Adding elements of jazz digital percussion and alternative composition techniques to their already eclectic sound, they’re so convinced by their new direction that their seventh release will be the second part of their sixth

Authorities are still hunting for the perpetrator of the deadly mass shooting at Brown University. They are pursuing a new lead based on photos and videos of a person taken around 2 p.m. Saturday, two hours before the attack. The FBI said the suspect is “approximately 5’8” with a stocky build.” The university announced a […] The post The Brown University Probe Continues and Police Hold a Secret appeared first on www.independentsentinel.com.

The United States Military on Monday took out three more boats in the Eastern Pacific determined to be “engaged in narco-trafficking,” officials said.  The strikes killed eight men that authorities said were members of Designated Terrorist Organizations. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, who is expected to brief lawmakers on Tuesday about the Trump administration’s drug boat strikes, authorized the attack.  “On Dec. 15, at the direction of [Secretary of War] Pete Hegseth, Joint Task Force Southern Spear conducted lethal kinetic strikes on three vessels operated by Designated Terrorist Organizations in international waters,” U.S. Southern Command posted on X, alongside a video of the strikes. “Intelligence confirmed that the vessels were transiting along known narco-trafficking routes in the Eastern Pacific and were engaged in narco-trafficking. A total of eight male narco-terrorists were killed during these actions—three in the first vessel, two in the second and three in the third.” On Dec. 15, at the direction of @SecWar Pete Hegseth, Joint Task Force Southern Spear conducted lethal kinetic strikes on three vessels operated by Designated Terrorist Organizations in international waters. Intelligence confirmed that the vessels were transiting along known… pic.twitter.com/IQfCVvUpau — U.S. Southern Command (@Southcom) December 16, 2025 Since September, the military has carried out strikes on 25 boats, killing around 95 suspected drug traffickers. In a memo to Congress in October, President Donald Trump wrote that he “determined” that the United States is in an “armed conflict” with drug cartels that he has designated as terrorist organizations. Violent gangs like Tren de Aragua and MS-13 have been designated as foreign terrorist organizations by the State Department.  Democrat lawmakers have criticized the strikes, arguing that the Trump administration has not provided enough evidence to justify the attacks. Last week, Admiral Frank Bradley was questioned by the Senate Intelligence Committee about a second strike carried out on survivors of an earlier strike that had already destroyed a vessel operated by alleged members of Tren de Aragua. Christmas Sale – Get 40% off New DailyWire+ Annual Memberships Senator Tom Cotton (R-AK) said after the briefing that the strikes were “entirely lawful and needful.” “These are narco-terrorists, Foreign Designated Terrorist Organizations, who are bringing drugs to our shores that have killed millions of Americans and thousands of Arkansans,” Cotton told reporters. “It’s my expectation and my deep hope that these strikes will continue.” Last week, the House passed the annual National Defense Authorization Act with a provision that would force Hegseth to turn over footage of strikes on suspected drug boats or face cuts to his travel budget. Hegseth and Secretary of State Marco Rubio are scheduled to meet with lawmakers on Tuesday to discuss the strikes and the American strategy with Venezuela.

Hollywood reels after the gruesome deaths of iconic director Rob Reiner and his wife, and the arrest of their son. The FBI says it foiled a major left-wing terrorist plot in Southern California, and the manhunt continues for the Brown University shooter. It’s Tuesday, December 16, 2025, and this is the news you need to know to start your day. Today’s edition of the Morning Wire podcast can be heard below, and the video version can be seen on The Daily Wire: Reiner Murders Hollywood icon Rob Reiner, 78, and his wife, Michele, 70, were found dead in their Los Angeles home on Sunday, and authorities determined that they were “victims of homicide.” Emergency responders were called to the home around 3:30 p.m. for a medical aid request. When firefighters arrived, they discovered the couple’s bodies. It’s been widely reported that their throats were cut. The Los Angeles County Coroner’s Office hasn’t officially released its causes of death yet, but the LAPD has classified them as homicides. The Reiners’ son, 32-year-old Nick Reiner, was taken into custody later that night and “booked for murder,” according to police. He has reportedly struggled with substance abuse that create conflicts in the household. The Los Angeles Times reports that Rob and Nick got into an argument on Saturday at a party at Conan O’Brien’s home. Christmas Sale – Get 40% off New DailyWire+ Annual Memberships Police said homicide detectives will present their case to the L.A. County District Attorney’s Office on Tuesday, when officials will determine which charges to file. Leftwing Terror Plot Thwarted On Monday, Attorney General Pam Bondi announced that after a thorough investigation, the Department of Justice thwarted a “massive and horrific” left-wing terror plot to bomb a number of locations across Southern California on New Year’s Eve. The plan was allegedly being organized by a faction of the Turtle Island Liberation Front, a leftist group that holds anti-Israel, anti-capitalist, and anti-American views. Bondi simply said this had been a long investigation, but it appears the turning point came when the FBI obtained clear plans for a terror attack. According to a DOJ affidavit obtained by Daily Wire White House correspondent Mary Margaret Olohan, one of the group’s leaders, Audrey Carroll, 30, of Los Angeles, unknowingly provided an 8-page outline of the plot to a law enforcement source. That document, dubbed Operation Midnight Sun, outlined plans to drop backpacks containing IEDs at five separate locations across Los Angeles and Orange counties on New Year’s Eve. Carroll, along with three other individuals also living in the L.A. area, was charged with conspiracy and possession of an unregistered destructive device. The FBI said the targets chosen included large American corporations–they didn’t give any names but said they were “similar to Amazon.” The Hunt For The Brown University Gunman Continues Law enforcement continues to investigate a shooting at Brown University that killed two students and injured nine others. The Providence, Rhode Island, community has been deeply unsettled since officials released a person of interest late Sunday night after concluding the man they had detained was not the gunman. Authorities have continued a frenzied manhunt for the suspect, releasing additional images and video of a person of interest on Monday. The FBI offered a $50,000 reward for information leading to the identification, arrest, and conviction of the individual

'Dozens swarm @ICEgov agents operating in South Minneapolis'

One might call the first three weeks of operations for a new, state-of-the-art seawater desalination plant in coastal China a ‘watershed’ moment for the industry. Long held back by fundamental difficulties in turning seawater into pure water, this new installation beats out previous flagship desalination plants in Saudi Arabia and California in terms of cost-effectiveness, […] The post Cutting-Edge Facility Generates Pure Water and Hydrogen Fuel from Seawater for Mere Pennies appeared first on Good News Network.

Books Best of 2025 Some of Reactor’s Best Articles About Fiction, Reading, and Writing in 2025 We’re looking back at some of our favorite non-fiction articles from the past year, highlighting book-centric essays. By Reactor | Published on December 16, 2025 Comment 0 Share New Share Welcome back to our annual round-up of some of our favorite essays and articles from the past year! Today, we’ll be highlighting pieces focused on reading, writing, storytelling, and all things book-related—very soon, we’ll be publishing a separate list of articles discussing TV, movies, and other media, so keep an eye out for that… In addition to these standalone essays, we’re also incredibly proud of our lineup of regular columns, along with the amazing array of fiction recommendations and discussion provided by our many wonderful contributors. This year we reached the end of Sam Reader’s Dissecting The Dark Descent series, which explored a classic anthology of horror fiction, and launched two new columns: Horror Highlights, in which Emily Hughes shines a spotlight on exciting new horror fiction each month, and Romantasy Report, Natalie Zutter’s rundown of new and upcoming romantasy titles. We’ve also been excited to launch Ruthanna Emrys’ brilliant biweekly Seeds of Story column, in which she explores works of non-fiction and how they might inspire speculative ideas and potential stories—you can read some highlights from that column below! Also featured below are the first four installments of our new Hidden Gems Book Club, which sees guest authors advocating for speculative works that deserve to be discussed and appreciated by a wider audience. We hope that you enjoy the articles we’ve included below, but of course, we can’t possibly include all of our favorites in just one list, so please chime in and tell us about the articles, columns, and discussions that have stuck with you this year… Examining Trends in Contemporary SFF The Necessary Sex Scene: Intimacy as Craft in N.K. Jemisin’s The Fifth Season by Tiffany FritzJune 25, 2025 Tiffany Fritz on the “plot relevance” of sex scenes in contemporary SFF: “because the sordid details of the sex scenes in The Fifth Season do not directly impact its plot, Jemisin’s celebrated novel provides a master-class in how explicit sex scenes can benefit SFF stories.” The Problem With Trad Pub Fanfic by Jenny HamiltonSeptember 23, 2025 Jenny Hamilton looks closer at three recent fanfics-turned-novels: “It turns out that when you extract fanfic from the spaces and communities that made it special, it stops being special.” Everyone’s in Love, but Nobody’s Horny by C.L. ClarkSeptember 30, 2025 C.L. Clark discusses writing sex, desire, and queerness in Nicola Griffith’s Ammonite: “When you introduce desire, you introduce something that may be thwarted—or something that you will have to work for, strive for, maybe even change for.” Medieval Revival, Romance, and Resistance by Maddie MartinezOctober 20, 2025 Maddie Martinez discusses the growing trend of Lady Knights and Golems: “Knights and Golems are both painted as protectors, but feared as weapons. They are loyal to a cause—and to a fault—and have become mythologizations that we still share stories of today.” Tender Is the Flesh-Eating: The Literary Cannibal as Exploitation and Desire by Wen-yi LeeNovember 11, 2025 It’s chic, it’s tasteful, and it’s dominating the literary landscape. Readers are hungry, so let’s examine cannibalism’s relationship to revenge, exploitation, and desire… Author Insights How Chronic Pain Made Me a Better Writer by Nicole JarvisMay 6, 2025 “When each sentence was part of an hourglass that trickled away my endurance, I learned to work deliberately and thoroughly.” Seventeen Authors, Two Big Questions: What Is Your Favorite SFF Trope, and What Trope Needs To Be Reimagined? by Christina OrlandoAugust 12, 2025 Some of the biggest names in SFF weigh in on the genre tropes we love (and love to hate). Chuck Tingle Chats About Bi-Erasure, Andy Kaufman, and His New Novel by Leah Schnelbach August 14, 2025 A free-wheeling conversation with author Chuck Tingle, as he discusses his unique approach to writing horror: “In horror, you’re tapping into such brutal things. You’re proving love through some really dark stuff.” Asking Questions and Finding New Perspectives on SFF Exploring the Consequences of Magic in Modern Fantasy by Kristen PattersonFebruary 19, 2025 What happens when magic is misused, or has unintended repercussions? Kristen Patterson explores the different ways contemporary fantasy authors not only define their magic systems, but the consequences of its very existence. How Does Science Fiction Help Us Prepare for the Future? by Ruthanna EmrysApril 8, 2025 Let’s talk about preparing, not predicting — and grappling with uncertainty. Teatime in Space: Culture and Colonialism in SFF by Olivia WaiteApril 22, 2025 “Tea is a history, a context, an experience as well as a beverage. Tea means things. ” Olivia Waite examines two very different corners of the science fiction universe, linked by a love of tea… To New Beginnings: Growing Past Percy Jackson by AM Gelberg On aging past our childhood heroes, and leaving room for the next generation of fans. Revisting Classic Works What I Can Learn From Rand al’Thor’s Mental Health Journeyby Sylas K. BarrettJune 10, 2025 Accepting you cannot control every outcome of your choices is hard — for Rand, and for everyone… An Anti-Hero Predicts the Future in Graham Greene’s Classic Brighton Rock by Zack BudrykJune 17, 2025 Heaven was a word — Hell was something he could trust. The Ambiguous Realism of Ursula K. Le Guin’s Lost Trilogy by Peter Milne GreinerJuly 16, 2025 It’s time to reconsider one of Le Guin’s most vitally important works. Exploring Gender and Trans Identity in the Worlds of C.J. Cherryh by Gwen C. KatzSeptember 16, 2025 The Chanur series poses key questions about gender roles, expression, and identity. Stanislaw Lem’s Greatest Character: An Introduction to Ijon Tichy by Alex PrzybylaOctober 2, 2025 A lovable, honest bumbler, Tichy’s not your typical hero… Revisiting Patricia McKillip’s Timely, Timeless Fantasy by Alex DuebenNovember 5, 2025 A short tribute to the work of one of SFF’s greatest writers and storytellers. Selections from Ruthanna Emrys’ Seeds of Story Column Underground Brains and Talking Trees: Exploring the Mysteries of Fungi in Merlin Sheldrake’s Entangled LifeAugust 12, 2025 A fascinating, mind-altering journey into the world of mushrooms and mycology. The Perils of Learning Alien Languages: The Sapir-Whorf Linguistic Relativity HypothesisSeptember 9, 2025 Thinking about how language shapes the way we think, from Newspeak to texting and the Internet. Radioactive Wastelands and Also Legal Wrangling: Kelly and Zach Weinersmith’s A City on MarsOctober 7, 2025 Real talk about how we can settle space — and if it’s really a good idea. There Is No “Now”: Carlo Rovelli’s The Order of TimeNovember 18, 2025 Are you ready to rethink everything you know about time? Selections from Molly Templeton’s Mark as Read Column Trying and Failing to Figure Out “Escapism” in BooksJanuary 9, 2025 What is escapist lit? Every answer I’ve read is incomplete, because it’s not one thing. It’s not a kind of book, I think, but a kind of reading… Tell Me a Differently Shaped Story: SFF That Plays With FormMarch 13, 2025 I love a novel that plays with form. And I’ve come to think that maybe form is one of the keys that can unlock a reading slump… It’s Okay to Know Where the Story Is GoingMay 8, 2025 It’s a cliche and a truth to say that the journey matters more than the destination… (It’s Not) The Death of Criticism (Again)September 11, 2025 Every old argument is new again — but it is sometimes necessary to reconsider the hows and whys of criticism. Selections from the Hidden Gems Book Club The Merry Spinster and the Art of Falling Between Two Stools by Isaac FellmanJune 4, 2025 Revisiting Daniel M. Lavery’s surreal take on fairy tales: “These stories center on prosaic fears—being lied to about your own motivations, being the only one in the room who’s missing the obvious, failing as a partner, being surveilled—which blend with supernatural events. They wrong-foot the reader by simply being alarming in a realist way when you expect the fantastical, or vice versa.” Rediscovering a Radical Piece of Early Science Fiction by Ilana MasadSeptember 25, 2025 Ilana Masad explores a feminist, queer, trans, anti-colonial work of sci-fi from 1929: “Out of the Void is arguably one of the most radical pieces of early sci-fi in existence, including as it does a gender transition, a successful uprising of enslaved people, and a reclamation of colonized land.” Style as Storytelling in Jackie Ryan’s Burger Force by Kathleen JenningsSeptember 29, 2025 Kathleen Jennings on the gleeful aesthetic and storytelling style of Ryan’s comic series: “Bold style can get you 90% of the way through a story. Take a wild story voice, an overwhelming aesthetic, a visual composition reminiscent of an aria, or an incredible musical motif…” Mary Doria Russell’s Children of God Is a Perfect Sequel by Cadwell TurnbullNovember 12, 2025 Cadwell Turnbull on the triumph and tragedy of Mary Doria Russell’s first contact novel and its remarkable sequel: “If The Sparrow shows the tragedy, Children of God inspects it from every angle, showing how each character, and each world respond to this tragedy.” That’s all for now, but be sure to keep an eye out for the second half of our 2025 highlights, where we’ll be talking all about old and new movies, TV series, and various other aspects of pop culture and media. In the meantime, if you’re feeling nostalgic, you can always check out our “Some of the Best…” article round-ups from previous years. Happy reading![end-mark] The post Some of Reactor’s Best Articles About Fiction, Reading, and Writing in 2025 appeared first on Reactor.

Musk II: The Elompire Strikes Back