U.S. and world news for Feb. 3

Spy balloon: The Pentagon confirms that the U.S. military has been tracking what’s believed to be a Chinese spy balloon over Montana. China this morning admitted that the balloon is theirs, but the Chinese said it’s a civilian balloon that was blown off course. There are reports that the military was prepared to shoot it down if ordered to do so by President Biden, but it is not believed to pose a threat to U.S. security. Pentagon officials were said to be concerned that falling debris might pose a threat to people on the ground.

Ice storm: Residents of Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas and Tennessee were trying to recover from frigid conditions and the ice storm that has caused widespread power outages and made roads impassible. A blast of Arctic air was moving into the Northeast, with temperatures forecast to drop for today and tomorrow, with high winds making it feel from 20 below to 40 below. A warm-up is expected to begin in the Northeast on Sunday.

Councilwoman shot: Police in Sayreville, New Jersey, are investigating the murder of Republican Councilwoman Eunice Dwumfour. The 30-year-old was in her SUV when she was shot multiple times and died at the scene.

AOC blasts GOP: Democratic Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York took to the House floor to blast the Republicans for removing Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar from the chamber”™s Foreign Affairs Committee. AOC said the action is all about targeting women of color and an example of racism against Muslim-Americans in the U.S.

Apple financials: Apple announced financial results for its fiscal 2023 first quarter ended December 31, 2022. The company posted quarterly revenue of $117.2 billion, down 5% year over year. Profits were $30 billion, down more than 13%. Apple said more than two billion of its devices are in use globally.

Amazon’s net income slips: Amazon reported net sales for the fourth quarter of 2022 increased 9% to $149.2 billion from $137.4 billion in the fourth quarter last year. Net income was $300 million in the fourth quarter of 2022 compared with $14.3 billion in the fourth quarter of 2021.