Nikki Haley enters race for Republican presidential nominee:
Former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley announces her run for 2024 U.S. presidential election. February 14, 2023. Nikki Haley Via Instagram | Reuters
Nikki Haley announced on Tuesday that she will enter the 2024 presidential race. This marks the former South Carolina Governor and UN Ambassador as the first Republican to challenge former President Donald Trump for the Republican nomination. Haley, announcing her launch a day before she started campaigning in Charleston, has so far called for fiscal responsibility and secure borders. Her announcement makes her the second candidate in what is likely to be a wide Republican primary field.
Biden says the 3 aerial objects shot down were not Chinese spy balloons:
Air Force Capt. Samuel “RaZZ” Larson, F-22 Raptor Demonstration Team commander and pilot, performs an aerial maneuver during the team’s certification flight at Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Virginia, Dec. 9, 2022.
Over the course of this month four separate objects have been shot down in US airspace, one of which is confirmed to have been a Chinese surveillance balloon. While President Biden is planning to meet with Xi Jinping to discuss this, it remains unclear what the other unknown flying objects were. Biden has so far echoed other officials in saying these three were not surveillance vehicles of any kind. He instead says that they likely belonged to private companies, recreation, or research institutions. The purported reason that these objects are just showing up now is that the US military has recently upgraded its radar to better pick up slow-moving objects. Lawmakers from both sides of the aisle continue to ask that Biden publicly address the issue and reassure the American people that there is no threat.
US bombers fly after North Korea says it tested ICBM in surprise drill:
Test launch of a Hwasong-15 intercontinental ballistic missile at Pyongyang International Airport in Pyongyang, North Korea Saturday, February 18, 2023.
North Korea claims that it has conducted another intercontinental ballistic missile test, the third such test in under a year. On Sunday, the US responded to this by flying long-range supersonic bombers in a show of force and stepping up joint military exercises with South Korea and Japan. A South Korean military statement said Sunday's training reaffirmed Washington's "iron-clad" security commitment to South Korea. North Korea considers the test proof of its ability to launch a "fatal nuclear counterattack on the hostile forces." However, there is currently no evidence that the country can protect nuclear warheads from the harsh atmospheric conditions of reentry.
Sources:
Biden says the 3 aerial objects shot down were not Chinese spy balloons
US bombers fly after North Korea says it tested ICBM in surprise drill | 9 News