Amid a record-breaking shutdown, the Senate advances a deal to fund the government, a man opens fire on ICE agents in Chicago, and in a historic move, the President of Syria is set to visit the White House. It’s Monday, November 10, 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: Dems Fracture Over Shutdown Topline: With the record-breaking shutdown leading to thousands of cancelled flights and government employees missing paychecks, cracks began to form over the weekend among Senate Democrats. On Sunday night, the Senate took a major step toward ending the government shutdown with a procedural vote. The vote was to break the 60-vote filibuster threshold to proceed to the legislation necessary to reopen the government until the end of January. As it stands, the deal would allow a separate vote on Obamacare subsidies in December, which deviates from the original push by Democrats to pass a continuing resolution with a stipulation in the bill that the subsidies would continue. Dems in turmoil: The vote set off fireworks within the Democratic Party, as Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and many other lawmakers sounded off against the move by moderate Democrats to make strides toward reopening without including the Obamacare subsidies in the spending bill.  What’s next: The government is not reopened yet; the legislation still needs to make it through the Republican-majority House to reach President Donald Trump’s desk. Trump’s been leaning heavily into the issue, calling for the end of the filibuster as a nuclear option.  View from the Oval: Trump has called on GOP lawmakers to abolish the Senate filibuster, which would allow them to pass a bill with a simple majority and end the shutdown themselves.  “I am totally in favor of terminating the filibuster, and we would be back to work within 10 minutes after that vote took place, and lots of other good things would happen,” Trump said on Friday. Trump went on to make clear that eliminating the filibuster is not just about forcing a budget vote and ending the shutdown. The president says it would also empower Republicans to codify his agenda, ensuring GOP success in the midterms next November. In a social media post over the weekend, he claimed Democrats were “cracking like dogs on the Shutdown because they are deathly afraid that I am making progress with the Republicans on TERMINATING THE FILIBUSTER!”  But at the moment, in a rare sign of pushback against the White House, plenty of Senate Republicans are standing firm in their refusal to kill the filibuster. ICE Targeted In Chicago Topline: Border Patrol agents were fired upon in Chicago over the weekend as federal officers continue to be targeted for carrying out immigration enforcement operations. The Department of Homeland Security said Saturday that Border Patrol agents were working in Chicago’s Little Village neighborhood “when an unknown male driving a black Jeep fired shots at agents and fled the scene.” Law enforcement has not yet nabbed a suspect. The agents then had a run-in with agitators who “threw a paint can and bricks at Border Patrol’s vehicles.” Reports and videos that circulated online showed people yelling obscenities at agents, walking around with whistles, and getting in their way. Chicago police were brought in to assist the agents and clear the scene. At least a few arrests were made during the chaos. Chicago PD’s appearance is a change from last month, when ICE agents were surrounded by a hostile crowd and local officers were reportedly told to stand down. Those ICE agents were left to deal with the mob alone. According to Homeland Security, “This incident is not isolated and reflects a growing and dangerous trend of violence and obstruction.” The department further noted that threats have increased over the past two months. National Guard: Citing violence like in Chicago, Trump has attempted to send National Guard troops into some jurisdictions, but has been blocked by the courts. Despite that, there have been some sightings of National Guardsmen around Chicago, however. The situation is the same in Portland, where protests have happened regularly outside ICE facilities. The latest court ruling came on Friday, when a federal judge in Oregon permanently banned the president from stationing National Guard troops in Portland. That order could, however, be overturned by the Supreme Court. Hawaii bust: Meanwhile, immigration agents have continued mass raids to sweep up illegal aliens. In Hawaii, immigration officers arrested dozens, including two suspected Tren de Aragua members, in a raid on the island of Kauai, according to the Kauai County Facebook page.  According to Hawaii News Now, all those arrested were employees at Hawaii Care and Cleaning. The same company, back in January, agreed to pay $3.8 million to settle a lawsuit filed by the Department of Labor. Trump To Meet with Syrian President Topline: President Trump is set to meet with Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa on Monday. Ahead of the meeting, faith leaders sent a letter to Trump asking him to continue his defense of persecuted Christians and other religious minorities.  Morning Wire spoke to Victoria Coates, former deputy national security advisor to Trump and a foreign policy expert at The Heritage Foundation, for more on the scheduled meeting between Syria’s leader and the U.S. president. (The following interview has been edited.) Morning Wire: The visit comes just after the U.S. lifted sanctions on al-Sharaa and removed a global terror designation on him. Why did the Trump administration feel this was appropriate? Coates: Well, while not really rising to the heights of a country like North Korea or Iran, Syria has been historically one of the most sanctioned countries on the planet for good reason. Former Syrian president Bashar al-Assad committed egregious hostilities against his own people, which earned him the Caesar Act, an act of Congress that sanctions those things. Al-Sharaa was specifically sanctioned for his participation in ISIS, which remains, obviously, a special designated terrorist group and a foreign terrorist organization, as well as Al Qaeda, which remains in the same camp. Those designations remain on those groups, but they’re loosening the sanctions on [al-Sharaa] personally, which is why he could come to New York in September and Washington now. Morning Wire: Do you see any progress on protecting Christians and other religious minorities in Syria and the Middle East more broadly? Coates: Well, hopefully, yes. When I was in the Middle East, when this all went down in Syria a little more than a year ago, there was enormous concern from the Israelis about the Druze population in southern Syria, from the Emiratis and other Gulf allies about what might happen. And so Syria, a little bit like Lebanon, is kind of a made-up country – with apologies to any Syrians who may be listening – in that it is an amalgamation of these different groups. And you do have a dominant Muslim majority, but the others have been endangered historically. I think that is very well taken from the faith leaders and hopefully the president will be very strong on this and convince al-Sharaa this is a priority for the United States.

President Donald Trump issued pardons for his former attorney Rudy Giuliani and more than 70 other allies over actions they took in the aftermath of the 2020 presidential election, the Justice Department announced over the weekend.  Justice Department Pardon Attorney Ed Martin posted the announcement on social media on Sunday evening, which included Trump’s former chief of staff, Mark Meadows; constitutional lawyer John Eastman, lawyer and conservative radio host Jenna Ellis, and attorney Sidney Powell. The action protects them from federal prosecution for their efforts related to Trump’s legal challenges to the 2020 election.  Breaking: President Trump pardoned the 2020 Alternative Electors. Thank you: @POTUS for allowing me, as U.S. Pardon Attorney, to work with @WhiteHouse, along with @AGPamBondi, @DAGToddBlanche & SG John Sauer, to achieve your intent—let their healing begin. #Federalist74 ⚖️ pic.twitter.com/rDOtgpapCB — Ed Martin (@EdMartinDOJ) November 10, 2025 “This proclamation ends a grave national injustice perpetrated upon the American people following the 2020 Presidential Election and continues the process of national reconciliation,” Trump wrote in the pardon document, which was signed on Friday. Trump wrote that the action applies “to all United States citizens for conduct relating to the advice, creation, organization, execution, submission, support, voting, activities, participation in, or advocacy for or of any slate or proposed slate of Presidential electors, whether or not recognized by any State or State official, in connection with the 2020 Presidential Election, as well for any conduct relating to their efforts to expose voting fraud and vulnerabilities in the 2020 Presidential Election.” Giuliani, the former mayor of New York City, has been entangled in a variety of state-level suits from Arizona to Georgia over his actions and statements following the 2020 election.  Other prominent people pardoned include Georgia Lt. Governor Burt Jones and former DOJ official and current Office of Management and Budget official Jeffrey Clark. The pardon notes that it does not apply to Trump.  Clark said that he had received a call from Trump on Friday night informing him of the pardon.  “I did nothing wrong when I questioned the 2020 election in Georgia, including by drafting an unsent privileged letter urging Georgia officials to launch their own investigations and then decide for themselves how to proceed,” Clark wrote on X Monday morning. “I shouldn’t have had to battle this witch hunt for 4+ years. Trump’s group pardon applies to me and others, aiming to end the lawfare.” Many on the list were those involved in proposals to submit an “alternate” slate of electors in states where Trump and others alleged widespread voter fraud occurred. Some of these individuals have faced prosecution in states such as Arizona and Wisconsin.  “Thank you: [Trump] for allowing me, as U.S. Pardon Attorney, to work with [the White House], along with [Attorney General Pam Bondi], [Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche] & [Solicitor General] John Sauer, to achieve your intent—let their healing begin,” Martin wrote on X early Monday morning. 

Federal prosecutors have charged two pitchers for the Cleveland Guardians on counts related to a Major League Baseball (MLB) gambling scheme. Prosecutors unsealed an indictment against Guardians pitchers Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz on Sunday. The charging document alleges that the two professional athletes committed fraud, conspiracy, and bribery while collecting on bets and receiving kickbacks for their on-field performances. “We are aware of the recent law enforcement action,” the Guardians told CNN. “We will continue to fully cooperate with both law enforcement and Major League Baseball as their investigations continue.” Clase and Ortiz have been on paid leave from the MLB since July, when the league began investigating allegations related to the illegal gambling scheme. If found guilty, the two pitchers face a potential punishment of up to 20 years in prison, according to CNBC. “Professional athletes … hold a position of trust — not only with their teammates and their professional leagues, but with fans who believe in fair play,” Joseph Nocella Jr., U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, said in a statement. “As alleged, the defendants sold that trust to gamblers by fixing pitches. In doing so, the defendants deprived the Cleveland Guardians and Major League Baseball of their honest services. They defrauded the online betting platforms where the bets were placed. And they betrayed America’s pastime.” An attorney for Ortiz has maintained that his client is innocent of the charges. “There is no credible evidence Luis knowingly did anything other than try to win games, with every pitch and in every inning. Luis looks forward to fighting these charges in court. The government’s case is weak and circumstantial. He will defend himself, and he will be (sic) prevail,” attorney Chris Georgali told CNBC. The scheme traces back to 2023 when Clase agreed to work with “corrupt sports bettors” who would place wagers on the type and speed of Clase’s pitches. Clase would coordinate with the bettors on the pitch he would throw. In many cases, Clase’s pitches would hit “in the dirt, well outside the strike zone” to satisfy the wager, according to the Department of Justice. Ortiz joined the scheme around June 2025 after he was traded to the Guardians in December 2024, according to prosecutors. “Together with Clase, Ortiz agreed in advance to throw balls (instead of strikes) on pitches in two games in exchange for bribes and kickbacks. Before an MLB game on June 15, 2025, Ortiz agreed with his co-conspirators to throw a ball on a particular pitch in exchange for bribes. The bettors agreed to pay Ortiz a $5,000 bribe for throwing the rigged pitch and Clase a $5,000 bribe for arranging the rigged pitch,” the Justice Department press release states. Clase is a three-time All-Star and two-time Reliever of the Year who has made more than $12 million over the course of his professional baseball career. He was set to make $6.4 million more in 2026, according to ESPN.

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A collection of jewels belonging to arguably Europe’s greatest ever royal dynasty is now set to go on display to the public for the first time in over 100 years. The jewels, including one of the largest cut diamonds in the world when it was set, had been thought lost or stolen, but had in […] The post Concealed for 100 Years by Empress Who Defied Hitler, Royal Jewels Thought Lost Set for Public Exhibit appeared first on Good News Network.

Books Wind and Truth Reread Wind and Truth Reread: Chapters 126 and 127 Dalinar returns! Adolin and Yanagawn hatch a wild plan! Welcome to Day Ten! By Paige Vest, Lyndsey Luther, Drew McCaffrey | Published on November 10, 2025 Comment 0 Share New Share Greetings, Sanderfans! And welcome to this week’s Wind and Truth reread article wherein we embark on Day 10! Dun-dun-DUNNN… This week, Dalinar finally makes it back, just in time for the big contest of champions. We check in with Adolin and Yanagawn in the saferoom in Azimir, and at least one of us (Paige) had to break out the tissues during this emotional rollercoaster of a scene. Adolin really is the best boy, and Paige and Lyn are prepared to fight anybody who takes issue with that. Also, Kaladin and Szeth, with Nin/Nale in tow, are approaching the Bondsmith monastery where Szeth will finally confront Ishar. So join us as we discuss the start of the tenth and final day! The book has been out long enough that most of you will hopefully have finished, and as such, this series shall now function as a re-read rather than a read-along. That means there will be spoilers for the end of the book (as well as full Cosmere spoilers, so beware if you aren’t caught up on all Cosmere content). Paige’s Commentary: Plot Arcs Chapter 126 is titled “That Which He Must Not Know.” It opens with Dalinar, coming out of his final Vision of Tanavast. The Stormfather is there, frail and weakened after telling Dalinar of the last 2,000 years since Tanavast was killed by Rayse. The Stormfather had spent so many years seeking someone who could be a champion against Odium; he would show visions to different candidates, only to discard potential vessels again and again when they proved themselves unworthy, and then Dalinar had to watch as the Stormfather remembered testing out Gavilar. It was a final daunting revelation. More personal. Equally terrible. Gavilar Kholin had brought about his own demise. The Stormfather tells Dalinar that he cannot trust someone with a desire for power; he was looking for someone who had held power and had not become a tyrant. Really, what a daunting task—daunting, and nigh impossible, to find a person who would be able to take up the power of Honor and not become tyrannical and give into the desire to attack Odium, but instead to use that power to protect? Good luck. The Stormfather says he had hoped to find a person to be the champion to defeat Odium, but even Dalinar says that he doesn’t think that’s possible, which is why he felt he needed Honor’s power to win the contest. But Dalinar didn’t understand Honor’s power, or the hatred between the two gods, until he was shown Tanavast’s history. But Dalinar does bring up the fact that Odium will still be locked down, tied to Roshar, so perhaps that counts as a win? “That was Tanavast’s goal, and Wit’s goal.” At the same time, Taravangian will still be preparing troops to invade the cosmere, so Roshar won’t be at peace… so maybe it’s not truly a victory. (Of course, we know what will happen and the repercussions that are sure to come to pass, but really, how was there going to be any winning with this contest?! Storm it, I just want Taravangian to lose so badly…) As Dalinar and the Stormfather discuss what to do, Dalinar states that the only way to stop Odium is to destroy him. Of course, the Stormfather tells him this is not possible, and Dalinar’s forced to admit that he knows it’s not. Blood of my fathers, Dalinar thought, pacing in the small room. How do you defeat someone too powerful to fight, yet too crafty and dangerous to lock away? The Stormfather insists that the power of Honor will not allow Dalinar to defeat Odium and Dalinar lashes out, angry, calling the Stormfather a liar because the spren could have been guiding him all this time. He then held his hands to the sides and tried to accept the power of Honor. He could feel it, watching.It rejected him. NO. HUMANS BREAK OATHS. Nine days in the Spiritual Realm, desperately trying to access the power of Honor, trying to find a way to defeat Odium—all for naught. Dalinar then informs the Stormfather that Odium is no longer held by Rayse, but Taravangian. To which the Stormfather replies that he’s less afraid of Taravangian than he is of Odium or Honor; he says that the Shards aren’t meant to be held alone, without the others. He also admits something rather touching: that he’s glad Dalinar is the one going to the contest because despite the wrongs he’s committed, Dalinar took the next step instead of hiding from his pain (like the Stormfather himself had done). Dalinar thinks about Evi forgiving him and he, in turn, offers forgiveness to the Stormfather… which seems to mean a lot to the big guy. “Dalinar… do you mean what you said? You forgive me?” Aww, feels! [Still not crying yet, though, keep going…] Dalinar asks to leave the Spiritual Realm, but the Stormfather tells him that his son is there (he has to be told that it’s Renarin because Dalinar automatically thinks of Adolin, which saddens me a bit, admittedly), along with the Lightweaver and a singer. Dalinar decides to leave them there until after the contest… We’ll just pull them out later—yeah, that’ll work! POV Shift! In the saferoom in Azimir, Adolin and company receive word that the Shattered Plains have fallen, and that Thaylenah has gone over to Odium’s side. Two Windrunners and some squires are on their way to extract key survivors (including Adolin and Yanagawn) who would be executed if discovered by the singers. Young Yanagawn speaks wisdom, talking about how Emul and Thaylenah made deals to protect their people, even if it meant bowing to a tyrant. He states that resistance didn’t help, and that his people are now to be dominated with no such protections in place. Adolin feels so defeated, having watched the fall of yet another city he was supposed to protect. But then he clings to one thought, something he’d felt at the end of the battle, after the line broke: Being the Blackthorn’s son hadn’t been enough. Being Adolin hadn’t been enough. What was left?He clung to one shred of light. When he’d been about to die, he’d realized he needed to make peace with his father, needed to believe such a reconciliation was possible. Adolin wants to see his dad again. [Nope. No crying yet!] Yanagawn puts forth the idea of gathering what forces they can and continuing to fight. The only one he’ll really listen to is Adolin, so Adolin has to be the one to tell him there’s really nothing they can do. Instead, they take stock of their supplies and discuss who will be evacuated and who should try to flee the city. Adolin knows what his father did with his second chance and wonders what he should do with his own. POV Shift! Szeth and Kaladin pick up a wagon and a couple of sad, old horses from a Shin couple in exchange for a couple of dun ruby broams, and they continue their overnight journey to the Bondsmith monastery. Nin/Nale rides in the back of the wagon with the Honorblades and Nightblood, who’s excited that they got him a chariot. (Nice to hear from him, even if it is only one comment.) Szeth talks about how appropriate it is to finish their journey in an old wagon, considering the humble beginnings from which both he and Kaladin started out. Then Syl pipes up, noting that she was born in a throne room. Good old Syl, always there to lighten the mood. Speaking of that throne room, she mentions that it’s called the Godforge, and Drew talks about that in his section below, so be sure to check that out. Szeth asks Nin/Nale what to expect at the monastery and is told that Ishar wants to humble him, that he’s expected to fail the contest. However, if he gains Ishar’s approval, then it will ensure that he’ll become a Herald. Nin/Nale, sounding frail, talks about how he sees more clearly now and he thinks Ishar was wrong to partake of Odium’s power. Syl says there’s no need of Heralds anymore because the Fused can’t be locked on Braize, considering the Everstorm. “We were so much more than locks upon Fused souls. We were leaders once. Teachers. What if we’d stayed on Roshar… and taught? Not to betray Taln, but to build up science, society? What if…” He shook his head. “I think the world could very well still use Heralds, Ancient Daughter. Just… not the ones it has…” And on that solemn note, they continue following the trail of spren in the sky. Chapter 127 is titled “Their Homes Become Our Dens.” We’re back in the saferoom with Adolin, who is trying and failing to sleep. He feels that he has no purpose and hasn’t had one since the Radiants returned. Then Maya speaks to him in his mind and they have a conversation about in which she assures him that he’s always had a purpose, and when he says he’s not enough, she says that’s good because then he would have no need of a sword at his side. [And no, this isn’t where I cried, but I came really close!] Then Skar and Drehy show up with five squires and report on how bad it was at the Shattered Plains. They talk about how to evacuate, but our young Emperor isn’t done trying to save his country and his people. As they discuss leaving, Yanagawn stands up and says that he’s not going as long as there is hope. Noura asks what hope there is. “As long…” Adolin whispered from his seat by the wall. “As long as the emperor is on his throne…”“Azir stands,” Yanagawn said. Noura says that it’s impossible to get into the palace because the singers will be swarming the place, looking for the throne room, searching for riches. And pardon me quoting so much from the chapter but I just can’t improve on the way Brandon wrote it: “We’ll never get in.”Something sparked in Adolin. That light. He realized and recognized it right before Yanagawn spoke.“If only,” the young emperor said, a hint of awe in his voice, “we had someone to lead us who had experience sneaking into the palace.” So, new plan! Yanagawn will lead them and they will infiltrate the palace and capture the throne room. And here it is, people—I’m grabbing a tissue because Adolin’s making me cry again… “Yanagawn is going to sneak us into the palace, where he and I will seize the throne room and save this storming city.” [Cue Paige sobbing.] POV Shift! Dalinar enters the Physical Realm to find Wit waiting for him in his rooms in Urithiru. Dalinar gets up close and personal, checking his eyes to be sure that it’s really Wit and, of course, our wonderful Wit has to be weird and mention that he’s been getting busy with Jasnah. Way to make it awkward, Wit! Dalinar gives him a very abbreviated rundown of everything he’s learned and off they go to find Navani, with a mere two hours before the contest. (On the way, Wit tells Dalinar a smidgen of a story, which Drew also discusses in his section below, so definitely go check that out because I will say no more about it, here.) Dalinar let the silence linger as they continued, and… he noticed a Connection to the people. They’d followed him through rain and ruin to make a new home at the tops of these unnamed mountains. And then a moment later: Dalinar thought he felt it, the same thing that Tanavast mentioned: the cords that bound all of humankind into one family. So now, at the end, Dalinar feels a real connection with his people. This strikes me as sad. I feel that he should have experienced that sense of connection as soon as he bonded the Stormfather, but he had no guidelines, no guidebook, no teacher. It just makes me sad. POV Shift! Noura confronts Adolin, saying that she will not allow him to put the emperor in danger. Adolin tries to convince her, reassuring her that what they want to attempt is not a suicide mission, and that they can save Azir if they’re successful. Kushkam backs him up, noting that people are fleeing the city—it’s chaotic at the moment, so they have a good chance of succeeding. Colot concurs. As Yanagawn states emphatically that he can get them in, Adolin feels the light within him spark into a flame and Maya speaks to him again, telling him that at some point he’ll realize why he’s really there. [Hold please, while Paige grabs some more tissues.] At this point Maya does mention that her plan for helping probably won’t do any good in light of the current situation. Oh, how wrong she is, and oh, how I can’t wait to get to that part so I can whoop and holler and… okay, I’m getting ahead of myself. Calm, Paige, calm. [Paige takes deep breaths. It’s just so exciting!] Yanagawn continues sketching out the plan but Noura interrupts and tells him that the rest can go, but he needs to stay where he’s safe. Yanagawn gathers himself and says that he is Emperor and he will lead them. Oh my shivers! When Noura starts to cry, Paige also starts to cry… I mean, Adolin suddenly sees that there’s more to Noura than he’d realized: Storms … that wasn’t the face of a bureaucrat trying to enforce rules. It was the face of a mother speaking to a son. The Windrunners will distract the Heavenly Ones, and any other Fused that might be about, and Yanagawn ditches his emperor’s robes, announcing that his people don’t need an emperor, they need a thief. Honor love that boy! [Paige blows her nose. Oh, sorry, TMI?] I’m not sure if I love this part of the story so much because it’s what I remember most vividly from the beta read, but I really connected with this part of the book: Adolin feeling that he’s not enough because he’s not Radiant has hurt my heart for years. And knowing that he’s coming into his own, to become his own brand of hero, his own brand of leader, makes me so deliriously happy. As I told Lyn last night, this book and his character arc shot Adolin to the top of my favorite characters list, and I am not afraid to say how much I adore him. So, the clock is ticking and things are winding down to the endgame—and an ending that didn’t play out the way many fans expected or hoped. We’ll talk about everything that will come to pass as it happens in the reread, and we look forward to seeing your thoughts. Lyndsey’s Commentary: Plot Arcs and Maps I’d just like to start off my section by saying, oh… wow. That chapter arch has really seen better days, hasn’t it? Dalinar I clearly never should have chosen you, but the wounds you bore…”“They mirror your own,” Dalinar whispered. “Those of a god who failed.” Maybe Honor should have gone after Adolin instead. Unfortunately, Roshar would continue to suffer. Thousands of years of war, engaged in proxy battles, as Odium trained armies on Roshar—hoping for some way to someday escape. Interesting ethical dilemma here. Do you sacrifice the peace of a million people to save a billion? Is it right to do so without giving them any choice in the matter? But… storms. If Evi could forgive Dalinar…“I forgive you,” Dalinar forced himself to say. And Evi continues to be a positive influence on Dalinar, even after her death. Tanavast/Stormfather “You have changed me, over the time we spent together,” the Stormfather said. “For the better. Okay there, Glinda. In all seriousness, it’s interesting to see this change that Tanavast has undergone. In the beginning of book one and in book two, we see the Stormfather as this amorphous spren. But now we have this heightened understanding that he’s actually partially Tanavast, and knowing what we know of Tanavast’s backstory makes him such an interesting character. “I hid. I wept. I pretended I didn’t care, because that was the path that seemed the least painful…” And really, who can blame him for that? Haven’t we all, at one point or another, wished that we could just hide from our pain… or have those pains taken from us? Yanagawn “We continuously claimed imperial authority over them, forced them to playact being part of our empire. You are surprised they now take the chance to be rid of us?” I am continually impressed by his maturity. Whoever would have guessed that the child we met earlier in the series would become this wise individual full of empathy that we are seeing now? And in so little time? The king claimed he could take any lowborn child in the land and raise him to be as noble, to be as learned and talented as any highborn child. I do find it interesting that Wit is telling Dalinar this story as we are seeing, concurrently, the truth of it played out in Azimir. “I…” He took a deep breath. “I can’t be safe. Not if my people need something more.” Maybe not the leader the people wanted, but the one they deserve. Adolin Being the Blackthorn’s son hadn’t been enough. Being Adolin hadn’t been enough. What was left? As in most stories, here we have our hero hitting the very bottom: Everything has been taken from him, and he needs to learn a lesson from his suffering in order to rise back up, stronger than before. You brought me back, Adolin, because I mattered. I wish that Adolin had Kaladin with him in this moment, so that Kaladin could return the favor in terms of the help that Adolin once gave him when he was really feeling down. But he at least does have Maya with him. She’s here to remind Adolin that even though he may feel like his life is worthless, he’s been helping others this whole time, and that truly does give his life meaning and value. Building himself back up from that was taking effort, and when he started… he reached for his father. This is a profoundly human reaction, isn’t it? Many of us, when we fall, reach for family to pull us back up. Whether blood relatives or found family, it’s human connections that so often save us when we have little else to cling to. And Adolin’s acceptance here that his father isn’t infallible is another very human moment. We all, at one point or another, must grapple with the realization that our parents are just people like us, subject to the same mistakes and passions. People, and not gods. We spend so much of our childhoods looking up to them for guidance that it can be jarring to realize for the first time that they don’t have all the answers. Sometimes it’s easy to forget that Adolin really is still quite young—in his mid-twenties, if memory serves. Moments like this serve as a reminder that he’s barely out of his teens, and still has a lot of growing to do. Szeth/Kaladin “And so,” Szeth said, “we begin our final charge toward destiny. Riding in an old wagon. Seems appropriate.” A nice lampshade here, to the bookending going on in this novel, and this point in the series. Nale We were leaders once. Teachers. What if we’d stayed on Roshar… and taught? Sadly, what-ifs will get him nowhere. Unless, of course, he uses this newfound perspective on history to make changes in his future behavior. Drew’s Commentary: Invested Arts & Theories “I poofed into existence, fully formed by the Stormfather, right in the middle of the Godforge—which is basically his throne room.” This is the first time we have a reference to the Godforge, which seems to be the place that Honor (and maybe Cultivation as well, back when they worked together?) used to create spren and which served (as Syl says) as a kind of throne room. I wonder about the location of this. To me, it makes sense that it would be in the Spiritual Realm: Honor largely resides there, just like most of the Shards; it’s the source of Investiture, of which spren are made; and we really haven’t seen Shards actively working in the Cognitive Realm thus far in the Cosmere. At the same time, of course, spren mostly reside in Shadesmar, so who knows. Then there’s the question of whether or not this place still exists after the Stormfather got nuked by Taravangian. The Godforge clearly operates/operated beyond the simple reach of Honor, given that Tanavast continued to create spren as the Stormfather… but is this place still out there? Could Retribution use it in the future? I feel that the Godforge being introduced so late in the book—and so late in the game—is Brandon laying some light foreshadowing for some potential Retributionspren shenanigans in the back five. As the lands began to think of them, and remember them, they needed less the bond of a single person to give them purchase in the Physical Realm. For the thoughts of an entire people bolstered them. I am of two minds regarding this whole deal. On the one hand, sure, we have established mechanics about the Cognitive Realm and sapient thought affecting entities there. From the Dor and the growing awareness of entire landmasses on Sel to the very identities of spren types on Roshar, this is A Thing. But what I don’t really get is how “the thoughts of an entire people” only now became relevant. Spren were present on Roshar for thousands of years, and Radiant spren aren’t exactly new. The Knights Radiant were far more widespread back before the Recreance. But somehow not enough people (or not a large enough percentage of people) were thinking about them? This is another example of the wishy-washy lore that gets introduced in Wind and Truth and, in my opinion, does more to muddy the waters than anything. It’s frustrating, and it feels like the kind of thing that Sanderson needed to have happen now, so he whipped up a quick explanation that doesn’t really stand up to close scrutiny. “Long ago,” Wit said softly, “on a planet where half the trees are white, a child was born to a lumberman.” Well hello, Jerick! For those who haven’t read it, this anecdote from Hoid is straight out of Dragonsteel Prime. The lumberman who gets used as a pawn in a bet between the king and the nobleman is a boy named Jerick, and his education and immersion in high society take up a major chunk of the book. Not coincidentally, and the reason why that is a “Prime” non-canon book, the second half of it is essentially Kaladin’s plotline with Bridge Four on the Shattered Plains, but with Jerick in Kaladin’s place. (It worked way, way better in Stormlight.) I imagine Brandon must have been chuckling to himself at the appropriateness of bringing Jerick’s story back into canon in the same series that featured such a huge plot transplant from Dragonsteel. It also seems appropriate to drop such a deep lore-laden treat into the story during this last deep breath before the final confrontations occur. We’ll be keeping an eye on the comment sections of posts about this article on various social media platforms and may include some of your comments/speculation (with attribution) on future weeks’ articles! Keep the conversation going, and PLEASE remember to spoiler-tag your comments on social media to help preserve the surprise for those who haven’t read the book yet. See you next Monday with our discussion of chapters 128 and 129![end-mark] The post <i>Wind and Truth</i> Reread: Chapters 126 and 127 appeared first on Reactor.

Following President Donald Trump’s executive orders to root out and eliminate ESG and DEI policies from government agencies and departments, it might be easy to think the war against these destructive ideas is won. Radical leftists are losing voter support for ESG and DEI at the ballot box, in legislative chambers around the country, and in public opinion. But sadly, any attempt to declare victory regarding the end of ESG or DEI would be wrong. Ultraleft activists and entrenched government bureaucrats who support these polices are working overtime to rename ESG and DEI rules so they attract less attention but are still enforced.  ESG (environmental, social, and governance) and DEI (diversity, equity, and inclusion) sound innocent, and that’s the point. Nestled within these two seemingly innocuous acronyms (who could be against inclusion?) are radical, insidious, and anti-American agendas.  Going through the letters “ESG,” the realities become apparent. “Environmental” really means climate alarmism and eliminating the safest, most affordable, and most reliable energy sources in favor of solar and wind, which are as unreliable as they are unaffordable. “Social” is where DEI lives with racial quotas for hiring, discriminating based on skin color, and the worst elements of gender ideology. And “governance” underpins it all by manipulating our free enterprise system to take control of companies and turn them into tools for the woke.  It’s all a scheme to package the woke Left’s agenda and to fundamentally change America for the worse, making it unrecognizable. It is moving us from a meritocracy that values hard work and rewards success to a kakistocracy. Particularly insidious is that this allows the Left to implement the worst elements of its agenda without winning elections, without passing laws in Congress or state legislatures, and without any of us having a say in our nation’s future.  There is, however, positive momentum. Many state policymakers have been sounding the alarm for years, but this year the movement against ESG and DEI achieved critical mass. Trump has issued three executive orders targeting DEI (Executive Order 14151, Executive Order 14173, and Executive Order 14168) and two targeting ESG (Executive Order 14154 and Executive Order 14259).  These orders terminated all DEI positions in the federal government, banned contractors from using it in hiring, directed the Department of Justice to investigate civil rights violations related to its use in the private sector, directed the U.S. attorney general to block enforcement of state and local ESG laws, and rescinded all Biden ESG and DEI executive orders.  The Trump administration has taken unprecedented steps to weed out DEI and ESG from both the public and private sectors, ending programs and cutting funding. The Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport lost over $37 million in grants when it refused to end DEI. The Trump administration also halted $18 billion in funding for infrastructure projects in New York City due to concerns about the city’s DEI policies.  State governments have also acted. So far, 22 states have banned or restricted DEI and ESG. Earlier this year, financial officers from 21 states sent a warning letter to the nation’s largest banks, urging them to end woke investing policies.  Texas enacted a parental bill of rights that ends DEI and bans instruction on gender identity and sexual orientation in public K-12 schools. In Indiana, State Attorney General Todd Rokita moved to block state contracts with law firms that have DEI initiatives following an executive order from Gov. Mike Braun.  Before stepping down in August to become a deputy director of the FBI, former Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey sued IBM and Starbucks for their discriminatory DEI policies and launched an investigation into two foreign-owned proxy advisory firms for promoting ESG.  Despite all this progress, victory celebrations would be premature. Sal Nuzzo, executive director of Consumers Defense, which works to protect American consumers from ESG and woke companies, warns:  “ESG isn’t dead, it’s simply rebranding. The radicals on the Left are publicly proclaiming that they have seen the light while at the same time simply changing the terms to things like ‘sustainability’ and ‘transparency’ in the hopes of waiting out the current momentum. We forget this to our detriment.”  ESG and DEI aren’t just bad ideas—they are destructive forces that must be eradicated. They harm our economy, divide our country, and increasingly violate state and federal laws. Those who want to change the very fabric of America will not simply concede and surrender. We all must remain vigilant to recognize the next iterations of ESG and DEI and continue to root them out.  We publish a variety of perspectives. Nothing written here is to be construed as representing the views of The Daily Signal. The post Federal & State Governments Are Rooting Out DEI & ESG appeared first on The Daily Signal.

Senate Democrats Wave the White Flag On The Shutdown They Deny Causing

One of the major objections to the prospects for life inside this exceptional moon now has less power.