News from NPR

The State Department announced Secretary of State Antony Blinken will not go ahead with a planned trip to China, after the surveillance balloon was detected over U.S. airspace Thursday. Read More at NPR

China’s foreign ministry described the balloon as “a civilian airship” used for meteorological research that had blown far off course by winds. The Pentagon suspects it’s collecting information. (Image credit: Larry Mayer/AP) Read More at NPR

While there is excitement, the trip comes with a sense of urgency. Despite a peace deal, violence along political and ethnic lines has continued and millions are in the grip of famine. (Image credit: Simon Maina/AFP via Getty Images) Read More at NPR

This is the first summit to take place with Ukraine as an official candidate to join the European Union (Image credit: SERGEI SUPINSKY/AFP via Getty Images) Read More at NPR

NPR’s Steve Inskeep talks to David Finkelstein, vice president of the Center for Naval Analyses, about the Pentagon saying a Chinese surveillance balloon is floating over Montana. Read More at NPR

Bobbi Wilson went on a mission to save New Jersey’s trees, capturing spotted lanternflies. That frightened her neighbor, who called the cops. Now, her bug collection is part of a Yale museum. (Image credit: Andrew Hurley/Yale University) Read More at NPR

This week’s StoryCorps tells the story of Wendell Scott, who drove during the Jim Crow era and was the first African American to win a race at NASCAR’s elite major league level. Read More at NPR

Utah leaders are under pressure to end water diversions and enforce tougher restrictions in order save the drying Great Salt Lake. A recent report predicted it will completely dry in five years. (Image credit: Kirk Siegler/NPR) Read More at NPR