Flyway Festival returns this weekend A3
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MONDAY | February 6, 2023 | $1.00
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US moves to recover Chinese balloon while weighing retaliation Bloomberg News
Robinson Kuntz/Daily Republic file (2020)
Joseph Hoberg works the forge during a Get the Rush event at Rush Ranch, Feb. 15, 2020.
Solano Land Trust schedules activities throughout month Daily Republic Staff
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FAIRFIELD — Solano Land Trust offer several opportunities this month to enjoy the beautiful outdoors. A bird of prey hike will take place from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday at Lynch Canyon Open Space. West County HawkWatch’s Larry Broderick will give the tour throughout the 2022-2023 winter migration season. Land trust officials urge area residents to take advantage of this opportunity to discover, observe and learn about eagles, hawks and other raptors. The hike is part of the 28th Annual San Francisco Bay Flyway Festival and will offer raptor identification tips and views of resident and overwintering birds of prey. All ages are welcome, but participants must be prepared for a moderately paced hike covering about 4 miles, possibly off-trail in places, up and down rugged, steep
Tom Muehleisen courtesy photo
A birds of prey hike is scheduled at Lynch Canyon, March 6, 2022. and slippery hills that are full of sticky seeds, thorny plants and thistle, and passing cattle. Participants are asked to bring their own water and to wear hiking shoes. The hike fee is $10 and there is a separate parking fee of $6 at Lynch Canyon, 3100 Lynch Road in rural Fairfield. A nature hike will take place from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday at
Patwino Worrtla Kodoi Dihi Open Space Park. Participants will have a chance to explore the hills between Suisun Valley and Green Valley and see sweeping views of Solano County and beyond. Scenic blue and live oaks, native wildflowers and fascinating geology make this a truly special hike, according to the land trust. The hike is designated as moderately strenuous, covering 4 to 6 miles. Rain or extreme weather will cancel the hike. Those who register for the hike will meet at the red Ice House building at the corner of Suisun and Rockville roads. Rush Ranch hosts overlapping events Feb. 18. The Backyard Bird Count for Kids is hosted by International Bird Rescue and Solano Land Trust. Children ages 8 and older – and their adult chaperones – are invited to Rush Ranch for this special birding event. See Trust, Page A8
Forget Trump, Democrats are preparing ways to beat DeSantis Bloomberg News WASHINGTON — Democrats are unfazed, even giddy about a possible 2024 rematch between President Joe Biden and Donald Trump. But the prospect of facing upstart Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis is prompting whispers of angst within Democratic circles. While Biden advisers and allies haven’t yet settled on a strategy to thwart DeSantis, the White House hasn’t missed an opportunity to knock him in an effort to weaken
him before he can announce a presidential bid, according to conversations with Biden advisers and Democratic strategists. Democrats worry that DeSantis, who presides over a large, diverse and former swing state, could appeal to possible Biden voters, those who would otherwise lean Republican, but were repelled by Trump’s baggage, the advisers and strategists said. Biden allies privately worry that DeSantis’s record could appeal to See Dems, Page A8
Michael Laughlin/South Florida Sun Sentinel/TNS file
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis speaks at a news conference in West Palm Beach, Florida, Dec. 15, 2020.
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See China, Page A8
Biden aide says negotiation on debt ceiling is ‘nonstarter’ Bloomberg News WASHINGTON — A White House economic adviser said negotiations over raising the U.S. debt ceiling are an “absolute nonstarter” for President Joe Biden, though he’s ready to discuss spending with congressional Republicans. “There is a separate set of discussions and negotiations over fiscal policy,” Jared Bernstein, a member of Biden’s Council of Economic Advisers, said on “Fox News Sunday.” “We have our budget, we want to see what Republicans have.” “That’s the discussion that the president is anxious to have with Republicans,” he said. “But the problem is, they really need to bring a plan to the table.” Bernstein’s comments are the latest positioning in a looming showdown over the debt limit after Biden and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy met on Feb. 1 for what the White
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House called a “frank and straightforward dialogue” that will continue. Congressional Republicans have said they want federal spending cuts in exchange for raising the limit. If Congress doesn’t increase the ceiling by sometime in June, the U.S. risks defaulting on its debts. “The negotiation over the debt ceiling, over default, is an absolute nonstarter for this president,” Bernstein said. By law, the federal government’s debt cannot exceed $31.4 trillion, a cap that was reached on Jan. 19. The Treasury has said it can hold out at least through early June by using special accounting maneuvers. Former U.S. Treasury Secretary Lawrence Summers said Biden should stand firm against hard-line Republicans who are linking a debt ceiling increased to spending cuts. See Debt, Page A8
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Sandra Ritchey-Butler Expires 2/28/2023
WASHINGTON — The U.S. government launched a mission to salvage what officials say is spy equipment from the Chinese balloon shot down off the coast of South Carolina on Saturday, as pressure mounted on President Joe Biden to hit back at Beijing over the incident with new export controls on sensitive technology. The government anticipates finding equipment capable of taking detailed photographs, along with other sensors, one person familiar with the matter said. U.S. lawmakers are already demanding to know if the balloon’s payload contains technology from the U.S. or its allies, another person said. Both asked not to be identified because the administration doesn’t want to reveal exactly what it suspects the balloon was carrying. The balloon, said to be the size of at least two school buses, and its sensors are lying in
50 feet of water and scattered over a seven-mile area off Myrtle Beach. Divers and cranes operating from the surface were expected to haul it up in the coming days, potentially giving intelligence analysts crucial insight into Chinese spying capabilities. China says it was nothing more than a weather-monitoring balloon that strayed off course, while the U.S. insists it was much more, and part of a broader spying plan by the Chinese government. With that in mind, people familiar with the matter said the Biden administration was calibrating how severely and swiftly to retaliate. In a sign of the new tensions likely to come, China’s Foreign Ministry sharpened its tone on Sunday and said it now reserves the right to respond after a U.S. F-22 fighter jet popped the balloon with a Side-
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