While the dedicated categories were handed out during the pre-show, Steve Lacy still brought alternative music to Grammy night.
Lacy performed his breakout hit “Bad Habit,” which was nominated for Song and Record of the Year. Bonnie Raitt‘s “Just Like That” won Song of the Year, while Lizzo‘s “About Damn Time” won Record of the Year.
Meanwhile, Wet Leg and Måneskin had a chance to be alternative winners during the main show in the Best New Artist category, but they lost out to jazz singer Samara Joy. Coldplay‘s Music of the Spheres was nominated for Album of the Year, which went to Harry Styles‘ Harry’s House.
Wet Leg didn’t go home empty-handed, though — the duo won Best Alternative Music Performance for “Chaise Longue” and Best Alternative Music Album for their self-titled debut album.
In the rock categories, Ozzy Osbourne‘s Patient Number 9 won Best Rock Album, while Americana artist Brandi Carlile won Best Rock Song and Best Rock Performance for her track “Broken Horses,” which she also performed during the ceremony.
Ozzy also won Best Metal Performance for “Degradation Blues,” featuring Black Sabbath‘s Tony Iommi.
Bonnie Raitt was a big winner at Sunday’s Grammys, taking home three wins, including Song of the Year for “Just Like That,” beating out big hits like Harry Styles’ “As It Was,” Lizzo’s “About Damn Time” and others.
Bonnie, 73, also won Best Americana Performance for “Made Up Mind” and Best American Roots Song for “Just Like That.” The new wins bring Bonnie’s lifetime Grammy total to 13, while the two wins for “Just Like That” mark her first Grammy trophies as a songwriter.
Some of the night’s other winners included an orchestral version of Fleetwood Mac’s “Songbird” for Best Arrangement, Instruments and Vocals, Edgar Winter‘s Brother Johnny for Best Contemporary Blues Album, and The Grateful Dead’s In and Out of The Garden: Madison Square Garden ’81 ’82 ’83 for Best Boxed or Special Limited Edition Package.
One of the more emotional moments came during the touching tribute to Fleetwood Mac’s Christine McVie, who passed away in November. The performance of her classic “Songbird” featured Christine’s bandmate Mick Fleetwood on drums and Sheryl Crow on piano and vocals, assisted by Raitt.
Jeff Beck, who passed away in January, was also remembered with a clip of him playing guitar, while David Crosby, who also passed away in January, was remembered with a clip of his classic Crosby, Stills & Nash tune “Guinevere.”
The segment also featured images projected on the screen of others we lost, including Olivia Newton-John, Jerry Lee Lewis and more.
The evening also included a celebration of this year’s MusiCares Persons of the Year, Berry Gordy and Smokey Robinson. The performance kicked off with Stevie Wonder and Wanmore performing “The Way You Do the Things You Do,” followed by Stevie and Smokey teaming for “Tears of a Clown,” and wrapping with Stevie and Chris Stapleton performing “Higher Ground.”
Bonnie Raitt proved once again she’s a Grammy favorite. The 73-year-old Rock and Roll Hall of Famer picked up three trophies Sunday, including the coveted Song of the Year award for “Just Like That,” beating out such big hits as Harry Styles’ “As It Was,” Lizzo’s “About Damn Time,” Beyoncé’s “Break My Soul,” and others.
Earlier in the evening, Bonnie won two other trophies — Best Americana Performance for “Made Up Mind” and Best American Roots Song for “Just Like That” — bringing her career total wins to 13. The two wins for “Just Like That” also mark her first Grammy wins as a songwriter.
While Sunday’s Grammys were filled were great performances, some of the most touching moments came during the In Memoriam segment, which paid tribute to the artists we lost last year.
One of the more emotional moments came during the touching tribute to Fleetwood Mac’s Christine McVie, who passed away in November. The performance of her classic “Songbird” featured Christine’s bandmate Mick Fleetwood on drums and Sheryl Crow on piano and vocals, with help by Raitt on vocals as well.
Jeff Beck, who passed away in January, was also remembered during the segment with a clip of him playing guitar, while a tribute to David Crosby, who also passed away January, featured a clip of his classic Crosby, Stills & Nash tune ‘Guinevere.”
The segment also featured images projected on the screen of others we lost, including Jerry Lee Lewis, The Crickets’ Jerry Allison, The Rascals’ Dino Danelli, Tom Verlaine, Foreigner’s Ian McDonald, The Clash’s Keith Levene, and others.
The 65th annual Grammy Awards went down in Los Angeles Sunday Night with Willie Nelson walking away the big country winner, with two trophies. The 89-year-old legend won Best Country Album for A Beautiful Time, and Best Country Solo Performance for “Live Forever,” bringing his total career Grammy wins to 12.
The night’s other big country winners included Carly Pearce and AshleyMcBryde, who each took home their first Grammy, winning Best Country Duo/Group performance for “Never Wanted to Be That Girl.” Best Country song went to Cody Johnson’s track ‘Til You Can’t,” which was written by Matt Rogers and Ben Stennis.
Brandi Carlile also took home awards but not in country categories. She won Best Rock Performance and Best Rock Song for “Broken Horses,” and Best Americana album for In These Silent Days.
Grammy night also featured two special country performances. Luke Combs made his Grammy performance debut with “Going Going Gone,” while Kacey Musgraves helped the Grammys pay tribute to the legendary Loretta Lynn, who passed away in October, with a performance of Lynn’s signature song “Coal Miner’s Daughter.” During the performance, Naomi Judd was also remembered with a photo projected on the screen.
And that’s not all. Chris Stapleton also helped bring the house down, teaming with Stevie Wonder for a performance of Wonder’s classic “Higher Ground,” to help celebrate this year’s MusiCares Persons of the Year, Smokey Robinson and Berry Gordy.
As per usual, many of this year’s Grammy winners were announced before the actual main show took place Sunday night. Here’s who took home the Grammy gold:
Ozzy Osbourne won two of the four Grammys for which he was nominated: Best Rock Album for Patient Number 9, and Best Metal Performance for the song “Degradation Blues,” featuring Black Sabbath’s Tony Iommi.
Bonnie Raitt also added to her Grammy haul, taking home two wins, this time for Best Americana Performance for “Made Up Mind” and Best American Roots Song for “Just Like That.”
Among the other early winners: an orchestral version of Fleetwood Mac‘s “Songbird” for Best Arrangement, Instruments and Vocals, Edgar Winter’s TaylorHawkins-featuring Brother Johnny for Best Contemporary Blues Album, and The Grateful Dead’sIn and Out of The Garden: Madison Square Garden ’81 ’82 ’83 for Best Boxed or Special Limited Edition Package.
Meanwhile, at the pre-Grammy Special Merit Awards Saturday, Nirvana received the Lifetime Achievement Award. Surviving members Dave Grohl, Krist Novoselic and Pat Smear attended the ceremony to accept the honor. Heart’s Ann and Nancy Wilson were also honored with Lifetime Achievement Award, with Billboard noting that only Nancy was on hand to accept the honor.
As per usual, the rock, alternative and metal Grammy categories were announced before the actual main show took place Sunday night. Here’s who took home the Grammy gold:
Ozzy Osbourne won two of the four Grammys for which he was nominated: Best Rock Album for Patient Number 9, and Best Metal Performance for the song “Degradation Blues,” featuring Black Sabbath‘s Tony Iommi.
Wet Leg was also a double winner, picking up Best Alternative Music Performance for “Chaise Longue” and Best Alternative Music Album for their self-titled debut album.
Americana artist Brandi Carlile won both Best Rock Song and Best Rock Performance for her track “Broken Horses.”
Other early winners include Jack Antonoff for Producer of the Year, Non-Classical and Steve Lacy‘s Gemini Rights for Best Progressive R&B Album.
Meanwhile, at the pre-Grammy Special Merit Awards Saturday, Nirvana received the Lifetime Achievement Award. Surviving members Dave Grohl, Krist Novoselic and Pat Smear attended the ceremony to accept the honor.
(NEW YORK) — A senior Russian army lieutenant who fled Russia told ABC News he witnessed his country’s troops torture prisoners in Ukraine, including beating and threats to rape them.
Konstantin Yefremov, the most senior Russian soldier to defect and speak out openly against the war, is now in hiding and spoke to ABC News from Mexico. He is currently seeking to apply for political asylum in the United States.
“I want that what I saw, what I was witness to, becomes known to society. So that the truth is uncovered,” Yefremov said.
“I know that at home there only awaits me, in the best case, a lengthy prison term and, in the worst, they’ll simply execute me,” he said. “But to hide at home and wait for them to come for you, that’s humiliating. And I can’t be silent any longer. I don’t want to be silent.”
Yefremov, 33, spent three months as an officer in areas of Ukraine’s southern Zaporizhzhia region that were occupied by Russian forces in the first phase of the war. During that time, he said he personally witnessed the torture of Ukrainian prisoners during interrogations, including the shooting of one POW in the arms and legs and threats of rape.
Yefremov has provided ABC News with documents confirming his identity as well as photos and videos that ABC has verified show him in southern Ukraine during the period he describes.
His unit, the 42nd Motorised Rifles Division — usually based in Chechnya — entered Ukraine from Crimea in the first days of the invasion, according to Yefremov.
Up until then, he said his commanders had told the troops they were to take part in exercises and that he, like most of his comrades, had not believed there would be war. The men only understood they really were going into Ukraine on the morning of the invasion when they heard the sound of artillery, he said.
Yefremov, who had served for nine years in the military, said he was appalled and claims that he tried to quit the military shortly after the invasion began. He said he left his unit and got in a taxi to drive him out of Crimea but, after he was threatened with imprisonment for desertion, he said he decided to return to his unit — something he said he now regrets.
Once in Ukraine, he said he was assigned to a squad guarding an artillery position close to the Ukrainian city of Melitopol and then later his division’s rear headquarters.
It was there — the division’s rear headquarters — where he alleges he saw the brutal mistreatment of Ukrainian prisoners.
Yefremov said he was present when a drunken colonel began interrogating a young Ukrainian soldier who had admitted to being a sniper.
“They broke that prisoner’s nose, they knocked out his teeth,” said Yefremov. For more than a week, he said, the colonel tortured the Ukrainian POW everyday, subjecting him to a mock execution and threatening to rape him.
The colonel would “pull down his trousers and say to the other soldiers, ‘Bring a mop — now I’m going to put this mop into your rear. I’ll video it and send it to your girlfriend,'” Yefremov recalled.
At one point, Yefremov said the colonel shot the prisoner in the arm and leg, breaking the bone.
“They bandaged him up, stopped the bleeding. Took him back to the garage with the other prisoners,” Yefremov said.
Yefremov said he and other Russian officers secretly moved the injured Ukrainian to a Russian military hospital, dressing him up in a Russian army uniform because they feared doctors there would refuse to treat him or that wounded Russian soldiers might even kill him.
The prisoner was returned some days later wearing a cast.
“After that, the colonel, for several days, beat him again,” Yefremov said.
Yefremov said three Ukrainian POWs captured were kept in a garage and made to sleep on the ground. He said the Russian troops were ordered not to feed the men anything other than crackers and water and that the prisoners were routinely beaten.
Yefremov said he and some other Russian soldiers tried to help the POWs as best they could, sneaking them food and cigarettes.
“I’m not trying to excuse myself. Or show how humane I was — I understand I shouldn’t have been there at all,” he said.
ABC News is unable to independently verify Yefremov’s torture allegations, but they resemble similar accounts of torture and abuse of prisoners by Russian forces widely documented in Ukraine.
Yefremov painted a picture of his own army plagued by ill-discipline and poor supplies. He said the men at the artillery unit he was guarding almost immediately ran short of food and water, reduced to hunting for hares and pheasants to feed themselves.
“We weren’t supplied with anything. No tents, there wasn’t enough basic food. We were occupied not so much with any military operations, as with our own survival,” he said.
He said he also witnessed many incidents of Russian troops looting — even taking things like lawnmowers, musical instruments and buckets.
Yefremov said most Russian troops had little motivation to fight and that the majority did not believe the Kremlin’s justifications for the war, such as its claim to be “de-Nazifying” Ukraine.
“70% of the Russian Armed Forces don’t believe in that. They understand that it’s a pretext for invasion, a pretext for a crazy dictator to realize his ideas with their hands,” he said.
He said many other soldiers had believed the war would end quickly and they would avoid heavy fighting but harsh new laws penalizing refusal to fight means it is now too late to resign.
“A Russian soldier … has been put in the position that either he goes fight or he sits in prison. They’ve said to him, ‘Go and kill or we’ll jail you,'” he said.
Yefremov said when he was rotated home to Chechnya in May, he decided he would not return to Ukraine. He refused an order to re-deploy and was accused of insubordination, after which he was discharged from the military in October.
But after president Vladimir Putin ordered a mobilization last fall, he said he realized his experience meant he would likely be called up. He said he went into hiding in Chechnya and then contacted a human rights group, Gulagu.net, to help him escape Russia.
Yefremov’s account is supported by military documents detailing the insubordination case against him, that record him refusing to deploy to Ukraine in June.
For the past month he said he has been trying to apply for asylum in the U.S., but so far has been unable to meet with any American diplomatic staff. He said had been attempting to apply through the Customs & Border Protection’s One app, a mobile phone application that the U.S. government requires asylum seekers trying to cross the border from Mexico to first submit their applications through.
Yefremov was the lead officer of a mine-clearing unit and he said previously he had worked on demining areas of Chechnya. He said he hadn’t participated in Russia’s 2014 seizure of Crimea and covert invasion of Donbas — or its operation in Syria — saying he had avoided those tours out of a personal conviction that they were wrong.
He said he fully supports Ukraine’s efforts to liberate its territory and that he believes Russia now has no hope of winning the war.
He also called on his fellow soldiers to find ways to leave and “to not participate in that insanity,” saying they were being exploited by the Russian leadership.
“A lie can’t win,” he said. “They are free people defending their land.”
“I gave an oath by which I swore to protect my people. And so did all Russian military personnel. But the whole Russian army has broken that oath. They have all become Putin’s private military company,” he said.
Despite opposing the war, he said he could not excuse himself for taking part.
“I, in no way, am justifying myself. I’m guilty before the Ukrainian people that I came with a weapon in my hands as an uninvited guest. As long as I live I will feel that guilt,” he said.
(HOUSTON) — A fire Sunday morning in a laundry room at the George Bush Intercontinental Airport prompted the Federal Aviation Administration to issue a 90-minute ground stop on all United Airlines flights to Houston, officials said.
The FAA issued the ground stop shortly before 5:30 a.m. local time and lifted it about 7 a.m., officials told ABC Houston station KTRK.
The fire broke out around 4 a.m. in the airport’s Terminal C in an employee laundry room, airport officials said on Twitter. The FAA issued the ground at the request of United Airlines, the agency said in a statement.
All United Airlines flights to Houston, a major hub for the airline were held at their departure cities due to the fire, authorities said.
Houston Fire Department firefighters quickly responded to the laundry room blaze, evacuated all employees and put out the fire.
“There’s a whole lot of damage from the smoke and the heat. There’s not a whole lot of fire damage because it seemed like a small fire that spread over time,” Brian Cresswell, a spokesman for the Houston Fire Department.
No one was injured in the fire and no damage was reported to Terminal C, officials said.
“There still might be a lingering smell of smoke. United Airlines passengers might be delayed as ops return to normal this morning,” airport officials said in a statement posted on Twitter at 8:23 a.m. local time.
(WASHINGTON) — Four in 10 Americans say they’ve gotten worse off financially since Joe Biden became president, the most in ABC News/Washington Post polls dating back 37 years. Political fallout includes poor performance ratings for Biden and a tight hypothetical Biden/Trump rematch next year.
Given disaffection with both leaders, a rerun of the 2020 presidential election is hardly enticing: Nearly six in 10 Democratic-aligned adults don’t want to see Biden nominated again for the job, and half on the Republican side would rather not see Donald Trump as their party’s nominee.
If those were the choices and the election were today, the poll suggests it could be close: Among all adults, 48 percent support Donald Trump and 44 percent are for Biden; it’s a similar 48-45 percent among registered voters. The differences are within the poll’s margin of sampling error.
The big hit on Biden is the economy: With inflation moderating but still high, 41 percent say they’re not as well off financially as they were when Biden took office, the most in nearly three dozen ABC/Post polls to ask the question since 1986, when Ronald Reagan, who popularized the “better off” phrase, held office. Just 16 percent in this poll, produced for ABC by Langer Research Associates, say they’re better off.
By contrast, nearly two years into Trump’s presidency, far fewer – 13 percent – said they’d gotten worse off; more, 25 percent, were in better shape financially.
Biden’s overall job performance rating, 42-53 percent, approve-disapprove, has been under water, and steadily so, since September 2021. On issues, Biden has just 37 percent approval for handling the economy, 38 percent on the war in Ukraine and 28 percent on the immigration situation at the Mexican border.
Biden’s approval rating after two years in office is well below average compared with the previous 13 presidents. Three have been in about the same boat at this point (Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter and Ronald Reagan) and one has been lower – Trump, at 37 percent, in polling by ABC/Post and previously Gallup. The pre-Biden average is 56 percent.
EMOTIONS – Underscoring Biden’s challenges, many more Americans have a negative rather than positive emotional response to the prospect of his winning a second term: The public by a broad 62-36 percent would be disappointed or even angry if he were re-elected, rather than enthusiastic or satisfied.
Responses to a hypothetical Trump victory also are negative overall, but less so, 56-43 percent. Part of the reason is that Biden loses slightly more of his base – 26 percent of Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents would be unhappy if he were re-elected, compared with 20 percent of Republicans and GOP leaners who’d feel that way about a Trump win.
Trump occupies somewhat more space at the emotional extremes. Seventeen percent would be enthusiastic about his winning another term; 36 percent would be angry about it. Given a Biden re-election, fewer would be enthusiastic – 7 percent – but also fewer would be angry, 30 percent.
DOCUMENTGATE – For all his woes, Biden outpoints Trump on another measure – their apparent mishandling of classified government documents. Forty-five percent of adults think Trump intentionally did something illegal in his handling of classified documents after he left office as president. Many fewer, 27 percent, say the same about Biden after his vice presidency.
That doesn’t mean Biden is fully off the hook in terms of public attitudes on the issue. Forty-eight percent think he acted wrongly, but not intentionally, in handling classified documents. Just 16 percent think he did nothing wrong. Twenty-nine percent think Trump was unintentionally wrong; 20 percent see no wrongdoing on his part.
BETTER OFF? – Inflation peaked at 9.1 percent in last June, a 40-year high; it’s eased since but remained a still-high 6.5 percent in December. That’s produced widespread economic pain. Nearly two years into Trump’s presidency, 25 percent of Americans said they’d gotten better off since he took office. As noted, fewer, 16 percent, now say the same about life under Biden.
After Trump’s first year, just 13 percent felt worse off financially. That spiked to 35 percent under Biden a year ago, and its level now, 41 percent, is the most measured in 33 ABC/Post polls since September 1986. The previous high was 36 percent among registered voters in September 2011, amid a plethora of economic troubles including 9 percent unemployment.
Economic sentiment is subject to partisan influence; 72 percent of Republicans say they’ve gotten worse off under Biden (more than any other group), while just 12 percent of Democrats say the same. The trouble for Biden is that it’s 39 percent among independents, vs. 11 percent worse off among independents in 2018.
Biden’s approval rating is vastly lower among worse-off Americans than others – unsurprising given the disproportionate number of Republicans in their ranks. Perhaps more telling, given independents’ usual swing-voter role, is this: Among worse-off independents, Biden has a mere 12 percent approval rating and Trump leads him in vote preference by 82-8 percent. Among independents who are in the same shape or better off financially as when he took office, by contrast, Biden’s approval vaults to 67 percent and he leads Trump by 62-29 percent.
Worse-off independents disproportionately lean Republican and better/same independents largely lean Democratic. Nonetheless, because independents are less firmly rooted in partisan predispositions, they can be movable – making their economic sentiment a measure to watch as the 2024 campaign heats up.
NOMINATION NATION – Just 31 percent of Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents say the party should nominate Biden for re-election; 58 percent say it should pick someone else. That’s no better than it was for Biden last September, 35-56 percent.
Two Democratic groups stand out as most opposed to Biden for the nomination – younger adults and Democratic-leaning independents. Among 18- to 39-year-olds, 69 percent would like to see the party choose someone other than Biden, who already is the nation’s oldest president. Anti-Biden sentiment on this measure reaches 72 percent among independents.
Still, even among mainline Democrats, just 39 percent would like to see Biden as the nominee; 50 percent think not. Indeed, the only group in which he’s even numerically above water in support for the nomination is Black Democrats, who divide 47-41 percent on the question. The sample size for that group is small and the difference is within the margin of error.
On the Republican side, overall 44 percent of Republicans and Republican-leaning independents would like to see Trump as the party’s nominee, similar to 47 percent in September; these compare with 67 percent support for him to be the nominee heading into the 2020 contest. Forty-nine percent now would like to see the party pick a different candidate.
The most pro-Trump group among Republicans and GOP leaners is those who call themselves very conservative – 55 percent back him for the nomination, the only group to do so by a statistically significant margin. His other best groups, at 52 percent support, are non-college graduates, rural residents and those with lower household incomes. Most opposed to Trump in the GOP ranks are college graduates (67 percent), people with higher incomes (66 percent), GOP-leaning independents (61 percent) and moderates (56 percent).
APPROVAL and VOTE – Among other results, Biden’s approval rating remains highly polarized; 81 percent of Democrats approve of his work, compared with 6 percent of Republicans; it’s 45 percent among independents. Compare to Trump at this point in his presidency – 78 percent from Republicans, 12 percent among Democrats.
A key difference is independents, who gave Trump a 32 percent approval rating, 13 percentage points lower than Biden’s from independents now.
That said – and while it’s very early in the cycle – independents today support Trump over Biden by 50-40 percent, a slight difference, meaning it’s significant at the 90 percent confidence level rather than the customary 95 percent confidence. There are miles to go before November 2024, but it’s worth keeping in mind that in nine of the last 12 elections, whoever won independents won the presidency.
METHODOLOGY – This ABC News/Washington Post poll was conducted by landline and cellular telephone Jan. 27-Feb. 1, 2023, in English and Spanish, among a random national sample of 1,003 adults. Results have a margin of sampling error of 3.5 percentage points, including the design effect. Partisan divisions are 26-25-40 percent, Democrats-Republicans-independents.
The survey was produced for ABC News by Langer Research Associates, with sampling and data collection by Abt Associates of Rockville, Md. See details on the survey’s methodology here.
(NEW YORK) — Government officials closely tracked a massive surveillance balloon believed to be from China as it traveled across the U.S. for several days.
The white balloon, which China’s foreign ministry has claimed to be used for meteorological purposes, traveled at an altitude of around 60,000 feet with a vessel described as the size of three buses, officials said. It was shot down over the Atlantic Ocean Saturday afternoon.
Here is a timeline of where the balloon was spotted in the U.S.:
Jan. 28
The balloon entered U.S. airspace on Jan. 28 north of the Aleutian Islands in Alaska, according to a senior military official.
Jan. 30
It then entered Canadian airspace over the Northwest Territories on Jan. 30, the senior military official said.
Jan. 31
The balloon then traveled south and reentered U.S. airspace over northern Idaho on Jan. 31, according to a senior military official.
Feb. 1
4:21 p.m. ET: One of the earliest sightings confirmed by ABC News was Wednesday in Reed Point, Montana.
6:46 p.m. ET: More than two hours later, it was filmed east of Reed Point, in Billings, Montana. Other footage captured it over Billings over the next hour, as civilians wondered what the object was.
From Montana, the balloon traveled southeast through South Dakota and Nebraska, according to U.S. officials.
Feb. 3
9:41 a.m. ET: Social media sightings popped up as the balloon moved southeastwardly across the continental U.S. ABC News confirmed another sighting of the balloon around 9:41 a.m. ET on Friday, when it was filmed over Sabetha, Kansas.
11 a.m. ET: Over an hour later, it appeared farther east over Saint Joseph, Missouri, where it was filmed.
Between 11:56 a.m. and 12:28 p.m. ET: Video footage captured the balloon farther east, over Cameron, Missouri.
About 30 minutes later: It was seen farther south within the Kansas City metro area, in Lee’s Summit, Missouri.
The balloon appeared to be heading toward North Carolina, according to a senior U.S. official familiar with the situation.
Feb. 4
ABC News confirmed several sightings of the balloon in North Carolina by Saturday morning.
8:40 a.m. ET: The balloon was filmed over Biltmore Park in Asheville, North Carolina.
10:22 a.m. ET: The balloon continued to move southeastwardly, with sightings over the Hendersonville and Saluda areas, before being captured over the Eagle Lake neighborhood in Charlotte.
11:15 a.m. ET: The balloon was captured over South Carolina, in Lancaster, as it continued moving southeastward toward the coast.
1:30 p.m. ET: The balloon was seen over the coastal city of Myrtle, along with U.S. fighter aircraft close by.
2:39 p.m. ET: Its voyage came to an end. Footage captured the balloon being shot down over the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of South Carolina.
The balloon was ultimately downed in U.S. airspace over U.S. territorial waters by fighter aircraft assigned to U.S. Northern Command, according to Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin.
The balloon was struck by an F-22 firing a missile roughly six nautical miles off the South Carolina coast, according to a senior U.S. defense official.
ABC News’ Victoria Beaule, Layla Ferris, Cheryl Gendron, Julia Jacobo, Kerem Inal, Chris Looft, Josh Margolin and Luis Martinez contributed to this report.
