There’s a big mysterious balloon, but it may not be as fun as it sounds.

Happening in the World: US defense officials are tracking what they believe to be a surveillance balloon from China. Over the last few days, a large white balloon has flown at a high altitude through Alaska, Canada, and most recently, Montana, where there is a nuclear missile silo field. US officials have expressed reluctance to shoot it down, citing concerns about material in the balloon. The officials claim that they have spoken with officials at the Chinese embassy and have briefed President Joe Biden on the matter. (BBC)

Happening in the US: Congressional leaders have expressed concern after a recent New York Times article detailed functions inside of Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (JROTC) programs in American high schools. Four senators—including Senator Elizabeth Warren and Senator Bernie Sanders—wrote to the Pentagon about JROTC programs automatically enrolling high school students in the military and schools receiving NRA funding for marksmanship training in the programs. (NYT)

Happening in NYC: Bruce Teitelbaum, the developer of the now-scrapped One45 housing project in Harlem intends to revive his plans. The One45 project was intended to be a mixed-use housing development on West 145th and Lenox Avenue with over 900 units. The plans were thrown out after Councilmember Kristin Richardson Jordan voiced concerns about the affordability of the units. Teitelbaum has since turned the plot of land into a truck depot, which also sparked concerns about air pollution. (Gothamist)

Happening in Our Community: Today at 12 pm, Hannah Chazin, a new faculty member in the Harriman Institute, will be holding a discussion in the Marshall D. Shulman Seminar Room in the International Affairs Building about ancient burial sites and monuments in Eurasia. The discussion is part of the “Director’s Seminar” series, in which new Harriman faculty members present talks about their research interests. The talk will be moderated by the Director of the Harriman Institute, Valentina Izmirlieva. Registration is required to attend. 

Not the balloon in question via Bwog Archives