China

Science

The Chinese balloon saga could be part of a new space race closer to Earth

China has put new focus on airships hovering in a part of the sky just before outer space. Although Beijing says they're scientific, analysts say the data helps the country develop advanced weapons.

Could unidentified objects represent another 'Sputnik moment' in U.S. skies?

The White House says that the three flying objects U.S. fighter jets shot down last weekend were probably not spying on us — they could be benign, for research or commercial purposes. And, they originated on Earth (no aliens to see here.) That got us wondering — who’s finding these things? And why are they suddenly popping up so often, after the U.S. popped a much larger, suspected Chinese surveillance balloon earlier this month?

Government

Ban foreign entities from buying Washington forest and farmland, lawmaker urges

Legislators in Washington are joining more than a dozen other states that are considering whether to restrict or ban foreign entities from buying farmland. The initial hearing on Olympia's version of the foreign ownership restrictions however drew more criticism than support on Tuesday.