Chinese Balloon Loaded With U.S. Gear

Much of that Chinese spy balloon that the Air Force took out off the coast of South Carolina last February was made in the good old U.S.A. The Wall Street Journal reported last week that its sources told them the gondola slung below the helium-filled envelope was "crammed" with off-the-shelf gear made in the U.S. and probably ordered online. The sources also said that the Chinese-made sensors and cameras collected a trove of data but it appears none of it was sent back to China.

The military had said that it would release a report on the balloon but that doesn't seem likely now. Last month Secretary of State Antony Blinken visited China on a trip that was initially canceled because of the balloon incident. When he was asked if he discussed it with the Chinese officials he said that he had and that would be the end of it. "We said what we needed to say and made clear what we needed to make clear in terms of this not happening again, and so long as it doesn't, that chapter should be closed," Blinken told CBS.