A smoldering fire has persisted in a tangle of dozens of freight cars — some carrying hazardous materials — that derailed in Ohio near the Pennsylvania state line. An evacuation order remained in effect and environmental authorities kept a wary eye on air quality monitors. Federal investigators confirmed Sunday that a mechanical issue with one of the car's axles caused about 50 cars to derail in East Palestine at about 9 p.m. Friday. No injuries to crew, residents or first responders have been reported. East Palestine officials said emergency responders were monitoring but keeping their distance from the fire. Officials say the evacuation zone covered a 1-mile radius. Schools and village offices will be closed Monday.

Republican lawmakers are accusing China of deliberately surveilling sensitive U.S. military sites with a suspected spy balloon. And they say the Biden administration has given Beijing an intelligence opening by not downing the balloon during its high-altitude drift through American airspace. Democrats are defending Biden and they note that there were similar incursions while Donald Trump was president. A missile from an F-22 fighter jet downed the balloon on Saturday off the South Carolina coast. A U.S. official tells The Associated Press that those involved in the recovery of the balloon are planning to take it to the FBI lab in Quantico, Virginia, for further analysis.

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