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China’s balloon surveillance program targeted more than 40 countries across five continents, officials told lawmakers as the House unanimously condemned Beijing on Thursday and President Biden said the balloon that traversed the United States does not represent a “major breach” of intelligence.  

Lawmakers learned that the Chinese balloon, currently being pulled from the Atlantic Ocean, had multiple antennas in an array “likely capable of collecting geo-locating communications,” while its solar panels were large enough to produce power to operate “multiple active intelligence collection sensors” (The New York Times and The Hill). Government crews are working to recover the balloon debris near Myrtle Beach, S.C., for further study.

The House quickly voted 419-0 for a resolution that condemns the Chinese Communist Party for “a brazen violation of United States sovereignty” at high altitude from the Pacific to the Atlantic coasts. The balloon was first publicly spotted over Montana.

Republicans have criticized Biden for waiting days to bring down the contraption. The president responded that he ordered the military to shoot it down “as soon as possible,” which turned out to be over water for safety reasons. House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Michael McCaul (R-Texas), sponsor of Thursday’s resolution, said he welcomed the bipartisan vote (The Hill).

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“It’s too important of an issue,” McCaul told reporters on Monday. “We want to stand strong together against China instead of having our internal fights.”

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Bottom line: The balloon incident has ruptured the administration’s hopes to smooth rocky ties with China and hardened anti-China attitudes in Congress.

Two Senate panels also held balloon-related hearings Thursday, and lawmakers from both chambers were briefed by the Biden administration. A classified briefing for House lawmakers turned tense when Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.), by her own account, criticized administration officials for waiting days to deflate the surveillance device with a fighter jet and a Sidewinder missile.

“I chewed them out just like the American people would’ve,” Greene told The Hill. “I tore ‘em to pieces.”

▪ The Wall Street Journal: Senate Republicans demand answers on handling of suspected Chinese spy balloon. 

▪ The Hill: Utah Sen. Mitt Romney (R) defended Biden’s handling of the Chinese balloon.

Biden said during an interview with Noticias Telemundo that China’s balloon does not represent “a major breach” of intelligence. Some lawmakers want the Biden administration to punish China; a State Department official on Thursday said the U.S. is exploring options against the Chinese military and those supporting the program (The Hill).

The incursion, which until last week was largely unknown to much of the American public, seems to mark a new era of espionage and counter-espionage activities between the two countries, said John Ciorciari, the director of the Weiser Diplomacy Center at the University of Michigan.

“This incident makes it likely the U.S. accelerates different kinds of counterintelligence initiatives and expands to areas like, who do we grant visas to? Who is allowed to study at universities?” Ciorciari told The Hill. “An acceleration of those kinds of policies, the Chinese government will probably mirror.”

The balloon was not equipped with traditional meteorological equipment, which negates the tamer explanation of its purpose initially broached by Beijing. The Chinese program appears equipped to build “a picture of our radar, weapon system and communication capabilities and those of our allies,” retired Air Force Lt. Gen. Charlie “Tuna” Moore, a former fighter pilot who helped run operations out of the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD), told The Washington Post.

As we head into the weekend, The Hill’s Brad Dress has compiled five big questions in search of answers about the Chinese spy balloon.

👉 Headline to watch: Federal special counsel Jack Smith, who has been investigating former President Trump on several fronts since late last year, has subpoenaed former Vice President Mike Pence to provide information following months of negotiations between federal prosecutors and Pence’s legal team. It’s a major escalation of the Justice Department’s probe of efforts by Trump and his allies to overturn the 2020 election. Pence is a potential 2024 presidential candidate (ABC News).

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Related Articles

▪ CNN: U.S. officials disclosed new details about the balloon’s capabilities. Here’s what we know.

▪ The Wall Street Journal: China’s balloon program grew from a humble start.

▪ Bloomberg News: U.S.-China relations: A long history of balloons, bombs and drones.

▪ The New York Times: “Not just a silly balloon”: Dismay and fear over another U.S.-China clash.

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LEADING THE DAY

➤ CONGRESS

The House’s new subcommittee dedicated to probing the so-called weaponization of the federal government held its first hearing Thursday, featuring a litany of GOP criticisms of Democrats, government and Big Tech that have featured prominently in conservative media over the last several years. 

Chairman Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) said the panel will hold more public hearings in the future and take transcribed interviews from experts, government officials, journalists, FBI whistleblowers and “Americans who’ve been targeted by their government.” The panel will submit a final report to the House on its findings by January 2025, and, according to Jordan, will also propose legislation to “help protect the American people” (NBC News and The Hill).

“Millions of Americans already fear that weaponization is the right name for this special subcommittee — not because weaponization of the government is its target but because weaponization of the government is its purpose,” said Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.), the only Democratic member invited to speak as a witness.

▪ The Hill: Who is former FBI agent Nicole Parker, who testified in the first House “weaponization” hearing?

▪ Politico: Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) is “raising hell” over the White House’s handling of a marquee Democratic bill.

▪ The Hill: Rep. Angie Craig (D-Minn.) was assaulted on Thursday in her D.C. apartment building’s elevator. She called 911 and the assailant fled.

▪ Reuters: Republican senators seek to reverse U.S. heavy-duty truck emissions rule.

A group of House Democrats unveiled a resolution on Thursday to expel Rep. George Santos (R-N.Y.) from Congress, citing the long and growing list of resume fabrications that have defined his first weeks on Capitol Hill (The Hill). 

“This is not just a simple liar,” Rep. Daniel Goldman (D-N.Y.) told reporters on the steps of the Capitol. “This is a con man who does not belong in Congress, and he needs to go.”

Politico: Santos was charged with theft in 2017 case tied to Amish dog breeders.

While some Senate Republicans are backing Romney’s call for Santos to be kicked out of the House and are generally uncomfortable with the raucous behavior on display from their House colleagues at Tuesday’s State of the Union, they are more concerned that the White House is gaining the upper hand in fiscal reform and debt limit talks by painting Republicans as wanting to cut Social Security and Medicare. As The Hill’s Alexander Bolton reports, some Republicans worry that Biden is spinning political gold out of Sen. Rick Scott’s (R-Fla.) 12-point plan to “Rescue America,” which would imperil both programs, putting them at a disadvantage in this year’s budget talks.

The back-and-forth surrounding the State of the Union this week shows that Social Security and Medicare remain the unquestioned third rail of American politics as Republicans back away from their decades of calls to slash the pair of entitlement programs, write The Hill’s Mike Lillis and Al Weaver. 

“It’s essential. I mean, I live in an elderly state that … hits more people,” Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) told The Hill. “In tight times like this … that it might actually be under duress or question is a terrible, not just practical, but political [issue] as well. So I think they’ve made it clear, and I’ve made it clear, we’re not going to touch it.” 

The Washington Post: Do Republicans want to cut Social Security and Medicare? Here’s what to know.

➤ POLITICS

There is no state more attuned to the politics of Social Security and Medicare than Florida, which is where Biden headed on Thursday, eager to make life uncomfortable for Republican leaders who face senior citizens known for their activism about federal entitlements and their history of participating in presidential elections.

In Tampa on Thursday, Biden reminded his audience that he recently signed major legislation that begins to give the government the power under Medicare to negotiate drug costs with pharmaceutical companies, capping the total that most Medicare recipients pay for a year’s worth of medications.

Some Republicans in the House and Senate would like to do away with the law that made those savings for seniors possible, Biden warned, because they’re pressing Democrats for deep cuts in federal spending. He blamed Rick Scott, formerly Florida’s governor, for opening that door.

“The very idea the senator from Florida wants to put Social Security and Medicare on the chopping block every five years I find to be somewhat outrageous, so outrageous that you might not even believe it,” Biden said, referring to Scott’s proposal to compel the reauthorization of both programs every five years (The Hill). 

The senator has confirmed his proposal but argues he’s not calling for cuts in either federal program for seniors.

“If Republicans in Congress have their way, the power we just gave Medicare to negotiate lower prescription drug prices goes away,” Biden said, referring to provisions of the Inflation Reduction Act. “The $2,000 cap next year on prescription drugs goes away. The $35-a-month insulin limitation goes away.”

The president also accused Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who is eyeing a presidential run next year, of refusing federal cost-sharing to expand Medicaid for the poor and disabled in his state. “Over 1.1 million people in Florida would be eligible for Medicaid if Governor DeSantis just said, `I agree to expand it,’” Biden said.

On Thursday, Trump jabbed at Biden in his own fundraising emails for making a political play for Florida votes, while Biden’s focus appeared to be DeSantis. The governor is busy courting outside groups who are raising money and organizing for his anticipated campaign, writes The Hill’s Brett Samuels.

The Hill’s Niall Stanage writes in his latest Memo that DeSantis is a common foe for Trump and the president.

Court watch:  👉A Texas district court judge appointed by Trump could ban commonly used abortion pills nationwide after Friday (Politico, USA Today, New York magazine, 19th News). Reproductive rights advocates worry that federal action has been too slow on the ground to protect access to health services, including medication abortion.

Trump may switch tactics and offer to turn over a DNA sample for a case in which E. Jean Carroll alleges he raped her in the 1990s. A trial is scheduled to begin in April (The Daily Beast).

Abbe Lowell, a lawyer for Hunter Biden, warned those involved in promulgating assertions about his infamous laptop computer that they could face unspecified litigation over their claims (Politico).

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IN FOCUS/SHARP TAKES

➤ INTERNATIONAL

Hopes are fading that many more will be found alive in the ruins of towns and cities in Turkey and Syria, where a series of earthquakes have killed more than 20,000 this week. Additionally, a Turkish official said the disaster poses “very serious difficulties” for the holding of a scheduled May 14 election in which President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan — who imposed a three-month state of emergency following the quakes — has been expected to face his toughest challenge in two decades in power.

As anger simmers over delays in the delivery of aid and getting the rescue effort underway, the disaster is likely to play into the vote if it goes ahead (Reuters). Across the border in Syria, where millions displaced by the country’s civil war had been enduring a brutal winter without heating when the earthquake hit, the United Nations has said power outages are creating fuel shortages in hospitals (The New York Times).

Meanwhile, the Air Force is shipping thousands of pounds of equipment and search-and-rescue teams from the U.S. to Incirlik Air Base to help assist people in Turkey following this week’s devastating earthquakes. Equipment being provided by the U.S. includes concrete breakers, generators, medical supplies, tents, water and water purification systems (Military.com).

▪ The Wall Street Journal: After earthquakes, Turkey’s haven for refugees is a ghost town.

▪ The New York Times: In southern Turkey, a parking lot becomes an open-air morgue.

As Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Thursday pursued a whirlwind diplomatic mission in Europe — lobbying for powerful new weapons — the opening phase of Russia’s offensive in eastern Ukraine was growing in scale and intensity.

Better trained and equipped divisions have joined tens of thousands of newly mobilized soldiers trying to break through well-fortified Ukrainian lines, and are attacking from multiple directions along the eastern front. The tempo of the fighting is expected to increase as Russia rains more artillery fire on the front lines (The New York Times and Reuters).

▪ BBC: Zelensky takes fighter jet bid to EU leaders.

▪ Politico EU: Zelensky seeks to place Ukraine at home in the EU.

▪ NBC News: Ukraine’s defiant city struggles to hold out as Russia pushes for a bloody victory.

▪ CNN: SpaceX admits blocking Ukrainian troops from using satellite technology.

▪ Bloomberg News: Russia to cut oil output in retaliation for the West’s sanctions.

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa declared a nationwide “state of disaster” Thursday as the country endures daily power outages of up to 10 hours. The electricity crisis is so dire that day-old chicks are freezing to death, grocery store owners are rushing to sell meat before it spoils and many businesses have been forced to shut down. Power cuts have been a part of life in South Africa for nearly 16 years, but the past several months have been the darkest yet as the dysfunctional state power company, Eskom, struggles to keep an aging fleet of coal-fired power stations online (The New York Times).

The Washington Post: Nicaragua frees more than 200 political prisoners, sends them to U.S.

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OPINION

■ What liberals can learn from Ron DeSantis, by Pamela Paul, columnist, The New York Times. https://nyti.ms/3x7m9Cw

■ Biden’s State of the Union should have braced us for a long fight in Ukraine, by Joshua C. Huminski, opinion contributor, The Hill. https://bit.ly/3RR1D2M 

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WHERE AND WHEN

📲 Ask The Hill: Share a news query tied to an expert journalist’s insights: The Hill launched something new and (we hope) engaging via text with Editor-in-Chief Bob Cusack. Learn more and sign up HERE.

The House will convene at 11 a.m. for a pro forma session.

The Senate meets Monday at 3 p.m. to resume consideration of the nomination of Gina Méndez-Miró to be a U.S. district judge for the District of Puerto Rico.

The president will receive the President’s Daily Brief at 9 a.m. He and Vice President Harris will welcome the nation’s governors to the White House at 11:15 a.m. Biden and first lady Jill Biden will welcome Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and first lady Rosângela Lula da Silva to the White House at 3:30 p.m. Biden and Lula will hold a bilateral meeting at 3:50 p.m.

The first lady will welcome governors’ spouses to the White House for a 1 p.m. luncheon during the National Governors Association winter meeting in Washington, which wraps up on Saturday. The Bidens will host governors and guests for a White House dinner on Saturday.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken will meet with Qatari Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani at the State Department at 1:15 p.m., after which he will join the president and Lula’s meeting at the White House.

Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen will chair a meeting of the Financial Stability Oversight Council. In the afternoon, she will attend Biden and Lula’s meeting at the White House.

Second gentleman Doug Emhoff will deliver remarks at a political finance event held at the Loews Hotel in New Orleans, La., at 12:45 p.m. CT.  

The White House daily press briefing is scheduled at 1:30 p.m.

The U.S. Institute of Peace in Washington will host Iraqi Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein for a moderated conversation at 3 p.m. Information is HERE. Hussein, who met last week with his Saudi counterpart in Baghdad and was at the State Department on Thursday, is in the United States this week.

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ELSEWHERE

➤ SUPER BOWL LVII

🏈 Actors Ben Stiller and Steve Martin pitch Pepsi Zero Sugar. Amazon goes to the dogs, literally, in an audition-themed ad with adorable canines (SuperBowl-ads.com). Samuel Adams, Jeep and Kia also bought commercial time during Sunday’s Super Bowl, but crypto companies are staying away following the FTX meltdown (Vox). 

The ad for TurboTax suggests Americans should nab more time to dance, and other things, if they let the company’s expertise smooth the way with the IRS. In the category of questionable timing and symbolism, human resources software company Workday released a Super Bowl ad featuring veteran rockers such as Kiss frontman Paul Stanley, Ozzy Osbourne, Joan Jett and Billy Idol — just days after laying off about 3 percent of its workforce (SF Gate). 

Ad Week tracks all the details HERE.

Inflation swallows this year’s commercials during the “big game” (advertisers cannot use the term “Super Bowl”) between the Philadelphia Eagles and the Kansas City Chiefs. Forbes reported a record-high average of $7 million for half a minute of commercial time in front of a gargantuan audience watching Fox. Total haul expected from ad revenues in 2023: at least half a trillion dollars (NBC DFW). 

NBC Sports: Here’s where to watch the game and everything televised with it.

💸 It’s big money: The sports betting market has exploded tenfold in three years from $0.4 billion to $4 billion, writes The Hill’s Daniel de Visé. Fifty million Americans will wager on the Super Bowl this weekend. More than half of the nation can now legally bet on sports, thanks to a surprise 2018 Supreme Court decision that legalized gambling on athletics. 

More than 30 states have approved sports wagering on the promise of massive tax revenues, which mostly haven’t materialized. Gamblers are reassured their losses support schools, which, of course, states have to fund anyway. Experts knowledgeable about gambling addiction fear a national epidemic to rival the opioid crisis.

▪ The Conversation: Data from New Jersey is a warning sign for young sports bettors.

▪ The Boston Globe: My experience with sports betting in Massachusetts: Magical and depressing all at once.

▪ Yahoo Finance: Super Bowl sports betting: The “menu of options is much greater,” analyst says.

➤  PANDEMIC & HEALTH 

Scientists reported on Wednesday that a single injection of a so-called interferon drug slashed by half a COVID-19 patient’s odds of being hospitalized. The results rivaled those achieved by Paxlovid, and the interferon shots hold even bigger promise, scientists said. By fortifying the body’s own mechanisms for quashing an invading virus, they can potentially help defend against not only the coronavirus, but also the flu and other viruses.

“It doesn’t matter if the next pandemic is a coronavirus, an influenza virus, or another respiratory virus,” Eleanor Fish, an immunologist at the University of Toronto who was not involved in the new study, told The New York Times. “For all the viruses we’re seeing that are circulating now, there’s utility to using interferon.”

For all of its promise, though, the drug faces an uncertain road to the commercial market. Regulators at the Food and Drug Administration late last year said they were not prepared to authorize it for emergency use. They suggested that only a large clinical trial conducted at least in part in the U.S. would suffice, executives said, a scenario that would require several years and considerably more funding.

▪ Politico: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention added COVID-19 vaccinations for children, adolescents and adults to its immunization schedule.

▪ The Hill: American PPE manufacturers form lobbying group to boost U.S. production.

▪ CNN: Could you still have COVID-19 if you have symptoms but test negative? A medical analyst weighs in.

Medical systems disproportionately fail people of color, but a focus on fixing the numbers can actually lead to worse outcomes, WIRED reports, as the majority of algorithms developed to enforce “algorithmic fairness” were built without policy and societal contexts in mind. 

Information about the availability of COVID-19 vaccine and booster shots can be found at Vaccines.gov.

Total U.S. coronavirus deaths reported as of this morning, according to Johns Hopkins University (trackers all vary slightly): 1,114,249. Current U.S. COVID-19 deaths are 3,171 for the week, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (The CDC shifted its tally of available data from daily to weekly, now reported on Fridays.)

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THE CLOSER

And finally … 👏👏👏 Congratulations to Morning Report Quiz winners! This week we waded into trivia about State of the Union speeches past and present.

Here’s who finished, ahem, strongly, going 4/4: Paul Harris, Richard Baznik, Patrick Kavanagh, Mary Anne McEnery, Stan Wasser, Steve James, Robert Bradley and Lori Benso.

They knew that Harry S. Truman was the first president to deliver a televised State of the Union speech.

State of the Union remarks were typically delivered in December until 1934.

President Biden called the first lady “kid” when he addressed her during his Tuesday night speech (she’s 71).  

President Franklin D. Roosevelt was the first to call his “Annual Message” the “State of the Union.”

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