'The very real human cost of your refusal to act'

For patients with returning head and neck cancers, there are few if any potential options other than further chemotherapy sessions. But now, doctors and oncologists are hopeful that that is a reality soon to enter the past tense after initial success seen in a large clinical trial studying a drug to target this form of […] The post ‘Incredibly Encouraging’ Drug Trial Shrinks Tumors in Head and Neck Cancer Patients Within Six Weeks appeared first on Good News Network.

The U.S. struck four boats in the Eastern Pacific said to be carrying narcotics.   “Yesterday, at the direction of President [Donald] Trump, the Department of War carried out three lethal kinetic strikes on four vessels operated by Designated Terrorist Organizations (DTO) trafficking narcotics,” Secretary of War Pete Hegseth wrote on X Tuesday.   The boats were known by “our intelligence apparatus,” Hegseth wrote above a declassified video of the strikes.   Yesterday, at the direction of President Trump, the Department of War carried out three lethal kinetic strikes on four vessels operated by Designated Terrorist Organizations (DTO) trafficking narcotics in the Eastern Pacific.The four vessels were known by our intelligence… pic.twitter.com/UhoFlZ3jPG— Secretary of War Pete Hegseth (@SecWar) October 28, 2025 A total of 14 “narco-terrorists” were killed in the strikes, according to the secretary, and one man survived. “Regarding the survivor, [United States Southern Command] immediately initiated Search and Rescue (SAR) standard protocols,” Hegseth said. “Mexican [Search and Rescue] authorities accepted the case and assumed responsibility for coordinating the rescue.”   All the strikes were conducted in international waters, and no U.S. personnel were harmed, Hegseth said.   The Trump administration has now carried out over a dozen strikes on boats said to be trafficking drugs. “The Department has spent over TWO DECADES defending other homelands. Now, we’re defending our own,” Hegseth wrote. “These narco-terrorists have killed more Americans than al-Qaeda, and they will be treated the same. We will track them, we will network them, and then, we will hunt and kill them.”  In February, Trump’s State Department formally designated a number of criminal cartels, including Tren de Aragua, MS-13, and the Sinaloa cartel, as Foreign Terrorist Organizations.  The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced in February that drug overdose deaths have fallen by 24% since the previous year, and yet drug overdose remains the leading cause of death for Americans ages 18-44, according to the CDC.  Since Trump returned to the White House in January, illegal crossings at the southern border have plummeted. For months, the administration says not a single illegal alien has been paroled into the U.S. As predicted, the additional security and enforcement measures at the southern border have prevented illegal crossings but lead to increased drug trafficking, especially via sea.   The U.S. is working to address this security threat and in September, Trump told Congress, “the United States will devote all necessary resources to punish criminals enabling the production, transportation, and smuggling of illicit drugs across our borders.”   The post US Kills 14 ‘Narco-Terrorists’ in Eastern Pacific Strikes   appeared first on The Daily Signal.

Republican Sen. Josh Hawley of Missouri fears the federal government shutdown will lead to many going hungry, and he has a bill that he says would fix that. But given Democrats’ continued resistance to extending funding for government programs, it is likely to face partisan headwinds. “We have 650,000 Missourians who get SNAP [Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program] benefits,” Hawley told reporters Monday about the food stamp program. “We’re not a big state. That’s a lot of people. It’s 12% of the national population. Think about that: 12% of Americans get food assistance … that’s pretty extraordinary.” The U.S. Department of Agriculture, which administers the food stamp program’s benefits, has announced that, due to the shutdown, “the well has run dry” and “there will be no benefits issued” starting Nov. 1. Hawley’s bill, the “Keep SNAP Funded Act,” would appropriate federal funds to the food stamp program, and would also provide retroactive benefits to those who have missed them. It currently has 11 sponsors, with Sen. Peter Welch of Vermont as the only Democrat signing on in support. Every prior attempt to fund the government on a piecemeal basis has failed during the current government shutdown. Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis. (Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call via Getty Images)  A bill from Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., to pay federal employees was rejected by Democrats, as was a bill to fund the Department of War and thereby pay the troops. Just three Democrats senators—John Fetterman of Pennsylvania and Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock of Georgia—voted to advance Johnson’s bill. Johnson is currently attempting to compromise with Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., to create an amended version to pass. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., called Johnson’s bill “nothing more than another tool for [President Donald] Trump to hurt federal workers and American families and to keep this shutdown going for as long as he wants,” Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, has a bill to pay air traffic controllers and Transportation Security Administration (TSA) employees. Known as “rifle-shot” bills, these have been attempts to put Democrats on the spot and pressure them to create momentum for funding the government. “We got to fund all these things, but we’re trying to get the ball rolling, so that’s why you see some of these rifle shot ideas,” Sen. John Hoeven, R-N.D., told reporters Monday. Sen. John Hoeven, R-N.D. (Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call via Getty Images) But there is a legitimate concern that if Democrats took the opportunity to fund specific areas of the government, it could remove pressure points for them to facilitate a full reopening. “It would take the pressure off Chuck Schumer to get his job done and open the government again,” Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, R-La., said last week when asked whether he was interested in moving House bills to fund the government piece-by-piece. But Hoeven said those bills could also do the opposite. “Hopefully, it’ll put some pressure on them, so they pass the clean [continuing resolution]. We’re trying to break the logjam,” Hoeven said. Sen. Mike Rounds, R-S.D., signaled his support for the approach, although it’s far from ideal. “Look, we want government open, and we’ll take as much as we possibly can, and hopefully [Democrats will] figure a path forward that they can live with,” Rounds said.  “But it would be better if they just said, ‘Look, we’ve made our points, and now we’re going to open up government again,’ and then we can get back down to the negotiations that most of us want to have, and we’ll do the rest of our appropriations bills.” Sen. Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla., told reporters that the rejection of Johnson’s bill demonstrates a lack of interest among Democrats in advancing any of these bills. “The Democrats aren’t going to support them. We already had one,” Mullin said, adding that Johnson’s bill “would have paid all of them. Not one at a time, it would have paid all of them.” The post As Food Stamp Funding Runs Dry, Congress Debates Partial End to Shutdown appeared first on The Daily Signal.

If you're tired of censorship and dystopian threats against civil liberties, subscribe to Reclaim The Net. Sixty-five countries, including the United States and Canada, have signed a United Nations treaty on cybercrime that threatens privacy, online research, and free expression. The agreement, known as the UN Convention against Cybercrime, was signed in Hanoi and will take effect once 40 member states have ratified it. Each country must complete its own ratification process. In the United States, a two-thirds Senate vote is required for approval. The UN Secretary-General António Guterres described the treaty as an essential step in combating cybercrime, saying that “cyberspace has become fertile ground for criminals…every day, sophisticated scams defraud families, steal livelihoods, and drain billions of dollars from our economies.” He called the Convention “a powerful, legally binding instrument to strengthen our collective defenses against cybercrime” and insisted it “cannot be used for any forms of surveillance or others that could be linked to violations of human rights.” The UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), which directed negotiations, has argued that the treaty includes protections for human rights and legitimate research. But organizations such as Human Rights Watch (HRW) and the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) disagree. Before the signing, both groups urged governments not to endorse the treaty, warning that its vague definitions could allow governments to monitor citizens, prosecute security researchers, and suppress political speech. Technology companies have also raised concerns. The Cybersecurity Tech Accord, whose members include Meta and Microsoft, described the treaty as a “surveillance treaty” that could promote government data sharing and criminalize ethical hacking. Vietnam, the host of the signing ceremony, has faced repeated criticism over online censorship. The US State Department recently cited “significant human rights issues” in the country, and Human Rights Watch reports that at least 40 people have been arrested this year for online activity. Vietnam’s President Luong Cuong welcomed the treaty, saying it “not only marks the birth of a global legal instrument, but also affirms the enduring vitality of multilateralism, where countries overcome differences and are willing to shoulder responsibilities together for the common interests of peace, security, stability and development.” Supporters argue that the agreement will improve coordination against crimes such as ransomware, phishing, and online trafficking. Opponents maintain that the treaty’s broad provisions could enable governments to misuse cybercrime laws to pursue journalists, researchers, and activists. The signing of the Cybercrime Convention comes as Guterres continues to expand his call for global action against what he describes as “mis- and disinformation,” and “online harassment.” Speaking at the World Meteorological Organization’s conference in Geneva, Guterres linked the spread of “false” information to public confusion about climate change and urged governments to “resist false narratives” and defend scientific research from distortion. “We must fight mis- and disinformation, online harassment, and greenwashing,” he told delegates. If you're tired of censorship and dystopian threats against civil liberties, subscribe to Reclaim The Net. The post Global Cybercrime Treaty Draws Criticism from Rights Groups and Tech Companies Over Surveillance Fears appeared first on Reclaim The Net.

Dems Demanding a Whole Lotta Nuthin' for Americans to Stop Schumer Shutdown

The first evidence of second-generation black holes might have finally been found.

Also known as golden tabby or strawberry tigers, these tiger morphs are the result of a rare recessive gene.

The kids of early Homo species showed species-specific traits even in infancy.

The Category 5 hurricane is likely to leave a lasting impact.