A high altitude balloon floats over Billings, Mont., on Wednesday, Feb. 1, 2023. The U.S. is tracking a suspected Chinese surveillance balloon that has been spotted over U.S. airspace for a couple days, but the Pentagon decided not to shoot it down due to risks of harm for people on the ground, officials said Thursday, Feb. 2, 2023. The Pentagon would not confirm that the balloon in the photo was the surveillance balloon. (Larry Mayer/The Billings Gazette via AP)
Republicans criticized President Joe Biden’s response to the suspected Chinese spy balloon that U.S. military fighter jets shot down Saturday.
China claimed the balloon, which had been seen flying over Montana earlier last week, was only meant for observing weather conditions. The Chinese Foreign Ministry claimed the move to destroy the balloon was a “clear overreaction and serious violation of international practice.”
Biden was briefed on the balloon Wednesday but it was not shot down until it was flying over water Saturday, in part, because of the potential damage caused by debris.
"The president will always put the safety and security of the American people first," White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Friday. "We are tracking closely and keeping all options on the table."
Republicans criticized the administration for waiting so long to shoot it down.
“I will be demanding answers and will hold the admin accountable for this embarrassing display of weakness,” Texas Republican Rep. Michael McCaul, the chair of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said.
Sen. Marco Rubio, lead Republican on the Intelligence Committee, similarly said it sent the wrong message to the rest of the world.
“The message embedded in this to the world is we can fly a balloon over airspace of the United States of America and they won’t be able to do anything about it to stop us,” Rubio said.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell also criticized the president.
McConnell said in a statement Sunday that "this balloon could have been shot down right away without endangering Americans or Canadians.”
“This was a reminder of the PRC's brazenness and President Biden missed the opportunity to defend our sovereignty, send a message of strength, and bolster deterrence," he added.
But Democrats defended the administration's actions.
“We sent a clear message to China that this is not acceptable. We protected civilians. We gained more intelligence while protecting our own sensitive information,” Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said. “The bottom line here is that shooting down the surveillance balloon over water wasn't just the safest option but it was the one that maximized our intelligence payload.”
A group of eight congressional leaders on intelligence committees will receive a classified briefing this week on China and the surveillance balloon.
Senators will receive a classified briefing on February 15 with the latest intelligence on the balloon as the United States searches for debris off the South Carolina coast.
Katie Barlow, media editor at SCOTUSblog, joins Cheddar Politics to reflect on what happened at the Supreme Court in 2021 and what may be in store for 2022.
Gerren Keith Gaynor, managing editor of politics and Washington correspondent at The Grio, joins Cheddar Politics to discuss the progress President Biden made on his policy agenda in 2021, and what remains to be done in 2022.
Ayman Mohyeldin, host of MSNBC Original Podcast 'American Radical,' joins Cheddar News to discuss how the podcast chronicles a woman's path to the insurrection.
Following the attack on the Capitol last year, several major corporations promised to no longer pour funds into the campaigns of Republican lawmakers who supported the January 6 insurrection. But not all have stood firm on their word. Among those that did keep to their promise were Nike, American Express, and Walgreens.
Rep. Annie Kuster (D-N.H. 2nd District) joined Cheddar's "Between Bells" to reflect on the January 6 insurrection and her personal experience in the Capitol when rioters attempted to overtake the House chamber. "What I now understand to be true is that the mob of rioters had reached the third floor and was literally in the hallway running toward us as we ducked into the elevator," she told Cheddar. Kuster recalled the fear she felt, wondering what might have happened if the insurrectionists crossed paths with her group. Kuster noted that she has since received therapy to help cope with the traumatic event. "A thousand acts of courage saved our life and saved our democracy," she said.
Andy Kroll, Washington bureau chief at Rolling Stone, joined Cheddar's Baker Machado to discuss the anniversary of the January 6 insurrection and how it could impact upcoming elections. Kroll talked about whether or not Trump's influence will aid Republicans in the midterms and how it could be a setup for the former president to run in the 2024 presidential election. "This day has become really almost a kind of cause for Republican base voters," he said. "And you're going to see that fueling some turnout, you're going to see that fueling, even, candidates running for office in these midterm elections."
According to a recent analysis from ProPublica and the Wall Street Journal an analysis of Facebook posts, internal company documents, and interviews reveal key evidence about the social media giant's role in January 6 insurrection. National Reporter at ProPublica Craig Silverman, joined Cheddar to discuss more.
AT&T and Verizon have agreed to delay activating their 5G services for two weeks after Airlines for America, a lobbying group that represents American, Delta, and other airlines, filed a petition last week with the FCC to stop the deployment of 5G in the U.S. over concerns that the network can interfere with certain systems on airplanes. President Biden spoke out about it, saying it would avoid further delays and cancellations of flights. Light Reading 5G and Mobile Strategies Director Mike Dano joined Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss.
On a day where the Dow and Russell 2000 each closed more than 3% lower, Melissa Armo, founder and owner of The Stock Swoosh, says Wednesday's big sell-off could extend into after-hours trading. She joined Cheddar News' Closing Bell for more.
The new year has just gotten underway, but the clock is already ticking for the Democratic-led Congress to pass bills regulating big tech. Evan Greer, Director for Fight For the Future, joins Cheddar News to explain why Democratic lawmakers would want to push legislation now, and what a Republican takeover would mean for the industry.
