President Donald Trump locks in a critical deal with Australia as he presses on several foreign policy fronts, the administration ramps up the Caribbean war on drugs, and a Christian couple loses their foster care license over gender theory. It’s Tuesday, October 21, 2025, and this is the news you need to know to start your day. Morning Wire is available on video! You can watch today’s episode here: If you would rather listen to your news, today’s edition of the Morning Wire podcast can be heard below: White House Roundup Topline: The weekend protesters may have cleared out, but it’s shaping up to be another wild week in Washington – with a major presidential focus on foreign policy.  Ukraine: President Trump met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at the White House on Friday. While it wasn’t their most contentious meeting, Trump seems less bullish on Ukraine since his recent conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Trump suggested that he’s not ready yet to provide Ukraine with the Tomahawk missiles they’ve requested. Australia: On a more positive note, Trump had a productive meeting with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on Monday. The two leaders signed a critical minerals and rare earths deal. Under the agreement, the United States and Australian governments will invest more than $3 billion in critical mineral projects over the next six months, “with recoverable resources in the projects estimated to be worth $53 billion,” according to the White House. Join us now during our exclusive Deal of the Decade. Get everything for $7 a month. Not as fans. As fighters. Go to DailyWire.com/Subscribe to join now. The deal also includes a lot of burden sharing and making new defense investments that will strengthen the alliance between the United States and Australia. On the home front: The president recently decided to weigh in on upcoming elections. Trump made a late-breaking endorsement of Virginia Lieutenant Governor Winsome Earle-Sears for Virginia governor. The endorsement of Earle-Sears comes when the race is tightening because of a scandal lower down on the ballot with the Democratic candidate for state attorney general, Jay Jones. In New Jersey’s gubernatorial race, Trump has endorsed Republican Jack Ciattarelli. The New Jersey race is also tightening up significantly. Ciattarelli came close to winning in 2021. Trump endorsed him in May because Ciattarelli was in a primary battle then. Shutdown showdown: The shutdown shows no sign of ending soon. Rumors on Capitol Hill suggest rank-and-file Democrats want to negotiate an “off-ramp” with Republicans, but no one has said what that looks like. The posture of the situation is best described as a waiting period to see what Democrats will do. Trump’s War On Narco-Terrorists Topline: The Trump administration is massively escalating its counternarcotics campaign in the Caribbean against suspected drug traffickers.  Venezuela: The Trump administration saw the destruction that occurred to the United States under the Biden presidency when it came to opening up our borders. According to Trump, that pulled countries like Venezuela to send in prisoners, gangbangers, and narcotraffickers, and the president says he wants that to end for good. Trump is pressuring the Maduro regime by carrying out dramatic kinetic strikes on suspected drug boats in the Caribbean and sending the message that there is a new sheriff in town. Former DEA Attache for Venezuela Wes Tabor told The Daily Wire that the pressure is so extreme that he doesn’t see Maduro staying in power much longer. “There’s an internal pressure that’s boiling between Nicolas Maduro and between the Estado Alliance, who is basically the head of the military and also in the Senate. And he has a lot of power with the military, whereas Maduro is the figurehead. He’s the president. Those two are battling it out right now in the country,” said Tabor. “I’ve heard rumors from my sources in Venezuela,” he continued. “They’re saying, you know, there have been a few times that Nicolas Maduro was thinking about bugging out.” Colombia: Trump wants Colombia to be wary of becoming the next Venezuela — signaling that the United States could take a stricter stance against Bogotá and its leadership if the government refuses to cooperate with his administration. The Colombian president is slowly chipping away at the longstanding relationship with a United States that has cracked down on cocaine production.   Anti-Christian Foster Care Case Topline: The state of Massachusetts has revoked the license of foster parents Lydia and Heath Marvin, both Christians, after the couple refused to sign a “gender-affirming” policy. The couple is now taking legal action, claiming religious discrimination. The Marvins: The Marvins have been fostering children since 2020, primarily infants and toddlers with medical needs or special challenges – the kind of children few homes are equipped to handle. Their record shows they accepted cases others turned down. In April, the Massachusetts Department of Children and Families (DCF) revoked their fostering license. The stated reason: the Marvins declined to sign the state’s revised LGBTQ Non-Discrimination Policy — specifically a section requiring foster parents to affirm a child’s gender identity and sexual orientation. The Marvins argue that signing would conflict with their sincerely held Christian convictions. They’ve initiated legal action, claiming religious discrimination and violation of their First Amendment rights. The DCF: DCF officials insist their duty is to protect children. In their view, that means placing kids only in homes that will affirm their gender identity and sexual orientation. Step back: Critics such as journalist and child-welfare expert Naomi Schaefer Riley say the state has lost sight of the bigger mission. “A lot of these states have just really lost sight of the goal there — which should be providing as many options for safe, loving homes as possible to these kids,” Riley told The Daily Wire. Riley, who has written extensively on family policy, says this case fits a growing national pattern where religious foster families feel pressured to abandon their beliefs or stop fostering altogether. That’s a serious problem because, according to a study released just last month, Christians are more than three times more likely to foster a child compared to those with no religious affiliation. They’re also more likely to adopt out of the foster care system. It’s a trend: In Massachusetts, another couple — Mike and Kitty Burke — were rejected as foster parents last year after expressing Catholic beliefs about marriage and gender that didn’t align with the state’s policy. And in Oregon, a woman named Jessica Bates was denied a foster license for refusing to commit to gender-affirming practices. Her case is now before a federal appeals court. Riley says many more conflicts never make the headlines. “Once they make clear they’re looking for parents who fit a certain mold, people of faith either violate their own principles to comply, or they just don’t sign up at all because they know the agency is going to be hostile to their religious practice,” she said. Hope for the Marvins: One major court precedent is the 2021 Supreme Court decision Fulton v. City of Philadelphia. In that case, the court ruled that the city violated the Free Exercise Clause when it stopped contracting with Catholic Social Services because the agency wouldn’t certify same-sex couples. The court said that because Philadelphia’s rules allowed for exceptions, the city couldn’t deny a religious exemption. Legal analysts say the Marvin case could hinge on similar reasoning — whether Massachusetts’ policy is truly “neutral and generally applicable,” or if it targets religious beliefs. The Marvins’ lawsuit, filed with help from Alliance Defending Freedom, is still in early stages.

There’s no question that the late Crocodile Hunter Steve Irwin passed on his love of animals to his children. Both Bindi Irwin, 27, and Robert Irwin, 21, make animals a very important part of their lives. Robert has a particularly special bond with his pug, Stella. Not only is she his bestie, but she also has her own Instagram account devoted just to her adventures. Sadly, Stella received a cancer diagnosis not too long ago, and Robert shared a joint update about her health on both of their Instagram accounts. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Robert Irwin (@robertirwinphotography) Robert Irwin Had Great News About Stella’s Cancer Robert Irwin shared Stella’s good news along with several photos of the perky pup. “I wanted to give a health update on our sweet Stella! I am really happy to say that her results came back and it looks like her operation was successful and her cancer was completely removed,” Robert wrote. “I’m SO relieved and happy that she is doing well. Thank you for all of your kind messages and well wishes for her.” Fans loved seeing Robert Irwin and Stella looking happy and healthy together. “Yay! Go Stella. She’s definitely keeping you on your toes,” someone joked. “Oh my goodness YAY!! God is good !! I’m so glad she’s doing better,” another person shared. “I’m so happy for you and her,” a sweet fan wrote. “I know how scary this was for you.” This person wanted to let Robert Irwin and Stella know that they had gone through something similar, and everything turned out great. “Yay! Best feeling ever! Same thing happened to my Boa Constrictor. He has a mass on his face/lip and they told me the prognosis wasn’t good, but after the surgery he was cancer free! So happy you got the same great news,” the fan shared. This story’s featured image can be found here. The post Robert Irwin Shares Great News Following His Beloved Dog’s Cancer Diagnosis appeared first on InspireMore.

For the average person, gazing up at the sky to stare at the stars and maybe find a constellation is about the extent of our knowledge of space. Some of us grew up in a world with nine planets: Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto. Only to learn years later that Pluto isn’t the real deal. Instead, scientists now refer to it as a dwarf planet. Sure, we’ve learned about the Sun and the Moon, but we rely on people like astronomers to make the big discoveries. Like the 2025 PN7 “quasi moon,” for example. It’s moving around the Sun just like Earth and looks like a second moon, according to Pubity, but it’s much smaller and very far away. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Pubity (@pubity) The 2025 PN7 Could Be Around For A Very Long Time Scientists may have only just discovered the 2025 PN7, but it might be here to stay, at least for a few decades. “It is not bound to Earth like the Moon. It follows a synchronized path with us around the Sun and drifts in a long loop that keeps it nearby,” Pubity explained. “Models suggest it has been in our neighborhood for decades and could stick around until about 2083.” But the craziest part is that at its closest, the 2025 PN7 is still about 2.5 million miles from Earth. That twin is twice as far as the Moon, and much smaller. It’s only about 60 feet wide and not visible to the naked eye. The discovery of the 2025 PN7 brought jokes to the Pubity comment section. “Are we a part of a moon exchange program now?” Someone asked. This person went with a clever Austin Powers joke. “I shall call him….. Mini Moon,” they wrote. “2 moons! In this economy?!” Another person joked. This story’s featured image can be found here. The post Scientists Confirm Earth Now Has A Second Moon appeared first on InspireMore.

Republican Kentucky Rep. Thomas Massie will face a serious primary challenge from a Trump-endorsed opponent during the midterms. Former Navy SEAL and fifth-generation Kentucky farmer Ed Gallrein declared his candidacy to unseat Massie on Tuesday morning with President Donald Trump’s support. The president has vowed to defeat Massie, a frequent Trump critic in the House […]

Among the many bizarrities of the COVID years was the sudden demonization by major media outlets of Ivermectin, one of the most-used medicines on Earth, which just helped Niger to become the first country in Africa to eradicate a debilitating parasitical disease. Onchocerciasis, or river blindness, is spread via the filarial parasite Onchocerca volvulus transmitted […] The post First African Nation to Eliminate River Blindness Treated Millions With Ivermectin to Achieve Great Success appeared first on Good News Network.

Released in 1989 in Japan and 1990 in North America, Castlevania III: Dracula’s Curse marked a triumphant return to form for Konami’s beloved vampire-hunting franchise. After the experimental RPG elements of Castlevania II: Simon’s Quest, this third installment CONTINUE READING... The post Castlevania III: Dracula’s Curse Was a Macabre Masterpiece appeared first on The Retro Network.

I love my stockpile! I also like to reflect on it periodically. I value the time I spend seeking out new information on sites like the OP. It makes me a better prepper. For this reason, my stockpile has changed and evolved over time as my knowledge has improved.  This month, I decided to take a close look at my stockpile from the perspective of my top priorities. I thought I would give folks a “peek” into how I’m thinking about my preparations for SHTF at this time. I’m hoping that you will find some “food for thought” in terms of your own priorities and possible weaknesses. In this article, I share three of my top priorities for my stockpile. As my stockpile is large and mighty, look for future articles on other priorities. Priority #1: Avoid Limited Shelf Life How well do you know your preps and how long they will last? Yeah, I’m willing to admit that there was a time when I thought that stockpiling bleach was a great idea. Since then, I’ve streamlined my thinking and my preps: I have limited space, and it is a top priority to avoid all preps with a limited shelf life. Doing the research for this article, I did still see websites recommending putting away bleach. Now, if you have soooo much space, perhaps you could store bleach….but it will not be worth much in a year. According to the Clorox website (and I’m imagining they might know a thing or two about bleach!): “After a year, the natural breakdown of the sodium hypochlorite bleach active into salt and water rapidly accelerates, and the active ingredient concentration becomes too low for EPA registered uses like sanitizing or disinfecting. So, you might be saying to yourself, “Duh! Bleach is a no-brainer!” But how about povidone iodine? This product is likely to be good for a year or (perhaps) three unopened in a good brown bottle, but do you know what the “kryptonite” of povidone iodine is? Heat! Just three months of storage in a hot room of 104 will reduce the effectiveness of this crucial disinfectant by a whopping 37%. Even storing at less extreme temperatures of 90 degrees for a period of time can render it useless.   Now, I don’t know about you, but I’m not counting on having AC during SHTF. Have you considered how your local climate could affect the longevity of your preps in an all-out SHTF? For a complete contrast, let’s compare vodka. This is basically shelf-stable, good forever. Even opened, it’s good for 10 to 20 years! The alcohol in this, well, “alcohol” is very good at preventing spoilage. The only exception to this is those flavored vodkas, which don’t fare so well. The added chemicals mean that they only last a year or two, even unopened.  Yes, it does pay to know your stockpile expiry dates and weaknesses…..How well do you know yours? Priority #2: Small Items Mainly for Trade What I stockpile for trade is not what I stockpile for myself. In my trade stockpile, I emphasize items that are small and don’t take up a lot of space. This is mainly because I don’t have a lot of storage in my small cabin. However, I also learned a great deal from reading Selco’s stories, where he emphasizes items for trade that can be easily stored in multiple locations on the body.  I want to have low profile items available in a high volume that will keep me being the grey gal. Here are the small items I stockpile for trade and why: Zip ties – So many uses (repairs, building), they are strong and mighty  Batteries – I don’t personally rely on these, but recognize their potential value to others in SHTF. Be warned: buy cheap and lose! I only buy the top brands that advertise that they keep their charge for 12 years in storage! That’s a long SHTF!  (If you don’t have a battery tester…why not? They’re very inexpensive at this link. I think it’s important to test at least a sample of stockpiled batteries each year to ensure what you’re storing has any value. Imagine showing up for a trade with a bunch of dead batteries…you could lose your credibility, and that could also be dangerous.) Buttons and sewing supplies – Yes, my secret stockpile weapon is my massive button collection. Something for everyone! Where else are you going to be able to get these?  Large heavy-duty freezer bags – I dunno: This is just a hunch I have. You won’t be able to go to the Tupperware lady any longer. These bags can be washed and reused. They are waterproof. They can be cut up to make other things, like a fruit fly trap. I always keep a good amount of these on hand. Lighters – Small and useful. I do go the cheap route on these with the small Bics. I know I should invest in a better quality one or two for my BOB. Let me add that to my list of things to do! Priority #3: Have for Health and Security, Possible Trade I have items on hand for my own health. I don’t plan on trading these, but I might if it was an emergency. For this reason, I have some extras of these around at all times. Iodized salt – It’s a simple thing, until you don’t have it. Getting decent nutrition is going to be hard enough in SHTF. Having some of this on hand will help. B12 supplement – I recently wrote about how serious a B12 deficiency can be. I found a high-quality supplement, where one bottle of the tincture lasts an entire year. It’s less than $30. What’s not to like?  Alcohol – Seeing as I’m a non-drinker, I use my alcohol for making plant medicines in the form of tinctures. In a pinch, could it be an antiseptic, like in the old war movies? Heck, ya! Would I be willing to trade some in an emergency…maybe. Do I know someone in our rural area who makes his own. Yes!   Povidone Iodine – I keep small bottles, where the price is right, on hand. I store in a cool dry place and I know it will only last a few years. However, when in short supply, this could become a valued trading item. Yes, I keep some extra on hand. Ammo – I would have to be in pretty desperate straits to be ready to trade some of my precious ammo. But, yeah, I do have a lot a lot a lot of this on hand. So…..maybe I’ll trade. Taking Stock of Your Stockpile The more thought you put into what you’re stockpiling, the more helpful it could be. Do you agree with the priorities offered here? Why or why not? Do you have one of your own stockpile priorities that you can share with us? Please tell us in the comments section. About Rowan Rowan O’Malley is a fourth-generation Irish American who loves all things green: plants (especially shamrocks), trees, herbs, and weeds! She challenges herself daily to live her best life and to be as fit, healthy, and prepared as possible. The post SHTF Stockpile Priorities: What Are You “Piling” For? appeared first on The Organic Prepper.

On Thursday, Senate Democrats voted for the 10th time to prolong the federal government shutdown. They also voted against funding the military, thereby necessitating that the Pentagon initiate some innovative accounting in order to ensure service members are paid on time. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., defended his caucus’s latest vote, opining, “It’s always been unacceptable to Democrats to do the defense bill without other bills that have so many things that are important to the American people in terms of health care, in terms of housing, in terms of safety.” But to most Americans, such tendentious bloviating falls on deaf ears. Most commonsense Americans understand that there is no reason paying America’s warriors should be held hostage to arcane debates over housing policy. As Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., one of three Senate Democrats who joined Republicans on Thursday in support of the defense appropriations bill, put it earlier this week: “You know, if you’re thinking about winning the election, now, that’s all going to come down to seven or eight states. … And a lot of the things, the extremism that people turned their back in ’24, and that’s how we kind of came up short.” It’s wise advice. But Fetterman is likely to pay for being such a rare voice of (relative) reason within the party with an impending bruising Senate primary contest. Why exactly are Democrats, who control neither chamber of Congress nor the presidency, continuing to insist on a protracted shutdown battle? It’s a more complex question than it ought to be. But the basic disagreement amounts to one over expiring Obamacare subsidies and the scope of Medicaid coverage—pertaining, to no small extent, to illegal aliens. In short, then, air traffic control operations are suffering from a potentially dangerous shortage, America’s beautiful national parks are understaffed, and service members could go without pay—all, seemingly, because Democrats think more taxpayer dollars should go toward subsidizing the health care of illegal aliens. This is an astonishingly weak negotiating position. Minority parties completely out of power typically do not get what they want during high-profile Beltway budgetary standoffs or shutdown fights, and there is very little reason to expect Republicans to cave. As the shutdown goes on, moreover, the polling on which side is more to blame seems to be gradually shifting toward Democrats as the more blameworthy side. It is far from obvious what exactly Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D- N.Y., expect to accomplish as the shutdown barrels ahead toward its third week. They are not going to prevail—and the longer it goes on, the worse political shape they will find themselves in. Democrats seem to be unable to avoid tripping all over themselves. On the issue of illegal immigration, the American people are overwhelmingly opposed to their agenda. A Harvard/Harris poll earlier this month revealed that 56% of registered voters support deporting all illegal aliens, and 78% support deporting criminal illegal aliens. On the question of taxpayer subsidization of the genital mutilation and chemical castration procedures often euphemistically referred to as “gender-affirming care,” another culture war sticking point, another recent poll showed that 66% of Americans are in opposition. The polling on biological male participation in women’s sports is even starker. Illegal immigration and gender radicalism are perhaps the two least popular issues right now for Democrats. Yet they are arguably the two issues most at the forefront of the current Beltway standoff—or at least the debate over the scope of taxpayer funding is. Sun Tzu, the ancient Chinese military strategist, famously taught that a battle is won before it is fought by choosing the terrain on which it is fought. President Donald Trump, the decades-long branding and marketing genius, already has a keen knack for framing issues in such a way—the art of the 80-20 issue, as this column has called it. And Democrats seem all too eager to make his job easier by choosing the side whose loss is a foregone conclusion. What gives? A rational political party interested in self-preservation and electoral success would certainly take a different approach. Such a party would ditch the post-2008 obsession with identity politics and wokeism and revert to the Clinton-era message of economic growth and cultural centrism. That Democratic leadership is so woefully incapable of doing this, even following Trump’s resounding triumph last November across all the major swing states, indicates that the party is not currently guided by rational calculations. Democrats today are guided not by sober empiricism but by fanciful ideology. The biggest reason that Trump prevailed in the contentious 2016 Republican presidential primary and has won so much popular support since is that he had little use for abstract ideology. He saw the American people as they are, and he sought to serve them. Democrats would be wise to follow suit. COPYRIGHT 2025 CREATORS.COM We publish a variety of perspectives. Nothing written here is to be construed as representing the views of The Daily Signal. The post Democrats Still Haven’t Learned Any Lessons appeared first on The Daily Signal.

Bernie Gets Schooled On...The View