Biden States UFOs Were 'Most Likely' Research Related, Not Chinese
Summary from the AllSides News Team
President Joe Biden delivered a speech Thursday addressing a string of unidentified objects shot down by the United States military inside North American airspace.
For Context: Earlier this month, a spy balloon linked to a Chinese military surveillance program floated over the continental U.S. before being shot down by the U.S. military off the coast of South Carolina. Following this incident, three additional objects have been shot down in U.S. airspace. None have been linked to China or the original spy balloon.
Key Quotes: Speaking on the three objects shot down after the Chinese spy balloon, Biden said the “Intelligence Community’s current assessment is that these three objects were most likely balloons tied to private companies, recreation or research institutions, studying weather, or conducting other scientific research.” Biden defended his decision to shoot down the unidentified objects, stating, “I gave the order to take down these objects due to hazards to civilian commercial air traffic, and because we could not rule out the surveillance risk of sensitive facilities.” Biden also stated that he expects to speak with Chinese President Xi Jinping about the spy balloon.
How The Media Covered It: The speech was covered moderately across the spectrum, most prominently in right-rated outlets, which were more likely to highlight unanswered questions surrounding the objects and emphasize the amount of time that passed before Biden addressed the incidents publicly. Left-rated outlets focused more on steps taken by the administration since the incidents.
Featured Coverage of this Story
From the Left
Biden: No evidence of "sudden increase" in unidentified objects in U.S. airspacePresident Biden said Thursday that a series of unidentified objects the U.S. shot down this month do not appear to be related to the Chinese government's spy balloon program.
Driving the news: The flying objects "were most likely balloons tied to private companies, recreation, or research institutions," Biden said, citing the U.S. intelligence community's current assessment.
What he's saying: "We don't have any evidence that there has been a sudden increase in number of objects in the sky," Biden said Thursday, in his most extensive public remarks to date on...
From the Left
Biden suggests the latest objects shot down by the U.S. military were not for surveillancePresident Biden said on Thursday that intelligence agencies have no indication that three objects shot down over North America in recent days were surveillance craft from China or any other power but vowed to establish new parameters to guard American airspace.
The latest objects appeared unrelated to the Chinese spy balloon that was downed on Feb. 4, but instead were likely tied to private companies or research institutions, Mr. Biden said. Nonetheless, he announced that he expects to speak soon with President Xi Jinping of China to lodge his objections...
From the Right
‘I Will Take It Down’: Biden Addresses ‘Recent Aerial Objects’ Shot Down By US MilitaryPresident Joe Biden addressed the public Thursday about the “aerial objects” shot down by the U.S. military in recent weeks.
Biden’s address is the first time he has spoken at length to the public about the Chinese spy balloon which was shot down Feb. 4 after it had been hovering above the U.S. for seven days, and the three unidentified flying objects which were shot down near Alaska, Canada and Michigan in the days after.
“I gave the order to take down these objects due to hazards to civilian commercial air...
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