On Thursday, members of the Senate Foreign Affairs Committee were scheduled to hear a classified briefing by State and Defense Department officials.The Pentagon flew high-altitude U-2 spy planes to examine the gear dangling from the 200-foot balloon and found that it had the ability to conduct "signals intelligence collection operations," a State Department spokesperson said in a statement. 

The spy balloon's incursion into the United States caused a diplomatic rupture with China, prompting Secretary of State Antony Blinken's decision to cancel a trip to Beijing. On Capitol Hill, members of Congress expressed outrage at the incident and demanded answers from the Biden administratio

WASHINGTON – The Chinese spy balloon shot down Saturday had carried devices to intercept sensitive communications, the State Department said Thursday, offering the first proof that the balloon was on an espionage mission.n.