Category: US

Seoul, South Korea
CNN
 — 

News that the Pentagon is monitoring a suspected Chinese surveillance balloon in the skies over the continental United States raises a series of questions – not least among them, what exactly it might be doing.

US officials have said the flight path of the balloon, first spotted over Montana on Thursday, could potentially take it over a “number of sensitive sites” and say they are taking steps to “protect against foreign intelligence collection.”

But what’s less clear is why Chinese spies would want to use a balloon, rather than a satellite to gather information.

This is not the first time a Chinese balloon has been spotted over the US, but this seems to be acting differently to previous ones, a US defense official said.

“It is appearing to hang out for a longer period of time, this time around, [and is] more persistent than in previous instances. That would be one distinguishing factor,” the official said.

On Friday, Beijing claimed the balloon was a “civilian airship” used mainly for weather research that deviated from its planned course. The statement, by a spokeperson for the Chinese Foreign Ministry, is the first admission that the airship originated in China since the Pentagon revealed it was tracking the balloon on Thursday.

See expert’s warning about shooting down suspected spy balloon

Using balloons as spy platforms goes back to the early days of the Cold War. Since then the US has used hundreds of them to monitor its adversaries, said Peter Layton, a fellow at the Griffith Asia Institute in Australia and former Royal Australian Air Force officer.

But with the advent of modern satellite technology enabling the gathering of overflight intelligence data from space, the use of surveillance balloons had been going out of fashion.

Or at least until now.

Recent advances in the miniaturization of electronics mean the floating intelligence platforms may be making a comeback in the modern spying toolkit.

“Balloon payloads can now weigh less and so the balloons can be smaller, cheaper and easier to launch” than satellites, Layton said.

Blake Herzinger, an expert in Indo-Pacific defense policy at the American Enterprise Institute, said despite their slow speeds, balloons aren’t always easy to spot.

“They’re very low signature and low-to-zero emission, so hard to pick up with traditional situational awareness or surveillance technology,” Herzinger said.

And balloons can do some things that satellites can’t.

“Space-based systems are just as good but they are more predictable in their orbital dynamics,” Layton said.

“An advantage of balloons is that they can be steered using onboard computers to take advantage of winds and they can go up and down to a limited degree. This means they can loiter to a limited extent.

“A satellite can’t loiter and so many are needed to criss-cross an area of interest to maintain surveillance,” he said.

According to Layton, the suspected Chinese balloon is likely collecting information on US communication systems and radars.

“Some of these systems use extremely high frequencies that are short range, can be absorbed by the atmosphere and being line-of-sight are very directional. It’s possible a balloon might be a better collection platform for such specific technical collection than a satellite,” he said.

Retired US Air Force Col. Cedric Leighton, a CNN military analyst, echoed those thoughts.

“They could be scooping up signals intelligence, in other words, they’re looking at our cell phone traffic, our radio traffic,” Leighton told CNN’s Erin Burnett.

Intelligence data collected by the balloon could be relayed in real time via a satellite link back to China, Layton said.

Analysts also noted that Montana and nearby states are home to US intercontinental ballistic missile silos and strategic bomber bases.

US officials say they have taken actions to ensure the balloon cannot collect any sensitive data. They decided against shooting it down because of the risk to lives and property by falling debris.

And if the US could bring down the balloon within its territory without destroying it then the balloon might reveal some secrets of its own, Layton added.

But maybe there are no secrets or spying involved. This could be just an accident, with the balloon blown off course or Chinese operators losing control of it somehow.

“There’s at least some possibility that this was a mistake and the balloon ended up somewhere Beijing didn’t expect,” Herzinger said.

The coastline of Sunny Isles Beach, Florida, will be getting a new addition in 2026: the sparkling exterior of Bentley Motors’ first residential building, rising above a skyline full of luxury condos and hotels.

At approximately 749 feet tall, Bentley Residences is currently set to be the tallest US oceanfront building, according to a spokesperson for the project. Designed by Sieger Suarez Architects, which is also delivering the forthcoming Waldorf Astoria Residences Miami, the 63-story building will feature 216 units with sweeping ocean views, a slew of amenities, and an elevator designed to take residents up to their doorstep while seated inside their cars.

“People buy single-family homes so they can have their car parked in their garage, so they can get up and walk into their unit,” said the architecture firm’s president, Charles Sieger, in a video call. “You really can’t do that with high-rises. So we’re trying to break that mold.”

The new Bentley Residences is set to open in 2026 on Sunny Isles Beach, Florida. Credit: Courtesy Bentley Residences Miami

The “Dezervator” — the patented vehicular elevator system named after the building’s developer Dezer Development — first appeared in the nearby Porsche Design Tower, which was also designed by Sieger Suarez Architects.

The four lifts, which rise at 800 feet per minute, each feature a hydraulic system that uses RFID tags to automatically load each vehicle onto the elevator — with the driver and passengers inside — and then directly to their floor.

Each unit of Bentley Residences comes with a private garage. Credit: Courtesy Bentley Residences Miami

At first, Sieger said, they thought the elevator ride would feel like a roller coaster due to the speed, but that wasn’t the case when he tried it himself. “It was actually disappointing because you’re sitting in a comfortable car… and you hardly even sense you’re moving that quick.” he added.

Translating automobiles to homes

In many ways, the Porsche Design Tower, which opened in 2016, laid the blueprint for this project, Sieger said. Both adapt the finer aesthetic details of the brand’s vehicles to residential complexes and aim to replicate the benefits of single-family homes in a sky-high tower, from ample private outdoor space to in-unit garages. In Bentley Residences, each apartment’s “garage” has room for up to four cars, as well as electric-vehicle charging capabilities.

Units also have enormous outdoor spaces with a private heated swimming pool and full kitchen. Credit: Courtesy Bentley Residences Miami

Meanwhile the condo’s interiors also nod to Bentley’s distinctive style. The grippy texture of the cars’ metal shift knobs, for instance, are applied to bathroom faucets, while deep walnut shades, high-polish finishes and textured leathers are used throughout the property.

“A lot of it has to do with bringing the nature of the finished materials that they use in the cars, scaling them differently,” Sieger said of adapting the brand aesthetic. (Bentley has already experimented in the interior design space, with its own home furnishings line).

Finishings in the condos are meant to evoke the details of the brand’s luxury cars. Credit: Courtesy Bentley Residences Miami

While shared amenities cover a sprawling 20,000 square feet and include restaurants, bars, a fitness center, spa, game room and movie theater — with seats resembling a Bentley car interior — each condo has plenty of creature comforts, too. There’s a sauna in the master bathroom, Atlantic-ocean views, and a massive balcony space that includes a private heated swimming pool and outdoor kitchen.

“Most apartments don’t have balconies that are particularly usable,” Sieger said, noting that, in this case, some of the outdoor spaces are “about half the size of the unit.” It’s also partially enclosed by glass to help keep the wind out even at the highest floors.

Though the building won’t welcome residents for another three years, the units are already being sold, with prices currently starting at $5.25 million, and two penthouses priced at over $30 million each (or around $60 million as one combined unit). Construction is expected to start this spring.

CNN
 — 

Three bodies found Thursday in the Detroit area are believed those of three rappers who have been missing for almost two weeks, a spokesperson for the city of Highland Park said.

The bodies were found in Highland Park, roughly 6 miles northwest of Detroit, Highland Park spokesperson LaKisha Brown said.

Michigan State Police, who are leading the investigation into the bodies, have not confirmed their identities. Victims were found in an abandoned Highland Park apartment complex, they said Thursday evening.

“As of now we haven’t confirmed the identity of any victims inside or a manner of death,” officials with Michigan State Police Second District tweeted. “Please remember all victims have families and we don’t have the luxury of guessing on their identity and then retracting if we didn’t get it right. Once information is confirmed we will update (on Twitter).”

State police said a homicide task force, troopers, and workers from their forensic lab were part of the investigation team at the complex.

Forensic scientists from the state police lab were making their way into the building and beginning to gather evidence, state police said Thursday evening. “The building is in very poor condition and rat invested which is slowing progress.”

Armani Kelly, 28; Dante Wicker, 31; and Montoya Givens, 31, who are all associates, were supposed to perform at a club in Detroit on January 21, but the performance was canceled, police have said. Activity on their cell phones stopped early on January 22, according to authorities.

A car connected to at least one of the three was found in the city of Warren, which is only a few miles from Highland Park, on January 23, Detroit police had said.

CNN
 — 

A 30-year-old councilwoman in the borough of Sayreville, New Jersey, was found shot to death in her car on Wednesday, according to authorities.

Eunice Dwumfour, a Republican councilwoman, was found by police with multiple gunshot wounds just after 7 p.m. Wednesday and was pronounced dead on scene, according to Middlesex County officials.

Dwumfour was inside her car near her home when she was shot, according to CNN affiliate WABC. The vehicle then took off down the road and crashed into other parked vehicles, the affiliate reported.

Sayreville Mayor Victoria Kilpatrick said she was “shocked and saddened” to learn of Dwumfour’s death, saying she was “taken from us by a despicable criminal act.” She and Dwumfour worked closely together on the council, she wrote.

“Beyond her dedication to our community, I can share that she was a woman of deep faith and worked hard to integrate her strong Christian beliefs into her daily life as a person and a community leader,” the mayor said. “On a personal note, I can’t adequately express my feeling of sorrow at the loss of a friend.”

Officials said the investigation is ongoing and they do not have a motive at this time. CNN has reached out to the prosecutors and police for more details.

Dwumfour was elected to a three-year term on the six-member borough council in November 2021, according to election results. She also served as a member of the Human Relations Commission, according to the Sayreville website.

Sayreville, located in central New Jersey, has a population of about 45,000 people, according to the US Census.

On the Sayreville GOP website from 2021, Dwumfour asked the public to support her run for the council.

“Like you, Sayreville is my home, I love and cherish this town and it is my desire to help improve the lives of its residents,” she wrote. “In the past few years, we have seen many changes including a worldwide pandemic, but despite all, Sayreville still stands strong because of residents like you.”

“I am fully dedicated to building a better, stronger Sayreville, and with your support, we can create a brighter future for our wonderful town.”

New Jersey Republican Party Chairman Bob Hugin issued a statement expressing his “horror and deepest sorrow” at her killing.

“We will remember Eunice for her steadfast dedication to the community, as well as her deep and abiding Christian faith,” he said.

Gov. Phil Murphy said in a statement Thursday morning he was “stunned” by the news of her killing.

“Her career of public service was just beginning, and by all accounts she had already built a reputation as a committed member of the Borough Council who took her responsibility with the utmost diligence and seriousness,” he said. “I send my condolences to Councilwoman Dwumfour’s family and friends, her governing body colleagues, and the entire Sayreville community.”

The governor later added that “we’ll do anything we can to track down this murderer.”

He urged the public to come forward and connect with authorities if they know anything, “even if it’s a little thing.”

CNN
 — 

Several state Democratic lawmakers in Connecticut are seeking to ban state agencies from using “Latinx,” – the latest example of political backlash against the term.

Members of the Connecticut state House introduced a bill last month that would prohibit state agencies and employees acting on behalf of state agencies from using “Latinx” in official communications.

Rep. Geraldo Reyes, one of the primary sponsors of the bill, told CNN on Thursday that he and his colleagues behind the bill are Puerto Rican and consider the term offensive.

“It’s a term that we believe is unnecessary because the Spanish language, which is 1,500-plus years old, already identifies male, female and neutral,” Reyes said on “CNN Newsroom,” adding that “Latin” and “Latino” were both gender-neutral options.

Reyes told CNN that a state House committee is screening the bill, and that he hopes it will soon receive a public hearing. If the committee approves the bill, it would need to pass the state House and Senate and be signed by the governor before it becomes law. Democrats have full government control in Connecticut.

Some activists, academics, companies and progressive groups have adopted “Latinx” in an effort to include those who fall outside the male/female gender binary. But many Hispanics and Latinos take issue with the term, calling it clunky and nonsensical for Spanish speakers.

The term has also been swept up into the nation’s culture wars. In one of her first acts as Arkansas governor, Republican Sarah Huckabee Sanders barred the use of “Latinx” in official state documents and ordered a review of state agencies’ past usage of the term. GOP Rep. Monica De La Cruz of Texas, meanwhile, mocked the term during her victory speech last November, characterizing her win as “a victory for every single Hispanic who loves the Spanish language and does not want to be called Latinx.”

While “Latinx” is often derided by those on the right, politicians from both parties have expressed opposition to the term. Aside from the state lawmakers in Connecticut, Democratic Rep. Ruben Gallego of Arizona said in 2021 that he had instructed his office not to use the term in official communications.

“Look y’all. Hispanic, Latin American are gender neutral. So we have already gender neutral options to describe the Latino community. Adding an x and creating a new word comes off as performative,” Gallego tweeted at the time. “It will not lose you an election but if your staff and consultants use Latinx in your mass communication it likely means they don’t understand the Latino community and is indicative of deeper problems.”

Data suggests that “Latinx” is not widely used among the people it is meant to describe.

A Pew Research Center survey published in 2020 found that only about one in four adults in the US who identify as Hispanic or Latino have heard the term “Latinx,” while just 3% say they use it to describe themselves. Those who used the term tended to be younger, US-born and Democratic-leaning. They were also more likely to be bilingual or predominately English speakers and were more likely to have gone to college.

Similarly, a 2021 Gallup poll found that just 4% of Hispanic and Latino Americans prefer the term “Latinx” over “Hispanic” and “Latinx,” though a majority of respondents said it didn’t matter to them which term was used.

Other surveys point to divides along cultural lines. An Axios-Ipsos Latino poll in partnership with Telemundo from last year found that a majority of Mexican Americans surveyed were comfortable with the term “Latinx,” while around just one in three Central Americans were.

Critics of “Latinx” have noted that the term falls outside the bounds of Spanish grammar and is difficult for Spanish speakers to pronounce. And given its popularity among predominately English speakers, some also feel that the term imposes English conventions upon Spanish speakers.

In recent years, others have opted for new alternatives such as “Latiné,” which is gender-neutral and more consistent with the way Spanish is spoken.