEECH: Biden asked Congress for increased funding for prevention, treatment, reducing harm and recovery. He also called for the elimination of rules that keep doctors from prescribing treatments, and he aimed to stop the flow of illicit drugs by having the federal government work with state and local law enforcement officials to go after drug traffickers.
JOE BIDEN
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SINCE THEN: Biden sent his first national drug control strategy to Congress, focused on harm reduction or preventing death and illness in drug users while trying to engage them in care and treatment. The strategy calls for changes in state laws and policies to support expanding harm reduction.
It also calls for targeting the financial activities of transnational criminal organizations that manufacture and traffic illicit drugs in the United States, reducing the supply of illegal drugs smuggled across U.S. borders, improving data systems and research that guide drug policy, and making sure the people most in danger of overdosing on drugs can get evidence-based treatments, including people experiencing homelessness and those in prison or jail.
The Department of Health and Human Services awarded nearly $1.5 billion in grants to all states and U.S. territories to increase access to treatment for substance abuse, remove barriers to treatments like naloxone, which is used to reverse an opioid overdose, and expand access to support services and treatment programs.
The Food and Drug Administration approved several naloxone products in the past year, including a higher-dose injection as an additional option to treat opioid overdoses, a second generic naloxone nasal spray, and a naloxone auto-injector product for use by the military and for responding to chemical incidents.
MENTAL HEALTH
IN THE SPEECH: Biden emphasized mental health care for children, citing turmoil in their lives and in their schooling caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. He called for holding social media platforms accountable for their negative impact on children, strengthening privacy protections, banning advertising targeted at children and demanding that tech companies stop collecting children’s personal data. And he urged parents to make sure their kids’ schools use the $122 billion in pandemic relief funds they got from Washington to hire teachers and help students make up for lost learning.
SINCE THEN: The Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, the gun violence bill Biden signed into law last June, allocates more than $1 billion over five years to mental health support for schools, in line with the president's goal of doubling the number of school counselors, social workers and other mental health professionals. The Department of Education has begun releasing those funds.
A new “988” national suicide and crisis hotline opened in July and has been receiving vastly more calls and texts than the old system did during the same time period the previous year, according to the White House.
Biden released a national strategy on mental health. But legislation to address children's tech privacy issues has not yet cleared Congress.
“This is an area where we still have more to get done,” Rice said.
VETERANS
IN THE SPEECH: Biden asked Congress for legislation guaranteeing health care for veterans who became ill from their exposure to toxic smoke on bases in Iraq and Afghanistan.
SINCE THEN: In August, he signed into law a major expansion of federal health care services for millions of veterans who breathed the toxic smoke emitted from huge “burn pits," which were used to dispose of chemicals, plastics, medical equipment, human waste and other substances on U.S. military installations in the two countries.
More than two-thirds of disability claims that cited exposure to the pits were being denied by the Department of Veterans Affairs.
The new law, known in Washington and among veterans as the PACT Act, directs officials to assume that certain respiratory illnesses and cancers were related to burn pit exposure. The change helps veterans, and their survivors, collect disability payments without having to prove their illness was caused by their service. Up to 3.5 million veterans could benefit, according to estimates.
The issue is a personal one for Biden, who many times has suggested that the aggressive brain cancer that killed his son Beau may have been caused by his exposure to burn pits in Iraq. Beau Biden was stationed in Iraq for about a year as a major in the Delaware Army National Guard.
Biden held a large White House bill-signing ceremony and gave the pen to the young daughter of Sgt. 1st Class Heath Robinson, who died of cancer and for whom the legislation is named.
Separately, veterans in need mental health care can now press 1 after dialing 988 to connect with the Veterans Crisis Line.
CANCER
IN THE SPEECH: Biden noted how personal the cancer issue is to him and his wife, Jill, as well as Vice President Kamala Harris, along with millions of people like them who have lost friends and loved ones to various forms of the disease.
Just before last year's State of the Union address, Biden announced that he was “reigniting” a federal cancer-fighting initiative that was first launched in 2016, when he was vice president and after his son Beau's death in 2015. As president, Biden set a new goal for the “cancer moonshot” initiative of cutting cancer death rates by at least half over the next 25 years.
He asked Congress in the speech to fund the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health, describing it as based on a Defense Department research agency that led to creation of the internet, GPS and more. He said the new health research agency's “singular purpose” would be to drive breakthroughs in cancer, Alzheimer's disease, diabetes and more.
SINCE THEN: ARPA-H was created in March 2022 in the Department of Health and Human Services.
The $1.7 trillion government funding bill Biden signed in December included $1.5 billion for the new health agency.
Not today Sir, Probably not tomorrow.............................................. bayfront arena st. pete '94
you're finally here and I'm a mess................................................... nationwide arena columbus '10
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Why aren’t we doing anything about the China balloon? Seems odd to let a “surveillance” balloon float accords the entire United States over multiple days.
"Well, you tell him that I don't talk to suckas."
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U.S. considers shooting down Chinese balloon as it nears Atlantic Ocean
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WASHINGTON (AP) — The United States on Saturday downed a suspected Chinese spy balloon off the Carolina coast after it traversed sensitive military sites across North America and became the latest flashpoint in tensions between Washington and Beijing.
An operation was underway in U.S. territorial waters in the Atlantic Ocean to recover debris from the balloon, which had been flying at about 60,000 feet and was estimated to be about the size of three school buses.
President Joe Biden had told reporters earlier Saturday that "we’re going to take care of it,” when asked about the balloon. The Federal Aviation Administration and Coast Guard worked to clear the airspace and water below the balloon as it reached the ocean.
Television footage showed a small explosion, followed by the balloon descending toward the water. U.S. military jets were seen flying in the vicinity and ships were deployed in the water to mount the recovery operation.
Officials were aiming to time the operation so they could recover as much of the debris as possible before it sinks into the ocean. The Pentagon had previously estimated that any debris field would be substantial.
The balloon was spotted Saturday morning over the Carolinas as it approached the coast. In preparation for the operation, the FAA Administration temporarily closed airspace over the Carolina coastline, including the airports in Charleston and Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, and Wilmington, North Carolina. The FAA rerouted air traffic from the area and warned of delays as a result of the flight restrictions.
JOE BIDEN
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The Coast Guard advised mariners to immediately leave the area because of U.S. military operations “that present a significant hazard.”
Biden had been inclined to down the balloon over land when he was first briefed on it on Tuesday, but Pentagon officials advised against it, warning that the potential risk to people on the ground outweighed the assessment of potential Chinese intelligence gains.
The public disclosure of the balloon this week prompted the cancellation of a visit by U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken to Beijing scheduled for Sunday for talks aimed at reducing U.S.-China tensions. The Chinese government on Saturday sought to play down the cancellation.
“In actuality, the U.S. and China have never announced any visit, the U.S. making any such announcement is their own business, and we respect that," China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement Saturday morning.
China has continued to claim that the balloon was merely a weather research “airship” that had been blown off course. The Pentagon rejected that out of hand — as well as China’s contention that it was not being used for surveillance and had only limited navigational ability.
The balloon was spotted over Montana, which is home to one of America’s three nuclear missile silo fields at Malmstrom Air Force Base.
The Pentagon also acknowledged reports of a second balloon flying over Latin America. “We now assess it is another Chinese surveillance balloon,” Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder, Pentagon press secretary, said in a statement.
China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs did not immediately respond to a question about the second balloon.
Blinken, who had been due to depart Washington for Beijing late Friday, said he had told senior Chinese diplomat Wang Yi in a phone call that sending the balloon over the U.S. was “an irresponsible act and that (China’s) decision to take this action on the eve of my visit is detrimental to the substantive discussions that we were prepared to have.”
Uncensored reactions on the Chinese internet mirrored the official government stance that the U.S. was hyping the situation. Some used it as a chance to poke fun at U.S. defenses, saying it couldn’t even defend against a balloon, and nationalist influencers leapt to use the news to mock the U.S.
China has denied any claims of spying and said it is a civilian-use balloon intended for meteorology research. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs emphasized that the balloon's journey was out of its control and urged the U.S. not to “smear” it based on the balloon.
___
Associated Press writer Huizhong Wu in Taipei and researcher Henry Hou in Beijing contributed to this report.
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But looks like they were just waiting until it arrived at the coast. Don’t know if I agree with the decision to let it fly for 3 more days In order to preserve it. If that is the reason why.
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"Well, you tell him that I don't talk to suckas."
maybe it was just what the chinese said it is. i am sure they have gathered more information about people with tik tok and their online activity than a balloon flying over their city.
"Well, you tell him that I don't talk to suckas."