President Joe Biden is gearing up for his second State of the Union address where he’s expected to lay out his administration’s priorities for the remainder of his term and give America answers about what his political future holds.
Here’s what else is going on in politics:
- Sunday shows: Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, Florida Republican Sen. Marco Rubio and New Jersey Democratic Sen. Cory Booker will headline several network TV Sunday morning shows.
- Chinese spy balloon shot down: The United States on Saturday downed a suspected Chinese spy balloon off the Carolina coast after it traversed sensitive military sites across North America and became the latest flashpoint in tensions between Washington and Beijing.
- Bye, Iowa: Democrats approved a plan Saturday to reorder their 2024 presidential primary calendar, displacing Iowa’s caucus, which has traditionally served as the starting-gun for the presidential election, and bumping up four other states.
- Four more years?: Biden’s appearance before party leaders at a DNC function in Pennsylvania laid a foundation for reelection that the president is expected to build on next week in his State of the Union address.
Buttigieg: The U.S. waited to shoot down the Chinese balloon until it drifted out over the ocean
Responding to Republican criticism, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said Sunday the Biden administration waited several days to shoot down the Chinese surveillance balloon because it was over American land and air space.
Shooting the huge and heavily-equipped balloon over land would have been risky for aircraft and people on the ground, Buttigieg said on NBC’s Meet The Press.
So the U.S. waited until it drifted out over the Atlantic Ocean on Saturday.
The Federal Aviation Administration “worked closely with the Pentagon,” Buttigieg said. “This thing was brought down in a safe manner, and flights are back to normal in the U.S.”
– David Jackson
Ahead of State of the Union, Democratic voters aren’t keen on Biden: poll
Democratic voters aren’t keen on President Joe Biden running for reelection in 2024, with 58% of Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents saying they would prefer another nominee rather than Biden, according to a poll released by the Washington Post and ABC News on Sunday.
The poll comes ahead of Biden’s State of the Union address on Tuesday, where he is expected to also make the case for his 2024 campaign, which he has yet to formally announce.
On the Republican side, 49% of GOP voters and GOP-leaning independents would prefer if a candidate other than former President Donald Trump compared to the 44% that do support Trump. The poll has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.5 percentage points.
– Ken Tran
Biden to answer America’s questions in the State of the Union
The State of the Union address President Joe Biden is slated to deliver Tuesday night is likely to draw his biggest audience of the year and provide a blueprint for the rest of his presidency – from his stance toward the Republicans who have taken control of the House to the political question looming over his future.
Is he running for re-election?
He’s not likely to directly answer that, of course. A formal announcement of his intensions isn’t expected until later this month or next. But the balance he strikes between seeking common ground with the GOP and promoting Democratic causes that have limited prospects of passage will be a clue.
– Susan Page
Buttigieg, Rubio to hit Sunday news shows
Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, Florida Republican Sen. Marco Rubio and New Jersey Democratic Sen. Cory Booker are making the rounds on several news network’s Sunday shows, according to a list published by Politico.
Buttigieg will appear on CNN’s “State of the Union,” NBC’s “Meet the Press” and ABC’s “This Week.”
Rubio, who was vocal about a Chinese spy balloon that entered American airspace this week, is scheduled to appear on “State of the Union” and “This Week.”
And Booker will appear on “Meet the Press” and CBS’ “Face the Nation.”
– Ella Lee
Chinese spy balloon shot down
The United States on Saturday downed a suspected Chinese spy balloon off the Carolina coast after it traversed sensitive military sites across North America and became the latest flashpoint in tensions between Washington and Beijing.
An operation was underway in U.S. territorial waters to recover debris from the balloon, which had been flying at about 60,000 feet and estimated to be about the size of three school buses.
Television footage showed a small explosion, followed by the balloon descending toward the water.
– Associated Press
On Chinese spy balloon, the question of ‘why’
Among the many lingering questions about the Chinese spy balloon drifting over the United States is why the balloon was in U.S. airspace – and why now.
“What are they signaling? And what do they hope to achieve?” said Kari Bingen, a former deputy undersecretary of defense for intelligence and security. “Because this is something that you can’t miss. They were going to get caught. That’s what’s so brazen about it.”
In his first remarks about the balloon, which the Chinese maintain is a “civilian airship” used mostly for weather research that was blown off course, Biden projected confidence: “We’re gonna take care of it,” he told reporters Saturday.
– Josh Meyer, Maureen Groppe, Tom Vanden Brook, Ella Lee
Democrats approve 2024 primary calendar
Democrats approved a plan Saturday to reorder their 2024 presidential primary calendar, displacing Iowa’s caucus, which has traditionally served as the starting-gun for the presidential election.
The national party green-lit a calendar that makes South Carolina the initial contest, elevates Nevada to the second position alongside New Hampshire and welcomes Georgia and Michigan to the early primary window for the first time.
Democrats are seeking to amplify diverse voices earlier in their presidential selection process. The calendar Democrats approved on Saturday will only apply to 2024. They have vowed to revisit it before the 2028 election.
– Francesca Chambers
Contributing: Associated Press
