Strange flying objects are having a moment right now

US jets shoot down three flying objects in three days; Israelis stage mass protest over Netanyahu’s judicial reforms.

Tonight's Sentences was written by Jariel Arvin.

A weekend of mysterious flying objects

Drew Angerer/Getty Images

• Sunday, a US fighter plane shot down an unidentified flying “octagonal structure” over Michigan. [BBC / Gareth Evans and George Wright]
• It’s the third time the US has shot down a mysterious object in three days. Objects were shot down over Alaska on Friday and Canada on Saturday, raising questions about the security of US skies. [Vox / Ellen Ioanes]
• The objects have been detected in part because the US is monitoring the skies more closely after downing a Chinese balloon with intelligence gathering capabilities on February 4. [Associated Press / Colleen Long, Lolita C. Baldor, and Zeke Miller]
• The three objects shot down over the weekend flew at lower altitudes and were smaller than the spy balloon. Officials are collecting the debris to find out more about their origin and purpose. [The Hill / Alex Gangitano and Brett Samuels]
• China on Monday accused the US of flying balloons in its airspace more than 10 times since January 2022 and operating illegal spying operations in 40 countries, escalating heightened tensions with Washington. [NPR / Emily Feng]

Thousands of Israelis protest against  judicial reforms

• About 100,000 Israelis descended upon parliament in Jerusalem on Monday to protest against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s judicial reforms. [New York Times / Patrick Kingsley and Isabel Kershner]
• Israel’s new right-wing government introduced legislation that weakens the power of Israel’s Supreme Court and changes the way judges are selected. [Reuters / Maayan Lubell]
• The government claims the reforms will restore the balance of power, however, opponents say the plans will destroy Israel’s democracy and trigger “societal collapse.” [BBC / Yolande Knell and Raffi Berg]
• Despite the protests, the bill passed a committee vote Monday and will face a first reading, and vote, Wednesday. After three successful rounds of voting it will become law. [CNN / Hadas Gold]

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The Biden administration’s student loan forgiveness program is authorized by Congress. However, the Supreme Court’s conservative majority could block the plan. [Vox / Ian Millhiser]

• Thursday, a judge will release parts of the Georgia grand jury special report about Donald Trump’s interference in the state’s 2020 election. [Washington Post / Holly Bailey]
• The Occupational Safety and Health Administration fined a Mars Wrigley factory $14,500 after two workers fell into a chocolate tank in June 2022 and had to be rescued. [BBC / Max Matza]
• The Portuguese Catholic Church may have abused nearly 5,000 children over decades. [Associated Press / Barry Hatton]

“I'm not going to categorize them as balloons. We're calling them objects for a reason." 

[US Northern Command Commander General Glen VanHerck on whether there was any indication of a threat from the objects shot down over the weekend. / BBC]

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Attacks on vulnerable electrical infrastructure are surging. The tactic — embraced by everyone from copper-seeking vandals to chaos-minded white nationalists — exposes a major vulnerability in the US power grid.

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