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News Stranger Things New Stranger Things Season 5 Trailer Teases Volume 2 With Help From a Diana Ross Song Maybe Vecna just means it’s almost time for a new world that doesn’t have Stranger Things in it By Molly Templeton | Published on December 15, 2025 Image: Netflix © 2025 Comment 0 Share New Share Image: Netflix © 2025 Stranger Things still isn’t over. Not quite yet. After releasing the first “Volume” of the final season just in time for Thanksgiving, Netflix will next release part two just in time for Christmas. Naturally, that calls for another trailer—one that works hard to be ominous, because everything the gang knew about the Upside Down was wrong, but also tries to stay vague so as not to upset anyone who’s not caught up yet. The result is a lot of portentous statements and quick shots of the Upside Down, the real world of Hawkins, and the strange place where Max (Sadie Sink) and Holly Wheeler (Nell Fisher) find themselves, which appears to have slightly Wonderland-ish logic. Our heroes are beaten and bruised, but it’s not over—not so long as Joyce Byers (Winona Ryder) says so. Dustin (Gaten Matarazzo) and Steve (Joe Keery) make a pact! Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown) looks fierce! There’s a moment where bullets ricochet to the rhythm of the on-the-nose song (“Upside Down,” natch)! And Will Byers (Noah Schnapp) has magic powers now. And Vecna (Jamie Campbell Bower) has plans for a new world. All the elements are in place for Volume 2. It seems safe to assume that after the very low body count in Volume 1, Volume 2 will be a downer. This show is highly informed by the iconic stories of the 80s, and which of those stories ranks among the most classic, downer part two endings? The Empire Strikes Back. Will the Duffer Brothers play that hand? You’ll find out—just in time for Christmas. Along with everyone mentioned above, Stranger Things‘ final season also stars Caleb McLaughlin, David Harbour, Maya Hawke, Charlie Heaton, Natalia Dyer, and newcomers-to-the-show Linda Hamilton, Alex Breaux, and Jake Connelly. Volume 2 releases at 5 pm on December 25th.[end-mark] The post New <i>Stranger Things</i> Season 5 Trailer Teases Volume 2 With Help From a Diana Ross Song appeared first on Reactor.

Books SFF Bestiary Jellyfish in Space! — Aliette de Bodard’s Navigational Entanglements Jellyfish are profoundly alien to our human biology and psychology — so they make sense as space aliens By Judith Tarr | Published on December 15, 2025 Comment 0 Share New Share Aliette de Bodard is on my shortlist of “auto-preorder” authors: writers whose works I order as soon as they become available (remember: preorders are love). I first encountered her through fantasy, the marvelous The House of Shattered Wings and its sequels and tie-ins. (Purely coincidentally, the core trilogy has just been released in a shiny new edition.) Thanks to commenter Khryss for reminding me that I had an unread De Bodard in my TBR pile, and for pointing out that it features jellyfish aliens. Naturally I leaped to move it to the top of the pile. Buy the Book Navigational Entanglements Aliette de Bodard Buy Book Navigational Entanglements Aliette de Bodard Buy this book from: AmazonBarnes and NobleiBooksIndieBoundTarget Navigational Entanglements’ title works on multiple levels. It’s about four junior navigators in a Vietnamese-inspired science-fictional universe, confronted with a near-impossible task. This universe has an unusual take on star travel: navigators use their own energy, called Shadow, to open gates and navigate ships through the weird continuum called the Hollows. The Hollows are inhabited, and the inhabitants are deadly dangerous. They’re called Tanglers. What they are, almost point for point, are spacefaring jellyfish. Bell, tentacles, stingers, the whole package. Tanglers’ effect on humans is less about physical stingers and more about psychic damage. When their tendrils escape the Hollows into human space, navigators can track them with Shadow—and by following trails of humans whose minds have been bent or broken. A Tangler in human space is a serious threat to the humans in its path. Much of the story revolves around the social, emotional, and political lives of the four young navigators, but the nature and biology of Tanglers is crucial to both the conflict and the resolution. The navigators are sent by their elders to find and capture a Tangler that has escaped (or so they’re told) from the Hollows. It has to be captured and presumably killed before it drifts into inhabited space. If they can’t stop it in time, the death toll will be enormous. We’ve been learning about the life cycle of the jellyfish, and we’ve seen what happens when a bloom of giant jellyfish shows up along the coast of Japan. Both of these things are relevant to the story. The average Tangler is about human-sized, but its tendrils trail far from the main body. The tendrils are the deadly part. What we learn along with the characters is that a Tangler can grow very, very, very big. The more it eats, the bigger it gets. We don’t learn how long it lives, but that’s not really relevant. What is relevant is that a Tangler can breed in human space, and it reproduces in jellyfish fashion, seeding an area with polyps that develop into miniature Tanglers. The process seems to be fairly rapid, at least in space outside of the Hollows. The result, if it’s not checked or destroyed, is a bloom of Tanglers, and that is very bad. Unlike terrestrial jellyfish (at least as far as we know), Tanglers appear to be sentient. They feel emotions (fear, loneliness, longing to go home). They seem to have a language. They’re not mindless monsters. There’s no malice in them. They are what they are; they’re psychic predators, and they prey on humans who invade the Hollows. Outside of the Hollows, they hunt whatever they can eat, which would be the inhabitants of any habitat (from ship to planet) they encounter. Whether it’s possible to communicate with them, or to persuade them to go back to the Hollows, is one of the problems the navigators have to solve. Can they settle this without violence, or without being killed themselves? In light of the political situation, should they even try? And what will the consequences be? Is it worth the cost? I love that Tanglers are pretty much straightforward jellyfish with a couple of extra space powers. Jellies are profoundly alien to our human biology and psychology. They make sense as space aliens. Now, a question for you all. What are your favorite book or film aliens based on terrestrial animals? That’s where I’m headed in the next chapter. I have my eye on Pride of Chanur to start (lions! in space!), and several others are on my radar. What would you like me to look at? It doesn’t have to be fully sentient aliens; it can be unique life forms that are critical to the development of the story, as Tanglers are here. What’s out there, especially in the last decade or so? What shouldn’t I miss?[end-mark] The post Jellyfish in Space! — Aliette de Bodard’s <i>Navigational Entanglements</i> appeared first on Reactor.

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America isn't divided by politics. According to Brent Buchanan, it’s actually divided by biology.Buchanan makes the case that voters no longer make decisions logically but emotionally, driven by something hardwired into human behavior.“I began looking at academic research on what actually drives human behavior, specifically when it relates to voting. And the question goes back to, ‘What drives human behavior, period?’” he tells BlazeTV host Steve Deace on the “Steve Deace Show.”And Buchanan’s answer to that question, while complicated, is actually quite simple. At the end of the day, it is survival that informs our decision-making.“It doesn’t matter if somebody’s voting, buying a car, getting married. It is all this biological fact that our brains were built to conserve energy. And the least caloric way that we can take in, process information, and make decisions is emotionally through our subconscious, through the inside part of our brain, not through the prefrontal cortex,” he explains.“It makes a lot of sense ... biologically, we were built for survival. And everything we do is based around survival. And even though we’re not being chased by wild animals or going without food for days or weeks on end as the whole population used to do a long time ago, those innate senses and that biology is still with us,” he continues.“I mean God created us for a reason, with a purpose, and it was to survive, and it was to procreate and to spread His gospel,” he says, adding, “And all of those are biologically built into us.”Deace agrees with Buchanan, pointing out that during the election cycle last year, “the most effective message” was the Trump ad that read, “Kamala Harris is for they/them. Trump is for you.”“The most extreme candidate tends to lose. And why does the most extreme candidate tend to lose? Because they’re viewed as most threatening to somebody’s safety, security, or belief system. So that was a wonderful way to cast Kamala Harris as way more extreme of the two candidates running for president,” Buchanan responds.“Secondarily, it plays into in-group, out-group factors. That also goes back to our survival instincts, where if somebody is on the out-group, they are your enemy,” he continues.“So with a lot of young men, a lot of non-white voters, they saw that message, and they didn’t say, ‘I’m making my decision on this election based on the transgender issue.’ But that issue became a proxy for extremity,” he says, adding, “That is what won Donald Trump the election.”Want more from Steve Deace?To enjoy more of Steve's take on national politics, Christian worldview, and principled conservatism with a snarky twist, subscribe to BlazeTV — the largest multi-platform network of voices who love America, defend the Constitution, and live the American dream.

UPDATE, 10:47 a.m.: Nick Reiner, 32 — son of Rob Reiner and Michele Singer Reiner — was arrested late Sunday and booked into jail Monday in Los Angeles County, the New York Times reported, citing online jail records.He is being held on $4 million bail, the records say, according to the Times, which added that Los Angeles police have not formally announced an arrest.Original story belowHollywood icon Rob Reiner, 78, and his wife, Michele Singer Reiner, were found dead in their Brentwood, California, home Sunday in what police are calling a homicide, the Los Angeles Times reported.Law enforcement sources told the paper that a family member was being interviewed in connection with the deaths.'No one has been detained; no one is being questioned as a suspect.'A spokesperson for the Reiner family confirmed the deaths Sunday evening, the Times said: “It is with profound sorrow that we announce the tragic passing of Michele and Rob Reiner. We are heartbroken by this sudden loss, and we ask for privacy during this unbelievably difficult time.”A source not authorized to speak publicly about the investigation but who reportedly has knowledge of it confirmed that there was no sign of forced entry into the home in the 200 block of Chadbourne Avenue, the Times reported. The source also told the paper that the Reiners had injuries consistent with a stabbing.LAPD Deputy Chief Alan Hamilton said Sunday that detectives were working to secure a search warrant before launching a "thorough" investigation inside and outside the home, the Times said."At this time, the Los Angeles Police Department is not seeking anyone as a suspect or as a person of interest ... and we will not be doing that until we conduct our investigation and move forward," Hamilton said, according to the paper. He said many family members would be interviewed but that "no one has been detained; no one is being questioned as a suspect," the Times added.Hamilton confirmed that the person who initially reported the incident was at the house, but that person's identity wasn't being released at this time, the paper said.RELATED: Bill Maher attempts risky intervention on Trump-deranged pal Rob Reiner: 'You have to talk to people' Margaret Stewart of the Los Angeles Fire Department told the Times that the department was called to the Reiner home around 3:30 p.m. for medical aid, and the two bodies were found in the home.Reiner was first famous for his portrayal of Michael “Meathead” Stivic on the legendary 1970s sitcom "All in the Family," which also starred Carroll O’Connor as Archie Bunker.He then gained wide acclaim over the years for directing movies such as “When Harry Met Sally,” “The Princess Bride,” “This Is Spinal Tap,” “Stand by Me," and “A Few Good Men."Reiner also was not quiet about his far-left politics, and he often railed against President Donald Trump and Republicans.Just a few months ago, fellow left-winger Bill Maher tried to talk some sense into Reiner during Maher's "Club Random" podcast, insisting that Reiner and other leftists have to learn to communicate with political opponents. Reiner countered that "if somebody says, 'Two plus two is four,' and the other guy says, 'No, it's not,' how do you begin the discussion?”Last year, Reiner called Trump "the Convicted Felon" in an X rant saying then-President Joe Biden should end his re-election bid: "It’s time to stop f**king around. If the Convicted Felon wins, we lose our Democracy. Joe Biden has effectively served US with honor, decency, and dignity. It’s time for Joe Biden to step down." The X post has since been deleted.Reiner in 2020 posted on X that "Donald Trump is actively trying to kill our children,” according to the Washington Examiner. But that post also has been deleted.In 2019, he posted the following on X: "Every elected Republican knows that this President is guilty of countless Impeachable offenses. But they, along with many White Evangelicals & White Supremacists have made a pact with [Vladimir] Putin. But unlike a pact with the Devil, this one can be unsigned." That post also has been deleted.In 2018 Reiner blamed a government shutdown on the Republican Party's "racism" and added that the GOP is "frightened to death of the browning of America." That X post also has been deleted.Reiner in 2017 posted on X that the "fight to save democracy" from Trump "is now an all out war"; he added a "treason" hashtag in the post focusing on Russian collusion. That post also has been deleted.Just after Trump's 2016 election win, Reiner called him a "moron" and noted that Trump's victory means "we are fighting the last big major battle of the Civil War."Editor's note: This story has been edited after publication to include a New York Times report that Nick Reiner, 32 — son of Rob Reiner and Michele Singer Reiner — was arrested late Sunday and booked into jail Monday.Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

For decades, Google Chrome reigned as the top web browser for laptops, desktops, and mobile. However, the emergence of generative AI aims to break the mold with a new series of agentic web browsers that can complete tasks with little to no user input. While it might sound convenient to hand over your digital life, security groups are already sounding the alarm, warning that these new browsers come with huge security and privacy risks.Huge privacy and security risks make these new browsers a liability for anyone who values his personal data.What is a web browser?Let’s start with the basics. A web browser is the app on your phone, tablet, or computer that provides a window into the internet, allowing you to search Google, go to websites like Blaze News, and more. Chances are pretty high that you’re reading this article on a browser right now. The most popular browsers today include Google Chrome, Apple Safari, Microsoft Edge, and Mozilla Firefox.What is an agentic web browser?An agentic web browser is a typical web browser with artificial intelligence injected into the code, giving it special abilities powered by generative AI. “Agentic” means that the AI in the browser can act as an “agent” on your behalf, autonomously completing tasks on the web that you assign, kind of like a personal assistant.Some examples of agentic tasks include researching information on Google, booking a hotel on a travel site, filling out online forms for your doctor, buying products on Amazon, and more.This is a totally new browsing category that just emerged, and its complete list of abilities is not fully fleshed out yet. Unfortunately, even as developers race for agentic browser dominance, huge privacy and security risks make these new browsers a liability for anyone who values his personal data.Dangers of agentic web browsersThe makers of Brave, a popular web browser that prioritizes privacy and security, were the first to point out the flaws in Comet, the new agentic browser by Perplexity. Their research detailed how a hacker could use “indirect prompt injections” to carry out a malicious attack on the user, prompting agentic AI to navigate to the user’s banking site, extract saved passwords, or steal sensitive information directly from the host PC, all without the user’s knowledge. Perplexity has since responded with its prompt mitigation plan.Similar concerns cropped up over Atlas, the new agentic browser by OpenAI. According to Axios via antivirus software developer Malwarebytes, researchers quickly discovered that the prompt bar could be exploited to bypass safety protocols and inject instructions to carry out malicious activities. Again, these vulnerabilities allowed researchers to access important data on the host computer. OpenAI refutes these vulnerabilities, claiming that ChatGPT, the AI that powers Atlas, can’t access other apps, files, or passwords.The real problem with agentic browsersIt’s not a coincidence that the new agentic web browsers from OpenAI and Perplexity both have the same security issues. Their core designs are inherently flawed.The problem stems from the fact that an agentic browser can complete personal tasks and manipulate private data without the user’s input or knowledge. From the moment you sign up, these browsers receive the keys to your entire digital life, and although you may provide instructions, who’s to say that the AI will always obey?If an agentic browser can buy products for you, it can purchase the wrong ones. If it can manage your money, it can transfer your funds to a third-party bank account. If it can control your digital life, it can mismanage or even exploit your privacy. And by the time you figure out what happened, it could be too late.Even if a hacker isn’t behind the keyboard sending out commands, there’s no guarantee that the AI itself will perform as designed. In fact, the only thing we know for sure about generative AI is that it can lie about its activities, hallucinate facts, and even teach itself new concepts all on its own.RELATED: How to escape the surveillance state: Pick the right search engine Photo Credit: Snizhana Galytska/Getty ImagesAt the worst, a hacker could destroy your digital life through an agentic browser on your computer. At the very least, an agentic browser could destroy your digital life by itself. Neither option sounds great.Word of warningDon’t try an agentic web browser right now. They are simply not ready. Don’t download one to your device. Don’t log into one with your account. Don’t hand over your information. Stay away for as long as you can, at least until some of these vulnerabilities are sorted out, and even then, proceed with caution. The consequences of using an agentic browser are far too risky for the sliver of convenience you’ll receive in return.An inescapable problemUnfortunately, you can’t avoid agentic web browsers for long. Right now, you have to go out of your way to download Atlas from OpenAI or Comet from Perplexity. Soon, though, agentic browsers will be practically everywhere.Google and Microsoft are both working on agentic features for Chrome and Edge, two of the most popular web browsers on the planet. Mozilla, the developers behind Firefox, have AI features in the pipeline, though they claim that users can turn these off. As for Apple, the company hasn’t shared any plans to give Safari an agentic upgrade, but considering how far behind Apple is with Apple Intelligence, this looks unlikely, at least for the foreseeable future.Agentic web browsers are an interesting — if not dangerous — gimmick that will quickly blossom into a mass consumer product overnight. Unless developers shore up the vulnerabilities in these browsers between then and now, hackers will undoubtedly have a new, shockingly effective way to steal data, money, and more. The only way to protect yourself is to deactivate these features as they roll out, or find a browser that doesn’t support agentic AI at all.