On today’s front page

On today’s front page: 

China: U.S. violated ‘international practice’ in shooting down spy balloon
China expressed outrage Sunday over the U.S. military‘s shooting down a day earlier of a Chinese spy balloon off the coast of South Carolina, as the Navy began retrieving wreckage from the Atlantic Ocean and the political rhetoric ramped up in Washington.

Abortion debate to dominate 2024 races with Republican Party doubling down on bans
The abortion issue, which helped flatten a red wave in the November elections, is poised for a big comeback in 2024 that likely will make it harder for Republicans to win in critical swing states.

Debt crunch looms, but nobody knows how much is too much
Debt doomsday predictions flowed fast and furious a decade ago. The Pentagon labeled the federal debt a national security threat, while economists pointed to red lines that, if crossed, would send the government into a debt tailspin.

NSA wooing thousands of laid-off Big Tech workers for spy agency’s hiring spree
The National Security Agency is doggedly courting laid-off Big Tech workers as the spy agency undertakes one of its largest hiring surges in the past 30 years.

North Korean defector lays out South Korean rationale for seeking nukes
A North Korean defector and prominent South Korean lawmaker is adding his voice to the growing push for Seoul to pursue its own nuclear weapons arsenal because the U.S. nuclear umbrella and mutual defense treaty no longer provide dependable protection against the threat from Pyongyang.