Surveillance

The U.S. military on Friday shot down an "object" flying in territorial waters over Alaska less than a week after an F-22 fighter jet shot down a Chinese spy balloon over the Atlantic.

Despite reaching out to Chinese Defense Minister Wei Fenghe through a special crisis line, the Chinese official declined the call, leaving Austin's efforts unanswered.

Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) whistleblower George Hill told Congress that Boston FBI agents were pressured to open criminal investigations into 140 individuals who rode a bus to the Jan 6 rally.

United States officials believe the Chinese balloon was affiliated with a military-aerial surveillance program that monitored at least 40 countries.

"The issue was not whether to do the mission, but how to get it done with no overt clue as to who was responsible," Hersh stated.

The figure signifies a rise from $500 million in annual profits from human trafficking in 2015, a 2,540% increase.

The US House of Representatives is expected to pass a resolution blaming China for a "brazen violation of United States sovereignty" and accusing it of trying to "deceive the international community through false claims about its intelligence collection campaigns."

The US Navy has recovered and is investigating the remains of a suspected Chinese surveillance balloon shot down off the coast of South Carolina.

A group of House Republicans is supporting legislation that would replace federal income, payroll, estate, and gift taxes with a 30 percent national sales tax.

A third Chinese spy balloon could be lingering near US interests, but officials won't say where it is.