US President Joe Biden and Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva met at the White House to discuss the war in Ukraine. Lula proposed a coalition of countries not directly involved in the conflict to end the war and build peace. Biden will travel to Poland at the end of the month to meet with President Duda to discuss collective efforts to support Ukraine and bolster NATO's deterrence.
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The Pentagon, at the direction of President Biden, shot down a "high altitude object" over Alaska airspace on Friday. A fighter aircraft was dispatched to carry out the task, and the object fell on ice. The incident comes several days after the Pentagon took down a Chinese spy balloon, and it is unclear if the object was related to it.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis (R) has been met with a lawsuit alleging that the state misled dozens of migrants, but this has not stopped the passing of a bill that expands a program used to fly migrants to Democratic-led cities and states. The bill grants the state authority to move asylum seekers around the country with little oversight, and has been met with criticism from Democrats who argue it is a political stunt. The bill is now awaiting DeSantis' signature, and if signed, will go into effect July 1.
The U.S. military shot down an unidentified object flying at 40,000 feet in Alaskan airspace and Arctic waters on Friday, at the recommendation of the Pentagon and on the orders of President Joe Biden. The object was shot down and came inside U.S. territorial waters, but no further information has been released. The National Security Council coordinator for strategic communications, John Kirby, did not confirm or deny rumors of a Chinese surveillance balloon.
The FBI conducted a consensual search of former Vice President Mike Pence's Indiana home on Friday as part of a classified records probe. Local police were directing traffic in the area while the search was carried out, which followed the discovery of documents with classified markings by attorneys last month. The search is the latest indication that the investigation into the Trump administration's actions in the weeks leading up to the Capitol riot is expanding.
On Thursday, the U.S. Air Force shot down a Chinese surveillance balloon, prompting a response from Beijing and a call from U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin to his Chinese counterpart. The House of Representatives unanimously passed a resolution condemning China for the incident, and China's Defense Ministry refused Austin's call for a general-to-general talk. Republicans have criticized the Biden administration for not acting quickly enough, and the incident has further complicated the already tense relationship between the U.S. and China.
Tensions between the U.S. and China have been raised after the U.S. Air Force shot down a suspected Chinese spy balloon on Friday. China has accused U.S. lawmakers of “political manipulation and hype” and refused a call from the U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin. U.S. lawmakers have accused China of using the balloon for espionage, while China has accused the U.S. of violating international norms and setting a dangerous precedent. The two countries are yet to reach a resolution, and will likely continue to discuss the incident in the coming days and weeks.
Special Counsel Jack Smith has been appointed by the Justice Department to investigate former President Donald Trump's role in the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol and the mishandling of classified government records. ABC News has reported that Smith has subpoenaed former Vice President Mike Pence as part of the inquiry, and other individuals may have been subpoenaed as well. Smith has also been investigating Trump's role in the attack and his handling of classified documents in key battleground states.