SIMON: And it's the week that, of course, Donald Trump's former U.N. This was, of course, a physical exam, not a test of cognitive or mental abilities. You could see some evidence of that as he walked away from the briefing room stage on Thursday. There is talk of the nerve problems in his feet. Low cholesterol, decent blood pressure, good BMI - something we could all envy.

This is a strong and vigorous man.ĮLVING: Yes. SIMON: White House released results of the president's annual medical exam this week. There's going to be much more focus on what's called liminal space and the competition to use it for what ultimately would be military purposes. The frenzy of the last couple of weeks may settle down, but the issue is not going away. It was probably important for the president to address this issue in this moment even if he did not seem to have much to add. And now we're not even looking for the remnants anymore. And President Biden this week said that the later aerial objects we have shot down did not appear to be related to the first. You know, we've shot down everything in sight in response to that first balloon that floated all the way across the country. But we know there is more analysis to come. Now, no one's buying that in this country.

The Chinese still say it wasn't a spy balloon. What's behind him making that statement this week, do you think?ĮLVING: Caution, in a word. SIMON: President Biden publicly addressed the balloon Thursday, saying that he would speak with President Xi of China about it. RON ELVING, BYLINE: Good to be with you, Scott. NPR senior editor and correspondent Ron Elving joins us. Recovery operations have finished fishing out the remnants of the Chinese balloon shot down over the coast of South Carolina last month.

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