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On Wednesday, residents in Montana saw a mysterious object — a balloon — hovering and bobbing around in the skies. The enigma brought Americans out to squint at the heavens, caused a diplomatic visit to be canceled and opened a political debate.
How did a balloon end up kindling such tension between Washington and Beijing?
On today’s episode
Edward Wong, a diplomatic correspondent for The New York Times.
Background reading
The Chinese balloon drifted for seven days across the United States. Here’s a timeline of events.
The balloon was brought down by an air-to-air missile fired at it off the coast of South Carolina.
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Edward Wong contributed reporting.
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