WASHINGTON (AP) — Within hours of an Air Force F-22 downing a giant Chinese balloon that had crossed the United States, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin reached out to his Chinese counterpart via a special crisis line, aiming for a quick general-to-general talk that could explain things and ease tensions.

This is funny in an "god damn it" kind of way.

"We spent a week trying to turn a stray weather balloon in to a major international incident and then when we called them they didn't even pick up?!"

I can't imagine how frustrating it must be trying to conduct diplomacy with this kind of childish idiocy.