SPACE: Enter the hunter satellites preparing for space war.

MUSTN’T OFFEND BIDEN’S MASTERS IN BEIJING: For God’s Sake. Just Shoot the Damn Thing Down Already.

Related: Biden Says He’ll Shoot Down Chinese Spy Balloon As Soon As He’s Done Letting It Spy.

MICROBIOME NEWS: Youth binge drinking linked to gut microbiome changes.

VIDEO: Pentagon Briefing On Chinese Spy Balloon: ‘Does Not Pose A Risk To People On The Ground.’

More:

The balloon “has the ability to maneuver” and has “changed course,” he explained. “Currently it does not pose a physical or military risk to people on the ground.”

“It will probably be over the US for a few days.”

“The balloon continues to move eastward… We’re not going to get into an hour-by-hour location of the balloon. We’re monitoring it closely. As I mentioned, it is over the center of the continental United States, that’s about as specific as I’m going to get,” he said.

“Does the public not have a right to know?” a reporter asked.

“The public certainly has the ability to look up at the sky and see where the balloon is,” he replied.

Another reporter asked: “If the [Chinese spy balloon] is violating our airspace, why not take it down?”

The Pentagon spokesman replied: “We assessed that it does not pose a risk to people on the ground as it is traversing the continental United States.”

What I take away from this is that the balloon is maneuverable, and therefore not off course, but that we shouldn’t shoot it down because it’s no threat to people on the ground.

What the hell kind of sense does any of that make?

PETER WOOD & DAVID RANDALL:  Teach Black History, Not Activism.

PROGRESS: NASA names first person of Hispanic heritage as chief astronaut.

MAYBE I SHOULDN’T HAVE LAUGHED BUT I DID: You Have to Watch This Viral Deepfake of Joe Biden Talking About Trans ‘Women.’

VITAMIN D UPDATE: Treating low vitamin D levels may help ward off suicide, study suggests.

BLUE ON BLUE: Antifa claims responsibility for attack on far-left Portland bar in retaliation for them ‘spreading Covid’ by staying open.

HEALTH: Want to Avoid the ICU for COVID? Just Take This One Little Pill. “Before we go on, understand that I’m one of those crazy million-supplements-a-day people. We’ll get to that in a second, but first, let’s look at the science behind vitamin D and COVID.”

IF YOUR SPECIALTY ISN’T DEI:  Ohio State doesn’t have much use for you.

EVERYTHING IS GOING SWIMMINGLY: Rising number of people tapped their 401(k)s last year amid economic strain, “Inflation-adjusted wages have been falling — meaning that workers have less purchasing power than a year ago. Median weekly real earnings have actually fallen by 3.4% since the start of 2021, according to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.”

AND NOW THIS: Pfizer Director of mRNA Research Raises Fertility Worries Over COVID-19 Vaccine.

PLAUSIBLE:

Plus:

Can confirm, with incontrovertible photographic evidence:

PROF. JACOBSON: My last Cornell photo?

START YOUR NEW YEAR RIGHT: SUNNOW Vastto 10 Ounce Classic Crystal Wine Glasses. #CommissionEarned

CHINA CLAIMS BALLOON OVER U.S. IS… A WEATHER BALLOON. When Chinese soldiers jump out and start probing Midwestern farmers, I assume that will only further confirm the claim.

We deserve a better class of cover-up.

THEY KNOW THEIR CONSTITUENTS: If New Mexico Democrats Get Their Way, Even Felons Will Be Voting By Mail.

ESTABLISHMENT OF RELIGION: Stanford University considers barring oil and gas research funding.

PROMISES, PROMISES, PROMISES: When it comes to Wall Street America delivering on promises to eradicate Anti-semitic bias in ratings, so far it’s pretty much all talk and too little action, according to Washington Free Beacon’s Adam Kredo.

WOULD YOU BUY GASOLINE FROM A STATION THAT REDEFINED COMBUSTION? ‘Beauty Company’ CEO Orchestrates Online Petition to Redefine ‘Beauty,’ Cites ‘Ageism,’ ‘Sexism.’

I REMEMBER WHEN ELIMINATIONIST RACIAL RHETORIC WAS SUPPOSED TO BE BAD: ‘To abolish Whiteness is to abolish White people’ lecture goes viral.

OUT: Sens. Cruz, Manchin Team Up To Fight A Nonexistent Gas Stove Ban.

IN: Gas Stoves Are Back Under Scrutiny With New US Limits Proposed.

KRUISER’S MORNING BRIEFING: New and Improved Kevin McCarthy Passes First Test as Speaker. “These weekly check-ins on the new Republican majority are becoming rather pleasant. I count myself among the many who were convinced that I’d be doubling my monthly whiskey budget to deal with Team McCarthy.”

DO YOU BELIEVE IN MIRACLES? No, this isn’t about the US Olympic hockey team defeating the Soviets for the Gold Medal. It’s about a doctor sitting on the side of my hospital bed and giving me the last news I expected to hear. Not to worry, it’s all good. In fact, I believe it’s a miracle.

UPDATE: Thanks to several readers who pointed out the USA Hockey Team defeated the Soviets in the semi-final, then took on Finland. (Hey, I’m a Formula Ford motorsports guy, hockey is a little down the list for me).