Biden criticized for spy balloon response

Republican lawmakers on Sunday accused China of surveilling U.S. military sites and argued that President Joe Biden should have destroyed a spy balloon sooner. A U.S. fighter jet shot down the balloon off the Carolina coast on Saturday but only after it had floated across the North American continent for a week, according to military officials. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell said that it “defies belief” that U.S. forces couldn’t have safely taken down the balloon any sooner. Military officials advised Biden not to bring the balloon down over land because it could harm people on the ground.

Is China facing any consequences? Secretary of State Antony Blinken will no longer go on an upcoming visit to China. China has said the balloon was a civilian aircraft used for meteorological research and it couldn’t steer itself. Pentagon officials have confirmed that the balloon changed course to leave the United States after military officials announced its existence.

Dig deeper: Read Rebeccah L. Heinrich’s column in WORLD Opinions about how China is using TikTok to spy on Americans.