Midday Roundup: U.S. spy plane, Chinese jets barely avoid midair crash

Sky-high tension. U.S. and Chinese military officials are giving conflicting account of an incident involving planes from both countries flying over the South China Sea earlier this week. According to the Pentagon, Chinese jets attempting to intercept the American plane came dangerously close. Chinese officials insist their pilots maintained a safe distance, but blamed U.S. reconnaissance missions for any potential problems. Using manmade islands, China is trying to stake a claim in what the United States and its allies insist are international waters. The Philippines and several other countries have filed suit in the international criminal court over the disputed territory. A tribunal in The Hague is expected to issue an arbitration ruling in the next few weeks, but Beijing does not recognize the court’s authority. Although not a party to the suit, the United States has used reconnaissance flights and the movement of its Navy vessels to reinforce its position that China does not have a right to the disputed territory.

Politically incorrect. Most Native Americans are not offended by sports team names that refer to Indian heritage in terms now considered politically incorrect. According to a Washington Post poll, 90 percent of Native Americans said they weren’t bothered by the name of the Washington, D.C., NFL team—the Redskins. A 2004 poll by the Annenberg Public Policy Center came up with the same response, but since then, advocacy groups have targeted college and professional sports teams with a campaign to renounce Indian mascots and names. The Redskins organization has long resisted pressure to abandon the name, and several Native-American activists have filed suit challenging the teams’ trademarks. They have won support from politicians, sports broadcasters and commentators, newspapers, civil rights organizations, and tribal leaders. But the majority of Native Americans don’t seem to care.

Campaign hacks. America’s intelligence chief is warning presidential campaigns are under cyberattack. Both the Department of Homeland Security and the FBI are trying to educate campaign staffers about the risks and ways they can block hackers, Director of National Intelligence James Clapper said during a cybersecurity event in Washington this week. Current cyberattacks—possibly assigned by foreign governments—follow patterns set in the last two presidential campaigns. During the 2008 election, for example, hackers targeted the campaigns of now-President Barack Obama and then-Republican rival Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., trying to capture private emails, national security briefings, and other sensitive data. Clapper said the intelligence community expects more cyberthreats as the campaigns intensify.

Still shaking. Ecuador is still dealing with the effects of the massive 7.8-magnitude earthquake that struck the country last month. Two large aftershocks, only a few hours apart, rattled the region Tuesday. The first registered a magnitude of 6.7, the second 7.2. Robert Sanders with the U.S. Geological Survey said the aftershocks are shaking buildings already weakened by the original quake and could go on for up to a year. Last month’s quake claimed at least 650 lives. According to local officials, one elderly person died and two other people suffered serious injuries in the aftershocks.

WORLD Radio’s Kent Covington contributed to this report.