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☆ Downed Chinese balloon aimed for Hawaii but was blown off course, U.S. official says
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/3] The suspected Chinese spy balloon drifts to the ocean after being shot down off the coast in Surfside Beach, South Carolina, U.S. February 4, 2023. REUTERS/Randall HillWASHINGTON, Feb 15 (Reuters) - U.S. officials believe a Chinese balloon that was shot down after crossing the continental United States originally had a trajectory that would have taken it over Guam and Hawaii but was blown off course by prevailing winds, a U.S. official speaking on condition of anonymity, said on Wednesday. U.S. military and intelligence agencies tracked the balloon from when it lifted off from Hainan Island near China's south coast, the Washington Post reported on Tuesday. The U.S. military said on Monday it had recovered critical electronics from the balloon as well as large sections of the vessel itself. Reporting by Jonathan Landay; Writing by Eric Beech, editing by Deepa BabingtonOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ The US, China spy balloon tensions are drifting into politics of the supply chain
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-14 | by ( Lori Ann Larocco | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

The suspected Chinese spy balloon drifts to the ocean after being shot down off the coast in Surfside Beach, South Carolina, U.S. February 4, 2023. The tensions between the U.S. and China over alleged spy balloons shot down over North America have some of the top trade associations representing companies reliant on Chinese manufacturing to urge their members to diversify their supply chains. "The ongoing tensions with the U.S.-China trade relationship continue to highlight the need for supply chain diversification," said Jon Gold, vice president of supply chain and customs policy of the National Retail Federation. Mark Baxa, president and CEO of the Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals, told CNBC that the trade group's members have been pursuing redundancies in their supply chain since the start of tariffs as a way to offset the risk of ongoing trade policy tensions. "Supply chain leaders are seeking lower risk and a better means to serve the U.S. by looking and moving to Canada and Mexico.

☆ China slams U.S. for blacklisting six Chinese entities
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/2] The suspected Chinese spy balloon drifts to the ocean after being shot down off the coast in Surfside Beach, South Carolina, U.S. February 4, 2023. REUTERS/Randall Hill/File PhotoBEIJING, Feb 14 (Reuters) - China resolutely opposes Washington adding six Chinese entities to its trade blacklist after a Chinese balloon was detected over the United States last week and shot down, China's commerce ministry said on Tuesday. "China hopes the U.S. will stop unreasonable suppression of Chinese enterprises, and will take necessary measures to resolutely safeguard legitimate rights and interests of Chinese enterprises," the ministry said. The Biden administration last Friday blacklisted six Chinese entities connected to Beijing's suspected surveillance balloon program. read moreThe entities include the government-owned China Electronics Technology Group Corporation 48th Research Institute, as well as Beijing Nanjiang Aerospace Technology, a unit of Shanghai-listed developer Deluxe Family (600503.SS).

☆ As new high-altitude objects are shot down over North America, lawmakers say they need more information
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-12 | by ( Ashley Capoot | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

A jet flies by a suspected Chinese spy balloon as it floats off the coast in Surfside Beach, South Carolina, U.S. February 4, 2023. On Feb. 4, the U.S. military shot down a suspected Chinese spy balloon that had been transiting across the country for several days. The White House announced a second object had been shot down on Friday that was flying over Alaska at about 40,000 feet. Gen. Pat Ryder said Canadian authorities are conducting recovery operations to help both countries learn more about the nature of the object downed in Canada. He said he suspects that since the objects were downed in remote areas, there is not a lot of information to share yet.

The suspected Chinese spy balloon drifts to the ocean after being shot down off the coast in Surfside Beach, South Carolina, U.S. February 4, 2023. The U.S. slapped sanctions against six Chinese aerospace companies that it said supported the Beijing's reconnaissance balloon program, adding them to a list of companies the U.S. considers a significant national security threat. We will not hesitate to use the Entity List and our other regulatory and enforcement tools to protect U.S. national security." Last weekend, a high altitude Chinese surveillance balloon was shot down off the coast of South Carolina. "Today's action makes clear that entities that seek to harm U.S. national security and sovereignty will be cut off from accessing U.S.

☆ Sending a spy balloon was a 'clumsy' move by China that 'put a missile' through an already bad situation with the US, foreign policy expert says
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-10 | by ( Natalie Musumeci | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

The Chinese spy balloon "put a missile" through an already strained relationship with the US, an expert said. The balloon incident also torpedoed US Secretary of State Antony Blinken's high-stakes trip to China. The Chinese balloon was an "incredibly clumsy gesture" on Beijing's part and it "deprived us of a very important moment to arrest the downward spiral," Schell said. And though Beijing has admitted that the downed balloon belonged to China, it has insisted it was a weather balloon that blew off course. Glaser added that it is also not in the US' interests "to completely rupture" its relationship with China.

☆ FBI says Chinese balloon analysis effort is in early stages
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] The suspected Chinese spy balloon drifts to the ocean after being shot down off the coast in Surfside Beach, South Carolina, U.S. February 4, 2023. Officials said the FBI still did not have access to the majority of the balloon's "payload" where most of the onboard electronics were likely carried. The FBI said much of the evidence remains underwater, and that it has begun decontaminating some of its remains by removing salt and seawater. "We have not identified any sort of any energetic or offensive material," one of the FBI officials said, when asked whether any explosives or other harmful components had been identified from the balloon. The FBI officials said they did not yet have information on where some of the balloon components were manufactured, but that such evidence when recovered could be used for intelligence purposes or possible criminal charges.

WASHINGTON, Feb 8 (Reuters) - Four previous Chinese spy balloon flights over the United States passed over sites that would be of interest to Beijing, the Pentagon said on Wednesday, without elaborating on the paths the balloons took or whether the U.S. sites were military ones. Pentagon spokesperson Brigadier General Patrick Ryder said the United States was aware of the four past flights before it detected the latest Chinese balloon. "They were over sites that would be of interest to the Chinese," Ryder told reporters. [1/2] The suspected Chinese spy balloon drifts to the ocean after being shot down off the coast in Surfside Beach, South Carolina, U.S. February 4, 2023. The Pentagon said over the weekend that Chinese spy balloons had briefly flown over the United States at least three times during President Donald Trump's administration and one previously under President Joe Biden.

☆ China says it wants its busted balloon back after the US Navy fished the suspected spy craft out of the ocean
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-08 | by ( Natalie Musumeci | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

China now wants its busted balloon returned to it after the US shot it down. US Navy divers fished pieces of the massive balloon out of the Atlantic Ocean this weekend. The suspected Chinese spy balloon drifts to the ocean after being shot down off the coast in Surfside Beach, South Carolina, U.S. February 4, 2023. Chinese officials have admitted the balloon belongs to China but said it was a weather balloon that blew off course. Newly released images from the US Navy show divers pulling debris from the massive balloon out of the Atlantic Ocean.

☆ U.S. recovers suspected Chinese spy balloon remnants
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-07 | by ( Dave Lucas | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

A jet flies by a suspected Chinese spy balloon after shooting it down off the coast in Surfside Beach, South Carolina, February 4, 2023. "We successfully took it down, and I want to compliment our aviators who did it," President Joe Biden said. Biden...moreA jet flies by a suspected Chinese spy balloon after shooting it down off the coast in Surfside Beach, South Carolina, February 4, 2023. "We successfully took it down, and I want to compliment our aviators who did it," President Joe Biden said. Multiple fighter and refueling aircraft were involved in the mission, but only one -- an F-22 fighter jet -- took the shot, using a single AIM-9X missile, a senior U.S. military official said.

☆ Fact Check-Turkey earthquake: Florida condo collapse video from 2021 shared as if from latest disaster
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-06 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

A video of a condominium building collapsing in Florida’s Miami-Dade County in 2021 has been widely shared on social media as imagery from the deadly earthquake in Turkey on Feb. 6, 2023. One of the many iterations on Twitter has been viewed over 1 million times within 12 hours of being posted (here). The dated video was also widely shared on Facebook (here),The security camera footage shows the collapse of Surfside's Champlain Towers South residential building on June 24, 2021. A reverse image search produced multiple news reports carrying this video (here), (here) and (here). The powerful 7.8 magnitude earthquake struck central Turkey and northwest Syria on Feb. 6, 2023, killing more than 2,200 people and injuring thousands (here).

[1/2] The suspected Chinese spy balloon drifts to the ocean after being shot down off the coast in Surfside Beach, South Carolina, U.S. February 4, 2023. REUTERS/Randall HillWASHINGTON, Feb 5 (Reuters) - The U.S. military said on Sunday it is searching for remnants of the suspected Chinese surveillance balloon it shot down the previous day, in a dramatic spy saga that has further strained American-Chinese relations. A successful recovery could potentially give the United States insight into China's spying capabilities, though U.S. officials have downplayed the balloon's impact on national security. Democrats said Biden's decision to wait to shoot down the balloon until it had passed over the United States protected civilians from debris crashing to Earth. The Pentagon will brief senators on the balloon and Chinese surveillance on Feb. 15, Schumer said.

WASHINGTON, Feb 6 (Reuters) - A senior U.S. general responsible for bringing down a Chinese spy balloon said on Monday the military had not detected previous spy balloons before the one that appeared on Jan. 28 over the United States and called it an "awareness gap." The Pentagon said over the weekend that Chinese spy balloons had briefly flown over the United States at least three times during President Donald Trump's administration and one previously under President Joe Biden. He did not provide details on previous balloons, including where over the United States they flew. Senior U.S. officials have offered to brief individuals from the previous administration on the details of previous balloons overflights when Trump was president. A U.S. Air Force fighter jet shot down the suspected Chinese spy balloon off the South Carolina coast on Saturday, a week after it first entered U.S. airspace and triggered a dramatic -- and public -- spying saga that worsened Sino-U.S. relations.

☆ Morning Bid: Hot air
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Still, stocks rallied and bond yields fell as markets priced in lower rates. Now, it appears that some of these expectations were a load of hot air. The U.S. jobs data showed the unemployment rate hit more than a 53-1/2-year low of 3.4%. U.S. stock futures traded lower and FTSE futures indicated a weaker start for British stocks (.FTSE), which vaulted to a record high on Friday. European index futures also traded lower.

Shortly after the opening bell, we'll be buying 55 shares of Caterpillar (CAT) at roughly $247 a share, and selling 100 shares of Qualcomm (QCOM) at roughly $132.25 apiece. With CAT shares down more than 5% since last Tuesday, we reiterate that the recent pullback is a long-term buying opportunity. To fund this purchase, we're scaling back our position in Qualcomm on a near cash-for-cash basis. The semiconductor firm on Feb. 2 delivered softer-than-anticipated guidance , while warning that weak smartphone demand would keep handset chip inventories elevated through the first half of 2023, longer than expected. (Jim Cramer's Charitable Trust is long CAT, QCOM, APPL.

☆ U.S. blocks vessels from area near balloon shoot down
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-06 | by ( David Shepardson | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

WASHINGTON, Feb 6 (Reuters) - The U.S. Coast Guard said Monday it is imposing a temporary security zone in the waters off Surfside Beach, South Carolina in the area where the U.S. military on Saturday shot down a suspected Chinese spy balloon. The 10 nautical mile area security zone blocks vessels from entering without permission of the Coast Guard and is intended to protect the public "from potential hazards associated with physical objects." The Navy has divers and unmanned vessels to retrieve the remnants of the balloon. "Recovery options will seek to recover all debris and any material of intelligence value," a senior defense official told reporters. We planned for much deeper water," the military official said.

☆ Republicans criticize Biden for waiting to shoot down Chinese balloon
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-05 | by ( David Lawder | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

[1/3] The suspected Chinese spy balloon drifts to the ocean after being shot down off the coast in Surfside Beach, South Carolina, U.S. February 4, 2023. Schumer said downing the balloon into the ocean likely enables U.S. intelligence officials to examine its remnants. The Pentagon will brief senators on the balloon and Chinese surveillance on Feb. 15, Schumer said. Trump on Sunday disputed Austin's statement that Chinese government surveillance balloons had transited the continental United States briefly three times during his presidency. Speaking on Fox News Channel's "Sunday Morning Futures" show, Trump's former director of national intelligence John Ratcliffe also denied such balloon incidents.

☆ China defense ministry: U.S. 'attack' of Chinese airship an 'overreaction'
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-05 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

A jet flies by a suspected Chinese spy balloon as it floats off the coast in Surfside Beach, South Carolina, U.S. February 4, 2023. China's defence ministry on Sunday protested against the U.S. "attack" of an unmanned Chinese airship in the United States, saying that it was an "obvious overreaction". China reserves the right to use the necessary means to deal with similar situations, said Tan Kefei, a ministry spokesman, in a statement, without elaborating. A U.S. military fighter jet shot down a suspected Chinese spy balloon off the coast of South Carolina on Saturday, a week after it first entered U.S. airspace and triggered a dramatic - and public - spying saga that worsened Sino-U.S. relations. China has said the craft was a weather balloon blown off course.

☆ Downed spy balloon leads to rise in diplomatic tensions between U.S. and China
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-05 | by ( Leila Sackur | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

A jet flies by a suspected Chinese spy balloon as it floats off the coast in Surfside Beach, South Carolina, U.S. February 4, 2023. The U.S. downed the Chinese surveillance balloon off the Carolina coast on Saturday and will attempt to recover its debris, according to a U.S. official. In remarks to reporters after the balloon was shot down, Biden said he made the order to the Pentagon after he was briefed on Wednesday. The balloon was shot down at 2:39 p.m. by an F-22 raptor with a single missile, according to a senior defense official. The balloon was between 60,000 to 65,000 feet in the air when it was downed.

☆ U.S. shoots down suspected Chinese spy balloon with a single missile
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-04 | by ( Dave Lucas | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

☆ Florida Condo Owners Brace for New Inspection, Reserve Requirements
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-27 | by ( Deborah Acosta | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Under a new law, condos in Florida can no longer waive reserves for building components deemed critical to structural soundness. Condo owners in Florida, already getting squeezed by increasing insurance costs, also might get hit soon by higher monthly fees from new state regulations on structural inspections and reserve funds. Ron DeSantis in May signed the law in response to the 2021 tragic collapse of Champlain Towers South in Surfside, Fla., that killed 98 people. Under the new law, new structural inspections are required of most condo buildings over 30 years old, or 25 years old if within 3 miles of the coast.

☆ Florida Penthouse Bought With Crypto Sells for $18 Million Cash
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-24 | by ( Katherine Clarke | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Be the first to know about the biggest and best luxury home sales and listings by signing up for our Mansion Deals email alert. In June 2021, when the cryptocurrency markets were soaring, the developers of the Arte condominium in Miami’s Surfside neighborhood announced that a buyer had purchased a penthouse there for $22.5 million in cryptocurrency. The deal, one of the most expensive ever done using digital coins, was heralded as evidence that cryptocurrency would eventually become commonplace in the real-estate world.

☆ DeSantis is often described as 'Trump without the baggage,' but there are plenty of differences between the two Republicans. How they play up their contrasts will decide who wins in 2024, GOP insiders
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-24 | by ( Kimberly Leonard | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +20 min

DeSantis could end up running for president in 2024, and he's widely viewed as similar to Trump. He's "Trump without the baggage," "Trump with a brain," Trump "without the drama," and "Trump's Mini Me." The pile on is a problem for both men should DeSantis join Trump in the ring for the 2024 nomination contest. "We know what we get with President Trump," he said. In Florida, DeSantis pushed the legislature to limit ballot collection by non-family members.

☆ 19 Unique Valentine’s Gifts for Women Who Have Everything
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-22 | by ( ) www.wsj.com time to read: +10 min

Maybe she’s the type who tuts, “Oh, I don’t need anything” as Valentine’s Day or her birthday approaches. “There’s something a little decadent about wearing a matching cashmere set when you’re traveling by plane, for example,” Deyette notes. Note: The earrings can also be purchased as singles if you or your recipient like to mix and match. Constructed of 100% Australian sheepskin upper and footbed, they feel incredibly luxe and confer the benefit of breathable, moisture-wicking materials. It comes with a 72-ounce pitcher and an ice-crushing blade, as well as two single-serve blender cups for beverages on the go.

☆ Ron DeSantis just announced he has a memoir coming out soon. Here's what we learned from his first book, a scathing take on Obama
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-30 | by ( Kimberly Leonard | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +13 min

DeSantis wrote the book during the Tea Party movement and before he ran for Congress. He did so throughout his 2011 book, "Dreams from Our Founding Fathers: First Principles in the Age of Obama." According to NPD BookScan, which tracks retail sales of US print books, "Dreams from Our Founding Fathers" sold 125 copies through July of 2022. In one section of the book, DeSantis wrote that Obama lacked the humility of George Washington, the first US president. Obama, DeSantis wrote, "garnered flattering media coverage by a press thoroughly enamored with his progressive politics."

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