Chinese Spy Balloon Obsession Captures Kansas City Attention Today

For better or worse, EVERYONE was watching the sky today and commenting/obsessing/speculating on something over which they have absolutely ZERO control. 

In fairness, this story did have an old school "red scare" element which reminds us that tech has merely helped humanity recycle all of our constant compulsions.

Here's a peek at what qualifies for "discourse" in the era of TikTok domination and I guess we should all be proud that Kansas City earned a spot in national news headlines throughout the day . . .

By Friday morning, the balloon was no longer over Montana but had moved over the Midwest and is now over "the middle of the country," according to a U.S. official. A Chinese balloon has never been over the middle of the country before. The only other time a Chinese balloon has flown over the continental U.S. was during a brief overflight of Florida. There have been overflights of Hawaii and Guam. In previous instances, the Chinese have been able to recover the balloon. Although it can maneuver, it will still travel in the direction it is carried by the jet stream.

The balloon was flying at an altitude of about 66,000 feet, according to a U.S. official. It can be maneuvered but it is also subject to the jet stream, which could eventually push it out of U.S. airspace, the official said.

Later in the day, the National Weather Service in Kansas City tweeted that it had received "several reports across northwest MO of a large balloon visible on the horizon," and noted, "We have confirmed that it is not an NWS weather balloon.

The balloon is expected to be over the U.S. for the next few days, according to Pentagon spokesman Brig. Gen. Patrick Ryder. It is heading east, and U.S. officials suggested that meteorologists could offer some guidance on its direction

Read more via www.TonysKansasCity.com links . . .

'What is that?': Locals, politicians react to Chinese spy balloon spotted around Kansas, Missouri

KANSAS CITY, Mo. - On Friday afternoon, Melissa Branstretter couldn't initially believe it when her uncle called her and told her he saw the Chinese spy balloon that had been on the news the last few days until she saw it from her porch in Lathrop, Missouri. "What is that?"

Suspected Chinese spy balloon drifting over U.S. has surveillance part as big as multiple school buses

China acknowledged Friday that a high-altitude balloon spotted this week over Montana does in fact belong to Beijing, but it referred to the airship as a civilian device "used for scientific research such as meteorology." A senior defense official told CBS News on Thursday that the Defense Department was "confident" that it was, in fact, a Chinese surveillance balloon.

A suspected Chinese spy balloon has been spotted flying over Kansas City. Here's what we know

Updated February 3, 2023 at 1:00 PM ET The U.S. State Department says Secretary Antony Blinken has postponed his trip to Beijing amid concerns about a Chinese surveillance balloon flying over U.S. airspace. The Pentagon said Thursday it had "very high confidence" that the high-altitude surveillance balloon came from China and is being used to collect information from sensitive sites.

After Chinese balloon enters US airspace, Biden secretary of state postpones trip to China

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has indefinitely postponed his trip to China following the controversy over a suspected Chinese surveillance balloon detected over the northern United States. Officials said Friday that Blinken's trip, which was never officially announced, has been indefinitely postponed.

Balloon incident adds new tension to US-China relationship

How to respond to the Chinese balloon situation presents a diplomatic challenge for the Biden administration at a time when Washington is trying to stabilize relations with Beijing -- amid tensions over Taiwan, trade, COVID, technology and a U.S. warning not to support Russia's war in Ukraine.

Chinese balloon live updates: US could try shootdown over Atlantic, official says

Sometimes gifts just appear in the sky. An alleged Chinese spy balloon seen floating about 11 miles above Montana this week could just be one for the Biden administration. Or it could make fraught bilateral relations between Washington and Beijing even worse.

China balloon live updates: US tracking balloon as it flies across country

A massive spy balloon believed to be from China was seen above Montana and is being tracked as it flies across the continental United States. "The United States government has detected and is tracking a high-altitude surveillance balloon that is flying over the continental United States right now," Brig. Gen.

The Chinese spy balloon is bad, but the Chinese spyware app is still worse

Another Democratic senator on the Senate Intelligence Committee has raised the issue of banning TikTok. With a suspected Chinese spy balloon flying over Montana, perhaps now would be the time for all of our politicians finally to clamp down on Chinese spyware.

PHOTOS: Balloon spotted over NW Missouri resembles alleged Chinese spy device

A number of people spotted what is believed to be a Chinese spy balloon in the sky over parts of Missouri and Kansas Friday. That balloon is being monitored by the Pentagon, and moved east over the Midwest Friday. According to the Associated Press, the U.S.

How does weather factor in the movement of the Chinese spy balloon? KMBC's Bryan Busby explains

MONITOR THE SAFETY OF ALL MISSOURIANS. LARA: THE BALLOON APPEARS TO BE ABOUT 60,000 FEET UP. CHIEF METEOROLOGIST BRYAN BUSBY IS HERE. BRYAN, HOW DOES WEATHER FACTOR INTO ALL OF THIS? BRYAN: WELL, 60,000 FEET UP IS PRETTY TALL, EVEN HIGHER THAN MOST SERIOUS CLOUDS, THE WISPY CLOUDS WE SEE.

And here's a quick song that comes to mind just to keep things light & breezy . . .

Developing . . .