Monday morning news: February 6, 2023

For WORLD Radio, I'm Kent Covington. 

China balloon, tensions » Republicans on Capitol Hill say China just made a mockery of U.S. airspace and that President Biden let it happen.

Congressman Mike Turner chairs the House Intelligence Committee. He said it’s clear that the large balloon China floated over the continental U.S. was on a spy mission.

TURNER: Clearly this was an attempt by China to gather information to defeat command and control of our sensitive missile defense and nuclear weapons sites. And that certainly is an urgency that this administration doesn’t recognize.

An American F-22 fighter jet shot down the balloon off the coast of South Carolina, but not before its mounted cameras got a good look at US military installations.

President Biden said he chose not to shoot down the balloon over land over safety concerns for those on the ground. But GOP Sen. Ted Cruz said there were many opportunities to safely take it down.

CRUZ: He allowed a full week for the Chinese to conduct spying operations over the United States over sensitive military installations, exposing not just photographs, but the potential for intercepted communications.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said Republicans should wait until all the facts are in hand. He said of Republican criticisms…

SCHUMER: They are premature, and they are political. Our friends are playing politics with US intelligence.

The U.S. military is currently recovering the pieces of the suspected spy balloon in shallow Atlantic waters.

GOP push for Mayorkas ouster » Democrats also say Republicans are playing politics with their push to oust Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas.

Arizona Congressman Andy Biggs on Sunday noted record numbers of illegal crossings since Mayorkas took the job two years ago.

BIGGS: We just don’t have the time. We can’t go for another two years with 5 million illegally entering the country.

Republicans have repeatedly called on Mayorkas to resign, accusing him of violating his oath of office. And Biggs last week introduced articles of impeachment against the secretary.

Republicans have accused President Biden and Mayorkas of intentionally allowing the border to spiral out of control.

Ukraine is auditing its military amid anti-corruption push, defense minister says » Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov says Ukrainian officials are now auditing the military as part of a push to clean up corruption in government ranks.

That comes as Ukraine is seeking membership in the European Union. And E-U officials say Kyiv must work to root out corruption before it can join the bloc.

REZNIKOV: [Ukrainian]

Reznikov also says his country is still trying to talk Western allies into sending warplanes. And he said he’s optimistic that Ukraine will get the fighter jets it seeks.

REZNIKOV: [Ukrainian]

The West is already set to send German-made tanks to Ukraine.

DNC calendar approved » AUDIO: [Vote on primaries]

With that vote, Iowa is no longer first in the nation, at least not for Democrats running for president.

The Democratic National Committee voted to upend decades of political tradition, rearranging the order of states’ presidential primaries and caucuses.

South Carolina will now host the party’s presidential first primary while Iowa and New Hampshire won’t hold their votes until days or even weeks later.

The Iowa caucuses have kicked off every presidential primary season since 1972.

Weather in NE » Many Americans are beginning to thaw out after bone-chilling cold gripped much of the northern United States.

Bob Oravec with National Weather Service:

ORAVEC: The really cold temperatures we had on Saturday have definitely moderated, and it looks like going forward, over the next week, temperatures are going to be above average across a good part of the country.

Temperatures in the northeast warmed up into the mid-40s on Sunday. That feels like t-shirt weather to many after a sub-zero blast last week.

Freight train derailment » Firefighters have not yet approached smoldering train cars in Ohio after a freight train transporting dangerous chemicals derailed near the town of East Palestine over the weekend.

Authorities ordered evacuations of the area after the train’s hazardous cargo spilled onto the gravel and grass near the tracks.

But Fire Chief Keith Drabick says the most dangerous chemicals are secure for now.

DRABICK: The product in question that we're dealing with and most concerned about is vinyl chloride. The railcar that was carrying that is doing its job. The safety features of that railcar are still functioning.

Authorities say they have not detected any toxic airborne chemicals.

Gas prices » Pump prices are once again on the decline. That national average stands at $3.47 per gallon according to AAA—down 3 cents over the past week.

Fuel price analyst Trilby Lundberg:

LUNDBERG: The high average in this panel of cities is Honolulu at $4.87. And the lowest Houston at $3.00. Between them here's Baltimore $3.50 Las Vegas $3.91 at Chicago at $3.97

A month ago, the price of regular unleaded had dipped to roughly $3.30 per gallon.

I’m Kent Covington. For more news, features, and analysis, visit at wng.org. 

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