Republican lawmakers on Sunday accused China of deliberately surveilling sensitive U.S. military sites with a suspected spy balloon and said the Biden administration had given Beijing an intelligence opening by not downing the balloon during its high-altitude drift through American airspace. The balloon’s presence in the sky above the United States before a military jet shot it down over the Atlantic Ocean with a missile … Continue reading The Chinese Spy Balloon story is ballooning out of control

Chinese authorities said Friday that a suspected Beijing-operated spy balloon spotted hovering over sensitive U.S. airspace was in fact a civilian airship intended for scientific research. China’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement that westerly wind had caused the airship to stray into U.S. territory, describing the incident as a result of “force majeure” — or greater force — for which it was not responsible. … Continue reading China says suspected spy balloon over U.S. skies is a civilian airship

A huge, high-altitude Chinese balloon sailed across the U.S. on Friday, drawing severe Pentagon accusations of spying and sending excited or alarmed Americans outside with binoculars. Secretary of State Antony Blinken abruptly canceled a high-stakes Beijing trip aimed at easing U..S.-China tensions. The cancelation came despite China’s claim that the balloon was a weather research “airship” that had blown off course. The Pentagon rejected that … Continue reading Chinese balloon now over central US as Blinken cancels visit

A New Jersey councilwoman was shot and killed in a possible attack outside her home, an incident officials are calling “shocking” and “senseless.” Eunice Dwumfour was the first sitting elected official in recent memory who had been shot and killed in office in the state, New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy told reporters Thursday. “I am stunned by the news of Sayreville Councilwoman Eunice Dwumfour’s murder … Continue reading NJ councilwoman killed in shooting outside home

The U.S. military has been monitoring a suspected Chinese surveillance balloon that has been hovering over the northern U.S. for the past few days, and military and defense leaders have discussed shooting it out of the sky, according to two U.S. officials and a senior defense official. “The United States government has detected and is tracking a high-altitude surveillance balloon that is over the continental … Continue reading Suspected Chinese spy balloon found over northern U.S.

After more than a year of debate about whether a Chinese company’s plan to build a corn mill in North Dakota was an economic boon or a geopolitical risk, an assistant secretary of the Air Force has weighed in with a warning that the “project presents a significant threat to national security.” The letter from Assistant Secretary Andrew P. Hunter, released publicly on Tuesday by … Continue reading Air Force Says Proposed Chinese-Owned Mill in North Dakota Is ‘Significant Threat’

This time, Tom Brady says he’s done for good. The seven-time Super Bowl winner with New England and Tampa Bay announced his retirement from the NFL on Wednesday, exactly one year after first saying his playing days were over, by posting a brief video lasting just under one minute on social media. Unlike last winter, though, the most successful quarterback in league history, as well … Continue reading Tom Brady retires at 45, insisting this time it’s ‘for good’

A four-star Air Force general sent a memo on Friday to the officers he commands that predicts the U.S. will be at war with China in two years and tells them to get ready to prep by firing “a clip” at a target, and “aim for the head.” In the memo sent Friday and obtained by NBC News, Gen. Mike Minihan, head of Air Mobility … Continue reading U.S. Air Force General predicts war with China by 2025

The Memphis police chief disbanded the city’s so-called Scorpion unit on Saturday, citing a “cloud of dishonor” from newly released video that showed some of its officers beating Tyre Nichols to death after stopping the Black motorist. Police Director Cerelyn “CJ” Davis acted a day after the harrowing video emerged, saying she listened to Nichols’ relatives, community leaders and uninvolved officers in making the decision. … Continue reading Memphis PD Disbands Scorpion Unit

A judge is set to hear arguments Tuesday on whether to release a report by a special grand jury tasked with investigating whether then-President Donald Trump and his allies broke any laws as they sought to overturn his narrow 2020 election loss in Georgia. Fulton County Superior Court Judge Robert McBurney will hear arguments from the district attorney’s office, news outlets and potentially other parties … Continue reading Fulton County Judge to hold hearing over Georgia special grand jury report

The “Doomsday Clock” symbolizing the perils to humanity moved Tuesday to its closest ever to midnight amid the Ukraine war, nuclear tensions and the climate crisis. The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, which describes the clock as a “metaphor for how close humanity is to self-annihilation,” edged its hands from 100 seconds to midnight to 90 seconds to midnight. A decision to reset the hands … Continue reading Yikes! ‘Doomsday Clock’ moves closest ever to midnight

A former top FBI official in New York has been arrested over his ties to a Russian oligarch, law enforcement sources told ABC News Monday. Charles McGonigal, who was the special agent in charge of counterintelligence in the FBI’s New York Field Office, is under arrest over his ties to Oleg Deripaska, a Russian billionaire who has been sanctioned by the United States and criminally … Continue reading Former top FBI official Charles McGonigal arrested over ties to Russian oligarch Oleg Deripaska

Churches are closing at rapid numbers in the US, researchers say, as congregations dwindle across the country and a younger generation of Americans abandon Christianity altogether – even as faith continues to dominate American politics. As the US adjusts to an increasingly non-religious population, thousands of churches are closing each year in the country – a figure that experts believe may have accelerated since the … Continue reading Thousands of churches closing every year in USA

THE US Coast Guard confirmed it is monitoring a suspicious Russian ship that has been sailing off the coast of Hawaii. The ship is believed to be a Russian intelligence vessel, the U.S. Coast Guard said in a statement Wednesday. “In recent weeks, the U.S. Coast Guard has continued to monitor a Russian vessel, believed to be an intelligence gathering ship, off the coast of … Continue reading Russian ‘intelligence gathering ship’ off the Hawaii coast being monitored by US Coast Guard

Alec Baldwin and armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed will face criminal charges for the October 2021 fatal shooting ofRustcinematographer Halyna Hutchins on the film’s set, the Santa Fe District Attorney said Thursday. Close to 16 months after Baldwin shot Hutchins and wounded the movie’s director Joel Souza with a loaded gun during rehearsal on the set of the indie Western, New Mexico First Judicial District Attorney Mary … Continue reading Alec Baldwin charged with involuntary manslaughter

Another power substation in North Carolina has been damaged because of apparent gunfire, energy officials said Tuesday. The damage occurred at a power substation in Thomasville, about an hour away from Moore County, where just weeks ago two other substations were attacked by gunfire.  EnergyUnited said that company officials learned of an “equipment issue” at the Pleasant Hill Substation on Tuesday morning, at which time … Continue reading Another North Carolina power substation damaged by apparent gunfire

U.S. aviation-safety officials are investigating how two planes came close to a collision on a runway at John F. Kennedy International Airport on Friday night.  Delta Air Lines Inc. Flight 1943 was headed down the runway for takeoff when air-traffic controllers noticed another plane crossing in the departing jetliner’s path, a spokesman for the Federal Aviation Administration said Saturday. Delta’s Boeing Co. 737 came to … Continue reading Near Collision at JFK Airport Between Delta, American Planes Under Investigation