Blinken postpones China trip amid surveillance concerns

The World
A high altitude balloon floats over Billings, Montana, on Wednesday, Feb. 1, 2023. 

On Friday, the US postponed a planned trip by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken to meet Xi Jinping in Beijing. This comes amid controversy over a Chinese surveillance balloon currently floating over the western US. And, Canada’s western province of British Columbia is starting a three-year pilot program to decriminalize the possession of small amounts of heroin, meth, ecstasy, or crack cocaine. The program is part of an effort to fight a drug overdose crisis which has affected thousands in the province. Also, as violence erupts once again between Israelis and the Palestinians, can Arab nations that signed the Abraham Accords play a role in lowering tensions? Plus, an award for the best song for social change. 


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