evidence: The spotting of a high-altitude balloon over the U.S. mainland this week quickly spiraled into a diplomatic incident. U.S. officials say the object is a Chinese spy balloon, while Chinese officials called it a "civilian airship" mainly used to track weather. [...] The Pentagon said Friday it had assessed that a similar airborne vehicle spotted over Latin America was a separate Chinese spy balloon. Spy balloons have previously passed over the United States, but this object was unusual for loitering overhead "for an extended period of time," defense officials say. The incident prompted Secretary of State Antony Blinken to cancel a planned trip to China that was intended to lower tensions between the two countries.