President Trump begins his diplomatic tour of Asia, aiming to finalize major trade and economic proposals, including a 'final deal on TikTok' with China and a potential surprise meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. Domestically, his administration faces criticism over Caribbean military strikes, continues to make unsupported claims about Tylenol and vaccines, and grapples with a government shutdown threatening food stamp benefits and causing flight disruptions.
Trump showcases trademark dance moves as performers welcome him to Malaysia Your support helps us to tell the story SUPPORT NOW From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging. Read more President Trump touched down in Malaysia on Sunday to kick off his diplomatic tour of Asia, where he is hoping to move forward on major trade and economic proposals. The U.S. and China are set to “consummate” what Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said was a “final deal on TikTok,” following months of lawmakers postponing a ban on the popular app unless its U.S. operations are sold to a domestic owner. Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping could seal the deal Thursday when they meet in South Korea. There’s also a framework for a larger trade deal between China and the U.S. in place. The U.S. would halt triple-digit tariffs on Chinese imports from kicking in on November 1, while China was expected call off export restrictions on crucial rare earth minerals, American officials said at the ASEAN Summit in Kuala Lumpur. One former Trump advisor believes the diplomatic push could include a surprise reunion between Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. Elsewhere, the president hailed a “historic” ceasefire he helped broker between Cambodia and Thailand to end a longstanding border dispute. Back in Washington, the administration is continuing to take criticism over its military strikes on alleged drug boats in the Caribbean, which Sen. Rand Paul blasted as “extrajudicial killings” in an interview on Fox News Sunday. RECOMMENDED Why Donald Trump’s move to pay the troops was probably illegal, and why that probably doesn’t matter Trump and Kim Jong-un could be primed for a surprise meeting during the president’s Asia trip, former advisor warns Trump showcases trademark dance moves as he is welcomed to Malaysia Trump oversees ‘historic’ ceasefire deal as Thailand and Cambodia end long-standing border dispute KEY POINTS Two U.S.-China deals may be reached during Trump's Asia tour Trump faces bipartisan condemnation over Caribbean anti-drug strikes Trump administration detains British journalist at airport President continues making unfounded claims about Tylenol and vaccines Trump administration announces food stamps will run out on November 1 A major program giving food aid to the needy will run out of funds on November 1 because of the ongoing government shutdown, according to the Trump administration U.S. Department of Agriculture. “Senate Democrats have now voted 12 times to not fund the food stamp program, also known as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP),” the department wrote in a banner message on its website. “Bottom line, the well has run dry. At this time, there will be no benefits issued November 01.” “We are approaching an inflection point for Senate Democrats,” the agency added, accusing Democrats of seeking to pay for “healthcare for illegals.” Democrats have in fact urged Republicans to reinstate healthcare subsidies intended for U.S. citizens as part of negotiations to end the shutdown. Josh Marcus27 October 2025 04:30 Trump and Kim Jong-un could be primed for a surprise meeting during the president’s Asia trip A former advisor to President Donald Trump hypothesized that there may be a surprise meeting between the president and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un as Trump begins his Asian tour. “Well, it’s…always expect the unexpected with Donald Trump, right? And so there’s not a meeting scheduled,” KT McFarland, a former deputy national security advisor for Trump, told Newsmax Saturday. “But President Trump had had an outreach meeting with the North Korean president during his first term,” McFarland, a former Fox News host, added. “And it was very successful because, as a result of that meeting, the North Koreans stopped testing nuclear weapons. They stopped testing missiles.” Isabel Keane has the story. Trump and Kim Jong-un could be primed for meeting during the president’s Asia trip Donald Trump and Kim Jong Un last met in 2019 Josh Marcus27 October 2025 02:54 Shutdown causes flight stoppage at Los Angeles airport (AFP via Getty Images) Flights were temporarily halted at Los Angeles International Airport on Sunday due to a staffing shortage at a Southern California air traffic control facility, the latest sign of the strain the ongoing government shutdown is putting on core operations. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy sharply criticized the Democrats on Sunday in an interview on Fox News, blaming what he called the “Schumer-Jeffries shutdown” for ongoing problems at airports like LAX. “I don’t want our controllers going to a food bank,” he said. “We don’t have the best tech in our airspace but we do have the best controllers. These are well-qualified professionals that keep our airspace safe, our planes moving on-time, and the fact they have to think about how they put food on the table and need airlines to put food into the towers so that they can have a lunch and dinner is outrageous.” Josh Marcus27 October 2025 01:54 Trump administration jokingly claims credit for ending 'Console Wars' over 'Halo' video game series The Trump administration, which frequently touts the president’s diplomatic prowess and has publicly angled for a Nobel Prize, jokingly claimed credit for stopping a lesser-known conflict on Sunday: The Console Wars. “NUMBER 9: President Trump presides over the end of the 20-year Console Wars,” the White House wrote on X, referencing the long-running inability of PlayStation gamers to have access to titles in the Microsoft-exclusive Halo franchise. The post came after GameStop also issued a mock-treaty announcement following the news that Halo: Combat Evolved will be coming to PlayStation in 2026. Josh Marcus27 October 2025 00:54 Trump administration detains British journalist at airport Sami Hamdi, a British journalist and activist and outspoken critic of the Israeli war in Gaza, was arrested by U.S. immigration agents Sunday at San Francisco International Airport. “Earlier this morning, ICE agents abducted British Muslim journalist and political commentator Sami Hamdi at San Francisco Airport, apparently in response to his vocal criticism of the Israeli government during his ongoing speaking tour,” the Council on American-Islamic Relations civil rights group wrote on X. Hamdi had spoken at a gala for the group on Saturday in California and was heading to Florida for another event prior to his arrest. “We can confirm that Mr. Hamdi has not been deported and remains in custody,” CAIR added. “Our attorneys and partners are working to address this injustice.” Read on for all the details. British journalist Sami Hamdi ‘abducted’ by ICE agents at San Francisco airport Far-right activist Laura Loomer took credit for Hamdi’s arrest Josh Marcus26 October 2025 23:50 California governor torches Trump as 'invasive species' Gavin Newsom clearly has no love lost for Donald Trump. In an interview with CBS News aired on Sunday, the Democrat compared the president to an “invasive species.” “He’s an invasive species for the country, for the world,” Newsom, who is frequently at odds with Trump, said. “He’s a wrecking ball, not just the symbolism and the substance of the [demolition of the White House] East Wing, but he’s wrecking alliances, truth, trust, tradition, institutions.” Newsom took particular issue with the White House’s recent threat to launch — then sudden decision to pause — a federal immigration crackdown in Newsom’s hometown of San Francisco. The governor said that the state doesn’t need such a military-style operation and pointed to California’s ongoing cooperation with Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials to remove dangerous criminals from the state prison system. “That’s not what this is about and everybody knows it,” Newsom said. “You don’t just randomly show up at a carwash and tell me it’s about the worse of the worst.” Josh Marcus26 October 2025 22:20 President continues making unfounded claims about Tylenol and vaccines Donald Trump is continuing to urge expecting mothers and new parents not to use Tylenol, reiterating the administration’s unsupported claims that the painkiller causes autism. “Pregnant Women, DON’T USE TYLENOL UNLESS ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY, DON’T GIVE TYLENOL TO YOUR YOUNG CHILD FOR VIRTUALLY ANY REASON,” Trump wrote on Truth Social on Sunday. The post also repeated many of the president’s scientifically unsupported claims that parents should delay immediately giving their children full doses of recommended vaccines. Last month, we reported on why the administration’s claims about Tylenol and autism are inaccurate. Trump and RFK Jr claim Tylenol is linked to autism. Experts say that’s a lie Doctors say Tylenol remains the safest drug to take during pregnancy for fever and pain Josh Marcus26 October 2025 21:51 Trump guilty of ordering ‘extrajudicial killings’ with strikes on alleged drug boats, Republican senator says A Republican senator has escalated his opposition to the Trump administration’s war on alleged narcotics traffickers in the Caribbean Sea, which it is pursuing without congressional authorization. Sen. Rand Paul was on Fox News Sunday, where he described the military campaign against vessels in the region as “extrajudicial killings”, a term which implies that he believes the entire effort to be illegal absent a mandate from Congress. He also described them as “wrong”. "I would call them extrajudicial killings. This is akin to what China does, what Iran does with drug dealers,” the senator claimed. “They summarily execute people without presenting evidence to the public. So it's wrong." Paul went on to point out that the Trump administration was, without constitutionally required approval from the Legislative Branch, changing the terms of engagement for narco-traffickers. What was previously a matter of law enforcement — where deadly strikes on vessels without warning would be completely prohibited — the White House was now treating the situation as a military matter, where the senator noted that people are often killed without due process of a trial and sentencing. John Bowden reports from Washington. Trump ordering ‘extrajudicial killings’ with boat strikes, Republican senator says Just two Republican senators stand opposed to Trump’s killings of dozens of alleged drug traffickers, despite drone opposition under Obama Josh Marcus26 October 2025 21:29 Did Trump ignore State Department advice that Putin doesn't want to end the war in Ukraine? Intelligence analysts inside the Trump administration were reportedly divided over whether Vladimir Putin was sincerely interested in negotiating an end to the Ukraine war. Ahead of a controversial August summit in Alaska between Trump and Putin, the State Department’s internal intelligence agency took a more dim view of the question than other sectors of the administration, warning the president of Putin’s reluctance to end the conflict in assessments and presidential briefings, The Wall Street Journal reports. “We kept standing firm,” John Williams, who resigned earlier this year from his post as director of the State Department’s Russia-Eurasia analysis in the intelligence bureau, told the paper. “We didn’t see that [Putin] had incentive to negotiate an end to the war.” “In the Intelligence Community, differing perspectives aren’t just normal—they’re necessary,” the office of the administration’s Director of National Intelligence said in a statement in response to the reporting. “That debate is how we ensure our decision-makers have the most accurate picture possible to protect the safety and freedom of the American people.” More details in our full story. State Department thought Putin had no interest in ending the war in Ukraine: report Trump has grown vocally frustrated with Putin in recent days, launching sanctions against Russian oil producers and calling off a potential summit Josh Marcus26 October 2025 21:00 Megamillionaire Treasury Secretary claims he is another farmer being hit by Trump's tariffs (AP) Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, a former hedge fund manager with an estimated net worth near $600 million, claimed Sunday he can relate to farmers anxious over Trump’s tariffs because he’s a farmer too. “In case you don't know it, I'm actually a soybean farmer, so I have felt this pain,” Bessent told ABC News on Sunday. Bessent reportedly owns $25 million worth of farmland across North Dakota he rents to producers. Bessent added in his ABC interview that a soon-to-be-announced trade deal with China would bring relief, though he declined to “get ahead of the president” and disclosure exactly how. Josh Marcus26 October 2025 20:41 Newer 1 / 2 Older
