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U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth was ridiculed over the weekend after a statement in which he announced closer cooperation with China and declared, "God bless both China and the USA!"Hegseth on Saturday took to social media to disclose the new stance toward a nation previously treated as an adversary by the administration."I just spoke to President Trump, and we agree — the relationship between the United States and China has never been better. Following President Trump’s historic meeting with Chairman Xi in South Korea, I had an equally positive meeting with my counterpart, China’s Minister of National Defense Admiral Dong Jun in Malaysia. And we spoke again last night. The Admiral and I agree that peace, stability, and good relations are the best path for our two great and strong countries," Hegseth wrote. "As President Trump said, his historic 'G2 meeting' set the tone for everlasting peace and success for the U.S. and China."Hegseth added, "The Department of War will do the same — peace through strength, mutual respect, and positive relations. Admiral Dong and I also agreed that we should set up military-to-military channels to deconflict and deescalate any problems that arise. We have more meetings on that coming soon. God bless both China and the USA!"That comment led to some outrage from critics and observers who support the administration.Conservative ex-GOP lawmaker Adam Kinzinger replied with this quote, “Oceania was at war with Eurasia; therefore Oceania had always been at war with Eurasia," along with a meme of a man wearing a MAGA hat and the words "fell for it again.""God bless both China……. wtf???? Dude" he added.Trump-supporting I Love America News wrote "Meanwhile in China," along with the Chinese leader appearing to read "The Art of the Deal" by Trump. Several other accounts shared similar memes.Gary P. Nabhan, a user who frequently shares and supports comments made by Hegseth, asked him, "How will you deconflict when China invades Taiwan? Or have you already signaled China that you won’t oppose the invasion?"Michael D. Swaine of the Quincy Institute said, "Golly Gee, that's just great Petey. All problems and bad blood gone, poof. We are now bosom buddies, so all those past defense documents, presidential statements, Congressional bills, etc. that spoke of China seeking to overturn the global order, displace the US from Asia, suppress other countries etc., etc., were silly goofs. A couple of meetings and all is well. Boy is Trump a genius or what?! Why do we even need diplomacy or the military for that matter. (except to attack Americans and murder people Donnie doesn't like, of course). Who knew that international relations was so easy?!!"Podcaster Spencer Hakimian chimed in, "Hegseth TACO’ing on China. Wow."

Exclusive: The tax office’s increased reliance on Recoveriescorp has coincided with a spike in complaints to the watchdogFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastThe Australian Taxation Office has awarded the private debt collector Recoveriescorp more than $42m in contracts as part of a hard-edged campaign to pursue some taxpayers, including welfare recipients.The size of the contracts, published on the government’s tender portal, shows how much the ATO has come to rely on the third-party collector in recent years, which has coincided with a spike in complaints to the watchdog. Continue reading...

Israel said the Red Cross has received the remains of three hostages in Gaza and they will be handed over to Israel's military.

Another three people were killed in the Caribbean according to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who announced Saturday another strike on a sea vessel as part of the Trump administration’s efforts to target supposed “narco-terrorists,” but critics are pushing back against Hegseth for being complicit in what many have labeled “extrajudicial killings.”“You are nothing but a 'hit man' for Trump,” wrote X user “Jennie M Reed,” who frequently shares content critical of the Trump administration. “Nothing more.”The Trump administration has accelerated its targeting of suspected drug traffickers in the Caribbean in recent weeks, killing at least 64 people that it says were trafficking narcotics to the United States, but members of Congress – including some Republicans – say they haven’t been adequately briefed on the strikes, with Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) in particular having condemned them as being illegal state-sanctioned executions that deny those executed due process.“Trump, Hegseth, and senior military commanders murdered 3 more people last night and the homicides near 100 people, and they expect you to take their word for it that they were transporting drugs and accept it,” wrote Ron Filipkowski, a former federal prosecutor, in a social media post on X Sunday. “They murder whoever they want whenever they want.”The strikes have been accompanied by the Trump administration’s military escalations with Venezuela, which have included the deployment of an aircraft carrier strike group to just off of Venezuela’s shores. President Donald Trump has rationalized the targeting of Venezuela by arguing that the nation is responsible for trafficking a significant amount of narcotics into the United States – particularly fentanyl – though findings from U.S. intelligence agencies refute this. U.S. intelligence has assessed that “little to none” of the fentanyl trafficked to the United States is being produced in Venezuela, and that many of the sea vessels struck by the Trump administration did not even have the capacity to even reach American shores.“Another day, another extrajudicial killing by a wannabe dictator and his drunk secretary of war,” wrote X user “Endri Bejte,” who’s frequently posted content critical of Trump, referencing past allegations against Hegseth for having frequently abused alcohol.Trump, Hegseth, and senior military commanders murdered 3 more people last night and the homicides near 100 people, and they expect you to take their word for it that they were transporting drugs and accept it. They murder whoever they want whenever they want. pic.twitter.com/8exWESJlpp— Ron Filipkowski (@RonFilipkowski) November 2, 2025

A fire and explosion at a convenience store in northwestern Mexico killed at least 23 people, including children, and injured 12 others, state authorities said.

U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth was in Vietnam on Sunday, reaffirming a partnership built on healing the scars of the Vietnam War in a trip that will test whether Washington can reassure a vital but wary partner.

At least two people were killed in a drone attack in Ukraine's southwestern Odesa region, authorities said Sunday. Meanwhile, Russia and Ukraine continued to target each other's infrastructure.

Canada and the Philippines, both staunch critics of China's increasingly coercive actions in the disputed South China Sea, signed a key defense agreement on Sunday to boost combat drills and expand security alliances to deter aggression, officials said.